Lon was chasing his runaway horse when a goose went under his feet. And he fell into a thornbush (荆棘丛). “Why do I have such bad luck?”
Things never seemed to go Lon’s way. If there was a bee about, he was stung.
And if his horse ran away, it would run straight through a thornbush. Still, even bad luck might turn good if he could catch that goose for dinner.
He scanned the bushes, and found a nest with an egg. Just an egg, but even one egg might make a small meal.
He picked it up, but dropped it in surprise. The egg was unusually heavy, and it gleamed (发光) in the sunlight. It was made of gold!
Lon sighed. He’d nearly stepped on a goose that lays golden eggs. If he had captured the goose, he would have had golden egg after golden egg.
Then a thought exploded in his mind.
Perhaps he could take the egg and get it to hatch, and the new goose would lay golden eggs just as its mother did.
Lon smiled. His luck seemed to be changing.
Once home, Lon placed the egg into a bed of cotton next to the hearth. He turned it every hour for several days.
One morning, he heard a faint chk-chk-chk. A small golden beak poked its way through the shell.
It was an ugly little thing, but Lon didn’t care. All that mattered was the golden eggs it would soon lay.
The gosling demanded food. Lon happily kept its beak filled. He named the bird Goly and became fond of it, even though it was soon better fed than he was. Lon talked to his goose and taught it to play checkers (国际跳棋).
Time passed as Lon waited for the first golden egg. Goldy had grown quite fat, but there were no eggs. Lon finally took the goose to a farmer to see what the problem was.
The farmer took a closer look and laughed. “You’ll never get eggs from this goose. It’s a boy goose!
I might as well roast you for dinner,” Lon said. “At least then I’ll get a meal for all my work!”
注意:
1. 所续写短文的词数应为 150 左右；
2. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好。
Alarmed，Goldy popped out of Lon’s arm and escaped into the forest.
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One morning, Lon awoke to Goldy’s familiar honking outside.
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2 . It’s late in the evening, time to close the book and turn off the computer. You’re done for the day. What you may not realize, however, is that the learning process actually continues in your dreams.
It might sound like science fiction, but researchers are increasingly focusing on the relationship between the knowledge and skills our brains absorb during the day and the often strange imaginings they generate at night. Scientists have found that dreaming about a task we’ve learned improves performance in that activity (suggesting that there’s some truth to the popular idea that we’re “getting” a foreign language once we begin dreaming in it). What’s more, dreaming may be an essential part of understanding, organizing and retaining what we learn.
While we sleep, research indicates, the brain replays the patterns of activity it experienced during waking hours, allowing us to enter what one psychologist calls a neural (神经的) virtual reality. A vivid example of such replay can be seen in a video researchers made recently about sleep disorders. They taught a series of dance moves to patients suffering from sleepwalking and related conditions. They then videotaped the subjects as they slept. Lying in bed, eyes closed, one female patient on the tape performs the dance moves she learned earlier.
This shows that while our bodies are at rest, our brains are drawing what’s important from the information and events we’ve recently encountered, then integrating that material into the vast store of what we already know. In a 2010 study, researchers reported that college students who dreamed about a computer maze (迷宫) task they had learned showed a 10-fold improvement in their ability to find their way through the maze compared with participants who did not dream about the task.
That study’s chief researcher Herbert Smith suggested that studying right before bedtime or taking a nap following a study session in the afternoon might increase the probability of dreaming about the material. Think about that as you go to sleep tonight.
1. What happens when one enters a dream state?| A．The body continues to act as if the sleeper were awake. |
| B．The neural activity of the brain will become intensified. |
| C．The brain once again experiences the learning activities of the day. |
| D．The brain behaves as if it were playing a virtual reality video game. |
| A．It replaces old information with new material. |
| B．It processes and absorbs newly acquired information. |
| C．It regroups information and places it in different files. |
| D．It systematizes all the information collected during the day. |
| A．Staying up late before finally going to bed. |
| B．Having a period of sleep right after studying. |
| C．Having a dream about anything you are interested in. |
| D．Thinking about the chances of dreaming about the material. |
| A．How study affects people’s dreams. |
| B．Why people learn more after sleeping. |
| C．What time students should study and sleep. |
| D．How dreaming may lead to improved learning outcomes. |
3 . Last summer, two nineteenth-century cottages were rescued from remote farm fields in Montana, to be moved to an Art Deco building in San Francisco. The houses were made of wood. These cottages once housed early settlers as they worked the dry Montana soil; now they hold Twitter engineers.
The cottages could be an example of the industry’s unusual love for “low technology”, a concept associated with the natural world, and with old-school craftsmanship（手艺）that exists long before the Internet era. Low technology is not virtual (虚拟的) —so, to take advantage of it, Internet companies have had to get creative. The rescued wood cottages, fitted by band in the late eighteen-hundreds, are an obvious example. Other companies are using a broader interpretation（阐释）of low technology that focuses on nature.
Amazon is building three glass spheres filled with trees, so that employees can “work and socialize in a more natural, park-like setting.” At Google’s office, an entire is carpeted in glass. Facebook’s second Menlo Park campus will have a rooftop park with a walking path.
Olle Lundberg, the founder of Lundberg Design, has worked with many tech companies over the years. “Our tech engineers are the ones who feel impoverished, because they’re surrounded by the digital world,” he says. “We’ve found that introducing real crafts is one way to regain their individual identity.”
This craft-based theory is rooted in history. William Morris, the English artist and writer, turned back to pre-industrial arts in the eighteen-sixties, just after Industrial Revolution. The Arts and Crafts movement defined itself against machines. “Without creative human occupation, people became disconnected from life.” Morris said.
Research has shown that natural environments can restore our mental abilities. In Japan, patients are encouraged to “forest-bathe”, taking walks through woods to lower their blood pressure.
These health benefits apply to the workplace as well. Rachel Kaplvin, a professor of environmental psychology, has spent years researching the restorative effects of natural environment. Her research found that workers with access to nature at the office - even simple views of trees and flowers - felt their jobs were less stressful and more satisfying. If low-tech offices can potentially benefit the brains and improve the mental health of employees then, fine, bring on the cottages.
1. The writer mentions the two nineteenth-century cottages to show that _________| A．Twitter is having a hard time |
| B．Old cottages are in need of protection |
| C．Early settlers once suffered from a dry climate in Montana |
| D．Internet companies have rediscovered the benefits of low technology |
| A．is related to nature | B．is out of date today |
| C．cosumes too much energy | D．exists in the virtual world |
| A．Critical | B．positive |
| C．worried | D．doubtful |
| A．Past Glories, Future Dreams |
| B．The Virtual World, the Real Challenge |
| C．High-tech Companies, Low-tech Offices |
| D．The More Craftsmanship, the Less Creativity |
4 . When I was a little girl, my mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. And I remember one night when my mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burnt toast in front of my dad. I remember
When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my mom
To this day, it’s a cherished (珍贵的)
As I
| A．being encouraged | B．being allowed | C．waiting | D．refusing |
| A．Yet | B．Only | C．So | D．Certainly |
| A．laugh | B．smile | C．shout | D．stare |
| A．report | B．shout | C．apologize | D．complain |
| A．almost | B．never | C．often | D．hardly |
| A．liked | B．got | C．cooked | D．made |
| A．back | B．heart | C．arms | D．hands |
| A．boring | B．hard | C．depressing | D．sad |
| A．hurts | B．comforts | C．invites | D．hates |
| A．interest | B．surprise | C．kindness | D．satisfaction |
| A．feeling | B．story | C．choice | D．memory |
| A．set down | B．took away | C．finished up | D．washed up |
| A．answer | B．question | C．comment | D．suggestion |
| A．possible | B．true | C．terrible | D．great |
| A．amazing | B．disappointed | C．annoyed | D．thankful |
5 . It is often difficult for farmers to identify diseases quickly enough to protect their crops and those on neighboring farms. Now, some farmers are using a simple device directly in the field to find viruses before they spread.
In Tanzania, several viruses are a threat to cassava crops. Farmers struggle to identify the diseases in an urgent effort to avoid severe crop damage. The disease identification process is often difficult when farmers are acting on their own. If they do not know what is attacking their crops, they cannot decide the best way to fight the disease. A device from British technology company Oxford Nanopore is changing that. The device extracts deoxyribonucleic acid, better known as DNA, from plants. DNA is the carrier of genetic information in nearly all living things. The device helps farmers identify what is harming their crops so they can change to more resistant crops.
Laura Boykin is with the University of Western Australia and also works with the Cassava Virus Action Project. She brought the device to a Tanzanian farm owned by Asha Mohamed. She said, “We are here collecting leaf punches from infected material to test, to do a DNA extraction and then start sequencing (排序) in the field.” The testing identified a number of viruses in the cassava fields near Mohamed’s farm. The process also discovered that plants considered resistant to disease had a very low viral level. Once the viruses were identified, Asha Mohamed was given two kinds of seeds that are resistant to the diseases.
In another case, DNA was collected from a pawpaw tree farm in Kenya. With that test, the technology was able to identify diseases affecting Naomi Mumo’s crops. Naomi Mumo said, “All my pawpaw were affected by a disease, and I didn’t know what kind of disease it was. But now, I have people who have identified the disease using new technology, and within a very short time. So I’m very happy.”
The speed at which farmers identify diseases can mean the difference between the success or failure on large areas of crop land. Now, the use of such simple and easily transportable DNA sequencing devices is making that possible.
1. What’s the main idea of the whole passage?| A．Farmers In Tanzania struggle to identify the diseases in their crops |
| B．How Laura Boykin helped Asha Mohamed to identify the viruses. |
| C．DNA sequencing device helps farmers to find viruses and identify the diseases in their crops quickly. |
| D．A DNA sequencing device helps farmers to identify the diseases and keep healthy. |
| A．produces | B．creates | C．refuses | D．gets |
| A．relaxed | B．satisfied | C．disappointed | D．annoyed |
| A．Farmers often have difficulty in identifying diseases in their crops quickly by themselves. |
| B．DNA carries genetic information in nearly all living things. |
| C．Both Asha Mohamed and Naomi Mumo are farmers in Tanzania. |
| D．If farmers can identify diseases in their crops quickly, they can protect their crops and succeed on large areas of crop land. |
1.出行时间；2.出行地点；3.你的期望。
注意：1.词数100左右，开头语已为你写好；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dearest dad and mum,
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Yours,
Lihua
7 . Two brothers, Ruby and Harry lived in Spain. They
“Showing
“My mother wanted a BMW ten years ago, which we never
Ruby and his brother Harry saved for about five years
“She was just very surprised and couldn’t
They gave her the car as an early Christmas gift, but also as a
“She
He added, “Maternal love is the most selfless love under the sun and we just thought it would be nice to show how grateful we are for everything and remind ourselves that thankfulness is a virtue.”
1.| A．waited | B．traded | C．saved | D．desired |
| A．concern | B．appreciation | C．respect | D．understanding |
| A．instruct | B．tell | C．promise. | D．offer |
| A．efforts | B．progress | C．opportunity | D．atmosphere |
| A．contribution | B．achievement | C．surprise | D．passion |
| A．minded | B．forgot | C．abandoned | D．witnessed |
| A．made up | B．paid off | C．worked out | D．put away |
| A．dream | B．previous | C．fixed | D．repaired |
| A．since | B．until | C．after | D．before |
| A．confused | B．satisfied | C．shocked | D．disappointed |
| A．called | B．walked | C．attracted | D．drove |
| A．believe | B．reject | C．afford | D．accept |
| A．gradually | B．unconditionally | C．eventually | D．absolutely |
| A．model | B．result | C．symbol | D．signal |
| A．replace | B．change | C．block | D．match |
| A．brought up | B．depended on | C．took in | D．gave out |
| A．leave | B．keep | C．allow | D．teach |
| A．knew | B．owned | C．listed | D．needed |
| A．well-paid | B．smartly-dressed | C．full-time | D．long-sought |
| A．work | B．enjoy | C．arrange | D．expect |
8 . British scientists have discovered the willow trees planted at an angle could increase sugars for biofuel production.
Willow is a fast-growing species. It is already used to produce fuels for the renewable heating and power market. In future it could also help to produce biofuel to power vehicles. It has been known that when willows growing in the wild are blown sideways, they tend to produce more sugars. But for a while it has not been known why this happens.
Researchers at Imperial College London, led by Dr Nicholas Brereton and Dr Michael Ray of the Department of Life Sciences, have now solved the mystery. When the tree is blown sideways, its genes (基因) produce large numbers of sugar molecules (分子) to straighten the tree upwards.
“This is an important breakthrough. Our study now shows that natural genetic changes are related to these differences. And this could well be the key to unlocking the future for green energy from willow,” said Dr Brereton.
The research was carried out under lab conditions. The willows were grown at an angle of 45 degrees. They were compared to willows which grow naturally straight upwards. The team then looked for the same effect among the willows growing on the Isle of Orkney where strong winds cause the trees to bend at extreme angles. They discovered that the Orkney trees produce five times the amount of sugars found in willows grown in sheltered conditions.
Willow is widely planted across the UK. The results show that biofuel crops such as willows could be grown in climatically changeable conditions where chances of growing food crops are limited.
The study is published in Biotechnology for Biofuels.
1. What may happen when willows are planted in strong winds?| A．They stop growing. | B．Few sugars are produced. |
| C．They try to grow sideways. | D．Changes in genes take place. |
| A．are unusually rich in sugars | B．grow naturally straight upward |
| C．look taller than ordinary willows | D．are stronger than those growing in labs |
| A．use biofuel for heating and power | B．are encouraged to grow biofuel crops |
| C．can plant different kinds of food crops | D．should make their willows grow straight |
| A．A personal diary. | B．A travel magazine. |
| C．A scientific journal. | D．A newspaper advertisement. |
1. 爱因斯坦（1879年3月14日 — 1955年4月18日）出生于德国；
2. 其相对论（Theory of Relativity）闻名于世，1921年获得诺贝尔物理学奖；
3. 年少时害羞，不喜欢上学，不喜欢与人交往，一生中多数时间喜欢独处，喜欢音乐；
4. 不看重金钱，热爱和平，致力于人权和社会进步。
注意：
1. 词数100左右；
2. 开头已给出，不计入总词数。
Albert Einstein is one of the 20th century’s greatest scientists.
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| 优点 | 缺点 | 你自己的感想 |
| 1.自信、独立、热情、有志向 2.乐于接受并尝试新事物 3.珍惜友情，善于交流 | 1.自我为中心、依赖性强 2.心理抗挫能力不足 3.缺乏责任感 4.自控力差、沉溺于网络 | (至少两点) |
注意：
1.对所给要点逐一陈述，适当发挥，不要简单翻译。
2.词数150左右。开头已经写好，不计入总词数。
3.参考词汇：挫折frustration
Recently our class has conducted a survey about “The growth of 00's generation”. People’s opinions on it are divided.
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