My father asked me to chat with him for a while. Actually, I was unwilling to listen to his talking endlessly as he always did. My father was a lawyer, but I never wanted to go to law school or follow his path through life.
As was expected, he cleared his throat and started to say, “Er … What … What do you really want to do in the beautiful future?”
I was silent for a moment playing with the cell phone. I kept thinking, “Should I tell him my true thoughts? What if he gets angry? What if I let him down?” Later I replied, “Well, I want to be a writer.”
I guessed this may not be the answer he would expect. But surprisingly, “Interesting idea!” he answered. I was shocked, speaking in a low voice with hesitation.
“Are you serious, Dad?”
“Well, you need confidence and good preparations, and you still have plenty of time. You need to find out what you really enjoy now. Look, it’s late. Let’s take the boat out tomorrow morning, just you and me. Maybe we can catch some crabs (螃蟹) for dinner, and we can talk more.”
Early next morning we packed up the equipment and set off along the coast. We didn’t talk much, but enjoyed the sound of the seabirds and the sight of the coastline.
There were no big waves and blinding sunlight at that time. “Let’s see if we get lucky,” he said, picked up a web basket with a rope tied and threw it into the sea. We waited a while. Then my father stood up and said, “Give me a hand with this,” and we pulled up the crab cage onto the deck.
To our joy, the cage was filled with dozens of soft shell crabs. Squatting (蹲) down, we watched them for a moment. At first they fought against each other to climb out hard, trying to escape. Many were pulled back into the cage. Later, some gave up, but there were still some crabs trying to escape again and again.
Paragraph 1:At that moment, my father pointed to the cage, “Look at that crab, there!” Staring at the crab, I found that every time he wanted to escape, he was pulled back into the cage. However, he didn’t give up his fight. Fortunately, he survived from the struggle eventually. Shocked and amazed, I suddenly understood why my father had suggested catching crabs that morning. I thought the future would be filled with many possibilities. Everyone would need to find out what he enjoys and hold on to it.
Paragraph 2:From that day on, I was determined to make my dream come true. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1. Which building is a four-story one?
| A．The gym. | B．The library. | C．The fast food restaurant. |
| A．It’s just behind the American-style fast food restaurant. |
| B．It’s across the street from school. |
| C．It’s next to the gym. |
| A．The other driver. | B．Dana. | C．The man. |
4 . If you’re traveling to South America in summer, you should have Patagonia (at the southern end of South America) high up on your list of things to do. With this list, I show you the best places to visit in Patagonia. The climate down there is pretty rough, especially in the very south - if you plan to do hiking or camping, the best time for a trip is between the end of November and the beginning of March.
1. Bariloche, Argentina
The fact that Bariloche is well connected (airport, direct bus to and from Buenos Aires) makes it the perfect starting point of a round trip through Patagonia. But more than that: the combination of mountains, lakes and green forests results in its beautiful scenery.
2. Futaleufú, Chile
Further down south and a bit harder to access is the small Chilean village Futaleufú which is located at the border to Argentina. The reason which makes it worth it: the Futaleufú River is often referred to as one of the best white water spots for rafting in the world. The landscape along the river is unique and, due to its location, still pretty much untouched.
3. Puerto Rio Tranquilo, Chile
If you want to get there quickly, you should travel through Argentina and cross over to Chile Chico as this place is also very remote. The reason to do so: the marble caves in the General Carrera lake.
4. Torres del Paine, Chile
Personally the national park Torres del Paine is my number 1 attraction in Patagonia - you should take some time and do a multi-day trek to experience as much of it as possible: glaciers, forests, impressive mountain ranges, lagoons and rivers.
1. What is the best time for hiking in Patagonia?| A．October 1—November 1 | B．December 25—January 15 |
| C．March 5—April 1 | D．November 5—June 7 |
| A．It lies in an easily accessible village. | B．It is ignored due to rafting sports. |
| C．It is the best rafting river in the world. | D．It still has untouched landscapes. |
| A．Bariloche. | B．Futaleufú. |
| C．Puerto Rio Tranquilo. | D．Torres del Paine. |
| A．Her car broke down. |
| B．She went there by bike. |
| C．She was stuck in traffic jams. |
| A．By train. | B．On foot. | C．By taxi. |
7 . Malala Yousafzai, the teen activist from Pakistan, has just become the youngest person ever to win a Nobel Prize. In 2012, Malala survived from being shot by terrorists for speaking out for a girl’s right to be educated in her native country. She is being recognized today for her global activism on education for girls. Winning this award is a huge honor, especially for such a young person.
Malala’s journey to the Nobel Prize has not been easy. She grew up in a dangerous district of Pakistan called the Swat Valley. This area was taken over by the Taliban. The Taliban ruled the district with an iron fist. They were especially cruel to women, not allowing them to go shopping, have jobs, or go to school.
In 2009, Malala began speaking out publicly for every girl's right to an education. She blogged about how the Taliban didn’t want her to go to school. She also continued to attend her local school, despite the danger involved.
Then, in 2012, the Taliban tried to kill Malala to silence her. Two Taliban gunmen shot her and two other students while they were on a school bus. Malala was flown to the United Kingdom for immediate medical treatment.
Malala eventually recovered from her injuries. She now lives in Birmingham, England, and continues to work hard to support girls' and women’s rights around the world.
“The terrorists thought that they would change my aims and stop my ambitions,” she said, “but nothing changed in my life except this. Weakness, fear, and hopelessness died. Strength, power, and courage were born.”
The 17-year-old girl from Pakistan is sharing the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize with a children’s activist Kailash Satyarthi, who is from India Satyarthi leads many campaigns dedicated to removing child labor.
1. Which of the following is the correct order of the events relevant to Malala?a. She recovered from the serious injuries.
b. She won the Nobel Peace Prize.
c. She began speaking out publicly for girls' education.
d. She was shot by the terrorists on a school bus.
| A．c, d, a, b | B．a, d, c, b | C．a, c. d, b | D．c, a, d, b |
| A．People in Pakistan were brave. |
| B．Women in Pakistan were not allowed to go shopping. |
| C．The Taliban’s cruelty was severe. |
| D．Malala’s journey contributed to her Nobel Prize. |
| A．Sensitive and stubborn. | B．Devoted and fearless. |
| C．Proud and optimistic. | D．Creative and outgoing. |
8 . You may not have heard of it before, but Solid Rain has been helping Mexican farmers fight droughts for over a decade. The magic powder can take in water up to 500 times its original size and keep it in the ground for up to a year.
The story of Solid Rain began in 1970, when American scientists developed an absorbable product used to help keep baby bottoms dry. However, a Mexican chemical engineer saw this magic powder as an opportunity to fight the drought. He developed with a different version of this product that could be mixed with soil and slowly feed water to plants over a long period of time. His company, Solid Rain, has been quietly selling the product to Mexican farmers for over 10 years.
The crop yield is absolutely on the increase. For sunflowers, the yield was 3000 kg per hectare when Solid Rain was used, compared to just 1,000 kg in regular conditions. For beans, the difference was much higher—3,000 kg compared to just 450 kg.
Solid Rain seems greatly effective in Mexico. However, it has not come into use around the world. Well, that’s mainly because a lot of people still don’t know about it. The Mexican company has invested almost nothing into marketing, relying instead on word-of-mouth between Mexican farmers. However, recently, they have gotten requests from other dry countries like India and Australia.
Solid Rain has received the Ecology and Environment Award, but it has also attracted some negative views. Dr Linda Scott says that the product is hardly new and that there is no scientific evidence that it can hold water for a year or last in the ground for a decade. Besides, Solid Rain can cause more harm than good in certain conditions. However, real-life use seems to show that Solid Rain is actually of great use to farms. Frank Torres, a former green bean farmer used to rely on it even though the drought wasn’t such a big issue. He said that his crop yield had increased by 50%.
1. What is Solid Rain used to do by Mexican farmers?| A．Offer water to plants. |
| B．Keep baby bottom dry. |
| C．Fight the drought. |
| D．Improve the soil. |
| A．Solid Rain works perfectly in Mexico. |
| B．The crop yield has reached the maximum so far. |
| C．Mexican farmers earn more than before. |
| D．More plants should be planted in Mexico. |
| A．It’s forbidden to spread abroad. |
| B．Other countries don’t want to use it. |
| C．It’s not known in other countries. |
| D．It’s kept as a secret in Mexico. |
| A．Positive. | B．Objective | C．Hopeful | D．Critical |
| A．Its dialogue. | B．Its music. | C．Its story. |
1.
| A．Academic topics. | B．Technology and design. |
| C．Cultural difference. | D．Silicon Valley. |
| A．TED has held a conference yearly since 1990. |
| B．TED has made a lot of money so far and helped a lot of people. |
| C．TED has selected audience to ensure the engagement of the topic. |
| D．TED has achieved success largely due to the quality of the speakers. |
| A．The timeline of TED’s evolution. | B．The selection of TED’s audience. |
| C．The reasons for TED’s popularity. | D．The quality of TED’s speakers. |
