阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
Dumplings are the most essential and popular food for Winter Solstice especially in northern China. There is a legend for this 1. (tradition ) food. Zhang Zhongjing, a famous medical scientist at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, found his fellow-townsmen 2.(suffer) from coldness and hunger in winter. More 3.(severe), many of them had terrible chilblains (冻疮) in the ears. On the Winter Festival, he cooked food named Jiao Er 4. a stuffing (馅）of medicine and other ingredients resisting the cold to feed these people, and they recovered soon.
Nowadays, there are different 5. (custom) in southern and northern China. As a popular saying goes in northern China that "Have dumplings for Winter Solstice and noodles for Summer Solstice." Dumplings have been 6. must for this winter festival. If you happen to be in China on the day, go to the restaurant early, 7. there will be no dumplings left.
However, sweet dumplings are 8. (popular) for locals in south China. In their mind, the round shape of sweet dumplings 9. (symbolize) a family reunion. Besides, it's said that in some areas, people also have mutton, noodles or drink winter wine for 10. (celebrate).
These are all hot food to help people keep warm and avoid catching cold.
Minh Best, born without arms, loves to paint and she's found a unique way to approach her work. To ____ her paintings, she uses her foot to hold the brush. The girl has not let anything ____ her back, especially from doing what she loves: painting.
Her paintings have ____ from an artistic hobby into a way for Minh and her parents, Sarah Best and Justin Best, to raise money for her to ____ Camp No Limits. " Camp No Limits is a camp for children with limb (肢体) differences, " Sarah Best said. We are trying to ____ to West next year as there are campers like Minh and we want her to ____ them.”
Online and direct messages with specific requests are ____ ways Minh's paintings have been sold. “Several people have told us, with tears in their eyes, how ____ they are to get to see her do what she loves. “ Sarah Best said.
The family has already raised more than $5,000, helping pay for travel ____ to two camps just this year. “ ____ she attends these camps, she’ll know she’s just one of the crowd, ” Sarah Best remarked.
As her drawings continue to ____ the shelves, Minh's family would love to be able to help other kids attend these camps and offer financial assistance through these _____. “Attending these camps, she’s already ____ others as well,” Best said. “Again, her love for life is just catching and it gives people of all ages ____, even at these camps.”
Minh will continue to paint, cook, dance and do everything that brings her joy ____ limitations.
1.A.sell B.enjoy C.promote D.make
2.A.hold B.call C.bring D.give
3.A.risen B.grown C.ranged D.stayed
4.A.attend B.witness C.experience D.deliver
5.A.move B.walk C.travel D.cycle
6.A.argue with B.catch up with C.fit in with D.agree with
7.A.normal B.common C.original D.unique
8.A.blessed B.annoyed C.considerate D.adorable
9.A.plans B.books C.aims D.expenses
10.A.Since B.Though C.When D.Because
11.A.run into B.pass down C.apply for D.fly off
12.A.lessons B.classes C.donations D.comments
13.A.hurt B.inspired C.prevented D.offended
14.A.money B.hope C.experiences D.paintings
15.A.without B.despite C.over D.through
Spending your spare time alone or with your friends, which do you prefer? For me, I'd rather be alone. 1. Being with friends can be fun and can help you get through the rough spots in life. However, it's the time alone, I think, that forms you as a person.
2. Of course, I can think about these things when I’m with others, but it's harder to concentrate in a crowd. Being alone gives me the quiet time to really think about my life and what I want to do with it.
By staying alone, I can listen to the silence and relax completely. When I'm alone I can practice meditation (冥想) and lower my stress level. 3. Too much time with friends means filling my mind with a lot of chats. That’s enjoyable for a moment, but can dull my Concentration.
If I’m with other people, it's easy sometimes to become too worried about what other people think of me. When I'm alone I have time to step back. 4.
Finally, when I’m constantly in the company of other people, I’m always making compromises in order to find solutions that the entire group can enjoy. 5.
It’s natural to want to be with other people, but I find the time I spend alone is more valuable to me in the long run.
A.And that naturally leads to you feeling more independent.
B.This will prevents me from doing things I actually enjoy.
C.I need this time alone to re-energize my mind and spirit.
D.That's a very good way to sharpen my powers of concentration.
E.The time spent alone gives you a greater appreciation for yourself.
F.When alone, I have time to think about my goals and to develop a strategy to reach them.
G.Thus, I can see the real value of things, without being influenced by the opinions of others.
Next time you find yourself tending to your flower garden, you may want to stay quiet. The flowers are listening.
Israeli scientists discovered that the plants hear bees approaching and attempt to lure them in with sweeter nectar (花蜜). In several experiments, they found that playing audio recordings of buzzing bees around certain flowers will cause the sugar concentration in the nectar to rise by about 20% in less than five minutes. Such a rapid reaction by plants to sound had never previously been reported. Just to compare, the researchers also tried a higher frequency noise-like that made by a mosquito or a bat-and the flowers did not respond.
The authors point out that the behavior is actually in line with the natural order of things, considering that a plant’s ability to sense its environment and respond to it is critical for its survival. So, it would seem that plants have some sort of consciousness.
This is not the first time that plants have reacted to the sound around them. In a 2009 study, the researchers found that women’s voices help make plants grow faster. In that experiment, tomato plants were found to grow up to two inches taller when they were tended to by a female gardener.
What if we told you that a potato chip bag left on the floor of a break room could listen in on office gossip? As people were talking around the potato chip bag, they were sending tiny sound vibrations (振动) into the air. Those vibrations then hit lifeless objects around the room. Now imagine if you had a camera that was zoomed in on one of those objects extremely closely. In theory, you could actually see the object move along with the vibrations. You could then feed that video into a computer program that could translate the vibrations and you can play back the audio of the conversation that just took place.
So the next time you're at the botanical garden or in a grocery aisle, careful what you say. Someone-or something-might be listening.
1.Which of the following best explains "lure" in Paragraph 2?
A.Shut B.Attract C.Trap D.Lead
2.What is vital for plants to survive?
A.The soil depending on to grow in.
B.The audio recordings played to them.
C.The identification to the sound frequency.
D.The power to sense and react to the environment.
3.What can speed up the growth of plants?
A.The women's voice. B.The strength of the vibration.
C.The species of the young plant. D.The number of the music played.
4.What is the main idea of the text?
A.Plants may have the ability to listen.
B.Sound vibrations can be processed into an audio.
C.Buzzing bees can increase the production of nectar.
D.The frequency of vibration determines plants’ growth.
Deep in the middle of Sri Lanka, a massive column of rock reaches out from the green tropical forest. It is 660 feet tall and features frescoes (壁画), graffiti, and landscaped gardens.
The rock is known as Sigiriya and holds a special place in the island's cultural history.
It was established as the stronghold of a king over 1,500 years ago, and today the Sigiriya complex stands as one of the earliest preserved examples of ancient urban planning.
Located in the Central Province, the column of rock is somewhat central to the country. The rock is known as Sihagiri, meaning "Lion Rock", a nod to the giant animal carved from stone which greeted visitors at the entrance.
In 476 BC. King Dhatusena ruled over Sri Lanka. One of his illegal sons, Kashyapa, wanted the throne (王位). Kashyapa overthrew Dhatusena and drove his brother Moggallana to Southern India. Kashyapa crowned himself king in 477 BC.
King Kashyapa chose Sigiriya as his palace because its position was an advantage to the defensive stronghold, offering fantastic 360-degree views. Plans to build a city quickly unfolded and after several years, the Sigiriya complex had become a business center for the new King.
Sigiriya was both a palace and a fortress (堡垒); the overall complex featured five gates and measured just under 3 km by just over 1 km. The site plan consisted of a fort，an upper palace on the top of the rock,and lower palaces at ground level. The king also constructed gardens throughout，and for protection a river with walls surrounded the complex.
Frescoes decorate the western side of the rock, along with the mirror wall, a brick face covered in a highly-polished white plaster. When new, the wall was said to be able to produce Reflections.
Over time the Mirror Wall became a graffiti board, covered in verses written by visitors. Known as "Sigiri Graffiti", some of the messages date to the 8th century CE.
1.It is implied in the passage that Sigiriya was built to ______________.
A.preserve the culture of Sri Lanka B.prove the ancient urban planning
C.keep the King from being attacked D.protect the green tropical forest
2.According to the passage, some visitors would _________.
A.have a reflection before the Mirror Wall
B.leave comments on the Mirror Wall
C.draw beautiful paintings of girls on the wall
D.be lost in thought before the Mirror Wall
3.What do we know about Sigiriya?
A.Its entrance is carved like a lion. B.Its gardens are at ground level.
C.Its western side is a mirror. D.Its palaces are on the top of the rock.
4.What is the best title of the passage?
A.The giant lions in Sri Lanka. B.The pearl of the Indian Ocean.
C.The Lion Rock of Sri Lanka. D.The mirror wall in a rock.
"Keep your eyes open. This is where the Ewoks live.'' The one-hour drive outside of San Francisco, covered in clouds along windy roads, has inspired my husband to say this sentence at least a dozen times.
We finally arrive at Muir Woods National Park. I explain the strange green stuff on trunks of trees as we pass by--mos (苔藓), something my 5-year-old son Cole has never seen in the desert where we live.
"Mom, are Ewoks real? I think they maybe aren't real. " There's a question in Cole's voice,like he's trying on this idea.
We've been down the road of pretending versus reality before, what with all the talk of superheroes and such around our house. "I think you are right. Ewoks are just in the movies. But it would be cool if they were real, right ?"
Cole's silent for a while, thinking. "I just saw an Ewok’s ear back there!" Coles spotted an additional Ewok arm and one full body of the tiny hairy creatures. It does indeed look like we are in the Ewok forest of Star Wars.
Cole's imagination is more than I can understand. What do plants eat? Which is the best planet? Which rocks float? He loves life. He loves his inner world and outer existence equally.
I hear a lot of worry from parents about media sucking the souls from our children, taking away their time for creative play. For us, this hasn’t been the case. Cole and his brother are quite knowledgeable in the realities of life when it comes to Angry Birds, Curious George, and the adventures of Indiana Jones. These characters, and others of their own invention, live in my home like visitors, joining us on walks and outings. I appreciate them, though not all the time, for the company they give my sons and their busy minds.
I think of media characters as an add-on to already busy minds, by carefully monitoring who gets invited into our lives, they become part of the parenting team. They teach loyalty adventure, curiosity--lessons I'm trying to convey, but in a much cooler way than I can.
Pretence is awesome. It provides practice for real life without the ordinary interfering.
1.Where are the family heading for?
A.The cinema. B.A park. C.San Francisco. D.A desert.
2.What can we know about Cole from the passage?
A.He is proud of himself. B.He is full of curiosity.
C.He is courageous. D.He is considerate.
3.What do many parents think of their children playing via media?
A.It wastes children's time.
B.It can make their children relaxed.
C.It can engage their children in learning actively.
D.It can accompany their children in their absence.
4.What's the authors attitude to the media characters in parenting children?
A.Indifferent. B.Critical. C.Supportive. D.Disapproving.
