In her 17 years on this earth, Shreyaa Venkat has done more to help the planet and the people living on it than many adults. The non-profit organization she founded, NEST4US, has helped tens of thousands of people in the United States. Through it, it’s served over 12,000 homeless people in the Washington, D.C. area by providing food and other supplies.
Venkat’s passion for helping others started as soon as she could walk, as her parents, active volunteers themselves, brought her along on their various projects, like some creative ways to volunteer. By fifth grade, she’d developed such enthusiasm for it that she started organizing her own service projects in her community.
NEST4US was born when she realized how much food waste there is, how many hungry people there are, and how simple it would be to use the former to help the latter. “There was a homeless man standing on a corner in D.C. and he was holding a sign that said ‘Hungry Need Food’,” she recalls. “So I gave him my lunch and his whole face just lit up. It was so easy, it only took me 30 seconds, and it really helped him.”
As NEST4US took off, with hundreds of volunteers helping to feed thousands of hungry people, Venkat decided to branch out with her volunteer efforts, starting three other branches of NEST4US. Serving others had become such a way of life for her that she even celebrated her 13th birthday at a homeless shelter, bringing the party to them instead of expecting gifts for herself.
As much as she has helped others, they’ve helped her too. Not only does she get a lot of joy and personal satisfaction from her volunteer work but running NEST4US has taught her important life skills like time management, public speaking, writing, and leadership. “What it’s really given me is this opinion of putting other people first,” she says.
1.What can we infer about NEST4US from the first paragraph?
A.Its main aim is to make money. B.It offers people cheap supplies.
C.It takes in all homeless people. D.It is a charity organization.
2.What caused Venkat to set up NEST4US?
A.Her parents’ constant suggestion. B.The memory of her hard childhood.
C.Her experience of helping a hungry man. D.Volunteers’ great influence on her.
3.Why did Venkat spend her 13th birthday at a homeless shelter?
A.She held a grand party for many people.
B.She could receive many nice gifts there.
C.She got much personal satisfaction from it.
D.She saw helping others as part of her life.
4.Which of the following best describes Shreyaa Venkat?
A.Caring. B.Ambitious.
C.Humorous. D.Demanding.
Since the modern Olympics began in 1896, it has been held in more than 40 different cities. That gives Olympic fans quite a few possible travel destinations to choose!
Beijing, China
Olympic fans should consider visiting the Beijing Olympic Park to check out the special buildings of the so-called “Bird’s Nest” and “Water Cube”—the national stadium and aquatics center built for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Popular historic places in Beijing include the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, and Tian’anmen Square.
Innsbruck, Austria
Located in the heart of the Alps, Innsbruck is known as a great winter destination—which explains why it has hosted not one but two Winter Olympics. Known for its mountainous views, Innsbruck is the perfect stop for outdoor adventurers.
Mexico City, Mexico
This wonderful travel destination offers a wide number of popular museums, historic buildings, and public parks. People will love shopping for fresh meat and produce at the markets, taking a cooking class, and generally eating their way through Mexico City, which is especially known for its culinary (烹饪的) experiences that include both globally well-known restaurants and locally favored street carts.
Melbourne, Australia
Nearly half a century before Sydney hosted the 2000 Summer Olympics, Melbourne became the first Australian host city in 1956. Head to the “cultural capital of Australia”, located in Victoria on the southeastern coast, for an energetic cafe culture and art scene, Melbourne offers something for every type of traveler and everyone can enjoy an evening at one of the city’s many rooftop bars or a day of wine tasting.
1.Where will you go if you are fond of adventure?
A.Beijing, China. B.Mexico City, Mexico.
C.Innsbruck, Austria. D.Melbourne, Australia.
2.What can visitors do in Mexico City?
A.Enjoy wonderful culinary classes. B.Buy beautiful clothes and shoes.
C.Admire beautiful mountainous views. D.Visit special stadiums for the Olympics.
3.What can we know about Melbourne?
A.It is famous for all kinds of wine. B.It has many world-famous hotels.
C.It hosted the Summer Olympics twice. D.It can satisfy different travelers’ needs.
请认真阅读下文信息，并按照要求用英语写一篇150词左右的文章。
China’s New Wildlife Trade Ban and Upcoming Law Amendment（修正案）
March 05, 2020 “Lisa” Ning Hua
The Coronavirus Outbreak in China, has been identified by the World Health Organization as a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern” or “PHEIC.” Seventeen years after the horrific SARS outbreak, the coronavirus has once again shown a spotlight on the risks of consuming wildlife as food and encouraged public outcry to ban wild meat consumption in China.
This challenge is not unique to China. Epidemics, such as Ebola, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy or Mad Cow Disease, Avian Influenza, and SARS, all originate from wildlife.
To combat the outbreak, China announced a suspension on wildlife trade across the country in January and a crackdown (i.e., stricter enforcement) on illegal activities involving wildlife. The country’s top legislature also initiated a process for amending the current Wildlife Protection Law and announcing a decision this week to ban the trade of wildlife as food and tighten the crackdown on illegal wildlife trade.
While this is all very good news, it should be noted that the ban is not permanent and will automatically expire（失效）when the amendments to the Wildlife Protection Law become effective. Further, key details regarding ban enforcement have yet to be clarified to ensure it serves its purpose.
（写作内容）
1. 用约30个单词概述上述信息的主要内容；
2. 谈谈你如何看待保护野生动物，并说明理由（至少两点）。
（写作要求）
1. 写作过程中不能直接引用原文语句；
2. 作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称；
3. 不必写标题。
（评分标准）
内容完整，语言规范，语篇连贯，词数适当。
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请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。注意：每个空格只填1个单词。请将答案写在答题卡上相应题号的横线上。
Potential energy is the energy, chemical or physical, stored within an object, atom or molecule（分子）. Think about a car at the top of a roller-coaster （过山车）, pausing just before it slopes into the next turn. A log resting in a fireplace just before it is about to be lit is a treasure house of potential energy. As the log burns, the connections between carbon atoms that make up the wood are being broken down, and the potential energy stored within those connections is being released as heat and light. As a comet approaches a planet or star, it slows, momentarily affected by the larger body’s gravity. The potential energy builds up and then reaches a breaking point as the comet accelerates around the larger body, and is shot out to the other side.
Sports show countless examples every day of potential energy being transformed into kinetic energy. Kinetic energy is the energy of movement. When an archer（弓箭手）draws and holds her arrow, her bow is filled with stored potential energy. When she releases the bowstring, all the potential energy is quickly transformed into kinetic energy, which is transferred to the arrow that takes flight.
The transformation of stored potential energy into kinetic energy can also be made use of to power homes, factories and entire cities. The most notable example is the Hoover Dam. The Hoover Dam is an arch-gravity dam by design. This design name is the first clue as to how exactly the dam makes use of energy. Located in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, the Hoover Dam formed, and now holds back Lake Mead — the largest reservoir in the United States.
Gravity acts as a force upon Lake Mead. Held at bay by the Hoover Dam, the waters of Lake Mead and the Colorado River gain greater potential energy with each passing moment. The Arizona and Nevada spillways（溢洪道）are two means by which the waters of Lake Mead can escape the dam. As the lake water falls over the walls into a spillway, potential energy is instantly transformed into kinetic energy. The channels through which the water normally escapes every day are the four intake towers. These towers allow the water flow through passageways to the powerhouse and hydroelectric generators. When the water reaches the intake towers and is allowed to flow down through the passageways, all the stored potential energy created by the force of gravity acting upon the water is transformed into kinetic energy, just as when water flows over the wall into a spillway. By taking advantage of the transformed potential energy of Lake Mead, the Hoover Dam provides power to California, Nevada and Arizona.
Moments like these happen all across the physical world, whether on the molecular or universe level.
Main points | Supporting details |
What is potential energy? | Potential energy is the energy existing either in the chemical or physical 1., which is stored in an object. When a car is sloping into the next turn from the top of a roller-coaster, it is building up potential energy. When a log is burning, the connections between carbon atoms are being broken down, 2. potential energy as light and heat. When a comet approaches a planet or star, the potential energy 3. to a breaking point and then the comet is shot out to the other side. |
How is potential energy transformed into kinetic energy? | Potential energy can be transformed into kinetic energy, which is the energy4. by movement. When the bowstring is released by an archer, the potential energy stored in the full bow is quickly transferred to the arrow, thus transformed into kinetic energy which sets the arrow 5. far away. Hoover Dam is the most notable example of energy transformation. Hoover Dam is 6. in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, holding back Lake Mead. The waters of Lake Mead escape the Dam, falling over the walls into Arizona and Nevada spillways, leading to the 7. transformation from potential energy into kinetic energy. The 8. of potential energy is from the force of gravity acting upon the water |
What 9. is the energy transformation made of? | Homes, factories and cities are efficiently 10. thanks to the powerhouses and hydroelectric generators taking advantage of the transformed potential energy. |
In November 2016, two influential art curators（艺术策展人）threw a memorable party in Shanghai. The hosts — Linyao Kiki Liu, and Klaus Biesenbach, — picked an unusual place for the great event: a repaired underground bomb shelter. That night it was filled mostly with an oversea crowd that had flown in to celebrate the art event. Shanghai seemed determined to present itself as a new centre of the art world.
Chinese contemporary art was actually born in Beijing. In 1979, soon after the country began rolling out economic reforms, a small group of artists held an unofficial exhibition, which lasted just two days but the seed for China’s grass roots arts movement was sown. By the early 2000s the 798 arts district in the north-east of the city was becoming a vital destination for international dealers and curators. Now Shanghai is competing with Beijing to become China’s cultural capital.
Shanghai’s initial embrace of art was restricted. Beginning in the early 2000s, a few local galleries supported a scattering of artists. There were no more than a handful of museums. The prospect of hosting Expo 2010 helped motivate Shanghai’s local government to encourage property developers to launch an ambitious urban-regeneration programme that would reframe the city as a cultural hub. At the heart of this renewal was West Bund, a 9.4km belt of Shanghai riverside, whose old industrial buildings and former airport were to be repurposed under the declaration “Culture First, Industry Oriented”.
In 2014 two landmark contemporary-art museums opened there — the Long Museum and Yuz Museum. The same year also saw the introduction of Le Freeport West Bund, a warehouse built to help the tax-free import, export and storage of artworks, a prime example of the city’s market-friendliness.
The inflow of collectors triggered by the series of events presented an important opportunity for galleries to hold exhibitions, unveil new spaces and host parties. Much of the activity took place in the newest art facilities — West Bund and the Power Station of Art.
All the glamour, though, cannot mask the concern felt by some artists and gallerists in Shanghai. Does projecting the city as such a high-end, outward-looking hub risk endangering some of other important corners of the city? Rapid gentrification（中产阶级化）is already forcing many small businesses, like the family-run noodle joints and the bicycle-repair shops, to close down. And indeed, the art party, Shelter, is due to close after the Culture Bureau refused to renew its lease（租约）.
This upgrading of the city is already affecting the arts sector. Rising rents — a direct outcome of urban redevelopment—have made the production of art in Shanghai difficult, forcing artists to the city’s fringes, and beyond. It risks crushing the kind of grass roots, artist-led initiatives on which so much of China’s contemporary art was founded. The shift also affects galleries. Three of the city’s most important names — MadeIn Gallery, Aike Dellarco and ShanghART — have relocated this year from Shanghai’s original art hub, M50, to West Bund. Their departure will mean fewer visitors to M50’s remaining lower-tier, entry-level galleries for whom a move to West Bund is out of the question. If M50 struggles, that may affect new artists seeking representation in the city.
The cultural transformation of Shanghai has been astonishing. But it risks threatening the kind of complex and sustainable engagement that a lively arts sector needs. If local government can encourage affordable spaces for young artists and help promote a climate where artists and art professionals can prosper, then this most dynamic of cities might truly have it all.
1.“Linyao Kiki Liu, and Klaus Biesenbach” are mentioned at the beginning of the passage to show that _____.
A.Shanghai has been racing to become China’s cultural capital.
B.Shanghai encourages property developers to build museums.
C.Shanghai is appealing to more celebrities（名人）to go sight-seeing.
D.Shanghai has beaten Beijing in holding art exhibitions.
2.The underlined phrase “roll out” in Paragraph 2 has the closest meaning to the one in _____.
A.“We’ll give her some VIP treatment and roll out the red carpet”.
B.“He let a couple of golden apples roll out from under the basket”.
C.“Then it was time to roll out of bed and line up for breakfast”.
D.“We have rolled out an improvement initiative across our organization”.
3.According to the author’s introduction, we can learn that _____.
A.the 798 arts district in Shanghai has already attracted many international dealers.
B.Shanghai has adopted preferential tax policies in West Bund to inspire cultural industry.
C.the prospect of contemporary art in Shanghai is greatly determined by Expo 2010.
D.more art enthusiasts will go and appreciate high quality art exhibitions in M50.
4.The upgrading of Shanghai may have negative effects on the following corners EXCEPT _____.
A.local galleries B.new artists
C.Culture Bureau D.bicycle-repair shops
5.What is the author’s attitude towards contemporary art in Shanghai?
A.Critical. B.Optimistic.
C.Subjective. D.Indifferent.
6.In which section of a magazine might the article appear?
A.Global business. B.Finance and economics.
C.Books and arts. D.The world this week.
Dec 21st 2018
On December 19th Gatwick airport, Britain’s second-biggest, was forced to close due to several sightings of drones（无人机）flying near its runways. The airport only reopened on the morning of December 21st. ① .
The potential for an incident of this scale has been recognized for some years now. The falling price of small drones in recent years has resulted in the number flying dangerously near aircraft to rise sharply. ② .
This is a threat that the authorities have to take seriously. Recent research suggests that small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can be much more damaging than birds — a surprisingly common cause of aircraft crashes — at the same impact speed, even if they are a similar weight. The researchers found that the drones’ rigid and dense materials—such as metal, plastic and lithium batteries—can put aero planes at much greater risk than a bird carcass（动物尸体）. If a drone were to hit an aircraft’s fan blades when it is operating at its highest speed, the blades could break and power to the engine could be lost.
③ . But it also underlined the potential for destruction that drones afford. The British police do not think that terrorism was the motivation behind the latest incident at Gatwick. According to the Daily Telegraph, a British newspaper, environmental activists are suspected of being behind the attack, which has happened before.
As attention turns to what can be done to prevent a repeat, two solutions stand out. The first is regulation. Regulators in America and Britain already ban drones from flying too close to airports. America has introduced a compulsory registration scheme for drones and Britain plans to follow suit.
But as the chaos at Gatwick shows, even serious punishments will not stop those intending to cause harm deliberately. ④ . Technology is the second, and more important, answer to the threat. In the US the FAA has experimented with a system. Drones can have pre-programmed software that keeps them away from prohibited areas, an approach known as “geofencing”. British engineers have come up with a system that catches drones with a net and then softly lands them with a parachute. Dutch police have even attempted to train eagles to catch drones in the sky and return them to their trainers as if they were song birds. The closure at Gatwick will give ideas such as these a mighty push forward.
1.Compared to birds, drones have become a more serious threat to airplane crash in that _____.
A.drones are much heavier than birds in general
B.drones usually fly even faster than birds
C.drones will attack airplanes on purpose
D.drones are made of rigid and dense materials
2.The sentence “The extended closure of Gatwick was a justified response to this threat.” should be put in _____.
A.① B.②
C.③ D.④
3.It can be inferred from the article that _____.
A.The decreasing size of drones recently has led to frequent accidents of this kind.
B.Among the solutions, technology is considered to be a more reliable one.
C.The FAA has adopted a “geofencing” system with the help of trained eagles.
D.The British police think environmentalists conducted the latest incident at Gatwick.
4.What can be a suitable title for the article?
A.Drones or birds, which is more harmful?
B.How to stop unmanned aerial vehicles?
C.Several drones close Gatwick airport.
D.Drones have become a pressing issue.
