We all love to take photographs. It's a simple way to snap a special moment, an amazing view, or just to show off your artistic skills. And it's great to look back through your photo albums and share memories with your friends. In fact, they show a snapshot（快照）in time. This hasn't really changed since the invention of photography in the 1830s. But one thing that has changed is the equipment we use.
For many years, we have used traditional cameras to take our pictures with. Our images were taken onto camera film which was then processed into negatives from which photos were printed— a lengthy process. And we've had a range of cameras to choose from— from the simple compact camera to more advanced single lens reflex, or SLR cameras.
But the biggest change has come with the development of digital devices. This has made taking photo quicker and easier. It's enabled us to take a snap and review our pictures instantly. We've been able to deal with them in post-production, using software on our computer. And of course, we've been able to share them like never before— particularly on social media.
Of course, now we have the smartphone— a phone that is, well, smart because it can take photos and sometimes very good quality ones, and we can share them easily. So does that mean the traditional camera will eventually become outdated? Figures from Japan show how the market is shrinking: shipments of compact digital cameras from companies like Olympus, Canon and Nikon were down 39 percent year on year.
But Phil Hall, editor of Tech Radar magazine, told the BBC that while people are swapping their compact cameras for smartphones, "manufacturers are looking at the more higher-end cameras, high-end compacts, DSLRs, which are the ones you can attach lenses to, mirrorless cameras. In this sense, there's nothing to worry about."
1.What does the underlined word "they" in Paragraph I refer to?
A.Private memories. B.Photo albums
C.Artistic skills. D.Photographs
2.What is the biggest challenge for traditional cameras?
A.Instant access to taking photographs. B.Sharing moments on social media.
C.The development of digital technology. D.Post-production of software on computer.
3.What is Phil Hall's attitude towards the future of traditional cameras?
A.Optimistic. B.Negative. C.Worried. D.Uncertain.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A.What a dilemma for cameras! B.What can smartphones do for us?
C.Are smartphones killing cameras? D.Camera producers survive the hard times
Airports are mini cities, often with their own firefighters, doctors and even priests. But goat herders（牧工）? Passengers flying out of San Francisco International Airport recently might have caught a glimpse of something strange: nearly 600 goats chewing away at overgrown weed. Each spring the airport needs to remove the brush in a remote comer to protect nearby homes from possible fires.
For the past seven years, the airport has turned to Goats R Us, a goat-powered brush removal company, which charged US $34,900 for the service this year. A large amount, isn't it? Why not employ machines on humans? Two endangered species, the San Francisco garter snake（束带蛇）and the California red-legged frog, live there. Thus, this humane approach has been adopted to secure their peaceful life.
What do the herders and their dogs do? There's always a goat or two that would like to take a different path. "Just as a kindergarten teacher knows which kids need a little extra attention, so we will make sure the dogs can target the 'naughty goats' to keep them secure," says Terri Oyarzun, co-owner of Goats R Us. When asked how to lead goats to the next plot of plants. Terri says, "It's effortless. You know, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence? Goats were the inspiration for that philosophy."
The goats travel 30 miles each spring from their home in Orinda, California to the airport in a 16-wheel truck. They spend two weeks cutting away a 20-foot firebreak on the west side of the airport. When Oyarzun's mats aren't clearing brush at the airport, they are busy doing similar work on the side of California's free-ways, at state parks, and anywhere else with overgrown vegetation. The family has about 8,000 total active goats, nearly twice that of three years ago.
1.What can we know from Paragraph 1?
A.There is too much grass to feed goats B.Goats have successfully built firewalls.
C.Overgrown grass covers much room for planes. D.Grass is cleared annually to prevent potential fire.
2.Goats are hired to clear the grass for the purpose of .
A.cutting down the expenses B.reducing the risk of deaths
C.guarding against possible fires D.protecting certain endangered species
3.Terri's words in Paragraph 3 can be best described as .
A.critical B.humorous C.ridiculous D.objective
4.What can be inferred from the text?
A.The goats walk 30 miles to the airport every year.
B.More passengers have been attracted to the airport.
C.Oyarzun's business is now booming and promising.
D.Goats are not accustomed to life at the airport yet.
What comes to mind when you think of a museum? Perhaps you picture an impressive building in a rather traditional design made of high-quality stone? Some might consider these customary institutions the best way to safeguard the future of typical educational topics. But according to the Museums Association, a museum is traditionally defined as a place enabling "… people to have more knowledge via various collections for inspiration, learning and enjoyment."
There are about 2500 museums in the UK; a few are bound to be considered a little unconventional, unusual or even unknown. However atypical your interest is, there's a museum for you!
What about Neil Cole's Adventures? This museum was opened by founder Neil Cole. Visitors to this Allendale attraction in Northumberland can see items ranging from stage properties used in the BBC series Dr Who to part of Thor's costume from the Avengers movie. "Science fiction has now become more mainstream so I thought people might want to see this," says Mr Cole.
If clocks are more to your taste, why not visit the Cuckooland Museum? Set up by brothers Roman and Maz Piekarski, this Cheshire collection of over 600 cuckoo clocks is considered to be the largest of its kind in the world— and all from the Black Forest region in Germany.
Then, you could visit the Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities in London. This offbeat, alternative institution is against the trend of educating visitors through written descriptions alongside its collections. Instead, it displays all of its rare treasures, which include dodo bones, shrunken heads and a collection of McDonald's Happy Meal toys, with no caption at all.
There are many more wonderful institutions out there that march to the beat of their own drum. All you have to do is go and find them!
1.What do the traditional museums serve to do?
A.To educate kids more about the world. B.To help people explore more
C.To show visitors a specialized field. D.To help understand the real life.
2.What does Neil Cole's Adventures focus on?
A.Allendale scenery. B.Stage properties.
C.Science fiction. D.The Avengers movies.
3.Which of the following museums has no written explanation for visitors?
A.The Museum Association. B.Neil Cole's Adventures.
C.The Cuckooland Museum. D.The Viktor Wynd Museum.
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。
As a father, I was always seeking for opportunities to teach my son how to balance risk with freedom.
Last month, I bought four little chicks. I decided to make a beautiful coop (鸡笼) for them.
In the next few weeks, I, together with my son Gordon, spent all our spare time in the garage. Finally, the coop was finished.
While admiring his well-made handwork, Gordon suddenly raised his head and asked,
“Dad, shall we lock the chicks in the coop all the time? I am afraid they will be attacked by some fierce animals or become someone’s chicken soup?” Seeing his anxious look, I cracked a smile and asked, “Do you want to be trapped in a limited room or have the freedom to get around?” Hesitant for a while, he murmured, “Freedom, of course.” “Chicks will also think so.” Therefore, our chicks were often seen chasing around in the lawns (草坪), digging for bugs in the bushes and laying eggs in the yard.
Yesterday, we needed to go downtown to shop for food supply after lunch. Knowing that the chicks wouldn’t go very far, we left home with them running around the lawn. When we got back, the first thing Gordon did was to check on his chicks. There were only three chicks in the yard. Their feathers were no longer fair and smooth but dirty and tangled (乱糟糟的). Hearing our steps, they jumped to their feet and scattered in all directions, seeming to have just experienced a terrifying disaster. Worse still, Pecky, Gordon’s favourite chick was nowhere to be found.
We searched the yard inch by inch and found some feathers littering the yard. Seeing this, Gordon’s eyes got watery. I picked Gordon up and comforted him. As we began to accept the fact that we were now a three-chick family, we heard it---a soft clucking (咯咯声) sound under a bush.
Para 1: I put Gordon down and we looked under the bush.
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Para 2: The next day Gordon offered to have a talk with me.
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为了丰富校园生活，给学生提供展示才艺的机会，你校英语社将于近日组织“校园好声音”云歌曲大赛。你受委托写一份通知，内容包括：
1. 主题：爱与和平；
2. 要求：上传视频到百度云(Baidu Cloud)；
3. 截止时间：7月20日下午4点。
注意：1. 词数80左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
NOTICE
The notice is to inform that the English Club is organizing its 2020 Best School Voice online competition.
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July 14th, 2020 the English Club
My mother believed in magic. She believed things happened for a/an _______ . She was vocal about “happy accidents”.
“See this little box? It’s magic: inside _______ a bird that can sing.”
I carefully wound the tiny music box, and my sons were _______ attracted by the beautiful music, coming up and wondering what it was. Besides singing, the bird _______ flapped (拍打) its wings, and opened and closed its small beak (鸟喙).
“Please don’t touch it,” I _______. However, weeks later I noticed the bird no longer moved back fully. I was so angry that I _______ my sons.
“I pushed the lid down,” volunteered the 7-year-old cautiously. Obviously, he realized what a big mistake he had made. I was going to _______ him. However, another voice told me that I might find a skilled person to _______ the bird back to life first.
Unfortunately, I soon discovered that few people could _______ broken music boxes. It took me lots of ________ to find one. After lots of time and cost, I was delighted to witness the fragile bird sing once more. What I did not ________ was that the tiny bird would also spin (旋转).
“It spins!” I said, totally ________.
“It’s supposed to do that,” the man said with a heavy German accent. “I guess it is ________ that your son broke it, because now the bird does what it was ________ to do.”
A happy accident, ________.
1.A.excuse B.result C.reason D.goal
2.A.flies B.lives C.lays D.sees
3.A.instantly B.eventually C.gradually D.accidentally
4.A.merely B.still C.suddenly D.also
5.A.requested B.declared C.warned D.repeated
6.A.gathered B.seized C.dragged D.led
7.A.comfort B.believe C.ignore D.punish
8.A.carry B.take C.bring D.get
9.A.discover B.make C.own D.repair
10.A.fortune B.efforts C.chances D.risks
11.A.observe B.expect C.realize D.feel
12.A.sad B.moved C.satisfied D.amazed
13.A.wrong B.reasonable C.good D.obvious
14.A.trained B.asked C.allowed D.designed
15.A.indeed B.though C.either D.instead
