1 . Share with us!
Would you like to have your writing published in this magazine? Then let us know! We pay for stories, anecdotes and jokes.
Anecdotes and jokes $50
What’s made you laugh recently? A funny sign? A colleague’s behaviour? Got a joke? Send it in for Laughter is the Best Medicine!
Email: juliet@sws. com
Smart Animals Up to $100
Send us a tale about the strange behaviour of unique pets or wildlife in up to 300 words. Email: audrey@sws. com
Power of Love Up to $150
Acts of generosity can change lives or just give you that warm feeling full of love. Share your moments in 100-500 words.
Email: susan@sws. com
My Story $350
Do you have an inspiring or life-changing story to tell? Your story must be true, unpublished, original and 800-1000 words.
Email: nanjc@sws. com
For more information, please visit: http://www.sws.com/share
1. If you want to share a story of your pets with the readers, you need to send it to .| A．Anecdotes and Jokes. | B．Smart Animals. |
| C．Power of Love. | D．My Story. |
| A．juliet@sws. com. | B．nanjc@sws. com. |
| C．audrey@sws. com. | D．susan@sws. com. |
| A．describe strange behaviour. | B．include less than 800 words. |
| C．be published before. | D．be real and original. |
2 . When I was reading a post about taking someone to the movies, something happened a couple of years ago suddenly hit me.
I used to drink Cokes and they had a competition where there was a code inside the bottle cap. You might win something so long as you went to a website and entered the code. I won some free Cokes. But what astonished and delighted me was the Grand Prize I won then.
The Grand Prize was free movies for a year. They pointed out that one movie a week was what free movies for a year meant. All of the tickets were valid(有效的) for one year from the day I received them. So I must use them in the following year. I used quite a few taking friends to movies we all wanted to see.
But the best thing I did with them was that I donated 20 tickets (all I had left by that time) to the local Women’s Transition House, a place where women and children could go when avoiding a bad situation in general and get help to make a new start.
My workplace team had decided to help people in need, so we collected donations for that particular New Year’s Day. I knew that the Women’s Transition House provided some childcare for the women so they could go for job interviews and things like that.
I put those tickets in a box and wrote a note on the outside, asking the Women’s Transition House staff to give movie tickets to women there over the holidays to have some fun to do, with or without their children, which made me really happy.
1. How did the author get the tickets?| A．By visiting a website by chance. | B．By using some Cokes to get them. |
| C．By getting a code at the bottom of a bottle. | D．By winning the prize for drinking Cokes. |
| A．About 22. | B．About 32. | C．About 52. | D．About 365. |
| A．Lucky and caring. | B．Creative and careful. |
| C．Responsible and cheerful. | D．Thankful and generous. |
| A．The roses in their hands, the flavor in mine. |
| B．Good luck favors those who are always ready. |
| C．Actions speak louder than words. |
| D．God helps those who help themselves. |
3 . Red squirrels (松鼠) , a kind of animal once lost from their native woodlands, have been returned to the north-west Highlands, early results of a reintroduction (重新引进) project show.
The new population has naturally increased since they were reintroduced to north-west Scotland last year. The animal had disappeared as a result of the reduction of forests, as well as illness and competition from the introduced non-native grey squirrel. However, Trees for Life—the organization behind the project—is hopeful that red squirrels will continue to add to their 138,000 number and continue their increase.
“Early results shows that this could be a real wildlife success story. The new squirrel populations are not only living in their new homes, they are also starting to spread out into new areas, with squirrels being sighted as far as 15km away, “said Becky Priestley, Trees for Life’s wildlife officer.
The first relocation began in the spring of 2016, through to this year, when the first 33 squirrels from Inverness-shire and Moray were set free at Shieldaig in Wester Ross. Another 22 were set free at the Coulin estate, next to Beinn Eighe, plus 30 at Plockton, which is partly owned by the National Trust for Scotland.
The red squirrel, found throughout Eurasia, has experienced a great population reduction in recent years. In 2007, just 25,000 could be found throughout the UK after a one-time high of 3.5 million. This is often because of the fact that their grey cousins have a larger appetite (食欲) and eat most of the food in the forest. Reds are also more likely to be influenced by viruses (病毒) than greys, dying up to 25 times quicker.
Grey squirrels first came to England from North America in 1876 as a decorative species. However, it was not until 1930 that the damage they did was realized, when it was almost too late for the reds.
Now, though, red squirrels appear to naturally take over their land again. During 2016, they spread beyond Shieldaig, with one sighting eight miles away beyond Loch Torridon. One was seen recently near Nostie, about five miles from the release site, and there have been sightings further.
1. What is the reason for red squirrel’s disappearing from north-west Highlands?| A．Humans’ activity caused the forests to reduce. |
| B．There’s competition from native animals. |
| C．The number of their natural enemies was reduced. |
| D．There was illness spreading among the red squirrels. |
| A．At Shieldaig. | B．At the Coulin estate. |
| C．At Plockton. | D．At Moray. |
| A．have a better appetite |
| B．are easier to fight against viruses |
| C．are more beautiful and decorative |
| D．are more likely to suffer from illnesses |
| A．Difficult. | B．Successful. |
| C．Depressing. | D．Unrealistic. |
4 . Here's the story of my growth over the past year. If anyone is inspired (激励) by this, that's wonderful.
I'd been stuck as this under-confident, fat and just frightened girl for years and years and years. Since I was a little girl, I'd been stuck like this, and I had lived a life where I'd be afraid of everything. But then it all started changing. Something clicked, and in over a period of 6 months I finally managed to stick to one of my diets, bringing me from overweight straight down to underweight. This proved ( 证明) that I could change myself.
One single time, I heard about a public speaking thing going on at my university, and for the first time, I managed to keep up the courage to go there. For the first time I was able to share my story, and able to do it in front of so many people possibly judging (评判) me, and suddenly all the fears about speaking publicly started vanishing. I never felt more confident.
This taught me I could get rid （去除） of my fears. It was from that point on that my road to change went from a rocky mess to a full-on empty highway.
Using the fact that I could change, and that I could get rid of my fears, I started working on them one by one. My fear of talking to strangers ,my fear of asking simple questions, my fear of hanging out with people, my fear of being myself... All of them were gone. And I still continue to progress to this day. I've never stopped.
1. When did the author know she could change herself?| A．When she was in her childhood. |
| B．When she refused a diet. |
| C．When she was underweight. |
| D．When she was overweight. |
| A．Moving. | B．Increasing. |
| C．Changing. | D．Disappearing. |
| A．The road to change was smooth. |
| B．Many other fears were on the way. |
| C．The author felt empty in face of fear. |
| D．The author started changing rapidly. |
| A．To inspire the readers. |
| B．To prove a new idea. |
| C．To teach how to speak publicly. |
| D．To show how to get rid of fears. |
5 . When I was 8 years old, I decided to run away from home after a quarrel with my mother. With my suitcase packed and some sandwiches in a bag, I started for the front door.
My mom asked where I was going. “I’m leaving home,” I said.
“What’s that you’re carrying?” she asked.
“Some clothes and food,” I replied.
“If you want to run away, that’s all right,” she said. “But you came into this home without anything and you can leave the same way.”
I threw my suitcase and sandwiches on the floor and started for the door again.
“Wait a minute,” Mom said. “You didn’t have any clothes on when you arrived, and I want them back.”
This infuriated me. I tore my clothes off — shoes, socks, underwear and all — and shouted, “Can I go now?”
“Yes,” my mom answered, “but once you close that door, don’t expect to come back.”
I was so angry that I shut the door forcefully and stepped out of my home. Then I noticed down the street two neighbor girls walking toward our house. I was so shy that I saw the big spruce (云杉) tree in our yard and jumped under the low-hanging branches (树枝). A pile of dried-up brown needles (针状物) were beneath the tree, and you can’t imagine the pain those sharp needles caused to my body.
After I was sure the girls had passed by, I ran to the front door and knocked at it loudly.
“It’s Billy! Let me in!”
The voice behind the door answered, “Billy doesn’t live here anymore. He ran away from home.”
Looking behind me to see if anyone else was coming down the street, I said, “Mom! I’m sorry. I’m still your son. Let me in!”
The door opened and Mom’s smiling face appeared. “Did you change your mind about running away?” she asked.
“What’s for supper?” I smiled back.
1. When the author was leaving home, his mother ordered him to _____.| A．stay at home | B．take some sandwiches |
| C．leave everything behind | D．check his suitcase carefully |
| A．surprised | B．warned |
| C．encouraged | D．angered |
| A．To avoid being seen. | B．To find some needles. |
| C．To play a joke on the two girls. | D．To attract the two girls’ attention. |
| A．changed his plan to leave home |
| B．felt very hungry at that time |
| C．wished to eat something before leaving |
| D．wanted to know what his mother prepared for supper |
6 . Prague is cracking! My sister was right. It really is one of Europe’s most popular tourist attractions, which has beautiful old buildings. So far, my favorite place is Prague Castle. I think it is the largest ancient castle in the world. Prague also has a lot of cultural events, like the World Dance Festival. I went to a ballet (芭蕾舞剧) just last night.
----------- Lily
I’ve come to Shanghai at the right time. Summer has begun, but it is not too hot yet. Yesterday was the Dragon Boat Festival. It was exciting! If you come to Shanghai, you should see the Bund---a street with very nice shops, nightclubs, and hotels. There are many tourists there. It has some wonderful buildings from the 1930s.
I went on a night cruise(乘船游览) of the Huangpu River last night. I met some great people on the boat, mostly foreigners, like me.
------------Stan
Buenos Aires is a fun city, but six days is not enough time for a visit! I’m staying near the mile-long shopping street called Calle Florida. It is a great place to meet people and watch dancers perform that tango. Buenos Aires is the birthplace of the tango.
I also spent a day in the suburb of Tigre. It’s about 30 km from the capital, and you can get there quickly by train. However, I chose to take a boat on the canals(运河) of the Paraná Delta.
-----------Melinda
1. What can be learned according to Lily?| A．Prague is a modern city. |
| B．Prague Castle has beautiful scenery. |
| C．Prague is most famous for its ballet. |
| D．Prague is worth visiting. |
| A．took a boat trip. | B．saw a lot of old buildings. |
| C．went to a festival. | D．travelled by train. |
| A．a history book. | B．a news report. |
| C．a travel website. | D．a personal diary. |
7 . Hundreds of children are being treated for sleep problems in Wales every year. In some cases，babies，infants (婴儿)and teenagers have been admitted to hospital in north Wales alone.
The Children’s Sleep Charity said many children were suffering from lack of sleep mainly because of technology use. Public Health Wales said sleep was as important to a child’s health as healthy eating and exercise，and children with poor sleep patterns were more likely to be fat.
Statistics obtained (获得) under the Freedom of Information Act by BBC Wales found at least 408 children have been admitted to hospitals across Wales suffering from sleep disorders since March 2013.
Children aged between 0 and 4 made up the highest number of inpatients (住院病人)，with some newborns being treated for sleep-related problems from the day of birth.
Vicki Dawson，who set up the Children’s Sleep Charity (CSC)，said sleepless nights were putting both children and parents in anxiety. “Their weight and growth may also be affected as well as their mental health，”she said.
Teachers said children showing signs of sleep shortage and tiredness in class were a concern as they couldn’t concentrate for long periods.
Psychologist Amy McClelland，of Sleep Wales，saida common problem was that children were “over excited”before bed and that families should get back to basics. “Think 1950s family home. Dinner as a family，read，chat，a film maybe，lights off and then bed. ”She added.
1. What’s the main reason why children are short of sleep？| A．Less exercise. | B．Eating habits. |
| C．Technology use. | D．Sleep patterns. |
| A．Infants. | B．Teenagers. |
| C．Teachers. | D．Parents. |
| A．Chatting and films make children sleep more. |
| B．It is difficult for children to read before bed. |
| C．Being too excitedis good for sleep habits. |
| D．Relaxation has a bad effect on children. |
| A．Ways to Treat Sleep Problems | B．Sleep Problems of Welsh Children |
| C．Sleep Habits of Welsh Children | D．The Problems of Welsh Children |
8 . A new pastor(牧师) named John reopened a church that had been abandoned in a suburb. He found it broken, and in need of a lot of repair work. His goal was to have everything done in time for his first service on Christmas Eve.
He worked hard. However, when John went to the church on Dec. 21, his heart sank: a large area of plaster (石膏) had fallen off the front wall due to a terrible storm the night before. John headed home, and on the way he stopped at a market selling items for charity.
One of the items was an exquisite( 精致的)handmade tablecloth. It was just the right size to cover up the hole in the front wall. He bought it and headed back to the church. It started to snow. An old woman had missed her bus, and he invited her to wait in the warm church for the next one. As John put up the tablecloth the woman asked him to check the corner for the initials(手写字母). They were her initials: she had made this tablecloth 35 years before. Then the war broke out, and forced her to part with her husband.
John wanted to give her the tablecloth. but she asked him to keep it for the church. John insisted on driving her home which he thought was the least he could do.
What a wonderful service he had on Christmas Eve! John noticed one old man staring at the tablecloth on the front wall. The man said it was similar to one that his wife had made many years before.
John brought the old man to the house where he had taken the woman three days earlier. He helped him climb the three flights of stairs to her apartment, and saw the greatest Christmas reunion he could ever have imagined.
1. According to Paragraph one, we learn that John decided to_______.| A．help people affected by a terrible storm |
| B．buy goods for charity in the neighborhood |
| C．repair the abandoned church before his first service |
| D．do some work for the local people |
| A．The woman’s husband had to leave her because of a war |
| B．Johns service on Christmas Eve was disappointing |
| C．Everyone was surprised by the beauty of the tablecloth. |
| D．John drove the old man home because he was lost. |
| A．he loved its colors | B．he had seen it in a church |
| C．It was like one his wife had made | D．it looked strange hanging on a wall |
| A．A kind pastor who had difficulty repairing an ancient church |
| B．A new pastor who gave his first service with a couples help |
| C．A tablecloth made 35 years ago being discovered by a pastor |
| D．An old couple being reunited on Christmas Eve through a tablecloth |
9 . WeChat, the Chinese social media smartphone app, saw an increase in user numbers of 41 percent year on year to 500 million at the end of last year, in a sign that parent company Tencent is extending its reach for the mobile Internet. As one of the largest Internet integrated service providers in China and one of the most Internet users in China, Tencent’s profit grew 24 percent to RMB 20.98 billion per year, slightly higher than forecasts, driven mainly by online gaming profits. It is unclear how much WeChat contributed to Tencent’s profits but the app’s growth is a strong indicator of the company’s long-term health as it tries to adjust its business to be more suitable for mobile devices.
“We extended our leadership in games and online media, and made breakthroughs in emerging platforms such as online security and mobile payments.” Ma Huateng, Tencent chairman, said in a statement. WeChat is the second highest ranked social app in China, behind QQ, Tencent’s another chatting app, which claimed to have 815 million registered monthly users at the end of 2014.
Tencent has been unwilling to earn money through WeChat by flooding it with advertising, which could influence the users’ experience. But this is expected to change. Some analysts anticipated(预期) that advertising would be introduced on a large scale later this year. Early attempts to test ads on the service have not always gone smoothly. After a BMW ad was introduced on some users’ feedbacks in January, many users who were not targeted by the brand’s marketing complained of “discrimination” by Tencent’s data mining algorithm(数据挖掘算法). They claimed it unfairly treated them as not wealthy or successful enough to view the BMW ad.
1. What can we learn from the passage?| A．WeChat is ranked behind QQ in China. |
| B．Tencent wants to earn more through QQ. |
| C．WeChat contributed most to Tencent’s profits. |
| D．More advertising would not be introduced later this year. |
| A．Uninterested. | B．Untouched. |
| C．Unhappy. | D．Unlucky. |
| A．WeChat, a Popular APP in China |
| B．WeChat, a Smartphone APP in China |
| C．WeChat, a Profitable APP of Tencent |
| D．WeChat, a Nonprofit APP of Tencent |
10 . Smart Things on Their Way
Google Clips
Google Clips is designed to be put somewhere in a room to take pictures by itself. It can also be attached to an object or a person’s clothing.
Google says machine Learning helps the camera choose the best times and situations for taking pictures and videos. Interested buyers can join a waiting list for the product to be on the market.
GoPro Hero
GoPro also uses machine learning to power its QuikStories characteristic. This tool takes existing photos and videos and automatically （自动地）creates a finished video piece, complete with music and effects.
Snap Sunglasses
Messaging app Snapchat sells a pair of sunglasses with a built-in camera that can record short videos with the push of a button. Snap Inc. says the product is designed to “catch the moment, without taking you out of it."
The glasses can record short video clips that can be shared with Snapchat users. Snap Inc. has started selling its sunglasses online.
Apple iPhone X
Apple's new iPhone X has a new Face ID system that it says will unlock the phone just by having the user look at it. This replaces the Touch ID on previous ones that used a fingerprint to unlock the phone.
Apple says the system works by projecting more than 30, 000 dots on the face to create a kind of map. Apple says its facial recognition is even safe enough to allow payments through its Apple Pay service.
1. What is the special function of Google Clips?| A．It can share videos on the phone. |
| B．It can take pictures by itself. |
| C．It can change photos into videos. |
| D．It can provide music and effects. |
| A．Google Clips. | B．GoPro Hero. |
| C．Snap Sunglasses. | D．Apple iPhone X. |
| A．By replacing the user's fingerprint. |
| B．By projecting a map of the user's face. |
| C．By pressing a special button. |
| D．By allowing payments on the phone. |
