It all started 4 years ago. My wife would see a _________ man near where she worked. It was the week before _________ and she said she wanted to buy him a new _________. His was _________ and very old. We don’t have a lot of _________; really we are a step away from being homeless ourselves but we try to _________ when we can.
We bought him a coat. I thought since we are giving him a coat, let’s look at what else he might _________. We brainstormed and decided to fill a _________ with useful things, a toothbrush, soap, wash clothes, some food, and a Christmas card.
A few days later, a _________ came in the mail. It was completely __________. A company I worked for was sued (起诉) and they had to __________ us for travel time, etc. It was not much, a few hundred dollars, but didn’t it come at the __________ time?
I had been reading kind stories and was moved by the __________ of strangers. We thought, let’s prepare backpacks and give them out on Christmas Eve to people who would otherwise have nothing to __________.
We __________ what that’s like. We haven’t had money to exchange __________ for Christmas in many years too. It feels __________ to have someone thinking of you at Christmas and truth be told, I’ve always been a little __________ when friends ask “What did you get for Christmas?” It always makes my wife feel bad that she can't __________ to give me anything and I feel the same. But that year we could __________ say what we gave to others and that’s exactly what happened.
1.A.hungry B.homeless C.desperate D.sad
2.A.Christmas B.New Year C.Halloween D.Thanksgiving Day
3.A.suit B.jacket C.sweater D.coat
4.A.lost B.stolen C.torn D.wet
5.A.choices B.money C.power D.suggestions
6.A.help B.improve C.plan D.reply
7.A.request B.take C.like D.need
8.A.box B.basket C.backpack D.bag
9.A.check B.letter C.magazine D.newspaper
10.A.secret B.satisfying C.unexpected D.puzzling
11.A.prepare B.pay C.beg D.ask
12.A.perfect B.wrong C.real D.present
13.A.loneliness B.selfishness C.admiration D.generosity
14.A.pray B.open C.eat D.celebrate
15.A.know B.predict C.imagine D.study
16.A.goods B.ideas C.gifts D.experiences
17.A.peaceful B.wonderful C.thrilling D.humorous
18.A.cautious B.excited C.disappointed D.embarrassed
19.A.seek B.attempt C.afford D.promise
20.A.naturally B.normally C.eagerly D.proudly
If you’ve been paying attention, you know that crows (乌鸦) are remarkably intelligent birds. 1.: six crows have been trained to pick up rubbish in the Puy du Fou historical theme park in western France. 2., it dispenses (分发) a treat to reward the crows for their efforts.
The idea came from one of the park’s falconers (放鹰员), Christophe Gaborit. As part of the falconry show, crows had already been trained to pick up roses and bring them to a princess. So in the 2000s, Gaborit raised and trained two crows to do the same with rubbish. 3., in which a dispenser gives a food reward when a crow correctly performs a task.
Earlier this year, we saw research in which a type of “vending machine” was used to teach crows how to tear paper into a specific shape. And 10 years ago, “hacker” Josh Klein built a similar vending machine to reward crows for getting back lost money. 4..
The crows were used for the first time over the weekend, and they'll be working four days a week under close watch —not for the birds, but to make sure the humans don’t deliberately drop rubbish to watch the birds clean it up.
That's because the aim of the crow garbage collectors isn't merely to collect garbage—it's also to get park-goers to think before they litter. 5..
A.So we know the concept works
B.But bird lovers have different views
C.Now these feathered talents have been given a job
D.The crows are trained to identify small pieces of rubbish
E.Whenever they put a small piece of rubbish in a special container
F.It’s a funny way to show the people that you cannot throw the papers everywhere
G.The training system is similar to experimental setups for testing crows’ intelligence
Wearing a hearing aid can slow the progress of dementia (痴呆) by up to 75 percent, according to a new study. Scientists believe that keeping older people active by adopting the devices can significantly reduce age-related cognitive (认知的) decline.
They followed the progress of 2,040 people between 1996 and 2014, asking them to complete word memory tests at various stages and monitoring the rate of decline before and after getting a hearing aid. The research team found that while the aids did not halt cognitive decline, they slowed it down by three-quarters. Meanwhile, in a separate group of 2,068 who underwent cataract surgery (白内障手术), decline slowed by around half.
The team at the University of Manchester said the strength of the connection between hearing aids, cataract surgery and mental decline meant policy makers should consider hearing and sight loss screening for all older adults. Dr. Piers Dawes said, “These studies underline just how important it is to overcome the barriers which stop people from accessing hearing and visual aids. It’s not really certain why hearing and visual problems have an effect on cognitive decline, but I’d guess that separation, shame and the resultant lack of physical activity that are linked to hearing and vision problems might have something to do with it.” “And there are barriers to overcome —people might not want to wear hearing aids because of embarrassment attached to wearing them, or they feel the amplification (放大) is not good enough or they’re not comfortable.”
The number of people in Britain suffering hearing problems will rise by 40 percent by 2035, a charity has forecast. The charity Action on Hearing Loss believes the number of people suffering such difficulties will rise from one in six to one in five, so it calls for more investment in treatment and research into hearing loss.
1.How does wearing hearing aids benefit old people?
A.It improves their cognitive ability.
B.It slows down their cognitive decline.
C.It enables them to make more friends.
D.It helps them overcome life barriers easily.
2.What does Paragraph 2 mainly talk about?
A.The result of the research.
B.The principle of the research.
C.The importance of the research.
D.The participants of the research.
3.What does the underlined word “halt” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?
A.Increase. B.Stop.
C.Change. D.Help.
4.What do researchers suggest policy makers do?
A.Provide hearing aids for people freely.
B.Spend more on research into hearing loss.
C.Screen all old people for hearing and sight loss.
D.Encourage factories to produce good hearing aids.
As Americans live longer and the job market stays competitive, fast-food chains are increasingly hiring from senior centers, churches and aging advocacy groups like AARP, Bloomberg reports. And it’s not just death rate and economic trends driving the change. Seniors have more polished social skills, but teens are stopped from growing up online with fewer real-world connections.
“I spend a lot of time with young kids. They can be very disrespectful,” 63-year-old Church’s Chicken manager Stevenson Williams tells Bloomberg of his teen co-workers. “You have to coach them and tell them this is your job, not the street,” Williams says. “Having ‘soft skills’ such as politeness often comes more easily to the seniors, who have had a lifetime of experience in the workforce to learn how to treat customers compared with young people.”
Employers thus get a more mature worker at no additional cost — but the reasons for seniors outpacing teen hires are many. The US Census Bureau reported this year that, by 2035, there will be more Americans over age 65 than there are children under age 18. Plus, fewer people in their prime (盛年) are working — thanks to the unaffordable child care that forces many parents to stay at home, according to a joint study by Princeton University.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) forecasts the number of American workers aged 65 to 74 will swell 4.5 percent by 2024, while the 16-to-24s will shrink 1.4 percent. By 2024, the BLS projects the labor force will grow to about 164 million people. That number includes about 41 million people aged 55 and older — about 13 million of those who are expected to be aged 65 and up.
So don’t be surprised to see even more service with a smile and silver hair in that drive-through lane.
1.What does the underlined part “the change” in Paragraph 1 refer to?
A.Americans live longer.
B.The job market gets competitive.
C.Senior centers are becoming more.
D.Fast-food chains hire more senior people.
2.Why are seniors the hot new fast-food employees according to Williams?
A.Teens are easy to quit.
B.They demand less pay.
C.Teens are hard to control and manage.
D.They are good at socializing.
3.Which of the following can be regarded as a “soft skill”?
A.Having high education. B.Knowing customers’ needs.
C.Being skillful at computer. D.Having lots of connections with real-world
4.Why do many parents stay at home according to Paragraph 3?
A.They find it hard to find a job.
B.They prefer to look after children.
C.They find it hard to pay for child care.
D.They are unwilling to work with senior citizens.
Chef Jeremy Pang and a team of helpers are on a task to help feed London’s homeless and those facing food shortage in London. Pang and about 180 volunteers wore aprons and sharpened their cooking skills to make 4,000 dumplings, 700 noodle stir-fries, and 700 liters of curry in just four hours on a cold morning in Borough Market.
Now in its third year, the aim of the event, which is called Wok for 1,000, is to raise awareness of food waste and food shortage throughout the United Kingdom. Pang, who founded School of Wok in London’s Covent Garden，led a team of experienced chefs in teaching volunteers how to cook the dishes. The hot meals were then packed up and loaded into trucks so they could be distributed to those in need.
The event was part of Pang’s work to support the charity (慈善组织) Plan Zheroes, which aims to help connect food businesses with charities in order to redistribute surplus (过剩的) food and support measures to help prevent food waste. “1,300 meals get distributed to around 10 charities across London who are fighting food shortage,” Pang said. “The idea is that with ‘small steps for big changes’, an event like this can show people that one person can easily cook for 10 people and feed a lot of people in need.”
The food materials used at the event were donated by School of Wok^ suppliers as well as from stallholders (摊主) in Borough Market.
“As soon as we met Plan Zheroes, it was clear to me that it was a charity we wanted to raise money for,” said Pang. “So, not only are we creating thousands of meals but, at the same time, we are raising around 5,000 to 6,000 pounds for a very small charity doing a huge job.’’
1.Why did Jeremy Pang hold the event Wok for 1,000?
A.To improve Pang’s food businesses.
B.To win a good reputation for himself.
C.To show his kindness to homeless people.
D.To raise people’s awareness of food problems.
2.What can we know about the event Wok for 1,000?
A.It has been carried out for three years.
B.It is held in London’s Covent Garden.
C.It directly distributes meals to the homeless.
D.It is part of the charity Plan Zheroes’s activity.
3.Where did the food materials used at the event come from?
A.They were offered by volunteer chefs.
B.They were donated by generous people.
C.They were provided by some charities.
D.They were bought from suppliers.
4.What’s the best title of the text?
A.A Charity Plan Zheroes
B.A Celebrity Chef Jeremy Pang
C.Volunteers Cooked Meals for the Homeless
D.Experienced Chefs Taught Volunteers How to Cook
Four Most Beautiful Villages in Italy
San Gimignano
San Gimignano is a small walled medieval (中世纪的) hill town in the province of Siena. It is the most beautiful village in Italy and also one of the most breathtaking places in the world. It’s one of the best preserved towns with 13 towers adding to its charm (魅力). A UNESCO World Heritage Site sitting in the middle of vineyards, sunflowers and trees, this village is truly one of a kind. To preserve its quality of being authentic, no traffic is allowed near its center. You’d better explore it on foot.
Menaggio
Set in the province of Como, right on the western shore of Lake Como, the area is frequently visited for its Menaggio and Cadenabbia Golf Club founded in 1907. This beautiful village still keeps its old charm, with beautiful surroundings that could be enjoyed from one of the many waterfront balconies. One of the best times to visit Menaggio is during the Guitar Festival that takes place every summer.
Montone
Apart from its rich history, the walled medieval village Montone has the advantage of being surrounded by the countryside in Umbria, an area filled with great wheat fields and grapevines that is truly beautiful and peaceful. Montone was a small industrial village during the middle age.
Positano
Positano is a village on the Amalfi Coast in Campania. It has a great beach and a lovely harbor from where you could take a boat to explore the scenic area. The roads leading here are narrow and with single tracks but there are buses that can take you to the town.
1.What’s the best way to get to the center of San Gimignano?
A.On foot. B.By boat. C.By bike. D.By bus.
2.Where is the village with great wheat fields?
A.In Siena. B.In Como. C.In Umbria. D.In Campania.
3.Which village provides great coastal scenery?
A.San Gimignano. B.Menaggio. C.Montone. D.Positano.
