That youngsters were glued to online games on their smart phones was a great concern for Ngurang Meena, a school teacher in Nirjuli. The 30-year-old social science teacher, who ran the Ngurang Learning Institute, an adult literacy centre, said that she felt disheartened when she read student papers. "The graph of student performance is falling every year. It breaks my heart whenever I see answer sheets-basic grammar skills are missing and there's an absence of any cohesive(连贯性的)expression. They lack guidance and reading culture is almost zero," Meena said. When her school and the centre she ran had to close due to infectious diseases, she planned to do something to solve the problem.
Inspired by a similar proposal in Mizoram, Meena set up a bookshelf with around 80 books as well as some benches on the side of the road in Nirjuli on August 30th, 2020, where passers-by could spend time reading. The selections included motivational books, biographies and novels as well as comics for young children. "I have to please the children with sweets to sit and read, but that is okay." she laughed.
Meena's bookshelf became a hit among youngsters who spent hours in the reading corner. Within two months, her effort became the talk of the town.
Now, generous contributions of books come in from the public and she is even receiving requests to set up such libraries in other parts of the state, including one in the capital, Itanagar. Since the tiny libraries are far from the main town, she also lends books out to those who want to read at home.
"I never thought that this would become such a big inspiration," Meena said. "Since childhood, we have been told that books are our best friends. The next generation of kids is focused on games and other things. I don't want them to head on the wrong track," she added.
1. What's the aim of Meena's reading program?| A．To help adults learn cohesive expression. |
| B．To care for youngsters lacking in reading. |
| C．To keep Ngurang Learning Institute running well. |
| D．To highlight the importance of reading for adults. |
| A．She offered them transportation. | B．She offered some rewards to them. |
| C．She chose novels with beautiful covers. | D．She selected books covering every category. |
| A．Influential and meaningful. | B．Small and useless. |
| C．Large but impractical. | D．Widespread but unwelcome. |
| A．Books: Sources of Knowledge | B．The Roadside Reading Corner |
| C．The Library: a Heaven for the Young | D．New Ideas about Setting a Reading Plan |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Reading fluency is one of the most important skills for middle school students learning English. If you’re concerned about your reading skills, read the following tips.
Find time to read every day.
Find the best time of day for you to read.
Use clues in the text to make predications.
Fluent readers make predications before and as they read. Use the title, and pictures to ask yourself questions about what you are going to read.
Try not to translate.
Enjoy your reading.
Perhaps today you do not like to read in English, but as you read more, you should see a change in your attitude. The more you read in English, the easier it will become.
The best tip to follow to become a more fluent reader is to read whenever and wherever you can. Good readers read a lot. They read many different kinds of material. To practice this, keep a reading journal. Every day, make a list of the kinds of things you read during the day and how long you read each for. If you want to become a more fluent reader, read more!
| A．Read as much as you can. |
| B．Try to read when you are not tired. |
| C．Translations slow down your reading. |
| D．Read in phrases rather than word by word. |
| E．Find answers to the questions when you read. |
| F．You will find yourself looking forward to reading. |
| G．Before you read a text, think about the purpose of your reading. |
【推荐2】GREAT BOOKS TO TEACH CHILDREN ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE
Here is a shortened list of books sponsored by the magazines TIME and TIME for Kids that are suitable for primary schoolers. To make the list, we considered how age-appropriate the material was, and whether the tone and story line left the reader feeling engaged and empowered rather than anxious or confused.
Experts recommend the youngest kids to read books that explore the beauty and fragility (脆弱) of nature. When developing an appreciation for the world around them, they can switch to books that show the cause and effect of how humans treat our planet, and why it’s important to respect the environment. For older primary school kids, picture books can illustrate how our use of fossil (化石) fuels contributes to global warming. Most of the books on the list also offer lessons about how children, families, schools, and communities can make a difference.
 THANK YOU, EARTH: A LOVE LETTER TO OUR PLANET By April Pulley Sayre This photography book shows to us plants, animals and landscapes in vivid colors and descriptions. From up-close images of insects to pictures of mountain ranges, the pages introduce children to the planets’ diversity in a simple but effective way. |  THE LORAX By Dr. Seuss Thanks to its rhyme, and whimsical illustration, this classic tale is suitable for young children who can grasp the scarcity of natural resources, and also older kids who can see a danger in valuing profits over long-term environmental harm. |
 WE ARE WATER PROTECTORS By Carole Lindstrom A tribute to native tribes that are protecting the planet, this book vividly shows the harms of oil pipelines. Kids will see the value of community action, while adults will recognize the story of the native tribes Standing Rock Sioux’s fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline. |  POLAR BEAR, WHY IS YOUR WORLD MELTING? By Robert E. Wells This book introduces the greenhouse effect with illustrations showing how sunlight gets trapped. It then explains fossil-fuel energy, and our reliance on it for electricity and transportation. The pages are full of science. |
| A．Confusing story line. | B．The tone of anxiety. |
| C．The books sponsorship. | D．Age-appropriate content. |
| A．They can see the value of community action. |
| B．They can know how to protect the native tribes. |
| C．They can recognize the story of the native tribes. |
| D．They can understand the importance of oil pipelines. |
| A．THE LORAX |
| B．WE ARE WATER PROTECTORS |
| C．POLAR BEAR, WHY IS YOUR WORLD MELTING? |
| D．THANK YOU, EARTH: A LOVE LETTER TO OUR PLANET |
【推荐3】Are you interested in thrilling content? Here are four story books that take place in a museum or art set in famous art centers. These picks are full of action and uncertain result.
| Charlotte Writes Her World Writer: Ashley Murray Company: Ottawa Publishing House Charlotte, who has visited the City Museum of Art many times with her friend Alice, has a mystery to solve. The events she writes about in her English diaries are starting to come true. What’s going on? Ages: 8-12 |
| The Return of Mona Lisa Writer: Owen Duncan Company: Madison House Studio The Mona Lisa by Michelangelo is one of the most popular paintings in the world, and this fascinating nonfiction book describes how the painting was stolen from the museum in 1911 and later returned. The book tells the story of the Mona Lisa’s theft and return, which offers readers a deeper understanding of the cultural importance of this painting. Ages: 10 and up |
| Secret of the Museum Writer: Hailey Johnson Company: Aspiring Young Readers This novel is based on prize-winning 2006 film Secret of the Museum. In the book, a guard notices that art works at the Museum of Natural History come to life at night. The guard shares what he has observed with his son, who is doubtful at first and then becomes fascinated by the adventures at night. Ages: 8-12 |
| Spy School Adventure Writer: Justin Blake Company: Charlie Martin Books for Young Readers Some of this story’s best scenes occur at the City Museum of History. Nick is trying to begin an adventure which takes him back to the ancient time. The track takes him outside the museum, and maps show you where he goes. Ages: 8-12 |
1. Which book is suitable for kids who are interested in paintings?
| A．Secret of the Museum. | B．Spy School Adventure. |
| C．The Return of Mona Lisa. | D．Charlotte Writes Her World. |
| A．Both are parent-friendly novels. |
| B．Both are from the writers’ diaries. |
| C．Both are winners of national prizes. |
| D．Both are about history and adventure. |
| A．A textbook. | B．An exam paper. | C．A travel plan. | D．A magazine. |
【推荐1】In any given week, about four dozen kids visit Dr. David Abramson’s preschool-like clinic at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. And while most of them are barely old enough to speak, because of Dr. Abramson and the groundbreaking medical procedure he has created for a rare and potentially deadly eye cancer called retinoblastoma, they can see.
In the past, if the cancer didn’t respond well to then-available treatments, survival required removing the cancerous eye. The parents, however, will often choose to let their children die with their eyes intact rather than live without them.
“This was a transformational change in our field,” says Dr. Abramson, who began using the technique in 2006. “Overnight, we went from taking out children’s eyes to not taking out children’s eyes.”
But there’s an aspect of the technique that Dr. Abramson doesn’t talk about much, even though it is as inspirational as the technique itself. He refused to patent it. Pursuing a patent, he feared, would have meant the technique would be kept secret for a long period of time while the paperwork was approved by the U.S. Trademark and Patent Office. In the meantime, untold numbers of children would have suffered and perhaps died.
Patent experts wouldn’t make a guess on exactly how much money Dr. Abramson left on the Table by not patenting his procedure. But the purpose of a medical procedure patent is that it allows a doctor to profit by teaching others to perform the procedure.
“I want people to know that when I do something, it’s from my scientific heart, not because I have any financial benefit,” he says. “And ultimately, our goal is to help children. Our driving force in this is not to make money. ”
1. What does the underlined word “them” in Paragraph 2 refer to?| A．Eyes. | B．Parents. |
| C．Children. | D．Treatments. |
| A．He feared that the technique might be kept secret forever. |
| B．He didn’t like the idea of teaching others about the technique. |
| C．The application process meant many sufferings and even deaths. |
| D．The application process would require too much money and time. |
| A．To introduce an eye cancer. |
| B．To give credit to Dr. Abramson. |
| C．To recommend an evolutionary cure. |
| D．To show the difficulty of a patent application. |
【推荐2】China will deliver its first homemade C919 large passenger plane by the end of 2022, reported Xinhua.
The plane, developed by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), gained the type certificate (TC) from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) at the end of September.
“The type certificate means the C919 has the ‘certificate of entering’ into the civil aviation market.” Yang Zhenmei a senior CAAC official, told Xinhua. It also shows that China has the ability to independently develop world-class large passenger aircraft, and marks an important milestone for the country’s large aircraft industry.
The C919 is a fourth-generation aircraft, which has a wingspan of nearly 36 meters, a length of about 39 meters and a tail height of around 12 meters. It has 158 to 168 seats. With a range of 4,075 to 5,555 kilometers, the C919 is able to fly between any two cities in China. So far, 800 C919 aircraft have been ordered by 28 customers.
Its aerodynamically — designed wings made from advanced metals and composites (复合材料) help improve fuel efficiency while reducing noise in the cabin. Its cockpit with the latest navigation technology and the so-called “fly by wire” computer controls, makes the C919 competitive with other narrow-body jets.
Wu Guanghui, the chief designer of the C919, said he believes China will need around 2,000 narrow-body jets like the C919 in the future. “It will take up more than 70 percent of the commercial aircraft in China’s civil aviation industry. We decided to make this kind of plane because it’s the most needed product in the market.” said Wu.
1. What can we learn about the C919 from the first two paragraphs?| A．It was delivered to foreign customers. | B．It was built with the help of other countries |
| C．It was moved out of the civil aviation market. | D．It got the type certificate from CAAC in September. |
| A．The size of the C919. | B．The distance that the C919 can fly. |
| C．The advanced technology the C919 used. | D．The number of passengers that the C919 can hold. |
| A．The C919 has huge market potential. | B．The C919 is welcomed by civil passengers. |
| C．China will not make money from selling planes. | D．China is going to rule the world aircraft market. |
| A．To report a key event of the C919. | B．To compare the C919 with other planes. |
| C．To announce the disadvantages of the C919. | D．To support technological innovation of the C919. |
【推荐3】The time that cars could go completely driverless is coming “very soon”, according to Jianxiong Xiao, CEO and founder of AutoX, a Shenzhen-based start-up developing autonomous driving technology.
Now, most regulations across various cities in China still require the presence of a safety driver in vehicles, but the company foresees that as more data gets captured over time, that requirement would be reduced, Xiao told CNBC's “Street Signs Asia" on Wednesday.
The autonomous driving tech firm chose to partner with Alibaba's AMAP — a Chinese mapping service provider --- to roll out its RoboTaxi ride hailing service in Shanghai on Monday. AMAP is a "super mobility app" with almost 500 million active monthly users, according to Xiao.
AutoX had received support from Shanghai authorities to roll out a fleet of 100 autonomous ride-hailing cars in Shanghai's Jiading district in September last year.
Earlier this month, AutoX announced that it had set up an 80,000 square feet RoboTaxi operations center in Shanghai to help facilitate (使容易)operations of its driverless fleet, as well as act as a center to collect data from daily operations.
Backed by investors such as Alibaba, Shanghai Motor and Dongfeng Motor, AutoX is one of the players in the trillion U.S. dollar Chinese autonomous driving vehicles market alongside others like DiDi Chuxing.
Xiao said they were working with the technology to ensure the vehicles were "very, very safe" and are carrying out a lot of testing.
Over a hundred vehicles have been arranged on roads daily to obtain enough data needed to validate the software and system, according to Xiao.
He added that the company was also running a hundred times more simulations (模拟)in the car every day, and the “huge amount of data" would help to prove that the vehicles could be used in "full safety".
“Our goal is not to just make (it) as safe as human beings, but going one step forward to really make...a superhuman safety standard; (cars) that (can) drive much safer than any human being ever,“ Xiao said.
1. What will be most required to go driverless according to CEO of AutoX?| A．Traffic regulations. | B．Driving technology. |
| C．Enough data. | D．Mapping service. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Optimistic. | C．Disappointed. | D．Uncertain. |
| A．test | B．invent | C．develop. | D．design |
| A．Driving Technology |
| B．Science Achievement |
| C．No Driver in the Future |
| D．The Development of Driverless |
【推荐1】Rolland and Adeline are proud parents of nine children. Their youngest two, daughter Lanto and son Rindra, were both born with cleft conditions (唇腭裂). In Madagascar, many families have never seen a cleft, so it’s a condition often greeted with fear in some rural communities
However, the fact of Lanto and Rindra’s cleft wasn’t much of a shock because Rolland’ s cousin had lived his entire life with an untreated cleft. Although seeing a relative with a cleft meant the family weren’t fearful of the condition, they knew the negative impact a cleft could have on a person’s health and their life. As any loving parents would, Rolland and Adeline wanted a better future for their children.
Rolland heard news on the radio about an Operation Smile surgical (外科手术的) programme in Antsirabe, Madagascar. Finding that the children could have the surgery for free was a dream coming true for the family. Unlike the situation in other countries, for example, UK, health services weren’t free in many places and the costs were out of reach for most families.
It was a four-hour walk for Rolland to reach the hospital. Rolland was put in touch with Mr. Dadafara, a Patient Advocate, to connect with families and ease any fears they might have. Mr. Dadafara also told Rolland where to catch the free bus to the surgical site.
When Rolland and his children arrived at the patient village, they were surprised to see so many other families in the same position. After a medical judgment, Lanto was found to be fit for surgery, and later got the new smile her parents had dreamed of. But for Rindra, the journey to a new smile would take longer.
Rindra was underweight due to feeding problems and suffered from a respiratory infection (呼吸道感染), both common problems for children with cleft conditions. Thankfully, Rindra was referred to Operation Smile’s nutrition programme until he is strong enough to get the surgery like his sister.
1. How did the couple feel about their children’s cleft conditions?| A．They were worried. | B．They were disappointed. |
| C．They were hopeful. | D．They were frightened. |
| A．It’s a surgical programme in UK. | B．It offered cleft surgery for free. |
| C．It’s presented on the television. | D．It provided any help to those in need. |
| A．He was afraid of the operation. | B．He wasn’t on the waiting list. |
| C．He didn’t do medical check—up. | D．He was in poor health condition. |
| A．Waiting for New Smiles. | B．Wishing for the Best. |
| C．Thanking for Kindness. | D．Looking for New Chances. |
【推荐2】Jo Land was surprised when she realized how much her youngest son’s school uniform cost. “A jumper was £25. A polo shirt was £15,” she says. “If it was this expensive for us, how on earth must families with three or four children manage?”
In December 2021, Land decided to start her project and she put a box outside her house, with a sign reading, “School uniform drop-off”. She set up a Facebook group and asked people to drop good-quality used uniforms into the box. The operation started to grow almost immediately. “Some weeks I give out up to 48 uniforms,” she says. People drive up and drop the clothing. She sorts through it, keeps it in her “stock room” and posts details about donations on the Facebook group. The first parent to message her gets the items for nothing. Land puts the items in a named bag and then returns it to the box. Recipients(接受者)can come and collect at their leisure.
“Being able to access good-quality preloved school uniforms has been a lifeline,” says Kristina, a mother of two. “It’s just amazing.”
“Every child going to school deserves to feel smart and proud,” Land says. “We don’t want children to go to school feeling negative, because that affects their learning. Land has noticed that people rarely take without also giving. Sometimes people leave flowers on the box, or they drop off some outgrown clothes too.
Right now, Land is thinking about all the people in her community who will struggle this winter and she gets so many messages from people who are absolutely desperate, because they cannot afford uniforms for their children. Her determination to ensure children to access the uniforms grows ever stronger.
1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?| A．To present the argument | B．To describe a touching story |
| C．To arouse sympathy for the poor | D．To introduce the theme |
| A．How the school uniforms are selected. | B．The importance of the Facebook group. |
| C．The popularity of the exchange project. | D．How the school uniform project works. |
| A．School learning is associated with fashion. |
| B．Recipients are required to give by the project. |
| C．Many people in Land’s community need uniforms. |
| D．Land is motivated to design new uniforms for children. |
| A．Brave and grateful. | B．Honest and energetic. |
| C．Kind-hearted and creative. | D．Ambitious and humorous. |
【推荐3】After moving from a refugee camp (难民营) to a big city, 18-year-old Dhakal wanted to give back to his community.
A few years ago, while working at a restaurant, Dhakal met a homeless man. While cleaning tables, he talked with the man, and the man shared his story about how he became homeless. “One of the necessities he needed was clothes, so that is where I got the idea,” Dhakal explained.
Dhakal Collects Clothes hosted its first clothing drive in 2019. He collected everything, including socks, hats, jackets, coats and shoes. “With that project, I was able to bring so many people together and change so many lives,” said Dhakal.
For Dhakal, Dhakal Collects Clothes is just a start. In the future, he wants to own a multimillion-dollar business that focuses on giving its money away to help others. To help him meet that goal, a kind person introduced Dhakal to Cuban, a billionaire philanthropist (慈善家), who is also one of Dhakal’s heroes. Cuban, who said that he knew what it was like to struggle and want to give back, gave Dhakal a specific goal: Collect 575 coats to give away to those in need.
While Dhakal first struggled to collect coats, he used a piece of advice from Cuban to give himself: He networked with Amy, who worked at a local charity organization. In 4 days, he collected thousands of coats, much more than his initial goal.
“I never dreamed of collecting 3, 000 coats, but the people that I connected with made it possible,” Dhakal said.
“You're setting an example, Dhakal. It isn't about connections,” Cuban said. “It isn't about who you know. Effort. It's all about how hard you're willing to work to get something done.”
1. What inspired Dhakal to start his charity project?| A．His tiring job in a restaurant. | B．The advice of a homeless man. |
| C．His desire to get away from poverty. | D．The experience of a poor man he met. |
| A．Give him some useful advice. | B．Donate lots of clothes to him. |
| C．Share the skills in making money. | D．Persuade others to network with him. |
| A．Embarrassed. | B．Surprised. | C．Worried. | D．Proud. |
| A．The original goal of his project. | B．His ambitious plan for the future. |
| C．His hard work and determination. | D．His connections with other people. |
