1 . J. K. Rowling frequently shows there is magic every day. Her Harry Potter series has helped people through times of stress and depression and she is always there to deliver wise words of encouragement.
She is one celebrity who is very active on Twitter. So when a single dad named Matt Burke sent her a message thanking her for the series, she noticed. Her series had helped strengthen his relationship with his 9yearold daughter Bailey.
He included a link to his article titled Being a Broke Parent. He explained how he hadn’t found a level of financial stability that allowed him to pay bills on time and take his daughter on more activities and events. The family also doesn’t have the Internet or TV, which means there’s no “digital babysitter” and he has to rely on his own creative ways to bond with his daughter. Since he received the series, the main thing that has occupied them these days is reading books together.
Burke admits that he thought he was “too cool” for the books when they first came out and he was in his twenties, but he’s loving reading them now. “We switch off chapter by chapter reading them out loud,“Burke explains.” This not only allows her to get more used to reading aloud in front of someone, but it gets me directly involved in something she loves, and it gives me the chance to be very dramatic when I read my chapters and bring myself into the characters in the book, which has proven to be a ton of fun.”
After hearing Burke’s story, Rowling said how honored she was when Harry Potter was a part of his family’s life and offered Burke more books. Besides, people are also offering to send Burke more books as gifts. For Burke, this experience, far more than gifts, will be what he treasures.
1. Why did Burke thank J. K. Rowling according to the text?A.She guided him how to write a good story. |
B.She encouraged him when he was in trouble. |
C.Her books helped him through times of confusion. |
D.Her books helped him improve his bond with his daughter. |
A.He has found it interesting to read the series. | B.He was too old to understand the series better. |
C.He has chosen a better way of reading the series. | D.He hopes to play a role in the drama in the future. |
A.Useless. | B.Normal. | C.Valuable. | D.Boring. |
A.J. K. Rowling chooses to help improve kids’ health. |
B.J. K. Rowling gives a magical gift to a single father. |
C.J. K. Rowling has a deep influence on others’ growth. |
D.Burke comes to know J. K. Rowling through her series. |
2 . Have you ever suddenly developed an appetite from a passing glance at a freeway billboard featuring a brightly colored cheeseburger, or decided to step into a candy or ice cream store displaying a window full of lively shades and hues (色调) of sweet treats?If so, you are in good company. Unless we are medically restricted or strictly dieting, we are not likely to resist inviting fare simply because we recognize the lack of nutritional value.
Devina Wadhera and Elizabeth D. CapaldiPhillips in A Review of Visual Cues Associated with Food on Food Acceptance and Consumption recognize the impact of sensory cues (信号) on food consumption and enjoyment, and the potential they have to promote healthy eating behavior. They cite previous research in providing some interesting examples of the visual impact of different color schemes (方案) on taste and food enjoyment. They note that pink food on a white plate was considered sweeter and more flavorful than the same food on a black plate. Apparently, we consume food with more of our senses than we realize.
So when we’re faced with so many appealing food choices and given the rainbow of colors around us, is there any way to control our appetite? Thankfully, some research says yes.
Oliver Genschow demonstrated that when it comes to eating less, colors impact consumption. They specifically researched the effect of the color red. They found that people ate fewer pretzels when using a red plate, as opposed to white or blue, and drank less from a red cup than a blue cup. They suggested that the color red reduces food and drink intake by functioning as a stop signal.
But when it comes to healthy eating, instead of putting on a pair of sunglasses to block the inviting hues of food cues, consider the value of discipline. Healthy eating involves intentional choices, not mindless responses to sensory cues. And before you invest in much red tableware to slim down, remember that what goes onto the plates is much more important.
1. What may be a major reason for us to refuse eyecatching food?A.The shortage of nutrition. |
B.The rich color of fine foods. |
C.The doctor's instructions. |
D.Advertisements everywhere. |
A.Benefits of different color schemes. |
B.Interesting examples of food service. |
C.The potential to promote food consumption. |
D.Effects of sensory cues on eating behavior. |
A.Follow the sensory response. |
B.Make food choices sensibly. |
C.Wear sunglasses to block colors. |
D.Avoid colorful food intentionally. |
A.How Can People Control Their Appetite? |
B.How Are People Tricked by Color Schemes? |
C.How Do Colors Impact Food's Appeal and Appetite? |
D.How Do Bright Colors Make Food More Appealing? |
Karie double-checked the words on her spelling test. If she got 100 percent today, she’d win her class’ First-Quarter Spelling Challenge and a brand new dictionary. Plus, Ms. McCormack had promised to do a handstand if anyone got a perfect score.
Three more words to go. N-i-c-e-l-y. Q-u-i-c-k-l-y. H-o-n-e-s-t-y. Wait! She’d spelled honesty, not honestly. She hurriedly erased the t-y and wrote l-y before handing in her paper. d
Ms. McCormack graded the test papers at the break. Meanwhile, Karie sat restlessly in her seat with her fingers crossed. Then, Ms. McCormack walked to the front of the room and cleared her throat. As if she were an Olympic gymnast, Ms. McCormack’s feet flipped in to the air.
“Congratulations, Karie! You did it!” she announced while upside down. The whole class burst into applause! Ms. McCormack righted herself and presented Karie with her prize. Karie grinned as she read the label on the box: To Karie Carter, for her perfect first-quarter score in spelling.
“Everything OK?” Mom asked as Karie burst through the front door after school. Karie didn’t answer. As if by magic, she took out her spelling test paper and prize and showed them to her mother. Mom hugged her, asking her to put the test paper on the fridge so that Dad could see it when he got home.
Karie took another look at the test paper before putting it on the fridge. Her hands stopped in the midair. She just couldn’t believe her own eyes. Honestly?
YES! H-O-N-E-S-L-Y!
Mom sensed something unusual and asked why. Karie stuffed the test paper into her backpack and explained that she was just too excited. Mom brought her some tea. Yes, a “t” was exactly what she needed.
After drinking a little, Karie got lost in thought. How could she tell the class she hadn’t earned the prize after all? That Ms. McCormack did the handstand for nothing?
注意:1. 续写词数应为100词左右;
2. 续写部分为一段, 该段开首句已写好。
Later learning what happened to Karie at school, Dad came in with excitement.
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4 . Every year in May, museums prepare shows to honor Leonardo Da Vinci, who died in France on May 2,1519. He is remembered as one of the greatest artists and creative thinkers of all time. His most famous paintings are The Mona Lisa and The Last Supper.
Recently, researchers have been studying a painting, Landscape8P which they think is Da Vinci’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 about an agreement, probably to produce a work of art.
Cecilia Frosinini is an art historian. She said, “Leonardo was born left-handed, but was taught to write with his right hand from a very young age. By looking at his writings, including 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 will be part of an exhibit at Italy’s Uffizi Gallery. The museum director, Eike Schmidt, said by studying the drawing researchers gave us a new way of looking at Leonardo’s drawing techniques and his abilities in writing.
1. Which of the following mentioned in the text has been studied by researchers recently?A.The Mona Lisa. | B.The Last Supper. |
C.Landscape 8P. | D.Mirror-writing. |
A.A statement about the painting. | B.An introduction about Leonardo. |
C.Something about the city of Florence. | D.An agreement to produce a painting. |
A.He could write with either of his hands. |
B.He did bad in right-handed handwriting. |
C.He wasn’t good at writing with his right hand. |
D.He taught himself to write with right hand. |
A.Unclear. | B.Positive. | C.Doubtful. | D.Cold. |
5 . A year back I received a full scholarship to attend the University of San Francisco. All of my hard work had paid off. My mom had spent a lot in my attending a private high school, so I made sure to push myself: I volunteered, joined different clubs, and graduated with honors.
I was so excited to start a new life. I had totally packed two weeks and wanted to go to college at once before it was time to leave.
Soon enough, the big day came, but it wasn’t like what I had thought. The first two weeks were the most difficult days of my entire life. Every night I would cry myself to sleep.
I was so homesick (想家) and I didn’t know how to deal with my broken heart. To distract myself, I threw myself into my studies and I applied for a lot of jobs. In any remaining free time, I started forcing myself to the gym. I wanted to keep every part of my day busy so I wouldn’t think how lonely I felt.
Soon after, I began to limit food, and then I became worse. Finally, I went to see a doctor. When the doctor weighed me, I was crazy about the number of my weight. So I continued to lower my goal, and convinced that controlling this number was the solution to my homesickness. But when I was told that I had no choice but to spend time on my studies. I quickly started recovery in my mind.
How could I do? I told myself that school was what I was best at. I decided to get rid of my homesickness and took exercise actively. My first term of college had passed by at last and I had gotten straight A’s. That’s why I want to share my story—to help other students feel less lonely.
1. How was the author during the two weeks before she left for the college?A.She was as normal as before. |
B.She couldn’t wait to leave for the college. |
C.She was afraid to leave her home. |
D.She didn’t enjoy her mother’s company. |
A.Her weight. | B.Her diet. |
C.Her homesickness. | D.Her bad study habit. |
A.achieve my dream | B.earn money by myself |
C.improve my studies | D.take my attention away |
A.To look back at her past middle school life. |
B.To help girls to lose weight. |
C.To help lonely college students. |
D.To increase her own confidence. |
6 . I love travelling, but it hasn’t always been my passion. In my first year of university, I started to travel during the holiday. During the Christmas holiday I went to Paris, and during the spring vacation, I visited Athens and various cities in Italy. I was very excited because this was the first time I had travelled abroad with just my friends. This desire to travel started off simply as a way to have something to look forward to after exams, but I soon discovered how important it is to travel.
On my travels I have had the opportunity where I not only experience new and exciting cultures through the art, history, language and food, but also communicate with people who have different views on life. Travelling is a learning experience for both yourself and the people you meet. Some people I met during my travels had never heard of Gambia and it was very delightful to share my African roots with them. When you travel you will meet people who have different cultural backgrounds and as a result, sometimes your own ideas and opinions might be challenged. It’s important to learn to see things from other people’s perspectives (视角) and challenge your own.
This is how I realized that travelling is the realization of home. When you travel you can see a different setting, a different language and a different way of living.
Travelling is truly an enriching experience and I am always excited about the discoveries that wait for me in my next adventure!
1. Why was the author excited when he was in Italy?A.Because it was the first time for him to go abroad with friends. |
B.Because luckily he met his old friends there. |
C.Because he was attracted by the beauty of the country. |
D.Because he had never gone abroad before. |
A.He has chances to communicate with his family. |
B.He is curious to know why there are so many languages. |
C.He learns a lot in many ways from the people he meets. |
D.He shares his travelling experiences with foreign friends. |
A.The author is a student from America. |
B.The author’s roots probably are in Gambia. |
C.The author often has different opinions from others. |
D.The author knows nothing about African history. |
A.He will find out the exact location of his home. |
B.He will get familiar with a different way of living. |
C.He will make a summary of his exciting adventures. |
D.He will make preparations for his next wonderful trip. |
7 . People generally like to pick out the best-looking fruits and vegetables when shopping for produce (农产品), but Canadian supermarket chain Loblaws is attracting customers with badly-shaped and faulty produce at the price of 30% lower than normal-looking one.
A trial run of the ugly food line, named “Naturally Imperfect”, began with only apples and potatoes to choose from. Consumer demand has been so huge that Loblaws is going to introduce more ugly vegetables and fruits like onions and mushrooms.
All the produce that will be sold through Naturally Imperfect would otherwise have been used in juices, sauces, or soups, or have not been harvested at all. The director Dan Branson explained that this program benefited both food producers who would otherwise have to let abnormal produce go to waste, and consumers who could buy fresh produce at low prices. And he was right, given how popular the line has become.
“It really went well beyond our expectation,” Branson said. “I think it really spoke to the fact that Canadians are out there really looking for some options.”
Of course, Canadians know that beauty is more than skin deep, and they also recognize that they can get the same flavor and nutritional benefits in spite of appearances. The positive response to the initial offering of apples and potatoes showed the opportunity to expand the line and offer more options at a greater price to Canadian families.
“If you grow produce in your backyard, there will be a lot of produce that won’t look as pretty as what you will see in a grocery store”, said Branson. “And nature doesn’t grow everything perfectly. I’d like to think if somebody were to take a No Name Naturally Imperfect apple, put it right beside a No.1 apple, close his eyes and eat them, there would be no difference.”
1. Loblaws is different from other supermarkets in that ______.A.more fruits are offered at lower prices | B.normal-looking produce is forbidden there |
C.only apples and potatoes are sold every day | D.imperfect produce is sold at lower prices there |
A.prevents people from wasting their food | B.happens to be a win-win mode |
C.teaches food producers how to grow | D.enables consumers to eat more fresh produce |
A.Canadians are used to eating perfect produce. |
B.Smart consumers know the importance of ugly produce. |
C.Loblaws intends to improve customers’ quality of life. |
D.Customers’ support promotes the development of the ugly food line. |
A.Imperfect fruits are as tasty and nutritious as perfect ones. |
B.The world is usually full of imperfect things. |
C.We should eat imperfect apples with our eyes closed. |
D.The fruits grown by ourselves are more nutritious than those in the store. |
8 . The Internet plays a big part in human life. We use it for work and entertainment. We can find new recipes on the Internet or advice on staying healthy. We can even use it to learn a new language and connect with family and friends.
As far as the Internet being a part of our lives —well, that train has left the station. This expression means there is no going back to an Internet-free life. But can using the Internet too much be bad for our health? It might be, say researchers.
A new study finds that heavy Internet use may be connected to high blood pressure in an unlikely group— teenagers. The study results show that teens who spend at least 14 hours a week online were more likely to have high blood pressure. High blood pressure can cause heart and kidney (肾) disease. It is also closely linked to some forms of dementia (痴呆), a brain disease. Dementia is marked by memory disorders, personality changes, and a reduced ability to reason.
The Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan did the study. 335 young people from 14 to 17 years old participated in it. One hundred and thirty-four of the teens were described as “heavy Internet users.” Researchers found that out of these 134 teens, 26 had high blood pressure.
The lead researcher of the study is Andrea Cassidy-Bushrow. In a statement she said, “Using the Internet is part of our daily life but it shouldn’t consume us.” For the purpose of the study, she explains, teens considered heavy Internet users were online on “average 25 hours a week.” Ms. Cassidy-Bushrow adds that it is important for teens to take “regular breaks from their computers or smartphones” and to do some “kind of physical activity.”
1. Which of the following statements is closest in the meaning to the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2?A.The train has stopped at the wrong station. |
B.There is something wrong with the train. |
C.Life without the Internet is nowhere to be found. |
D.The train has changed its course. |
A.will remember everything clearly | B.will change his character |
C.will develop a brain cancer | D.can do analysis accurately |
A.40% | B.19% | C.25% | D.7% |
A.The Internet Does Harm to the Study. |
B.Too Much Internet May Be Bad for Teenagers. |
C.We Should Stop Using the Internet. |
D.High Blood Pressure Is around the Comer. |
9 . “When studying foreign speech, don’t forget about body language. ” Anne Merritt said.
Something as simple as a smile can show: friendliness in one culture, embarrassment in another, impatience in a third. Even silence means different things in different places. If you want to avoid making some mistakes when traveling abroad, you should pay attention to the following.
Touch
Britain, along with much of Northern Europe and the Far East, has a “noncontact” culture. In those countries, there is very little physical contact (接触) in people’s daily talks. Even brushing someone’s arm by accident is the reason for an apology. However, in the high-contact cultures of the Middle East, Latin America, and Southern Europe, physical touch is a big part of daily life.
What’s more, there are different standards, for who touches whom and where. In much of the Arab world, men hold hands and kiss each other in greeting, but would never do the same with a woman. In Thailand and Laos, it is taboo (禁忌的) to touch anyone’s head, even children’s. In South Korea, elders can touch younger people with force when trying to get through a crowd, but younger people can’t do the same.
Eye contact
In most Western countries, frequent eye contact: is a sign of confidence and attentiveness (注意). We may think that a conversation partner who looks away is either not listening to us or lying. Of course, this is not the standard around the world.
In many Asian, African, and Latin American countries, the unbroken (未间断的) eye contact would be considered impolite and rude. These cultures consider avoiding eye contact a sign of respect for bosses and elders. In these parts of the-world, children won’t look at an adult who is speaking to them, nor will employees look at their bosses.
1. In Britain, when people are talking, they usually_________.A.avoid eye contact | B.brush the others’ arms |
C.avoid physical contact | D.apologize for their mistakes |
A.unnecessary | B.impolite | C.dangerous | D.common |
A.How to have a good time abroad. | B.The importance of body language. |
C.How to communicate with foreigners. | D.An introduction to some body language. |
10 . For me, becoming an Olympian was not developing a gift of natural athletic ability, but an act of will.
In the summer of 1979, I started
I never believed this would
I bought films of the worldrecord holders in pentathlon (五项全能运动).Sitting in a chair, I
By the time the trials actually began, I had been
A.advertising | B.training | C.developing | D.organizing |
A.goal | B.decision | C.change | D.trip |
A.exciting | B.interesting | C.important | D.unexpected |
A.track | B.hospital | C.college | D.position |
A.proud | B.angry | C.sorry | D.grateful |
A.save | B.help | C.punish | D.stop |
A.learning | B.progress | C.understanding | D.action |
A.because | B.unless | C.if | D.once |
A.read | B.said | C.tasted | D.watched |
A.losing | B.competing | C.singing | D.dancing |
A.give up | B.break up | C.keep on | D.give out |
A.designed | B.believed | C.introduced | D.chose |
A.early | B.old | C.healthy | D.heavy |
A.Gradually | B.Frequently | C.Finally | D.Unluckily |
A.fear | B.words | C.regret | D.tears |