1 . Becoming a real runner
I would never use the word “athletic” to describe myself. To me, athletes are people who really enjoy working out. I remember crying in middle school when I had to run a mile during gym class. I huffed and puffed as I jogged. As I grew up, I would go to the gym, but I never enjoyed working out. That, I thought, was for real runners.
In June 2017, my friend sent me an email that would forever change my attitude towards running. He was training for a 200-mile relay (接力赛) and wanted me to be on his team. I would run three legs between four and six miles each over the course of two days. Figuring that I would never again have the chance to work with some top runners, I immediately agreed, and started running outside to prepare.
That first run was hard. I purposefully avoided Central Park in order to stay away from real runners. After a few blocks, I was already winded, and ran the rest of the way home. I called my mom, choked up, to say I had no hope at all of running this relay. But she encouraged me to keep at it, so I didn't quit. I went from running four miles a week to eight within one month before my advanced training began.
I was frightened going into the first training session with the team as everyone else was super “athletic”. We ran for five miles, and I was significantly slower. However, my teammates were so supportive that I felt the runner’s high, which I had never believed existed.
One day, about two weeks into training, my ankle gave out while I was running in Central Park. I was diagnosed with a stress fracture (应力性骨折). The doctor told me to stop running for two months. It took me a while to face the fact that I was out of the race. My doctor told me that he too had once been struck down with a stress fracture, and the following year, he beat his best running time in a half-marathon. That brought me hope.
I made it through the next two months by picturing myself running again. Just yesterday, for the first time since that fateful day, I took my outdoor run with my physical therapist. I mentioned that I might run a half-marathon the next year. Now I wake up excited for the days I get to run. Maybe I am a “real runner” after all.
1. According to the article, when did the author start to feel passion for running?| A．After she got into the habit of working out. |
| B．After she got the courage to run outdoors on her own. |
| C．After she ran with some top runners and got their encouragement. |
| D．After she broke her ankle in training and stayed in bed for two months. |
| A．helpful advice. |
| B．immediate treatment. |
| C．experience in the marathon. |
| D．personal experience with an injury. |
| A．She didn’t take the relay seriously. |
| B．She had a strict and overprotective mother. |
| C．She felt disappointed about withdrawing from the race. |
| D．She would have expected to run a half-marathon if she had won the race. |
| A．urge readers to exercise regularly. |
| B．share with readers the fun of running. |
| C．warn readers to be careful about running. |
| D．encourage readers to pursue their hobbies. |
2 . The State-Of-The-Art-Tech Behind Fighting Fires
How are today’s firefighters dealing with massive wildfires? They’re doing it by using the most advanced technology. Whether it’s with a modified jumbo jet or innovative thermal(热的) imaging cameras, we take a look at the tech behind fighting some of the world’s most overwhelming fires.
Teams fighting against the California wildfires used the Global SuperTanker – a modified jumbo jet that carries almost 73,000 liters (19,200 gallons) of fire retardant(阻燃剂) – alongside the S-64 Aircrane heavy-lifting helicopter, which carries 10,000 liters (2,200 gallons) of water.
These air tankers are used to put out flames and monitor fire spread through sensors and video feeds coupled to GPS data. Fed into hi-tech computer modelling software, they can help predict the fire’s behavior and possible spread patterns. Computer models are able to provide small area coverage only meters wide, mapping territory and airflow. Fires are especially responsive to wind conditions and these tools allow firefighters to determine the passage of flames at ground level.
But manned aircrafts need a large investment in maintenance and crew training. Command and control centers are turning to unmanned aircraft to keep costs down and provide additional capabilities. Small quadcopters(四旋翼机) and larger fixed-wing aircraft can fly over fires for much longer periods.
Smoke can cover the ground for days at a time or pose a severe breathing risk to air crews – However, this is not a problem for drones. Onboard high definition, infrared(红外辐射的) and thermal imaging cameras can provide direction to ground teams, spot vital infrastructure (including power or water lines), and identify dangerous or flammable objects.
Infrared and thermal cameras can see through smoke to monitor ground teams and let them know when conditions change. Unmanned aircraft can provide aerial images, heat maps, and temperature scales of fire zones. Specialist drones can even carry hoses to less accessible areas. In the future, swarms of autonomous drones could be used to track wildfires and spot fire spread.
Thermal imaging technology has become widespread and less expensive to use. Handheld cameras and devices that attach to smartphones allow firefighters to see through smoke and find active fire hotspots, or undergrowth that is burning without producing smoke.
Identifying these hotspots allows crews to target the most active and dangerous parts of a wildfire and divert manpower to tackle it more effectively.
Augmented reality helmets that include breathing appliance alongside computer vision-aided displays are adding to the ground team’s capabilities. Thermal cameras inside the helmets mean that firefighters can operate in environments completely obscured by smoke. At the same time, they can wirelessly transmit information on what is happening at the frontline to command and control points.
Robots are also making a difference. The Smokebot was developed by a Swedish university to assist fire and rescue services. It collects data in environments with reduced visibility using radar, a laser scanner, a thermal camera and gas sensors. Smokebot can help in forest fire situations mapping large areas filled with dust or smoke, where it is too risky to send in rescue personnel.
Earth-observing satellites commonly detect wildfires in wilderness areas. Their cameras and remote sensors are used to estimate the fire’s evolution and provide situational awareness that saves lives.
The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) onboard the Suomi NPP satellite gives near real-time data to NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) on active fires across the world.
Finally, to get the bigger picture on fire tracking and monitoring, the US Forest Service and US Geological Survey uses data from the Landsat Earth-observing satellites. Data gathered from every major fire in the country since 1984 has been fed into computer models to help predict and prevent wildfires.
1. What does the underlined “they”, in the third paragraph, refer to?| A．Current firefighters tackling massive wildfires. |
| B．The modified jumbo jets and art thermal imaging cameras. |
| C．The data gained from sensors and video feeds, plus GPS information. |
| D．The air tankers used to put out flames and monitor fire spread. |
| A．Drones don’t need much fuel when putting out wildfires and identifying the causes of fires. |
| B．Less money is needed in training crews when drones are available. |
| C．Drones won’t come across any breathing problems when in work. |
| D．Drones needs much less investment in maintenance. |
| A．Swarms of autonomous drones used to extinguish wildfires from air. |
| B．AR helmets with breathing appliance alongside computer vision-aided. |
| C．Drones with high definition, infrared and thermal imaging cameras onboard. |
| D．Earth-observing satellites equipped with cameras and remote sensors. |
| A．It was created by a Swiss university to assist fire and rescue services. |
| B．It can help to send rescue personnel to a fire spot. |
| C．It can help draw a map of large areas and fill the regions with dust or smoke. |
| D．It collects data using advanced technology where visibility is reduced due to fires. |
3 . There are several ways of retelling “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”. In 2005 Hollywood focused on Willy Wonka, the factory’s owner, portraying him as a purple-gloved man-child. A new musical production of Roald Dahl’s children’s story at the Theatre Royal in London concentrates on the up-from-poverty fortune of Charlie Bucket, the boy who finds the golden ticket.
Tales of upward social mobility attempted or achieved are crowding the London stage. “Billy Elliott”, the story of a miner’s son who strives with the death of family strikes to make it as a ballet dancer, recently celebrated its four-millionth visitor. “Port”, an account of a Stockport girl’s attempts to escape her depressing origins, was a success at the National Theatre this spring. Last year “In Basildon” described strivers in the typical upwardly-mobile Essex town.
It is a respectable theatrical (and literary) theme, but it is being handled in a different way. John Osborne’s 1956 play “Look Back in Anger” showed a working-class man’s anger at the middle class he had married into. By the 1970s and 1980s writers were looking down their noses at social climbers, in plays like “Top Girls” and “Abigail’s Party”, in which a middle-class arriviste (暴发户) serves inferior snacks and the wrong kind of wine.
Social mobility moved away as a topic for a while, as playwrights like David Hare turned to examine carefully the state of the nation. Now it has returned—and is described much more sympathetically. Dominic Cooke, who directed “In Basildon” at the Royal Court Theatre, says this may be a delayed reaction to the collapse of state socialism in Europe.
A possible reason for the sympathetic tone is that upward mobility can no longer be taken for granted. In 2011 researchers at the London School of Economics concluded that intergenerational social mobility, assessed by income for children born between 1970 and 2000, had suspended. Another study, by Essex University academics, found matters had not improved during the crisis.
So it is fantastic fun to see people make it. Charlie Bucket does so spectacularly(壮观地). At the end of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” he is a pint-size entrepreneur(企业家), with an immigrant workforce of Oompa-Loompas to ensure he does not fall back down the social ladder.
1. What are the versions of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” mentioned in the passage?| A．Magic and ballet. | B．Movie and musical. |
| C．Drama and painting. | D．Novel and documentary. |
| A．The story of a miner's son. |
| B．The topic of upward social mobility. |
| C．An account of a Stockport girl's attempts. |
| D．A striver in the upwardly-mobile Essex town. |
| A．gaining by dishonest means |
| B．serving others what they like |
| C．being involved in social climbing |
| D．marrying the one sharing your background |
| A．Curious. | B．Optimistic. |
| C．Pessimistic. | D．Concerned. |
4 . It was early in 1981 when I first met George. I was in my early 30s, seeking a creative outlet unrelated to the humdrum of housework and raising little ones. My children, then aged three and five, were just entering kindergarten and school life. At 65, George had recently retired and was seeking a rewarding hobby for his golden years. For both of us, painting was art and we met at a local TAFE painting class. Thus began a friendship that was to last for 25 years—until the day he died.
In the late 1950s, George arrived in Western Australia from Britain with his wife and two children. He wasn’t a tall man but was as neat as a pin, with a mouthful of large teeth and glasses that gave his blue eyes a Bambi-like appearance. George was a man who lived life to the full; he worked hard, played hard, and had an opinion about everything. He loved his wife, his family, his friends, and was loyal and outspoken to the equal degree. A slim and vigorous man, George took pride in his fitness and health and walked three kilometres every day. “”I’d no more go without my walk than without brushing my teeth,” he’d say.
And as the only male in a painting class full of women, George was in his element. He loved his singular role and looked after his brood with the same attention he gave to everything.
He took to painting with passion and commitment, even turning the spare bedroom of his home into a studio. His painting equipment was comprehensive—an easel, quality paints, linseed oil, turpentine, brushes, palette, canvases, charcoal pencils, fixative, palette knives—even a rolling pin for removing air bubbles when gluing. Ever practical, George housed many of these items in a tool box-a red metal tool box-built to take hard knocks and purchased from a local hardware store.
For about six years George and I studied together through various units until the completion of the course and other commitments drew us apart, though we always maintained personal contact as we lived within a couple of kilometres of each other. Td sometimes see him on his daily walk or at the local shops and occasionally we'd touch base with a ‘proper’ afternoon tea, sharing a cuppa and a chinwag.
1. Why did the author start to learn painting?| A．To find a lasting and rewarding friendship. |
| B．To take a break from her boring family life. |
| C．To develop a hobby for her future golden years. |
| D．To realize her long-held dream of becoming a painter. |
| A．George’s interest | B．George’s tools |
| C．George’s family | D．George’s classmates |
| A．desired a luxurious life | B．was enthusiastic about sports |
| C．cared little about his appearance | D．seldom told others about his opinion |
| A．What happened on the day George died. |
| B．Why she became a painter while George didn’t. |
| C．How she and George turned away from each other. |
| D．Where George used to live before coming to Australia. |
5 . Nothing draws attention to your new product like using it to send fast food into space. In June, Arizona-based World View demonstrated the potential of its pioneering stratollite--a sort of mini satellite that uses a balloon to take goods into the stratosphere (平流层)--by partnering with
KFC to ferry a 5-ounce piece of fried chicken 77,000 feet into the desert sky. “We took a chicken sandwich, launched it into space for 17 hours, and when it came back, it was perfect,” says World View CEO Jane Poynter.
Poynter’s final goal is to send tourists to the edge of space, tied to the company’s balloons, and to make the final frontier more accessible for research. Stratollites are inexpensive, compact, and easy to operate, ideal for monitoring weather patterns and providing military reconnaissance （侦察） or emergency communications during natural disasters. They can also do what traditional satellites can’t: spend months above a specific location without moving.
Though Poynter did not formally train as an engineer, she has spent her career in leading space research. The British native trained her skills as a technical manager while part of Biosphere 2, an Arizona research facility built to test a self-enclosed, self-sufficient ecosystem. Its creators hoped it could one day be adapted for use in space. She spent two years in the early 1990s sealed inside with seven others, experiencing everything from oxygen failures to colleagues’ emotional breakdowns.
Poynter met her future husband, Taber MacCallum, on the project, and afterward, the couple formed Paragon Space Development. They began devising biospheres that could support plant and animal life in orbit （太空轨道）.
“We showed it’s possible for animals to live in an environment they are not used to: microgravity,” Poynter says.
In 2014, Poynter and Maccallum achieved another first. They led the engineering team that helped former Google exec Alan Eustace skydive from the edge of the stratosphere. That’s when it hit them: The balloon-parachute system they designed for Eustace could be modified for tourism and research. So they formed World View, with MacCallum serving as chief technical officer.
The company has a contract with NASA to determine if the system could someday be used to gather data on Mars. “Taking stratollites and flying them on other planets,” Poynter says, “that’s definitely a part of the big dream.”
1. Stratollites are different from traditional satellites in that they can _______.| A．stay motionless in space |
| B．move about in a bigger area |
| C．provide emergency communications |
| D．survive better in a situation without gravity |
| A．It was adapted from a spaceship that used to work in space. |
| B．It was intended to become an ideal place for space research. |
| C．The participants all experienced some kind of emotional breakdown. |
| D．The participants were isolated from the outside world for some time. |
| A．Poynter and Maccallum have helped Alan Eustace to skydive. |
| B．Maccallum will serve as a chief technical officer in World View. |
| C．The system designed for Eustace can be used for more purposes. |
| D．Poynter and Maccallum hope to achieve more firsts in their career. |
| A．Partnering with NASA to do research on other planets. |
| B．Using balloons to send tourists or researchers into space. |
| C．Giving people more opportunities to try extreme sports in space. |
| D．Working with food companies to send food to astronauts in space. |
