My parents were so proud of me, especially of something I accomplished. This is one of my happiest memories and, sadly, also the _______ I have of my parents. They _______ in one evening when some drunken men crashed their car into them.
From then on, I was _______. I missed them greatly, but _______ surprisingly well on my own. If they were alive, they would be most _______ of the moment I met my best friend, Eliza Jones. I’m also most proud of that _______.
It was a June evening. I was seventeen years old and sitting on a tree branch, listening to the music the water created under the bridge. Just then I noticed a(n) _______ appear on the bridge. Suddenly it stopped on the top of the bridge and _______ to the river.
I _______ up and launched myself at the falling figure. I had never swum at this ________. I had to catch it; ________ I would never forgive myself. I swam faster and faster and ________ the figure. I laid the person on the riverbank and found it was a girl, about my age. She asked me why I tried to ________ her, I said I couldn’t just watch someone didn’t ________ her life. Then we talked and I found we both liked to read about fairies.
We ________ anything except the reason why she was there that night. She told me she was a writer who wanted to travel around the world and write amazing fantasy novels. I was glad she had a ________ for the future. Even so I wouldn’t ________ myself to ask her why she was so sad that she would throw away her wonderful ________. I just said, “Tomorrow morning the sun will rise, bringing with it the ________ of another start.” Minutes later, she said it was time that she should leave, but promised she would continue living well. After that I had a(n) ________ memory of the bridge.
1.A.last B.longest C.deepest D.easiest
2.A.married B.escaped C.returned D.died
3.A.stubborn B.nervous C.unaccompanied D.impatient
4.A.travelled B.played C.changed D.managed
5.A.frightened B.proud C.aware D.confident
6.A.moment B.advice C.achievement D.dream
7.A.accident B.poster C.pattern D.figure
8.A.referred B.turned C.jumped D.pointed
9.A.turned B.shot C.spoke D.woke
10.A.atmosphere B.speed C.length D.chance
11.A.however B.instead C.otherwise D.besides
12.A.grasped B.discovered C.created D.abandoned
13.A.rescue B.remember C.support D.suspect
14.A.review B.treasure C.check D.choose
15.A.heard about B.cared about C.dreamed about D.talked about
16.A.negotiation B.target C.talent D.preference
17.A.force B.refuse C.relax D.adjust
18.A.occupation B.lesson C.life D.suggestion
19.A.background B.operation C.appointment D.promise
20.A.relative B.outstanding C.fond D.common
The Health Benefits of Gardening
Gardening is popular in many parts of the world. This outdoor activity gives us beautiful plants, pleasant smelling flowers and fresh fruits and vegetables. But it also gives us many health benefits.
1.
Gardening connects people. When you are gardening, you are outdoors. So it is a perfect time to socialize with your neighbors. Gardening can greatly widen a person’s community. Some people may not have the resources to have their own gardens. So, many cities and towns have community gardens. You can either volunteer or just visit to learn more.
2.
Gardening is a great activity to do with children, It gets families outdoors and off computers, televisions and other electronics. Gardening can be a great teacher. Children can learn about nature and wildlife. Gardening can teach a child about where food comes from and healthy eating.
Getting Vitamin D
When you are in your garden, you might feel the sunshine on your skin. This means you are getting Vitamin D. Vitamin D helps your bodies use calcium (钙). 3.. Vitamin D also helps you fight diseases.
Doing more exercise
Also, when you garden, you must move around, All the different movements needed for gardening—bending, twisting, stretching and lifting-work small muscles in the body.4..
Reducing stress
5.. A study by the Netherlands found that gardening may reduce the stress hormone cortisol (激素皮质醇) in the brain. Scientists say that high levels of cortisol in the body interfere (干扰) with learning and memory. It can also increase a person’s weight, blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
A.Reducing loneliness
B.Getting along with children
C.That is necessary to keep bones strong
D.Gardening may help you stay energetic
E.Gardening may also help you to feel calm and happy
F.What you grow in a garden usually looks, smells, feels and tastes really good
G.And you can easily get a good workout when you are digging holes or pulling weeds
A new paper published in Environmental Research Letters has some warning news for people living in the lower 48 states: You may be at risk from river flooding and not even know it until the water starts to rise.
In fact, the study, estimates of present and future flood risk in the United States, found that 41 million U. S. residents are at risk from flooding along rivers. That’s three times more than current estimates based on the flood maps produced by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) , which primarily maps the areas at risk for 1-in-100-year floods in populous (人口众多的) river basins.
Why does the big difference come into being? As always, it’s all about the data. Generally, FEMA prioritizes risk-assessment areas based on their population; reserving expensive field-work methodologies (研究方法) for the more populous river basins, but many other rivers have not yet been mapped at all.
The size of the USA means that flood maps made in this way are incomplete. It would be too expensive and time-consuming to survey every river basin in America. The national-scale flood maps produced by FEMA leave the flood risk of many parts of the country unaccounted for.
For this research, scientists from The Nature Conservancy adopted a pioneering methodology that avoids the defects of the FEMA approach, where individual catchments (流域) are studied by making use of big data. The study used a new high-resolution model, produced by the flood-mapping organization Fathom, which copies floods on all rivers across the entire continental United States.
“We were all surprised by how many people are actually exposed to freshwater flooding in the USA,” said Oliver Wing, lead researcher on the study and a PhD student at the University of Bristol. “It’s particularly worrisome considering that most of these people aren’t even aware of the risk they face. This study helps fill that critical information gap.”
1.What did the new paper intend to tell readers?
A.The mistakes made by FEMA.
B.The serious situation of the flood.
C.The populous river basins of the USA.
D.The unseen risk of the flood in the USA.
2.Why is the map produced by FEMA incomplete?
A.It’s dangerous to research all the rivers.
B.The size of the USA is too big.
C.It ignores less populous rivers.
D.The efficiency of making it is low.
3.What does the underlined word “defects” in paragraph 5 mean?
A.Shortcomings. B.Potential.
C.Consumption. D.Contributions.
4.What attitude does Oliver Wing have to the study?
A.Critical. B.Supportive.
C.Cautious. D.Uncaring.
You may not pay much attention to your daily elevator ride. Many of us use a lift several times during a day without really thinking about it. But Lee Gray, PhD, of the University of North Carolina, US, has made it his business to examine this overlooked form of public transport. He is known as the “Elevator Guy”.
“The lift becomes an interesting social space where etiquette (礼仪) is sort of strange,” Gray told the BBC. “They are socially very interesting but often very awkward places.”
We walk in and usually turn around to face the door. If someone else comes in, we may have to move. And here, according to Gray, lift-users unthinkingly go through a set pattern of movements. He told the BBC what he had observed.
He explained that when you are the only one inside a lift, you can do whatever you want — it’s your own little box. If there are two of you, you go into different corners, standing diagonally (对角线地) across from each other to create distance.
Newcomers to the lift will need to size up the situation when the doors slide open and then act quickly. Once in, for most people the rule is simple — look down, or look at your phone.
Why are we so awkward in lifts? “You don’t have enough space,” Professor Babette Renneberg, a clinical psychologist at the Free University of Berlin, told the BBC. “Usually when we meet other people, we have about an arm’s length of distance between us. And that’s not possible in most elevators.”
In such a small, enclosed space it becomes very important to act in a way that cannot be considered to be threatening or strange, “The easiest way do this is avoid eye contact,” she said.
1.What is people’s response to the lift etiquette according to Gray?
A.Thinking much of it. B.Avoiding it on purpose.
C.Researching it continuously. D.Ignoring it unconsciously.
2.What does Gray think of riding a lift?
A.It’s funny and quick. B.It’s strange and dangerous.
C.It’s interesting but awkward. D.It’s convenient but boring.
3.What may most people do if they stay in the lift?
A.Talk loudly to each other. B.Keep still and silence.
C.Use mobile phones. D.Keep a close distance.
4.What’s the author’s purpose in writing the text?
A.To show how to ride each elevators.
B.To introduce some rules of elevator etiquette.
C.To show how to break awkwardness of riding lifts，
D.To analyze the reasons for keeping elevator etiquette.
I enjoy life because I am endlessly interested in people and their growth. My interest leads me to widen my knowledge of people, and this in turn makes me believe in the common goodness of mankind. I believe that the normal human heart is good since their birth. That is, it’s born sensitive and feeling eager to be approved and to approve, hungry for simple happiness and the chance to live.
Like Confucius, I am absorbed in the wonder of the earth, and the life on it. With a great faith in the human heart and its power to grow toward the light, I find here are reasons enough for hope and confidence in the future of mankind. The common sense of people will surely prove that mutual (相互的) support and cooperation are only sensible for the security and happiness of all. Such faith keeps me continually ready to do what one person can toward shaping the environment in which the human being can grow with freedom. This environment, I believe, is based upon the necessity for security and friendship.
I take heart in a promising fact that the future world will contain food supplies enough for the entire earth population. Our knowledge of medical science will be sufficient to improve the health of the whole human race. Our resources and education, if administered on a world scale, will lift the intelligence of the race.
Half a century ago, few people thought of world food, health and education. Many are thinking today of these things. Now I find my only questions about this: Are there enough people now who believe? Is there enough time left for the wise to act? It is a contest between ignorance and death, or wisdom and life. My faith in humanity stands firm.
1.What results in the author’s belief in people’s goodness?
A.His understanding of people. B.His desire for happiness.
C.His sensitive attitude to life. D.His kindness to people.
2.What should people do to build a secure and happy world?
A.Get ready to develop more friendship. B.Compete with others in everything.
C.Defeat others to get enough freedom. D.Help and cooperate with each other.
3.What does the author want to express in paragraph 3?
A.His demand for the present life. B.His expectation of the future world.
C.His belief in better environment. D.His hope of human relationships.
4.What may be the best title of the text?
A.Human Nature Is Good B.Believe in Ourselves
C.Live a Happy Life D.Help People in Need
The Best Family Reunion Spot in Every State
The location for your family reunion could make the event. Choose one of these unique and comfortable spots in every state.
Alabama—Doublehead Resort, Town Creek
You can’t beat the waterfront cottages available at Doublehead Resort. Each has a washer and a full kitchen. A cottage can sleep ten people, making this resort the perfect relaxing location for your family reunion. This could be the setting for another funny family vacation story.
Arkansas—Whitney Mountain Lodge, Garfield
This Northwest Arkansas hotel has a breathtaking view of Beaver Lake. Located between the Rockies and the Appalachians, this peaceful site is the perfect place to escape with your family. They have three private dining rooms, all available for rent for your events. Arkansas might not be the first family reunion destination that comes to mind, but it has one of the coolest hidden sightseeing.
California—The Alisal Guest Ranch and Resort, Solvang
If budget isn’t an issue, book a family reunion at the Alisal Guest Ranch Resort in the Santa Ynez Valley. This 10,000-acre cattle ranch (牧场) is the ideal reunion spot for horse-back-riding families, and there’s also a spa for the family members who would prefer to relax.
Delaware—Cape Henlopen State Park, Lewes
Enjoy a beachside reunion at one of Delaware’s most scenic state parks. The pavilion (大帐篷) is available for rent, so make your base camp at the group site as you have fun at the two beaches and 18-hole golf course. You can also climb up to a former military bunker (碉堡) for a brief history lesson.
1.What is Doublehead Resort special about?
A.The weather. B.The sightseeing.
C.Its stories. D.Its cottages.
2.Which spot offers history education?
A.Doublehead Resort. B.Whitney Mountain Lodge.
C.Cape Henlopen State Park. D.The Alisal Guest Ranch and Resort.
3.In which section of a magazine can you read the text?
A.Daily life. B.Travel guide.
C.Entertainment. D.Environment.
