A twenty-three-year-old Dutch student has enjoyed a short but unexpected holiday in Dubai. Mr Frank Vreede, a business student, had taken a part-time job at Schiphol Airport to help pay for his studies. He worked as a baggage handler and was responsible for loading the suitcases into the hold of passenger planes.
Last Friday night, after an exhausting day in the university library preparing for his final exams, Frank was loading a plane at the airport. He was waiting for the next baggage truck to arrive and he felt tired. He decided to have a quick rest, so he sat down in the hold of the plane and shut his eyes—just for a moment.
However, while he was sleeping, the plane took off. An hour later, Frank woke up and was frightened to discover that the plane was in the air. There was a terrible noise from the engines, and he tried not to be afraid. Frank knew the flight would be long because it was an airline from the Middle East. He also knew he could not survive the freezing temperature. It was an impossible situation.
He decided to make as much noise as possible. He banged on the ceiling of the baggage hold and shouted at the top of his voice. Luckily, a passenger heard the noise and told the pilot. Once the captain understood what was happening, he ordered hot air to be pumped into the hold.
When the plane arrived at Dubai International Airport, doctors examined him but he was unhurt. The managing director of one of Dubai’s top hotels offered him a free room for the weekend.
Frank explained that he was very lucky because it is possible to die of cold in the hold of an aircraft. He apologized to his boss for sleeping at work instead of working, and promised it would not happen again. “During the flight I was petrified. I thought I was going to die!” said Mr Vreede. “I wouldn’t want to do it again. Next time, I’ll catch a regular flight!”
1. Which of the following statements is the explanation of “It was an impossible situation” (in paragraph 3)?| A．The long flight might not end as scheduled. |
| B．It was too cold to survive in the hold of the plane. |
| C．Frank was too tired to let others know what happened. |
| D．The noise would keep Frank awake during the journey. |
| A．He was found seriously hurt. |
| B．He was sent back home immediately. |
| C．He stayed in a hotel for the weekend. |
| D．He apologized to his manager for his mistake. |
| A．shocked | B．bored | C．worried | D．terrified |
| A．A Free Flight to Dubai |
| B．A Short but Pleasant Journey to Dubai |
| C．A Successful Flight |
| D．A Smart but Unlucky Baggage Handler |
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【推荐1】In November 2020, US climber Emily Harrington, 34, took on EI Captain—a 3,000 foot (917 meters) rock formation (岩层) in Yosemite National Park, US. She accomplished her feat (壮举) within a day and became the first woman to free-climb the Golden Gate route.
It used to take weeks for rock climbers to reach the top of EI Captain, even with the help of a partner and climbing aids. In recent years, only three people—all me—had free-climbed the Golden Gate route on EI Captain in under 24 hours, according to CNN.
The number of female climbers has been rising in recent years. Even in the pandemic, many of them have made great achievements and pushed human limits. “I had never expected to earn my place to a Yosemite climber. But throughout this experience I have learned that there is no formula to achievement up there,” she said.
The rising number of female climbing enthusiasts should come as no surprise. According to the website Climbing.com, “Climbing is one of the few sports where it’s possible to level the playing field. Women’s superior strength-to-weight ratio (比例）helps offset (弥补) anything we may lack in power or reach, bridging the gap between the sexes.”
Legendary Austrian climber Angela Eiter is another strong female figure in the climbing world. In 2020 Eiter made news as she climbed the unknown face she calls Madame Ching in her home country.
According to New York Post, the route was free of traces. That means Eiter had to search for the holds and predict how the moves were going to play out by herself. Worse still, the rock there is really fragile and some holds had to be fixed with glue. But after intensive indoor training to visualize the route and build up the strength, Eiter, who stands 154cm high and weighs 46kg, made it.
“I am not the strongest woman and I am very small, and I am happy that I can show other women that they can also do it,” she told the reporter.
1. What did Emily Harrington accomplish?| A．She reached the top of EI Captain in less than a day. |
| B．She free-climbed the Golden Gate route within weeks. |
| C．She was the first person to take on EI Captain successfully. |
| D．She free-climbed the Golden Gate route without climbing aids. |
| A．Give a sense of belonging. |
| B．Give someone an advantage. |
| C．Make a situation more balanced. |
| D．Allow someone to prove themselves. |
| A．There were no holds to use. |
| B．There were no beaten path to follow. |
| C．There was a lack of necessities like glue. |
| D．Her prediction about the route was wrong. |
| A．Always battle others. |
| B．Find where you belong. |
| C．Work hard to be a role model. |
| D．Be brave and pursue your goal. |
【推荐2】Cheng Gang is a home renovation (整修) worker in Zhongzhai Town, southwest China’s Guizhou Province. Living in a three-story building with his family, he has a steady income. It is hard to imagine that he used to worry about where his next meal will come from a few years ago.
At that time, he lived in Daping Village and grew corn for a low income. The village sits in the steep mountains at an elevation of 1,800 meters, where wild monkeys are commonly seen. To the villagers, the naughty monkeys are both their old neighbors and a big trouble. Chen’s cornfields were damaged by them from time to time.
To protect the ecological environment while solving the problem of poverty, the government carried out a relocation policy by moving residents to Zhongzhai in early 2017. The policy has bought changes to Chen and other villagers. The goal of the policy was not just to relocate villagers but make their lives better and solve practical problems after the move.
The mountain roads were steep in Daping. Children had to walk five kilometers for over one hour to school. And during rainy days, falls were frequent occurrences. Now the children from the relocated households can go to a school that’s only about 100 meters away, with more qualified teachers and better facilities.
The happiest thing for Chen and his fellow villagers is that they have finally shaken off poverty after years of hoping. The town government provides free training courses on various working skills. Having learned how to renovate a house, Chen’s monthly income is about 3,000 yuan. His wife also found a job in a nearby tea mountain.
Meanwhile, their relocation has given wild monkeys a better environment in the nature reserve. There are about 2,000 wild monkeys in the world, of which around 730 inhabit the Mayang River National Reserve. As being neighbors with monkeys has become a thing of the past, people from Daping Village are embracing the new life they have hoped for.
1. What do you know about Chen Gang according to the text?| A．Wild monkeys are his special friends. |
| B．He has lived in a three-story building since seven years ago. |
| C．He is paid a regular paycheck as a house renovation worker. |
| D．He lives in a house at an elevation of 1,800 meters in southwest China. |
| A．A steady income. | B．A three-story building |
| C．Moving out of the village. | D．Getting rid of the wild monkeys. |
| A．It is a policy the villagers have hoped for. |
| B．The policy has benefited the children a lot. |
| C．All the villagers moved into three-story building. |
| D．Most villagers were given a job in a tea mountain. |
| A．Protect Your Friends: Wild Monkeys. |
| B．A Relocation Policy to Help Shake Off Poverty. |
| C．Be a Renovation Worker for a Steady Income. |
| D．Relocate to Given the Children a Better Education. |
【推荐3】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1】Soon after Savannah Phillips got fastened into her window seat on a United Airlines flight this past May, she glanced over at her seatmate. He was in his 60s and was busy texting. The letters were unusually large and the screen was bright, making it easy for Phillips to read what he was typing out: “Hey Babe, I’m sitting next to a smelly fatty.”
“It was like confirmation of the negative things I think about myself on a daily basis,” the 33-year-old mother wrote in a Facebook post after the flight. Soon tears streamed down her cheeks.
Sitting a row behind them was Chase Irwin, a 35-year-old bar manager. He could see the man’s texts, too. And he could see Phillips. “I noticed her looking at his phone. I was sick to my stomach. I could not have this guy sit next to her this whole flight and her thinking he’s making fun of her.” he told Nashville’s News Channel 5.
Instantly, Irwin had unfastened his seat belt and was overlooking the texter. “Hey, I need to talk to you,” he continued, “We are switching seats, now.” When asked why, Irwin said, “You’re texting about her, and I’m not putting up with that.”
The texter agreed. Irwin took his place next to Phillips and was soon cheering up his new seatmate.
“He encouraged me not to let that guy get to me and that everything was going to be fine.” Phillips wrote.
And he was right. She and Irwin spent the rest of the flight chatting like old friends.
With her faith in humanity restored, Philips wrote on Facebook, “The flight attendant told him that he was her hero. He wasn’t her hero—he was mine.”
1. Why did Savannah Phillips weep?| A．She sensed her seatmate’s unfriendliness. | B．She was confirmed that her seatmate was ill. |
| C．She was disgusted by the smelly seatmate. | D．She felt embarrassed at her weight problem. |
| A．He had a stomachache. | B．He was familiar with Phillips. |
| C．He liked Philips. | D．He was kind by nature. |
| A．Philips didn’t believe in humanity. |
| B．Philips was grateful to Chase Irwin. |
| C．Such heroes were needed in every flight. |
| D．Flight attendants should deal with such incidents. |
| A．A hero of the attendant | B．A romantic encounter |
| C．A journey of hurt and joy | D．Humanity lost forever |
【推荐2】My mother is a teacher. I often asked her, “ Why do you teach? What keeps you teaching?” The answer was always the same. “There is always that one child, that one moment that is worth it.”
Now, I am a teacher, too. But different from my mother, I teach students challenging activities outdoors. And when my mother asked me the similar questions, my answer was, “It’s that one child, that one special moment.”
One of those moments happened recently. I was working with a group of girls in a four-week programme. Everything went on well through the “Team” events and we were moving on to a“High” one called the Wire Walk.
In the Wire Walk, each girl had to climb up the pegs in a tree to a wire, 8 meters high, and then walk across it. Of course, everything was safe for sure.
When it was Susie's turn, it seemed that she didn't really want to. I asked Susie if she was ready. She answered softly, “I suppose.”
Now, Susie was at the foot of the tree. She started to make the long reach. Then I found Susie was becoming nervous with every step. I realized she would not go much further.
Susie was halfway up. Then she stopped and held the tree tight, looking very afraid. Her eyes were closed. With her face against the tree, she cried, “I can't.”
The other girls sat in silence. I talked quietly to Susie, trying to relax her. I talked for a long time till I ran out of words.
“I will still be your friend no matter what, Susie!” Mary broke the silence.
To my surprise, Susie lifted her head and looked up to the wire. Then she turned to look down at Mary and smiled. Mary smiled back.
Finally, Susie made it all the way across that wire. When she returned to the ground, the first hug she looked for was from Mary. We all cheered. Moments like this keep me doing what I do.
1. Why did Susie stop halfway up to the wire?| A．It was too high for her to reach. | B．She was too afraid to move on. |
| C．Something was wrong with it. | D．The teacher asked her to do it. |
| A．To try again herself. | B．To relax the writer. |
| C．To encourage Susie. | D．To draw Susie's attention. |
| A．Helping others is helping ourselves. |
| B．A word of encouragement matters a lot. |
| C．Outdoor activities bring people closer than ever. |
| D．A good method plays an important role in teaching. |
| A．The Wire Walk | B．That One Moment | C．Fear and Courage | D．The Young Hearts |
It was a difficult time with physical and mental challenges that led her employer in our local hospital to let her go after 25 years of service! Lastly, my neighbor Joan, who is a nurse in our local hospital was diagnosed with esophageal(食道) cancer in December. She went through radiation and a long recovery — but thankfully she is in remission(缓解).
Anyway, in short I was leaving my house this afternoon and she stopped me to thank me for cutting her grass. She told me her dad passed away on Friday and she just arrived home from the funeral service, so she didn’t know when she would have time to cut her grass. So, when she arrived home and saw it cut she was more than happy and grateful! I said to her, "You are welcome.It’s just a small act of kindness for a neighbor."
I did it for exercise and pleasure, not knowing it meant more to her than just doing a neighbor a favor!
1. Although a lot of unfortunate matters happened to Joan, she is still .
| A．pessimistic | B．optimistic |
| C．depressed | D．disappointed |
| A．Happy. | B．Exciting. | C．Simple. | D．Hard. |
| A．Joan is unlucky. |
| B．Joan lives happily. |
| C．Joan has retired. |
| D．Joan’ employer doesn’t like her. |
| A．She feels sad. |
| B．She feels only happy. |
| C．She feels very happy and thankful. |
| D．She feels easy. |
