Twain was born in a small town, which happened to be called A City but anyway, he also lived in a small town. He probably died in a small town, and that's probably where they buried him. As a boy, Mark watched the ships on the Mrs. Ippy River, and dreamed of one day being the captain of a ship. Mark was an outgoing, fun-loving boy, and often got into trouble. In school, he was the class clown. His teachers often had trouble getting him to pay attention so eventually he was expelled(开除). Finding nothing but farm work at home, Mark decided to head west as part of the California Golden Grahams Rush.
In California, Twain attempted to make his fortune in the Golden Grahams field.Then he determined that writers, and especially newspaper writers, don't have to work very hard. Unfortunately, Mark never got rich by writing in California, because most of the miners were illiterate. A keen observer of life, Twain used his observations to write humorous stories.
1. Where did Twain spent his childhood?| A．in a city | B．on a ship | C．in a town | D．on the river |
| A．He didn’t like the teachers in the school. |
| B．He dreamed of being a captain of a ship. |
| C．He wanted to make money in the Golden Rush. |
| D．He didn’t concentrate on study in school. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】In your life, you may have many unforgettable events like wining a prize, going aboard ……
I was always dreaming of swimming like a fish! At that time, I was so jealous when I saw people swimming.
| A．But for me, the most unusual event is learning how to swim. |
| B．I would never go swimming again after two unpleasant experiences. |
| C．Don’t be afraid of the hardships in front of you. |
| D．Anyway, my dream never ended. |
| E．I told myself that I would be one of them one day. |
| F．To my amazement, I made it! |
| G．I always believe “Where there is a will, there is a way”. |
【推荐2】I desperately needed to write. Eighty percent of the way through my Ph.D., with revisions to make and two more chapters to complete, I felt increasing pressure to get words on paper. But my love of writing disappeared because of the inflexible essay structures of high school. I would sit at my computer late into the night, forcing the words out at turtle speed.
Before my twins were born, I had pictured polishing my paper while the babies slept soundly. But from the day my twins were born, I felt I had no time to do anything besides care for them, let alone write.
After my fingers came nowhere close to a keyboard for 6 weeks and the date for handing in the paper was approaching, I decided enough was enough. I would just have to use the rare minutes I had. As soon as my babies fell asleep, I flew to my computer, a sentence already formed in my mind, determined to see whether I could land those words on the page before the babies realized I was gone.
In the weeks that followed, I continued what I named “microwriting”. Sometimes a baby would wake even before I made it to the computer. Those days filled me with fears that I would never finish my paper. But those moments also hardened my determination; I had no choice but to try again tomorrow.
Over time, a sentence gradually turned into a paragraph and then a page. Even when I only got one word down, it was still one step forward. And as I learned to savor my limited writing time, my love for it returned. I’ve learned there is never a perfect time to write. I have to carve out moments when I can, and value each opportunity to get words on paper. The time to write is now.
1. What can we know about the author from paragraph 1?| A．She had completed her paper. |
| B．She kept a passion for writing. |
| C．She was struggling with her paper. |
| D．She preferred the fixed writing structure. |
| A．To strengthen her determination. |
| B．To meet the deadline of her paper. |
| C．To ensure the babies’ sleeping time. |
| D．To practise typing on the keyboards. |
| A．Restrict. | B．Set. | C．Enjoy. | D．Kill. |
| A．My Hobby: Writing is a way of living |
| B．Paper-writing: A fixed structure of writing |
| C．My Challenge: How to be a qualified mother? |
| D．Microwriting: My way to use interrupted time fully |
【推荐3】The man is doing something on his lawn (草坪). As I pass, he is cleaning a long strap (带子). It is hung between two trees. He nods at me. I used to live in this neighborhood in my childhood. But I don’t remember him. I nod and smile back, but continue down the street.
When I return, the man is standing on the strap. He is walking and jumping. I ask him how long he has been tightrope-walking (走钢丝).
“Not a tightrope.” He says. “A slack line (扁带). Since October. Want to try?” I am scared of things that are unstable (不稳定的) and narrow. All my life, I have tried to avoid them. But I am in my forties. Time itself is narrowing in front of me. I find myself suddenly kicking off my shoes, standing in my socks. I ask his name, “Merlin.” He explains that I should get my right foot up first. I do. The strap, only 3 cm or so wide, starts shaking widely.
“Pay no attention. I will hold you. Keep your eyes straight ahead. If you are to fall, just bend your knees.” I hold fast to his shoulders. He is so comforting that when I have finally got two feet on the line, I cannot bring myself to let go. There is a strange moment when you forget yourself and forget that there is anything at all about meeting a man and getting yourself above his grass. It is only for a few seconds. But I let go. I take Merlin, laughing, and jump off.
I have never forgotten: accept the strange shaking. It is not the rope. It is you.
1. The first paragraph suggests that ________.| A．the man is doing something magic on the street |
| B．the author is paying a visit to her hometown |
| C．the author is lost in the neighborhood |
| D．the man is busy cleaning his lawn |
| A．Because she wants to kill time. |
| B．Because slack-lining is her hobby. |
| C．Because she wants to make full use of the time. |
| D．Because the man promises to protect her. |
| A．Standing on the strap as well. | B．Standing beside the author. |
| C．Watching the author on the street. | D．Holding an end of the strap. |
| A．forget everything | B．lose heart at once |
| C．fall off the line | D．shake wildly |
| A．A stranger who cleared my fear | B．A man who taught me to walk on the strap |
| C．An impressive game on the lawn | D．A funny game in my childhood |
【推荐1】I don’t remember the exact date I met Marty for the first time. Like a lot of people who want to get through a checkout line, I found my thoughts on speed, nothing more. The line I was standing in wasn’t moving as quickly as I wanted, and I glanced toward the cashier, who was receiving money from customers.
He was an old man in his sixties. I thought, well, it probably took him a little longer to get the jobs done. For the next few minutes I watched him. He greeted every customer before he began scanning the goods they were purchasing. Sure, his words were the usual, “How’s it going?” But he did something different—he actually listened to people. Then he would respond to what they had said and talk with them briefly.
I thought it was strange, but I guessed I had grown accustomed to people asking me how I was doing simply out of a conversation without thinking. Usually, after a while, you don’t give any thought to the question and just say something back quietly.
This old cashier seemed sincere about wanting to know how people were feeling. Meanwhile, the high-tech cash register rang up their purchases and he announced what they owed. When customers handed money to him, he pushed the appropriate keys, the cash drawer popped open, and he counted out their change.
Then magic happened.
He placed the change in his left hand, walked around the counter to the customers, and extended his right hand in an act of friendship. As their hands met, the old cashier looked the customers in the eyes. “I want to thank you for shopping here today,” he told them. “You have a great day. Bye-bye.” The looks on the faces of the customers were priceless.
Now it was my turn. I glanced down at the name tag on his red waistcoat, the kind experienced Wal-Mart cashier wore. It read, “Marty.”
Marty told me how much I owed and I handed him some money. The next thing I knew he was standing beside me, offering his right hand and holding my change in his left hand. His kind eyes locked onto mine. Smiling, and with a firm handshake…
1. While the author stood in the checkout line, she felt ______.| A．impatient | B．enthusiastic |
| C．comfortable | D．embarrassed |
| A．talk about unimportant topics | B．face communication problems |
| C．remain calm while having a talk | D．develop a mindless conversation |
| A．he expressed his sincerity while giving back the change |
| B．he spent as much time as possible serving customers |
| C．he was patient with all the questions from customers |
| D．he showed particular interest in customers’ personal life |
| A．Marty was a talkative man. |
| B．Marty cared a lot about what he did. |
| C．The author failed to get along well with others. |
| D．The author was dissatisfied with such a waste of time. |
【推荐2】We have met, but just not in person. I work in the bank and I usually do my work over the phone and computer. This lady is a borrower of my bank, one of the people I serve. We have had several conversations about her borrowings. She is neither a woman that is of my mother’s age, nor a grandmotherly type of client, because men or women of that age are always very loving and they remind me what I should do. This woman is of my age.
We have never met in person. She lives in New Jersey and I live in California. Her borrowings turned out great, and I didn’t worry even a little bit. To be honest, I think I just worked normally to finish my service. But every couple of months, she would email me a little note, telling me how I made a difference to her life, and how thankful she was for what I had done. I never expected that.
I have a busy and stressful job. Every day, I meet many people and I offer the same service to them. I also keep a working relationship, with many. No one has done that for me. I don’t think I have done something different or helped her much. She just used her time and the most shining part in her heart to send me emails. I saw the beauty inside her.
Everyone can be tired and lonely right now. The same is true of the woman. Take a moment in your day to do one little nice thing for somebody, even if it’s for someone you do not know. You can make a little difference to their life and also to yours. It feds good to say I feel a little love today and that I find myself showing it to somebody else.
1. What can we know about the author and the woman?| A．The woman was bad at managing her money. |
| B．They usually discussed their work face to face. |
| C．The author got some useful advice from the woman. |
| D．They knew each other through the banking business. |
| A．Funny. | B．Unnecessary. |
| C．Surprising. | D．Embarrassing. |
| A．He did something special for the woman’s borrowings. |
| B．The woman was a sincere and thoughtful stranger. |
| C．He was able and responsible in his work. |
| D．The woman felt tired and lonely in life. |
| A．Be friendly to our workmates. |
| B．Create a plan to be a better self. |
| C．Take some time to think about life. |
| D．Pass on kindness to those around us. |
【推荐3】Most Chinese know the story of Chang’e, the Chinese goddess of the moon. People can’t hear the word “Chang’e” without thinking of romantic images of a moon goddess.
For this reason, China’s mission to the moon was calling out for a strong female figure. Therefore, a young female space commander ( 指 挥 员 ) is under heated discussion on Chinese social media for her work on the Chang’e-5 Moon exploration program with comments about how she is a “frontline soldier in the field of aerospace” that young Chinese can look up to. Soon her pictures spread quickly on social media.
Ms Zhou, a 24-year-old lady of Tujia ethnic group, is China’s youngest ever space commander. She was involved in the successful launch of the Chang’e-5 lunar probe on 24 November, in charge of the rocket connector system, described as a key role.
In Wenchang space launch site, though she is only 1.58 meters and looks “mini”, she is called “big sister” for her attitude and energy. Since senior high, she has dreamed of being a member of a space research team. With her great efforts, she was admitted to an aircraft system and engineering major of a domestic university in 2014, making her aerospace dream come true. To grow into a commander, in two and a half years, she changed five positions to be familiar with different posts and types of work, each of which takes great courage and is full of challenges.
Her story has received attention from Chinese state-run media as well as overseas media outlets. However, it has not appeared to have had much of an effect on her. According to the media, she declined repeated requests for interviews because she does not wish to let fame get in the way of her work.
1. Why is Chang’e mentioned at the beginning of the text?| A．To introduce the topic. | B．To give an example. |
| C．To tell a romantic story. | D．To spread Chinese culture. |
| A．Her youth and beauty. |
| B．Her pictures on the media. |
| C．Her identity of Tujia Ethnic group. |
| D．Her role in the moon-landing program. |
| A．She was too busy with her work. |
| B．She was shy and was not used to interviews. |
| C．She feared her fame might affect her career. |
| D．She considered fame nothing but a burden. |
| A．Many hands make light work. |
| B．Hard work makes up for inability. |
| C．The grass is always greener on the other side. |
| D．Attitude determines how successful one becomes. |
【推荐1】Getting a snow day off from school was a rare occurrence when I was a boy. A couple of inches on the roads wouldn’t do it. It really took an overwhelming winter storm to cancel school for everyone.
I can still remember those few special snow days that I got growing up. First, I would wait for the announcement to come over the radio. Having a snow day meant that I could watch all of Captain Kangaroo instead of leaving part way through to stand in the bitter cold outside and wait for the bus. I would go outside and play in the thick, wet, heavy snow. When I got too cold and wet, I would go inside, sit in my cozy chair by the wood stove and reread my favorite old books with my dog curling up on my chilly toes. In the afternoon I would sneak into the kitchen and see what Mom and Nana were cooking for dinner.
After dinner I would sit next to Mom on the couch, under a blanket, eating popcorn, and watching TV until bedtime. Then I would pull my sheet, blanket, and quilt up to my chin while my dog curled up on the bed by my feet. I would think back on the day with happiness before falling into a deep, peaceful sleep.
I think all of us should take a few snow days off in our lives, if not in our activities, then at least in our hearts. We should make time for the important things. Stop and see the beauty all around us, playing, reading, eating, laughing, and singing. Be thankful for this precious life and all the joys in it. We need to make time for loving instead of just making a living. May all your days feel like a Snow Day then, be they Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall.
1. What made the author delighted according to the text?| A．Encountering rare occurrences. | B．Getting a snow day off. |
| C．Staying at home. | D．Delivering announcements. |
| A．He played with snow in the yard. | B．He watched cartoons all day long. |
| C．He tried cooking in the company of friends. | D．He reviewed the happy moments of the day. |
| A．Positive. | B．Determined. | C．Lazy. | D．Naughty. |
| A．My Winter Holidays | B．The Approach of Winter |
| C．The Significance of Family | D．The Value of Appreciating Life |
【推荐2】Enya Vegnere, 19, left Joshua Henry, 25, speechless when she used her own bank card to pay for his food at a drive-through. In a video posted online by Joshua, Enya was filmed paying for his meal after he phoned his mum to ask if she wanted anything from McDonald’s. In the video, Joshua can be heard asking the worker, “So you’re gonna pay for my meal?” Enya replied, “Yeah, for your care about your mum.”
Joshua didn’t expect to get a free meal, but it properly cheered him up after having a depressing day with the fact that he was at high risk of a job cut. Joshua got in touch later to express thanks. He said it made his week.
Enya, who has worked at McDonald’s since January, is paid £7.25 per hour but has spent more than £ 50 on random acts of kindness to customers in secret for months. She often pays for a coffee here or a burger there when she feels people would appreciate it. Her colleagues were unaware of her generous gestures, but they always go out of their way for customers. Thus, she loves her work and work team, where everyone goes above and beyond.
Some people do kind things with the expectation that they will get something back in return but that’s not Enya’s way. Her motto is “takers eat better but givers sleep better”. She doesn’t do it for recognition but thinks of it as nice things for people. Joshua had already paid forward the act of kindness. Later, he bought a meal for the person in front, who was also thankful and intended to pay it forward.
It is seldom known what someone is going through and what a kind gesture could do.
1. Why did Enya pay for Joshua’s meal?| A．Because Enya loved her job. |
| B．Because Enya was being filmed. |
| C．Because Joshua was polite to her. |
| D．Because Joshua was considerate of his mum. |
| A．It helped him secure his job. | B．It was beyond his expectation. |
| C．It put smiles back on his face. | D．It was an important week. |
| A．Kind and confident. | B．Polite and humorous. |
| C．Selfless and intelligent. | D．Warm-hearted and generous. |
| A．Love has magic power. | B．One should work down to earth. |
| C．A friend in need is a friend indeed. | D．Actions speak louder than words. |
【推荐3】On a Wednesday morning, when most kids of his age are just settling into class. 9-year- old Camden Myers and his mom are settling into the grand opening of his new coffee shop.
“My favorite coffee is Cappuccino," Cam says. This work isn't really a tiring thing for him, but it's a labor of love, as he says "The most fun part is making the coffee, and I can earn what I need for my life."
Cam's Coffee Creations on South Broad Street in Winston-Salem was brewed from heartache. Cam suffered a serious brain injury when he was born. It has impacted his speech and motor skills, but not his passion or drive. “A little over a year ago, we both were in a car crying because we were asked to leave school. The school didn't have resources to support him,” says Cam's mom Latasha Barr-Lewis. “Fast forward a year later, we are now a resource for students like him.” Cam says, “I want to help people with special needs because I have special needs.”
In fact, this mother-son team says Cam’s Coffee Creations is the first coffee shop in the triad to provide job training and employment opportunities for people with special needs.
Already on opening day, Cam has got his site set on something more. Cam says he wants to have a bigger coffee shop. For his mom, the dream is bigger than an early-morning pick him up, “We don't want to be a coffee shop. We want to be an experience. We want to be a community partner,” Barr-Lewis says. She hopes they can expand to somewhere with classroom space and training rooms.
Cam's Coffee Creations is open from 7:00 am to 12:30 pm on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The shop is located at 930 S. Broad St. in Winston-Salem.
1. Why Cam refused to enter the school to study?| A．He needed his mother to help him study together. |
| B．There wasn't a good course for him to study. |
| C．The school couldn't give him special support in study. |
| D．His physical condition was too bad to go to school. |
| A．To train People in starting a business. | B．To raise money to help disabled people. |
| C．To give people some different experiences. | D．To give a hand to people in need of special help. |
| A．Find a suitable school to continue Cam s study. |
| B．Enlarge their business size and help more people. |
| C．Open more coffee shops in most communities. |
| D．Run the coffee shop well to become a part of the school. |
| A．The Labor of Love | B．A New Coffee Shop |
| C．A Kind Young Boy | D．The Unhappy Experience |
【推荐1】Every living cell(细胞) contains genes(基因). They are too small to be seen under a microscope, but they are vitally important. Each set of genes in the body contains all the instructions needed to make a human being. Some genes determine hair color. Some determine the shape of a nose. Some genes help determine your height and even your weight.
Genes are made of a chemical called DNA — the letters stand for deoxyribonucleic acid. In the early 1950’s two scientists, Francis Crick and James Watson, figured out how the parts of DNA fit together. Once scientists understood this structure, it became possible to take pieces of DNA apart and put them together in new ways. New kinds of genes could be made in this manner.
Scientists have studied the genes of many plants and animals. They have worked out which genes affect the color of a tomato and the thickness of its skin. Working out which genes determine which features is called genetic mapping, scientists have begun the Human Genome Project, an ambitious effort to map all the genes in the human body.
Some genes may be defective. For example, something might be wrong with the gene that makes blood clot(凝聚). An individual born with this defective gene could suffer serious hemorrhages(出血)or even bleed to death because his or her blood fails to clot. Scientists are trying to treat the defective genes, and have made great achievements. If scientists could know a child has any defective genes beforehand, they might even discover how to treat these genes before the child is born.
1. What was the achievement of Francis Crick and James Watson?| A．They discovered why people have different hair colors. |
| B．They learned that some people bleed for long periods of time. |
| C．They looked at human cells under the microscope. |
| D．They worked out the structure of DNA. |
| A．Defective genes can never be repaired. |
| B．Genes are too small to be seen through a microscope. |
| C．Genes help scientists understand how living things develop their characteristics. |
| D．The Human Genome Project may explain the role of every gene in the body. |
| A．Genes help determine your height and weight. |
| B．Genetic engineering is the most important scientific discovery of the last 25 years. |
| C．It is dangerous to make changes in genes. |
| D．Supermarkets should not sell genetically engineered food. |
| A．faulty | B．wonderful |
| C．perfect | D．useful |
【推荐2】For two centuries, the famous University of Cambridge debating society has hosted many prominent figures, from world leaders to scientists to comedians.
On Nov 21, the Cambridge Union hosted its first-ever non-human guest. Designed by IBM, Project Debater is a machine that uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to form a spoken argument. It can even listen and answer to opposing statements, much like a real person.
Speaking with a voice similar to Siri, Project Debater uses AI to search journals, newspapers and other information sources. It then filters out(过滤) useless information, picks the strongest arguments, and arranges them into a persuasive argument.
“In the Cambridge test debate, it argued the topic: AI will ultimately do more harm than good. According to IBM, it is the first machine that can debate complicated topics with humans.
Before the debate, more than 1,100 arguments for the positives and negatives of AI were submitted to the IBM website. The machine then analyzed these sources and formed the basis of its arguments in minutes. Project Debater then showed off its AI by arguing for both sides of the debate.
Over a four-minute speech, it argued first that, “AI can only make decisions that it has been programmed to solve, while humans can be programmed for all plots, possible events.”
In support of AI, it then argued that AI would create new jobs and “bring a lot more efficiency” to the workplace.
This isn’t the first test for Project Debater. In June 2018, the machine went back-and-forth for 20 minutes against champion debater Harish Natarajan.
According to New Scientist, on both occasions, Project Debater repeated points and didn’t always sufficiently support them.
Speaking to Cambridge Independent, Noam Slonim, the project’s lead engineer, said, “The AI is not perfect, but it’s going in the right direction.” The team hopes to improve the AI by researching why humans find certain arguments more persuasive than others.
1. In which way does Project Debater behave like a real person?| A．It can listen and answer to opposing statements. |
| B．It can speak with a voice similar to Siri. |
| C．It can create various useful sources. |
| D．It can deal with any situation. |
| A．Analyzed sources. |
| B．Useless messages. |
| C．Materials for arguments. |
| D．Items about human debaters. |
| A．AI did better than humans in arguments |
| B．the machine had rich ideas to support its points |
| C．the machine beat Harish Natarajan in the first test |
| D．AI needs more persuasive arguments in debates |
| A．Supportive. | B．Unconfident. |
| C．Negative. | D．Indifferent. |
【推荐3】 We have encountered a crisis around the corner. You mean global warming? The world economy? No, the decline of reading. People are just not doing it anymore, especially the young. Who’s responsible?
Actually, it’s more like, what is responsible? The Internet, of course, and everything that comes with it – Facebook, Twitter . You can write your own list.
There’s been a warning about the imminent death of literate civilization for a long time. In the 20th century, first it was the movies, then radio, then television that seemed to spell doom for the written world. None did. Reading survived; in fact it not only survived, it has flourished. The world is more literate than ever before – there are more and more readers, and more and more books.
The fact that we often get our reading material online today is not something we should worry over. The electronic and digital revolution of the last two decades has arguably shown the way forward for reading and for writing. Take the arrival of e-book readers as an example.
Devices like Kindle make reading more convenient and are a lot more environmentally friendly than the traditional paper book.
As technology makes new ways of writing possible, new ways of reading are possible. Interconnectivity allows for the possibility of a reading experience that was barely imaginable before. Where traditional books had to make do with photographs and illustrations, an e-book can provide readers with an unlimited number of links: to texts, pictures, and videos. In the future, the way people write novels, history, and philosophy will resemble nothing seen in the past.
On the other hand, there is the danger of trivialization. One Twitter group is offering its followers single-sentence-long “digests” of the great novels. War and Peace in a sentence? You must be joking. We should fear the fragmentation of reading. There is the danger that the high-speed connectivity of the Internet will reduce our attention span—that we will be incapable of reading anything of length or which requires deep concentration.
In such a fast-changing world, in which reality seems to be remade each day, we need the ability to focus and understand what is happening to us. This has always been the function of literature and we should be careful not to let it disappear. Our society needs to be able to imagine the possibility of someone utterly in tune with modern technology but able to make sense of a dynamic, confusing world.
In the 15th century, Johannes Guttenberg’s invention of the printing press in Europe had a huge impact on civilization. Once upon a time the physical book was a challenging thing. We should remember this before we assume that technology is out to destroy traditional culture.
1. The following are all cited as advantages of e-books EXCEPT _____.| A．multimodal content | B．environmental friendliness |
| C．convenience for readers | D．imaginative design |
| A．Ironic | B．Worried. |
| C．Impersonal | D．Doubtful. |
| A．good judgment | B．high sensitivity |
| C．good imagination | D．the ability to focus |
| A．Technology pushes the way forward for reading and writing. |
| B．Interconnectivity is a feature of new reading experience. |
| C．Technology is an opportunity and a challenge for traditional reading. |
| D．Technology offers a greater variety of reading practice. |
