A 54-year-old dentist, Goodman purchased his first ___ in 1990 and joined the Howard Astronomical League (HAL) in 2000. “There aren’t too many big astronomy ___,” said Marc Feuerberg, who is President of HAL. “ If you are into astronomy at all, you kind of end up here.”
HAL which has about 120 members ___ “star parties” several times a month. The group also holds sessions at local libraries and schools, with the ___ of creating a new generation of sky ____.
Astronomy in general is sort of like ham radio. It was ___ just after World War II, ___ now it is “kind of graying”, said Chas Rimpo, the club’s events organizer.
Members offer several reasons for the ____: kids today would rather look at stuff on computers than ____; people think the telescopes are hard to _____.
But they say there’s nothing like being outdoors, looking at the sky and considering Earth’s tiny place in the ____.
HAL members are doing what they can to make an impression on a new generation of ____ astronomy lovers. Plans are under way to ____ the observatory in Alpha Ridge Park, said Rimpo.
Alpha Ridge Park was chosen as the site because it is ____ located near Interstate 70, but mostly because it has little light pollution , said Goodman.
“It might be a few years before the observatory is actually in place” Goodman said, “but once it is ____ , it will be run by HAL members and be open to the public. And it will give HAL a place of its own”.
1.A.radio B.telescope C.machine D.computer
2.A.schools B.clubs C.companies D.centers
3.A.takes B.holds C.builds D.opens
4.A.opinion B.suggestion C.goal D.agreement
5.A.watchers B.astronauts C.visitors D.astronomers
6.A.successful B.popular C.important D.secure
7.A.and B.so C.but D.though
8.A.shortcomings B.disadvantages C.failure D.decline
9.A.watch out B.go away C.go out D.give away
10.A.operate B.purchase C.adjust D.calculate
11.A.sky B.universe C.earth D.world
12.A.skillful B.excellent C.potential D.patient
13.A.pick B.insert C.fit D.place
14.A.totally B.conveniently C.partly D.conventionally
15.A.chosen B.designed C.completed D.found
Whether you’re going in for checkups or common tests in the hospital, here’s how to get the most out of your next visit.
If you’re going in for a regular doctor visit, you’re probably going to have your blood pressure taken. So it’s best to avoid coffee right before your appointment. 1. Using coffee or other caffeine such as energy drinks or colas within an hour of having your blood pressure measured can make the number artificially higher. 2.
They also may cause untrue results.
You probably want to show the doctor your best health. 3. Before an annual appointment, your providers would like you to be honest and upfront about your lifestyle and diet so they can have an accurate history of your health and provide you with the best possible care. You may think improving an unhealthy diet close to your appointment date is necessary. 4. It takes a long time for diet to change cholesterol and blood sugar, so a dietary change of a few days or meals isn’t going to do much. Changes occur over the long term, so it’s best to eat healthy as much as you can.
No matter what kind of appointment you have, you may be a bit nervous-after all, being examined by a doctor can make us feel vulnerable and even embarrassed. But if you write down the things you want to talk about before you go (or even make a note on your phone), you’re less likely to forget or lose you nerve. It’s helpful if you come in with your list of questions. 5.
A.You may get too nervous to ask.
B.The same goes for tobacco products.
C.It might affect the results.
D.But probably that wouldn’t matter.
E.Your doctor wants you to feel better.
F.It’s not necessary to change your eating habits.
G.Don’t be afraid to write down.
Are visible tattoos an invitation to stare at a person? A blog post on LinkedIn titled “But You Asked Me to Stare At Your Tattoos” is causing debate after its author declared that if someone has a visible tattoo, they are inviting attention on themselves.
The magazine columnist Jeff Haden writes that while in a meeting recently, he met a man with a full sleeve tattoo. After looking at his body art for “a couple of seconds”, the man asked Haden, “Would it be easier if you just took a picture?” Haden goes on to write, “You have this huge, colorful, incredibly eye-catching tattoo. And you’re wearing a shirt with unusually short sleeves. It’s like you’re paraphrasing Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men: ‘You want me to see your tattoo. You need me to see your tattoo.’”
But not everyone who has a visible tattoo thinks about it when getting dressed in the morning, replied some commenters. For those with tattoos, they often become a part of the person. “For most people who have had their tattoos, it isn’t something that you think about with any frequency. I don’t even notice it as ‘different’. It’s just a part of you - like grey hair or a large nose.” Writes Kristen Stine. “People say to me ‘What’s that?’, pointing at my arm. I often get flustered expecting to see a bug when I look down. However, I just see my arm.”
Still others agree with Haden and say that visible tattoos have no place in the workplace. “If you don’t want people to stare, wear a long sleeve shirt in this air-conditioned office. Clearly you want people to stare,” writes Mike Avelar.
Haden closes his piece with the following: “Make a statement with your apparel, your tattoos, your piercings or your actions. I think it’s great. Just don’t get mad when people look for a bit longer than usual… and occasionally even stare. That must be your intention. After all - you invited us to.”
1.What is the text mainly about?
A.The introduction of a magazine.
B.A hot debate about tattoos.
C.The bad effects of tattoos.
D.The blog of Jeff Haden.
2.Jeff Haden thinks that ______.
A.more discussion should be made about tattoos
B.people with tattoos hope to attract attention
C.people with tattoos shouldn’t take pictures
D.it’s improper for people to get tattoos
3.According to Kristen Stine, ________.
A.people needn’t worry about tattoos
B.people with tattoos should cover them
C.tattoos have become important for him
D.he didn’t pay much attention to tattoos
4.What is Mike Avelar’s idea about tattoos?
A.Air-conditioned offices are fit for people with tattoos.
B.People shouldn’t show tattoos in the workplace.
C.It’s reasonable for people to have tattoos.
D.People with tattoos should be blamed.
I believe that my actions show my beliefs, not my words.
I wrote a letter to my kids a few years ago. It’s three pages long, and it sums up my life experience of four decades. By the time they reach adulthood, they will have heard most of their father’s advice in that letter: live in the moment, do not attach yourself to physical things, treat others the way you would like to be treated, etc. I sealed the letter in a white envelope, and wrote instructions that nobody should open it unless something horrible happened to me.
As a police officer, I have seen life disappear in an instant. I realize that could happen to me at any time. Yet knowing that letter is there in my locker makes me more comfortable with my own death.
Every day, when I open my locker, I see the letter. It makes me aware that I should be careful at work, and show my children and the people I have connection with that I try to practice everything I have written. If that day comes and my children finally read the letter, I hope that because of my actions, they will take my written beliefs to heart and improve upon my example.
But for me, it’s not enough to write down my beliefs. I try to be the best person I can be every day-even in very difficult circumstances. I am more successful some days than others, but sometimes I curse too much. Sometimes I am cynical, unwilling to believe that people have good and honest reasons for doing something. I also get stressed and upset, yelling at my kids sometimes, and sometimes I am not as loving or as sympathetic as I should be. In fact, I am far from perfect, but I hope my children will eventually realize that perfection is an illusion. What really matters is that, instead of just writing down our beliefs, we all take action to be the best humans we can be.
1.Which of the following can best describe the author?
A.Humorous. B.Interesting.
C.Selfless. D.Considerate.
2.Why did the author open the locker to see the letter every day?
A.He wanted to confirm his beliefs. B.The letter served as a reminder.
C.He kept adding something new to it. D.His kids asked him to check it.
3.Which can replace the underlined word “cynical” in the last paragraph?
A.Doubtful about others’ motivations. B.Curious about everything around.
C.Worried about his future life. D.Unsatisfied about his profession.
4.What is the author’s understanding of life?
A.Parents should care for children. B.To become a successful father.
C.To be better today than yesterday. D.Bad guys deserve to be punished.
阅读下面短文, 根据所给情节进行续写, 使之构成一个完整的故事。
Jack, a clerk at the local bank, was wandering alone on the street. It was a cold, silent winter night. His mind was on his wife Linda, who had been in a car accident two months ago and was now lying in a hospital bed, waiting for more money for her operation. Jack had sold everything he had, and he had tried his best to borrow money from all the people and banks he could. But the real world is cruel.
A large amount of money was still needed. To Jack, it would mean a great deal of suffering to see his wife die without any help. “I have only one option left, ”Jack said to himself. Then he went to the bank, his workplace, again. For several days, he observed the bank and planned a theft.
The next day, he went to work as usual. Everything seemed normal: he joked with his workmates and helped his clients as he always did. But no one noticed that he had brought a bigger suitcase to work, instead of the small one he always carried. At 5:00 pm, the bank closed, and the clerks and the guards had all gone home. However, at that moment, Jack was in the bathroom, and the guards didn’t notice him, of course. When the noises coming from the street were replaced by silence and everything turned dark, Jack came out from the bathroom. He first cut the lines of the alarms and monitors with tools from his new suitcase.
He was all too familiar with the equipment since he had been working there for 8 years and had been studying the security system for the past 30 days. Using a special key and some other tools, he then easily opened the doors of the safes. The bank’s security system wasn’t very good, which allowed Jack to take a lot of money. Several minutes later, Jack left the bank with a heavy bag filled with money.
注意：
1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2. 应使用5个以上短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
4. 续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1：
After Jack had been gone from the bank for a while, the alarms began to ring.__________________________
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Paragraph 2：
But the most unlucky man was the manager of the bank, an old man._________________________________
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假如你叫李华，你在朋友家看到一套英文原版的The Magic Tree House Books，非常喜欢。但是你所在城市的书店却没有这套书。因此，你给这家出版社写信寻求帮助，内容如下:
1. 解释写此信的原因；
2. 询问对方是否可海外邮寄这套书籍，如果有，咨询费用情况；
3. 询问对方在中国有没有合作商，以便自己在国内网上买到这套书。
注意：
1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3. 开头语和结束语已为你写好，不计入总词数。
4. 合作商 cooperative parter
Dear Sir or Madam,
Thank you first for your kind attention to my letter.
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I would appreciate it a lot if you could reply earlier.
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
