The Wilsons were having dinner. The food was left from their Thanksgiving dinner two days before: turkey soup and turkey meat mixed with potatoes. Eleven-year-old Angelina asked, “Are we having turkey ice cream, too?” Her father replied, “Angelina, have you forgotten that I had no job for a whole year? Now I have work again. You should be very thankful.” “I’m sorry I said that about the turkey! But unless I get a new dress, I will not look good for the Christmas Festival.” Angelina murmured.
The Festival was the winter holiday celebration of a group she belonged to: the Avalon Girls’ Service Club. They wrote cheerful cards for hospital patients. They cooked meals for the homeless. But the Christmas Festival was different. The girls wore party clothes and many people came to see them perform. Angelina had only a plain gray dress that she had worn to the event last year. And now it was a little too short. Angelina appealed to her parents to buy one for her, a beautiful red dress in Forbes’ Store. Her mother sighed, “Well, we cannot buy it. We have to be careful. You never know when I might lose my job.”
All hope was not gone. There was a sign in the Forbes store window that said “layaway (分期付款)” . Angelina pulled ten worn dollar bills from her coat pocket. She ran to the store and begged the salesperson, Mrs. Harding, to hold ‘her’ dress for her. “Ok. But you must come back in two weeks to pay the rest.” Angelina felt like jumping into the air. She was so happy that she told Mrs. Harding about the Avalon Service Club’s work and its Christmas party.
Then, Angelina shook and suffered in the cold wind looking for work. Finally, Angelina got a job making new clothing for dolls. Angelina was excellent at sewing. Sure enough, the dolls’ dresses turned out beautiful. She got twenty dollars. Still, she was far from having enough money for her dress. She felt helpless as the final payment date arrived.
She returned sadly to Forbes’ Store, “I don’t have enough money for the dress.” Then she saw Mrs. Harding’s eyes were red. She looked like she had been crying. She said the store was closing and she was losing her job.
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。
Paragraph 1:
Suddenly, Mrs. Harding said she would pay the rest of the money so Angelina could have it.
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Paragraph 2:
Outside, Angelina saw a man who looked like Santa Claus was asking people for money to help poor people.
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The FIFA World Cup attracted worldwide attention. But have you ever considered
Watching sport might have some positive consequences.
On the other hand, however, when watching
John Ryan, a cardiologist at the University of Utah Health Care advised people to stay hydrated, stay cool and eat and drink alcohol in moderation. He said those same pieces of advice
3 . You may have come across several “strange” cultural practices; some would grip you with fear, while others would leave you astonished. The wife-carrying competition in Finland falls into the latter category.
Strange as it might sound, wife-carrying is a real sport in Finland. In fact, it is a highly competitive sport in which male competitors race while each carrying a female teammate. The objective is for the male to carry the female through a special obstacle track in the fastest time. The length of the official track is 253.5 metres with two dry obstacles (障碍) and a water obstacle about one metre deep.
The first modern-day wife-carrying event was held in Finland in 1992 and foreign competitors gained admission in 1995. This event is now held annually in Sonkajärvi, Finland as the World Championship.
Although many might consider the sport a joke, competitors take it very seriously. Like every serious sport, the wife-carrying competition also has its guidelines which are set by the International Wife-Carrying Competition Rules Committee. While the International rules are the basis for all competitions, rules and prizes do vary for each competition.
It is not mandatory that you must be legally married to the “wife” to be carried, she may even be your neighbour’s wife or even someone you met during the competition; she must, however, be over 17 years of age. And her minimum weight must be 49 kilograms; otherwise, she will be burdened with a rucksack containing additional weight to bring the total load to be carried up to 49 kg. All participants must enjoy themselves. Yes, that is also one of the rules.
Special prizes go to the most entertaining couple, the best costume, and the strongest carrier. And for the grand prize, the wife’s weight in beer goes to the couple who completes the course in the shortest time. Whether you win or lose, the good thing is the sport encourages team spirit among couples.
1. Which can’t be used to describe the wife-carrying competition?| A．Fearful. | B．Astonishing. |
| C．Competitive. | D．Serious. |
| A．The first event was in 1992. |
| B．The rules are flexible for each competition. |
| C．The official track is 253.5 metres long and 1 metre deep. |
| D．By no means can wives weighing less than 49 kg participate in it. |
| A．Important. | B．Necessary. |
| C．Strange. | D．Possible. |
1. When did the disaster happen?
| A．On December 31. | B．Three years ago. | C．Last month. |
| A．2. | B．23. | C．25. |
| A．In the shelter. | B．On the mountain. | C．With Norm Borgatello. |
5 . It was in my first year of work as a doctor. My mouth was
A young girl had been rushed up to theatre (手术室) after a road traffic accident. I had spent some time in between
I
“It’s what she’d have wanted,” the mother said
The father nodded. While I had
Strangely, it was one of the most heart-warming conversations I have ever had.
1.| A．wet | B．dry | C．bitter | D．pale |
| A．focused | B．informed | C．attracted | D．excited |
| A．clearly | B．probably | C．much | D．largely |
| A．resulting | B．assisting | C．settling | D．occupying |
| A．unable | B．sure | C．surprised | D．hard |
| A．cried | B．chatted | C．sobbed | D．swore |
| A．shook | B．glanced | C．glared | D．stared |
| A．cruel | B．guilty | C．very | D．last |
| A．awkward | B．disappointing | C．urgent | D．dangerous |
| A．frustration | B．grief | C．horror | D．pressure |
| A．races | B．works | C．passes | D．counts |
| A．puzzled | B．convinced | C．scared | D．cautious |
| A．until | B．after | C．before | D．since |
| A．imagined | B．suspected | C．accepted | D．prepared |
| A．complex | B．formal | C．dull | D．delicate |
| A．in turn | B．in brief | C．in particular | D．in fact |
| A．brave | B．generous | C．responsible | D．innocent |
| A．seemed | B．appealed | C．occurred | D．happened |
| A．comforted | B．reminded | C．inspired | D．promised |
| A．soul | B．mind | C．spirit | D．recall |
6 . A new study suggests that identical(同卵的) twins are not exactly the same genetically. Scientists in Iceland examined DNA from 387 pairs of identical twins, their parents, children, husbands or wives. The examinations led the team to find “early mutations that separate identical twins,” lead researcher and geneticist Kari Stefansson said.
Mutations are small changes in DNA that can happen when a cell divides in an attempt to copy itself. These small changes can influence a person’s physical appearance or control a person’s ability to fight a disease.
The newly-discovered mutations show that identical twins do have genetic differences. On average, identical twins have 5.2 of these early genetic differences, the researchers found. These differences represent a small part of each twin’s genetic material. But they could influence why one twin is taller or why one is at greater risk for some cancers than the other.
In the past, many researchers believed physical differences seen in identical twins were related mostly to environmental influences, such as nutrition or lifestyle behaviors.
Jan Dumanski is a geneticist at Sweden’s Uppsala University. He was not involved in the study. He praised the findings as “a clear and important contribution” to medical research. “The implication is that we have to be very careful when we are using twins as a model” for examining the influences of genetics or the environment, Dumanski said.
A 2008 paper in The American Journal of Human Genetics found some genetic differences between identical twins. The new study, however, goes beyond earlier work by including the DNA of parents, children, husbands and wives of identical twins. Studying family members permitted the researchers to examine when genetic mutations happened in two different kinds of cells: those present in only one individual and those passed on to the person’s children.
Stefansson said his team found twins where a mutation is present in all cells of the body of one twin, but not in the other twin at all. However, “sometimes the second twin may show the mutation in some cells, but not all cells,” he added.
1. What is a function of mutations?| A．Change people’s DNA. |
| B．Help a cell to copy itself. |
| C．Influence people’s physical appearance. |
| D．Increase people’s ability to fight diseases. |
| A．To check when the mutations happened. |
| B．To identify the results of former research. |
| C．To find out where the mutations happened. |
| D．To examine the influence of the environment. |
| A．Cautious. | B．Doubtful. |
| C．Concerned. | D．Positive. |
| A．A Breakthrough in Identical Twins Study |
| B．Identical Twins: Not Genetically Exact Copies |
| C．Genetic Differences Caused by Family Members |
| D．DNA Decides the Difference between Identical Twins |
7 . With bold colors, sharp lines and surreal (超现实主义的) scenes, street art from Brazil brings a different cultural feast to the audience in Shanghai this winter.
Two famous Brazilian street artists, twin brothers Gustavo Pandolfo and Otavio Pandolfo, opened their exhibition at the Shanghai Fosun Foundation on the last day of 2020. Titled “You Are My Guest,” the show will last till Feb. 26.
“It was difficult to put this show together when the whole world had to stop because of the pandemic,” Otavio Pandolfo told Xinhua during an online interview. Due to COVID-19, the two artists could not personally present their work in Shanghai, nor could they participate in the exhibition’s offline planning and preparations. However, they created a network with staff members from the Fosun Foundation in Shanghai via e-mails and video links.
After months of online communication and arrangements, they managed to send over 200 art pieces to Shanghai. “We try to find the best way to share our works with all the guests that visit the show,” he said.
Popular around the world, they have held and participated in exhibitions in countries including the United States, Portugal and Finland. “ ‘You Are My Guest’ is an invitation for everyone to jump inside our imagination, and we like to share this with everybody,” he said, adding that the exhibits were presented in a multi-media way, including large-scale paintings and sound pieces.
Born and living in Sao Paulo, they infuse(注入) their works with Brazilian cultural elements, such as local folk stories, hip hop music and breakdancing, and hope the exhibition would give Chinese audiences a glimpse of Brazilian culture. “It was a difficult year for everyone in many different ways,” said Gustavo Pandolfo. “We hope that with this exhibition we can bring some hope, energy and light, and people can think of something colorful, fun, happy and with love.”
1. What can we learn about the exhibition?| A．It will last about a month. |
| B．It was hardly influenced by the pandemic. |
| C．Visitors can jump inside the large-scale paintings. |
| D．The two artists couldn’t get involved in its preparations in person. |
| A．To share their works with Chinese audiences. |
| B．To bring hope, energy and light to people’s life. |
| C．To help Chinese audiences understand Brazilian culture. |
| D．To make people think of something colorful and delightful. |
| A．A story of two artists. |
| B．An exhibition review. |
| C．An introduction to an exhibition. |
| D．An advertisement for an exhibition. |
| A．It’s amusing. | B．It’s exciting. | C．It’s disappointing. |
On April 22, one day before his 441st birthday anniversary, experts discovered that one of the most recognizable portraits of William Shakespeare is a fake．This means that we no longer have a good idea of what Shakespeare looked like．“It's very possible that many pictures of Shakespeare might be unreliable because many of them are copies of this one,” said an expert from Britain's National Portrait Gallery．
The discovery comes after four months of testing using X-rays, ultraviolet light, microphotography and paint samples．The experts from the gallery say the image —commonly known as the “Flower portrait”— was actually painted in the 1800s, about two centuries after Shakespeare's death．The art experts who work at the gallery say they also used modern chemistry technology to check the paint on the picture．These checks found traces of paint dating from about 1814．Shakespeare died in 1616, and the date that appears on the portrait is 1609．
“We now think the portrait dates back to around 1818 to 1840．This was when there was a renewed interest in Shakespeare's plays,” Tarnya Cooper, the gallery's curator （馆长）, told the Associated President．
The fake picture has often been used as a cover for collections of his plays．It is called the Flower portrait because one of its owners, Desmond Flower, gave it to the Royal Shakespeare Company．
“There have always been questions about the painting,” said David Howells, curator for the Royal Shakespeare Company．“Now we know the truth, we can put the image in its proper place in the history of Shakespearean portraiture．”
Two other images of Shakespeare, are also being studied as part of the investigation and the results will come out later this month．________．
1. What makes the birthday of Shakespeare dramatic this year?
| A．It was found that he painted a portrait in 1814 instead of in 1609． |
| B．The Flower portrait has been found to be a fake． |
| C．Three portraits of Shakespeare are being tested to identify a real one． |
| D．It was found that there was a renewed interest in Shakespeare's plays around 1818 to 1840． |
| A．Portraits of Shakespeare are all unreliable． |
| B．“Flower portrait” was a portrait of Shakespeare given to Desmond Flower． |
| C．1814 might be when the portrait was drawn． |
| D．The Flower portrait is not often used as a cover for Shakespeare's play． |
| A．Not mentioned． | B．Two |
| C．Three | D．At least four． |
| A．Birthdays often involve surprises |
| B．The surprise on the 441st birthday of Shakespeare |
| C．One portrait of Shakespeare is a fake |
| D．How can we know Shakespeare's appearance? |
| A．Soon we'll know which portrait is reliable． |
| B．Maybe we cannot find a real portrait of Shakespeare． |
| C．If the two portraits are found to be false, they will test more． |
| D．For now what Shakespeare really looked like will remain a mystery． |
The TV shows like “Children are hard to support!”, “Where are we going, Dad?”, “hot mom” and “cute kids” are becoming more and more popular. All of these show the new parents’ confusion in children’s education and the appeal for the balance between career and family.
In real life, on the one hand the young parents feel helpless because they are too busy to accompany their children under the pressures of work and life; on the other hand they continue to do so. The data collected by HNTV shows that nearly two-thirds of their audience are female, among whom 36% are aged from 25 to 34.We can imagine such a scene that one evening a young mother is watching the show with her young children, while her husband is still at work or trapped in socializing, or maybe is just playing computer games in the bedroom. The story of a child without the company of father is still going on. In fact, it is sometimes the same to mothers. In a modern family, it is often the old who take the responsibility of raising a child. The participation of mother in the children’s education is also very low.
It is just this kind of confusion where the parents have gone in the modern family education, and where the parents will guide their children to go that “Where are we going，Dad?” shows us. If a child wants to grow up healthily and safely into a modern citizen with independent personality and free spirit, it is very important for him or her to follow the parents who serve as their first teacher. Maybe this is the real reason why such kind of TV programs could get hot. The truth is that children will go where their parents go; and society will go where the children go.
1. In raising a child in modern society, parents should ________.
| A．play computer games with their children |
| B．keep their children at home to avoid socializing |
| C．balance well between family and career |
| D．break down the barrier between children and teachers |
| A．Parents shouldn’t entirely leave the education of children to the old. |
| B．36% of the audience of the program are female aged from 25-34. |
| C．The program shows us the confusion where the parents and children will go to play. |
| D．In a modern family it is often mothers who are responsible for raising a child. |
| A．Confusion Behind “Where are we going, dad?” |
| B．Modern Education is Important |
| C．Nanny Daddy and Cute Kids |
| D．New problems in Modern Children’s Education |
| A．Proud. | B．Worried. |
| C．Optimistic. | D．Indifferent. |
