A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare art works. They had everything in their _________.
When the Vietnam War broke out, the son went to war. He was very _______ and died in battle while rescuing another soldier.
About a month later, there was a _______ at the door. A young man stood there with a large package in his hands. “Sir, I am the soldier for whom your _______ gave his life. He often talked about you. and your love for _______.”
The young man _______ his package and opened it. There was a portrait of his son, _________ by the young man. He stared at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was _______ to the eyes that his own eyes shined with _______.
The father hung the portrait on his wall. __________ visitors came to his home, he took them to __________the portrait before he showed them the other great works he had collected.
A few months later the man __________.There was to be a great auction (拍卖) of his paintings.
“We will ________ the bidding (出价) with this portrait of the son. Who will bid for it?” There was a __________for a long time. Then a voice shouted, “We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one.” But __________the auctioneer continued, “The son! Who'll take the son?”
Finally, a __________ came from the back of the room. It was a gardener of the wealthy man. “I'll give $10 for the painting.” He being a poor man, it was all he could ____________. The auctioneer pounded the gavel (拍卖槌), “Going once, twice, SOLD for S 10!” The crowd was becoming __________. They wanted the other worthy collections. “Now let's get on with the collection!”
The auctioneer ________ his gavel. “I’m sorry, the auction is over. I was told of a secret paragraph in the will. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever __________ that painting would inherit(继承) the entire paintings. The man who took the son gets everything!”
1.A.package B.library C.hall D.collection
2.A.brave B.respectful C.sorrowful D.panic
3.A.notice B.sign C.knock D.hole
4.A.son B.father C.gardener D.visitor
5.A.research B.donation C.freedom D.art
6.A.put up B.put out C.held out D.held back
7.A.painted B.taken C.caught D.fixed
8.A.disappointed B.drawn C.amazed D.sent
9.A.puzzles B.lights C.joys D.tears
10.A.In the moment B.Every time C.Once in a while D.At one time
11.A.see B.discuss C.touch D.check
12.A.passed B.died C.laughed D.left
13.A.choose B.decide C.start D.produce
14.A.shock B.silence C.welcome D.sound
15.A.still B.only C.then D.thus
16.A.cough B.sigh C.song D.voice
17.A.share B.afford C.admit D.receive
18.A.friendly B.lovely C.hungry D.impatient
19.A.picked up B.threw away C.laid down D.cut up
20.A.sold B.borrowed C.bought D.showed
When we think about the dreams we have. it is surprising to see how many people failed even if they could have succeeded. So today I’ m going to tell you five ways to kill your dreams.
Believe in overnight success.
Everyone knows the story of a tech guy who built a mobile app and sold it for a lot of money. 1. If you investigate further, you will find that he is well-educated and has been working on the project for 20 years. Therefore, your overnight success is always a result of what you' ve done in your life.
2.
Constantly, people around you always have opinions on which path you should take. But whichever way you choose, there are other ways you have to pick as well. And one day you need to solve those problems yourself.
Decide to rest when success is guaranteed.
When your life goes well and everything is set, it's time to rest. Actually, when you're growing towards a peak, you need to work even harder and find yourself another peak. If you were content with what you've accomplished, it would stop you from a greater success. 3.
Believe the fault is someone else’s.
I constantly see people saying, "I created this great product, but the market is so bad. "If you have dreams, it's your responsibility to make them happen. Yes, the market may be bad. But if no one bought your product, surely there is something there that is your fault. 4.
Believe that the only things that matter are the dreams themselves.
Achieving a dream is a short moment, but your life is not. 5. And the only way to really achieve all of your dreams is to fully enjoy every step of your journey.
A.There’ s no time to settle down.
B.Be responsible for your own dreams.
C.Life is never about the goals themselves.
D.The overnight success is beyond our reach.
E.Believe someone else has the answers for you.
F.When we face difficulties, believe in ourselves
G.The story may seem real, but I bet it's incomplete.
Researchers recently discovered some unusual behavior in chimps living in the forests of West Africa. An adult male in the wild would pick up a rock, throw it at a tree while yelling and then run away. Although researchers aren't certain why, they make a guess: The chimps seem to prefer trees that create longer-lasting sounds when struck.
A team of researchers from Germany first discovered this behavior three years ago. Because the actions appeared to be localized, the researchers suggested the purpose was a local tradition and was likely part of some sort of ritual(仪式), Phys. org reports. But they weren't sure what purpose the ritual served.
So the group desired to carry out more experiments to determine why the chimps were so interested in throwing rocks at trees. This time around, they went to the same areas but set up microphones to capture(捕捉) the sounds of the stones as they were thrown.
Researchers analyzed all the recordings and found that the chimps tended to prefer throwing rocks at trees that made lower, longer-lasting sounds. Often these were trees that had exposed roots.
In their findings, published in Biology Letters, the researchers write that “low-frequency sounds travel further in the environment and are better suited for long-distance communication”.
If chimps tried to communicate. it would be more effective for them to strike the trees or choose the ones that made the loudest noises when struck. Because the researchers saw chimps stick to the same trees and never choose new ones, the location could be a factor. Researcher Ammie Kalan tells Science that maybe the locations of the trees have something to do with nearby resources like food and water, and that the sound is a signal to others where to find them.
1.How did the researchers feel about the chimps behavior from the first two paragraphs?
A.Doubtful B.Excited C.Disappointed D.Frightened.
2.What did the researchers do during their experiments?
A.They tried to make long-lasting sounds.
B.They recorded the sounds from the stricken（受...侵袭的） trees.
C.They designed various sounds for the chimps.
D.They collected different sounds of the chimps.
3.What does Ammie Kalan think of the chimps' behavior?
A.It is a good way of seeking food. B.It is a means of communication.
C.It is a natural response to food. D.It is a symbol of their growth.
4.What is the text mainly about?
A.How the chimps produce sounds.
B.The chimps’ habit of throwing rocks.
C.Why the chimps like to throw rocks at trees.
D.Chimps often throw rocks at different kinds of trees.
In the 19th century, one of America's greatest writers, Walt Whitman, helped people learn to value poetry. Whitman created a new kind of poetry.
Walt Whitman was born in 1819 in New York City. During his long life, he watched America grow from a young nation to the strongest industrial power in the world. As a young man, Whitman worked as a school teacher, a printer and a newspaper reporter. He was 36 years old when he published his first book of poetry in 1855. He called it Leaves of Grass. It has only 12 poems. The poems are written in free verse. The lines do not follow any set form. Some lines are short. Some are long. The words at the end of each line do not have a similar sound. They do not rhyme.
One of America's greatest thinkers and writers immediately recognized the importance of Leaves of Grass. Ralph Waldo Emerson praised Whitman’ s works. But most other poets and writers said nothing and even denounced it. Most readers also rejected Whitman’ s poems. The new form of his poetry surprised many people. Even his own brother told Whitman that he should stop writing poetry. But Whitman had many things to say. And he continued to say them. Readers began to understand that America had a great new poetic voice.
Walt Whitman’ s poems praise the United States and its democracy. The poet expressed his love for America and its people in many ways. Experts today praise Leaves of Grass as a major literary work. In 1873, Walt Whitman suffered a stroke. He spent the last years of his life in Camden, New Jersey. Whitman was poor and weak during the last years of his life. He died in 1892. Some critics say Walt Whitman was a spokesman for democracy. Others say he was not a spokesman for anything. Instead, they simply call him a great poet.
1.What can we know about Whitman?
A.His poems have the same rhyme.
B.He is the first great poet in the USA.
C.He helped people to create new poems.
D.His poems show his love for his country.
2.Why was Leaves of Grass refused at first?
A.The poems are quite short. B.The form of poetry is special.
C.Whitman wasn’ t famous then. D.There are only 12 poems in it.
3.What does the underlined word “denounced” in paragraph 3 most probably mean?
A.Accused B.Downloaded C.Published D.Translated.
4.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A.Walt Whitman---a great soldier
B.Walt Whitman---an unfortunate poet
C.Walt Whitman and Leaves of Grass
D.The first and greatest poet in America
A woman from America has managed to train her beloved dog Stella how to talk. Sadly, the dog can't speak, but it can communicate basic commands by pressing buttons of a soundboard( 发生板). Stella's owner Christina started using the technology when the dog was just eight weeks old. Now Stella is 18 months old and can say 29 words.
“The way she uses words to communicate and the words she's combining are really similar to a 2-year-old child. Unsurprisingly, the dog's favorite word is"walk' fallowed closely by ‘beach’”, Christina said.
Stella's progress was updated online. “Today when she heard some noises outside and wanted to investigate, I told her we were staying inside,” said Christina. “Stella responded by saying, ‘Look’ 9 times in a row, and then ‘Come outside’. She was clearly in a more frantic （发狂似的）state, and her language use matched that. And I'm impressed that Stella is communicating with language during her more heightened state, not just when she’s calm and in a quiet space. This shows that words are becoming more automatic for her to use.
Stella surprised Christina when Stella was standing by the door and whimpering（呜咽）one day. After a bit of pacing back and forth，the dog went over to the soundboard and said “Want”, “Jake” and “Come”, saying that she wanted Christina’ s husband Jake to come home. In about 15 minutes, Jake walked through the door and Stella said the word “Happy”. Christina hopes to expand Stella’ s vocabulary in the future to see just how many phrases the dog can master.
1.What do we know about the soundboard?
A.It includes 29 buttons. B.It is Stella’ s favorite toy.
C.It is invented by Christina. D.it is used to help Stella talk.
2.Which of the following is probably Stella’ s favorite activity?
A.Taking a walk. B.Going to the beach.
C.Talking with kids. D.Looking after babies.
3.What can we learn from Paragraph 3?
A.Stella disliked staying at home.
B.Stella and Christina had a quarrel
C.Stella' s language skills were improved.
D.Stella made noises to draw people’s attention.
4.Why was Stella in a bad mood according to the last paragraph?
A.Her soundboard was broken. B.She was punished by Christina.
C.Her owner didn’t play with her. D.She failed to see Jake that day.
There are many good places for a family to have fun together. Here are some of them.
Robert Skatepark
Phone: (904)209-0385
With 28.000 square feet of ground, the Robert Skatepark has plenty of room for skateboarders of all ages and abilities. We have pipes, rails, ledges, banks and a 9-and-half-foot pool to challenge even the most experienced skaters. Rules are posted. There are also picnic tables and benches.
MoGirts Creek Park
Phone:(904)630-4100
Located in Jacksonville's Westside, it offers after-school and summer camp activities for youths aged 6 through 12. The facility (设施) also has a computer lab and community space. The park also offers basketball courts, playground, picnic areas, trails, three youth baseball fields and two soccer fields. A highlight of the park is the "Field of Dreams"-Miracle League field, where children with special needs are able to experience playing in their own baseball league.
South Beach Park
Phone: (904)247-6236
This is a really fun park with lots of playground equipment for children of all ages. The park has gone through a recent renovation(修复) and now has bathrooms, jogging trails, basketball courts, tennis courts and picnic shelters. Try our Automatic Player Matching Service. At $ 6. 99 per month, and we will match you with other tennis partners automatically.
Metropolitan Park
Phone:(904)630-0837
It is located along the beautiful St. Johns River in Downtown Jacksonville. Since its opening in 1984, this once empty 27-acre facility offers something for everyone. Whether you prefer relaxing in the cool river breezes or listening to big-name entertainment at one of the many outdoor concerts, you'll have fun here. Metropolitan Park is also a perfect place for corporate events and family picnics.
1.Which number should a skateboarder dial?
A.(904)209-0385 B.(904)630-4100
C.(904)247-6236 D.(904)630-0837
2.Which park offers the service of matching players with partners?
A.Robert Skatepark. B.McGirts Creek Park.
C.South Beach Park D.Metropolitan Park.
3.What do the four parks have in common?
A.They are open to children of all ages
B.They all have places for picnics.
C.They all have experienced coach for children
D.They all have facility for children with special needs
