I remember the moment — it truly hit me that your autism(自闭症) lasted forever. I had already mentally planned our trips up north with the boys. I was going to spend endless hours playing baseball with you — like Grandpa did with me.
When we said goodbye to kindergarten I knew it was real. I spent some time being sad. Now you are 8. You still have no words. We have never had one of those father-son moments I pictured when you were a baby. But I’m learning that’s OK. I still have unbelievable things to offer as your dad, even if they weren’t the things I originally expected.
You have taught me to be patient. You have taught me that it’s OK to be different and to be sad when life doesn’t go as planned. You have taught me that it is OK to talk about those feelings and fight for what is right. Stand up and say this is wrong, and encourage others to stand up for you and say the same.
My job on this earth is to create a world for you and other kids like you. Be the voice you don’t have, and build the kind of community which I want to see you grow up in. I used to shy a way from contacting people with disabilities or just not consider them. Before you were born, I was so caught up in my own world that I probably wouldn’t have even noticed. Now, I see things differently. I notice. You did that for me. And hope my example will do that for others.
Your mom and I have spent 8 years trying to find your voice. And honestly, we don’t know if we ever will. I promise you I will spend my life keeping you safe and making this world better for you.
1. What can be learned about the author?| A．He is at a loss what to do to help Jack. | B．He is to blame for Jack’s present condition. |
| C．He has changed his attitude to the disabled. | D．He hasn’t accepted the reality up to now. |
| A．Ashamed. | B．Caring. |
| C．Regretful. | D．Indifferent. |
| A．Science. | B．Entertainment. |
| C．Sports. | D．Relationship. |
| A．Angry. | B．Surprised. | C．Nervous. |
3 . Teen Hands-On Journalism (新闻工作) Workshop
The Iowa City Public Library is working with Launch Student News (LSN) to offer a six-session (六节) journalism workshop for students in sixth through 12th grade.
LSN is a volunteer organization working to promote (促进) journalism. The workshop will be led by Victoria Feng and Malini Pillai. Feng is director and founder of LSN and a high school student with work recently published (发表) in The New York Times. Pillai is LSN’s director of education and opinion editor for their high school paper.
In this workshop, students will be introduced to reporting basics and get hands-on experience writing news, opinion and sports articles. By the end, students will have the skills needed to report the news in their own communities.
If you love to write, are interested in joining the school newspaper, or just want to learn more about journalism, sign up for this program. No experience is necessary.
You are expected to attend all sessions. The dates are below:
Monday September 13th 6 pm — 7 pm
Monday September 20th 6 pm — 7 pm
Monday September 27th 6 pm — 7 pm
Monday October 4th 6 pm — 7 pm
Monday October 11th 6 pm — 7 pm
Monday October 18th 6 pm — 7 pm
The program will be held online. Teens can attend from home or meet in the Koza Family Teen Center at the Iowa City Public Library to watch and learn together. Registration (注册) is required for students joining from home, but not necessary for those attending in person at the library.
1. What will students do in the workshop?| A．Learn to write sports articles. | B．Do research on famous newspapers. |
| C．Report news about their communities. | D．Get hands-on experience printing newspapers. |
| A．It will start at 7 pm on September 13th. |
| B．It will finish on Monday October 11th. |
| C．It will take place once a week for six weeks. |
| D．It will have six sessions with each lasting for two hours. |
| A．They must register. | B．They must be in 12th grade. |
| C．They must have reporting experience. | D．They must attend at least three sessions. |
4 . After the fire, what now?
Bishop Patrick Chauvet, Notre Dame’s manager, admitted that the famous building would close for “five to six years” as he spoke with local business owners Wednesday. He added that it was unclear what the church’s 67 employees would be doing in the future but he promised the building would revive after being restored. French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday that he wanted the church rebuilt in five years.
﹡What are the new rules?
While tourists can’t go inside the site itself, the area still may prove popular to those paying their respects. Visitors are welcome to write messages of support about both the main and local city halls.
The island that houses the church has been closed and the people there have been evacuated since the fire. Paris businessmen who depend on Notre Dame tourism are worried about the church’s future as well as their own.
﹡________
It’s known that spring is a busy time for tourists in Paris. The travel companies recommend people visit other places, like the Basilique Saint-Denis, the Sacre-Coeur and so on. Those who tend to observe church services during Holy Week are advised to go to Saint-Eustache.
﹡Looking ahead to rebuilding.
It seems rebuilding can begin, since firefighters put out the fire early Tuesday, more than 12 hours after nearly 400 firefighters had battled the flames that changed the city’s skyline. Two policemen and one firefighter were slightly injured, according to the Paris Fire Service.
A large campaign to raise money is already underway to rebuild the church. Up to Wednesday, donations had come to $1 billion.
1. What can we learn from what the manager said?| A．The famous building will be closed forever. |
| B．The building will be rebuilt in the future. |
| C．The government will give the employees jobs. |
| D．The president will make a plan to rebuild the building. |
| A．Saint-Eustache is favored by tourists. | B．Tour companies offer other choices. |
| C．Church culture develops fast in Paris. | D．The best time to visit Paris is spring. |
| A．The government will arrange work for 67 employees. |
| B．Visitors will be forbidden to leave messages anywhere. |
| C．Churches in Paris will also be examined and repaired. |
| D．More money will be donated for the rebuilding project. |
5 . From interactive (互动的) games to unique ways to explore the past, Ontario’s museums are filled with familyfriendly programs and activities that make learning fun.
Ontario Science Centre
At Ontario Science Centre, there’s no room for boredom with the exciting and endless interactive activities and programs. Special exhibits (展览品) and live performances continue to amaze minds full of curiosity. The Weston Family Innovation Centre challenges families to be more creative in their problemsolving.
Muskoka Heritage Place
Spend a day at Muskoka Museum, Muskoka Pioneer Village, Rotary Village Station and the Portage Flyer Train. Discover the history of Huntsville and the local people at the museum. Next, take a train ride along the Muskoka River to Fairy Lake Station aboard the classic Portage Flyer Train. Tour guides at the Muskoka Pioneer Village help recreate the way of life in the area over 100 years ago.
Simcoe County Museum
Simcoe County Museum is the perfect combination (结合) of exciting familyfriendly exhibits and a true learning experience. It is filled with all kinds of tools to sharpen young minds. Check the daily programming schedule for available activities.
Toronto Railway Museum
Take your family with you and spend a full day exploring the Toronto Railway Museum, which is located in Toronto’s historic Roundhouse Park and minutes away from the CN Tower. Beyond learning about the history of Canadian railroads, you can also take an exciting ride on the mini train with your little ones.Be sure to visit the gift shop, which is filled with fun trainthemed toys, so your family can remember your day at the roundhouse.
1. What can you do at Ontario Science Centre?| A．Join in science competitions. | B．Try solving problems creatively. |
| C．Challenge some great minds. | D．Take a train ride in the centre. |
| A．Look for a tour guide. | B．Bring the required tools. |
| C．Learn some exhibits in advance. | D．Find out the available activities. |
| A．Ontario Science Centre. | B．Toronto Railway Museum. |
| C．Simcoe County Museum. | D．Muskoka Heritage Place. |
6 . Every year in May, art galleries and museums prepare shows to honour Leonardo da Vinci, who died in France on May 2, 1519. He is remembered as one of the greatest artists and the most creative thinkers of all time. His most famous paintings are Mona Lisa and The Last Supper.
Recently, researchers have been studying a painting-Landscape 8P, which they think is Leonardo’s earliest-known artwork. They used special lighting to study the artwork and discovered there were two images (图像), not one. One drawing is on the back of the piece, which dates back to August 5,1473.
The drawing on the front was painted when Leonardo was 21 years old. It shows a river valley and a castle outside the city of Florence. There is little left of the drawing on the back, perhaps because it was wiped off. Only a bridge over a river can be seen. But there is writing on both sides.
The writing on the front gives the date and goes from right to left. Some people would call this “mirror writing”. It’s a way Leonardo often wrote in his notebooks. The writing on the back goes from left to right and tells an agreement, probably to produce a work of art.
Cecilia Frosinini is an art historian. She said, “By looking at his writing, including that from this drawing, we can see his right-handed handwriting is educated and well done.”
Experts compared the two handwriting samples (样本) and said they were both made by Leonardo. They show he could write well using his left hand or his right hand.
The drawing is known as Landscape 8P from its number in an art list. It is part of an exhibit at Italy’s Uffizi Gallery. The gallery-director, Eike Schmidt, said by studying the drawing researchers gave us a new way of looking at Leonardo’s drawing technique and his abilities in writing.
1. Which of the following mentioned in the text has been studied by researchers recently?| A．Mona Lisa. | B．Landscape 8P. |
| C．Mirror-writing. | D．The Last Supper. |
| A．A statement about the painting. |
| B．An introduction about Leonardo. |
| C．An agreement to produce a painting. |
| D．Something about the city of Florence. |
| A．He could write with either of his hands. |
| B．He did badly in right-handed handwriting. |
| C．He wasn’t good at writing with his left hand. |
| D．He taught himself to write with his right hand. |
| A．Unclear. | B．Indifferent. | C．Doubtful. | D．Positive. |
7 . Have you ever come home from a vacation feeling more tired out than you were before you left? Many travellers live a busy, stressful life, and the same pace only continues on a trip as they rush from one attraction to another. But there’s a movement that has quietly appeared as a choice for travellers: slow travel.
Imagine living for a week in a small French cottage, buying fresh vegetables from the farmer’s market every morning, sipping (抿) coffee in your favourite sidewalk cafe, and taking day trips to neighbouring villages and towns. Sound fantastic? That’s the magic of slow travel, where the emphasis (重点) is less on sightseeing and more on taking in your surroundings at a relaxed pace.
Travelling more slowly allows you to form a stronger connection with the place you’re visiting, and you’ll feel much less rushed. With a “slow” plan, you won’t experience the stress of attempting to knock out every sight in your guidebook. Instead, you’ll stay in one place long enough to recognize your neighbours or pick a favourite coffee house.
Another less obvious advantage of slow travel is that it’s generally much easier on the environment than other types of travel. While airplanes have been considered as major causes of global warming, trains are a much more eco-friendly alternative (可供选择的事物) — as are bikes and, of course, your own two feet!
Slow travel is often kinder to your budget as well. Staying in one place for a week or more at a time reduces your transportation costs, and vacation rentals are often more cost-efficient than hotels since they allow you to cook your own food instead of eating out for every meal.
One thing to keep in mind: while the pace of slow travel may be relaxing, getting up close and personal with a new culture is much more challenging than just breezing through the major tourist sites. Part of the difficulty of slow travel is overcoming language barriers, differences in customs, and other potential blocks to make connections with the new people you meet.
1. Why do many people feel less relaxed after travelling?| A．They have no travel plan. | B．They always live a busy life. |
| C．They have a tight travel schedule. | D．They have too many attractions to explore. |
| A．Movements of slow travel. |
| B．Some benefits of slow travel. |
| C．The appearance of a new type of travel. |
| D．Several practical challenges of slow travel. |
| A．To introduce a kind of travel. |
| B．To explain how to plan slow travel. |
| C．To share some opinions about travel. |
| D．To help get rid of the pressure from travel. |
8 . Sarah had just moved to a new town over the summer. She was
On the first day of school. Sarah arrived early. She was surprised by the
Sarah was taken aback by Emma’s
Throughout the day, Sarah found other students were just as
As the day went on, Sarah realized that she had made more friends in a single day than she ever thought possible. She felt a sense of
Looking back on that first day of high school, Sarah realized that she had learned a valuable lesson: no matter what
| A．frightened | B．nervous | C．serious | D．confident |
| A．miss | B．call | C．know | D．invite |
| A．decided | B．agreed | C．failed | D．refused |
| A．name | B．size | C．facility | D．location |
| A．guessed | B．believed | C．noticed | D．reported |
| A．give up | B．come along | C．fit in | D．make it |
| A．strange | B．special | C．fearful | D．unexpected |
| A．introduced | B．told | C．taught | D．asked |
| A．imagine | B．reach | C．clear | D．find |
| A．patience | B．kindness | C．courage | D．style |
| A．curious | B．simple | C．friendly | D．smart |
| A．classmates | B．teammates | C．students | D．family |
| A．humor | B．peace | C．connection | D．freedom |
| A．challenges | B．opportunities | C．dangers | D．truth |
| A．service | B．trust | C．suggestion | D．encouragement |
9 . In San Francisco, a large group of sea lions move themselves out of the bay waters and hang out on PIER 39, which is a popular tourist destination. According to dock (码头) officials, this is the most sea lions seen in the region in 15 years.
“Over 1,000 sea lions have been counted this week,” PIER 39 harbor master Sheila Chandor told many different medias. “The increase in sea lions is usually a good sign of their strong population and healthy living environment,” said Adam Ratner, Director of Conservation Engagement at the Marine Mammal (海洋哺乳动物) Center in Sausalito, California.
“California sea lions are sentinels (哨兵) of the ocean,” Ratner said. Their population to some extent reflects the health of the ocean. Therefore, seeing a large number of California sea lions is clearly a good thing.
For nearly 35 years, the animals have been a star attraction for visitors. That autumn in 1989, PIER 39 had just been repaired, but the ships had not yet been moved back. At that moment, the sea lions’ unexpected arrival not only attracted fans but also created enemies. According to a website, some dock residents and workers were scared away by the strong and very unpleasant smell and noise of their new neighbors, while others saw these animals as a bright spot after the destructive Loma Prieta earthquake.
The officials sought help from the Marine Mammal Center to find a way to deal with sea lions. Ratner said that the final decision is to let the sea lions stay and coexist with humans. “The fact prove that this is really a good thing,” he said. “This is just a proof of how we can truly work together at think about how we can share our coasts with marine mammals and other wildlife in a way that benefit all the parties involved.”
1. How does the author start the text?| A．By describing a scene. | B．By answering a question. |
| C．By holding a conversation. | D．By comparing different opinions. |
| A．The sea lions are migrating. |
| B．The sea environment is good. |
| C．The sea wildlife is threatened. |
| D．The sea water should be cleaned. |
| A．He was uninterested in the sea lions. |
| B．He was in favor of the final decision. |
| C．He was doubtful about living with the sea lions. |
| D．He was concerned about the situation of the sea lions. |
| A．Sea lions are pretty cool animals. |
| B．Animals and humans can live in harmony. |
| C．Watching sea lions is popular in San Francisco. |
| D．The growing sea lions appear in San Francisco. |
10 . Bridge Design All Over the World
Hartland Covered Bridge
The Hartland Covered Bridge is the world’s longest covered bridge. The 1, 282-foot-longbridge was opened in 1901 and has been on Canada’s list of National Historic Sites since 1980. Although it was originally built without a roof, the bridge was capped with wooden materials during the repairs in 1921.
Rio-Niteroi Bridge
Completed in 1974, the Rio-Niteroi Bridge in Brazil is the second-longest bridge in all of Latin America connecting the cities of Rio and Niteroi across the Guanabara Bay. The Rio-Niteroi Bridge is technically known as a “box-girder” bridge, made of special concrete. It receives an astonishing 140, 000 (or more) vehicles per day.
Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge
No bridge is as long as the Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge in the world. The 164. 8-kilometre-long bridge built in 2011 in China operates as part of the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway. The trip from Ningbo to Jiaxing that previously took 4. 5 hours has been reduced to two, thanks to this bridge.
Jiaozhou Bay Bridge
The newly-built Jiaozhou Bay Bridge in China was named “world’s longest bridge over water” by Guinness Book of World Records in 2011, a title previously held by the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway. The dispute was settled when the title of “longest continuous bridge over water” was given to the causeway, with the Jiaozhou Bay Bridge receiving the title of “longest bridge over water”.
1. What is the special feature of the Hartland Covered Bridge?| A．It has a roof. | B．It is a busy bridge |
| C．It is a wooden bridge. | D．It is the longest bridge. |
| A．Rio-Niteroi Bridge. | B．Jiaozhou Bay Bridge. |
| C．Hartland Covered Bridge. | D．Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge. |
| A．In America. | B．In Brazil. | C．In Canada. | D．In China. |
