Ralph Waldo Emerson once quoted that “Nothing great can ever be achieved without enthusiasm.” I have a lot of enthusiasm. This is Northlandz in Flemington, New Jersey. Northlandz is the world’s largest model railroad. Well I guess, you know, everybody has a passion for something, my thing was trains.
I had trains around the Christmas tree as a kid. Wherever I lived I was planning track plans and then over 18 years I added five basements onto the house. And from that I got fairly good at making mountains and bridges and design work and we decided to give it to the world so we tore it all down, bought this land and built Northlandz.
Any given day we run between 85 and 90 trains. Here are some of the details in Northlandz inside—about 40,000 feet of track, and about 4,000 buildings over 400 bridges. Many of the mountains in here are three and a half stories high. Most things in here are scratch built. Underneath the entire superstructure there’s enough lumber to build about 42 large houses. It takes a few hours to go through for the average person to see everything.
We went millions into debt to build this place. Everybody thought we were nuts. The only one that believed in what I wanted to do was my wife and she was totally with me on this big time. It’s an artistic effort. It’s a gift to the world of what I can do and it makes a lot of people happy.
1.In Para. 1 the quote of Ralph Waldo Emerson is used to .
A.show that the author is as outstanding as Ralph Waldo Emerson
B.illustrate the author’s passion for the creation of Northlandz
C.draw readers’ interest in the model railroad called Northlandz
D.explain why the author is successful in his career
2.What can be inferred from Para. 2?
A.The author could drive trains around as a kid.
B.The author decided to donate the house to the world.
C.When he was 18. the author built five basements of the house.
D.The author’s hobby since childhood inspired his building Northlandz.
3.What can we learn about Northlandz?
A.It is the largest real railroad throughout the world.
B.There run 85 trains on the 40,000 feet of track every day.
C.People have to spend much time appreciating every detail of it.
D.Many mountains in it are so high as to reach three and a half meters.
4.What did people think of the author’s devotion to building the place?
A.Crazy and skeptical.
B.Artistic and admirable.
C.Ambitious and pleasant.
D.Frustrating and unbelievable.
♦ How It Feels to Float
by Helena Fox
If you’re looking for a moving story that explores themes of mental illness，grief, and love, pick up a copy of How It Feels to Float and follow Biz as she comes of age. This moving novel will stay with you long after you finish reading it.
♦ Two Can Keep a Secret
by Karen M. McManus
Put on your crime-solving cap and get swept away in this thriller about a girl, a boy, and a string of unsolved murders. As threats and hints pile up, you’ll be burning the midnight oil trying to finish the book before dawn.
♦ Forest of a Thousand Lanterns
by Julie C. Dao
The first book in the Rise of the Empress series takes the bones of a traditional fairy tale—a poor girl fated for power, an evil queen determined to stop her, love for someone who doesn’t love back . and magic— and gives them a richly imagined East Asian setting.
♦ Dune
by Frank Herbert
If the Star Wars movies have made you fall in love with the space opera, eventually you’re going to read, Dune Trilogy (沙丘三部曲), Frank Herbert’s most famous creation. The story of centuries-old political plotting—about warring factions battling over control of the extremely valuable planet Arrakis—is a classic and remains a wonderful introduction to the larger, more complex world of science fiction, the Dune Trilogy, just beyond the Star Wars trilogy.
1.What is How It Feels to Float mainly about?
A.A girl’s space adventures.
B.Challenges of growing up.
C.The murder of a teenage girl.
D.An old women’s happy life.
2.What kind of book is Two Can Keep a Secret ?
A.A fairy tale.
B.A love story.
C.A mystery story.
D.A science-fiction story.
3.What do Forest of a Thousand Lanterns and Dune have in common?
A.Both are one of a book series.
B.Both have an authentic setting.
C.Both have been adapted to movies.
D.Both involve seeking magic power.
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。续写词数为150字左右。
The spot of red was what first caught Randy Heiss’s attention on December 16, 2018. He was hiking the remote land behind his farm in a small town near the U.S.-Mexico border, and there lying on the grass was a balloon. He walked toward it with his dog, thinking he should pick it up and throw it away.
That’s when he noticed the balloon’s string was attached to a piece of paper. “Dayami,” it read on one side, in a child’s writing. Heiss flipped the paper over. On the back he saw a numbered list, all in Spanish. His Spanish wasn’t very good, but he could see it was a Christmas list!
Heiss was charmed. He suspected that a child had tried to send Santa Claus a Christmas wish list by balloon, something he used to do himself when he was a kid. Nobody had ever returned the letters Heiss had sent, but he wondered whether he could find the girl who had sent this one.
It would be difficult, but Heiss had a few clues. About 20 miles to the southwest, just across the border, was the city of Nogales, Mexico, with a population of about a quarter million. Based on the wind direction, he was almost sure that was where it came from. Heiss brought the note home to his wife, who is fluent in Spanish and helped him translate the list. They determined that Dayami, probably a girl, had asked for a doll, a dollhouse, doll clothes and art supplies.
Heiss then posted his search about finding Dayami on Facebook, attaching photos, hoping some of his friends in Nogales might know the girl’s family. A few days passed with no results; Heiss worried that time was running out before Christmas. On December 19, 2018, he decided to send a private Facebook message to Radio Xeny, an AM radio station based in Nogales. To his surprise, someone from the station called him back right away and promised him to post his search on the station’s Facebook page immediately.
Paragraph 1:
The next morning, Heiss awoke to a message from Radio Xeny.
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Paragraph 2:
Dayami’s eyes were wide open with wonder.
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假定你是学生会主席李华。2018年瑞典人发起了一种在慢跑过程中捡拾垃圾的运动，即plogging, 目前这一运动在世界各地广受欢迎，请你以学生会的名义写一封倡议书，呼吁全体同学积极参与这项运动。内容包括：
1.介绍plogging；
2.开展plogging的好处
3.发出倡议。
注意：1.词数80词左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
词汇：瑞典人 the Swedish
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阅读下面短文, 在空白处填入1个恰当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
We often like new things—new clothes, new phones, new furniture. But when it comes to cities, older is often better. This is 1. (certain) true of Montreal, one of Canada’s oldest cities.
Begin your visit with Mount Royal, the 2. (high) point in the city. At various viewing 3. (point) you can see and photograph much of the city below. If your visit is in the fall, enjoy Montreal’s glorious autumn colors. The foliage (树叶) on every tree will be bright red, orange, yellow and purple. But at any time of year, you will likely meet people 4. (speak)many languages from many backgrounds.
The road down from Mount Royal 5. (pass) through McGill University, one of Canada’s top schools. Below McGill is the Golden Square Mile, 6. is a great area for walking tour. If it is too hot 7. too cold outside, you can walk Montreal’s more than 32 kilometers of underground streets.
8. you may not want to miss is to wander in the Old Port of Montreal district, ride the huge Observation Wheel for wonderful views of the city and look for huge “Grand Chapiteau”, or circus tent 9. (see) Cirque du Soleil’s travelling shows. Each show carries with it 10. unique feeling. It’s a flavor of the historic city, Montreal.
My mom and dad got divorced when we were young kids, so we lived at different families. After we grew up, my three siblings and I could go years ______ speaking. And that is where this story ______.
My sister Jeanne and I were born only 14 months ______, but by the time we were teenagers we had lost ______. By age 19, I had moved away from our home in Wisconsin to live on my father’s horse farm in Virginia. We lived separate and our connection somehow ended.
Fast-forward about five years, I was 24 and on a ______ with my fiancé(未婚夫) to New York City, a place I had never been to.
During a day of sightseeing, we were crossing a very ______ street loaded with people. I had laughed at something my fiancé said, and I ______ heard my name yelled from somewhere around me: “Cheryl!” I ______ in x my steps in the middle of the road. Tears ______ in my eyes. I knew without a ______ that it was my k sister Jeanne. I yelled back before even turning to look. “Jeanne?” It was her.
I later asked how w she’d known it was me---she had ______ seen me since we lost in touch! She said it was my ______. I wouldn’t say my laugh is all that ______, but I guess to a family member it’s infectious. It ______ your heart and resonates(共鸣) in your mind.
Since that time, my sister and I have never been ______. We both moved back to Wisconsin. We ______ daily. Many years have passed, and we are now in our 50s. But our reunion ______ wasn’t just a sign. I see it as more of a ______, a reminder not to lose touch with loved ones. It is so easy to remain ______. After our ______ of gathering, I don’t plan to let that happen again.
1.A.by B.after C.without D.beyond
2.A.ends B.begins C.twists D.spreads
3.A.ago B.later C.ahead D.apart
4.A.heart B.home C.touch D.interest
5.A.team B.trip C.date D.picnic
6.A.busy B.dark C.empty D.quiet
7.A.readily B.finally C.suddenly D.naturally
8.A.fell B.froze C.struggled D.hesitated
9.A.came about B.welled up C.ran away D.streamed back
10.A.word B.break C.care D.doubt
11.A.never B.often C.seldom D.already
12.A.shape B.clothing C.look D.laugh
13.A.clear B.pleasant C.bright D.unusual
14.A.hits B.lifts C.breaks D.cures
15.A.separated B.bothered C.suspected D.united
16.A.work B.travel C.play D.talk
17.A.by mistake B.by chance C.on schedule D.on purpose
18.A.change B.result C.lesson D.coincidence
19.A.lost B.touched C.broken D.loved
20.A.behavior B.act C.miracle D.deed
