When Joy Warren’s husband of 50 years passed away, her confidence took a knock. Meeting new people and joining in again socially was a frightening thought. Fortunately, just doors away were friendly neighbours Janet and Michael Porter, who knocked on her door and invited her to join them at a local friendship group event.
And it all started from there, explained Joy, 75, “I’ve never been the type to sit still, so despite the fact that I was still sad for Graham, I knew I had to get out and socialise again, but it was difficult to know where to start. That knock on the door was the encouragement I needed.”
From that first neighbourly invitation, Janet and Michael have been there for Joy, inviting her along to take part in regular Oddfellows social events.
She continued, “They made sure I was never alone for too long, and if I didn’t fancy coming with them, there was never any pressure, just a gentle reminder that they were always there. I joined them at all sorts of group meetings and events, from visiting the local dogs’ home to having a catch up at the monthly coffee morning. I signed up to the Oddfellows as a result of the wonderful new friends I made there.”
Joy also found that after losing her husband, she was alone in making decisions about her home and finances, often struggling with what needed to be done.
She added, “Graham used to take care of all that, so it’s been tough for me to figure out what the right thing to do is sometimes. The Oddfellows was a huge help with this as they have a Citizen’s Advice Line for members, which has got me through some complicated times.”
1.How did Joy Warren feel when Graham left her?
A.She was too sad to see anyone.
B.She couldn’t wait to meet new friends.
C.She had no idea how to mix with others.
D.She felt it easy to handle daily affairs by herself.
2.What did Joy Warren do after the first invitation of Janet and Michael Porter?
A.Paying visits to the local nursing home.
B.Making decisions about what needed to be done.
C.Having a get-together at the weekly coffee morning.
D.Participating in Oddfellows activities on a regular basis.
3.How did Joy Warren deal with some complex problems?
A.She worked them out on her own.
B.She relied on her children for advice.
C.She ignored them and escaped from reality.
D.She sought help from Oddfellows’ Citizen’s Advice Line.
4.What is the best title of the passage?
A.Oddfellows, Colorful Social Events
B.Hanging Out With Friendly Neighbors
C.A Neighborly Knock To Cure Loneliness
D.A Friendly Invitation From Lovely Neighbors
We are delighted to announce that from Monday 17th August, Holker Gardens will once again be open!
Available on our website, tickets are timed (计时) on arrival to ensure everyone can enjoy the wonders of our gardens while maintaining proper self-distancing measures. The time item tells you when to enter the gardens. Please book them in advance.
The gardens will present themselves in a most unusual and unique condition due to a number of factors including the hot weather over recent months and the focus by our team to preserve and protect our national treasures.
Alongside our gardens there will be a simple take-away service available from our cafe offering hot & cold drinks, our famous home-made scones, a selection of tray bakes and freshly made sandwiches. Everything will be served in bio-degradable (可降解的) disposables so you can enjoy what we offer right across the grounds.
We are taking every precaution (预防措施) to ensure both the safety of you and of our staff.
Before we open the gates we will have:
• Deep cleaned each open area
• Clearly placed distancing markers around where needed
• Fixed hand washing and/or hand sanitizer stations (洗手液台) around the site
• Provided our staff members with the appropriate PPE (个人防护装备)
• Timed tickets on our website
• Moved to contactless/card payments only
In return, we need some support from you:
• Please stick to the 2 metre social distancing guidance throughout your visit
• Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds after using the facilities (设备)
• Make use of the hand wash and hand sanitizer stations across the site
1.What do we know about the tickets to Holker Gardens?
A.They must be purchased on the spot.
B.They show the exact time to enter the gardens.
C.They are presented in a unique and unusual condition.
D.They are heavily discounted on the opening day.
2.Which one can’t be put into the same category according to the passage?
A.Home-made scones. B.Tray bakes.
C.Freshly made sandwiches. D.Bio-degradable disposables.
3.What are visitors to Holker Gardens expected to do during visits?
A.Make all your payments by cash.
B.Wear the appropriate PPE all the time.
C.Stay one meter away from each other.
D.Clean hands for a while after using the facilities.
阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。
When Edith heard there was a competition to invent a brand-new machine, she longed to enter. Her idol (偶像), the famous inventor Mathew, was going to be the judge! Edith planned and worked on her invention every day after school. Finally, a huge light-up music box was finished—just in time for the competition. She was sure it would win first prize. Everyone would certainly be amazed when the lights shone and the music began to play.
However, when Edith slowly turned the handle (手柄), nothing happened. The machine needed more power.
Edith turned the handle faster, but no matter how quickly she went, she couldn’t get more than a flash from the lights. There was no way this would win and she had run out of time to fix it.
On the competition night, Edith went to the town hall with a heavy heart. She set up her music machine, feeling like a failure.
Mathew burst through the doors on his bike, whose pedals (脚踏板) gave off light. Everyone cheered excitedly. He got off the bike and walked around the rooms to see the inventions on show. Edith was nervous as he came over. “Can you tell me about your machine?” he asked. “It is a music machine that lights up.” Edith said in a low voice. Mathew clapped happily. “Amazing! Show me how it works.”
Edith turned the handle faster than she’d ever managed before. Terrible slow music started and the lights flashed on and off. Someone nearby laughed. Edith’s cheeks turned red. “Don’t worry.” Mathew smiled, “All my inventions went wrong when I was younger. You mustn’t give up.” Hiding behind the machine, Edith couldn’t wait for the competition to end.
The judging had almost finished when suddenly the lights of the hall went out. No one could get the lights to work and the competition couldn’t carry on. Edith thought for a moment. If only she were stronger, she could have turned the handle of her machine faster and lit up the room. In the dark, Edith could just see Mathew climbing onto his bike, with his pedals glimmering (发出微光).
注意：
1. 所续写短文的词数应为 100 左右；
2. 应使用 5 个以上短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
4. 续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1:
“Don’t go!” Edith shouted, “I know how to light up the room!”
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Paragraph 2:
Everyone jumped with joy as light and music from the machine filled the room.
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假定你是李华，得知你的英国朋友 Tony 打算举办一个主题为“Moving Moments”的图片展，请根据所给图片写一封邮件，内容包括：
1. 图片场景；
2. 选择理由。
注意：
1.词数80左 右 ；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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During my childhood, I had many favorites—my favorite show, song, and my favorite fruit, the watermelon. Because I loved it so much, I was _______ to grow my own. When I told my mother, she _______. She told me it would never grow, yet I _______ to believe her.
Lacking my mother's _______, I turned to my grandmother. "Jeanne, if you don't run after your dreams, they’ll fly away." She spoke to my heart, _______ me. I became focused on my task, happily _______ over my watermelon field. I dried seeds and then _______ them in the earth behind my home. Day after day, I watered and _______ the soil for any signs of growth, and day after day, I was _______. My grandmother encouraged me, "In today's world, your _______ is the one thing no one can take away."
Then, just as I was about to _______, a plant appeared from the ground. I tracked its growth by the minute, _______ every inch it grew. But my mother _______ announced, “We’re moving elsewhere.”
The next year, I was _______ that back in my old home, another child was eating my home-grown watermelon. But now, as an adult, I _______ that in terrible weather, even with my continuous _______, no plant could grow into a melon. However, when I was a child, believing was enough.
In _______ the mystery of a person's life, childhood stands as the key to its secrets. _______ my childhood, I realize my grandmother makes a _______ to my life. She taught me, "If you _______ for your dreams, they can come true." She taught me to believe in “watermelons”.
1.A.brave B.lucky C.satisfied D.determined
2.A.cried B.nodded C.laughed D.yawned
3.A.hoped B.refused C.planned D.decided
4.A.mercy B.support C.promise D.comfort
5.A.amusing B.fooling C.inspiring D.threatening
6.A.slaving B.playing C.wandering D.harvesting
7.A.hid B.threw C.planted D.stepped
8.A.dug B.checked C.loosened D.fertilized
9.A.excited B.relaxed C.ashamed D.disappointed
10.A.dream B.power C.ability D.freedom
11.A.give up B.show off C.pass out D.hang around
12.A.cutting B.recording C.hugging D.pulling
13.A.finally B.proudly C.jokingly D.unexpectedly
14.A.upset B.pleased C.convinced D.impressed
15.A.recall B.realize C.explain D.remember
16.A.care B.report C.argument D.movement
17.A.ending B.holding C.creating D.unlocking
18.A.Making up for B.Breaking away from C.Looking back on D.Putting up with
19.A.journey B.complaint C.reference D.difference
20.A.reach B.ask C.wait D.beg
Which came first, the chicken or the egg? 1. Philosophers used it as an excuse to argue about cause and effect. What's more, it’s what is known as a paradox—a situation or statement that appears to present contrary facts, both of which can logically be true.
Some might say the chicken came first, since you can’t have an egg without a chicken to lay it. But others might argue the egg came first, since all chickens begin life inside of an egg. A paradox, right? 2. “It’s pretty easy to understand,” said Jasmina Wiemann, a scientist at Yale University. “The egg is much older, evolutionarily(进化地) , than the chicken.”
Chickens, as we all know, probably became domesticated (驯养) about 10,000 years ago. 3. These animals are known as jungle fowl or Gallus.
4. Dinosaurs, birds, reptiles and even mammals that lay eggs evolved about 300 million years ago, Wiemann said. This pushes the origins of the egg back even further.
By the way, if you thought it strange to see mammals are put into a group with egg-laying animals, you should know that egg-laying is part of our evolutionary history. And female humans today still produce eggs through a process called ovulation. The soft eggs without shell stay inside of humans. 5.
A.Eggs existed even long before this.
B.This question has its roots in ancient Greece.
C.The answer remains mysterious even if you ask a specialist.
D.Eatable eggs came into being hundreds of millions of years ago.
E.The answer is rather simple if you talk to an ancient expert about it.
F.But the animals that they developed from date back to 21 million years ago.
G.Even stranger, some mammals still reproduce by laying eggs that survive outside the body.
