1 . If you’re looking to buy a gift for your children, why not keep up with the trend and get the best hoverboard?
What is a Hoverboard?
A hoverboard is a two-wheeled personal transportation device. It’s electrical, portable and became highly popular in 2015. Typically, this self-balancing device operates like a powered skateboard.
How Does a Hoverboard Work?
The device may have many designs, but the mechanism itself isn’t complicated. Basically, a standard hoverboard contains:
•Battery: stores the electrical power. Almost all hoverboards use a high-watt lithium-ion battery.
•Gyroscope (one for each wheel): allows riders to tilt (倾斜) the hoverboard while maintaining balance and adjusting their direction.
•Motor (one in each wheel): provides the power to the wheels to keep the rider balanced and upright.
•Logic board: functions as the hoverboard brain. It processes data—your speed, tilt, etc.—and sends information to the motors. This unit controls the power of the board so riders can adjust their speed.
All the above components work together to control the power and tilt of the hoverboards so the rider is balanced, upright and moving at a controlled speed.
Why Buy a Hoverboard?
Undoubtedly, hoverboards are cool. You’ve probably seen kids riding one around the house. They’re a phenomenon and everybody wants in. So, why deny your kids and prevent them from being part of this trend?
Where is a hoverboard legal?
Despite their wild popularity, hoverboards have yet to become “street-legal”. Currently, some places prohibit anyone under 16 from using these devices, and hoverboards are banned in academic institutions and public places, like campus buildings, parks, shopping malls and subway stations. Some places have also put speed limits on the devices and restricted their use to bike paths. However, open areas—including your yard—are free of these restrictions.
1. The logic board of a hoverboard can ______.| A．store electricity | B．power the wheels |
| C．send information to the riders | D．receive data and give command |
| A．on campus | B．in parks |
| C．on bike paths | D．in shopping malls |
| A．To evaluate a gift’s quality. |
| B．To suggest a gift option. |
| C．To compare new hoverboard models. |
| D．To explain functions of the latest hoverboards. |
2 . In choosing a friend, one should be very careful. A good friend can help you study. You can have fun together and make each other happy. Sometimes you will meet fairweather friends. They will be with you as long as you have money or luck，but when you are down, they will run away. How do I know when I have found a good friend? I look for certain qualities of character，especially understanding, honesty and reliability(可靠)．
Above all else, I look for understanding in a friend. A good friend tries to understand how another person is feeling. He is not quick to judge. Instead, he tries to learn from others. He puts himself in the other person’s place, and he tries to think of ways to be helpful. He is also a good listener.
At the same time, however, a good friend is honest. He does not look for faults in others. He notices their good points. In short, a friend will try to understand me and accept me.
Another quality of a friend is reliability. I can always depend on a good friend. If he tells me he will meet me somewhere at a certain time, I can be sure that he will be there. If I need a favor，he will do his best to help me. If I am in trouble, he will not run away from me.
There is a fourth quality that makes a friend special. A special friend is someone with whom we can have fun. We should enjoy our lives, and we would enjoy our friendship. That is why I especially like friends who are fun to be with. A good friend likes the same things I like. We share experience and learn from each other. A good friend has a good sense of humor too. He likes to laugh with me. That is how we share in the joy of being friends. And I know that he is looking for the same quality in me.
When I meet someone who is reliable, honest, and understanding，I know I’ve found a friend!
1. Which of the following qualities the writer thinks is the most important in choosing a friend?| A．Understanding. | B．Honesty. | C．Reliability. | D．A sense of humor. |
| A．they will give you all that they have when you need help |
| B．you will be refused when you get into trouble |
| C．you can be sure that you get real friends |
| D．you will become rich |
| A．the qualities of a friend |
| B．where to choose friends |
| C．how to get along with friends |
| D．the importance of having a friend |
| A．Three. | B．Four. | C．Five. | D．Six. |
3 . It's not possible to stay together with loved ones all the time. Sometimes family members have to be far away from each other. During that time, they might face something terrible. Although we know what they are suffering, being far away makes it harder to help and comfort (安慰)loved ones. There is no use worrying a lot about them. Instead, keeping a positive attitude of support is more helpful than getting into worrying about the person. I think it is what I can do to help my loved ones.
My daughter has been working full-time during summer about 10 hours a day. She has to study hard for a big entrance exam. At first, like most people, I wanted to try to solve the problems and analyse (分析)the situation. Was there a better way of time management? Was there a better way of studying for this test? However, that was not always helpful. Sometimes, it even gave more pressure to her. Sometimes it might sound like there was something wrong to improve. However, it was just tiring at the end of the day. What would be the kind thing to do in this situation? It was hard to read someone's mind. I decided to just chat with her online and to send a hug emoji (表情符号)this time. It seemed more suitable than talking about solutions. Giving space can also be an act of help, comfort and kindness.
It is a fun and meaningful experiment to actively think about kind things to do rather than let it happen naturally. I've realized it and I'm grateful for this chance to share online. Give it a try too and you'll enjoy sweetness.
1. What can we learn from the first paragraph?| A．Worry is the best comfort to a loved one. |
| B．It is impossible to love someone around us. |
| C．The distance helps you do more to loved ones. |
| D．It's no use worrying a lot about loved ones not around us. |
| A．By talking about solutions. | B．By analysing all problems. |
| C．By buying a gift for her. | D．By giving simple emojis online. |
| A．To advise people to comfort loved ones as he did. |
| B．To tell us the ways to get along with others. |
| C．To discuss the rebuilding of personal relationships. |
| D．To show distance makes it hard to comfort loved ones. |
| A．A life journal. | B．A newspaper. |
| C．A website. | D．A speech report. |
4 . The Origins of Famous Brands
Our lives are full of brand names and trademarked products that we use every day. Although many brand names are simple acronyms(首字母缩略词) or versions of their founders' names, some of the companies we trust every day actually have fascinating and surprising back stories.
Starbucks
It seems fitting that the most famous coffee brand in the world would take its name from one of the world's greatest works of literature. The inspiration for the name of the coffeehouse came from Herman Melville's Moby Dick. The founders' original idea was to name the company after the Captain Ahab's ship — Pequot, but they eventually decided that Pequot wasn't a great name for coffee, so they chose Ahab's first mate, Starbucks, as the name instead.
Nike
Originally founded as a distributor for Japanese running shoes, the company was originally named BRS, or Blue Ribbon Sports. In 1971, BRS introduced its own soccer shoe, a model called Nike, which is also the name for the Greek goddess of victory. In 1978, the company officially renamed itself as Nike, Inc.
The right name is essential to a company's success, and a great origin story is just as crucial as a great product. An attractive origin story is one more thing that keeps customers guessing, wondering, and buying its products.
Google was originally called BackRub, for it searched for links in every corner of the Web. In 1997, when the founders of the company were searching for a new name showing a huge amount of data for their rapidly improving search technology, a friend suggested the word “googol”. When a friend tried to register the new domain name, he misspelled “googol” as “google”.
1. What is the name of the Captain Ahab's ship?| A．Moby Dick. | B．Starbucks. | C．Pequot. | D．Herman Melville. |
| A．In 1971. | B．In 1978. | C．In 1997. | D．In 1987. |
| A．They disliked their name. |
| B．They wanted new customers. |
| C．The company's original name was too long. |
| D．The company's search technology was improving rapidly. |
5 . The meaning of silence varies among cultural groups.Silences may be thoughtful, or they may be empty when a person has nothing to say. A silence in a conversation may also show stubbornness, uneasiness, or worry. Silence may be viewed by some cultural groups as extremely uncomfortable; therefore attempts may be made to fill every gap(间隙) with conversation. Persons in other cultural groups value silence and view it as necessary for understanding a person's needs.
Many Native Americans value silence and feel it is a basic part of communicating among people, just as some traditional Chinese and Thai persons do. Therefore, when a person from one of these cultures is speaking and suddenly stops, what may be implied(暗示) is that the person wants the listener to consider what has been said before continuing.In these cultures, silence is a call for reflection.
Other cultures may use silence in other ways, particularly when dealing with conflicts among people or in relationships of people with different amounts of power. For example, Russian, French, and Spanish persons may use silence to show agreement between parties about the topic under discussion. However, Mexicans may use silence when instructions are given by a person in authority rather than be rude to that person by arguing with him or her. In still another use, persons in Asian cultures may view silence as a sign of respect, particularly to an elder or a person in authority.
Nurses and other care-givers need to be aware of the possible meanings of silence when they come across the personal anxiety their patients may be experiencing. Nurses should recognize their own personal and cultural construction of silence so that a patient’s silence is not interrupted too early or allowed to go on unnecessarily. A nurse who understands the healing(治愈) value of silence can use this understanding to assist in the care of patients from their own and from other cultures.
1. What does the author say about silence in conversations?| A．It implies anger. |
| B．It promotes friendship. |
| C．It is culture-specific. |
| D．It is content-based. |
| A．The Chinese. |
| B．The French. |
| C．The Mexicans. |
| D．The Russians. |
| A．Let it continue as the patient pleases. |
| B．Break it while treating patients. |
| C．Evaluate its harm to patients. |
| D．Make use of its healing effects. |
| A．Sound and Silence |
| B．What It Means to Be Silent |
| C．Silence to Native Americans |
| D．Speech Is Silver; Silence Is Gold |
