Innovative Designs for Accessibility

Deadline: 2020-04-30

Award: $ 7,500 CAD

Open to: University students

The Innovative (创新的) Designs for Accessibility student competition challenges students across Canada to use their creativity to develop innovative, cost-effective and practical solutions to accessibility barriers for people with disabilities. (Read more)

Clean Tech Competition

Deadline: 2020-04-13

Award: $ 28,000

Open to: Students 13-15 years old

The Clean Tech Competition is a unique, worldwide research and design challenge for pre-college youth. The competition is designed to build a deeper understanding of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) related concepts, recognize outstanding talent, and prepare the next generation of globally competitive innovators. (Read more)

Agile Robotics Competition

Deadline: 2020-04-10

Award: $ 17,500

Open to: Adults

Agile Robotics Competition is a simulation-based (仿真) competition designed to promote agility(灵活) in industrial robot systems by employing the latest advances in artificial intelligence and robot planning. The competition will be held virtually (虚拟的), so there is no need to travel to compete. The competition will use the Gazebo simulation tool. (Read more)

Wearable Robotics Innovation Challenge

Deadline: 2020-04-24

Award: $ 5,000

Open to: Everyone

The Wearable Robotics Association is inviting entries that represent the most innovative new ideas in wearable robotic technology. The review committee will select as many as ten finalists. The one considered to be the most innovative will be announced at the conference and will receive $ 5,000 to accelerate the new technology. (Read more)

1.Which competition favors competitors with a creative mind in helping the disabled?

A.Innovative Designs for Accessibility. B.Clean Tech Competition.

C.Agile Robotics Competition. D.Wearable Robotics Innovation Challenge.

2.What’s the aim of Clean Tech Competition?

A.To make a research about STEM.

B.To encourage university students to be innovators.

C.To help students prepare for the university.

D.To find talented teenagers and develop their ability to innovate.

3.What can we know about the four competitions?

A.They are open to everyone. B.Every competitor can get an award.

C.They are held in April. D.They are held virtually.

假定你是李华，如今新冠状病毒（novel coronavirus）疫情在国外肆虐，你非常牵挂远在英国的好朋友Jonny，你打算给他写封email，内容包括：

1. 关心和牵挂；

2. 体验和感受；

3. 建议和祝福。

注意：1. 词数100左右；

2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；

3. 开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。

Dear Jonny,

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yours,

Li Hua

阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

The Origin of Father’s Day

Maybe Father’s day is celebrated all across the world, but do you know the origin of Father’s Day? Mrs. John B Dodd, of Washington, first came up with 1. idea of a “father’s day” in 1909. Mrs. Dodd wanted a special day to honor her father William, 2. wife died while giving birth to 3. (they) sixth child. Mr. Smart 4. (leave) to raise the newborn and his other five children by himself on a rural farm in 5. (east) Washington state. It was after Mrs. Dodd became an adult that she realized the 6. (strong) and selflessness her father had shown in 7. (raise) his children as a single parent.

The first Father’s Day was observed on June 19, 1910 in Washington. And it was in 1966 that President Lyndon Johnson 8. (official) declared the 3rd Sunday of June 9. Father’s Day.

Father’s Day 10. (become) a day to not only honor your father, but all men who act as a father figure. Stepfathers, uncles, grandfathers, and adult male friends are all honored on Father’s Day.

完形填空

阅读下面短文，从短文后所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。

Washoe is a young chimpanzee. She is no ____1____ chimpanzee, though. Scientists are doing a research ____2____ her. They want to see how civilized (驯化) she can _____3___. Already she does many things a human being can do.

For example, she has been learning how to exchange __4______ with people. The scientists are teaching her ___5_____ language. When she wants to be picked ___6_____, Washoe points up with one finger. She rubs her teeth with her finger ___7_____ she wants to brush her teeth. This is done after every meal.

Washoe has also been __8______ to think out and find answers to problems. Once she was put in a ___9_____ with food hanging from the ceiling. It was too high to ___10_____. After she considered the ____11____, she got a tall box to stand ___12_____. The food was still too high to be reached. Washoe found a ____13____ pole. Then she climbed onto the _____14___, grasped the pole, and _____15___ down the food with the pole. Washoe_____16___ like a human, too. The scientists keep her in a fully furnished house. After a hard ___17_____ in the laboratory, she goes home. ___18_____ she plays with her toys. She ___19_____ enjoys watching television before going to bed. Scientists hope to____20____ more about people by studying our closest relative — chimpanzee.

1.A.foolish B.ordinary C.special D.simple

2.A.for B.by C.to D.on

3.A.experience B.change C.develop D.become

4.A.actions B.views C.messages D.feelings

5.A.sign B.human C.spoken D.foreign

6.A.out B.at C.on D.up

7.A.when B.until C.since D.while

8.A.raised B.trained C.ordered D.led

9.A.cave B.zoo C.room D.museum

10.A.pull B.see C.eat D.reach

11.A.problem B.position C.food D.ceiling

12.A.by B.on C.up D.with

13.A.straight B.strong C.long D.big

14.A.wall B.box C.ceiling D.pole

15.A.knocked B.picked C.took D.shook

16.A.lives B.acts C.thinks D.plays

17.A.task B.lesson C.day D.time

18.A.Here B.There C.So D.Then

19.A.quite B.already C.even D.still

20.A.observe B.discover C.gain D.learn

Benefits of Sports

Taking exercise is a physical, mental and social adventure. It’s a great way for children to take a break from study and release extra energy. It also helps them lead fuller and happier lives as regular sports have proven to improve general well-being.

1. Regardless of your fitness level when you start playing sports, you’ll notice an increase in your overall fitness once you take part. Nearly every sport requires physical activity and the skills needed to be competitive. Basketball players focus on strength training. 2. The training process helps encourage physical fitness and performances in competitions.

3. Playing sports contributes to mental health, helping to increase confidence and self-worth. A pat on the back, high-five from a teammate, or handshake after a match really raises a child’s confidence. Words of praise and encouragement from the coach, parents and other players raise the self-worth. 4. So after a game, it’s a better idea to ask “Did you enjoy the game?” rather than “Did you win?”

Children who participate in sports might also benefit from the social aspect, feeling part of a group, building up leadership and responsibility. 5. Teamwork demands both being dependable as a teammate and learning to rely on your teammates to achieve a positive outcome. Teamwork will raise your responsibility and give you an opportunity to be a leader.

There is no shortage of reasons to find a sport to take part in. Are you ready to go? Pick one and get moving!

A.It’s not just your body that benefits from sports.

B.Therefore, playing sports is going to make you more fit.

C.Football players work on speed while track athletes train through longer runs.

D.Among these, learning how to work as a team is the most important advantage.

E.But remember, a child’s self-worth should not be judged by victory or loss.

F.If you play group sports, you’ll be part of a team that takes direction from a coach.

G.The physical benefits of doing sports are probably the most obvious.

    When a storm is coming, most people leave the area as quickly as possible and head for safety. But there are a few people who will get into cars and go straight for the center of the storm. These people are willing to risk being killed by floods or 100-kilometer-an-hour winds for the excitement of watching the storm close up.

“Storm chasing (追逐)” is becoming an increasingly popular hobby, especially in the Midwest of the United States, where there are frequent storms between March and July. A storm chaser begins the day by checking the Internet for the latest weather reports, and then drives up to 1,000 kilometers to where the storm will be and waits for it to develop.

Although anyone can do it, storm chasing is extremely dangerous. The power of a big storm can throw a cow into the air or destroy a whole house in seconds. Storm chasers are also often hurt in accidents caused by driving in a heavy rain. If you are a beginner, it is much safer to join a group for storm-chasing vacations during the storm seasons.

Even then, storm chasing is not all adventure and excitement. “Storm chasing is 95% driving,” says Daniel Lynch, who spends most of his summer storm-chasing. “Sometimes you can sit around for hours waiting for something to happen, and all you get is blue sky and a few light showers.”

However, for storm chasers, it is all worth it. “When you get close to a storm, it is the most exciting sight you will ever see in your life,” says Jasper Morley. “Every storm is an example of the power of nature. It is the greatest show on Earth.”

1.For storm chasing, the first thing storm chasers do is to ____.

A.get quickly into their cars for safety

B.wait patiently for the storm to develop

C.head straight for the center of the storm

D.collect information about a coming storm

2.Beginners of storm chasing are advised ____.

A.to do it in an organized way B.to spend much more time on it

C.not to get too close to a storm D.not to drive in a heavy rain

3.By saying “it is all worth it” in the last paragraph, the author means that ___.

A.storm chasing costs a lot of money B.efforts in storm chasing are well paid

C.storm chasing is worth hours of waiting D.a storm presents the greatest show on Earth

4.What can we learn from the text?

A.Storm chasing is only fit for young people.

B.Some storm chasers were killed during the storms.

C.Storm chasing is becoming popular around the world.

D.Sometimes storm chasers get nothing but disappointment.

    Imagine you’re at the supermarket checkout. You pay the cashier, load your food into the cart, then take one third of your newly purchased items outside and throw them into the trash. This may sound unbelievable, but millions of us worldwide do this regularly, although in a more non-direct way.

In the West, most of this food is thrown away by businesses that are unable to sell it, or by consumers who buy too much. And the majority of this food, despite being past its shelf life, is still perfectly fit for human consumption. So where do these excess products end up?

“We receive food from various sources, including food banks, restaurants, cafes, food photographers, and events” says Adam Smith, founder of The Real Junk Food Project. The British company recently made headlines in the UK after it became the country’s first “food waste supermarket”, offering products that would otherwise have ended up in waste. Most of its customers are low-income families, or even college students who find it difficult to afford food.“We ask our customers to pay what they feel in time, money or skills. We do have people coming with the intention of paying and if it carries on like it does, it will pay for the cost of the warehouse,” Smith explains.

Some shops across Europe are also taking action. France recently passed a law that says all supermarkets must now donate all of their unsold produce to charities, while the Italian government has also put similar measures in place. Hundreds of cafes that serve meals made from surplus food have been set up across the continent too, selling dishes at bottom prices or even giving them away for free.

So what can we do to prevent our dinner ending up in the bin? “Buy less. Or at least shop smarter,” said Smith. After all, the best place for food is in our stomachs, not the trash.

1.What’s the meaning of the underlined “being past its shelf life” in Paragraph 2?

A.Being past its “sell-by” date. B.Being far from enough.

C.Being past the length of being eatable. D.Being out of date.

2.What do we know about The Real Junk Food Project?

A.It gets food from the waste. B.It wants to make a fat profit.

C.It drew massive attention lately. D.Its main aim is to do charities.

3.What can we learn from Paragraph 4?

A.Some countries in Europe are actively helping poor people.

B.Some countries in Europe are trying to address food waste.

C.Related shops in Europe are willing to give away their food.

D.All the countries in Europe have made laws to handle food waste.

4.What is the best title of the passage?

A.Turning Trash into Treats B.Buying Less and Smarter

C.Food Trash Industry D.Warn against Food Waste

    “I have cancer.”Mom said and held me in a tight hug.I could feel her chest shaking as she tried not to cry but failed.

For all of my twenty-four years,my mom had been supportive.Strength and protection had always flowed from her to me.Now I knew it would have to flow the other way.

Mom didn’t stay down for long.After the shock of breast-cancer,she armed herself with a notebook and a pen and a thousand questions for the doctors.She took notes on white blood cell counts and medications(药物)with long names as though she were studying for entrance exams into medical school.”The not-knowing is the worst.”she said.

The operation was successful.The chemo(化疗)was the harder part.I went with Mom to every chemo treatment.She rarely complained,though her hair was gone and her toenails and fingernails fell out one by one.She joked that she could save money on nail polish and put it toward the doctor bills,even though she never wore nail polish.”Cancer can take my hair,my nails,my health,my very life. But it can’t take my smile.”Mom said.

Mom learned to share her fears with me,and it formed an even deeper bond between us.Yet I am certain there were fears she didn’t share because she was still protecting me-worries she only shared with Dad.Even in the darkest hours,she would just joke about the cancer. Mom always said,”When you look your greatest fear in the eye and laugh at it,you take away some of its power.”

Mom was one of the lucky ones.She did beat her cancer,though not without scars.From her,I’ve learned I may not get to choose what I face,but I do get to choose how I face it.

1.What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 mean?

A.There were other ways to treat cancer.

B.Knowledge of cancer would be helpful.

C.Mom had to stay stronger to beat cancer.

D.I should be the one being there for Mom.

2.Which of the following words can best describe Mom?

A.Humorous and generous.

B.Considerate and ambitious.

C.Optimistic and determined.

D.Caring and knowledgeable.

3.What is the fifth paragraph mainly about?

A.The fear Mom shared with me.

B.The ways Mom faced fear.

C.The jokes Mom told me.

D.The bond Mom and I formed.

4.What lesson did the author learn from Mom?

A.Luck counts in beating diseases.

B.Complaint does no good to one’s health.

C.Positive attitudes get one through hardship for

D.Sharing feelings helps reduce sufferings a lot.

Some places in the world have strange laws. It’s important for you to know about them before going there.

Whoever likes to chew gum (口香糖) may have to leave Singapore. The government really wants to keep the city clean and will fine you for chewing gum.

Before you leave for the United Arab Emirates you’d better make sure you aren’t visiting during Ramadan (斋月). During that time you aren’t allowed to eat or drink in public. Tourists have been fined up to $275 for drinking in public.

Lovers spend so much time kissing each other goodbye at train stations that trains often start late. This law---no kissing your lover goodbye at train stations---is rather old, and isn’t in use today in France.

In Thailand it’s against the law to drive a car or motorcycle without a shirt on, no matter how hot it is. Punishments are different in different areas and can include warnings and tickets costing about $10. No joke ---the local police will stop you.

Studies in Denmark have shown that cars with their headlights on are more noticeable by other drivers than those with their headlights off. Drivers there are required to leave their headlights on even during the day, or they may face a fine up to $100.

Do you often buy things using coins? Don’t do it in Canada. The Currency Law of 1985 doesn’t allow using only coins to buy things. Even the use of the dollar-coin is limited (受限制的). The shop owner has the right to choose whether to take your coins or not.

Make sure you know about these laws before your next trip. Better safe than sorry.

1.What is mainly talked about in the text?

A. How to make your trip around the world safe.

B. Some strange laws you should know about for your trip.

C. Interesting places you can go to around the world.

D. Why there are strange laws in the world.

2.If you are driving a car in Thailand, __________.

A. the police will play a joke on you

B. the police will give you tickets costing about $10

C. you should wear your shirt even though it’s hot

D. you should always keep your headlights on

3.What can we learn from the text?

A. You can turn your headlights off in daytime in Denmark.

B. Kissing goodbye at train stations isn’t allowed in France today.

C. Tourists in the United Arab Emirates shouldn’t eat in public.

D. The Singaporean government cares a lot about its environment.

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。

'Usual boring day!' This would be the answer from Roman if somebody asked him how his day was. These days he found everything boring, nothing excited him.

One day he was lying in his room as usual. Suddenly light went off. His room was rather hot without an air conditioner. Though he did not want to leave his room, he had to. Unwillingly, he left his room and came to living room. Living room was slightly cool as it had two huge windows.

His young brother was playing with his friend. They were rolling on the floor. He was looking out for the TV remote, but couldn't find. He got up and searched it everywhere, but remote was nowhere. He looked at his brother who was still lying on the floor playing.

He asked him, "Where is the remote?"

"Under the Sofa," his brother yelled.

He tried to look through, but it was dark. He put his hand under the sofa. He touched something, grabbed it and took his hand out. OMG! It was a snake in his hand!

After seeing that his brother started to yell, “ Snake, snake!” Mom came as soon as she heard their shouting. She too was horrified to see a snake. She was so scared that she even couldn’t speak a word. Two kids were trying to hide into each other's back. “What an old trick!” Roman thought and threw it over kids.

As the snake landed on the floor near to the kids, it started moving from left side to the right. Only then did Roman realize that the snake was real, not a toy. He threw the snake over kids because he thought it was a fake snake and kids were playing some tricks.

This time mom almost got heart attack. Now he was scared too. The snake was only 10 meters away from kids and was staring at kids. They even couldn’t call a rescue team. There might be some deadly damage before their arrival. There was not much time to think. It was the time for a quick action.

Paragraph 1：

As Roman was farther from the snake, he jumped to the window and grabbed the curtain.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Paragraph 2：

After the rescue team caught and took the snake away, everyone went inside the home.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

假如你是李华，你的英国笔友Jean来信了解中国青少年的上网喜好。请你予以回复，并以自己为例，谈谈你最喜欢的网站或APP及理由。

注意：1. 词数80左右；

2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

阅读下面材料，在空白处填入1个适当的词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Leather is a hugely popular material for a range of products, but this 1. (popular) comes at a price. The global leather industry kills over a billion animals every year. This 2. (cause) many to ask the question: is it possible to meet the global demand of leather without 3. (do) any harm to animals? A process called biofabrication(生物制作) may be the answer.

Biofabrication is not new; it is already commonly used in medicine. Scientists have applied the technique to grow body parts like ear, skin, and bones for transplants(移植). But it can also 4. (use) to make other products, such as leather. Scientists will be able to make biofabricated leather with whatever qualities they want, such as extra softness, greater strength, or even different colors and patterns.

But how 5. (exact) does biofabrication work? 6. (grow) leather, scientists begin by taking some cells from an animal, not hurting 7. animal in any way. They then set the cells apart and grow them in a lab. This process takes millions of cells and expands them into billions. Next, the scientists take the cells and spread them out to form thin sheets, 8. are then put together to combine into a little 9. (thick) sheets. Anyone can then dye and finish the leather and design it in any way they like.

Andras Forgacs supports biofabrication. He says it may even be a “natural evolution of manufacturing for mankind.” We will be able to make the products we need in an efficient,  responsible, 10. creative way.

    We’ve all been there before: You’re driving down the road when suddenly a pothole(凹坑) seems to appear out of nowhere and sends the ______ jumping. Most people think potholes are_____, but artist Jim Bachor sees them as a canvas(画布) for his artwork.

Bachor uses the ______ art form of mosaic(马赛克) to create eye-catching, colorful images of famous artists like Aretha Franklin or simple everyday ______ like food. He even makes less-appealing visuals of insects.

Bachor was a graphic designer for 20 years before he began his ____ in mosaic. He regards an incidental trip to Europe as his motivation to change careers. While ______ in Italy, Bachor fell in love with Pompeii, the preserved ancient Roman city. A tour guide pointed out a mosaic, made of mainly glass and marble, and told Bachor, “Glass and marble don’t ______. So, this looks essentially the way the artist intended.” Bachor says, “That kind of staying power just ______ me so much.”

A year later Bachor returned to attend a mosaic class in Ravenna, Italy, to learn the proper way to ______ the ancient technique. Years after that, he mastered the technique. He ______ that mosaics can be just as significant today as the art form over 1,000 years ago. “I just saw that there was a(n) ______ to bring it into the new age as a contemporary subject,” he says.

So, Bachor decided to make a special piece of ______ for that pothole. He has ____ mosaic pothole art around Chicago, Detroit, New York City and even in Finland.

While he may not be getting ______ from drivers or passengers, Bachor’s art is ______ a pleasant surprise to discover.

1.A.body B.rock C.car D.sand

2.A.challenging B.interesting C.discouraging D.annoying

3.A.modern B.ancient C.elegant D.mysterious

4.A.objects B.ideas C.routines D.projects

5.A.duty B.career C.belief D.instruction

6.A.traveling B.living C.working D.studying

7.A.last B.connect C.fade D.resolve

8.A.reminded B.confused C.troubled D.impressed

9.A.introduce B.perform C.promote D.describe

10.A.argued B.imagined C.remembered D.realized

11.A.link B.time C.opportunity D.voice

12.A.artwork B.machinery-work C.code D.literature

13.A.discovered B.created C.improved D.taught

14.A.help B.invitation C.money D.praise

15.A.nearly B.merely C.certainly D.personally

No-friend eating trend

When you eat lunch in a restaurant, you might see many people eating by themselves, watching videos on their phones. 1. Do you worry they’re lonely?

You probably didn’t even notice because you were looking at your own phone. The New York Post says that eating alone with electronic devices is a growing trend among young people around the world.

According to a new survey conducted by OnePoll on behalf of the US-based Highbush Blueberry Council, the average adult eats six meals alone each week and 387 meals each year.

2. Maybe not.

“The way we define ‘togetherness’ and what it means to be connected seems to be evolving as technology evolves. Keeping our relationships strong doesn’t always require being together physically,” wrote the report.

Nowadays, many young people spend more time studying and working in competitive environments. 3. Instead, it’s natural to communicate with others through text, email and social media.

Daniela Galarza, from the US, is one of these young people. She told the New York Post that she spent nearly 10 hours on her work every day. She said, “Engaging with my friends and families on social media platforms for about half an hour every day always helps me feel more connected with them. 4.”

“Today, ‘togetherness’ is more of a feeling than a physical state, and people get creative to stay connected,” a spokesperson for The Highbush Blueberry Council told the New York Post. “5.”

A.I’m not lonely any more.

B.Do you feel pity for them?

C.Being together all the time is great.

D.Does it mean there are a lot of lonely people?

E.They enjoy eating alone with electronic devices.

F.They have less time to gather and eat with their friends or families.

G.The joy of being together – however you manage it – never changes.

    Recently, researchers at the University of Toronto figured out a way with a quick video selfie to accurately measure blood pressure with your smartphone’s camera by developing a technology known as transdermal optical imaging (TOI)(透皮光学成像).

Cameras on smartphones can catch red light reflected from hemoglobin (血红素）under our skin, which permits TOI to visualize and measure blood flow changes. Researchers measured the blood pressure of 1,328 Canadian and Chinese adults by getting two-minute videos of their faces on an iPhone. “From the video got by the technology, you can see how the blood flows in different parts of the face and through this flow, you can get a lot of information,” said Kang Lee, lead author of the study.

Lee also helped create an app called Anura, which allows people to try out the TOI software for themselves, giving them the ability to record a 30-second video of their face and receive measurements for stress levels and resting heart rate. Lee said more research was needed to make sure that the measurements were as accurate as possible, explaining that the study didn’t test people with very dark or very fair skin.

“In order to improve our app to make it usable, particularly for people with hypertension (高血压)，we need to collect a lot of data from them, which is very hard because a lot of them are already taking medicine,” Lee explained. “We cannot tell them not to take medicine, but from time to time, we get participants who don’t take medicine so we can get hypertensive people this way.”

The scientists said there were many potential applications of the technology, including providing health services for those who lived in remote areas.

1.What is mainly talked about in Paragraph 2？

A.Information offered by TOI. B.New findings on hypertension.

C.How TOI is put into smart phones. D.How the TOI technology works.

2.What might people benefit from the new technology mentioned above?

A.Living a life free from stress. B.Improving the heart function gradually.

C.Accessing health services for free. D.Knowing abnormal blood pressure earlier.

3.What can be done for a better Anura?

A.Equipping phones with better cameras.

B.Allowing phones to record longer videos.

C.Collecting data from more diverse samples.

D.Persuading participants not to take medicine.

4.Why does the author write this text?

A.To predict future applications of TOI.

B.To introduce TOI and an app related.

C.To describe functions of cameras on phones.

D.To evaluate the quality of an app called Anura.

    America’s first transcontinental railroad, completed 150 years ago today at Promontory Summit in Utah, connected the vast United States and brought America into the modern age. Chinese immigrants contributed greatly to this notable achievement, but the historical accounts that followed often ignored their role.

Between 1863 and 1869, as many as 20,000 Chinese workers helped build the dangerous western part of the railroad, a winding ribbon of track known as the Central Pacific. At first, the Central Pacific Railroad’s directors wanted a whites-only workforce. When not enough white men signed up, the railroad began hiring Chinese men for the backbreaking labor. Company leaders were skeptical of the new recruits’ ability to do the work, but they proved themselves not only capable but even superior to the other workers.

Chinese workers cut through dense forests, filled deep narrow steep-sided valley, constructed long trestles(高架桥) and built enormous retaining walls(防护墙) -- some of which remain complete and undamaged today. All work was done by hand using carts, shovels and picks but no machinery. However, progress came at great cost: an estimated 1,200 Chinese laborers died along the Central Pacific route.

Despite these facts, Chinese workers were often left out of the official story because of their identity of foreigners. On the transcontinental railroad's 100th birthday, the Chinese workers were still not honored. It was another fifty years later that their role was gradually highlighted. To celebrate the railroad’s 150th anniversary in 2019, the California assembly passed a resolution in 2017 to recognize and honor the Chinese railroad workers by designating May 10, 2017, and every May 10 thereafter, as California Chinese Railroad Workers Memorial Day.

1.What might be the best title for the text?

A.The Birth of the Central Pacific Cost Dearly

B.May 10--A Special Day for Chinese Immigrants

C.Chinese Workers’ Contributions Gained Recognition

D.The 150th anniversary of the Central Pacific Railroad

2.What does “they” in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A.Chinese laborers. B.White workers.

C.Company leaders. D.Railroad directors.

3.Why does the author make such detailed descriptions in Paragraph 3?

A.To prove Chinese workers’ superior skills.

B.To stress the danger and difficulty of the work.

C.To describe the grand scenery along the railroad.

D.To show notable achievements made by Chinese workers.

4.What does the text intend to tell us?

A.None so blind as those who won’t see. B.No pains, no gains.

C.Truth will come to light sooner or later. D.Doing is better than saying.

    When people think about British music, for the most part they think about the 60s or 70s with the likes of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones or more modern artists like Adele or Ed Sheeran. However, stuck between these two ages was, in my opinion, British music’s best period. The 90s were an optimistic time for Britain and indeed Europe, with the economy recovering from the lows of the 80s and the Cold War ending.

One of the defining features of 90s music was the birth of “Britpop”. This was a style of pop music that aimed to promote “Britishness” and commonly featured electric guitars, drums and male singers. Britpop was the style used by world-famous bands such as Oasis, Blur, Pulp and Suede who became known as “The Big Four”. The summer of 1995 was dominated by the “Battle of Britpop” which was between Blur and Oasis for the number one spot. Eventually, Blur won the battle and Oasis settled for second.

However, the 90s weren’t only for the boys, with major female groups also finding fame, the most well-known of which were “the Spice Girls” who were extremely popular in Britain and around the world. Once again they promoted “Britishness” and had catchy melodies and lyrics, but they also started the “Girl Power” movement which helped empower girls and women worldwide. It isn’t too far to assume that without their music, many female singers and artists who we love today would not have had the confidence to pursue their dream.

British music may have had many great times, however the 90s are often overlooked. Although I was not alive to enjoy the music properly, the 90s had a huge impact on British culture that can be felt today and I feel that the decade should get the recognition it deserves!

1.What can we infer from the first paragraph?

A.The Cold War came to an end in the 80s.

B.Britain’s economy began to pick up in the 90s.

C.The Beatles represented the best British music.

D.Adele is better than Ed Sheeran in modern music.

2.What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?

A.Britpop. B.Britishness.

C.The Big Four. D.Battle of Britpop.

3.What’s the most important influence of “the Spice Girls” according to the text?

A.Promoting “Britishness”. B.Empowering girls and women.

C.Creating catchy melodies. D.Finding fame for female groups.

4.The writer thinks the impact of the 90s music on British culture is ________.

A.underestimated B.well-recognized

C.fairly evaluated D.reasonably doubted

    TGBWP(the Great Books Winter Program) is an experience like no other in American education. For the past eleven years, TGBWP has gathered outstanding middle and high school students from across the world to read selections from the greatest works of literature, experience college-level lectures, engage in lively discussions and enjoy winter camp fun with other literary-minded students.

Here is a sample of what you will get at Great Books:

Membership in an international community of enthusiastic young learners and distinguished college teachers who read and discuss great books and big ideas. You will discuss the likes of Plato, Mark Twain, Dickens, and Tolstoy with other teens from around the globe who love literature just as much as you do!

Find your voice in the classroom. TGBWP gives students the opportunity to grow academically and socially as they prepare for high school and college. Open discussions encourage students to express themselves and give power to their ideas. Students gain confidence in their ability to read a text closely and express their ideas clearly both orally and in writing.

Experience time away from home and spend it at a top college -- choose from two campus settings: Amherst College in Massachusetts and Stanford University in California. This is the perfect opportunity to preview life on a college campus!

Don’t miss this opportunity to join students from 47 states and 28 countries in this unique learning environment.

More information: CLICK HERE

1.What do we know about TGBWP?

A.A course on literacy skills improvement.

B.An education department of universities.

C.A camp suitable for teen literature lovers.

D.A program of studying American literature.

2.What does TGBWP offer its participants according to the text?

A.College-level evaluation in literature.

B.Admissions to world famous universities.

C.Free literature courses and literature works.

D.Chances to experience college life beforehand.

3.Suppose this text is an Ad, what else must be included in “More information”?

A.Contact information. B.Membership benefits.

C.Registration requirements. D.Activity arrangements.

假定你是李华，你校将邀请对茶文化非常有研究的王教授来你校作报告。请根据以下要点给喜欢饮茶的外教Mr. Smith写一封信，邀请他一起前往。内容包括：

1. 报告的时间和地点；

2. 报告的主要内容（例如：饮茶是中同特有的文化，茶在我们生活中扮演重要角色等）。

注意：

1. 词数100左右；

2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。

增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧)，并在下面写出该加的词。

删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。

修改：在错的词下画一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。

注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；

2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。

Last term an English speech contest is held in our school. Seeing the notice, many students took interests in it. My English teacher Miss Li thought it was a good chance for me to improving my English and encouraged me to take part. So I decided to have a try. During the prepare, my teacher offered me great help. She not only polished with my speech draft and also corrected my pronunciation. As a result, my speech improved great. Then the day for the competition came, and I did good job and got the first prize! I owed it all to my teacher. Without his help, I wouldn't have got so a good result.

阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Aristotle was a great philosopher, and many of his writings and teachings have formed the way we think about philosophy today.

At eighteen, Aristotle went to Plato’s Academy1.(study) and stayed there for almost twenty2.(year). From there, Aristotle went to the island of Lesbos,3.he researched botany and zoology. After that, he went on to tutor Alexander the Great, as well as Ptolemy and Cassander. Perhaps the fact that he tutored several kings4.(be) the reason why he is still so famous today. However, Alexander the Great began to suspect Aristotle was making threats against his life.5.(eventual), after Alexander’s6.(die)，Aristotle7. (force) to flee and died of natural causes in Euboea.

Aristotle added much to the field of philosophy. He also made8.significant contribution to science while he was alive. Aristotle’s writings and philosophy have influenced such famous Christian thinkers9. Chaucer, Dante, and Thomas Aquinas. Furthermore, Friedrich Nietzsche took much of his political philosophy from Aristotle, and Ayn Rand looked up to him as well. With so many people10.(look) to Aristotle for philosophic cues（提示）,it is no wonder that his works have survived the test of time.

    It was two years ago. That was a tough morning and I felt_________I stood by the patient’s doorway. I couldn’t see myself, but I knew my own_________: head down, shoulders slumped(下沉）and a lifeless expression. I knocked on the patient’s door and entered. “Good morning!” I said to the_________I felt my energy used up in the_______to remain cheerful. The tank was close to_________.

“How are you doing today?” The patient looked at me with eyes of_________She patted her_________and let me sit down. “What’s wrong, doctor?” I_________her in silence. She pressed on in a_________but loving way, just like Mom would. “Come on, tell me. How are you doing?”

A million thoughts__________into my mind. I needed to be stoic (坚忍的）and showed no signs of__________

However, I sat down beside her. “I’m really nervous and__________, to be honest.”

“Why’s that?” she asked with sincere concern. “I can__________.”

Think about my workday. There’s the__________of achieving the medical goals: diagnosis（诊断）,treatments and cures. There’s also the stress of my work__________: abundant multi-tasking and__________interruptions.

Now I wanted to open up to her. For a__________moment, I felt the burden being__________off my shoulders. We spoke heart to heart. She asked questions. I answered them. She wanted to__________what my day was like. I told her very honestly. We spoke for a long while. Finally she__________me and I thanked her deeply for showing concern about me.

1.A.annoyed B.excited C.surprised D.defeated

2.A.position B.appearance C.behavior D.picture

3.A.guard B.physician C.patient D.nurse

4.A.effort B.desire C.attempt D.need

5.A.shaking B.leaking C.full D.empty

6.A.envy B.concern C.curiosity D.regret

7.A.clothes B.floor C.bed D.leg

8.A.waited for B.pointed to C.stared at D.looked down upon

9.A.tight B.relaxed C.comfortable D.firm

10.A.crowded B.slipped C.jumped D.squeezed

11.A.anger B.weakness C.Sympathy D.loneliness

12.A.cautious B.determined C.unlucky D.anxious

13.A.succeed B.listen C.conclude D.recover

14.A.pressure B.reward C.request D.schedule

15.A.appointment B.plan C.environment D.equipment

16.A.frequent B.steady C.common D.regular

17.A.meaningful B.brief C.big D.valuable

18.A.thrown B.reduced C.lifted D.know

19.A.predict B.guess C.expect D.know

20.A.hugged B.praised C.saved D.protected

    A person that’s enthusiastic, determined and prepared to hug life’s trials is a person we all want to be. If you want to be like that person then your first step is to always stay inspired. Taking the first step towards an inspired life is the most difficult part of the process, but after you take it you will never look back.1.He/She is a person who wakes up every day more inspired than the next. Inspiration will lead you anywhere you want to go.  2.

●Inspiration breeds(培育) more inspiration. After you get a taste of the inspired life you'll never want to turn back. Wake up tomorrow morning inspired and watch your life change.3.I’ll give you some names of people who have changed the path of history and I’ll let you determine if they were inspired. Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs,Mother Theresa.

●Inspiration leads to hard work. Hard work leads to success. Success will be much more difficult to attain if you care little about what you want to be successful in.

●4.Mark Zuckerberg was inspired by the potential of a great social network. Four English musicians were inspired to create great music thereby creating the Beatles. Socrates was inspired by his own curiosity and ended up creating Western Philosophy as we know it today.

●Inspiration and genius(天才)—one and the same.5.In fact, many who we consider geniuses today were nothing more than extremely inspired individuals.

A.The uninspired seldom change the world.

B.A genius is someone who was born intelligent.

C.Fear of failure will stop you from staying inspired.

D.Nothing great was ever created without inspiration.

E.You don't have to have an IQ of 150 to be considered a genius.

F.Here are four additional reasons why you should always stay inspired.

G.An inspired individual is someone who never backs away from a challenge.

    While enjoying good incomes, physicians suffer from a lack of time. Between scheduled clinical work and being on call, it’s common to have only one full day off in seven. Not surprisingly, it’s far too easy to spend that entire day just trying to do the boring tasks for yourself and your family.

The good news, however, is that new research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that many professionals can increase their happiness by using their incomes to buy back some of that lost time through the use of time-saving services such as housecleaners or online personal assistants.

Study authors Ashley Whillans and Elizabeth Dunn found that when people spend money on such services, happiness improves. Their findings suggest that “using money to buy time may provide benefits by serving as a buffer（缓冲器）against the harmful effects of time pressure on overall life satisfaction”.

Spending money on a big purchase, such as an expensive car, can feel good and serve as a reward for having worked so hard. Research has consistently shown, however, that the gains from such material purchases are short lived. Instead, buying back time and then using it to go after meaningful activities is more likely to result in long-term gains in well-being.

There are the obvious tasks that have been outsourced（外包）for decades，such as house cleaning or meal preparation. In my own physician coaching practice, it amazes me how many of my physician clients do not take full advantage of these classic opportunities to save time, particularly meal services. When your time is worth well over $100 to 200 an hour, how could you NOT pay another person far less than that to do the job better than you would do it yourself?

Regaining a couple of hours on your only day off can change your well-being. How different would you feel if you had a few more hours to spend quality time with other people, improve your health, or try a new hobby?

1.Which of the following is true according to this passage?

A.Physicians often do boring tasks for their family.

B.Time pressure often has effects on life satisfaction.

C.Physician clients never use time-saving services.

D.People all should regain time to change their well-being.

2.What will lead to long-term gains in well-being?

A.Meal preparation. B.Earning high incomes.

C.Buying expensive materials. D.Spending quality time with family.

3.What is the author?

A.A physician coach. B.A salesman.

C.A researcher. D.A reporter.

4.What’s the author’s purpose of writing the passage?

A.To persuade people to spend money wisely.

B.To introduce some ways to gain happiness.

C.To advise physicians to buy time for happiness.

D.To state physicians’ terrible working environment.

    Children born in the early 21st century will likely never know a world without the Internet, television, and other forms of instant intellectual satisfaction. The average high school student in any developed nation has access to more information than some of the greatest minds in history, such as Socrates or Da Vinci, ever had in their lifetimes. Some critics of this phenomenon fear that instantaneous（瞬时的）access to all of this information has the potential to overload users, however. Instead of researching deeper into one particular subject, many people are now dabbling on(浅尝）the surface of many interests and subjects of study at the same time. Author Richard Foreman described those who have spread themselves thinly across a wide range of subjects as pancake people.

For many generations, scholars and artists tended to concentrate their energy on one particular subject. For William Shakespeare, that interest was literature; for Mozart, it was musical composition; and for Newton, physics. Visual artists were not expected to understand higher mathematics, nor were philosophers (哲学家）expected to study engineering. Without widespread access to libraries or the ability to spread their latest creations to the rest of the world instantly, many people worked hard in relative obscurity（冷门）to explore the depths of their chosen jobs or subjects of interest.

With the development of the Internet and other sources of information that can be accessed quickly and easily, many people attempt to gain at least a working knowledge of many different subjects. As a result, a new generation have essentially become the proverbial jacks of all trades, but masters of none. A linguist（语言学家）from the 18th may have studied Spanish or French until he or she could translate even the most complex literary works written in those languages, but modern pancake people only learn enough of the language to travel as a tourist. As long as the information necessary to perform a task or create a new work is at a person’s fingertips，there is always the risk of that person losing some intellectual curiosity.

1.What can we know from the first paragraph?

A.People nowadays have access to more information than before.

B.Interest is becoming more and more important in modern society.

C.Children will know nothing about the world without modern social media.

D.Students in developed nations know more than the greatest minds in history.

2.How does the author develop his argument in Paragraph 2?

A.By comparison. B.By example.

C.By classification. D.By cause and effect.

3.Pancake people refer to those who___________________.

A.are gifted in music, art or literature

B.are knowledgeable in different fields

C.know a working knowledge of many different subjects

D.tend to concentrate their energy on one particular subject

4.What’s the author’s attitude to pancake people?

A.Disapproving. B.Favorable.

C.Doubtful. D.Unconcerned.

    When Dominick Cabalo noticed four years ago that his son Nicholas, then in Grade 4, was struggling to make new friends at school, he came up with a creative way to help him “break the ice”. The graphic artist from Glendale, Calif, started creating amazing drawings on his sons brown paper lunch bags.

From Captain America to Darth Vader to Kobe Bryant, Cabalo has drawn about 400 pictures of animals, superheroes, movie characters and pop culture icons (偶像）on his son’s lunch bags. The Grade 8 student told CTV News Channel on Wednesday that he had noticed the influence his father's artwork had on social life at school.

“It would encourage a conversation. If it was a movie, then we would talk about what happened or our favorite scenes,” Nicholas said. “People I don’t talk to would start talking to me about what my father has drawn on bags.”

Although Cabalo said he couldn’t see his son’s schoolmates’ reactions to his drawings first-hand, Nicholas would often let him know which ones were hits at school. “If I do something funny or draw something quite humorous, Nicholas will report back to me and say, ‘Oh yeah, they really liked this one,’”Cabalo said.

Cabalo said his son’s favorite drawings are the ones about superheroes. He explained that, every time a new superhero movie is released (上映）,he will make sure to include that character on a lunch bag. With so many lunch bags and superhero movie series, Cabalo admits there have been a few repeated characters over the years.

1.Why did Dominick Cabalo decide to create drawings on his son’s lunch bags?

A.To become famous. B.To show his talent.

C.To sell them and earn money. D.To help his son make friends.

2.The underlined word “hits” in Paragraph 4 probably refers to drawings that__________.

A.are popular with Nicholas's classmates

B.are about the latest superhero movies

C.express deep thoughts and feelings

D.influence Nicholas's classmates greatly

3.What kind of drawings did Nicholas like most?

A.Animals. B.Superheroes.

C.Movie characters. D.Pop culture icons.

4.What would be the best title of the text?

A.A Son Learns to Make Friends B.A Son Is Influenced by His Dad

C.A Dad Creates Drawings on Lunch Bags D.A Dad's Artwork on Lunch Bags Helps His Son

    Are you looking for the best way to earn online and free yourself from financial slavery? Here are the top 4 jobs that have a good pay and you can find online to do.

Transcription(文字记录）

This is basically the conversion of a video or an audio to text. However, transcription takes different formats that you need to learn and master to deliver your work in time. Becoming a transcriber requires nothing other than fluency of the language you are working in and a good typing speed. On average, transcribers make an average of $22 per hour of audio. Medical and legal transcriptions pay much higher than most conversations.

Travel Agency

Do you have a deep knowledge of the tourism industry? Do you have the ability to get discounted tickets for various airlines? Then you can help people book their flights to and for different destinations around the globe. Many people would like to tour different places but they lack lots of the vital information. The business can work best for you depending on your setup, client (客户）base, and the season. You can expect an average of $20/hr.

Online Tutor

Many students from various parts of the world need people to help them better understand the courses they are studying. Others too need people to coach them on some extra-curricular activities. You can make a good income if you are available to offer the services. The average wage of a tutor is $25/hr.

Writers

Writers are in demand as far as online and media businesses are concerned. The more we see businesses streaming online, the more you know there is a market for writers. Writers can be hired for different writings like print，online media publications, blogs, business copywriting, etc. A writer earns an average of $26/hr.

1.What does a transcriber require most?

A.A strong sense of duty. B.A good writing speed.

C.Fluency of the target language. D.A deep knowledge of the tourism industry.

2.What is likely to increase the demand for online writers?

A.Popularity of audios. B.Difficult school courses.

C.Large markets for tourism. D.Booming online business.

3.Where can you probably find the passage?

A.In a journal. B.In a newspaper.

C.In a travel magazine. D.In a science fiction.

假定你是李华，你的外国朋友Mary听说了在中国抗击新冠肺炎的奋战过程中，中国的传统医学（Traditional Chinese Medicine  TCM）起了很重要的作用，所以对它非常感兴趣，请给她写一封信，内容包括:

1.简单介绍一位中国古代有名的中医，

2.鼓励他学习TCM，并提出合理建议。

注意：1.词数100左右

2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯

Dear Mary,

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。

增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号( ^)，并在其下面写出该加的词。

删除：把多余的词用斜线( \)划掉。

修改：在错的词下画一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。

注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；

2.只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。

Nowadays many young parents are addicted in their electric devices like smartphones or computers, pay less or no attention to their kids.

Then what does it come about? Admittedly, the smartphone indeed dramatically changes our life. With it, people can do nearly everything we want, such as surfing the Internet for information, watching films or video, doing some online shopping and playing games as well as. Thus, a smartphone serves as a platform for them to get fun in a comfortable and convenience way. As a result  more and more young parents are being attracted.

However, nothing can replace face-to-face communication between parents and kids, what requires parents to think about the real meaning of life, spends more time with their children and have fun together. Only in this way a better parent-child relationship be developed.

阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

2019 is another milestone for China’s film industry as eight of the year’s top 10 1.(high) grossing films in the Chinese mainland’s box office charts 2.(be) Chinese films. The Chinese mainland’s box office hit an all-time high with a total of 63.7 billion yuan (around 9.1 billion U.S. dollars). It remains a difficult task，3., for Chinese films to appeal to North American moviegoers and achieve similar success 4. national borders. Chinese films have long faced 5. uphill, cross cultural challenge to break the code regarding what attracts international interest. Frequent 6.(complain) about Chinese film range from “too different to identify with,” or “too long and confusing,” or simply “too Chinese.” The difference in stories and storytelling styles is significant, because Chinese stories unique to China are 7.(familiar) in the West. Hollywood producer Jeff Most told Xinhua, “These are rich cultural traditions China wants to share but they need 8.(introduce)to Western audiences in a way 9. highlights the universal aspects of the story that everyone can all relate to, rather than the different cultural references that are 10.(confuse) to the westerners.”