I had driven home to celebrate my 38th birthday with my mother. When I arrived, I found her _______ proudly at the kitchen table, a chocolate cake and two boxes wrapped orange ribbon (丝带) in front of her. “Happy birthday!” she said, _______ at the boxes. “Open them.”
As she knows me _______ than anyone, she’d gotten me exactly what I wanted—running clothes. I _______ her and thanked her and proceeded(接着) to eat the cake.
“Too many _______,” I said, not really caring.
“You’ll run them off tomorrow,” Mom said.
Many adult children with a parent suffering from _______ memory will tell you there was one day that _______ to them that their relationship with their mother or father would be forever changed.
For me that day _______ two weeks later, when I drove back for another short _______. I came upon exactly the same ________: my mom sitting at the kitchen table; a chocolate cake resting next to two ________ wrapped in curly ribbon. The ribbon was green this time. That was the only ________ “Happy birthday!” my mom said.
I was totally ________. “What’s going on?” I asked.
Mom smiled. “Can’t I celebrate my daughter’s birthday?”
This was no ________. This was real life, and since my mother clearly only wanted to make me ________, I pushed aside my fear and fulfilled my role as the ________ daughter. I hugged her, thanked her and ________ the clothes... I did not mention to her that we’d done all this two ________ ago.
My house is her world now. My mother and I have the ________ conversation roughly 10 times a day. ________, I consider it a pleasure, because every minute is new for her.
1.A.cooking B.sitting C.singing D.dancing
2.A.shouting B.running C.staring D.gesturing
3.A.earlier B.longer C.better D.less
4.A.paid B.hugged C.comforted D.ignored
5.A.calories B.presents C.decorations D.candles
6.A.sad B.lasting C.failing D.past
7.A.signaled B.added C.appealed D.contributed
8.A.ended B.came C.changed D.disappeared
9.A.memory B.birthday C.party D.visit
10.A.day B.idea C.scene D.celebration
11.A.boxes B.bags C.dresses D.hats
12.A.color B.choice C.attraction D.difference
13.A.moved B.confused C.embarrassed D.excited
14.A.pleasure B.trouble C.trick D.end
15.A.happy B.shocked C.puzzled D.upset
16.A.friendly B.successful C.forgetful D.grateful
17.A.admired B.washed C.declined D.wrapped
18.A.days B.weeks C.months D.years
19.A.previous B.annoying C.only D.same
20.A.Therefore B.Instead C.However D.Moreover
Try This at Home!
Are you looking for a new pastime that will create a balance between physical activity and relaxation? Then yoga may be the perfect choice for you. Yoga can be practiced by people of all ages and levels of fitness.1. It's a great way to strengthen your muscles and become more flexible.
In the 1930s, Indian Sri Tirumali and K. Pattabhi developed one of the most popular forms of yoga practised worldwide today. They worked together using an ancient Sansknt text called Yoga Korunta to create a set routine of yoga movements and breathing exercises. 2.
Ashtanga is different from other forms of yoga. It is a very powerful form of aerobic (有氧的)exercise which creates deep heat in the body. 3. In other forms of yoga, however, the routine can change each time and the stretching exercises aren't aerobic.
4.As well as making you stronger and more flexible, it can also help you to stay calm. By focusing on your breathing while doing physical exercise, you are able to get a balance between mind and body. In addition, yoga helps to make us healthier so we are less likely to get common illnesses like colds.
Furthermore, yoga encourages you to think about what you're doing. Often you will close your eyes while doing certain movements.5.After a few lessons you'll stop looking at what the others around you are doing. You will stop comparing yourself and start focusing on yourself.
A.It can also be done anywhere at any time.
B.The result of their co-operation was ashtanga yoga.
C.Whatever kind of yoga you choose, there are many long-term benefits.
D.This allows you to concentrate better and it makes you less competitive.
E.Every time someone practices ashtanga, he or she does exactly the same movements.
F.If you're interested in yoga, but can find a class near you, then it might be an excuse to travel.
G.Recently, it has become extremely common for beginners as well as advanced yoga students to go on yoga holidays.
The world's first hydrogen-powered trains have begun running in Germany. They began carrying passengers Monday in Germany's northern Lower Saxony state. The new train will run 100-kilometer trips and can travel up to 140 kilometers an hour.
A French railroad company called Alstom built the two trains. Team in Germany and France cooperated on the project, which was supported by the German government. The new train model ,called the Coradia ilint, signals the beginning of efforts in Germany and other nations to move away from pollution-producing diesel(柴油) trains.
The Coradia iLint is designed to run on non-electrified train lines with low levels of noise.
It uses a process that combines hydrogen and oxygen to produce electrical power. If the system produces more energy than the train needs at that time, it can store the extra energy in batteries. The only emissions (排放物) are water and steam.
A single tank of hydrogen can run a Coradia iLint train for about 1,000 kilometers. This is very similar to the distance a diesel-powered train can run on with a single tank.
Hydrogen-powered trains cost more than diesel trains to build. But Alstom officials say the operating costs are much lower. The company plans to provide another 14 Coradia iLint trains to Lower Saxony by 2021.
The head of railroad operations in the area, Carmen Schwab, praised replacing diesel trains with hydrogen. She said the move was an important first step in using clean-burning technologies to reach climate protection goals.
Officials say the area's many wind turbines (涡轮机)will produce part of the energy to create the hydrogen to power the trains.
Alstom says several other European countries have also expressed interest in developing hydrogen train systems. France has already said it wants its first hydrogen train to be operating by 2022.
1.Why did Germany build the new trains?
A. To replace diesel trains.
B. To carry more passengers.
C. To make traveling much easier.
D. To develop friendship with France.
2.What is one advantage of the Coradia iLint?
A. It runs without making any noise.
B. It doesn't use electrical power.
C. It costs much less to run.
D. It is cheaper to make it.
3.It can be concluded that hydrogen trains________.
A. are widely used
B. are environmentally friendly
C. can stop air pollution
D. can produce water and oxygen
4.What might be the best title for the text?
A. Saving Natural Resources
B. Efforts to Reduce Emissions
C. World's First Hydrogen Trains
D. A New Way to Make Electricity
Organic food is very popular. It is also expensive. Some organic food costs twice as much as non-organic food, but new parents and pet owners are willing to pay up to 200% more for organic food. However, there are people who think it is a waste of money.
There is one main difference between organic and non-organic food. Organic farms do not use agricultural chemicals, such as pesticides. In many countries organic foods have special labels. These guarantee that the products are natural.
Some people think organic means locally grown. Originally this was true. Over time organic farming became more difficult. The demand for organic food grew larger than the supply. Small companies had to sell out to large companies. There weren't enough organic ingredients, such as grain and cattle. This made it difficult for many organic companies to stay in business. Today, many large companies have an organic line of products.
Is organic food more nutritious? This is part of the debate. Many farmers and consumers believe it is. They think agricultural chemicals cause health problems such as cancer. Many health professionals disagree. Few studies prove that organic foods prevent health problems. Health specialists worry more about bacteria, such as E.coli and salmonella. These can get into contact with organic and non- organic food. Doctors recommend washing produce very carefully. Handling meat carefully is important too.
Most people agree that naturally grown food tastes better. Is tastier food worth the extra money? This is a matter of opinion. Whether it is healthier or not may require more research. However, organic consumers argue it is better to be safe than sorry.
1.What is probably the major concern of organic food consumers?
A.Price. B.Safety.
C.Freshness. D.Variety.
2.What is the doctors’ suggestion?
A.Grow your own food. B.Reduce the use of pesticides.
C.Make sure the food is clean. D.Buy large companies’ products.
3.Which of the following do most people agree on organic food?
A.It tastes better. B.It is easier to grow.
C.It contains more fat. D.It is more nutritious.
4.Where does this text probably come from?
A.A recipe book. B.A chemistry paper.
C.A medical report. D.A health magazine.
I watched my Dad close the door. It was a really cold night in dead silence and I was all alone at home. My parents left because they had been running fever for several days and they were showing other symptoms of COVID-19. It was the 9th day of Wuhan lockdown starting on January 23.
The virus we now know as COVID-19 is somehow fearsome partly because it does not discriminate (区别对待) in choosing who it infects. But that is only partly true. All the evidence suggest that it can be merciless to older people, so I was wondering whether my parents would make it and whether we would ever take family photos, which my parents and I had talked about during the Spring Festival holiday..
On their second day away my parents called and asked me how I was. We talked using FaceTime, and the moment I saw mom lying there with an oxygen mask and my dad could not talk without breathing heavily, I realized that I had to live on my own.
But two weeks later, I came across a fever and had to go into quarantine (隔离) and be put under medical observations for 14 days. Fortunately, my illness turned out to be due to a bacterial infections but not COVID-19.
Everything there was hectic, there seemed to be a shortage of medical staff and materials were in short supply. Even though the doctors and nurses were covered from head to toe, I could see how tired they were when I looked into their bloodshot eyes.
They would work a whole day preparing for new patients and seemed incredibly apologetic for not having everything that was needed. Most of the patients were really understanding, but of course there were those who were not, and complained loudly, but all the doctors and nurses tried their best to deal with it in a calming way. And they are all from other cities like Shanghai and Guangzhou, and some of them are just three or four years older than me.
When the quarantine was over, every patient effusively thanked the workers for what they had done, but the answer they received was exactly the same: “That’s what we’re here for.”
1.When did the author’s parents leave her for the hospital?
A.January 23. B.January 30.
C.January 31. D.February 1.
2.What does the underlined phrase “make it” in Paragraph 2 mean?
A.Succeed. B.Join in.
C.Arrive. D.Survive.
3.What can we learn according to the passage?
A.Both the author and her parents got infected with COVID-19.
B.The majority of the patients understood the doctors and nurses.
C.The patients apologized to the doctors and nurses because they were too tired.
D.The author didn’t get infected with COVID-19 because the virus can only infect the older.
4.What may the author think of the medical workers according to the passage?
A.Admirable. B.Outgoing.
C.Impatient. D.Thankful.
If you're looking to fully experience Africa's breathtaking scenery, and have an eye for adventure, then there's only one place to be. Here, inside Africa picks four of the best hikes from across the continent.
1.Kilimanjaro
Make it to the top of Tanzania's 5,895-meter Kilimanjaro, and you'll be standing at Africa's highest point. The mountain is Africa's most-visited hiking destination, attracting tens of thousands of tourists and adventures every year.
You don't have to a technical climber to climb Mount Kilimanjaro; you just need not be pretty physically fit. There are six routes to choose from difficulty, scenery and success. No special equipment
2.Atlas mountains
The High Atlas is an impressive mountainous range in central Morocco that hosts North Africa's highest peak. Mount Toubkal, at 4,165 meters. There's a variety of routes to follow during your climb but inexperienced climbers should note that the hike through the mountain's challenging zones is quite demanding.
3.Mount Kenya
A long-extinct volcano. Mount Kenya is Africa's second-highest peak, at 5,199 meters.
Lying just south of the equator, the mountain's deep valleys and diverse wildlife will guarantee you wonderful scenery and a fantastic hiking experience.
The climb, however, to the mountain's steep ice-capped peaks is quite challenging, making it the most technical, probably, in that East African area.
4.Mount Meru
Mount Meru may forever exist in the shadow of its neighbor, Kilimanjaro, but Tanzania's second-highest mountain (4,565 meters) has its own devotees.
It's less known, but Mount Meru is for the true enthusiast who wants to experience what very few people actually do.
Mount Meru is often used by mountaineers to accustom themselves before trying to conquer Kilimanjaro, or by those wanting a hike with the local Massai.
1.What do we know about Kilimanjaro?
A. It's comparatively easy to climb.
B. It's Africa's second highest mountain.
C. Its six routes are equally difficult.
D. It lies to the east of Tanzania.
2.Why do mountaineers climb Mount Meru first before they do Kilimanjaro?
A. To avoid big crowds of climbers. B. To hike with the local Massai.
C. To get used to the situation. D. To experience what most people do.
3.Which is the lowest of the four?
A. Kilimanjaro B. Atlas mountains
C. Mount Kenya D. Mount Meru
