There was something in the elderly woman’s grace that caught my eye. Although slow and unsure of her steps, the woman moved with deliberation (从容), and there was no hesitation in her gestures.
It was a few years ago, and I had taken a part - time holiday - season job in a video. store at the local shopping mall. From inside the store, I could see the people outside rushing by.
The elderly woman entered the store, along with her daughter, who was displaying a serious case of impatience, rolling her eyes, sighing and checking her watch every few seconds. I guessed if she had possessed a rope, she would have fastened it to her mother to drag her along to keep step with the rush of other shoppers.
The elderly woman separated from her daughter and began to seek through the DVDs on the nearest shelf. After the slightest hesitation, I walked over and asked if I could help her find something. The woman smiled up at me and showed me a title written on an old piece of paper.
Rather than rush off to locate the DVD for the woman, I asked her to walk with me so I could show her where she could find it. Looking back, I thought I wanted to enjoy her company for a moment.
Something about her deliberate movements reminded me of my own mother, who’d passed away the previous Christmas. I missed my mom and still felt regretful about the moments when I’d used my impatience to make her life unhappy.
As we walked along the back of the store, I introduced its floor plan: old television shows, action movies, cartoons, science fiction. The woman seemed glad of the unrushed company and casual conversation.
We found the DVD and she thanked me, saying that it was the one she’d enjoyed when she was her daughter’s age. Unwillingly, I accompanied her to the cash register, realizing I had to return the elderly woman to her daughter, who was still tapping her foot at the front of the store.
Paragraph 1: As the elderly woman was waiting in the queue at the cash register, I walked over to her daughter.
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Paragraph 2: Together they made their way toward the store’s exit.
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2 . If you're looking to fully experience Africa's breathtaking scenery, and have an eye for adventure, then there's only one place to be. Here, inside Africa picks four of the best hikes from across the continent.
1. Kilimanjaro
Make it to the top of Tanzanians 5,895-meter Kilimanjaro, and you'll be standing at Africa's highest point. The mountain is Africa's most-visited hiking destination, attracting tens of thousands of tourists and adventures every year.
You don't have to be a technical climber to climb Mount Kilimanjaro； you just need not be pretty physically fit. There are six routes to choose from difficulty, scenery and success. No special equipment.
2. Atlas Mountains
The High Atlas is an impressive mountainous range in central Morocco that hosts North Africa's highest peak — Mount Toubkal, at 4,165 meters. There's a variety of routes to follow during your climb but inexperienced climbers should note that the hike through the mountain' challenging zones is quite demanding.
3. Mount Kenya
A long-extinct volcano. Mount Kenya is Africa's second-highest peak, at 5,199 meters.
Lying just south of the equator, the mountain's deep valleys and diverse wildlife will guarantee you wonderful scenery and a fantastic hiking experience.
The climb, however, to the mountain's steep ice-capped peaks is quite challenging, making it the most technical, probably, in that East African area.
4. Mount Meru
Mount Meru may forever exist in the shadow of its neighbor, Kilimanjaro, but Tanzanians second-highest mountain （4,565 meters） has its own devotees.
It's less known, but Mount Meru is for the true enthusiast who wants to experience what very few people actually do.
Mount Meru is often used by mountaineers to accustom themselves before trying to conquer Kilimanjaro, or by those wanting a hike with the local Massai.
1. What do we know about Kilimanjaro?| A．It's the highest mountain in the world. | B．It's relatively easy to climb. |
| C．Its six routes can be chosen by difficulty. | D．The climbers need special facilities. |
| A．To avoid big crowds of climbers. | B．To conquer the local Massai. |
| C．To experience what most people do. | D．To get ready for harder climbing. |
| A．Kilimanjaro. | B．Atlas Mountains. |
| C．Mount Kenya. | D．Mount Meru. |
Du Fu was a Chinese poet and politician of the Tang Dynasty. Along with Li Bai, he is
Du Fu's early poetry celebrated the beauty of the natural world and bemoaned （惋惜）the passage of time. He soon began to write about war—as in “Bingche xing”・ And with hidden satire （讽刺）9 he wrote “Liren xing",
Du Fu's irreplaceable position in the history of Chinese literature
4 . Life is filled with challenges. As we get older we
When we are faced with a challenge, we usually have two
Although there are certainly
When we are committed to something, it means that no matter how
In dealing with many challenges that friendship will bring to you, try to see them for
| A．seem to | B．come to | C．hope to | D．try to |
| A．design | B．promote | C．direct | D．shape |
| A．confidence | B．pressure | C．friendship | D．difficulty |
| A．choices | B．expectations | C．opportunities | D．aspects |
| A．demanding | B．deserving | C．predicting | D．presenting |
| A．comment | B．loss | C．trouble | D．expense |
| A．means | B．times | C．dates | D．ages |
| A．cases | B．fields | C．parts | D．occasions |
| A．assessment | B．commitment | C．encouragement | D．adjustment |
| A．doubtful | B．shameful | C．harmful | D．painful |
| A．keep | B．control | C．face | D．catch |
| A．chance | B．plan | C．topic | D．space |
| A．If | B．As | C．While | D．Unless |
| A．other than | B．rather than | C．or rather | D．or else |
| A．what | B．who | C．where | D．which |
| A．pass by | B．come across | C．get through | D．run over |
| A．unnecessary | B．necessary | C．impossible | D．possible |
| A．serves | B．means | C．aims | D．attempts |
| A．opens | B．appeals | C．goes | D．happens |
| A．look down on | B．look back on | C．look forward to | D．look up to |
5 . At Englands University of Plymouth, Professor Eduardo Miranda has been programming pairs of robots to compose music. Miranda's robots have simple “ vocal cords”(声带)and are programmed to sing and to listen to each other. The robots' unique warbling sounds (颤音) do not perfectly match the human voice, but each machine is exactly sharing music with the other in a new and unique way.
Each robot is equipped with speakers, software that mimics the human voice, a mouth that opens as it “sings,” a microphone for ears, and a camera for eyes. The robots also move. Miranda hopes that by studying his robot vocalists, he can discover something about how and why humans create, perform, and listen to music.
When the robots sing, first one robot makes six random sounds. Its partner responds with more sounds. The first robot analyzes the sounds to see if their sequences (序列)) are similar. If they are, it nods its head and commits the sounds to memory, and the second robot notices and “memorizes” the musical sequence, too. If the first robot thinks the sounds are too different, it shakes its head and both robots ignore the sounds. Then the process continues.
Miranda set up an experiment in which he left the two robots alone in his study for two weeks. When he returned, his little warblers had, by imitating each other, not only shared notes but combined them. The product of their cooperation was far from symphonic, but the robots had begun to combine the notes into their own self-developed “songs”.
With the help of his warbling robots, one of Miranda's goals is to create music that no human would ever compose. Miranda believes the robots are ideal for this purpose because they would not be influenced by any existing musical styles or rules.
1. Which is closest in meaning to the underlined word “mimics” in Paragraph 2?| A．Substitutes. | B．Interrupts. |
| C．Controls. | D．Copies. |
| A．They interacted with each other. |
| B．They ignored the unique sound. |
| C．They learned to sing better than humans. |
| D．They committed random sounds to memory. |
| A．Sing as well as humans do. | B．Create new styles of music. |
| C．Memorize a variety of music. | D．Promote traditional musical forms. |
| A．Future robots. | B．Special songs. |
| C．Music by robots. | D．Experiments by Miranda. |
6 . The first Europeans came to America in 1492 with Christopher Columbus. Since that time people have come to America from all over the world, from Europe, Africa, and Asia, and they have brought their music with them. This mixing of people and music has created American music.
Music is a very important part of our lives. Music is for dancing, drinking, eating, loving and thinking. Some songs remind us of our childhood or youth. Others remind of the people we love. Many important occasions, like weddings and funerals have special music. Every nation
has a national song like the American ''The Star-Spangled Banner. '' In the U.S, high schools and colleges have school songs too.
Music is a part of the history of America. It expresses the problems and feelings of its people.
As the years pass, the music grows and changes.
Modern science has also changed music. Inventions like records, radios, movies, electric instruments, tape recorders, and videos have changed the way we play and listen to music. They have helped to make music an important form of international communication.
American music, from the earliest folk songs to modern ''pop'', is known around the world. Music is one of America’s most important exports. It brings the people of the world together. Even when people cannot understand the same language, they can share the same music. Many people learn and practice English by singing songs, and understanding American music can help you understand American people. ''Put a dime (10 cents) in the juke box (自动点唱机), baby. '' Let's listen to the music!
1. The article mainly tells us about____.| A．how American music developed |
| B．when American music developed |
| C．what American music is |
| D．why American music is so popular |
| A．American music is known all over the world |
| B．American music began in the 1550s |
| C．American music is special |
| D．American music has changed modern science in the US |
| A．for dancing, drinking, eating, loving and shopping |
| B．a mixture of people and music from all over the world |
| C．America's most important export |
| D．a part of the history of the world |
7 . Mice and rats have long been used in medical research because of their biological similarities to humans. Recently scientists at the University of Richmond in Virginia have trained rats to drive small vehicles.
The research team built tiny cars out of plastic and other materials, which had an opening at one end to which electrical wires were attached. By touching one of three different wires, the rat could control the car in different directions-left, center and right. Sweet treats were placed inside the containers in an attempt to get the rats to drive the vehicle for the food. After several months' training, the animals could drive to get to the treats.
Kelly Lambert, who has long been interested in the way the brain changes to react to different experiences and difficulties, led the experiment. She told the French news agency AFP the research suggested rat brains might be more complex and flexible than once thought. The driving activity seemed to help the rats relax and the rats kept in what was called “enriched environments” performed far better than those in labs.
The researchers examined levels of two hormones (荷尔蒙) in the rats — one that causes stress and the other that counters it. All the rats that took part in the training had higher levels of the hormone that reduces stress. The research suggests the increased relaxation levels could be linked to the enjoyment of successfully completing a new skill. The team also found the rats that drove themselves showed higher levels of the stress-fighting hormone than those that simply rode in small cars controlled by humans.
Lambert's team is planning to further the research to learn more about how the rats learned to drive. This research may open new areas of non-drug treatments for people suffering from mental health conditions.
1. Why have scientists chosen rats for the research?| A．They can build tiny vehicles on their own. |
| B．They are biologically similar to human beings. |
| C．They are clever enough to be trained to drive cars. |
| D．They can be used as non-drug treatments for humans. |
| A．removes. | B．substitutes. |
| C．resists. | D．transforms. |
| A．The brains of rats might be more complex and flexible than those of human beings. |
| B．The increased relaxation levels led to the rats' enjoyment of learning a new skill. |
| C．All the rats involved in the training had higher levels of the hormone causing stress. |
| D．The rats in cars controlled by humans had lower levels of the stress-fighting hormone. |
| A．Science. | B．Sports. |
| C．Education. | D．Entertainment. |
8 . An unusual trip to Hawaii brought two strangers closer and closer and their story deserves a wide spread.
As her plane sliced through the sky above the ocean, there came a sudden thunderstorm. Five minutes later, Uemoto and her copilot McMahon heard a strange sound. Then, without warning, they lost power to both of the engines. It took them a moment to process the fact that they might crash. The pilots powered through the items on the emergency checklist. Nothing worked. As the plane was falling, they jumped into the ocean.
By ten that night, their bodies began trembling uncontrollably in the cool night air. Something must be done to pull them through. Swimming on her stomach, Uemoto had McMahon wrap his arms around her knees so he could rest his head on the back of her legs. To be with someone else and to feel another person's comforting presence in the darkness somehow made the suffering bearable.
When the sun rose the next morning, they caught sight of the island of Hawaii, the destination they had dared dream! Suddenly, Uemoto saw a shark, which made her breath catch in her throat. "What do we do? What do we do?" Uemoto asked, panicked. "Just keep looking forward! If it comes close, I'll kick it in the eye!" said McMahon evenly. Unexpectedly, the shark circled them for about 30 minutes. Then, as quietly as it had appeared, it swam off. Uemoto and McMahon breathed a sigh of relief.
After struggling in the water for over 20 hours, there came a US Navy helicopter. It flew overhead and next banked towards them. Uemoto and McMahon burst into tears. Alone, either of them would have died. But together, they made it.
1. What caused the plane to crash?| A．A sudden thunderstorm hit the plane. |
| B．The engines of the plane broke down. |
| C．The pilots operated the plane improperly. |
| D．The emergency list failed to help the pilots. |
| A．He calmed his partner down. |
| B．He kicked the shark in the eye. |
| C．He was scared to death at the shark. |
| D．He managed to drive the shark away. |
| A．Ambitious and humorous. | B．Clear-headed and generous. |
| C．Demanding and appealing. | D．Strong-willed and considerate. |
| A．A Race against Death |
| B．A Test of Friendship |
| C．A Wonder Made by Joined Hands |
| D．A Struggle Fought in the Darkness |
9 . Student loan (贷款) debt has become a worldwide problem. In America, the country's overall student debt reached a record of $1.6 trillion in 2019. The average person with student loan debt owed between $20,000 and $25,000. A recent Japanese government report says it has been lending over $9 billion yearly to students since 2010. Similar conditions exist in Africa and South America.
Several factors account for high student loan debt. One is that employers everywhere have increased their demands for skilled workers, making higher education a requirement for many jobs. The students, however, after graduation, often find that their country's economy is not strong enough to support their financial needs, so their ability to pay back the loan becomes a problem.
To solve the problem, many countries are seeking their ways. Australia has developed a system where students do not have to pay anything back until they are earning at least $40,000 a year. In America, several candidates running for president in the 2020 election have offered more extreme solutions that all or at least some of these loans will be forgiven.
Some professors in several universities recently studied what the effects of debt forgiveness might be. They found that, overall, sudden debt relief greatly improved the borrowers' lives. Not only did they have more money, but they were more likely to move to a new area and seek better paying work.
Yet the professors' research doesn't include what might happen to financial institutions or the overall economy if debt were totally forgiven. It only looks at how debt forgiveness would help the borrowers. They warn of some other possible negative effects. If a borrower knew that if he ran into any trouble he would be saved because he could get the debt relief, then he might actually become more reckless (轻率的) with his borrowing in the future.
No matter what, the professors agree that if countries do decide to approve some student debt relief the neediest students should be helped first.
1. How does the author introduce the problem of student loan?| A．By making a comparison. | B．By making classifications. |
| C．By presenting some statistics. | D．By setting down general rules. |
| A．It will surely provide some benefits to borrowers. |
| B．It has already been carried out in the United States. |
| C．It aims to encourage more students to borrow money. |
| D．It will prevent a person from landing a well-paying job. |
| A．Uncaring. | B．Positive. |
| C．Disapproving. | D．Cautious. |
| A．Student loan debt is the most serious problem worldwide. |
| B．Growing global student debt fuels search for solutions. |
| C．Student loan debt tends to pull the needy out of trouble. |
| D．People hold different opinions on debt forgiveness. |
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| A．Its working methods. | B．Its well-designed look. |
| C．The 2 AAA batteries. | D．The long working time. |
| A．It is light. | B．It is oversized. |
| C．It is simple to use. | D．It is safe to operate. |
| A．£23. | B．£46. | C．£69. | D．£92. |
