1 . Everything changed on June 23, 2012 when Kirstie Ennis was in a helicopter crash that finally led to an above — the — knee leg amputation （截肢）.Recovering from the crash nearly destroyed her, but she refused to let her injuries hold her back.
To prove to herself just how unlimited her possibilities are, Ennis set a goal: become the first veteran （老兵）amputee to complete the Seven Summits ——the highest mountain on each of the seven continents.
But Ennis, climbing journey isn't just about the mountains. On each climb, she raises money in support of a different nonprofit.
"I realized that .it was a pretty unique platform... whether it's the younger generation, men, women or wounded veterans, they can look to me in a different way," Ennis told Connecting Vets. "It's just the highlight of everything I always wanted to do. ”
Ennis has climbed up five of the seven mountains. She's been on Everest for more than a month, adapting to the altitude and planning routes, and her team plans to summit （登顶）on May 15,2019. It's a climb she has been preparing for three years, including a trip in 2017.
"Everest is the most important part of everything I Have trained for,” Ennis told Pensacola News Journal. “Every mountain teaches me something different. Now I have to use all of those skill sets to be able to deal with Everest. Should I summit, history will be made as the first woman above knee amputee to do so. Each individual, especially those with disabilities, should be able to determine what they're able to do. ”
Ennis shares detailed updates on her blog, and will post again after the summit attempt.
1. Why did Ennis decide to conquer the Seven Summits?| A．To inspire others. | B．To challenge herself. |
| C．To show her strong will. | D．To make her life colorful. |
| A．She promotes environmental protection. |
| B．She collects money for a nonprofit. |
| C．She recovers from her injury. |
| D．She communicates with fellows. |
| A．In 2016. | B．In 2017. |
| C．In 2018. | D．In 2019. |
| A．Ennis values the experience on every mountain. |
| B．Ennis is confident that she will summit Everest. |
| C．Ennis has been well trained due to some experts. |
| D．Ennis is proud of her upcoming achievement. |
2 . In the animal kingdom, weakness can bring about aggression in other animal. This sometimes happens with humans also. But I have found that my weakness brings out the kindness in people. I see it every day when people hold doors for me, pour cream into my coffee, or help me to put on my coat. And I have discovered that it makes them happy.
From my wheelchair experience, I see the best in people, but sometimes I feel sad because those who appear independent miss the kindness I see daily. They don't get to see this soft side of others often; we try every way possible to avoid showing our weakness, which includes a lot of pretending. But only when we stop pretending we're brave or strong do we allow people to show the kindness that's in them.
Last month, when I was driving home on a busy highway, I began to feel unwell and drove more slowly than usual. People behind me began to get impatient and angry, with some speeding up alongside me, horning（按喇叭）or even shouting at me. At the moment I decided to do something I had never done in twenty-four years of driving. I put on the car flashlights and drove on at a really low speed.
No more angry shouts and no more horns!
When I put on my flashlights, I was saying to other drivers, "I have a problem here. I am weak and doing the best I can." And everyone understood. Several times, I saw drivers who wanted to pass. They couldn't get around me because of the stream of passing traffic. But instead of getting impatient and angry, they waited, knowing the driver in front of them was in some way weak.
Sometimes situations call for us to act strong and brave even when we don't feel that way. But those are few and far between. More often, it would be better if we don't pretend we feel strong when we feel weak or pretend that we are brave when we are scared.
1. The author feels sad sometimes because .| A．he has a soft heart |
| B．he relies much on others |
| C．some people fail to see the kindness in others |
| D．some people pretend to be kind |
| A．They waited with patience. | B．They speeded up to pass. |
| C．They tried their best to help. | D．They put on their flashlights too. |
| A．handle problems by ourselves | B．admit our weakness |
| C．accept help from others | D．show our bravery |
| A．Wheelchair Experience | B．A Driving Experience |
| C．Weakness and Strength | D．Weakness and Kindness |
3 . Vegetable gardens may not be as visually pleasing as the variety of flowers, but Floridians looking to save some green by growing their own salad fixings can soon do so without fear. Gov. Ron DeSantis this week signed a law that bans local governments from carrying orders against homeowners from raising veggies in their yards.
The law, which takes effect July 1, puts an end to that particular power of towns and cities across the state to prohibit vegetable gardens for “aesthetic（审美的）purposes”.
The problem became a cause after a couple living in Miami Shores Village opposed the decision of a $ 50 a day fine for growing vegetables in their front yard, as they’d done for years.
Hermine Ricketts and her husband Tom Carroll fought City Hall in a case that wound its way up the state’s court system, with judges consistently ruling against their money-saving and health-conscious project.
After the Florida Supreme Court ruled in favor of Miami Shores’ right to control design and landscaping standards, the couple replaced their vegetables with pink flamingos（红鹤）.
Their cause was not lost, however. State lawmakers proposed and passed a law that effectively voids the court rulings, with Rob Bradley, who sponsored the bill, reportedly calling the village’s action a “vast overreach”.
The lawmaker noted the difficulty that many families experience getting fresh and affordable food, calling bans against vegetable and fruit gardens ridiculous.
About a third of all households in the U. S. grow some of their own food, according to the National Gardening Association. The group says a 600-square-foot garden that costs around $ 70 a year to keep can grow 300 pounds of fresh produce worth about $ 600 annually.
1. Why will some Floridians plant salad fixings?| A．To add to some green. | B．To make life colorful. |
| C．To build their own gardens. | D．To cut down daily expenses. |
| A．Shortage of fresh vegetables. |
| B．A case concerning a couple. |
| C．The advantages of raising vegetables. |
| D．The unjustice of judges’ conclusion. |
| A．Hides. | B．Cancels. |
| C．Prevents. | D．Values. |
| A．To show how to get these statistics. |
| B．To provide some advice for citizens. |
| C．To add some background information. |
| D．To list the benefits of growing vegetables. |
4 . We know that our smartphones are expertly-designed distraction devices that weaken our efforts to resist. But, we also know that resistance is important if we’re ever going to find a workable middle ground with our phones – and a recent study has served up another reason to strengthen our resolve.
Here it is: when you pick up your phone while doing anything mentally challenging, you're handicapping your brain’s ability to recharge and performance predictably decreases.
That’s the conclusion of a study that put roughly 400 college students to task solving challenging word puzzles. When they were about halfway through, the researchers allowed most of the students to take a break either using their phones, using a computer or reading a print circular. Other students were told to just keep on working without any sort of break.
The results showed that the students who took a break with their phones were the worst performers of all the groups. They took 19% longer to finish the tasks and they solved 22% fewer word-problems than all the other groups combined. In fact, the cell-phone group’s efficiency and processing speed was about the same as the group that took no break.
The reason offered by the researchers isn’t merely because digital devices are inherently engaging(迷人的), but because our smartphones are attention gates into so many other attention-catching areas, each pulling our mental energy in different directions.
This research stresses that we ignored the energy reduction from using our smartphones, and that we were over-confident about what our brains can handle. We also overlooked the emotional connection we'd developed with our phones. It's no longer just a device. It's a companion.
“It is important to know the costs associated with reaching for this device during every spare minute,” Kurtzberg added. “We assume it’s no different from any other break – but the phone may carry increasing levels of distraction that make it difficult to return focused attention to work tasks.”
1. What does “resolve” in Paragraph 1 refer to?| A．Finding a workable phone. | B．Resisting using phones. |
| C．Making full use of phones. | D．Upgrading personal phones. |
| A．strengthening | B．performing |
| C．weakening | D．changing |
| A．There are two groups of students in the research. |
| B．All the students can not take a break in the research. |
| C．The cell-phone group did best in solving the puzzles. |
| D．Students have to complete word puzzles before the break. |
| A．The phone is no longer favored by people. |
| B．The phone is not as powerful as expected. |
| C．People cannot connect emotionally with phones. |
| D．People didn’t fully understand the effect of phones. |
5 . Kids who like noodles are in luck in Italy. School lunch almost always begins with a "primo" of pasta-think penne（意大利面食）with tomatoes and cheese. That's typically followed by a protein-packed main dish, such as roasted chicken, accompanied by a veggie side. Finally, there's dessert, usually fruit. But what if kids would rather eat a homemade sandwich？
That question became the basis of the "Sandwich Case". This is a legal fight started by a group of parents who had gotten fed up with the price and quality of school meals. Italy's top court settled the matter：Families do not have the right to send food to school. The main problem the judges have with lunchboxes is that they can create divisions.
Each nation has its own take on how to handle the meaty issue of feeding students. In Australia, for example, many schools don't have a cafeteria. And, of course, packing a school lunch to take to school is as American as apple pie. However, more American kids would be better off with school lunch for their parents think cafeteria meals are healthier than what an average parent packs.
Students in low-income families qualify for free or reduced-price meals. So there can be a stigma around who's participating, meaning kids without a lunchbox can feel singled out for being poor. One way to avoid that problem is providing meals to everyone for free. In Sweden, where students chow down on a hot main dish and their pick of vegetables from a salad bur, no one needs lunch money.
The country with a system most similar to Italy's is its neighbor. France, where kids are expected to eat their school's multi-course meals, with almost no exceptions. "It's for a healthy diet, but also for cultural aspects and pleasure, "says Florent Vieux, general director of the French research group MS Nutrition. "When my son doesn't want carrots for the starter, he doesn't eat. At the beginning it's difficult, "he says. "Then day after day, he eats more carrots because he knows he has no other choice."
1. Why did Italy's top court reject the parents' appeal？| A．It may result in unfairness. |
| B．The lunchboxes lack nutrients. |
| C．It is strongly objected by schools. |
| D．The homemade food has limited variety. |
| A．Italy. | B．America. |
| C．Sweden. | D．Australia. |
| A．feeling of pride | B．feeling of happiness |
| C．feeling of uniqueness | D．feeling of shame |
| A．Indifferent. | B．Supportive. |
| C．Concerned. | D．Negative. |
6 . Since 1970, North America has lost more than 2.9 billion birds, according to a study recently published in the journal Science. In less than half a century, the bird population has declined by some 29 percent, or more than 1 in 4 birds. For the first time, researchers have discovered that rare species aren't the only birds suffering population loss. In fact, common birds-including beloved backyard friends like sparrows and blackbirds-are taking the biggest hit.
The new study used nearly 50 years of data collected largely by bird watchers and citizen scientists. "A total of 419 native migratory species experienced a net loss of 2.5 billion individuals," the study says. More than 90 percent of the total loss can be found among just 12 bird families. Some of these widespread birds can thrive almost anywhere. The large-scale loss of these hardy birds reveals they're struggling to survive throughout the world/
Birds are considered indicator species because they're crucial to ecosystems, and their populations anticipate the environment's health. Birds are "amazingly efficient" at spreading seeds. Birds also keep insect populations in check. Even the smallest bird helps control the spread of plants or insects.
The new study, however, identifies the losses without knowing all the causes. Scientists do identify habitat loss as the biggest challenge. Climate change, disrupted migration patterns and pesticide use are also major factors. Industrial agriculture may present a bigger challenge. The species disappearing most rapidly—sparrows, blackbirds and larks—are associated with agriculture. In recent decades, agriculture has grown to produce more food, but cleared landscapes have become unlivable for birds.
“We need to change the way we grow food. Birds are signaling that we are doing it wrong, "as the study says. The study offers the example of the 1990s effort to switch to no-till farming, which reduced greenhouse gases and soil erosion（侵蚀）. “Farmers are innovators. And they've done it before. This is a great opportunity to have a huge impact on birds."
1. What's the study mainly about？| A．The climate issues. | B．The disappearing birds. |
| C．The agricultural problems. | D．The environmental protection. |
| A．By listing figures. | B．By giving examples |
| C．By analyzing reasons. | D．By making comparisons. |
| A．Climate change. | B．Greenhouse gases. |
| C．Industrial agriculture. | D．Disrupted migration patterns. |
| A．Producing more food. | B．Clearing more landscapes. |
| C．Reducing the use of pesticide. | D．Adopting new means of farming. |
7 . Walking along the streets in Malaysia, you may hear a number of different languages—Malay, English, Mandarin, or even Indian. More people have decided to travel to Kuala Lumpur to witness the incredible development of Western Malaysia.
However, having a passion for experiencing multicultural and peaceful lifestyles, I chose another route—Sabah, the second largest state in Malaysia. I took a trip there in August. With a knowledgeable guide and warm-hearted locals, it turned out to be an unforgettable experience.
Although Sabah is not that rich or prosperous like Western Malaysia, I prefer the easy and simple life there. Its social ethos（精神气质）is more harmonious than any other scenic spot.
During my five-day stay, I think the Mangrove Forest was the most impressive destination. Have you ever imagined what it might be like to boat through a pleasant breeze while drops of light blur（模糊）your vision？My mind drifted away with the warmth of the sunlight. I lost myself in the peaceful and relaxing surroundings, and fell into a splendid dream world.
However, as a former British colony, it still holds some customs that are difficult for me to get used to. For me, the various dialects and unique expressions among the locals were the biggest issues to deal with. Regardless of this, it taught me a lot. My time at Sabah was very memorable.
1. Why did the author choose Sabah as his destination？| A．To witness its fast development. |
| B．To make friends with the locals. |
| C．To enjoy its lifestyle and scenery. |
| D．To learn different foreign languages. |
| A．Astonishing. | B．Regretful. |
| C．Exhausting. | D．Fascinating. |
| A．Old customs. | B．Local language. |
| C．Confusing routes. | D．Multicultural lifestyles. |
| A．To promote tourism of Sabah. |
| B．To introduce a scenic spot-Sabah. |
| C．To describe the development of Sabah. |
| D．To share the touring experience in Sabah. |
8 . HOW TO MAKE A PLANT LOVE YOU
SUMMER RAYNE OAKES
Penguin Books I $39. 99
Summer is an urban houseplant expert and environmental scientist. She has managed to grow 1000 houseplants in her Brooklyn apartment—and they're thriving！Her secret？She approaches her relationships with plants as if they were people. This book tries to cultivate a new relationship between you and your plants so you can bring your garden indoors too.
BEYOND THE GARDEN GATE
JAQUI CAMERON
Thames & Hudson I $79.99
Enjoy a peek into some of the private gardens. Focused on the personal stories behind the creation of these gardens, this book is for anyone who loves gardening or admiring the beauty of backyards. Most gardens aren't created in isolation, and the book looks at some of the passionate experts who've put their heart into these creative designs. A book of curiosity, see the love and care that went into 20 gorgeous outdoor spaces.
THE GARDENER'S YEAR
NICK RITAR
Penguin Books I $59.99
This is a planting guide for all seasons. From the delicate blossoms of spring to a delicious summer's crop, learn more about what works and when. Full of gardening to-do lists and plant profiles, it will help you create a garden that is colourful, productive and adaptable to every season.
A SLICE OF ORGANIC LIFE
SHEHERAZADE GOLDSMITH
DK Books I $49.99
The idea of growing your own food or going organic can be appealing. The book is the perfect guide to a more simple and sustainable life. Filled with projects, advice and inspiration, it focuses on what you can do. This book offers helpful ways to grow your own food, raise animals, make natural body products, reduce your household waste and so much more.
1. Which book might most attract the backyard garden lovers?| A．The Gardener's Year. |
| B．A Slice of Organic life. |
| C．Beyond the Garden Cate. |
| D．How to Make a Plant Love You. |
| A．$39.99. | B．$49.99. |
| C．$ 59.99. | D．$79.99. |
| A．Gardening. | B．Business. |
| C．Literature. | D．Agriculture. |
9 . Leaders in the aviation （航空）industry plan to launch a campaign that they hope will work against what they call a " flight shaming（使蒙羞）” movement. They say flight shaming has weakened peopled demand for air travel in Europe . Some travelers there are increasingly concerned about the effects of flying on the environment. Activists have been calling for greater action against climate change. That includes avoiding air travel.
Flight shaming has affected air travel demand in many European countries, including Britain, France and Germany. The campaign will try to explain to the public how the industry is reducing its effect on the environment. Juniac, head of IATA, said the flight shaming movement gave off "misleading information"..
The International Air Transport Association （IATA） is organizing the plan through the Air Transport Action Group, a group of aviation industry organizations and companies. Juniac didn't say when the campaign would start, but noted that details would be available to airports and airlines.
Commercial flying is estimated to cause about 2.5% of worldwide carbon emissions（释放）. However, that number could rise as worldwide air travel increases.
The aviation industry says it has already cut carbon emissions by one-half since 1990. The improvements are mainly the result of aircraft that use fuel more effectively. The industry plans to cut emissions further by 2050. It has a goal of stopping the growth of carbon emissions by 2020.
Airlines also have warned of the harmful effects of the flight shaming movement. Some have criticized the industry for failing to explain itself Tim Clark，president of the airline Emirates，said that improvements in technology have reduced the environmental effects of passenger airplanes.
1. What is flight shaming movement about?| A．Weakening peopled demand to travel abroad. |
| B．Calling on all to fight against global warming. |
| C．Announcing the environmental harm of flying. |
| D．Scaring people from approaching the airport. |
| A．It ignores the efforts of airlines to reduce pollution. |
| B．Airlines will charge the movement for their loss. |
| C．Airlines are to blame for the cause of the movement. |
| D．It has positive effects in urging airlines to be green. |
| A．The effective use of fuel has made air travel greener. |
| B．Flight shaming movement has caused great loss for airlines. |
| C．With more passengers? carbon emissions by planes may rise. |
| D．The aviation industry aims to stop carbon emission by 2020. |
| A．Improvement of air quality since flight shaming. movement. |
| B．Opposition of aviation industry against flight shaming movement, |
| C．Travelers' inconvenience caused by flight shaming movement, |
| D．Measures by aviation industry to reduce environmental pollution. |
10 . Volunteers are the backbone of SAGE to offer many programs and services important to enriching the lives of LGBT older people. No matter what type of volunteer activity you choose, volunteering is a great way to get involved with SAGE.
How Do I Become a SAGE Volunteer?
The first step to become a SAGE volunteer is to attend a Volunteer Orientation. Volunteer Orientations are held on the second Wednesday of every month at 7 : 00 PM in Room 107 at the LGBT Community Center, 208 W. 13th Street. Advance registration is not required, just bring yourself and a pen. Click here to see when the next Volunteer Orientation will take place.
One-on-One Interview with SAGE Staff.
After you attend the volunteer orientation, you will be contacted for an interview with a SAGE Community Services staff member. Its purpose is to find the right volunteer placement for you at SAGE, and to answer any questions you may have.
Attend a Volunteer Training.
The volunteer opportunities at SAGE require initial training and may include other commitments as well. You can find out more about this at the Volunteer Orientation. If you are not able to attend a Volunteer Orientation, please send an email with your name and contact information to: volunteer@ sageusa. org.
What Kind of Volunteer Opportunities Are Available at SAGE?
SAGE offers a wide variety of volunteer opportunities, such as Friendly Visiting, Event Volunteering and participation in a SAGE Committee. Please click here to view a detailed list of volunteer opportunities. If you want to volunteer? but don't see something in the list that interests you, be sure to attend a Volunteer Orientation to find out what other opportunities might be available.
1. What do we know about Volunteer Orientation?| A．Ifs held every Wednesday for new volunteers. |
| B．It prefers its volunteers to book a chance online. |
| C．It's held monthly to give information to volunteers. |
| D．It identifies the best volunteers for the training. |
| A．Offer help to enrich the life of senior people in LGBT. |
| B．Help organize Volunteer Orientations at the community. |
| C．Attend to old people suffering back injuries in hospital. |
| D．Provide online medical care for patients in the community. |
| A．By making an appointment. | B．By visiting SAGE website. |
| C．By interviewing one-on-one. | D．By applying online in advance. |
