1 . When writing a complaint letter, you should keep it short and to the point to help ensure that your letter will be read in its entirety. If you write a seven-page complaint letter, it’s highly unlikely that someone will sit down and read all seven pages.
The complaint letter should be addressed to the customer service department. The address and contact information of the customer service department should be available on the company’s products or website.
A printed complaint letter should be written in the business letter format, while an e-mail should be sent in the same format but without the heading (your return address, their address, and the date).
In the first paragraph you should make clear what the issue is. Be sure to include the following information: the time of the issue, location, the name of the person on duty, the name of the product, what the problem is, your account number, model number, price and warranty(保修单) information. Be sure to stick with the facts and avoid putting emotions into your letter.
The next paragraph should state what outcome you would like of the problem, if you received poor service, you could request an apology or a coupon (优惠券). If a product malfunctioned, you could request that you could exchange the product for a new one or request a refund.
The last paragraph should thank the reader for the time. You can also politely express appreciation over something you like about their company’s product or service.
Be sure to keep a copy of the letter for yourself and include photocopies of all documents and envelop them with your letter. You should include your telephone number or e-mail address after your printed name so that they can get in touch with you as soon as possible if necessary.
1. Why should you keep the complaint letter short and to the point?| A．Because the longer it is, the more detailed it will be. |
| B．Because it can make sure that the letter is taken seriously. |
| C．Because longer letters can show my emotions. |
| D．Because short letters are more formal business letters. |
| A．In the heading. | B．In the first paragraph. |
| C．In the second paragraph. | D．After the printed name. |
| A．Failed to function well. | B．Met one’s need. |
| C．Was well produced. | D．Was wrongly delivered |
| A．By analyzing causes. | B．By showing differences. |
| C．By describing a process. | D．By following time order. |
2 . As I lie here in my hot, uncomfortable hospital bed, all I can think about is how badly I want to leave this place. It has been four days of doctors giving bad news, medicine injections, procedures, MRIs and restless nights. I have been able to eat one meal a day due to the surgeries I was scheduled for later. I ask my mom to bring me my car keys and on my key chain, there is a soft piece of leather made from my first baseball glove. She looks worried and sad, handing the keychain to me. In the fibers of the leather are so many memories that have transformed me as a person.
I grab my keys and touch a smooth piece of leather. It is a nice coffee brown and about 3 inches in length. Every time I touch it, I think of one thing - baseball. The key chain is made from my first baseball glove that I cherished so much It carries great moments like championships as well as moments when I strike out and lose. Each one has transformed me not only as a baseball player, but as a person.
All of a sudden, my nurse walks in and I jump when I hear her voice. She didn't mean to interrupt , but I need more medicine. Once she leaves, I focus back and grasp the cowhide. I rub my fingers up and down just feeling this reminder of the game. It takes me on a wild road trip through my brain and I am stopping at each baseball memory. This time I begin to picture the people that are involved in my baseball life.
I open my eyes, realizing the road trip that I used to be on has gone with the wind. My gaze shifts to the clock on the opposite wall. Almost an hour has passed! Even in tough times the things and people you love can help you escape and you will get over all the difficulties.
1. What makes the author’s mother worried?| A．the author's skill in baseball. |
| B．the author's attitude to his life. |
| C．the author's present situation. |
| D．the poor condition of the hospital. |
| A．It brings back plenty of memories. |
| B．It is soft and comfortable to touch. |
| C．it has witnessed his great moments. |
| D．It is made from one of his baseball gloves. |
| A．Medicine. | B．Baseball. | C．Glove. | D．Leather. |
| A．The author feels depressed. |
| B．The author is confident of his future. |
| C．The author cherishes his past experience. |
| D．The author feels tired of the life in the hospital. |
3 . Do you remember what happened on Sponge Bob Square Pants yesterday? The day before? If so, you may be in need of a TV timeout!
Kids today are watching more TV than they watched before, researchers say. Kids ages 6 to 11 in the United States watch more than three hours of TV each day. Ten years ago, children watched only about two hours and 40 minutes of TV each day.
Why the increase? Experts say more TV shows today are focused, or aimed, at kids.
Some people want to limit kids' TV time. Researchers say that children who watch TV shows for more than three hours a day do not do as well in school. However, some programs can help kids learn. One example is BrainSurge. Some people say the show teaches kids facts.
How do you know whether a TV show can make you smart? Think about what you learn from watching, says Aletha Huston. She is a TV expert. But, she warns, don't spend too much time watching. “Limit the amount you watch. Get off the couch and do something else.”
TV Guide
This pie chart shows how long kids ages 6－11 use different types of TV technology each week.
1. What is the main idea of the text?
| A．Kids today watch more TV than they did before. |
| B．BrainSurge helps kids learn facts. |
| C．Kids do not watch proper TV shows. |
| D．More TV shows today are created for kids ages 6－11. |
| A．unusual | B．aimed | C．suitable | D．pleasant |
| A．Three. | B．Five. | C．Four. | D．Six. |
| A．Video games | B．DVD | C．VCR | D．TV |
4 . Have you ever noticed that the stars sometimes appear brighter in December, January and February? There's a link between cold air and the night lights. "Part of it is that it tends to be drier in the winter," said Diane Tumshek, an astronomer at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Even though it's invisible, moisture can change the way light moves through the air. And in the summer, moisture can make stars appear more dull.
Air temperature is also what puts the twinkle twinkle in the little stars. "Even on very clear nights, some of the atmosphere is cooler, and some of the atmosphere is warmer,” said Tumshek, who also works with the Allegheny Observatory. And when the light from a star passes through those bubbles of varying temperatures, "it bends and shifts the light, so that we are seeing stars appear to dance or twinkle,” she said.
For star lovers in the United States, there's another factor that comes into play for bright winter stars, although this is a matter of coincidence. During Earth's journey around the sun, “there are just simply more bright stars visible from the Northern Hemisphere in the winter sky," Tumshek said. If you really want to see a shiny star, just try to find a burning ball of gas called Sirius near the horizon. At 8.6 light-years away, Sirius is relatively close to Earth and the brightest star visible in the night sky. It is also large — nearly twice as big as our sun and 20 times as bright. So this winter, when the world turns cold and it seems like we should be spending more time indoors, consider asking an adult to go exploring outside. With a warm coat and a clear sky, any night can be turned into a treasure hunt. All you have to do is look up.
1. What does the underlined word "dull" in Paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．not shiny | B．not exciting | C．not severe | D．not smart |
| A．By changing the bubbles around them. | B．By putting the twinkle twinkle in them. |
| C．By varying the direction of the light from them. | D．By making the stars dance and twinkle in the sky. |
| A．It can be found at any night. | B．It is 20 times as bright as the sun. |
| C．It is a burning and shiny ball. | D．It is closer to Earth than other stars, |
| A．To advocate stargazing in winter, | B．To call on people to focus on stars. |
| C．To present new research results about stars. | D．To explain why stars are more visible in winter. |
5 . Since apps like Uber and Lyft came on the scene, ridesharing services have dramatically changed the way people get around. A new study out of Columbia University reveals a downside of these services. It turns out that ridesharing trips cause an increase in the number of accidents involving motorists and pedestrians at pick-up and drop-off locations.
Previous studies on the relationship between ridesharing services and vehicle crashes compare cities where ridesharing services are available with cities where they are not, and this makes results somewhat ambiguous. In this study researchers analyze individual trips to make the picture a little clearer.
Researchers analyzed data from 372 million ridesharing trips in New York City between 2017 and 2018. Whenever a crash occurred in the city, they calculated the number of ridesharing trips that began or ended in the area at the time of the accident. They compared this with the number of trips that took place in the same location one week before and one week after the crash. Researchers did the same calculations for regular taxi rides as part of their analyses. Also, separate analyses were performed based on the type of people injured in the crash: pedestrians, motorists or cyclists.
The results of the analyses show that the rise in ridesharing trips is associated with an increase in the number of accidents involving pedestrians and motorists, but not cyclists. Furthermore, they did not find this same association between taxi trips and accidents.
“Ridesharing is changing the way we move around cities.” says first author Christopher Morrison. “It is becoming clear that the technology reduces alcohol-related crashes, but these benefits do not seem to extend to the overall number of crashes. These findings help explain why that might be---- because the reductions in alcohol-related crashes are offset (抵消) by increases in other types of crashes.”
Researchers hope that cities and ridesharing services will use the results of this study to take measures that might reduce the number of crashes. “In crowded areas with large numbers of rideshare pick-ups and drop-offs, cities could consider building taxi-rank style infrastructure (基础设施) to protect pedestrians and prevent crashes, ”concludes Morrison.
1. What do we know about previous studies on ridesharing services?| A．Their analysis is hardly reliable. |
| B．Their findings are rather ridiculous. |
| C．Their research method is out-of-date. |
| D．Their research sample is not wide enough. |
| A．The increase in ridesharing trips can lead to an increase in accidents between cyclists and pedestrians. |
| B．When there is a high number of ridesharing trips, there is usually an increase in the number of accidents. |
| C．Ridesharing is changing the way we move around cities. |
| D．Cyclists are always safe. |
| A．Ridesharing reduces alcohol-related crashes. |
| B．Ridesharing doesn’t increase accidents involving cyclists. |
| C．Various types of crashes increase with ridesharing services. |
| D．Overall crashes don’t decrease along with alcohol-related crashes. |
| A．Improving infrastructure to expand taxi services. |
| B．Banning ridesharing services in crowded places. |
| C．Constructing some stops for ridesharing vehicles. |
| D．Reducing the number of pick-ups and drop-offs. |
6 . I was eleven years old standing outside in just my underwear while I watched the house that I grew up in rapidly burn to the ground.
A few minutes earlier I had been in bed when a scream woke me up. My grandma’s bedroom was just next to mine and my elder brother’s. A fire had broken out there and awakened her. Hearing her scream, my elder brother jumped to action, running from room to room quickly to wake everyone in the house. However, before we could do anything, the fire had consumed (烧毁) the old and wooden house.
I stood there shivering (颤抖) while the fire destroyed my books, clothes, and toys. I watched helplessly while my Mom cried and my Dad sighed. I wondered what was going to happen to us now that we had lost all of our things. As I looked around, though, I realized something for the first time: What matters aren’t things. I saw my elder brother running across the swinging (摇摆的) bridge by our house to get help. I saw my eldest brother who was on crutches (拐棍) from an earlier accident standing unsteadily on one leg. I saw my grandma and dad wrapped in each other’s arms and my mum holding our little dog. I realized at that moment that we were all alive. Everything that was essential had survived the fire. Our lives would continue. We would survive without the “stuff” that was burning. We would all be around to love each other for many years to come. And that was all that mattered.
I still think of that fire at night. It helped me to become who I am today. It showed me for the very first time what is truly essential in life. It helped me to learn that the love we share is far more important than the things we possess.
Live your life then for the things that matter, not for the things you own. Love others. Let the fire inside of you make this world a warmer place. Let your soul shine bright.
1. Who first found the house was on fire?| A．The author. | B．The grandma. |
| C．The elder brother. | D．A passer-by. |
| A．Exited and worried. | B．Worried but lucky. |
| C．Unhappy and upset. | D．Happy but worried. |
| A．Important. | B．Perfect. |
| C．Amazing. | D．Unique. |
| A．We all have each other | B．The magic of a fire |
| C．Growing up with memory | D．Ways to be a better man |
7 . Jack was born without eyes. He was very lucky as he grew up having other kittens (young cats) to socialize (交往) with, and was used to people from the moment he was born. However, when it came time to find the kittens homes, no one knew where Jack would end up.
That’s when I got an e-mail from my friend. All she asked was “Do you still want one of the kittens? There’s one here with no eyes and no one would like to take him”. Without thinking I told her that I did want the kitten.
When we first brought him home, Jack stayed mostly in my room. After about a day he had no issues running around and climbing on everything. At times he gets lost in the house, he’ll stop. But we just call his name and talk to him and it isn’t long before he finds his way back to us.
A few weeks after getting Jack, we got a new cat named Bear. Jack and Bear have become best friends. It doesn’t matter that he can’t see. He always knows when Bear is around. He’ll run across the yard straight to Bear and wrap his front legs around his neck in a big hug. They run after each other around and wrestle (摔跤). They’ll lie down in the grass together when tired.
Jack is truly an inspiration. I’ve owned lots of kittens in my life, but Jack is the happiest and most playful. He doesn’t feel sorry for himself. He doesn’t need pity. I think Jean, owner of Gumbo, another eyeless cat, said it best when she told me that cats don’t have disabilities; they have adaptability.
1. Why did Jack come to the author’s home?| A．The author cared for an eyeless cat. |
| B．The author didn’t mind whether he was blind. |
| C．No other young cats kept him company. |
| D．The author’s friend begged the author to take him home. |
| A．Jack often wrestles with Bear indoors. |
| B．Jack likes to play with a new eyeless cat. |
| C．Jack quickly adapts to the new environment. |
| D．Jack is good at talking and playing with people. |
| A．Trouble. | B．Fun. | C．Luck. | D．Business. |
| A．A cat has nine lives. | B．All is well that ends well. |
| C．God helps those who help themselves. | D．A good beginning makes a good ending. |
8 . Will human beings find intelligent alien (外星的) life anytime soon? Probably not, according to theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking.
Hawking made the prediction during the Breakthrough Starshot announcement in New York City on April 12. At the news conference, Hawking, along with Russian billionaire sponsor Yuri Milner and a group of scientists, detailed a new project that aims to send a large number of tiny, wafer-size (薄饼大小的) spaceships into space to the neighboring star system Alpha Centauri (半人马座阿尔法星).
If these tiny spaceships travel at 20 percent of the speed of light, they'll be able to reach Alpha Centauri in just 20 years, Milner said. Once there, the spacecraft will be able to do a 1-hour flyby of Alpha Centauri and collect data that's impossible to gather from Earth, such as taking close-up photos of the star system, studying space dust molecules (分子) and measuring magnetic fields (磁场), said Avi Loeb, chairman of the Breakthrough Starshot Advisory Committee and a professor of science at Harvard University.
In addition to learning about space technology, the audience wanted to hear about aliens--specifically, when scientists might find them.
Hawking took questions from reporters in advance so that he would have time to prepare his answers.
Hawking has famously predicted that intelligent aliens might threaten humankind. Indeed, when asked about what Earthlings should do if we came across intelligent alien life, he said, “We should hope that they don' t find us.”
Other researchers at the conference offered a more optimistic view of alien life.
1. What are the wafer-size spaceships mainly designed for?| A．Looking for aliens. | B．Doing a 1-hour flyby. |
| C．Landing on Alpha Centauri. | D．Collecting data about Alpha Centauri. |
| A．pretty soon human beings will find alien life |
| B．we may find alien life a danger to human beings |
| C．Alpha Centauri is suitable for human immigration (移民) |
| D．scientists should be sent into space to collect data |
| A．sponsors | B．reporters |
| C．human beings | D．scientists |
| A．analysis of the data collected |
| B．other questions from reporters |
| C．possible ways to defend us against aliens |
| D．other scientist’ opinions on alien life |
9 . EcoTreasures, a young tour company based in Sydney, have involved a new plan in their Manly Coastal Walks to remove marine debris from Penguin habitats.
The tour company specializes in Ecotourism experiences on Sydney’s Northern Beaches and within Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, New South Wales. Ecotreasures have been lucky to host a range of international study tour students visiting Sydney this winter, who have been participating in the plan. The students arrive in Australia for short stays of generally 7—14 days, which consist of English lessons and Australia tour experiences. EcoTreasures owner, Damien McClellan, has been happy to host the students on his tours and to involve a new element in the half-day adventure, with a purpose to clean up marine debris that accumulates in the natural environment known to be the habitat for little penguins.
McClellan has been very proud to run these tours, which highlight a range of environmental awareness messages, and mentions, “when we visit the little penguin habitat at Collins Beach in Sydney Harbour National Park we conduct a beach clean-up. The students always put in 110% and we remove as much as marine debris from the catchment(积水处) as possible. We are all giving back to the location we are appreciating because of its natural beauty, and I’m proud of all these international guests caring for Australia’s environment.”
The tours offer a great display of Sydney’s natural setting right on the city’s door step. Mr. McClellan also adds, “The students and teachers really enjoy their experience on the walk around Manly. We visit the beach, Sydney Harbour National Park, Cabbage tree Aquatic reserve and Manly suburbs all in a half day adventure. We always keep the walk fun and interesting by identifying native plants & searching for Whales from land with binoculars and other wildlife along the way.”
EcoTreasures was founded in 2010 by Damien McClellan, and the business is looking forward to working with more partners in the future, developing new ecotourism plans for a range of target markets, and keeping it fun is part of the plan. EcoTreasures is Advanced Ecotourism and ROC certified.
1. What does EcoTreasures mainly specialize in?| A．protecting Little Penguins. |
| B．teaching students about environmental protection. |
| C．cleaning up penguin habitats. |
| D．holding ecotours in certain areas. |
| A．water | B．animal | C．trash | D．rock. |
| A．His appreciation for natural beauty. |
| B．His purpose to run the tours. |
| C．His pride to run the tours. |
| D．The importance of raising environmental awareness. |
| A．the tours are pleasant and valuable. |
| B．the tours make the students tired. |
| C．the tours are held far from Sydney. |
| D．the tours are held mainly for students |
10 . Researchers in the field often use camera traps to remotely photograph the lives of animals. These stationary cameras have a sensor that is triggered(启动，引发) by heat or movement, letting researchers monitor animals without disturbing them.
The traps can be used for months at a time, sometimes catching hundreds of thousands of images. But these images, and the valuable information they reveal, typically just sit on researchers’ hard drives, unavailable to anyone else, according to Jorge Ahumada, a scientist at environmental nonprofit Conservation International. So he launched Wildlife Insights, an online platform where researchers could share their photos. His idea is to encourage teamwork between biologists and wildlife conservation organizations, and bring camera trap footage(片断) to the fore of conservation efforts.
The site uses Artificial Intelligence designed by Google to overcome a key problem with these kinds of photos: camera traps produce an astronomical number of images to manually analyze, says Ahumada, many of which are blank images where the camera was triggered by its surroundings and not by wildlife. Manually sorting and deleting these photos is a laborious task.
To get around that, after someone uploads footage to the Wildlife Insights database, its AI checks if the image was taken from a camera trap and automatically removes all blank images. If there is an animal in the image, the AI will identify the species.
As well as collecting and reviewing the photos, the platform will provide analytics that could reveal trends in species’ population for different projects. That information could help researchers understand whether a species is increasing its range or if its numbers are dwindling.
While open access is key, the platform has taken steps to make sure this information doesn’t get into the wrong hands. “You will have to ask Wildlife Insights for permission to get the locations of the images,” says Ahumada. “We will manage this process carefully because we know that poachers(偷猎者) could use this information to find endangered species.”
1. What’s the purpose of Wildlife Insights?| A．To raise money for wildlife protection. |
| B．To monitor wildlife in an undisturbed way. |
| C．To encourage researchers to set camera traps. |
| D．To make camera trap images available to the public. |
| A．Sorting wildlife images quickly. | B．Tracking the photographed species. |
| C．Analyzing the origins of blank images. | D．Checking the performance of camera traps. |
| A．Puzzling | B．Doubling | C．Dropping | D．Missing |
| A．To protect the privacy of uploaders. | B．To avoid the illegal use of them. |
| C．To charge fees to stop poachers. | D．To ensure the accuracy of them. |
