1 . Anyone who has messy children, lazy partners or naughty flat mates will be impressed by the resourcefulness (足智多谋) of Katrina Neathey, the co-owner of a cleaning company in West Sussex. She has made her three teenagers sign an agreement to help keep the house tidy. Any infraction of the agreement, for example, littering up their bedroom with magazines and drinks, or failing to put their dirty plates in the dishwasher, will come with a 5 pounds’ fine on removal of their phones.
It is one way of setting up a cleaning rota (轮班表) that people might stick to. “Cleaning is teamwork.” says Lynsey Crombie, also known as the Queen of Clean. She suggests getting everyone in the household together to find out what people like doing. “In our family, my husband is better at mowing the lawn. I love cleaning rooms. Someone else might like folding the towels. You let everybody do what they’re good at, or enjoy, so there’s more chance they’ll actually do it.”
Crombie is not a fan of fines. For her children, she takes away their phones or turns off the Wi-Fi. For other adults who aren’t joining in, she suggests keeping asking them to take action.
If you aren’t sure what is required to keep the dirt at bay, there are many checklists online that you can print out to share the daily, weekly and monthly tasks. You can stick it on the fridge, and then everyone knows where they stand. If it’s not working, have another chat, such as “What do you dislike?” “How can we improve it?” Ironing out problems is all about communication.
1. What does the underlined word "infraction" in Paragraph 1 mean?| A．Change. | B．Violation. |
| C．Explanation. | D．Discussion. |
| A．By dividing tasks in terms of interest. | B．By sticking to the cleaning rota strictly. |
| C．By setting up a role model herself. | D．By offering the family timely help. |
| A．Fines work well among adults. | B．Ways to motivate people vary. |
| C．It’s hard to push adults to take charge. | D．It’s good to remind people of their tasks. |
| A．To advertise a great cleaning company in West Sussex. |
| B．To encourage people to develop teamwork spirit at home. |
| C．To call on housewives to handle lazy partners resourcefully. |
| D．To introduce ways of inspiring family to share housework. |
2 . A fully electric seaplane has made its first flight over the mouth of the Fraser River near Vancouver, Canada. The flight represents a milestone in the long process of reducing the aviation industry’s emissions and costs by electrifying short-to-medium distance commercial flying.
Several hundred people crowded the river bank on Tuesday morning to witness what they hoped would be a historic moment. They were not disappointed. Among cheers, the battery-powered Harbour Air seaplane lifted off into the sky. The plane flew a short round-trip downriver before landing five minutes later.
“It was magical. It was much quieter than I had expected it to be,” said Nicki Malcom, one witness from Auburn, Washington. “It’s definitely the future,” said Chip Jamison, who came from Portland to see the electric plane he produced parts for. “You can see it with automobiles. Planes are next. It’s right in front of us.”
The test pilot was the only person on board the six-passenger DHC-2 de Havilland Beaver. He was the CEO and founder of Habour Air, Greg McDougall. McDougall’s seaplane airline teamed up with a Redmond, Washington-based electric motor maker named MagniX to transform the classic de Havilland Beaver plane. MagniX CEO Roei Ganzarski sees the seaplane’s first flight as a milestone, similar to the first jet takeoff.
“Today you witnessed the first shot of the electric aviation revolution,” Ganzarski told the two companies’ staff, contractors, media and other celebrators. “Let’s start the revolution.” Ganzarski laid out a case for how battery-powered flight offers lower noise, zero pollution and could reduce fuel and maintenance costs. “Lower operating costs for airlines like Harbour Air will mean lower ticket prices for all of you,” he said. “Lower operating costs mean they can now fly to more destinations that we couldn’t fly to before.”
It will be some time before regular folks can book a ticket on a clean, electric seaplane.
1. According to the passage,the Harbour Air seaplane| A．is adapted from the de Havilland Beaver |
| B．will replace the automobile in the near future |
| C．can carry more than six passengers |
| D．has investment from the Vancouver government |
| A．Critical. | B．Objective. | C．Optimistic. | D．Ambiguous. |
| A．Electric seaplanes only help cut down air pollution and costs. |
| B．People can fly to more destinations in less time on battery-powered planes. |
| C．The seaplane’s first flight symbolizes the success of the electric aviation revolution. |
| D．People may get cheaper tickets by taking electric seaplanes. |
| A．a way to cut down air pollution |
| B．the benefits we get from electric seaplane |
| C．an all-electric seaplane that completes its first flight |
| D．the first step in the electric aviation revolution |
3 . I made a promise to myself on the way down to the vacation beach cottage. For two weeks I would try to be a loving husband and father. Totally loving. No ifs, ands or buts.
The idea had come to me as I listened to a talk on my car radio. The speaker was quoting a Biblical passage about husbands and their wives. Then he went on to say, “Love is an act of will. A person can choose to love.” To myself, I had to admit that I had been a selfish husband. Well, for two weeks that would change.
And it did. Right from the moment I kissed Evelyn at the door and said, “That new yellow sweater looks great on you.” “Oh, Tom, you noticed”, she said, surprised and pleased. Maybe a little puzzled. After the long drive, I wanted to sit and read. Evelyn suggested a walk on the beach. I started to refuse, but then I thought, “Evelyn’s been alone here with the kids all week and now she wants to be alone with me.” We walked on the beach while the children flew their kites.
So it went. Two weeks of not calling the Wall Street firm where I am a director; a visit to the shell museum though I usually hate museums. Relaxed and happy, that’s how the whole vacation passed. I made a new promise to keep on remembering to choose love.
There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment, however. Evelyn and I still laugh about it today. On the last night at our cottage, preparing for bed, Evelyn stared at me with the saddest expression.
“What’s the matter?” I asked her.
“Tom,” she said in a voice filled with sadness, “ I don’t?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well…that checkup I had several weeks ago…our doctor…did he tell you something about me? Tom, you’ve been so good to me…am I dying?”
It took a moment for it all to be understood. Then I burst out laughing.
“No, honey,” I said, wrapping her in my arms. “You’re not dying; I’m just starting to live.”
1. From the story we may infer that Tom drove to the beach cottage______.| A．with his family | B．with Evelyn | C．alone | D．with his children |
| A．the doctor said his wife was seriously ill |
| B．he had made a lot of money in his Wall Street firm |
| C．she looked lovely in her new clothes |
| D．he was determined to be a good husband |
| A．He praised her sweater, which puzzled her. |
| B．He was so good to her that she thought she must be dying. |
| C．He knew something about her illness but didn’t tell her. |
| D．She insisted on visiting a museum, which he hated. |
| A．he is just beginning to enjoy life as a loving husband |
| B．he is just beginning to understand the real meaning of life |
| C．he lived an unhappy life before and is now starting to change |
| D．he is beginning to feel regret for what he did to his wife before |
4 . Tour Itinerary
Day 1:On arrival at the airport or railway station, you will be met by our guide and transferred to the hotel you stay. The rest of day is at leisure (空闲).
Day 2:Mutianyu Great Wall, Underground Palace, Dingling. We pick up travelers from hotel before 8:00am, and then drive to Mutianyu Great Wall .It is known for its beautiful surroundings.
If you want to reach the highest point, cable car is a good choice which is optional. We'll end the visit at about 11:00, before having Chinese traditional lunch (11:30), travelers can have a short visit of Jade Carving Factory. It was not only the excellent skill on carving, but also mixes many Chinese traditional cultures in the jade carving. After having lunch, we'll drive to the Ming Tombs (Dingling)-the best-preserved Chinese imperial tombs with 500 years history.
Day 3:Tiananmen Square, Temple of Heaven & Summer Palace-Our tour guide will pick you up between 8:00am and 8:30am. Our tour starts at 'Tiananmen Square with its plentitude of monuments testifying to the communist, then you will have a chance to visit the Temple of Heaven . After having traditional Chinese lunch (40 minutes), enjoy a short visit to Summer Palace . After that, you will have a chance to enjoy the Chinese traditional Silk arts.
Special Features:
1.Photo the digital pictures for the tour group and mail to the tourists
2.Only English-speaking travelers in our coach
3.Well-trained English-speaking tour guide
Service package includes:
1.Pick up service
2.Entrance tickets
3.English-speaking tour guide
Before you come to China, compare a couple of agencies and you'll know the difference of our tour.We really appreciate it if you think about China Tour Guide and we are looking forward to sharing a wonderful time with you.
Payments:
The tour doesn't need the pre-payment and deposit require. Three or more people, ten percent discount.The payment charge can be settled directly to the local tour guide in cash when you arrive. Both RMB and hard currency are acceptable. 58peradult,58peradult,28 per child.
Contact:
For your tour request or more information, please contact our tour adviser.
E-mail: tour@sinohotelguide.com <mailto:tour@sinohotelguide.com>.
Tel:(86)010-66708306
Office Hours: 9:00 a.m-18:00p.m (GMT+0800) Monday-Friday.
Add: Tongzhou Road, Beijing
1. The purpose of the passage is to________.
| A．attract more English-speaking travelers |
| B．introduce Beijing to foreigners |
| C．call on people to invest in Beijing |
| D．tell the readers the long history of Beijing |
| A．129.6. | B．122.4. | C．144. | D．174. |
| A．going to the travel agency in person |
| B．writing a letter to the travel agency |
| C．emailing the tour adviser of the agency |
| D．calling the tour adviser at 9:00a.m at weekends |
5 . On the night of August 24, 2001, my last night of freedom before my freshman of high school started, everything changed when my friend's car hit a guardrail(护栏) with me inside.
I lost most of my right leg. At the hospital, I just kept telling myself to hold on. Weeks later I made a deal with the hospital staff that once I could roll onto my side, I could be discharged. I am proud to say that just one short week later, I was going home. The day I left the hospital, I made a promise to myself to never give up and to always live life to the fullest.
In February of 2013, my life was forever changed when I attended the Executive Assistant Organization's Behind Every Leader event. During the conference, a sweet lady by the name of Alisson Frew dared to ask me why I did not wear a prosthesis(假肢). My short and simple answer was, "I don't have sixty thousand dollars." The next morning I was in tears as I learned that Alisson, Jeff Hoffman, founder of Priceline, and a dozen other people, had bought a prosthesis for me. From the first step, it was apparent to me just how much this would mean to me.
For a year I adjusted to the leg and settled into everyday life, until one day I realized I was making a life but not living one. After almost 13 years of thinking that I was confident, I had an unfamiliar feeling sweep over me. For the first time in my life, I was not only confident but I was empowered! I desired to help those around me, to have them experience this unbelievable feeling for themselves.
In April of 2014, I started modeling. My dream is that one day a little girl will see me on a poster at her favourite clothing store and say, "Wow, she is amazing, and she only has one leg. I could do that too someday, even though I have a disability."
1. What do we know about the author from Paragraph 2?| A．She was humorous and outgoing. | B．She was determined and optimistic. |
| C．She was intelligent and hardworking. | D．She was generous and kind-hearted. |
| A．She attended an important conference. | B．She met some famous people. |
| C．She joined an organization. | D．She got a precious gift. |
| A．By inspiring them. | B．By entertaining them. |
| C．By doing voluntary work. | D．By offering financial support. |
| A．An Expensive Gift from Strangers | B．How I Survived A Terrible Accident |
| C．I Lost a Leg but Gained a Purpose | D．Stay Strong in the Face of Disability |
6 . Best Ways to Make Money Online
◆Sell Digital Products
Selling digital products means never having to keep physical goods. You can sell such items as WordPress themes, audiobooks, and PowerPoint templates (模板) through a marketplace like ClickBank.
The amount of money you can make will vary greatly from just a few dollars a month to several hundred or even thousand dollars. It depends on the success of your products and how you market them.
◆Run an Etsy Store
Do you enjoy working with arts and crafts? Sell your unique creations through Etsy, an online marketplace for all things handmade. Etsy sellers list such items as pillowcases, dream catchers, canvas prints, custom shower curtains and more. You set your own pricing and Etsy takes a small cut from your sales.
◆Work for Mechanical Turk
If you are just looking for a way to earn a little extra pocket money, Amazon Mechanical Turk could be a great solution. You can work from home, writing video descriptions, translating a paper, or performing online research. The barrier to entry is really low and you can start making money right away.
◆Make Money Through Your Podcasts (播客)
Many people start podcasting as a hobby, but these audio shows can also be a reliable source of income. Similar to blogging and YouTube channels, podcasts can be changed into money through advertisements. One of the greatest challenges will be growing your audience through podcast directories like iTunes. The potential is there if your audience is large enough and you attract the right partnerships.
1. What do you need to make much money by selling digital products?| A．Plenty of patience to sell them. |
| B．A large warehouse to store goods. |
| C．Your creativity and marketing skills. |
| D．Enough time to make digital products. |
| A．Doing tasks that need no skill. |
| B．Attracting many young people. |
| C．Working with flexibility. |
| D．Making money easily. |
| A．To extend your influence. |
| B．To create excellent products. |
| C．To put forward unique ideas. |
| D．To treat podcasts as a good career. |
7 . Automatic dishwashers have been around for more than 100 years. It started in 1886 with Josephine Cochrane, a woman in Shelbyville, Illinois. She was a rich woman who could afford servants to wash her dishes, so she really didn’t mind the work. What she did mind was that her servants broke the dishes. She hosted quite a few dinner parties, and after every party the servants broke more of her expensive dishes.
Finally, Cochrane took action. First, she measured her dishes and bent wire into racks to hold them. Next, she put the racks on a wheel in a large copper boiler. Then, the boiler sprayed hot, soapy water on the dishes as a motor turned the wheel. After a hot water rinse(冲洗), the dishes were clean!
Josephine Cochrane’s friends were impressed with the machine and asked her to build more. After that, word got out fast. Soon hotel and restaurant owners who didn’t like broken dishes also were interested. Cochrane then knew that she had a wonderful machine, so she received a patent from the government, which said that only the inventor can make money from an invention. Then in 1893 Chicago held a World’s Fair where inventions from all over the world were shown. Cochrane’s labor-saving machine was a big hit. Her dishwasher won the highest award.
Cochrane’s company came out with a smaller machine in 1914. It was supposed to be for the ordinary home, but it wasn’t an immediate success. Many homes couldn’t produce the extremely hot water it needed. Also, in most homes, dishwashing wasn’t considered very difficult compared to most other housework. In fact some people liked to relax at the sink after a hard day! Sales of the home model finally picked up in the 1950s when people had more money and wanted to have more time to enjoy themselves. Now many homes have electric dishwashers that aren’t very different from the one Josephine Cochrane invented more than 100 years ago.
1. Why did Josephine Cochrane invent the dishwasher?| A．To reduce the number of servants. |
| B．To avoid possible damage to the dishes. |
| C．To host more dinner parties. |
| D．To make the dishes cleaner. |
| A．The machine wasn’t as efficient as described. |
| B．Josephine Cochrane could no longer keep it a secret. |
| C．Josephine’s friends soon began to talk about the new machine. |
| D．The invention drew immediate attention of the public. |
| A．people’s living conditions improved |
| B．hot water was not needed |
| C．housework became easier |
| D．people had more relaxing jobs |
| A．cost less money |
| B．are quite different |
| C．wash many other things |
| D．are much the same |
8 . United States health officials are urging people to stop using electronic cigarettes, known as e-cigarettes. The call to action came after such products were linked to health problems. Five deaths have also been reported. E-cigarettes are a popular substitute for smoking products. The electronic devices heat liquid that includes flavoring, nicotine and other chemicals into vapor—very small particles that users breathe in. Nicotine is found in many plants, including tobacco. E-cigarettes or similar devices also can provide THC or other substances to users. THC is the natural chemical present in marijuana(大麻) plants that gives users the mental state known as a “high”.
E-cigarettes are said to be safer than normal cigarettes because they do not create the cancer-causing byproducts of burning tobacco.Yet health officials say e-cigarette users have reported shortness of breath and other breathing problems, such as coughing and chest pain. Some have been sick to the stomach, felt very tired, suffered weight loss or developed high body temperatures. One report noted that most of the 53 illnesses reported in Illinois and Wisconsin were related to THC vaping(气化) products. But nearly 20 percent of the patients inhaled(吸入)substances like nicotine from e-cigarettes. Most of the reported cases were of young men.
The report found that, “Since no single product or substance has been associated with the illness, persons should consider not using e-cigarettes while this investigation is ongoing.” Last November, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, reported that “e-cigarette use increased considerably among U.S. middle and high school students during 2017—2018.” Among high school students, it found e-cigarette use rose from 220,000 students in 2011 to 3.05 million in 2018.
On Monday, the Food and Drug Administration, or FDA gave a warning to JUUL Labs, maker of the best-selling e-cigarettes. The FDA accused the company of illegally marketing its products as being “safer than cigarettes” without the agency's approval.In a statement, the FDA's acting commissioner said that, “JUUL has ignored the law, and has made some of these statements in school to our nation's youth.” A JUUL spokesman said the company is studying the FDA's comments and “will fully cooperate”.
1. Which of the following can best describe e-cigarettes?| A．Deadly. | B．Harmless. |
| C．Infectious. | D．Effective. |
| A．They will be healthier. |
| B．They will lose weight. |
| C．They will feel excited. |
| D．They will be peaceful. |
| A．Students became its main marketing targets. |
| B．FDA didn't agree on its way of promoting its products. |
| C．It completely denied what it was accused of. |
| D．E-cigarettes were invented by it. |
| A．Say “No” to cigarettes |
| B．A sharp rise of e-cigarettes use among young people. |
| C．Safer e-cigarettes are needed for health. |
| D．E-cigarettes—a potential killer. |
9 . For the last month, a married couple has been interacting with a robot — called an Avatar — （hat’s con trolled by their daughter hundreds of miles away. Made by ANA Holdings Inc, it looks like a vacuum cleaner with an iPad attached. But the screen displays the daughter’s face as they chat, and its wheels let her walk slowly about the house as though she’s really there.
“Virtual travel” is nothing new, of course. Storytellers, travel writers and artists have been stimulating the senses of armchair tourists for centuries. It’s only in recent decades that frequent, safe travel has become available to the non-wealthy.
Yet even as the world’s middle classes climb out of the armchair and into economy-class seats, there are signs of a post-travel society appearing. Concerns about the environment make people lose interest in carbon-intensive (碳排放量很高的) airlines. And the aging of societies is both slowing down the growth of physical travel and creating demand for alternative ways to experience the world. For the travel industry, virtual reality offers a tantalizing (诱人的) response to these trends.
Of course, far-out (前卫的) technologies encourage profits. ANA doesn’t plan to start selling Avatars until next year. By one estimate, the global market for this kind of technology will be worth only about S300 million by 2023. By contrast, ANA’s traditional travel business brought in more than $19 billion last year.
But although the business case for virtual vacations is still weak, the market for technologies that bridge physical distances between families and coworkers seems likely to only expand. ANA’s robots may not replace its airplanes any time soon, but they’ll almost certainly be a part of travel’s high-tech future.
1. What purpose does the first paragraph serve in the passage?| A．To show a picture of our future life. |
| B．To describe the daily life of a couple. |
| C．To attract readers’ attention to the topic. |
| D．To add background in formation of the topic. |
| A．Humans tend to live much longer than before. |
| B．People are becoming more worried about the environment. |
| C．Virtual travel might cater for people’s desire to see the world. |
| D．The profits of carbon-intensive airlines are possibly declining. |
| A．it is still skeptical about their potential |
| B．they still need to be further tested out |
| C．traditional travel business is taking off |
| D．their commercial profits may not be satisfying |
| A．promising | B．ambiguous |
| C．depressing | D．challenging |
10 . “Our aim is to take our art to the world and make people understand what it is to move,” said David Belle, the founder of parkour.
Do you love running? It is a good exercise, yet many people find it boring. But what if making your morning jog a creative one? Like jumping from walls and over gaps, and ground rolls? Just like James Bond in the movie Casino Royale? Bond jumps down from a roof to a windowsill and then runs several blocks over obstacles on the way. It is just because of Bond’s wonderful performances that the sport has become popular worldwide.
Yes, that’s parkour, an extreme street sport aimed at moving from one point to another as quickly as possible, getting over all the barriers in the path using only the abilities of the human body. Parkour is considered an extreme sport. As its participants dash around a city, they may jump over fences, run up walls and even move from rooftop to rooftop.
Parkour can be just as exciting and charming as it sounds, but its participants see parkour much more than that.
Overcoming all the obstacles on the course and in life is part of the philosophy behind parkour. This is the same as life. You must determine your destination, go straight, jump over all the barriers as if in parkour and never fall back in your life, to reach the destination successfully. A parkour lover said, “I love parkour because its philosophy has become my life, my way to do everything.”
Another philosophy we’ve learnt from parkour is freedom. It can be done by anyone, at any time, anywhere in the world. It is a kind of expression of trust in yourself.
1. Parkour has become popular throughout the world because of .| A．its founder, David Belle | B．the varieties of participants |
| C．its risks and tricks | D．the film, Casino Royale |
| A．streets | B．objects |
| C．roofs | D．barriers |
| A．Sports and extremes. | B．Determination and freedom. |
| C．Dreams and success. | D．Excitement and popularity. |
| A．It is a team sport. | B．It is a good but boring sport. |
| C．It needs special training. | D．It challenges human abilities. |
