Ellen and Bill County are both teachers. They met in college and became good friends because of their shared love for children. Two years after the couple got married, Ellen saw a huge change in the life of one of her students, a 9-year-old girl. Three years earlier both of the little girl's parents had died and there was no one to take care of her. She was taken away to live in a government office. But finally she was taken in and adopted by a family and became their daughter. Ellen said that she noticed the difference in the child's life after she was placed in a permanent home and thought that maybe she and her husband could help a child in a similar way.
They decided to become temporary parents and to take a child into their home on the weekends when the real parents could not take care of him or her. The pair planned to have their own children in a few years, but decided that this would be a way to give to the community in the meantime.
The couple quickly grew to love one of the children they looked after, when he became legally available, Bill became the first child they took in permanently. Six months after adopting Billy, Ellen was told by her doctor that she was unable to have children naturally. Ellen says she knew then that adoption was the way she was meant to have a family.
Since adopting Billy, now 17, Ellen and Bill have adopted five more children—Rose, 16; Albert, 11; Joshua 5 and in June 2003, they added biological brother and sister Tyler and Rylee to the County family.
The County family has been recognized for their work on adoption, and has received many awards for their efforts. Last June, the family was even interviewed on the television show, "Adoption Stories".
Ellen says she would like to encourage other families to adopt children. She adds that the best part of being a mother of six is: “Giving Josh a bath, putting a band-aid on a cut knee or just the everyday Mom things, that makes motherhood such an honor and a privilege.”
1. What is the passage mainly about?| A．How a couple first met at college. | B．Where you can adopt a child. |
| C．The benefits of adoption to the community. | D．How adoption created a happy family. |
| A．Because they had always loved students very much. |
| B．Because they saw the benefits of adoption for a child. |
| C．Because they were not able to have children of their own. |
| D．Because they want to receive awards for their community work. |
| A．Rylee and Tyler. | B．Billy and Tyler. | C．Albert and Joshua. | D．Rose and Albert. |
| A．tells the reader how they can adopt a child | B．describes the things that make Ellen happy |
| C．says what Ellen does every day | D．lists the problems Ellen has with the kids |
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【推荐1】My granddaughter entertains herself outside a closed shop. I have no idea what day it is - I haven’t known for 10 months. I have moved to a different city to provide child care so that my daughter can work.
Everything I observe these days is from a young child’s eye view. I must be experiencing time and place in a way I haven’t done before. I have let go of all the experiences we’re missing because I’m focused on what matters to this child at any given moment. Puddles (水洼), obviously. Rocks held lovingly in her small fist the whole way home. Burying balls that have sailed over the tennis court fence and landed in the sandbox, and her face lighting up when they are dug up. Every single time.
My job is to wait and watch. Let her try things, comfort her when she falls down, and keep her safe. Bring snacks, push her on a swing, but mostly let her be. Tell her the names of all the things she points to. Take her hand when she offers it because she is in a slightly unfamiliar area. The two of us never hurry. This lifestyle change astonishes me every day.
Who knows how her new brain processes all this? I have been forced by circumstance into the arms of the people I need to take care of me. Taking care of my granddaughter is a front. In fact, she gave me much more.
In March 2020, I lost my younger daughter. I can’t say it was entirely unexpected. My younger daughter battled mental illness. She was only 27 years old. She put herself through long treatment programs to reduce her pain. It was as if the whole world went on leave with me. I had company for a few brief days after my younger daughter’s death, and then I was alone. I signed up for the various things that might reduce my suffering. I went 15 weeks without touching another person.
Now a very small girl waits for me, watches me, comforts me, keeps me safe, and takes my hand.
1. Why has the author lost track of time?| A．She feels bored with her present life. |
| B．She has suffered from a mental disease. |
| C．She enjoys being with her granddaughter. |
| D．She is in sorrow over the loss of her daughter. |
| A．deal | B．must | C．burden | D．cover |
| A．The author’s effort to save her younger daughter. |
| B．The measures taken to reduce the author’s suffering. |
| C．The younger daughter’s battle against mental illness. |
| D．The pain caused by an unbearable loss to the author. |
| A．It’s a child who has helped her to slowly recover. |
| B．Staying with grandchildren is a comfort for elders. |
| C．Family members should help each other out of pain. |
| D．Physical separation has harmful effects on one’s health. |
【推荐2】Mark Twain was a great writer. He was from the USA. He was born in 1835. He was also a famous speaker. He was famous for his sense of humor(幽默). Many people liked to listen to him talk because he liked to tell some interesting stories to make people laugh all the time.
One day Mark Twain was going to a small town because of his writing. Before he was going to leave, one of his friends said to him that there were always a lot of mosquitoes (蚊子) in the town and told him that he’d better not go there. Mark Twain waved (摇动) his hand and said, “It doesn’t matter. The mosquitoes are no relatives of mine. I don’t think they will come to visit me.”
After he arrived in the town, Mark Twain stayed in a small hotel near the station. He went into his room, but when he was just about to have a rest, quite a few mosquitoes flew about him. The waiters felt very sorry about that. “I’m very sorry, Mr. Mark Twain. There are too many mosquitoes in our town.” One of them said to him.
Mark Twain, however, made a joke, saying to the waiter, “The mosquitoes are very clever. They know my room number. They didn’t come into the wrong room.” What he said made all the people present laugh heartily.
But that night Mark Twain slept well. Do you know why? That was because all the waiters in the hotel were driving the mosquitoes away for him during the whole night.
1. That day Mark Twain went to the town ________.| A．to see one of his friends |
| B．because he wanted to do something there for his writing |
| C．because he was told there were a lot of mosquitoes there |
| D．to see one of his relatives |
| A．they did something wrong to Mark Twain |
| B．their hotel was too small |
| C．the room was not very clean |
| D．there were quite a few mosquitoes in Mark Twain’s room |
| A．the mosquitoes were very clever and they didn’t come into the wrong room |
| B．the mosquitoes knew Mark Twain’s room number |
| C．Mark Twain gave the waiters some nice presents |
| D．Mark Twain made a joke |
| A．no mosquitoes troubled Mark Twain in the night |
| B．the owner of the hotel asked Mark Twain to go to another hotel |
| C．Mark Twain didn’t have a good rest that night |
| D．there were not mosquitoes in the hotel any longer |
| A．people there were familiar with Mark Twain |
| B．Mark Twain was popular with the people |
| C．Mark Twain’s friend was sorry about his travel |
| D．Mark Twain asked the waiters to drive the mosquitoes |
【推荐3】The Marches were a happy family. Poverty, hard work, and even the fact that Father March was away with the Union armies could not down the spirits of Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy, and Marmee, as the March girls called their mother.
The March sisters tried to be good but had their share of faults. Pretty Meg was often displeased with the schoolchildren she taught; boyish Jo was easy to become angry; golden-haired schoolgirl Amy liked to show up; but Beth, who kept the house, was loving and gentle always.
The happy days passed and darkness came when a telegram arrived for Mrs. March. “Your husband is very ill,” it said, “come at once.” The girl tried to be brave when their mother left for the front. They waited and prayed. Little Beth got scarlet fever（猩红热）when she was taking care of the sick neighbor. She became very ill but began to recover by the time Marmee was back. When Father came home from the front and at that joyful Christmas dinner they were once more all together.
Three years later the March girls had grown into young womanhood. Meg became Mrs. Brooke, and after a few family troubles got used to her new state happily. Jo had found pleasure in her literary efforts. Amy had grown into a young lady with a talent for design and an even greater one for society. But Beth had never fully regained her health, and her family watched her with love and anxiety.
Amy was asked to go and stay in Europe with a relative of the Marches’. Jo went to New York and became successful in her writing and had the satisfaction of seeing her work published there. But at home the bitterest blow was yet to fall. Beth had known for some time that she couldn’t live much longer to be with the family and in the spring time she died.
News came from Europe that Amy and Laurie, the grandson of a wealthy neighbor, had planned to be married soon. Now Jo became ever more successful in her writing and got married to Professor Bhaer and soon afterwards founded a school for boys.
And so the little women had grown up and lived happily with their children, enjoying the harvest of love and goodness that they had devoted all their lives to.
1. The members of the March family were Father March, Mrs. March and their ________.| A．five daughters | B．four daughters |
| C．son and four daughters | D．son and five daughters |
| A．The March Girls | B．The March Parents |
| C．The March Family | D．The March Relatives |
| A．more girls than boys | B．wealthy neighbors |
| C．both happiness and sadness | D．a lot of rich relatives |
【推荐1】For much of my childhood, my mother filled in the evening hours doing something for someone else. Sometimes she knitted ( 编织 ) hats for babies, and at other times, she cooked chicken soup for sick neighbors. Therefore, I wasn't surprised when one evening my mother announced she had undertaken a new project.
“I am going to telephone seniors,” said my mother. “Every night? But you don't even know these people.” “It doesn't matter,” she said. “What's important is that I listen.” I was sixteen years old and couldn't understand why my mother was willing to spend her evenings talking to strangers. She had friends and my two older sisters to call if she felt lonely. “They will talk your ear off. Some people didn't even stop to catch breath.” I said.
My attitude didn't decrease my mother's enthusiasm for the project. That evening, she settled on the sofa and dialed. For a while, I listened as she asked the woman on the other line about her day and what she had eaten for dinner. When she finished the call, I said, “Why do you care whether she had cookies or rice pudding for dessert?” My mother grasped one of my hands and gave it a slight squeeze. “I'm the only person she talked to today.”
It took me more than thirty years to fully understand the significance of that statement. Now, as my mother is nearing eighty, I find myself thinking about those nightly calls she used to make. I am often the only person who telephones my mother, and sometimes I'm the only person she speaks to all day. I ask her what she cooked for dinner, but mostly I just listen as she recounts a walk she took, or how her dog Lucky stole foods from the refrigerator. I realize that my mother's calls were lifelines that ensured housebound seniors remained connected to the world. Without her, their world would have been empty.
1. Why wasn’t the writer surprised about her mother's decision to undertake a new project? (no more than 9 words)2. What's the mother's purpose of calling the seniors and listening? (no more than 8 words)
3. What does the underlined sentence “They will talk your ear off.” in Paragraph 2 probably mean? (no more than 10 words)
4. What was the author’s attitude towards her mother’s new project thirty years later according to the last paragraph ? (no more than 9 words)
5. What do you think of the author’s mother? And why? (no more than 20 words)
【推荐2】Violette Childe, 67, is a dining companion who helps serve patients lunches. The role was introduced ten years ago by a dietitian concerning that some patients were not eating their meals.
“Many of our patients are elderly and can be confused by the noisy, busy environment of the hospital and so won’t focus on eating.” explains Yvonne Donglas-Morris, head of volunteering, who oversees the activities of all 528 of the trusty volunteers. “Staff are busy with the clinical side of things, so the dining companions were introduced. They will assist the patients and encourage them to eat.”
Violette, a retired library manager, has been helping out for six years. “It makes me feel a bit more complete,” she says simply. “Helping with the meals frees up the nurses to get on with other things. I believe in being a part of the community and this hospital is part of my community.”
Another key role is played by the discharge volunteers, who offer support to the elderly, especially those aged 70 and over-leaving hospital to return to an empty home. The team has a budget of ￡10 per person and will pop to the shops and buy milk, bread and a meal to tide them over for the first few hours. They then call the patients regularly, for as long as they need, to check how they are getting on and if they need extra support.
The volunteers in Kingston work from a dedicated office-a small room in one of the buildings on the hospital grounds, where a Christmas tree decorated with baubles (小饰物) bearing the faces of volunteers sits in the corner. “All the volunteers come and gather here, it gets very busy at times,” smiles Nicola Hutin, 67, a discharge support volunteer. A mother of two, and grandmother of four, she was a membership coordinator (协调员) for a trade association until she retired, and has since volunteered at the hospital one morning a week for 18 months.
1. What can we learn about dining companions?| A．Their working conditions are noisy. |
| B．They are great assistants for doctors. |
| C．They often make patients more nervous. |
| D．The occupation existed more than ten years ago. |
| A．She finds it tiring and boring. |
| B．She finds it easy to complete her work. |
| C．She believes it gives her a sense of belonging. |
| D．She believes helping patients with meals is to free up the community. |
| A．Raise money for the elderly. |
| B．Pay a visit to them at home. |
| C．Buy daily necessities for them. |
| D．Ring to check their health condition. |
| A．It is never too old to learn. |
| B．Many hands make light work. |
| C．Health is better than wealth. |
| D．God helps those who help themselves. |
【推荐3】When Katie Stagliano grew a 40-pound cabbage, she didn’t know that she was beginning to develop a dream as well. When the 10-year-old girl from Summerville, South Carolina realized how much cabbage was in her garden, she decided to donate it to needy families by working with Fields to Families, a nonprofit organization based in South Carolina that gives the hungry access to nutritious fruits and vegetables.
Katie’s cabbage fed nearly 300 people and inspired her to learn more about childhood hunger in the United States. On discovering that more than 12 million kids in the United States go to bed hungry each night, Katie decided to take action.
Her first task was to work together with her family to expand their own garden so that they could donate more vegetables to needy families. But beyond her own backyard, she wanted to teach other children how to get involved. To grow her idea, she started the planting of a garden at her school, which also donates its fresh produce to local food agencies. Through a generous donation from Fields to Families, Katie’s school is receiving seeds and volunteer help, and Katie will get the chance to work there with a master gardener as her teacher!
Katie also designed her very own “No Hungry Children” T-shirt, which is available for purchase online. A part of the proceeds from her T-shirt sales economically supports Katie’s efforts, as well as the work of Amazing Kids, a nonprofit organization that focuses on the dreams of kids like Katie.
“I think it is important to have something to strive for,” says Katie. “By planting a garden or just some seeds in a pot you can make a difference. My cabbage alone fed 275 people. If more kids did the same, we all could be helping to make a long-time dream of no hungry people possible.”
1. According to the passage, Fields to Families ________ .| A．works to feed hungry people | B．grows fruits and vegetables |
| C．has fields in South Carolina | D．provides job opportunities for poor families |
| A．Hunger is a problem most American children face. |
| B．Katie expanded her friends’ gardens to grow vegetables. |
| C．Katie will learn more about gardening at Fields to Families. |
| D．Amazing Kids helped Katie design the “No Hungry Children” T-shirt. |
| A．experiences | B．profits |
| C．ideas | D．friends |
| A．she can grow more cabbages in her garden |
| B．every child has something important in their lives |
| C．hungry people can have dreams like others |
| D．more children will plant vegetables to help the hungry |
| A．Katie Stagliano, a girl full of dreams. |
| B．Everyone can make a success. |
| C．Ten-year-old Katie Stagliano fights against hunger. |
| D．American hungry children in need of help. |
【推荐1】An 8-year-old Nigerian, Tani Adewumis, whose family is homeless, won first place at the New York State chess championship without a single defeat at the beginning of 2019 and he says he is not done yet.
“I want to be the youngest grandmaster,” Tani told The New York Times. Tani placed first in the tournament for kindergarten through third grade — an outstanding win for anyone. “It’s unheard of for any kid, let alone one in a homeless shelter,” said Russell Makofsky, who is in charge of the chess program.
Tani hasn’t had an easy life. His family left northern Nigeria in 2017 fearing attacks on Christians, and moved to New York City over a year ago where the boy learned how to play chess at school. School chess coach Shawn Martinez saw Tani’s potential after observing him stand out in the game a few weeks after first learning it early last year. He reached out to Tani’s family about joining in the school’s chess program, and learned they were unable to pay costs associated with membership. Shawn decided to abandon Tani’s fees, which can easily reach thousands with travel and chess camp admissions.
Seven victories later, the elementary school boy is one of the top players in the country for his age group. “He works very hard at his game,” Martinez said, believing Tani could achieve master status in the next year or two. The world’s youngest grandmaster qualified at the age of 12.
As Tani’s story hits national headlines, more people want to help. Makofsky, who set up a GoFundMe for Tani, said the family has received offers for a car, legal services, jobs and even housing. “My hope is that he’ll be in a home tonight,” Makofsky said.
1. How did Makofsky find Tani’s achievement?| A．Confusing. | B．Amusing. |
| C．Amazing. | D．Ridiculous. |
| A．Makofsky told him to do so |
| B．Tani's family were unable to pay costs associated with their daily life. |
| C．Shawn took charge of the chess program |
| D．Tani had a great gift for chess. |
| A．All things are difficult before they are easy. |
| B．A good beginning makes a good ending. |
| C．A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. |
| D．God helps those who help themselves. |
| A．A Chess Coach Helped to Support a Nigerian Child |
| B．A Nigerian Family Hit National Headlines in the USA |
| C．A Homeless Nigerian Won the State Chess Championship |
| D．An 8-year-old Became the Youngest Grandmaster in 2019 |
【推荐2】It's 10 o'clock at night, and we've been walking along behind him and his wife, Maria, on the beach in complete darkness for half an hour, hoping that every shadowy form is a green sea turtle that has appeared from the Caribbean to lay her eggs on Tortuguero Beach.
After traveling a long way here to witness the event at the end of the nesting season, we walk behind Castor in dutiful silence, thinking about the impact we could have on a turtle's nesting decision. Although they can't hear well, green sea turtles have a powerful sense of smell. Lights can also disturb them. And if the female feels threatened, she'll likely return to the sea to give up all 100 to 120 of her eggs-a huge sacrifice for an endangered creature.
Earlier that day we read up on threats to the turtles-poisonous waste, plastic bags and fishing hooks among other things. These threats apply, however, only if the baby turtles even make it to the sea in the first place.
"She is there," Castor reports, "making her nest now." A female turtle turns herself around and around in a circle until the top of her shell is nearly even with the sand. Employing her back flippers (鳍肢), she then reaches beneath herself to dig a neat, deep hole for the hundred or more eggs she will lay his evening.
We sit silently on a big piece of driftwood, waiting patiently like family members outside the birthing room. "Come closer!" Castor says, and we bend towards the soft red glow of his flashlight. His right hand holds the massive turtle's left back flipper aside so that the light shines directly into the hole, which is already filled with eggs. Her tail lifts as a soft, slippery egg slides through and goes into the hole, followed by another and another. After laying the eggs, her tail flipper begin to remove sand from the "walls" around her, dragging it over the top of the eggs.
Then Castor signals us to another spot where a nest is hatching (孵化) at the very moment. Dozens of baby turtles desperately move to the surface, trying to drag themselves up out and to the sea. However, a huge driftwood lying in the sand parallel to the sea blocks their passage down the beach. Castor shines his beam toward the water and Maria picks the newborns up and places them on the other side of the wood. If we weren't there at the moment, most of them would have wandered aimlessly toward the jungle and death.
On the way back to the village, I recall my mixed feelings about human impact on the environment, Now I'm home joyous that my presence has helped an entire nest of baby turtles survive the first challenge of their lives.
1. According to the passage, green sea turtles _________.| A．will sacrifice anything to protect their babies | B．are very sensitive to sounds, smells and lights |
| C．are endangered mainly due to water pollution | D．face great challenges the minute they are born |
| A．observe green sea turtles lay eggs. | B．learn about the threats sea turtles face |
| C．enjoy the quiet nesting season in October | D．help baby turtles make their first step to the sea |
| A．Tourists help show them the way to the jungle. | B．A barrier stops them from reaching the sea. |
| C．All of them get trapped in the sand. | D．Most of them wander off and die. |
【推荐3】During the period from 1660 through 1800, Great Britain became the world’s leader. Language itself became submitted to rules during this period. This need to fix the English language is best illustrated (描述) in the making of The Dictionary of the English Language by Samuel Johnson. Guides to the English language had been in existence before Johnson began his project in 1746. These, however, were often little more than lists of hard words. When definitions of common words were supplied, they were often unhelpful. For example, a “horse” was defined in an early dictionary as “a beast well known”.
Johnson changed all that, but the task was not an easy one. Renting a house at 17 Gough Square, Johnson began working in the worst of conditions. Supported only by his publisher, Johnson worked on the Dictionary with five assistants. Compared to the French Academy’s dictionary, which took forty workers fifty-five years to complete (1639-1694), Johnson’s dictionary was completed by very few people very quickly.
Balanced on a chair with only three legs, Johnson sat against a wall in a room filled with books. Johnson would read widely from these books, mark passages illustrating the use of a particular word, and give the books to his assistants so that they could copy the passages on slips of paper. These slips were then stuck to eighty large notebooks under the key words that Johnson had selected. Fixing the word by this method, Johnson could record a word，s usage and its definition.
How many passages were used? According to Johnson’s modern biographer Walter Jackson Bate, the original total number could have been over 240,000. How many words were defined by the lexicographer? Over 40,000 words appeared in two large books in April of 1755. Did Johnson fully understand the huge task he was undertaking when he began? As he told his contemporary biographer James Boswell, “I knew very well what I was undertaking and very well how to do it — and have done it very well.”
1. What is the problem of early English dictionaries?| A．They only offer simple pictures. |
| B．They list just a few foreign words. |
| C．They simply give some translations. |
| D．They add no more than some big words. |
| A．A publisher. | B．A biographer. |
| C．A maker of dictionaries. | D．An assistant. |
| A．He standardized English. |
| B．He cared about authority a lot. |
| C．He gained much financial support. |
| D．He complained of working conditions. |
| A．To discuss the problems of dictionaries. |
| B．To encourage people to work on a project. |
| C．To persuade people to buy the new dictionary. |
| D．To introduce how Johnson complete his dictionary. |
【推荐1】I work in downtown Orlando and have been passing by the same homeless woman every week. She never asks me for money, but always greets me with a smile.
I wrote in a Facebook post ,“Each Tuesday, Amy simply said ‘Good morning, Sir, have a great day.’ and smiled. I wear a suit to work every day, so I get asked for money quite often in downtown but never once from Amy Joe.” Every Tuesday , Amy and I have lunch together, during which I get to hear how positive she is even though she really has nothing. Last week, Amy dropped a bomb on me — she couldn't read. She told me how hard it was for her to find work not being able to read. She began to use her collected money to check out library books instead of buying food. This crushed me!
I have been blessed with a family that has provided me with everything that I want to do. Amy Joe has not. So I start to teach her to read. I rent one library book a week and we read it together on Tuesday, and she practices on her own throughout the rest of the week.
This post is in no way to make anyone feel sorry for Amy or show off my something good. I want to share this because there are a lot of people like Amy Joe — not all are hungry, homeless or hurt. Helping someone could be as easy as saying hello and smiling.
I also started a web page for Amy and have raised $5, 000. The donation will go to food, clothing, a library card, and much more to help the less fortunate in the downtown Orlando area.
1. Unlike other homeless people , Amy______.| A．can’t read or write. | B．finds it hard to find a job. |
| C．says hello to the author every day. | D．uses her collected money to borrow books from library. |
| A．By renting books to read with her. | B．By buying library cards for her. |
| C．By teaching her to write books online. | D．By buying food for her and her family. |
| A．raise more money for Amy | B．make others feel sorry for Amy |
| C．call on others to do good deeds | D．make him popular on the Internet |
| A．Helping Others Makes Us Happy | B．Donate What You Have to the Homeless |
| C．Teach a Homeless Woman to Read | D．Facebook Is a Useful Tool for the Homeless |
【推荐2】Crosstalk, a traditional form of comic storytelling, is making a comeback in China's tea houses and theaters.
Audiences can laugh the night away every Saturday at the Qianxiangyi Teahouse in Tianjin, entertained by the students of Hou Baolin, Ma Sanli or Yin Shoushan—all leading crosstalk artists of years past-for only 20 yuan. The success in Tianjin has also caused the comeback of crosstalk in Beijing and other places.
Although the art form began in Beijing in the Qing Dynasty (1644﹣1911), Tianjin became a place where rising stars formed their styles and new pieces were tried out. The city was well﹣known nationwide for the quality of its crosstalk performances.
Known in Chinese as xiangsheng (literally, “face and voice”), crosstalk was the chief form of comedy throughout most of the 20th century. In the old days in Tianjin and elsewhere, temple fairs and markets were the main places for crosstalkers to perform, although they occasionally also appeared in teahouses or theaters.
The Crosstalk piecesdraw onevery aspect of Chinese culture, from history and folk tales to social issues of the time. Although there're hundreds of traditional pieces, they're constantly rewritten to suit the times and the audience, while new works are written as well. It's one of the characters that have made crosstalk a public art form throughout its history.
“Crosstalk was in the doldrums (萎靡不振) with competition from other art forms, especially TV,” said Wang Xiaochun, headmaster of the Northern Storytelling Arts School of China (NSAS). “But it has regained its popularity with crosstalk fans, especially young people, realizing its rare qualities.”
“More and more students are coming to NSAS to study crosstalk, including some girl students,” said Wang. “They're sure that crosstalk will have a strong market.”
1. What does the underline phrase "draw on" mean in paragraph 6?| A．keep away from | B．make use of | C．think little of | D．turn their back to |
| A．Crosstalk first arose in Tianjin. |
| B．Crosstalk was mainly performed at teahouses in the past. |
| C．Crosstalk was the most popular art form in the 20th century. |
| D．Crosstalk didn't appear until the Qing Dynasty. |
| A．it is a popular traditional art after all |
| B．the pieces contain some famous folk tales |
| C．the crosstalkers make it return to teahouses |
| D．the pieces are made to suit the times and the audience |
| A．setting up more storytelling art schools | B．beating TV and other arts |
| C．young people's understanding of its value | D．a strong market |
【推荐3】The global energy crisis is approaching. What can we do? Here are some steps you can take.
Cooling puts the greatest stress on your summer energy bill and the power grid. Just as a tune-up for your car can improve your gas mileage, a yearly tune-up of your heating and cooling system can improve efficiency and comfort. Clean or replace filter monthly or as needed.
For central air conditioning systems and room air conditioners, look for the ENERGY STAR, the federal government’s symbol for energy efficiency. For central air, purchase the system with the highest possible Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio. (SEER)
Use energy efficient ceiling fans either alone or with air conditioning. Ceiling fans do a great job of circulating air. When used with air conditioning, fans allow you to raise the thermostat and cut costs. Ceiling fans cool people, not rooms, so before you leave, turn off the ceiling fan.
Let a programmable thermostat “remember for you” to automatically adjust the indoor climate with your daily and weekend patterns to reduce cooling bills by up to 10 percent. You can come home to a comfortable house without wasting energy and creating pollution all day while you are at work.
Try to make your home airtight enough to increase your comfort, make your home quieter and cleaner and reduce your cooling costs up to 20 percent.
Cut your air conditioning load, and reduce pollution by planting leafy trees around your home and fixing reflective bricks on your roof.
Close blinds or shades on south-and west-facing windows during the day, or fix shading equipment to avoid heat build-up.
Turn off everything not in use: lights, TVs, computers. And use fluorescent bulbs, which provide bright, warm light while using at least two-thirds less energy, producing 70 percent less heat and lasting up to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs.
Drive the car that gets better gas mileage whenever possible if you own more than one vehicle. If you drive 12,500 miles a year, switching 10 percent of your trips from a car that gets 20 miles per gallon to one that gets 30 mpg will save you more than £65 per year.
Carpool. The average U.S. commuter could save about £260 a year by sharing cars twice a week with two other people in a car that gets 20.1 mpg-assuming the three passengers share the cost of gas.
1. According to the passage, the thermostat is used to ________.| A．make rooms quieter | B．control room temperature |
| C．turn off the air conditioner | D．reduce room air pollution |
| A．planting leafy trees around your home |
| B．turning off the ceiling fan before you leave your house |
| C．keeping your south-facing windows open during the day |
| D．using fluorescent bulbs instead of incandescent bulbs |
| A．using energy-efficient ceiling fans |
| B．sharing cars with others on workdays |
| C．turning off everything not in use |
| D．reducing 10% of your car trips every year |
