As a child, I never imagined that one day a man would walk on the moon. Yet this year we marked the 50th anniversary of the famous Apollo 11 mission. As those historic pictures were beamed (传递) back to Earth, millions of us sat transfixed (使…呆住) to our television screens, as we watched Neil Armstrong taking a small step for man and a giant leap for mankind---and, indeed, for womankind. It’s a reminder for us all that giant leaps often start with small steps.
This year we marked another important anniversary: D-Day. On 6th June 1944, some 156,000 British, Canadian and American forces landed in northern France. It was the largest ever seabourne invasion and was delayed due to bad weather. I well remember the look of concern on my father’s face. He knew the secret D-Day plans but could of course share that burden with no one.
For the 75th anniversary of that decisive battle, in a true spirit of reconciliation (和解), those who had formally been sworn enemies came together in friendly commemorations (纪念) either side of the Channel, putting past differences behind them. Such reconciliation seldom happens overnight. It takes patience and time to rebuild trust, and progress often comes through small steps.
Since the end of the Second World War, many charities, groups and organisations have worked to promote peace and unity around the world, bringing together those who have been on opposing sides. By being willing to put past differences behind us and move forward together, we honour the freedom and democracy (民主) once won for us at so great a cost.
The path, of course, is not always smooth, and may at times this year have felt quite bumpy, but small steps can make a world of difference. And, as we all look forward to the start of a new decade, it’s worth remembering that it is often the small steps, not the giant leaps, that bring about the most lasting change.
And so, I wish you all a very happy Christmas.
1.Who does the “I” in the passage probably refer to?
A.Neil Armstrong. B.Winston Churchill.
C.Queen Elizabeth Ⅱ. D.Donald Trump.
2.What does the underlined word “bumpy” mean in the fifth paragraph?
A.Smooth. B.Rough. C.Flat. D.Straight.
3.The passage might be a speech on _______.
A.Christmas Day B.New Year’s Eve
C.the anniversary of D-Day landing D.Victory in Europe Day
4.What is the purpose of the passage?
A.To honour the achievements of moon-landing.
B.To remember the victory of D-Day landing.
C.To promote reconciliation across the Channel.
D.To urge efforts for a world of peace and unity.
He ran between two defenders, past a third, and a couple of seconds later his team had two more points. At the end of his final game, on April 11, he had scored 30 points.
This was the end of a career for Dwyane Wade, nicknamed “Flash”. It was the 37-year-old’s last game for the Miami Heat and his last appearance on an NBA basketball court. Over his storied career, Wade played in 1,054 regular-season games and 177 post-season games, scored more than 23,000 points, appeared in three NBA championships and earned one Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.
Coming from Chicago, Wade’s attitude and style of play moved many people, including former US President Barack Obama. “Whenever you got knocked down, you always showed us how to get back up,” Obama said in a tribute video. “You showed some Chicago spirit... and you did us proud.”
Wade broke down the door to the NBA in 2003 with his outstanding ball-handling skills and jumping ability. He had a strong principle, taking practice as seriously as he took games. He trained in the gym by himself during the off-season and exercised hard to stay in shape.
Wade has also spoken out on social issues. In 2012, 17-year-old Heat fan Trayvon Martin, an African-American, was shot in a racist attack on his way home from watching the NBA All-Star Game. Wade, together with LeBron James, led the Miami Heat squad, pulling up their hoodies (连帽衫) in support of justice for Martin, who had his hoodie up when he was killed. Wade hoped this action would bring attention to racist violence.
In 2003, he founded the Wade’s World Foundation, which provides support to various education, health, and family service programs. “Obviously, I’m one person. I can’t change the world, but I can help affect change in communities,” Wade told ESPN. “That’s what I want to continue to do.”
This is not the end of Wade’s story. He wants to continue fighting for economic and social equality in the US.
1.How many games did Wade play in his professional career?
A.1,054. B.177. C.23,000. D.1,231.
2.Wade was thought highly of by Obama because of _____________.
A.his strong willpower B.his flexible playing style
C.his extraordinary skills D.his honourable ambition
3.Why did Wade and his teammates pull up their hoodies?
A.To follow Martin’s heroic behaviour. B.To speak out for Martin.
C.To try on the latest fashion. D.To show racial equality.
4.This passage is mainly about Wade’s _________.
A.outstanding professional career B.legendary life experiences
C.achievements in social equality D.influence in sports and society
The Four Famous Embroideries (刺绣) of China refer to the Xiang embroidery in Hunan Province, Shu embroidery in Sichuan Province, Yue embroidery in Guangdong Province and Su embroidery in Jiangsu Province.
Xiang embroidery
The earliest piece of Xiang embroidery was unearthed at the No. 1 Tomb of Mawangdui, Changsha City of the Han Dynasty (206 B.C. —A.D. 220). The weaving technique was almost the same as the one used in modern times, which shows that embroidery had already existed in the Han Dynasty. In its later development, it absorbs the characteristics of traditional Chinese paintings and reaches a high artistic level. Xiang embroidery crafts include valuable works of art, as well as products for daily use.
Shu embroidery
Shu embroidery has formed its own unique characteristics: smooth, bright, neat, etc. The works choose flowers, animals, mountains, rivers and human figures as their themes. The craftsmanship of Shu embroidery involves a combination of fine art and practical uses, such as the facings of quilts, pillowcases, coats and screen covers.
Yue embroidery
Influenced by national folk art, Yue embroidered pictures are mainly of dragons and phoenixes (凤凰), and flowers and birds, with neat designs and strong, contrasting colors.
Gold-and-silk thread embroidery is widely used, even for crafts of daily use.
Su embroidery
The weaving techniques of Su embroidery are characterized by the flat surface, dense lines, even pictures and harmonious colors. Su embroidery products fall into 3 major categories: costumes, decorations for halls and crafts for daily use. Double-sided embroidery is an excellent representative of Su embroidery.
1.The unearthed embroidery at Mawangdui shows Xiang embroidery’s _______.
A.time-honoured history B.excellent designs
C.artistic value D.advanced techniques
2.If you receive a double-sided embroidery as a gift, it must be ________.
A.Xiang embroidery B.Shu embroidery
C.Yue embroidery D.Su embroidery
3.What do we know about the four famous embroideries?
A.All are rooted in folk art. B.All are valuable artworks.
C.All share the same themes. D.All have practical use.
请认真阅读下面关于我国某市近五年国产手机和苹果手机的市场销量占比的调查图表及相关文字，并按照要求用英语写一篇150词左右的文章．
| Li Jiang： Hello， Su Hua! What a coincidence meeting you here! What are you going to do？ Su Hua： Well， I lost my phone several days ago and I've just come here to buy a new one． Li Jiang： I'm sorry to hear that． But I heard that the Apple iPhone XR and Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max are available， why don't you go to have a look？ Su Hua： I just went to an Apple Store． However， to tell you the truth， I prefer Huawei to an iPhone． They are really cool and fashionable |
[写作内容]
1．用约30个单词概述曲线图信息的主要内容；
2．简要谈谈手机销量占比产生上述变化的原因（上述对话仅供参考，原因不少于两点）；
3．谈谈你对国产手机市场销量走向的看法，并简要说明理由．
[写作要求]
1．写作过程中不能直接引用原文语句；
2．作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称；
3．不必写标题；
[评分标准]
内容完整，语言规范，语篇连贯，词数适当．
Is True Friendship Dying Away
Just as our daily life is becoming more technologically connected， we are losing other more meaningful relationship．
To anyone paying attention these days， it's clear that social media ﹣﹣ whether Twitter， Facebook， or Iinkedln﹣﹣ are changing the way we conduct relationship． Face﹣to﹣face chatting is giving way to texting and messaging； people even prefer these electronic exchanges to， for instance， simply talking on a phone． Among these smaller trends， growing research suggests we could be entering a period of crisis for the entire concept of friendship． Where is all this leading modern﹣day society？ Perhaps to a dark place， a lonelier society where electronic craze slowly replaces the joys of human contact．
Typically， the pressures of urban life are blamed． Witness crowded bars and restaurants after work： We have plenty of acquaintances， though perhaps few individuals we can turn to and share close relationships． American sociologists have tracked related trends on a broader scale， well beyond the urban jungle． According to work published in the American Sociological Review， the average American has only two close friends， and a quarter don't have any．
While social networking sites and the like have grown dramatically， the crucial element is the quality of the connections they establish． A connection may only be a click away， but establishing a good friendship takes more． It seems common sense to conclude that "friending" online brings about shallow relationships as the term "friending" itself implies．
No single person is at fault， of course． The pressures on friendship today are broad． They arise from the demands of work， or a general busyness that means we have less quality time for others． How many individuals would say that friendship is the most important thing in their lives， only to move thousands of miles across the continent to take up a better﹣paid job？
Of course， we learn how to make friends or not in our childhood． Recent studies on childhood and how the contemporary life of the child affects friendships are illuminating （启示）． A central conclusion often reached relates to a lack of what is called "unstructured time"． Structured time results from the way an average day is arranged for our kids time for school time for homework， time for music practice， even time for play． Yet too often today， no period is left unstructured． After all， who these days lets his child just wander off down the street？ We simply "hang out"， with no tasks， no deadlines and no pressures． It is in those moments that children and adults alike can get to know others for who they are in themselves．
Aristotle had an attractive expression to capture the thought： close friends， he observed， "share salt together．" It's not just that they sit together， passing the salt across the meal table． It's that they sit with one another across the course of their lives， sharing its moments， bitter and sweet． "The desire for friendship comes quickly； friendship does not．" Aristotle also remarked．
If there is a secret to close friendship， that's it． Put down the device； engage the person．
1.________________
2.________________
3.________________
4.________________
5.________________
6.________________
7.________________
8.________________
9.________________
10.________________
What does home really mean? Is it the people around you who make a place familiar and loved, or is it the tie to land that's been in your family for generations? Anna Quindlen's new novel investigates both, seen through the eyes of Mimi Miller, who narrates the story of her life—and of the strike to the people and to the land she loves—her 1960s girlhood to the present day.
The book begins with the summer Mimi is 11 and everything around her is about to change in Miller's Valley. She lives with her parents, her older brothers—rakish Tommy and practical Eddie—and her Aunt Ruth, her mother's sister, who keeps a terrible secret, and who never leaves the confines of her small house behind Mimi's. The farm has been in their family for almost 200 years, and Mimi can't imagine life beyond it.
The land has always been wet, it seems to Mimi. There's always a sump pump running in Mimi's house, and when it storms, mud comes right up to the front porch. But then, the government steps in, deciding to flood “6, 400 acres of old family farms and small ramshackle homes and turn it into a reservoir by using the dam to divert the river,” transforming corn fields into strip malls, drowning the valley under water, along with a way of life that has been perpetuating itself for generations. They'll buy up homes and resettle everyone, insisting that new is so much better than old. At first the town stubbornly resists, except for Mimi's mother who announces, “Let the water cover the whole damn place.”
But Mimi is desperate to stay. She has no idea what else there is to want, or where else she could possibly live or who else she could possibly be other than a girl on a farm with her family. Her father, too, is tied to the land he loves, and Ruth balks at even stepping outside her house. But as the river is allowed in, dampening the ground, loosening ties, it seems to drown people little by little, forcing secrets to float up to the surface and change things in ways you might never expect.
Quindlen makes her characters so richly alive, so believable, that it's impossible not to feel every doubt and dream they harbor, or share every tragedy that falls on them. Mimi's mother is mysteriously bitter toward Ruth, and closemouthed about why. Eddie grows into an efficient man, more like a "friendly visitor" than a brother, who sees and seizes opportunity, becoming an engineer and building new homes for the displaced, as if the future were like a bright, shiny penny. Tommy, the sibling Mimi adores, gets by working odd jobs, car repair, and later selling drugs and going off to war and prison, a man who just tragically never found his place.
But what's Mimi's place? “I knew there was a world outside,” she says. “I just had a hard time imagining it.” When she gets highest honors in school, her mother insists, “This is your road to something better than this.” And then to Mimi's astonishment, she gets a full scholarship to medical school. She doesn't want to leave, but finally, slowly, she begins to move toward her future, to gather ambition and purpose, and to truly see beyond the confines of her life.
If there is a weak link at all, it's Donald, a childhood friend of Mimi's who moves away, but hasn't made more effort to visit more often. Still, the novel is overwhelmingly moving. We experience how the land changes through the “foggy mist of summer” to “the dry-ice mist of winter.” And the floodwaters channel in, “so that on the evening of the third day the people in town thought Miller's Valley was having its first earthquake."
The ending fast-forwards like a tide, carrying all these lives we've come to deeply care for into middle age and beyond, as people marry, birth children, move on and, yes, die. Family bonds are restructured, and secrets are revealed that either wedge people apart or bind them together. But Quindlen also allows her characters mystery —and some of what's unknown stays unknown, which polishes her story with a kind of haunting grace and truthfulness.
1.Anna Quindlen investigates the meaning of home through the following EXCEPT .
A.Mimi Miller and her life experiences B.the offence to the people in Miller's Valley
C.the invasion to the land in Miller's Valley D.different outlooks on leaving the family farm
2.The underlined word “perpetuating” in Paragraph 3 means .
A.existing B.preserving C.involving D.keeping
3.What does the sentence “Ruth balks at even stepping outside her house.” in Paragraph 4 mean？
A.Ruth is reluctant to depart from her house.
B.Mimi's Aunt is greatly attached to the family farm.
C.Mimi's Aunt has a personality of natural reserve.
D.Ruth cannot resist walking around her house.
4.The characters in Quindlen's novel are .
A.full of ambition and purpose B.weakly linked interpersonally
C.strikingly lifelike and impressive D.clearly revealed to the public in the end
5.What might Mimi's future fortune be like？
A.She is admitted to medical school through a full scholarship.
B.She seizes opportunity to become a female engineer.
C.She eventually finds her place beyond the confines of her life.
D.She steps into the road to something other than highest honors in school.
6.What could the passage most probably be classified into？
A.A biography. B.A book review. C.A news report. D.An argumentative essay.
