I have heard a lot of brave stories in my life. If being brave is as simple as showing _______ during a time of fear, I _______ a time when I had a frightening experience.
My family had just arrived at our holiday house when the _______ came to give us the keys and warned us to_______ for wild rodents running around his house. My parents _______ and said they would _______ the situation if they appear. The _______ of killing something like a mouse _______ entered my mind. Moreover, my father always came to my _______ if I needed him.
When my parents unpacked our bags, I was watching a movie in my room. Everyone else was ________ so I had to attend to my little brother. Halfway through the ________,I really needed to take a bathroom ________ so I walked out of my room leaving him alone in his baby bed. He disliked it, but I had to be ________ for a moment. "What' s the worst that could ________ ?” I thought to myself.
When I left the room, my brother began to cry ________ he usually did. However, his crying grew much louder and fearful, so I hurried back, and was greeted by an ________ furry visitor. “Dad! “I cried, "There is a rat in my room!” “Kill it!” he ________.“But dad, I can't.”
My mind went ________ ;I was so frightened. The first thing that I saw was an umbrella, so I ________ it. I began to hit the rat until it stopped moving.
My parents were ________ that I put my fear aside to protect my brother. That day, I felt brave.
1.A.progress B.intelligence C.strength D.technique
2.A.think of B.think over C.think ahead D.think through
3.A.landlord B.agent C.neighbor D.colleague
4.A.go out B.watch out C.drop out D.carry out
5.A.coughed B.sighed C.shook D.nodded
6.A.overcome B.overlook C.handle D.ignore
7.A.thought B.sense C.belief D.concept
8.A.always B.immediately C.gradually D.never
9.A.life B.help C.mind D.body
10.A.excited B.annoyed C.frightened D.occupied
11.A.package B.story C.movie D.experience
12.A.break B.walk C.chance D.leave
13.A.courageous B.gone C.available D.lost
14.A.become B.strike C.happen D.arrive
15.A.if B.while C.till D.as
16.A.unaware B.unlikely C.unreasonable D.unexpected
17.A.yelled B.said C.signed D.complained
18.A.pale B.blank C.red D.bad
19.A.threw B.brought C.seized D.kicked
20.A.awkward B.proud C.afraid D.lucky
Among all the counties in the word, there is one country which has the best secondary education system一Finland. 1. Here are some possible reasons.
Most teachers are well educated. They are professionals who have been selected from the top 10% of the nation's graduates. In order to teach, they need a master's degree in education. Teachers also have a lot of respect and status in Finland.
2. They often work closely with the university that's closest to their school, They also have fewer teaching hours than any other school system in the world, which gives them more time to reflect on their teaching methods.
Teachers have a great deal of freedom Even though there 's a national curriculum that says what children should learn. all teachers are free to decide how and when they teach it. 3.
Students spend fewer hours in school than pupils in other western counties. 4. This makes it easy for teachers to monitor students' progress. There are also specialized assistants in the classroom to help the teacher. If a child is falling behind, the teaching staff create a plan to meet that child's personal needs. If a child is going really well, staff will pay attention to this too. 5. Clearly, a lot of factors decide how well students do in class. But Finland seems to have created the perfect system!
A.However, why is it so good?
B.Teachers get professional training constantly.
C.The relaxing atmosphere at school is important.
D.There are not more than 20 students in each class
E.Nearly 30%6 of Finland's children receive the special help.
F.Children usually can finish their homework within half an hour.
G.Teachers also arrange their own lessons and choose the textbooks for the class
After Bernini broke his neck and lost all movements below his shoulders when he was 18, his brain still told his hands how to move - - but the message couldn't get through the injured part that connects his brain to other parts of his body. Now, thanks to recent advances in electrical stimulation (刺激) technology. Bernini can once again grasp, pour, and even play Guitar Hero. To do so, he uses a micro-electrode array (MEA) that reads his brain's signals and sends them through wires to something like a sleeve on his arm that electronically stimulates his muscles.
In the past years, researchers have used several approaches to guide patients like Bernini to move their hands. In some systems, researchers implanted (植人)sensors in shoulder muscles that patients could still control, allowing them to move one hand by contracting muscles in the opposite shoulder. Other systems use brain implants similar to those in the new study, but to control robotic arms, rather than the patient’s own muscles. But never before has a patient been able to precisely move his hand using the same neural (神经的)signals that controlled his hand before his injury.
After implanting the MEA in Bernini 's brain, researchers connected it to a computer. Bernini trained the system to connect patterns of neural signals to specific movements by repeatedly mirroring the movements of an imaginary hand on a computer screen. Soon, Bernini could hold large objects like glasses and lift small objects like straws. He could also move each finger on his own just by thinking about it, which previous systems had never achieved. And it was absolutely an amazing moment.
1.How is Bernini now?
A.He does well in playing the guitar.
B.He has recovered from his neck injury.
C.His thoughts can control his hand movements.
D.His shoulder muscles guide his hand movement.
2.What did researchers want to do through brain implants in the past?
A.Control the patients' hands.
B.Guide robots to help patients.
C.Help patients' own muscles contract.
D.Repair patients' injured neural signals.
3.What's the breakthrough in Bernini 's case compared with previous studies?
A.He can hold and lift objects.
B.He can move each finger independently.
C.He can recognize his specific movements.
D.He can use neural signals for hand moving.
4.Which of the following is the best title for the text?
A.Moving Hands by Contracting Muscles.
B.Using New Systems for Muscle Injuries.
C.Sending Neural Signals by Wires.
D.Linking thoughts to Movements.
The famous British writer Charles Dickens, who penned the letter that led the signatures of resistance to street music in 1864, would be pleased to hear that, to be a busker (街头艺人) in London today, one must pass a strict "interview" first. Each busker must go through a shortlist process and then perform live in one of underground stations in front of three judges. Each musician must perform two songs (one prepared by themselves and the other selected by judges from a submitted set list). The judging process reviews the musician's songs, musicality, technique skill and performance. If successful, the musician will receive a 12 - month license to perform in the street. Last year, more than 600 musicians attended the "interview" and only 70 got license.
The method of tipping buskers is changing. London is the first city in the world to introduce the electronic payment system (EPS). London mayor (市长) Sadiq Khan described London as “a powerhouse of music". “For London to keep its status as a global capital of music, it's vitally important that we support the stars of tomorrow," Khan said. "Busking helps them show their talent and gives them the chance to perform in front of huge numbers of people. The new method means more people will now be able to show their support for the capital city s many street performers because it's more convenient for them to do so."
Charlotte Campbell is one such busker who' s been helping to trial the project. After only two weeks, she said it had “already had a significant effect on the contributions I've received." She's noticed when one person taps the reader to donate, others who witness the act often follow suit, suggesting people are more than willing to adopt the new way of rewarding buskers.
1.What was Charles Dickens' attitude towards street music in London?
A.Favorable. B.Disapproving. C.Optimistic. D.Cautious.
2.What is the 1st paragraph mainly about?
A.The long history of street music. B.The way of playing street music.
C.The buskers ' competition to get a license. D.The introduction of buskers in London.
3.Why did London mayor promote the new scheme?
A.To make more people help the buskers. B.To show London is full of buskers.
C.To catch up with modern art trends. D.To reform street music s performance.
4.How did London people respond to the EPS according to Charlotte Campbell?
A.They were opposed to it. B.They accepted it quickly.
C.They paid no attention to it. D.They thought it made no difference.
I am Tony, a volunteer stem cell courier. Since March 2019, I have done 99 trips——of those, 56 have been abroad. I have 42 hours to carry stem cells in my little box because I've got two ice packs and that's how long they last. In all, from the time the stem cells are harvested from a donor to the time they can be implanted (移植) in the patient, we've got 72 hours at most. So I am always conscious of time.
Last year, I had a trip where I was caught by a hurricane in America. I picked up the stem cells in Providence, Rhode Island, and was meant to fly to Washington then back to London. But when I arrived at the check -in desk at Providence, the lady on the desk said: "Well, I'm really sorry, but I've got some bad news for you - there are no flights to Washington." So I took my box and put it on the desk and I said: "In this box are some stem cells that are urgently needed for a patient- please, please, you've got to get me back to the United Kingdom." She just dropped everything. She arranged for a fight on a small plane to be held for me, rerouted (改道) me through Newark and got me back to the UK even earlier than originally scheduled.
For this courier job, I' m consciously aware that in that box I've got something that is potentially going to save someone’s life.
1.What does the underlined word "courier" mean in paragraph !?
A.provider. B.collector. C.delivery man. D.medical doctor.
2.Why does Tony have to complete his trip within 42 hours?
A.The operation needs that much time.
B.The donor can only wait for that long.
C.He can't stay away from his job too long.
D.The ice can only last such a period of time.
3.Why did the woman arrange a new flight for Tony?
A.To help save a patient. B.To avoid being hit by Tony.
C.To get the stem cell. D.To drop everything.
4.What does the author think of his job?
A.Tiresome. B.Interesting. C.Meaningless. D.Significant.
There are some Christmas traditions between the United Kingdom and the United States.
Letters to Santa Claus
In the United States, kids usually write letters to Santa and put them in the mailbox. However, in England we throw them directly into the fire. We don't plan to make kids cry because burning the letters can send them to the North Pole where Santa can read your Christmas wishes in the smoke. It may seem strange but it does save on postage.
Hanging stocking
Traditionally, American kids hang stockings around the fireplace for Santa to fill with presents. But in the UK. we hang stockings around the bed; being surrounded by presents is a fantastic way to wake up on Christmas morning.
Christmas pudding
Americans prefer to have pumpkin and pecan pies for the Christmas dessert; while we British are fond of Christmas pudding. which is a cake flavored with dried fruits and spices.
Dealing with Christmas tree
We British chose to take down the Christmas trees and the decorations within 12 days of Christmas, because we hold the belief that keeping then beyond that time can bring bad luck. This is probably a tradition that Americans should consider adopting. I have seen people keep their old, brown, dry and withered Christmas trees until almost July 4.
1.How do the British people deal with "Letters to Father Christmas"?
A.Emailing them to Santa. B.Hiding them in the mailbox.
C.Putting them in the stockings. D.Throwing them straight into the fire.
2.Why do the British take down the Christmas tree as early as possible?
A.To stop it from drying B.To expect good luck.
C.To save money. D.To reuse it for the next year.
3.What do Christmas traditions between Britain and America have in common?
A.Writing letters to Santa. B.Making pumpkin pudding.
C.Hanging stockings around the bed. D.Keeping Christmas trees for months.
