It’s quite a time for the strange weather, and it does not get much stranger than snow falling in one of the hottest places in the world.
On Sunday morning, Ain Sefra, a desert town in Algeria known as the “Gateway to the Sahara”, experienced a large amount of snow for reportedly the third time in 40 years. Some reports said parts of the area got as deep as 15 inches of snow, but Ain Sefra officially reported less than one inch in some places. Some people were very excited about it. It was strange enough to provide some very special pictures from an area that usually sees some of the hottest temperatures on earth during the summer.
Now, it’s not uncommon for the temperature across even the hottest of deserts to drop tens of degrees Fahrenheit at night, meaning any unusual snow could stay there around for a while. But photographers at the scene said the snow actually stayed intact (完好无损的) for a good portion of the day.
“We were really surprised when we woke up to see snow again,” photographer Karim Bouchetata told Shutterstock. “It stayed all day on Sunday and began melting at around 5 p. m.” While snow is not often falling down in the desert area, a similar snow phenomenon happened just last year. Before that, it had been 37 years since Ain Sefra’s last snowfall.
1.Why were some people in Ain Sefra excited?
A.The snow was one inch deep in some places.
B.They could take some wonderful pictures.
C.They never experienced a snow before.
D.They knew nothing about Ain Sefra.
2.Which of the following statements is NOT true about Ain Sefra?
A.It belongs to Algeria.
B.It has witnessed 3 snowfalls in 37 years.
C.It is one of the hottest places in the world.
D.It is referred to as the “Gateway to the Sahara”.
3.Why could the snow stay for a while?
A.It was unusual to snow.
B.Nobody touched the snow.
C.It fell in the coldest of deserts.
D.The temperature was low enough at night.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A.Snowfalls in One of the Hottest Places in the World
B.Happiness Coming from the Strange Weather
C.The Gateway to the Sahara — Ain Sefra
D.The Hottest Places in the World
My mother used to ask me what is the most important part of the body. Through the years I would guess at what I thought was the correct answer.
When I was younger, I thought sound was very important to us as humans, so I said, “My ears, Mommy.” She said, “No. Many people are deaf. But you keep thinking about it and I will ask you again soon.”
Several years passed before she asked me again. Since making my first attempt, I had contemplated (仔细考虑) the correct answer. So this time I told her, “Mommy, sight is very important to everybody, so it must be our eyes.” She looked at me and told me, “You are learning fast, but the answer is not correct because there are many people who are blind.”
Over the years, Mother asked me a couple more times and always her answer was, “No, but you are getting smarter every year, my child.”
Then last year, my Grandpa died. Everybody was hurt. Everybody was crying. My Mom looked at me when it was our turn to say our final good-bye to Grandpa. She asked me, “Do you know the most important body part yet, my dear?”
I was shocked when she asked me this now. I always thought this was a game between her and me. She saw the confusion on my face and told me, “This question is very important. It shows that you have really lived your life.” I saw her eyes well up with tears. She said, “My dear, the most important body part is your shoulder.”
I asked, “Is it because it holds up your head?”
She replied, “No, it is because it can hold the head of a friend or loved one when they cry. Everybody needs a shoulder to cry on sometimes in life, my dear. I only hope that you have enough love and friends that you will have a shoulder to cry on when you need it.”
Then and there I knew the most important body part is not a selfish one. It is sympathetic to the pain of others.
1.Why did the writer first think “ears” were the most important part of body?
A.Because he thought that the sound was sweet to hear.
B.Because he thought that the sound was essential to humans.
C.Because he thought that the sound can be heard by people.
D.Because he thought that the sound can pass through quickly.
2.What happened to the writer’s family last year in the passage?
A.His house was burnt.
B.His mother left home.
C.His grandpa passed away.
D.His father was hurt in an accident.
3.Where did the writer get the correct answer from his mother?
A.At home. B.At the school.
C.At the station. D.At the funeral.
4.What can we learn from the passage?
A.We should learn to understand others’ pain.
B.We should listen to our mothers’ words.
C.We should hold up our head high.
D.We should often cry in life.
To ensure an excellent experience during your tour of the Mark Twain House, here are some guidelines and general information:
The House is Shown Only by Guided Tour.
To ensure an optimum (最佳) experience, house tours are limited to 14 people, first-come, first-served. If your group has more than 10 people, call (860) 280-3130 to reserve a discounted group tour in advance of your visit. If you have a party of fewer than 10 people feel free to purchase tickets online: We will hold them at Will Call. The tour schedule is usually online about a month in advance.
Our site is made up of three buildings
The Webster Bank Museum Center at the Mark Twain House & Museum is always your first and last stop as it houses our ticket counter, museum store, film, exhibits and cafe. All tours gather in the museum center before heading over to Mark Twain’s historic 1874 home. Mark Twain’s historic carriage house is the third building on our property, but is generally not open to the public. The hayloft (干草棚) has been repurposed into offices and the main floor of the barn is a space available for rent for parties and meetings.
Coupons & Discounts
The Mark Twain House offers only a few coupons and discounts. The price you pay for admission helps us maintain the beauty of this icon of American architecture. If you are lucky enough to find one of those special offers online or at your local library, keep in mind they are good only for the general Mark Twain House Tours. No passes or discounts may be applied to our specialty tours.
1.What kind of tour booked beforehand enjoys a discount?
A.Specialty tour.
B.Guided tour
C.Group tour with 9 people.
D.Group tour with 13 people.
2.Which place is not available to tourists?
A.The Webster Bank Museum Center.
B.Mark Twain’s historic carriage house.
C.The hayloft.
D.Mark Twain’s historic 1874 home.
3.What is the purpose of charging admission fees?
A.To earn more money.
B.To well preserve the house.
C.To support Mark Twain’s family.
D.To offer parties and meetings.
假定你是李华，你市图书馆将举办中国茶文化展览。你校外教Smith先生对此很感兴趣，请用英语给他写一封邮件，邀请他参加该活动。内容包括：
1. 展览时间及地点；
2. 展览内容：中国茶的历史、文化；茶叶、茶具等；
3. 观看茶艺表演、品茶。
注意：1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
参考词汇：茶具tea set；茶艺the art of tea-making
Dear Mr. Smith,
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Last summer, our class paid for a visit to a local nursing home. After arrive there, we saw some elder practicing Tai Chi. They gave us a good impression of being dynamic and healthy. But there were also some old people seating in the wheelchairs. They were out of shape，what made me a bit sad. They must have experienced hard life in the past. During the visit, we chat with the old and did some cleaning and washing here. We had such a good time. This year, we plan to visit it from time to time but hope more people will care about the old so that they can be healthy, peace and happy for the rest of their life.
There was snow last night, followed by a freezing rain. It _________ everything with a thin layer of ice，including the highways，creating a _________ situation.
Going to the store to buy some goods, I had _________ in crossing the highway because of the ice. After I struggled to cross it, a woman came up in her car, _________ across the crosswalk, through the other lane, almost going into the ditch (沟). She was unable to do anything, with her eyes wide open in _________ and brakes locked. After she got control of her car, she slowly _________. So then watching her away, I thought that it was a _________ corner.
I got in touch with the businesses around and asked if I could fill the corner. Finally, I got _________. And then I found a bucket, filled it with sand and put the sand on that corner. This took me eight buckets, and _________ I got this comer sanded. People __________ their horns (喇叭) as they drove by to show honor to me. An officer thanked me and the paving company where I got the sand thanked me, too. A woman driver __________ over to give me a bottle of fruit juice, and another gave me a chocolate bar.
I wasn’t __________ anything, so I appreciated these. As one of the snow angels here in my community, I __________ a chance of cleaning up sidewalks for elders and those in wheelchairs last year because of a __________ shoulder injury. So this time I intended to make up for it, __________ with one good shoulder. It was __________, though. After I finished sanding this busy comer, __________ as it was，the sun came and started to __________. Someone drove by and told me that at the moment the sun was shining only in one __________. Yet this ray of sunlight was only shining where I was, coincidence? And strangely the ice started to __________ quickly.
1.A.ruined B.covered C.protected D.stopped
2.A.familiar B.different C.dangerous D.tight
3.A.luck B.interest C.fun D.difficulty
4.A.sliding B.walking C.struggling D.flying
5.A.vain B.alarm C.amazement D.relief
6.A.got off B.woke up C.drove off D.gave up
7.A.blind B.threatening C.quiet D.distant
8.A.permission B.confidence C.praise D.encouragement
9.A.purposely B.nearly C.eventually D.actually
10.A.kept B.played C.showed D.sounded
11.A.stayed B.rushed C.pulled D.turned
12.A.expecting B.deserving C.changing D.suffering
13.A.seized B.preferred C.regretted D.missed
14.A.serious B.slight C.bodily D.personal
15.A.never B.even C.still D.ever
16.A.interesting B.promising C.tiring D.worrying
17.A.sunny B.dark C.cold D.mild
18.A.hide B.rise C.fade D.shine
19.A.place B.moment C.way D.city
20.A.increase B.melt C.move D.block
