Nobody likes waking up in the morning to the sound of regular alarm clocks or smartphones, but the smell of just baked bread and freshly roasted coffee? Now you’re talking.
The Sensorwake takes a vastly different approach to getting your attention when it’s time to wake up. Instead of using sound to wake you up, the clock uses smell, thanks to the “timed release of an aroma of your choice”.
The invention of 19-year-old Guillaume Rolland, an engineering student from France, the Sensorwake was successfully supported last year to the amount of US$200,000, and Rolland is now taking pre-orders for retail units.
But do smells work as well as a regular audio alarm in terms of waking you up? While we might hate the sound of conventional alarms, they seem to be not effective for most regular sleepers. Rolland claims that the Sensorwake is just as good as audio alarms, with internal testing showing his scent-based alarm wakes 99 percent of people in 2 minutes.
Previous research on the rousing abilities of smells hasn’t been so positive. A 1997 study by fire and rescue workers in Irondale, Alabama was designed to test whether adults woke up in the presence of smoke, water and citrus smells. Of 10 sleeping participants, only two woke up when exposed to the aromas. A subsequent study at Brown University in 2004 also found that scents were not particularly effective at waking sleepers.
The Sensorwake comes with an insurance policy for any sleepers who aren’t awakened by its primary feature. For extra-heavy sleepers who don’t register the smell, there’s a backup audio alarm that’s caused to go off if the aroma hasn’t woken you up within 3 minutes.
We can’t wait to see the reviews when the finished product is released and find out if the Sensorwake smells as good as it sounds.
1. Who invented the Sensorwake last year?| A．A scientist. | B．A student. |
| C．An engineer. | D．A radio operator. |
| A．can replace a regular audio alarm |
| B．is not as good as he had intended |
| C．is very effective in waking up sleepers |
| D．has been well received at home and abroad |
| A．two experiments were carried out before |
| B．previous researches weren’t particularly effective |
| C．where the researches were once experimented |
| D．the researchers have long been carried out |
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【推荐1】Rush up the stairs. Play games with your kids. Increasing the vigor (活力) of our daily activities could have a huge impact on our long life, according to a new study of movement intensity and death rate.
The study finds that as few as three minutes a day of vigorous everyday activity is linked to a 40 percent lower risk of early death in adults, even when they do not exercise at all. “It is fantastic” research，said Ulrik Wisloff, the director of the K.G. Jebsen Center for Exercise in Medicine at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
The study’s results join rising scientific evidence that adding a little intensity to our lives pays big dividends for our health, without requiring extra equipment, instruction, gym memberships or time. The idea that how we move influences how long we live is hardly new. Plenty of research links regular exercise with longevity (长寿),including the formal public health exercise guidelines, which recommend at least 150 minutes a week of moderate (适度的) exercise for health and longevity.
More-focused research, though, suggests intensifying some of our exercise increases the health benefits. In a 2006 study from Wisloff’s lab, for instance, just 30 minutes a week of intense exercise dropped the risk of dying from heart disease by about half in men and women, compared to people who were sitting long. Similarly, a study published last year in JAMA Internal Medicine concluded that people who occasionally pushed themselves during exercise were about 17 percent less likely to die early than people who did the same amount of exercise, but at a gentler, mild pace.
Both of these studies, though, were based on people’s recall of how much and how hard they exercised. They also were exercise studies, making them of interest mostly to people who exercise or would like to, which does not represent the greater part of humanity. “If we’re honest, most people are allergic(过敏) to the word ‘exercise,’” said Emmanuel Stamatakis, a professor of physical activity and health studies at the University of Sydney, who led the new study.
1. What is the main finding of the new study?| A．There’s a connection between exercise intensity and long life. |
| B．Increasing the intensity of daily activity may affect our life. |
| C．Vigorous everyday activity is better than moderate exercise. |
| D．The way people choose to exercise determines people’s health. |
| A．Brings great benefits to. | B．Causes serious harm to. |
| C．Takes off the pressure from. | D．Raises big money for. |
| A．To explain the right amount of exercise improves health. |
| B．To show energetic exercise raises heart rates and breathing. |
| C．To prove adding some intensity to exercise brings more benefits. |
| D．To demonstrate exercise in a gentler way benefits people more. |
| A．People’s subjective recall is reliable. |
| B．Most people like exercise to a certain degree. |
| C．The new study involves a great majority of people. |
| D．The new study has some limitations as previous ones. |
【推荐2】A group of blue-faced birds step through the grass shoulder to shoulder, red eyes looking around. They look like middle schoolers seeking a cafeteria table at lunchtime. Perhaps they’re not so different.
A new study, led by Damien Farine, an ornithologist who studies collective behaviour, shows that the vulturine guineafowl of eastern Africa, like humans, have multilevel societies. In the past, scientists assumed such social structures required a lot of brainpower. But the pea-brained guineafowl are revealing the faults in that assumption.
These large birds wander across the landscape in packs, often walking so closely that their bodies touch. They may fight each other to maintain their strict hierarchies (等级制度), but at other times they engage in friendly behaviours like sharing food.
Suspecting the guineafowl might have a social structure, Dr. Farine and his colleagues began a thorough study of their society. For a whole year, they made daily observations of 441 birds. Coloured leg bands in unique combinations let researchers tell the black-and-blue birds apart. They also attached GPS devices to the backs of 58 birds, which let them see exactly where every group went, 24 hours a day.
The findings of the research suggest that the vulturine guineafowl have a multilevel society. There are groups within groups within the population as a whole. There even seem to be groups of friends within the small groups. This is the first time anyone has observed such a society in a bird.
And Dr. Farine emphasizes this particular bird’s tiny brain size: “They don’t only have small brains relative to mammals (哺乳动物), they also have quite small brains relative to other birds,” he said.
According to him, living in this kind of society might actually make it easier to keep track of the social order. For example, if groups are stable and a bird can identify just one or two individuals within a group, it knows which group it’s looking at — no need for a brain that can recognize every single animal. Multilevel societies also let animals adjust their group sizes based on whatever challenges they’re facing. Depending on what enemies or resources are around, it might make sense to travel in a combined group rather than a smaller one.
“Having a multilevel structure may not require having a large brain,” Dr. Farine said. There may be more birds and other animals out there that, although small-brained, have societies as many-leveled as our own.
1. According to the passage, what inspired Dr. Farine to carry out the study?| A．The guineafowl’s social behaviour. |
| B．Previous assumptions about birds. |
| C．His interest in animal brainpower. |
| D．The faults in earlier research. |
| A．The research subjects. | B．The research methods. |
| C．The research findings. | D．The research equipment. |
| A．Complex social systems can be a disadvantage to the guineafowl. |
| B．The guineafowl are good at recognizing individuals in a group. |
| C．Birds maintain social order by travelling in combined groups. |
| D．Small-brained animals can form multilevel societies. |
| A．To present the findings of a study of the guineafowl. |
| B．To explain the interaction patterns in multilevel societies. |
| C．To introduce a new approach to observing the guineafowl. |
| D．To uncover clues about how complex societies are formed. |
They will live in a two-story building. The ground floor is about 86 square meters, roughly the size of a small two-bedroom apartment. It includes shared areas like kitchen, dining room, bathroom, laboratory and an exercise room. The upstairs is less than half the size of the downstairs. It contains another bathroom and six small bedrooms. The building is located in an abandoned quarry（采石场）about 2,400 meters up the side of Mauna Loa, the second biggest volcano in the world. It is constantly monitored for signs of volcanic activity. NASA chose the location because the appearance looks very similar to Mars.
To make it more like being on Mars in the future, they are only able to communicate by email during the experiment. Meanwhile, there will be a 20-minute delay between the time when a message is sent and that when it is received. When they go outside, they will have to suit up in full spacesuits, just as if they were on Mars.
The commander is Martha Lenio, a 34-year-old Canadian. During the mission, she will run experiments on growing food. The other members have backgrounds in physics and so on. None of them are astronauts.
1. When will the six volunteers end their mission about mimicking life on Mars?
| A．On June 15, 2015. | B．On October 15, 2015. |
| C．On October 15, 2030. | D．On June 15, 2032. |
| A．To monitor signs of volcanic activity. |
| B．To prepare for a space mission to Mars. |
| C．To train the six people to become astronauts. |
| D．To study the difference between men and women. |
| A．it is located near a rocket base |
| B．other people can hardly find the location |
| C．its landscape is so much like that of Mars |
| D．it is a safe place to conduct the experiment |
| A．Martha is a famous expert on agriculture. |
| B．The six volunteers will be sent to Mars in 2030. |
| C．All the experimental activities are done in doors. |
| D．It takes about 40 minutes to get a reply to an email. |
【推荐1】Wang Zhonglin started playing table tennis only four years ago. But last year, he and other researchers came up with a clever way to up their game; Build a smart table.
Now they've built a prototype (样品). It can measure where a ball lands, how fast the ball's going, where it's headed and the angle it was traveling. The table can do that because its special wood surface forms the top layer (层) of a novel self-powered sensor. The data it acquires could guide players to perform better.
Importantly, the new smart table won't need a battery to detect the ball. When a ball hits the wood, it sets off a chain of events that can both produce a small electric current(电流) and record measurements of the ball's behavior.
What makes the new game table truly unique is its use of wood as one of the layers because wood can produce electricity by rubbing against it. But Wang's group realized they couldn't rely on wood that comes directly from a tree. It's too hard and too easily broken. They needed a kind of wood that could bend. So they boiled the wood in chemicals for seven hours. Then they dipped the wood in boiling water. Once it came out of the boiling baths, the wood bent easily.
The scientists then cut the treated wood into small squares. Each measured just 1.8 inches on a side. Those squares became the top layer. Beneath this wood, they added a layer of metal to conduct electricity. They attached that layer to a metal wire. Then, instead of using a table-tennis ball, they hit the surface with a type of hard plastic. When it registered an electric current, they moved on to building a test table.
“It is amazing. To me, self-powered sensors of wood is the first move toward using energy harvesting and sensing in sports," said Askar, an engineer in Canada. And it need not end with table tennis, he added.
1. What can we know about Wang's invention?| A．Its battery lasts very long. | B．It sells well in the market. |
| C．It can accelerate the ball's speed. | D．It can judge the ball's direction. |
| A．It is easy to get. | B．It can produce electricity. |
| C．It is hard enough. | D．It is environmentally friendly. |
| A．It bent easily. | B．It shrunk greatly. |
| C．It broke easily. | D．It became harder. |
| A．Sports meets will end with a table tennis match. |
| B．The technology will be used in other sports. |
| C．Table tennis isn't the first to use self-powered sensors. |
| D．The table tennis ball will be self-powered in the future. |
【推荐2】British scientists are using two self-directed water vehicles to explore the animal and plant life of the Celtic Sea as part of their research on robots.
The Celtic Sea is a body of water off the southern coast of Ireland. The area is known for its unusual sea life. The scientists attempt to figure out why sea creatures are so attracted to this part of the Atlantic Ocean.
One of the research vehicles is powered by batteries. It collects data for the National Oceanography (海洋学) Centre in Southampton, England, and the World Wildlife Fund. The vehicle can stay floating on water for up to 30 days. Reports of what it finds in the Celtic Sea are sent by satellite.
Stephen Woodard is an engineer who helped design the vehicle. He says it has equipment that can discover small organisms (微生物) called zooplankton and fish. He adds that other sensing equipment measures water currents and other features of the sea life.
The vehicle also creates a 2-D map of the sea.”Another vehicle that can stay floating on water for months sends information about the areas of an ocean that have a lot of plant and animal life activity.
Lavinia Suberg is one of the scientists studying the creatures of the Celtic Sea. She says productive ocean areas, like the Celtic Sea, attract small organisms, which then attract fish. She adds that areas with a large increase in fish often attract sea mammals and birds
Using these robotic ocean vehicles greatly reduces the cost of exploring the seas with manned laboratories. Scientists can spend more time studying the collected information. They say the research will give them a better understanding of the needs of the Celtic Sea for management and protection.
1. Why do the British scientists explore the Celtic Sea?| A．To learn why it is rich in sea life. |
| B．To study its currents and geography. |
| C．To test their self-directed water vehicles. |
| D．To know what kinds of creatures live in it. |
| A．They are controlled by humans in real time. |
| B．They work depending on the map of the sea. |
| C．They can directly send data back to scientists. |
| D．They can keep floating on water for a long time. |
| A．They are afraid of living alone. |
| B．They are especially interested in fish. |
| C．They mainly feed on small organisms. |
| D．They like to live in warm ocean areas. |
| A．Life in the Celtic Sea. |
| B．Puzzles in Ocean Creatures. |
| C．Water Robots Exploring the Celtic Sea. |
| D．Water Vehicles Being Developed in Britain. |
【推荐3】Professor Ashok Goel of Georgia Tech developed an artificially intelligent teaching assistant to help handle the numerous questions from students in the online class. Professor Goel already had 8 teaching assistants, but that wasn’t enough to deal with the huge number of questions from students.
Many students drop out of online courses for lack of teaching support. When students feel confused and reach out with questions that go unanswered, their motivation to continue begins to fade. Professor Goel decided to do something to change this situation by creating a virtual assistant named Jill Watson, which is based on the IBM Watson platform.
Goel and his team developed several versions of Jill Watson before releasing her to the online forums. At first, the virtual assistant wasn’t too great. But Goel and his team sourced the online discussion forum to find all 40, 000 questions that had ever been asked since the class started. Then they began to feed Jill with the questions and answers. After some adjustment, Jill was able to answer the students’ questions correctly 97% of the time. The virtual assistant became so advanced and realistic that the students didn’t know she was a computer. The students, who were studying artificial intelligence, were interacting with artificial intelligence and couldn’t tell it apart from a real human being. Goel didn’t inform them about Jill’s true identity until April 26. The students were actually very positive about the experience.
The goal of Professor Goel’s virtual assistant next year is to take over answering 40% of all questions raised by students. The name, Jill Watson will of course, change to something else next term. Professor Goel has a much rosier outlook on the future of AI than say, Elon Musk, Stephen Hawking, Bill Gates or Steve Wozniak.
1. Professor Goel created a virtual teaching assistant because .| A．his course was not interesting enough | B．he felt confused about how to teach online |
| C．students’ questions were too many to handle | D．his students were unsatisfied with the assistants |
| A．She turned out to be a great success. |
| B．She was unwelcome to students at first. |
| C．Her true identity was still a secret to students. |
| D．Her name will be kept for the next virtual assistant. |
| A．Replace her with different versions. | B．Enable her to answer more questions. |
| C．Recommend her to some famous people. | D．Equip her with new questions and answers. |
| A．A robot named Jill Watson gives an online course. |
| B．Robots will take humans’ place in online classes in the future. |
| C．A virtual teaching assistant is getting popular among the students. |
| D．A virtual teaching assistant helps solve online questions in large quantities. |
【推荐1】Laughter is a strong nonverbal vocalization (发声), which is frequently used to signal association, reward, or cooperative intention, and often helps to form and strengthen social bonds. There is an important difference between spontaneous (自发的) and voluntary laughter. Spontaneous laughter is typically an uncontrolled reaction, for example, to jokes. Voluntary laughter reflects a more deliberate communicative act like conveying (传达) polite agreement.
Researchers from the University of Amsterdam with international colleagues examined whether laughter type influences the identification not only of individuals, but also of groups. Specifically, they tested if it holds true that group membership is easier to distinguish(辨别) from voluntary than from spontaneous laughter. They also explored how the perceived positivity of laughter differs between the two types of laughter across cultures, with the expectation that spontaneous laughter might sound more positive.
In their study, the researchers employed laughter clips (片段) that were spontaneously or voluntarily produced by Dutch and Japanese individuals. Dutch and Japanese participants listened to these laughter clips and judged whether the laughing person was from their cultural group or not; judged whether they thought the laughter was produced spontaneously or voluntarily; rated the positivity of each laughter clip.
Analyzing these data, the authors find that listeners were able to recognize group membership from both spontaneous and voluntary laughter, and equally well. Spontaneous laughter was rated as more positive than voluntary laughter across the two cultures. “Our results show that listeners can recognize whether a laughing person is from their own or another cultural group at better- than- chance accuracy levels based on only hearing a brief laughter clip,” conclude the authors. “Contrary to prediction, we found no advantage for the thought that participants would be better at identifying group membership from voluntary laughter.”
These findings add to the growing literature on laughter as a rich vocal signal that can be used by listeners to make a wide range of inferences about others, from their social relationships to their identity.
1. What do we know about spontaneous laughter from the text?| A．It often serves a specific purpose. |
| B．People burst into it unconsciously (未意识到地). |
| C．People prefer it to voluntary laughter. |
| D．It is more impressive than voluntary laughter. |
| A．Distinguish the laughter clips in several ways. |
| B．Classify the laughter clips into four groups. |
| C．Link themselves to laughter producers. |
| D．Compare their laughter with foreigners’. |
| A．It contained very little information. |
| B．It was supposed to sound more positive. |
| C．It told more about group membership. |
| D．It was as meaningful as spontaneous laugher. |
| A．Laughter Differs from Day to Day |
| B．A Study Shows Our Laughter Gives Us Away |
| C．Laughter Is Actually a Mixed Vocal Signal |
| D．Our Educational Background Determines Our Laughter |
【推荐2】In Murchison Falls National Park in Uganda, a non-profit organization Snares to Wares is helping local craftsmen make a living through selling sculptures made from the wiring in the traps of poachers(偷猎者)Located in northwest Uganda, the nation's largest national park is a poaching hotspot, with the most common method being a wire snare(钢丝套)that closes around an animal's foot.
Most poaching is done for meat, as the communities surrounding the park are some of the poorest in the country, and most of the animals poached are smaller herbivores(食草动物). Snares to Wares aids local people in developing their artists' eye and crafters' hand to weave hundreds of snares into wire sculptures of the park's wildlife. The initiative was started by Tutilo Mudumba, a national geographic explorer, and Robert Montgomery, a wildlife ecologist at Michigan State University, and now has 620 craftsmen onboard, who sell on average about 800 sculptures a month.
Mudumba was conducting research on the use and distribution of snares in the park some years ago when he came up with the idea. In an interview, he explained that for most of the poor villagers around the park, wildlife represents a threat. He was shocked to learn after starting Snares to Wares that many locals didn't know what the animals in the park looked like, so he helped sponsor field trips into Murchison Falls. There the locals study the animals, see how they behave, and allow their inner artist to take shape as they observe the park's lions, rhinos, elephants, buffalo, giraffes, leopards, warthogs, and more.
Murchison Falls has experienced a dramatic recovery over the last decade, with a significant upgrade in the policing capabilities of rangers(护林员), and the abilities of the medical units as well—all leading to a doubling of the herbivore numbers. Predator populations are also increasing with the conviction(定罪)rate of caught poachers at almost 97% due to another investment project in a wildlife legal department within the Ugandan Wildlife Authority.
1. What can local people do with the help of Snares to Wares?| A．Build more snares. | B．Poach more animals. |
| C．Make wire sculptures. | D．Sponsor field trips. |
| A．To survey population distribution. | B．To learn about traps. |
| C．To make interviews with the poor. | D．To study local animals. |
| A．Wildlife expert. | B．Local artist. |
| C．Potential artistic talent. | D．Infamous sculptor. |
| A．Improving impressively. | B．Heavily invested. |
| C．Declining dramatically. | D．Thinly populated. |
【推荐3】Our culture is the system we use to build our identity. All living things are part of a culture. Even animals have a culture! So what is culture? It's the way we behave in a group. It begins with each individual (单个的) family. Within our families we do things to build relationships with each other. This can include routines like daily housework and weekly shopping. It also includes traditions. Traditions are activities that are repeated on a regular basis.
Culture is not limited to individual family groups. The real strength of culture is in larger community groups. These larger groups are called societies. Every society makes rules for itself. It decides how people should act in different situations. Some of these rules are written down. Some are just things that are naturally expected of all members of that society.
Often, cultures can be recognized by what the people believe. Cultures are also known by what they choose to include in their art. Sometimes cultures may be formed by people who speak the same language. Cultures may also be known for their customs, including the foods they make and the things they do.
Our cultures help us understand who we are and what we believe. There are very strong feelings connecting us to our own society. Two different cultures may disagree on something, especially if they both feel strongly about it. When that happens, war is a common result.
People are learning better ways to communicate with each other. The more we communicate, the more we appreciate the differences in cultures.
1. The underlined word routines in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to _______.| A．hobbies | B．behaviors |
| C．formal activities | D．daily activities |
| A．In arts. | B．In societies. |
| C．In families. | D．In languages. |
| A．Culture doesn't exist in animals. |
| B．Culture is the way we behave. |
| C．Cultures may not agree with each other. |
| D．Cultures help us understand ourselves. |
| A．By building a wall. | B．By preparing to fight. |
| C．By communicating. | D．By making friends. |
| A．What Is Culture? | B．What Is Society? |
| C．What Is Tradition? | D．What Is System? |
【推荐1】I learn to fly in a balloon in a race across the Atlantic Ocean in 1992 and became extremely interested in the sport. In the same way that a mountain climber dreams of climbing the world's highest mountain,I dreamed about flying non-stop around the world.
I spent six years planning the flight and failed twice before I and my team managed to succeed. For some reason,we had to go first to North Africa to catch the right winds. That added 10 ,000 kilometers,and another week,to our journey. But because of this,our flight broke all the records for distance and time spent in the air.
The most memorable part of the trip for me is that we lived in the air for 20 days and that the rising sun was the most amazing thing we saw. We had to go out of the balloon’s capsule , in which we were transported,three times while in the air to repair the fuel system. We didn’t have any safety equipment but when you are in a situation like that,you just do what you have to do without thinking about feeling afraid.
Landing was a fantastic moment. I remember that when I got out of the capsule,I looked at my footprint in the sand. I remembered the astronaut Neil Armstrong,who was so happy to put his footprint on the moon,so far away from Earth. At that moment, I was so happy to have my foot back on Earth!
1. The author became interested in ballooning because of .| A．a cross-ocean race |
| B．a mountain climb |
| C．a childhood dream |
| D．a long sea journey |
| A．They set a new record. |
| B．They shortened their flight. |
| C．Their flight went very smoothly. |
| D．Their flight covered 10,000 kilometers. |
| A．To fight their fear. |
| B．To do some repair work. |
| C．To admire the rising sun. |
| D．To check safety equipment. |
| A．regret |
| B．surprise |
| C．respect |
| D．pleasure |
【推荐2】The custom of celebrating from the end of January until mid-February has long been popular in Quebec City, Canada. The first large Winter Carnival here, in the world’s snow capital, took place in 1894. Faced with winter’s hardships, the city’s population made this popular tradition into a winter celebration that warmed the hearts of all people.
Interrupted by two wars and then the economic crisis of 1929, the Carnival was held from time to time until the second half of the century. In 1954, a group of business people re-started the festivities. That year, Bonhomme was born and was elected the event’s representative.
The next year the first official Quebec Winter Carnival took place. The Carnival snowballed into a big event and was important for tourism and economic activity in the city.
From one winter to the next, the Carnival enriched its activity program. We have since added even more popular activities, such as winter sports, snow sculptures, and activities based on the traditional Quebec lifestyle, such as dogsled races. The Quebec Winter Carnival is the largest winter carnival in the world today, and is third on the list of Top Carnivals after the famous carnivals in Rio and New Orleans.
1960
The people living along Rue Sainte-Therese created many snow or ice sculptures, and this location became known as Carnival Street.
1964
The name of Bonhomme Carnival and his image became registered trademarks.
1970
A new tradition was born: closing the event with a firework display.
1975
A new activity, called The Break, was created, on Friday from noon till midnight. Many employers gave their employees time off so they could go dancing at the Quebec City Convention Centre. The event continued to be held until 1986, sometimes late into the night.
1977
Until 1991, the Carnival offered a children’s sculpture competition.
1987
The snow bath became part of the program.
1999
Because of the importance of volunteers, the human resources department was created to improve organization.
1. The Quebec Winter Carnival .| A．is held from mid-February to the end of March |
| B．is an encouragement for the local people in winter |
| C．is the second largest carnival in the winter |
| D．has as many activities as when it was first held |
| A．1894 | B．1895 | C．1954 | D．1955 |
①The snow bath ② The Break ③ A children’s sculpture competition ④A firework display at the end of the event
| A．①② | B．①① | C．②④ | D．①④ |
| A．History of the Quebec Winter Carnival. |
| B．Welcome to the Quebec Winter Carnival. |
| C．Activities during the Quebec Winter Carnival. |
| D．Importance of the Quebec Winter Carnival. |
【推荐3】This past Columbus Day, my husband and I went fishing with some friends on their boat while our 10 and 8-year-olds were in school. We left the house all at the same time, about 7 am. My children walked to and from school every day and we knew they were OK for a couple hours by themselves anyway so we told them to go inside after school and we would be home around 4 pm.
The adults decided to go fishing offshore: we live on the Gulf Coast, since it was a beautiful day in the normally still very humid Texas fall. At around 2 pm we started back to shore and wouldn't you know, we ran out of gas. We were out of cell phone service, even 911 wasn't working, and we didn't have a radio so we were stuck waiting for someone to come by. We were out there until 10 pm. All-the-while, my children were at home, expecting us to return shortly after they got home. At about 7 pm, when it was getting dark, my 10-year-old thought something might he wrong so she walked to each house on the street until someone answered the door and asked them what they should do. This was how we were found by the game warden and “rescued”.
Talking with that neighbor the next day, I never took such pride in my children. This neighbor explained to me how calm both my children were when explaining the situation and how impressed they were with my children seeking help, even though they didn't know these particular neighbors. I never doubled them for a minute, though next time we go fishing, we'll monitor the gas more carefully.
1. How did the children go to school?| A．Bu bus. | B．By car. |
| C．By boat. | D．On foot. |
| A．They used up their gas. | B．They lost their cell phones. |
| C．They found a radio on shore. | D．They fell into the water. |
| A．Worried. | B．Proud. |
| C．Doubtful. | D．Confident |
| A．It is wonderful to raise free-range kids. |
| B．One should keep calm in face of danger. |
| C．A good neighbour is better than a brother far off. |
| D．Parents should pay more attention to their children. |
