1 . When I met and married a Japanese man in New York, I thought he would learn a bit more English and we would continue to live our lives there. But in life’s twists and turns, we ended up living in Tokyo! I was the one who needed to learn Japanese and fast ! There is no experience quite as lonely as living in a foreign country without a grasp of the language. Especially to make friends and to break that loneliness, it is the first and foremost goal to attain… always an uphill climb, while totally awkward!
I was a trained English Language teacher, and while I lived abroad I did that work, and when we moved back to America I planned to continue it. The country’s financial difficulties at the time, however, saw deep cuts to the English as a Second Language positions in the schools and to refugee language programs. So I simply took a job in a department store, at its Child Playroom.
But this store was located near a major company that hired some of its workforce from many other countries. Often a preschooler in my playroom could not speak a word of English, and would look so lost and lonely !My heart flew to them! We interacted with each other a lot. We would play English language games and they would teach their language to me.
Years later, when a small girl who had come from South America could speak good English, she said to me, “Teacher, remember when I called you Maestra?” Another child whose language was only Russian originally —we built a robot from blocks and fed it block food and leaned English words that way—would come years afterwards and continue to play that same game! These moments became my life compass—due north is that place where when persons are different, Love Matters !
1. What was the author’s challenge after marriage?| A．She had to give up her job. | B．She lost all her best friends. |
| C．She needed to learn a new language. | D．She was forced to live overseas. |
| A．She set up her own company. | B．She lost interest in teaching. |
| C．Better teachers were needed. | D．Teaching jobs were greatly reduced. |
| A．They learned each other’s languages. | B．They took language tests. |
| C．They cared for each other. | D．They encouraged each other in learning. |
| A．Tiring. | B．Helpful. | C．Simple. | D．Humorous. |
2 . Calculated every year by Global Footprint Network（GFN），Earth Overshoot Day（地球生态超载日）is the day when human has used up all the natural resources—produce,meat,fish,water and wood.This means we use up them ahead of time before the end of the year.
It is just like spending your entire years' money by August and then borrow money from friends,knowing fully well you cannot pay back. GFN says the same thing happens in the case of the earth."Because we give out more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than our oceans and forests can take in,and we harvest forests more quickly than they can regrow,"he said.
In a perfect world,we should only spend what we have.This means Earth Overshoot Day would fll on 31 December or perhaps in the following year. Unfortunately,the day has been climbing up quickly since 2014 when it fell on 19 August.In 2015,it was 13 August,and this year, the earliest so far—8 August!
According to GFN,Australia tops the list,with the United States coming in a close second.If the world's population started to live like either of these countries,we would need more resources to meet our needs.
Fortunately,experts say the situation isn't as bad as it sounds. Many countries have already taken measures to reduce carbon emissions（释放）by using wind or solar energy.People can also help by eating less meat, walking, cycling or taking public transportation,as well adopting the three Rs: Reduce,Reuse&Recycle.If we work together,we can help push back Earth Overshoot Day to December 31 or even beyond.
1. How does the author explain Earth Overshoot Day?| A．By giving us some data. |
| B．By comparing it to personal money. |
| C．By describing the process of waste. |
| D．By introducing the present situation of the earth. |
| A．Uncertain. | B．Negative. | C．Skeptical. | D．Positive. |
| A．Earth Overshot Day falls on different days every year. |
| B．Earth Overshoot Day falls on 8 August. |
| C．Earth Overshoot Day falls on 31 December. |
| D．Earth Overshoot Day is put forward year by year. |
| A．To warn people to plan for their future. |
| B．To tell people the importance of nature. |
| C．To teach people how to protect the earth. |
| D．To call on people to care about the earth. |
