My mom was a beauty who seldom spent time and money on her physical appearance—especially in terms of fancy clothes or hairstyles. She just kept beautiful in her way： rest, water, exercise, vegetables and laughter.
My mom would tell me her father had her run his little corner store from the age of ten. She saw poor people come in, looking for food and making hard choices, like meat or cheese. She took their coins with an eye on the bottom line. It was up to her to ensure the register balanced at the end of the day. So from a young age, my mom had her mind conditioned about money.
However, my mom had one weakness： diamonds. In 1958, my teenage dad gave her a diamond chip as an engagement（订婚）ring, which she proudly wore until she saved enough for an “upgrade". By then, she was in her thirties. Over the years, my mom also acquired other diamond pieces like earrings. Mom wore them proudly and she simply loved the way her diamonds sparkled（闪耀）.
On my parents' 50th wedding anniversary, I treated them to dinner at a restaurant. It made her happy, but Mom had her eye on a big diamond to mark the occasion. My dad found her a six-carat（克拉）one. Mom said each carat represented a decade that she loved my dad, plus one to grow on. For the next six years, she never took it off her finger.
Knowing how my mom loved that diamond made it more special when she left it to me. After wearing it on my hand for a year, I decided to set it into a necklace where it'd be closer to my heart. It reminds me of my mom every day, no matter what I'm doing, and it speaks to me in unique ways.
1.What can we know about Mom?
A.She spent much on her makeup. B.She was a vain beautiful woman.
C.She kept beautiful in a natural way. D.She was proud of her appearance.
2.What made Mom careful about spending money?
A.The words of neighbors.
B.Her life in a poor family.
C.The choice of the poor people.
D.Her experience in her father's store.
3.Mom most probably thinks of the diamonds as a sign of_____ .
A.luck B.love C.status D.wealth
4.What is the best title for the text?
A.Mother's Love for Diamonds B.Love Between Mother and Daughter
C.Memories of Beautiful Diamonds D.Strong Love for a Determined Mother
Online Event：What Happened at the Big Bang（爆炸）？
Over the past few decades, we've made unbelievable discoveries about how our universe developed over the past 13. 8 billion years. But we still know very little about what happened in the first seconds after the big bang.
In the latest New Scientist online event, the speaker Dan Hooper will examine how physicists are using experiments to re-create the conditions of the big bang, and to deal with mysteries like how our universe came to contain so much matter and so little antimatter.
•Early bird ticket offer £ 12, and your ticket includes:
—Live lecture lasting 40 minutes
—Question & Answer with Dan Hooper
—On-demand access to a recording of the lecture and Q & A, available（可得到的）to watch for 12 months —An additional 40-minute physics lecture
● About the speaker:
Dan Hooper is a senior scientist and the head of the theoretical astrophysics group at the Fermi National Accelerator Lab, as well as a professor of the University of Chicago. He is especially interested in questions about dark matter and the early universe.
●Event information:
This online event will start at 6 pm on Thursday, July 9 and will last for about one hour. Access to a recording of the event will be available from July 10 to ticket buyers for the 12 months following the live event.
●Booking information:
Tickets are only refundable（可退还的）if New Scientist stops this event. New Scientist Ltd has the right to change the event and its arrangement, or stop the event. Tickets are only available in advance through New Scientist website.
1.What benefit can the ticket buyers enjoy?
A.Interviewing the speaker face to face.
B.Taking someone else to attend the lecture.
C.Getting a video tape of a 40-minute physics lecture.
D.Watching a recording of the event within one year.
2.What can we know about Dan Hooper?
A.He works at a university.
B.He is a world-famous writer.
C.He is the head of New Scientist Ltd.
D.His study focuses on questions about online events.
3.What do you have to do if you want to attend the event?
A.Get in touch with Hooper. B.Buy a ticket ahead of time.
C.Arrive before 6 pm on the day. D.Get permission from the organizer.
阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。
续写的词数应为150左右。
I woke at 5:30 A.M. after a restless night’s sleep. I slowly unzipped the tent door to inspect the new day. Just like yesterday, the wind had dropped. It was another beautiful Arctic day. I crawled out of my sleeping bag unwillingly. I am normally a morning person but the intense cold outside made that morning most unappealing. Anyhow, it was time to greet Charlie and start the day.
My dog Charlie was up and it was bouncing up and down at the end of his chain looking well rested. I poured what looked like a pound of dog food into his bowl.
Stepping out of the tent, I looked around for bears or tracks and saw none. It would never be a good thing to meet a polar bear. An Inuit (因纽特人) once told me that I should watch out for polar bears. He said that if I met a polar bear, I should keep the following rules in mind. First, keep eye contact, move sideways or slightly forward, never backward, stay calm. Do not show fear and stand beside a large object to make myself appear as large as possible. Weapons like flare gun(信号枪) are necessary, but do not shoot unless forced to. Don’t wound a bear, or you'll make it even more dangerous, and never run.
It was only six o’clock, so I decided to have a leisurely breakfast of a bowl of milk powder, coconut flakes, and butter mixed with warm water. I sat on my sled（雪橇） to enjoy my first breakfast of the expedition only to find that after the third spoonful it was frozen. So much for leisurely breakfasts! I added more warm water and ate the rest as fast as possible.
Suddenly I heard a deep, long growl coming from Charlie’s throat. In a flash I looked at him and then in the direction in which he was staring. It was a female polar bear followed by two cubs（幼崽） slowly, purposefully, toward me. They were two hundred yards away.
Paragraph 1:
With my heart quickening, I grabbed my loaded flare gun and carefully walked sideways a few steps to Charlie.
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Paragraph 2:
The whole event lasted fifteen minutes but seemed years long.
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假定你是李华，你的英国朋友James对中国敦煌艺术展很感兴趣，来信向你咨询。请你给他提供一些建议，内容包括：
1.参观前的准备；
2.邀请他来体验。
注意：1.词数80左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3.信的开头和结尾已为你写好。
Dear James,
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
As our Earth’s temperature warms up because of climate change, it is having unexpected effects on our world’s forests. When temperatures rise, trees close their skins to ___________ the loss of water, and this, in turn, slows down the ___________ of photosynthesis(光合作用). As a result, these trees are shorter and grow slowly, as well as have a ___________ death rate.
Climate change also increases the ___________ of droughts and wildfires. After wildfires, it takes a while for the forest systems to ___________ , and in some cases, the forests are ___________ permanently. Trees that are stressed are also ___________ to attacks by bacteria(细菌). In tropical forests, vines that use the trees as ___________ can often choke the trees and rob them of nutrients. Finally, humans have ___________ the forest landscape through logging. When trees are replanted on the soil, they will never grow as large as the ____________ trees that were cut down.
As these forests disappear, species that once called them “home” are forced to change, ____________ the variety of those systems. ____________ , some endangered species are unable to ____________ and die. Old-growth forests are disappearing in all regions of our world. When forests die, younger forests that are reestablished in the same area grow back weaker and smaller ____________ poor vegetation. With trees dying increasingly and continuously, will future generations ____________ out on the wonders of forests?
1.A.protect B.prevent C.save D.free
2.A.movement B.situation C.process D.operation
3.A.higher B.firmer C.lighter D.smaller
4.A.choice B.measure C.qualification D.chance
5.A.grow B.rescue C.recover D.decline
6.A.ignored B.lost C.hurt D.left
7.A.accessible B.enjoyable C.acceptable D.favorable
8.A.attention B.command C.trust D.support
9.A.frightened B.paid C.ruined D.wasted
10.A.common B.original C.distant D.strong
11.A.affecting B.improving C.forgetting D.reflecting
12.A.Besides B.Surprisingly C.Otherwise D.Unfortunately
13.A.devote B.keep C.adapt D.lead
14.A.due to B.in addition to C.instead of D.in spite of
15.A.pass B.miss C.break D.bring
Being able to communicate effectively with others is an essential skill for people of all ages. 1. People who want to develop those skills can learn how to do this from self-help books, workshops, and from the advice of other people.
2. Active listening involves a person listening carefully and attentively to the person speaking, restating what the other person has said — or what comes across — in a brief and nonjudgmental manner. 3. Becoming effective at active listening is one way to increase trust and understanding in a relationship, whether it is a personal or professional one.
Another tip to developing and improving interpersonal communication skills is to use feedback for different types of communication. Before giving speeches and presentations, it is always well advised to practice them before an audience and to ask for feedback before giving the real speech or presentation. 4.
It also is essential in developing communication skills to use appropriate body language and eye contact. 5. For example, using direct eye contact and body language that indicates openness, such as uncrossed arms, can help to get across that a person is ready and willing to listen and to speak openly.
A.It is essential to learn how to communicate politely.
B.These nonverbal signals can convey the true feelings.
C.Most people can benefit from improving their communication skills.
D.Being active listening doesn’t mean people have to employ it continuously.
E.This kind of listening focuses more on understanding than on giving advice.
F.By doing so, we can ensure the messages are easily understood and come across as intended.
G.One of the best tips for developing communication skills is to learn and practice effective listening.
