From a young age, I've had a really deep connection with being outside. I've been skiing since I was eight or nine years old. I've been on expeditions in many places like China, Pakistan and so on. 1.
It was April 1, 2011. I was skiing in the Tetons with my friends Jeremy and Xavier. That day, I was the last person to ski. They were watching me from a safe area. Suddenly, I heard someone cry loudly. I turned around and saw the whole mountain start to move behind me. 2. The kind of avalanche can destroy trees, cars, buses, even houses! Tens of thousands of tons of snow were coming straight down the mountain behind me. I felt the snow pushed me forward, hundreds of meters, and then covered me. 3. And then it pushed me forward again and up, out of the snowpack. I looked around and for a few seconds, I actually stopped being terrified. I had a moment to pause and to look at the power of the avalanche.
4. I could see trees that were 30m tall because I was so far away. They looked so small to me. Then the snow pushed me again down the mountain another 450m. I thought the force of the snow would destroy me, because it was powerful. But in the end, I felt the avalanche slow down.
5. They couldn't believe it when they saw me. I was so lucky. Has the experience changed me? Do I think about life differently? I don't know, maybe. But I know that it's important to live your life with meaning. Life is a gift, so use it wisely.
A.It was a massive avalanche.
B.It was so heavy that I couldn't breathe.
C.I looked down into the bottom of the valley.
D.It took Jeremy and Xavier about 20 minutes to reach me.
E.But I came closest to death in my home country, the USA.
文化意识——中国传统文化
Cinyee Chiu, an artist from Taiwan, is always happy to try something new. Her amazing works won lots of prizes. Among them, “24 Solar Terms” is the most popular.
Ancient Chinese divided a year into 24 parts according to the changes of the weather. It's the 24 solar terms. But not everyone knows them well. Cinyee Chiu put the 24 solar terms in pictures to help people understand them better.
Cinyee turned each solar term into an animal. But these animals are not just animals. You can also find seasonal fruit, vegetables or beautiful flowers on them.
When spring comes, water gets warm and fish start to swim around. So Cinyee chose fish as a symbol of Start of Spring. Also, she drew spring vegetables, Chinese chives on the back of the fish.
White Dew falls on about Sept. 8. It shows the beginning of the cool autumn. There are colorful leaves and cooler nights at this time of year. As the temperature falls, white dew is often seen on the grass and trees at night. For White Dew, Cinyee chose a raccoon—a small animal with thick hair. She drew white spots on the raccoon to show dew. And she used the dragon fruit to show the rich colors in autumn.
The young artist really gave the ancient Chinese culture a new look.
Word Bank
Solar Terms 节气dew露珠 spot小圆点
1.A year is divided into 24 parts based on________.
A.the changes of the weather
B.seasonal fruits and vegetables
C.colourful leaves
D.different kinds of animals
2.How many examples are given to show Cinyee's “24 Solar Terms” in the text?
A.Two. B.Three. C.Four. D.Five.
3.From Paragraph 5, we know that ________.
A.a raccoon likes fish
B.Start of Spring falls on about Dec.8
C.White Dew shows the end of the autumn
D.Cinyee used white spots to show dew
4.According to the text, Picture ________ can't be from Cinyee's “24 Solar Terms”.
A.
B.
C.
D.
5.What does the text mainly tell us?
A.Why Cinyee made herself known.
B.Who divided a year into 24 parts.
C.How Cinyee showed the 24 solar terms.
D.What Start of Spring and White Dew mean.
你们学校下周举行主题为“一带一路”国家中小学生英语演讲比赛，你准备参加这次比赛，请介绍一个你喜欢的科技产品。
1. 要点： 1)你喜欢的科技产品是什么及原因；2)你想发明的东西；3)你的期望。
2. 要求：1)文中不得出现真实姓名或学校名称；2)词数100左右。
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My favourite inventor is Wang Xuan. As we all know, Wang Xuan was 1. of the most famous computer scientists and inventors. He invented the technology for printing Chinese characters. As a result, he is known 2. “The Father of the Chinese Language Laser Typesetting”.
Since there is a big difference3. Chinese and English writing systems, laser typesetting of the Chinese language was a serious problem for scientists all over the world. For this reason, Wang Xuan decided 4. try to come up with a solution. In 1975, he began researching laser typesetting and electronic publishing systems. Finally, he achieved it. Now, Wang Xuan's amazing invention is used all over the world. And it 5. been especially helpful to the Chinese newspaper publishing industry. He made great contributions to our country.
Word Bank
laser typesetting激光照排
Inventions make our life easier and better. A big invention makes us feel it all the time. There are also small inventions around us which are _____ and interesting.
Do you ever find it annoying to look for the TV remote? Are you tired of _____ shoes when playing different sports? Don't worry. Students at Clayton Middle School in the US might be able to _____ you.
Dylan Glick, an 8grade student, thought_____ the idea of a “retractable remote”. The remote has a rope to connect with its resting place. _____ people push a button on the remote, the rope will give the remote back to its resting place.
“It is something that I would use, and I'm sure_____ parents would use, too.” said Glick. He said that sometimes at night when he wants to go to bed, he needs at least ten minutes _____ the remote. So he came up with the _____．
Allison Bicking, also a student in Grade Eight, had_____ similar idea. Bicking is a soccer player. She ______ spiked shoes when she practices running. If she plays soccer after she runs, she has to change her shoes.
To solve the______， she designed many kinds of shoes. Finally, she invented “speedy spikes” after three months' hard ______. The spikes are retractable with a small button on each shoe. If you push the button, the spikes will come out or go back into the shoe ______， making the shoes suit different kinds of sports. It seems that inventing something is not ______. Inspirations always come from your daily life, so keep your eyes open. Maybe the next great ______ who will make a difference to our life is you!
Word Bank
retractable remote 可伸缩遥控器
spiked shoes 钉鞋inspiration灵感
1.A.strange B.common C.useful D.dangerous
2.A.washing B.changing C.buying D.selling
3.A.help B.find C.see D.hear
4.A.about B.at C.on D.of
5.A.Although B.When C.Because D.Until
6.A.my B.her C.our D.their
7.A.find B.finding C.found D.to find
8.A.choice B.idea C.purpose D.plan
9.A.a B.the C.an D./
10.A.lends B.designs C.wears D.draws
11.A.question B.trouble C.mystery D.event
12.A.life B.study C.work D.task
13.A.quickly B.finally C.clearly D.happily
14.A.funny B.necessary C.successful D.difficult
15.A.doctor B.scientist C.inventor D.reporter
[素材选自One Story A Day Book 7]
蚕丝业的发展
Silk was discovered by the Chinese more than 3，000 years ago. It was said that the wife of the Yellow Emperor accidentally dropped a silkworm cocoon into her tea. The hot water caused the cocoon to break. 1. From then, the silk industry began. At first, only the rich were allowed to wear silk.
As early as 300 AD, Chinese businessmen sold silk to the Indians. By 200 BC, the Koreans had learned how to make silk. 2. From there, knowledge of silk production spread across the world.
3.
The silkworm begins its life as a moth. The moth's life is about ten days, during which it lays eggs that change into silkworms. Silkworms eat a lot. In their short lives, 20，000 silkworms will eat more than one ton of mulberry leaves, their main food.
4. The finished cocoon contains 350 metres of silk. That might seem like a lot, but consider this: 5，500 silkworms have to spin 5，500 cocoons to make one kilogram of silk. People raise silkworms for silk production. The Chinese have perfected the art of making silk, gaining knowledge over many centuries.
Today, silk production remains an important economic risk in China. 5. Silk no longer costs an arm and a leg, but it is still highly prized.
Word Bank
silkworm cocoon 蚕茧moth蛾子
spin旋转 version变形
A.As it broke apart, she realized its beauty.
B.In its final stage of life, the silkworm spins a cocoon.
C.Here's a simple version of how this amazing little thing does its work.
D.A 12，000kilometre road going from China to Europe was built because of silk.
E.While versions have recently entered the market, the beauty of naturally produced silk is not matched.
