The frightening day of our diving test was here. Our parents thought we were lucky to have an Olympic-size swimming pool at the school. My mom stressed that the swimming pool was one of the best in our city. But I didn’t feel happy about it at all. Instead, I felt afraid of the swimming pool. It was mainly because I was terribly shy.
I was so shy that I always sat at the back of the room in class so I’d not be called upon to read. As for the present physical education class each Monday morning, I would work my way to the back of the line forming at the diving board so I would not have to practice the dives.
Now, it was another Monday morning - the morning of our diving test. My blood ran cold when the teacher Ms. Robbins announced that we would be graded for our final on the most difficult dive- the jackknife. And she added, “This diving test is important. The one who fails has to spare time in the following Monday mornings to practice diving in this swimming pool and attend this test again.”
My body kept shaking with fear as the line to the scary diving board shortened. As I watched, each student seemed to perform the challenging dive effortlessly. And shortly I would have to attempt something that I had never even practiced before.
Then I remembered someone telling me that when you picture yourself doing a skill over and over, it’s just as effective as physically practicing that skill. So I watched carefully as each classmate jumped at the end of the board once, added a jump for height, folded their body in half to reach for their toes, and finally straightened out like an arrow for going into the water. After carefully watching for a while, I was actually in a state of surprise, because all of a sudden I realized that it was possible for me to perform these four steps of diving.
Eventually all classmates except me finished jumping. The teacher announced that it was my turn.
注意：1. 续与词数应为150左右；2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
With my heart knocking wildly, I walked down the diving board towards its end.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Knowing I failed, I climbed out of the pool, embarrassed.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________2 . 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. |
3 . I’ve never been one for Disney movies and other animated movies aimed at kids that are often in theaters now. So deciding to watch Spirited Away, I was feeling pretty unenthusiastic but its glowing reviews and Studio Ghibli’s reputation pushed me to still watch it.
Spirited Away is about a 10 year old girl named Chihiro. While on the way to her new home her parents and she go down an old road. After passing through a tunnel they end up in what seems to be an abandoned town. In the town, her parents find an open food stall and eat the food, saying they can pay the shop owner once they get there. But they turn into pigs! Guided by Haku, who she meets while looking around, she sets off to try and save her parents and return to her own world.
Although it is a children’s film, I found the story to be surprisingly mature (成熟的) and enjoyable. Near the beginning of the story, Chihiro was a bit of a spoiled kid, but she progresses a lot as a character as she meets and interacts with the residents of the spirit world. The movie does a lot to create a sense of mystery and often uses soft world building. The animation is wonderful. It all flows very well and allows for breathtaking scenes that really bring the world to life alongside your imagination. The film has its fair share of twists and turns and was very enjoyable, while I feel that we could benefit greatly from multiple rewatches, which I’d gladly do, in order to get the full experience.
This is a movie I would definitely recommend to all ages. A small note, it does show blood in a few scenes, so if you’re a parent whether or not that’s okay for your child would be up to you. All in all, I feel that despite not being a part of the intended audience, this is an excellent movie that deserves a watch no matter what type of person you are.
1. What made the writer first watch the movie?| A．His always loving the style. | B．The amazing plots. |
| C．Its breathtaking scenes. | D．People’s comments on it. |
| A．She travels to an old town for fun with her parents. |
| B．She changes into a responsible girl. |
| C．She stays in the spirit city forever. |
| D．She changes her parents into pigs. |
| A．Childish and imaginary. | B．Wonderful but incomplete. |
| C．Entertaining and mature. | D．Bloody but amazing. |
| A．Review. | B．Journal. | C．Biography. | D．Advertisement. |
4 . The first time my parents watched me compete in a mountain bike race, they tried to get me to quit. While I was riding down a hill, I hit a huge rock, flew through the air and crashed to the ground. However, this kind of thing happens all the time. I just got up as fast as I could, got back on my bike and kept going. And I won that race, despite taking quite a spill!
My earliest bike memories are of my father taking me out for rides in the child seat on the back of his ten-speed. A couple years later, I got my first bike. But my parents wouldn’t let me ride more than a few blocks from the house until I was ten. The morning of my tenth birthday, I got my older sister to take me on a long ride. We ended up at my aunt’s house. I was totally exhausted and every muscle in my body ached. But I didn’t care. I knew that this was only the beginning, and all I could think about was where my next trip would take me.
When I was in the eighth grade, our gym teacher, Mr. Raines, sent out a flyer about starting a mountain bike club. I ran to his office between classes and signed up. Over the next few months, the ten of us who joined the club worked on our biking skills. Besides taking us out riding, Mr. Raines taught us about bike safety, and showed us how to properly maintain and repair our bikes. He also helped us form a mountain bike team. At first, we competed against each other. Later, we went up against other schools. We continued to train and compete all through high school.
Biking has been the major focus of my life. Those early trips on the back of my father’s bike got me started. The long rides with my sister increased my enthusiasm. Then, the training and competitions in the bike club guaranteed that I would turn into a lifelong bike fan. I think everyone should have a hobby like this－something that is good for them and makes them happy.
1. What happened to the author during his mountain bike race?| A．He suffered a big fall. | B．He lost the competition. |
| C．He ran out of energy halfway. | D．He hit his head on a huge rock. |
| A．Worried and exhausted. | B．Surprised and curious. |
| C．Excited but nervous. | D．Tired but happy. |
| A．He repaired the used bikes. | B．He taught biking skills. |
| C．He took part in races. | D．He gave out lots of flyers. |
| A．Why I Love Biking | B．How I Formed a Bike Club |
| C．Why I Compete in Bike Races | D．How I Improved My Biking Skills |
