The Buy Nothing Movement

Social media, magazines and shop windows bombard（猛轰）people daily with things to buy, and British consumers are buying more clothes than ever before. The average person spends more than £ 1,000 on new clothes a year, which might not sound like much. 1. A lot of consumer spending is by means of credit cards. British people currently owe about £670 per adult to credit card companies. Also, people are spending money they haven't earned to buy things they don't need. Britain throws away 300,000 tons of clothing a year, most of which goes into landfill（垃圾填 埋地）sites.

2.But charity shops can't sell all those unwanted clothes. A lot of clothes that charities can't sell are sent abroad, causing even more economic and environmental problems.

3.The idea originated in Canada in the early 1990s and then moved to the US. On Buy Nothing Day people organise various types of protests and cut up their credit cards. Throughout the year, Buy Nothing groups organise the exchange and repair of items they already own.

The trend has now reached influencers on social media who now encourage their viewers not to buy anything at all for periods as long as a year. Two friends in Canada spent a year working towards buying only food. For the first three months they learned how to live without buying electrical goods, clothes or things for the house. For the next stage, they gave up services, for example, haircuts, eating out or buying petrol for their cars. 4.

The changes they made meant two fewer cars on the roads, a reduction in plastic and paper packaging and a positive impact on the environment from all the energy saved. 5.But even if you can't manage a full year without going shopping, you can participate in the anti-consumerist movement by refusing to buy things you don't need.

A.In one year, they'd saved $55,000.

B.If everyone followed a similar plan, the results would be impressive.

C.Online shopping means it is easy for customers to buy without thinking.

D.Second-hand clothes are often of too poor quality to recycle in charity shops.

E.But that figure hides two far more worrying trends for society and for the environment

F.However, a different trend arises in opposition to consumerism—the ' buy nothing' trend.

G.People might not realise the problems because they donate their unwanted clothes to charities.

    If there’s one cliche（陈词滥调）that really annoys Danah Boyd, a specialist researcher who has made a career from studying the way teenagers use the web, it’s that of the digital native. “Today the world has computer-mediated communications. Thus, in order to learn about their social world around them, teenagers are learning about those things too. And they’re using that to work out the stuff that kids have always worked out： peer（同龄人）sociality, status, etc.” she says.

It’s no surprise Boyd takes exception, really. As one of the first digital anthropologists to dig into the way teenagers use social networking sites, she gained insights into the social web by taking a closer look at what was going on.

Lately, her work has been about explaining new ways of interpreting the behavior we see online. She outlined some examples at a recent conference in San Francisco, including the case of a young man from one of the poorest districts of Los Angeles who was applying for a top American college. The applicant said he wanted to escape the influence of violence, but the admissions officer was shocked when he discovered that the boy's MySpace page was covered with precisely the violent language he claimed to hate. “Why was he lying about his motivations?” asked the university. “He wasn't, ” said Boyd. “In his world, showing the right images online was a key part of surviving daily life.”

Understanding what’s happening online is especially important, for today’s teenagers have a vastly different approach to privacy from their parents. She says, “Adults think of the home as a very private space. That’s often not the case for teenagers because they have little or no control over who has access to it, or under what conditions. As a result, the online world can feel more private because it feels like there's more control.”

The concept of control is central to Boyd's work, and it applies to pointing out the true facts about teenage behavior. Boyd suggests control remains in the same places as it always did.

“Technologists all go for the idea of techno・utopia （乌托邦）, the web as great democratizer （民主 化）”，she says. “But we’re not actually democratizing the whole system； we’re just shifting the way in which we discriminate.”

It’s a call to arms that most academic researchers would tend to sidestep, but then Boyd admits to treading a fine line between academics and activists. “The questions I continue to want to ask are the things that are challenging to me；having to sit down and be forced to think about uncomfortable social stuff, and it’s really hard to get my head around it, which means it’s exactly what I should dive in and deal with, ” she says.

1.What does Danah Boyd think of “computer-mediated communications”?

A.They teach teenagers about social interaction.

B.They replace other sorts of social interaction for teenagers.

C.They are necessary for teenagers to have social interaction.

D.They are barriers to wider social interaction among teenagers.

2.Why does Danah Boyd cite the example of the Los Angeles college applicant?

A.To show how easy it is to investigate somebody's online activity.

B.To illustrate how easy it is to misinterpret an individual online activity.

C.To prove how important it is to check the content of someone's online activity.

D.To express how necessary it is to judge someone's sincerity from his online activity.

3.Danah Boyd argues in Paragraph 4 that _______.

A.teenagers feel more private in the online world than in the home

B.teenagers are less concerned about privacy than their parents

C.parents tend not to respect teenagers'
need for online privacy

D.parents value the idea of privacy less in a domestic environment

4.It can be inferred from the last paragraph that Danah Boyd _______.

A.is willing to take on research challenges others would avoid

B.regards herself as being more of an activist than a researcher

C.is aware that she is lacking in ability to deal with the challenges

D.feels like abandoning the research into uncomfortable social stuff

    In autumn of 1975, two mothers in Lyme, Connecticut, were desperate for answers their doctors could not provide. Their families and others in the Lyme area were suffering from a mysterious(神秘的)illness. Two doctors from Yale, Allan Steere and Stephen Malawista, began an investigation that would result in a groundbreaking medical discovery.

The doctors began by conducting individual examinations of each patient. They found patients of all ages were suffering from a set of symptoms (症状) rarely observed together. Blood samples revealed no virus that offered a clue about the cause. However, they found fruitful information in their interviews with patients: one quarter of them recalled a skin rash (皮疹) with a bull’s-eye pattern about four weeks before other symptoms arose.

Armed with this new clue, the Department of Health worked with the Yale doctors, conducting surveys to learn where the disease was most widely seen. It seemed that the majority of patients lived in heavily wooded areas, who spent a good deal of time outdoors, gardening, landscaping, or playing. The symptoms were nearly always experienced for the first time during summer. Crucially, some recalled having been bitten by a tick (蝉), which feeds mostly on the blood of mammals and birds.

By 1977, investigators confirmed that the deer tick was responsible. But no one could say why it was causing the illness or how patients could be treated. In 1982, a scientist named Willy Burgdorfer discovered a specific type of bacteria (细菌), carried by the deer tick, which was causing the disease. But how did the deer tick acquire the bacteria in the first place? Finally, scientists determined that the ticks picked up the bacteria from their hosts. As its name suggests, the deer tick often feeds on deer, carriers of the Lyme disease bacteria. Scientists concluded that the bacteria passed from wildlife to ticks to humans. All lived closely among one another in the area.

How could a disease from a common parasite（寄生虫）spring up so suddenly? Many areas of the northeast, including Lyme, were once farmland. The farmland was replanted with trees. After the forest grew in, the area was then developed with houses. Gradually, neighborhoods pushed deeper into the habitat of deer ticks and, more importantly, the wildlife they fed upon. As humans encountered more ticks, they became more likely to contract the disease.

One of the remaining mysteries about Lyme disease is where and when it truly began. This puzzle may never be solved. Today, Lyme disease——if caught early—is easily treated with antibiotics, thanks to the hard work of many scientists, doctors, and patients.

1.Which of the following method helped Dr. Steere and Dr. Malawista most?

A.Conducting patient interviews. B.Carrying out a field survey.

C.Studying patients’ blood samples. D.Separating patients into age groups.

2.From the passage, we can learn that _______.

A.deer ticks were first carriers of the Lyme disease bacteria

B.patients’ remembrance of tick bites was vital to the medical discovery

C.Lyme disease spread because deer ticks and humans both fed on deer

D.Lyme disease is less common now because people spend less time outdoors

3.What do the underlined words “spring up” in Paragraph 5 probably mean?

A.Worsen. B.Return.

C.Appear. D.Decrease.

4.Which of the following would be the best tide for the passage?

A.A Desperate Need B.An Unsolved Puzzle

C.A Medical Mystery D.An Effective Treatment

The Wolf at the Door

Russ Fee was asleep inside his tent last summer when a series of screams shocked him awake. Throwing on his shoes, he ran out to investigate. Fee and his wife were travelling through Canada's Banff National Park to enjoy its breathtaking beauty and awesome wildlife. It was the latter he now experienced. Although it was dark, Fee could see a neighboring tent was in a mess. Backing out was a wolf, dragging something in his teeth. That thing was a man J

Moments earlier, Elisa and Matt Rispoli, from New Jersey, were asleep with their two young children when the wolf broke into their tent. "It was like something out of a horror movie，'‘ Elisa posted on Facebook. "For three minutes, Matt threw his body in front of me and the boys and fought against the wolf. At one point, Matt got the upper hand, pinning (压住) the wolf to the ground. But the wolf held its jaw onto Matt's arm tightly, set its powerful legs, and began dragging Matt outside while I was pulling on his legs trying to get him back，'‘ Elisa wrote.

It was then that Fee entered the picture. He ran at the wolf, kicking it “like I was kicking in a door,” he told ABC New York. The wolf dropped Matt and emerged from the tent. "Wolves are large，'‘ Fee told the radio show Calgary Eyeopener. " I felt like I had hit someone that was way out of my weight class."

Before the wolf could turn its anger on Fee, Matt, his arms bloodied, flew out of the tent to continue the battle. The men threw rocks at the wolf, forcing it back, then the Fees and the Rispolis escaped to the shelter of the Fees’ minivan(厢式旅行车). An ambulance was called, and Matt was taken to a local hospital suffering from open wounds. Luckily he has fully recovered. The wolf was tracked down by park officials and killed in a painless way.

As for Fee, whom Elisa called their lifesaver, he does admit to a fleeting(闪现的),if less- than-heroic, thought during the heat of battle. The moment the wolf locked eyes with him, Fee says, "I immediately regretted kicking it."

1.What happened to the Rispolis one night last summer?

A.They were scared by a horror movie.

B.They were suddenly woken up by screams.

C.They got injured and taken to the hospital.

D.They suffered a surprise attack from a wolf

2.Russ Fee joined Matt Rispoli when _______.

A.Matt was dropped down by the wolf

B.Matt gained the advantage over the wolf

C.the wolf was dragging Matt out of the tent

D.the wolf broke into the tent of the Rispolis

3.Matt Rispoli survived because _______.

A.the wolf was killed by park officials B.he took shelter in a neighboring tent

C.he got great help and timely treatment D.the wolf was driven away by Russ Fee

4.What can we learn about Russ Fee from the last paragraph?

A.He feels regretful for what he did. B.He enjoys being called a lifesaver.

C.He feels quite heroic about himself D.He admits his fear during the fight.

Fun School Projects with Magnets and Metal

Science is one of the most interesting and fun subjects for kids.

There are endless opportunities for practical experiments that are sure to surprise and excite children's imaginations. A great way to get into experimenting with science is with the use of magnets. The properties of magnets allow for an “ invisible force ” to move objects seemingly on their own!

If your kids are looking for something a little trickier, why not let them try using magnets to make their own compass (指南针)？

For this experiment, you will need 2 needles, a strong magnet, a pencil, a cup and some string.

Step 1: Rub the pointed end of the needle along one side of the magnet ；this can be either the north or south end. Make sure you are rubbing the needle in one direction, not back and forth. You might need to do this about 30 times to magnetise the needle.

Step 2: Test the now magnetised needle with the spare needle to see if it can pick it up. If it can, the needle is ready to use for the experiment. If it doesn't pick it up, you will need to rub the needle a few more times on the same end of the magnet you were using before.

Step 3 : With a piece of string that is a couple of inches long, get your child to tie this to the middle of the pencil. Then, at the bottom end of the hanging string, tie the magnetised needle.

Step 4: Place the pencil, with the needle hanging down, over the top of a cup so that the needle is hanging inside the cup.

Step 5 : Watch as the needle moves on its own to point north.

Once your kids have got a taste for magnets, you might want to move on to more advanced experiments. Places like RS Components sell high-tech magnetic equipment that will be sure to carry on fuelling your children's passion for science!

1.According to the passage, the spare needle is used to _______.

A.pick the other needle up B.magnetise the other needle

C.rub the magnet on the other side D.check if the other needle is magnetised

2.The magnetised needle can point north because _______.

A.it is tied to a hanging string B.it has the properties of a magnet

C.it is connected with a magnet D.it is hanging down inside the cup

3.What is the main purpose of this passage?

A.To promote high-tech magnetic equipment.

B.To entertain kids with magnet experiments.

C.To stress the importance of advanced experiments.

D.To provide a way to fuel kids' passion for science.

    “What kind of stuff do you write?" one student asked on my first day at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. After a decade away from the classroom, I was back to ___________

“Creative non-fiction,n I said.

It was a _______ I couldn't remember when I’d last written a creative essay. It must have been before my volatile（喜怒无常的）mother fell ill, leaving me resigned to the idea that our story of family dysfunction would not end _______. It seemed that nothing I wrote could _________ that.

With too much time and lack of _________ , I accepted a position to teach creative non-fiction. Although I couldn't get myself to tell my own _______, I could require that my students tell theirs.

“You're going to be keeping a _______ in this class, ” I said. "And I want you to tell your stories like they _______."

"Why?” a boy named Michael asked. "I mean, who _________ about our stories?"

Looking out at the roomful of students, I realized I didn't have an __________.

No one said a word. I ________ that most didn't know their stories were stories一as beautiful and hard——as their own lives.

Finally , I said, “ Because it's what you have. Stories allow us to make meaning of what we've been through. When you shape your ________ into a story, it becomes yours and not just something that ________to you."

Michael didn't look ________, but he didn't challenge me either.

In his first essay, Michael wrote about how he grew up in one of the ________ neighborhoods in Boston. He wrote about the night he was out with two friends. The feeling of numbness(麻木)shot through my body as a car came zooming towards us. At that moment everything went blank. Both of my two mates were hit down, drenched in blood. Minutes after I witnessed that, I decided I was leading the dangerous neighborhood and going to college.

He went on to write about how his high school teachers, who saw his ________, helped him get into this school.

I had Michael __________ his essay out. After he finished, the class went so ________that we could hear the sound of each other's breath. After a moment, I said, “ That's why you tell your stories. ”

I went home that night and picked up my journal, ________and untouched. I found a pen and for the first time in months, I had to ________ .

1.A.studying B.teaching C.visiting D.consulting

2.A.lie B.fact C.task D.dream

3.A.slowly B.naturally C.happily D.violently

4.A.prove B.explain C.destroy D.change

5.A.control B.support C.inspiration D.security

6.A.jokes B.stories C.thoughts D.faults

7.A.list B.note C.record D.journal

8.A.exist B.succeed C.matter D.spread

9.A.cares B.worries C.debates D.inquires

10.A.argument B.opportunity C.influence D.answer

11.A.assumed B.predicted C.ignored D.checked

12.A.choice B.performance C.progress D.experience

13.A.applied B.happened C.belonged D.appealed

14.A.interested B.astonished C.convinced D.concerned

15.A.biggest B.quietest C.safest D.worst

16.A.potential B.creativity C.anxiety D.confusion

17.A.read B.bring C.figure D.point

18.A.relaxed B.still C.nervous D.friendly

19.A.clean B.special C.dusty D.marked

20.A.wonder B.write C.compete D.practise

阅读下列短文，根据短文内容填空。在未给提示词的空白处仅填写1个适当的单词， 在给出提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。

The European Parliament(议会)voted for 1.( cancel) the summer time by 2021. The next step is to discuss the issue with EU countries.

The current law 2.( make) EU countries move their clocks forwards on the last Sunday in March and move them backwards on the last Sunday in October.

Some people say that the summer time saves energy, 3. the European commission (委员会) says that the 4. (save) are small. Also, most people in the EU want to cancel the summer time.

阅读下列短文，根据短文内容填空。在未给提示词的空白处仅填写1个适当的单词， 在给出提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。

A US astronaut, Christina Koch, spent 328 days in space, which is a record for a female astronaut. She completed her mission, landing in a remote area of Kazakhstan.

Koch concluded six space walks and she did some experiments that studied 1.  people are able to live outside Earth. Her time in space allows researchers 2.( study) the effects of a long-term spaceflight on the female body. NASA says the findings 3.( help) the agency during its future missions to the moon and Mars.

阅读下列短文，根据短文内容填空。在未给提示词的空白处仅填写1个适当的单词， 在给出提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。

A man called Andy set out for the Pacific Crest Trail, 1.stretches from the borders of Mexico to Canada. He decided to take a selfie(自拍)every single mile along the 4,286-kilometre journey.

Andy created a time-lapse (延时的)video from his five-month hike and he was almost unrecognisable towards the end of the video一he had lost 23 kilograms.

2. (sad) , he never finished the journey, as he 3. (trap) by a snowstorm about 418 kilometres from the end.

假设你是李津，从互联网上看到一个国际中学生家教组织将面向中国招聘兼职中文家教 (tutor) 的广告，欢迎中国学生参加。请你写一封电子邮件申请参加。

内容主要包括：

1.自我介绍；

2.参加意图；

3.希望获准。

注意：

1.词数不少于100字；

2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；

3.邮件开头和结尾已为你写好，不计入总词数。

Dear Sir or Madam,

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yours sincerely,

Li Jin

    When I was in school, the class I dreaded most was my eighth grade art class. The teacher put down my every attempt at completing an assignment. I simply couldn’t produce art the way she wanted it. Luckily, I’d already proven myself in other creative areas. Yet, that art teacher was successful in convincing me that I had no talent for painting, drawing, or anything related to them. Imagine my surprise when I published my nature photography and became a volunteer art teacher!

Unfortunately, my story is all too familiar to many people who come through my workshops and practice. Even more unfortunately, the vast majority of people were so discouraged in childhood that they cut off the creative impulse (冲动) in most areas of their lives. Their teachers, parents, or classmates convinced them they had no talent, so they gave up. The pain of failure was simply too great.

Why have we forgotten creativity is an experience, not a result? Let’s consider why we express creativity in first place. To be creative is to be human. Everything we’ve at our disposal (处理) is the result of someone’s creative expression and willingness to take a risk. Even so, for creativity to flower and feel free of encumbrance (累赘), it needs to be about the joyful moments spent creating, not just about what we’ve to show for those moments. Whatever pattern you need to break, try to make it about the pleasure and not about the outcome.

Therefore, I’d urge you to curb your perfectionism not enthusiasm! Perfectionism is the leading killer of artistic expression. Relax a little and bring back your childlike nature when you create. Children instinctively (本能地) know how to give over to the joy --- until someone teaches them otherwise! Let your creation be whatever it wants to be. See if it can lead you rather than the other way around. Let your unconsciousness come through, and let the expression of yourself be beautiful regardless of how it compares to anything else. After all, it’s yours, and no one but you could create it!

1.What made the author give up his dream of art? (no more than 15 words)

2.What does the third paragraph mainly tell us? (no more than 10 words)

3.Please explain the underlined word “curb” in English. (no more than 5 words)

4.According to the passage, what is necessary for a creative person? (no more than 10 words)

5.Do you think you are more creative as a student? Please give an example. (no more than 25 words)

    It’s good to make mistakes, and here is why.

First of all, mistakes are a clear sign that we are trying new things. It’s always good to try new things because when we are trying new things, we are growing. If we never try anything new, how can we improve? How can we expand? The simple answer is “We can’t”. Look around us. With very few exceptions, either everything you see in your physical world or every single detail of every single thing is the result of someone trying something new.

Another good thing about mistakes is this: When we are making mistakes, we are learning. Consider this --- Edison failed 10,000 times before he perfected the light bulb. When asked how it felt to fail that many times, he said that he had learned 10,000 things that didn’t work.

Finally, when we make a mistake, we are much closer to success. Why? Because when all is said and done, we will have tried some number of things before we succeeded. Every time we make a mistake, we eliminate one of those things and are one step closer.

But all this doesn’t mean that we should go through life without considering the consequences of a mistake. Quite the contrary, when we try something new, we have to be willing to set some reasonable limits so that in the event that it doesn’t work out the way we want it to, we will be in a position to try again. We all have limited resources --in the form of time and money -- so we shouldn’t blow them all on one approach to a problem. Realize that it probably won’t be perfect the first time and allocate these resources appropriately so we can learn, make corrections, and try it again. Only by accepting and using our mistakes in this way can we make significant advances in our lives.

There is an old saying that goes, “If you’re not making mistakes, you’re not trying hard enough.” So go forth and make mistakes. And learn. And grow. And prosper.

1.From the second paragraph, we can conclude that ________.

A.mistakes are unnecessary for development B.mistakes let us see our own limits

C.it’s common for people to make mistakes D.making mistakes is better than not trying

2.According to the passage, if we try new things, we can ________.

A.move forward B.never fail C.obtain nothing D.be closer to mistakes

3.The underlined word “eliminate” means ________.

A.make up for B.get rid of C.avoid D.solve

4.According to the article, one thing we should pay attention to about making mistakes is ________.

A.avoiding making the same mistakes B.accepting the outcome willingly

C.making proper arrangements for our next try D.reflecting on the consequences after each mistake

5.The article is mainly about ________.

A.how to deal with mistakes B.what benefits making mistakes brings

C.how to achieve success D.how to make use of our mistakes

6.What may the writer probably suggest we say to ourselves when we make a mistake?

A.Never mind, I tried my best. B.That’s all right. I’ll try again.

C.Great! Now I have learned something. D.Look at this mess. Anyone would be upset.

    With climate change and overfishing threatening our oceans, it is becoming increasingly important for researchers to closely observe and check sea animals and plants. However, it’s almost impossible to make it since human presence scares the animals. Now, thanks to the robot, aka SoFi, researchers may be able to solve the problem.

Built by MIT’s laboratory, the snow-white remote-controlled robot simulates fish, complete with a flexible tail that moves from side to side and two “fins (鳍)”.

When the robot is under the sea, a motor is pumping water into a pair of balloon-like rooms located in the robot’s tail. These rooms operate similarly to the key parts in engines. As one room expands, the tail bends to one side; when the motor pushes water to the other channel, the tail bends in the other direction. Thus the robot gains the ability to move to where it wants to go.

SoFi solves many of the issues that have affected the usefulness of previous robots --- some types of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs)

AUVs traditionally often have had to be tied to a boat because radio frequency communications do not work well underwater. So researchers use sound waves. The new technology can travel greater distances, allowing drivers, by using a controller, to pilot SoFi from up to 50 feet away. SoFi can move around the ocean, unaffected by ropes. Also limiting traditional AUVs’ usefulness is the risk of hitting something, like hard stones. With the outside made of rubber and plastic that can keep its built-in electronics dry, SoFi can efficiently avoid hitting. So a soft robot is more likely to survive a potential crisis.

During test dives in Rainbow Reef, SoFi swam alongside the unsuspecting ocean life at depths of 50 feet for up to 40 minutes at a time, obtaining high-quality photos and videos. More importantly, it was able to do so without causing any disturbance. Researchers say sometimes the fish would swim alongside the strange-looking robot in curiosity, while at other times they appeared to completely ignore its existence. “It’s not perfect, but we’re improving it. Our efforts will pay off,” says Robert Katzschmann.

1.The robot SoFi is created to ________.

A.observe climate change B.help to monitor sea creatures

C.catch fish and observe them D.prevent overfishing in oceans

2.What does the underlined word “simulates” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A.Is modeled after. B.Is designed for.

C.Is combined with. D.Is applied to.

3.What’s Paragraph 3 mainly written to show?

A.The shape of SoFi. B.The application of SoFi.

C.The structure of SoFi’s tail. D.The theory of SoFi’s movement.

4.The materials for SoFi’s outside help SoFi to ________.

A.stay safe underwater B.take high-quality photos

C.stay deeper under the sea D.better attract sea creatures

5.What’s Robert Katzschmann’s attitude towards SoFi?

A.Satisfied. B.Negative. C.Hopeful. D.Neutral.

Dear daughters,

Most parents tell their children, “You can be anything you want when you grow up.” I feel the same and I say this often. But I also want you to understand that realizing your dreams comes from hard work, some good luck and good timing. Here are some words of wisdom for you as you make your way in the world, from an entrepreneur (企业家) and from your mama.

1. Be open-minded to changing your path along the way

In high school, I wanted to be a politician. I left my hometown and went off to college in Washington, DC. There, I discovered that I loved to support women. It taught me that I’m creative, a strong leader and great at marketing. As a result, I moved on to be the head of a national healthcare nonprofit. Becoming a mother while in that job opened my mind to launching a breast pump bag (储奶袋) business. Now I run a highly successful company that I started up on my own. I'm not a politician!

2.Failure is critical to your success

Failure can be heartbreaking. But I will tell you that every failure I’ve had along the way has absolutely made me better. Failing the big math exam in high school and going to summer school was embarrassing. I eventually passed, and I’ve never failed an exam again. I learned from that experience to ask for help. Now, I ask for help in business all the time. I’m proud to be a role model to you as a mom and an entrepreneur. I hope I inspire you to believe that you can be anything you want. It will be my pleasure to watch your lives unfold before my eyes.

Love,

Your mom

1.In the writer’s opinion, what does it take to realize one’s dream?

A.Failure, hard work and good timing.

B.An open mind, failure and hard work.

C.Hard work, good luck and good timing.

D.A good dream, an open mind and hard work.

2.What message does the author want to convey through paragraph 2?

A.She likes doing different jobs.

B.She likes doing challenging jobs.

C.She is willing to consider different ideas.

D.She intends to become an entrepreneur.

3.What did the author learn from her failure?

A.Failure can make us embarrassed.

B.We shouldn’t get angry when we fail.

C.Don’t care too much about your failure.

D.It’s important to turn to others for help.

4.Which of the following words best describe the writer?

A.Political and proud.

B.Caring and cautious.

C.Modest and unlucky.

D.Flexible and successful.

    Here 's your weekly roundup of who's hiring in town and in nearby St. Charles County and Maryland Heights.

Who's Hiring: Petco

Location: St. Charles

Job: Cashier

Description: The cashier will help achieve store sales goals while helping to provide customers with the products they need for happy and healthy pets. Petco is looking to you to provide exceptional customer service as you perform all aspects of point of sale service - cash, credit and check sales, returns and exchanges: This means offering quick and polite response  to those customers who choose to shop with us.

Requirements: While a high school diploma is preferred, you must be able to demonstrate basic math skill and strong communication skills. You must be customer service focused and able to interact professionally and effectively through both verbal and written communication with everyone with whom you come into contact.

To Apply: Apply online.

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Who's Hiring: City of St. Peters

Location: St. Peters

Job: Temporary Parks Worker

Description: Performs general labor to repair and maintain parks, playgrounds, athletic fields, and trails. Operates and performs minor maintenance to light and heavy equipment, power tools, motorized equipment, and vehicles.

Requirements: Must be a U.S. Citizen. High School graduate certificate. One year of applicable experience. Ability to frequently lift and/or move up t0 50 pounds and carry it a reasonable distance, and occasionally lift and/or move more than 75 pounds.

Pay: $15.27 per hour

To Apply: Apply in person, fax t0 636-477-1044, or mail to: #1205-Human Resources, City of St. Peters, P.O. Box 9, St. Peters MO 63376. 

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Who's Hiring: Commerce Bank

Location: Maryland Heights

Job: Teller

Description: Responsible for handling deposits, check cashing, money orders, official checks, traveler's checks, and saving bonds. Know customers’ needs and suggest appropriate bank services.  Make referrals  (移交) to sales staff to assist the branch in meeting its sales goals. Commerce Bank reserves the right to fill all Part Time Teller positions as soon as qualified candidates are identified.

To Apply: Apply online.

1.What can we conclude from the passage?

A.St. Charles County witnesses less job chances.

B.There are more people seeking for jobs.

C.Maryland Heights will accept professions.

D.There are some job opportunities mentioned.

2.If you want to be a cashier ________.

A.you should provide customers what they need for free.

B.you should make the customers satisfied all the time

C.you should exchange ideas with customers freely

D.you should select goods instead of helping the customers

3.If you apply for the Temporary Parks worker________.

A.you must be an excellent athlete

B.you should finish the college course

C.you must be an American citizen

D.you should have your own vehicle

4.Which of them doesn’t refer to education requirements?

A.Commerce Bank. B.City of St. Peters.

C.Petco. D.All of them.

5.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A.A teller should make advice for customers wisely.

B.A parks worker should weigh less than 75 pounds.

C.You must get in touch with Commerce Bank by phone.

D.You can earn the most if you choose City of St. Peters.

    The most destructive(破坏性的)wildfire in California’s history started on Nov 8, 2018, ______ by bad electrical cables(电缆)in the town of Paradise. It burned for 17 days and caused $16.5 billion in ______, destroying nearly 19,000 buildings, killing 85 people and leaving 50,000 others homeless. Paradise was ______ a paradise(乐土).

Shane Grammer grew up 15 miles away in Chico, and he ______ the news of the fire’s deadly path from his home in Los Angeles. The 47-year-old father of three works as a creative director for Disney’s theme parks. Grammer still has ______ in the Paradise area. When his childhood buddy, Shane Edwards, posted pictures of his white chimney ― the only part of his house to ______ ― Grammer felt helpless. And then he had a(n)______.

“I’ve got to paint that ______,” he told Inside Edition. “It was an opportunity for me to express myself and be a(n)______.

On Dec 31, Grammer ______ three hours painting a beautifully sad black-and-white image(画像)of a woman on the chimney — a reminder, perhaps, of the ______ of life, or even just of life itself.

Grammer ______ the image on Instagram. The victims(受害者)）of the fire, especially, had ______ feelings. “You bring beauty and hope,” one said.

____, Grammer realized that his artistic expression had ______ into something deeper, the hallmark(特征)of true art. Over a period of three months he returned eight times, ______ 17 pictures of victims and mythical(神话里的)heroes on walls, pickup trucks, and ruined buildings. “There is______,” he explains. “There is beauty in the ashes.”

Grammer’s work in Paradise has become a bigger ______. He has traveled the world painting big pictures in ______ places that needed some light: a home for orphans(孤儿)in Tijuana, Mexico; a youth center in San Francisco. “I want to do something powerful and create art that ______ people,” he says.

1.A.turned down B.put forward C.brought about D.broke out

2.A.damage B.use C.waste D.question

3.A.as usual B.at last C.once again D.no longer

4.A.made B.followed C.ignored D.missed

5.A.students B.co-workers C.friends D.children

6.A.survive B.disappear C.continue D.exist

7.A.dream B.idea C.excuse D.chance

8.A.fire B.wall C.house D.chimney

9.A.artist B.director C.reporter D.tourist

10.A.wasted B.saved C.took D.spent

11.A.purpose B.truth C.beauty D.choice

12.A.sold B.noticed C.discovered D.posted

13.A.angry B.upset C.strong D.strange

14.A.Generally B.Suddenly C.Luckily D.Hopefully

15.A.changed B.divided C.cut D.formed

16.A.printing B.painting C.buying D.collecting

17.A.luck B.doubt C.hope D.happiness

18.A.task B.game C.experiment D.project

19.A.busy B.dark C.lonely D.quiet

20.A.moves B.excites C.warns D.surprises

______ you lose in life, don’t lose faith and hope, with which you can live a happy life and achieve your goals.

A.Whenever B.Wherever C.Whatever D.Whoever

People crowd into ________ cherry trees are blooming, appreciating the fresh spring sight.

A. what B. when

C. which D. where

We live in this society now  ________ literally someone is always helping.

A.when B.where

C.that D.what

With the number of homecoming overseas students ________ up in recent years, the attraction of foreign degree holders has gradually faded.

A. shot B. being shot

C. shooting D. to shoot

What worried me was that the baby who ______ his mother during his birth was still in ICU.

A.Loses B.lost C.has lost D.had lost

______ some users of the smart watches for two years, they draw a conclusion that it is necessary to renew the software.

A.Following B.To follow C.Followed D.Having followed

Cambridge gave a positive answer ______ inquiries on whether it recognizes gaokao scores.

A.in favor of B.in response to

C.in salute to D.in preparation for

The eco-friendly water bottles are easy to ______, which causes no harm to the environment.

A.break down B.burn out C.burst out D.put down

The habit of writing down information enables people to memorise, to ______ and to process it, helping to learn new knowledge.

A.raise B.predict C.combine D.present

Mary is very ______ towards her colleagues in the company, so they are willing to cooperate with her.

A.sensitive B.considerate C.thankful D.aggressive

---Even if we have had advanced technology, we can’t bring dinosaurs back to life.

---______. They died out long ago and their DNA was already destroyed.

A.That’s it B.That’s all right C.It depends D.It’s up to you

— How could they misunderstand me like that?

—Just keep silent! It’s the best way to let them know they   you wrong.

A. do B. did

C. are doing D. had done

he law is equally applied to everyone. No one _______ be above it.

A.shall B.must

C.may D.need

Wild animals in nature reserves need to develop their survival skills and   their wild nature.

A.display B.possess

C.maintain D.monitor