Jim was shopping for a gift for his wife Della. The next day would be Christmas. With an income of twenty dollars per week, life was hard for the couple,
2 . Table Talk
As we got out of the car, our son announced, “Phones stay in the car.”
“Why do you always have to tell us that?” complained our fifteen-year-old grandson.
Our son’s wife winked at us and then explained, “We have a family
We
The silence was broken when the six of us sat down, and started talking. The waitress stood patiently and waited for our orders. When our food came, we continued to chat.
An elderly couple at the next table were finishing their dinners and conversing quietly. I noticed that they shot us a few glances, and wondered if our constant chatter was annoying them.
After the dessert, my son signaled the waitress for the check. She hesitated when she brought the black folder to our table. My son opened the black folder — it was
“There isn’t one. Someone else
“Why?” asked our son, his wife and myself at once.
“They loved it that no one was connected.” she continued. “They loved watching you guys
For a moment, everyone at our table was at a loss for
“They left after you ordered dessert,” the waitress replied.
We spent the next fifteen minutes discussing this goodness and camp up with a
A.rule | B.appointment | C.discussion | D.goal |
A.closed | B.returned | C.sent | D.locked |
A.sweetness | B.quietness | C.patience | D.preference |
A.smiling | B.knocking | C.staring | D.pointing |
A.special | B.strange | C.typical | D.empty |
A.paid | B.served | C.managed | D.changed |
A.eat | B.talk | C.argue | D.work |
A.directions | B.choices | C.words | D.ideas |
A.schedule | B.message | C.task | D.plan |
A.without | B.by | C.through | D.for |
1. Why does the woman come to see Rick?
A.To say goodbye. | B.To ask for advice. | C.To invite him to her home. |
A.Canada. | B.France. | C.Germany. |
4 . What’s the man like?
A.Impolite. | B.Shy. | C.Helpful. |
5 . Dance is one of the most wonderful forms of human communication. In many cultures, dance has both historic and cultural significance, which is communicated through learned gestures and expressions. Here are a bit more details about three of the world’s most beautiful dances.
Kathakali
Kathakali is a storytelling dance, during which performers use a variety of gestures, and eyes and facial expressions to communicate meanings. Costumes, hair styles, makeup and face paint, and jewelry also all hold specific meanings in the performance of Kathakali. There are nine facial expressions used to express emotions ranging from sadness and anger to curiosity. Through their expressions, it should be completely clear to the viewer what the performer is intending to convey.
Tango
The dance has its roots in an African slave dance called candombe, which is also a type of music. One key factor of a candombe performance is a partnered dance, which has over time developed into the modern tango. If you can keep your eyes on one part of the tango, just focus on the dancers’ legs and feet. The tango is typically performed low to the ground, with both performers’ steps often taking place at the same time. It’s complex and communicative.
Flamenco
One of the most interesting facts about the flamenco is that it began as a song. Over time, flamenco developed to include its now-famous passionate accompanying dance. One of the key factors of flamenco is palmas. It may look like simple, rhythmic clapping, but palmas are performed at different speeds,and strengths, and it is essential that the flamenco dancer understands how to make use of his or her hands as part of the performance.
1. Kathakali is a dance for performers to __________A.pass on information to each other | B.tell a story and express emotions |
C.exchange ideas with the audience | D.show costumes, hair styles, makeup and face paint |
A.The dancers’ arms and hands. | B.The dancers’ eyes and hands. |
C.The dancers’ facial expressions. | D.The dancers’ legs and feet. |
A.introduce three of the world’s most beautiful dances |
B.emphasize the importance of human communication |
C.promote the development of passionate accompanying dances |
D.attract readers to join in different forms of human communication |
6 . What will restaurants look like in the future? What would your dinner taste like if a robot cooked it? A robot restaurant in Tianjin may give you the answers.
Covering an area of over 400 square meters with a total of 112 seats, the X Future Restaurant is a robot restaurant that opened in November 2018. The restaurant has amazed customers with its fully-automated (全自动的) technology, which covers every step of the dining experience, from ordering to cooking to serving the dishes and even taking payment.
Entering the restaurant, one can order dishes by simply scanning the QR codes on the table. There are over 40 choices of dishes. After taking the order, “robot cooks” prepare dishes using fixed time, temperature and ingredients designed by famous Chinese cooks.
“As the cooking is controlled by a computer system, the taste and quality of dishes can be good,” said Li Xiaokui, manager of the X Future Restaurant.
Robots also complete the delivery of dishes. Without following any designed route, the robot waiters serve meals thanks to automated driving technology, which helps each robot timely change its route when something is in the way.
These eye-catching technologies have received wide praise from customers. “The dishes taste surprisingly good. I couldn’t believe that they were made by robots, especially dishes that were difficult to cook.” one customer said. “The application of robots has increased our efficiency and cut down our costs,” Li said, “I think robot restaurants will develop fast and have a bright future.”
1. What do we know about the X Future Restaurant?A.It covers over 112 square meters with 400 seats. |
B.Robot waiters deliver dishes following fixed routes. |
C.Customers could enjoy fully-automated services. |
D.Robot cooks design dishes by themselves. |
A.They are prepared by human cooks. |
B.They are not easy for robots to prepare. |
C.They are not accepted by customers. |
D.They are ordered by scanning QR codes. |
A.The choices of dishes are limited. |
B.It takes a long time for the robots to prepare the dishes. |
C.Customers are willing to dine in the restaurant. |
D.The delivery routes are designed by the waiters. |
A.Hopeful. | B.Doubtful. | C.Puzzled. | D.Worried. |
7 . Who saved the child?
A.The man. | B.The firefighters. | C.The man’s brother. |
8 . What will Celia do?
A.Find a player. | B.Watch a game. | C.Play basketball. |
9 . Location
St Helena is one of the remotest islands on Earth. The subtropical (亚热带的) British Overseas Territory sits in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean, 1,200 miles from the west coast of Africa and 1,800 miles from the east coast of South America.
Size Population
St Helena is only 16 km long and 9 km wide and the population is 5,000. This is 1/3 the size of the Isle of Wight, and the same size as Disney World Orlando. This is also the same size as San Francisco-yet the island has just 0.5% of San Francisco’s population. With an extremely low-crime community, you can freely explore the island’s natural and built attractions in peace.
Climate
As a subtropical island, St Helena’s temperature is 15-28℃ all year round. While the four seasons are not recognized on St Helena, the “cooler months” are generally June to September and the “hotter months” are December to March. St Helena is free from extreme weather events, with even thunderstorms only occurring perhaps once a decade.
Accessibility
Until 2017, St Helena did not have an airport and was only accessible by sea. Reaching the island meant a five-day ship voyage from Cape Town, South Africa. However, since October 2017, the island’s first and only airport has enabled passengers to reach the island in just a six-hour flight.
1. In what aspect are St Helena and San Francisco alike?A.Climate. | B.Population. | C.Crime rate. | D.Area. |
A.Tropical. | B.Mild. | C.Dry. | D.Extreme. |
A.By plane. | B.By car. | C.By ship. | D.By train. |
A.There aren’t similar apps at present. |
B.The app won’t be popular among people. |
C.She can’t decide on the charge for the app now. |