Shortly before Christmas last year,Brazilian piano player Joao Carlos Martins invited his friends to a bar near his home. He wanted to show them the best gift he had received in many years:a new pair of gloves. They are not just any gloves,however. The specially made bionic(仿生）devices are letting the 79-year-old play with both hands for the first time in more than 20 years.
Martins 'health problems could be traced back to 1965. He suffered nerve damage in his arm from a soccer injury. And while he was on tour,a robber hit him over the head with a metal pipe in Bulgaria. Even his close friends believed that his career as a pianist would come to an end.
By his retirement last March,he had undergone 24 medical procedures to try to reduce pain caused by a series of accidents. As a result,he had been forced to work mostly as a musical conductor since the early 2000s.
However,one designer believed Martins 'retirement had come too early. That designer, Ubirata Bizarro Costa,created special bionic gloves for Martins 'hands. The gloves help move his fingers up after they press on the piano keys. Costa said he created early models based on images of Martins' hands,but that those models were“far from ideal”. He then decided to tell Martins about his efforts and they together spent several months testing different models. The perfect match came in December,and cost only$125 to build.
These days,Martins never takes off his new magic gloves-even when he goes to sleep. Martins said he had received more than 100 devices in the last 50 years as possible solutions to his hand problems. None worked well or long enough. "But these gloves do,"he said.
The new gloves have given Martins a new goal. He hopes to play the piano at New York's Carnegie Hall in October. He has already been preparing a concert celebrating the 60th anniversary of his first appearance there.
1.Which of the following is true about Joao Carlos Martins?
A.A designer who created special gloves for himself.
B.A musician who prefers conducting to playing the piano.
C.A pianist whose career was restricted by health problems.
D.A soccer lover who was hit over the head during a match.
2.What is special about Martins' s new gloves?
A.They have been around for a long time.
B.They are considered to be far from ideal.
C.They enable Martins to play with two hands.
D.They are developed mainly for the disabled.
3.In the process of creation,Costa did the following EXCEPT that
A.he perfected the gloves together with Martins.
B.he spent several months testing different models.
C.he made early models based on images of Martins 's hands.
D.he insisted on building the new gloves despite the high price.
4.What's the best title for the text?
A.Technology Improves People's Life
B.Martins Receives the Best Christmas Gift
C.Costa Creates the Special Gloves for Martins
D.Magic Gloves Let Brazilian Pianist Play Again
Scientists estimate that over 500 million species have died out throughout evolution. Here is a list of 4 incredible extinct animals.
Pinta Island Tortoise
| The giant tortoise of Pinta lived on the island Pinta of the Galapagos Islands,Ecuador. By the end of the nineteenth century,most of the Pinta Island tortoises had been wiped out due to hunting. The last known individual was a male named Lonesome George who died on 24 June 2012. In his later years,he was considered the rarest animal in the world. |
Falkland Islands Wolf
| The Falkland Islands wolf was the only native land mammal of the Falkland Islands. The animal was hunted for his beautiful fur,and the shepherds(牧羊人），considering it a threat to the sheep,poisoned him. On the islands,there were no forests in which the species could take shelter,and its lack of fear towards man made it easy prey to kill. The last known individual died in the late 19th century on the western island.
|
Caucasian Wisent
| The Caucasian wisent which went extinct in 1926 inhabited(栖息）the Caucasus mountains. In 1910 their numbers were estimated in the hundreds. When state authority collapsed after the First World War,the remaining population fell victim to hunters. The decline can also be contributed to an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease that was introduced with cattle. |
| The Javan tiger is an extinct subspecies of the tiger that was native to the Indonesian island of Java. Very little data was gathered about their behavior before they were driven to extinction. The reduction of its two main prey species,and the modification of its habitat led to the extinction of the subspecies in the 1980s. |
1.According to the passage,which shows the correct order of the animals' extinction?
① Pinta Island tortoise ② Falkland Islands wolf
③ Caucasian wisent ④Javan tiger
A.②③①④ B.②③④①
C.③②④① D.③④②①
2.Which of the following is NOT the reason for extinction of the animals?
A.Pollution. B.Disease.
C.Hunting. D.Habitat loss.
3.Where does this article probably come from?
A.A travel brochure. B.A news report.
C.A nature magazine. D.A biology textbook.
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120左右。
In 1989, fresh out of high school, I was faced with a difficult choice of a career path before college started in three months. In those days in Pakistan（巴基斯坦），there were limited choices: becoming a doctor or an engineer, or entering the financial world after getting a business degree. I wasn't interested in engineering, so that I was left with medicine or business. I couldn't decide.
My uncle suggested that I do a work placement（实习工作）to experience it for a month in an international company followed by a month in a hospital. After that, I could make a decision. It seemed like a good idea.
I was accepted for a month's placement at a foreign bank in Karachi. I got a feel for how the world of finance worked, made new friends, and generally enjoyed the mostly easy-going work environment.
The month passed rapidly, and soon I began working at a leading hospital in Karachi. The experience was quite different. The hospital days started early（at 7 am, compared with 9 am at the bank）, and were filled with endless duties. And the night calls! This was crazy, working all day, through the night, and again in the next day.
I began thinking about my two experiences. The bank had offered a more relaxing atmosphere, better working hours and less stress. The hospital had an intense（严肃紧张的）environment, and the studying and training was difficult. It seemed that business was a better choice.
Near the end of my month at the hospital, I was driving home after a very busy night call. In front of me was a public bus, with some boys sitting on the top. As the driver weaved through（穿梭）traffic, I could see the boys shaking from side to side.
Paragraph 1;
Suddenly, a boy fell off the back of the bus.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
The next day, when I went to hospital to see the boy, all his family got up, with grateful smiles on their faces.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
假定你是李华，和你的英文外教Mr. Smith约好这个周末和他一起骑行，游览你所在的城市。可是因故你不得不失约，请根据以下提示写一封电子邮件，内容包括：
1.表示歉意；
2.解释原因；
3.另约时间。
注意：
1.词数80左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Mr. Smith,
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
As a six- year-old Canadian schoolboy, Ryan had trouble________the words spoken by his teacher that many people in developing African countries couldn't get enough clean water. “Why do some African children have to________ten kilometres to get water everyday? And why is the water so dirty that it makes them________?” Young Ryan thought,
“Life is easy for me, but hard for those people. Why don't I help?”
At first, his plan was to________money to build a single well somewhere in Africa. He cleaned windows and did gardening for his family and neighbours. He soon reached his first________of $70,________when he gave the money to a charity, he was told that it________cost $2, 000 to build a well.
Two thousand dollars was a lot of money, but Ryan didn't give up. He was________to help other children have clean water. He started to ask for help from his classmates and neighbours and persuaded them to________money. At the same time, a friend of Ryan's mother helped make his story go________.After several months, Ryan had________the $ 2,000,________which a well was built near a primary school in Uganda. The children at the school________needed to walk for hours to get water. They were grateful to him and invited him to visit.
In Uganda, Ryan at last saw the finished________with his own eyes. But that was not all. He also saw hundreds of delighted students who had turned out to welcome him. At first Ryan was nervous, but soon, a great warmth________ him. He really had made a________for these children. He________a joyful smile.
Later, Ryan's experience led him to set up a________to encourage more people to help. Many________people gave him their support. Today, over 800, 000 people in 16 countries across Africa have________from the life-changing gift of clean, safe water.
1.A.hearing B.accepting C.believing D.remembering
2.A.drive B.run C.walk D.ride
3.A.annoyed B.injured C.sensitive D.sick
4.A.earn B.send C.give D.take
5.A.number B.target C.harvest D.request
6.A.but B.so C.or D.for
7.A.ideally B.totally C.exactly D.actually
8.A.joyful B.determined C.excited D.grateful
9.A.bring B.donate C.collect D.ignore
10.A.crazy B.wild C.public D.social
11.A.delivered B.made C.resolved D.raised
12.A.in B.about C.beyond D.with
13.A.no longer B.by accident C.in particular D.by no means
14.A.pump B.well C.house D.bridge
15.A.deceived B.affected C.filled D.shot
16.A.wish B.success C.difference D.living
17.A.rose to B.broke into C.ended up with D.picked up
18.A.business B.record C.shelter D.foundation
19.A.inspired B.elegant C.delighted D.fascinated
20.A.benefited B.survived C.suffered D.transformed
The martial art of Tai Chi is on the rise as more and more people discover the benefits that come from regular practice.1.With its gentle movements and focus on forms, it' s also a good way to relax and calm the mind while it energizes and build the body.2."Chi" means energy, and it's the focus on energy that makes it different from other martial arts. Tai Chi practitioners believe that, in a struggle, meeting force with force only hurts both parties.
Tai Chi is quite easy to learn. Many recreation centers and community groups offer classes, sometimes in parks and other public places.3.Wear loose and comfortable clothing and shoes, and you can just join in.
One of the major benefits of Tai Chi is that it's a sport you can practice for life. In China, many elderly people continue to do Tai Chi into their eighties and nineties, and the strengthening and balance moves are hugely beneficial to their continued mobility.4.As you focus on your breathing and posture, your mind can clear itself of its worries, which does good to your whole body.
5.All you need is your own body and enough room to stand in. You can do Tai Chi on a mountaintop, in a park, on an ocean beach, or in the middle of a forest. It's a perfect camping activity, and it's a lot of fun. So next time you see someone doing Tai Chi, ask them about it. They might offer to teach you the forms of this fascinating sport.
A.Tai Chi is more than a just a sport.
B.There are many styles and forms of Tai Chi.
C.Best of all, Tai Chi can be performed anywhere.
D.Tai Chi's true name in Chinese is Tai Chi Chuan.
E.More old people than young men practice Tai Chi
F.Often these classes are free and open to anyone who shows up.
G.Also, the slow moves and focus make Tai Chi a relief from stress.
