1 . Nowadays mail delivery is a little different. I still get my mail from my mailbox. Nothing, but my neighbors’ mail. I thought that was curious.
I proceeded to take my neighbors’ mail to them. I was about to put the mail in their mailbox when a tall man came running out shouting about messing with his friend's mail. He snatched (夺过) the mail from my hand, opened the mailbox and pointed to the mail inside.“You were after this.
I shook my head, “No, believe me. I got this mail by mistake in my box today. I was just bringing it to them.” He gave me a funny look and went back into his house.
I got the knock on the door the next morning by two very polite officers. The annoyed tall man had phoned the police and told them I was a crazy old woman going around mixing up everyone's mail. Before I could finish telling them about what was going on, the officers had watched a dog approach my mailbox with mail in his mouth. He took out the mail that was in my box and put letters in. He pushed the door closed with his nose, picked up the new pile of mail he had gotten from my box, and repeated this all the way down the next street. We all started laughing.
The dog had belonged to a mail carrier who had died. No one thought to check (the carrier lived alone) on the man’s dog. The dog had been trained to put mail in and take mail out of the boxes. When he got loose, he assumed his duties.
I went by to talk to the annoyed tall man to fill him in on what had happened. He was very pleased when he realized I was not a mail thief. He did, however, adopt the little guy.
1. Why did the tall man give the author a funny look?| A．To show his disbelief. | B．To express his curiosity. |
| C．To contain his annoyance. | D．To hide his embarrassment. |
| A．By analyzing the case. | B．By witnessing the mix-up. |
| C．By questioning the author. | D．By consulting the tall man. |
| A．was well-trained and devoted | B．used to live a lonely and busy life |
| C．was assigned to replace the carrier | D．guarded the mail in the neighborhood |
| A．A mail service | B．A dog’s tale |
| C．Special delivery | D．Noble duties |
2 . A fresh and gentle wind on your face, soft sand under your feet and blue waters as far as the eye can see. Is there any other Olympic sport that is played in such pleasant conditions as beach volleyball？
“I’ve gone to a lot of beautiful places, and met a lot of beautiful people. That wouldn’t have happened if I had been playing another sport.” said Randy Stoklos, America’s most famous beach volleyball player.
The sport began as a four-a-side game on beaches in Southern California in the 1920s. The first recorded two-man game took place there in 1930, and the first tournament (锦标赛) was held in Los Angeles 18 years later. The winners were awarded a case of Pepsi. In the 1950s, women started playing and the sport soon spread to Europe and South America. Yet at that time, beach volleyball was more an entertainment show than a sport, with beauty contests included. The Association of Volleyball Professionals was founded in 1983 and beach volleyball developed into a fast, athletic sport. Its world-wide popularity won beach volleyball a place at the 1996 Olympics in Atalanta, where 24 male teams and 16 female teams took part. At present, the US and Brazil are the best in the world at beach volleyball.
The game came to China in the early 1990s and there have been national tournaments since 1994. It became an official event at the Eighth National Games in 1997. China’s You Wenhui and Wang Lu finished ninth in the women’s beach volleyball world championships in Brazil.
1. The passage is mainly about ______.| A．the history of beach volleyball |
| B．how to play beach volleyball |
| C．the importance of beach volleyball |
| D．women’s beach volleyball in China |
| A．Beach volleyball was first played like other Olympic: sports. |
| B．Beach volleyball has always been an entertainment show rather than a sport. |
| C．Beach volleyball began on beaches in Souther California. |
| D．Women started playing beach volleyball in South America in 1945. |
| A．In 1948, | B．In 1996. | C．In 1950. | D．In 1997. |
| A．in 1996, beach volleyball became an official event in China |
| B．China’s beach volleyball team is the best in the world |
| C．China’s beach volleyball players won the first place in Brazil |
| D．beach volleyball came to China in the early 1990s |
3 . Playgrounds for All Kids
Most of us are all too familiar with the typical playground set-up. Monkey bars, swings, and slides, all accessed by steps and surrounded by a sea of sand or wood chips.
Goldberg describes the idea behind designing these playgrounds as completely inclusive. They don’t strictly cater to (迎合) children with disabilities and are not meant to prevent any child from access to play.
The inclusive playground model is now spreading across the county. While the original Harper’s Playground is located in Portland, Oregon, similar playgrounds have popped up throughout the state. Harper’s Playground is now teaming up with those interested in building a park of their own.
Changing the way playgrounds are built will have a wide-spread effect. It will affect the way schools are designed and built, and it will affect how the workplace is treated, and then ultimately it will change the way people with disabilities are thought of and treated.
| A．What are their accessible playgrounds like today? |
| B．Harper’s Playground was created for just this reason. |
| C．Harper’s Playground began to work on its initial designs. |
| D．The equipment and layout provide access to a fun experience for all. |
| E．Slides are built extra wide so a caregiver and a child can go together. |
| F．It hopes to eventually spread across the country and, ultimately, the world. |
| G．The intention of these public playgrounds is to give kids a safe and fun place to play. |
4 . This has been a year full of natural disasters, like hurricanes, wildfires and floods. Behind many of them, though, is an unfolding event that shows no sign of stopping: climate change. Here we meet some students who have been using science to help people deal with the effects of the changing climate. Their research places them among 30 finalists at the 10th Broadcom MASTERS, a research program open to middle-school investigators.
Ryan Honary, a 12-year-old student in California, has personal experience with wildfires. One day, he was with his father at a tennis tournament when he saw wildfires raging across his home state on TV. “I called my mom and asked if she was okay.” Ryan recalls. Once he knew that she was, he asked his dad why wildfires got out of control so often. “We’re planning to send people to Mars but we can’t detect wildfires,” Ryan says.
That’s when Ryan decided to create a way to detect wildfires early — before they get out of control. He linked together a series of mini computers that had sensors to detect smoke. When smoke was detected, data was transferred wirelessly to another computer, which served as a mini meteorological(气象的) station.
Ryan brought his entire system to a park and tested it by holding the flame from a lighter in front of each sensor. When they sensed a fire, they informed the detector. It then alerted an app that Ryan built for his phone. While creating that app, Ryan talked with Mohammed Kachuee, a graduate student at the University of California. He helped Ryan use machine learning to train his app with data from 2018 Camp Fire, the most destructive fire in California history. The app took lessons from how this fire had traveled over time. Using those data, the app “learned” to tell how flames at future events might spread.
Someday, Ryan hopes his sensors might be used throughout his state. “Five of the worst fires in California just happened in the last three months,” he notes.
1. What is the function of the app Ryan built for his phone?| A．To transfer data about campfires. | B．To detect smoke from wildfires. |
| C．To predict how a fire might spread. | D．To show how we can prevent a fire. |
| A．Caring and creative. | B．Brave and optimistic. |
| C．Ambitious and demanding. | D．Hardworking and intelligent. |
| A．The effects of changing climate. |
| B．A boy’s experience with wildfires. |
| C．A research program open to students. |
| D．A student’s scientific research on wildfires. |
5 . In 1868, six-year-old Laura and her family set sail from New Bedford. The little girl was taken to share the adventure and the danger of life at sea by his father, Captain Jernegan, who was unwilling to be separated from his family when he was going to hunt the mightiest animal on earth. Laura was a keen observer and writer, whose diary offers a look into her unusual childhood.
Laura was fascinated by her father's job. When the ship's lookout spotted a whale, "I hope we shall get him," she wrote. She watched as the men rushed to their whaleboats and chased the whale to within harpooning (鱼叉)distance. Once, they harpooned a whale so huge that his head was "as big as four whole rooms and his body as long as one ship," Laura wrote.
Hunting whales was only one part of a whaleman's job. As soon as a whale was caught, the crew began the hard and dirty work of processing it. The whale body smelled "dreadfully," noted Laura. The processing of the whale was finally finished when the cooled oil was spooned into barrels. One huge whale produced enough oil to fill seventy-five barrels, she noted in disbelief. When the Jernegans returned home, the oil would be sold for the best price possible. Whale oil was important during the nineteenth century when it was used to light lamps and to make candles.
Whaling was both exciting and exhausting. Yet it also had its slow moments. Weeks could go by without so much as a glimpse of a whale. Then Laura filled her days with school lessons and sewing.
When Laura was grown, she never went whaling again. By then, petrol had already replaced whale oil. This era, called the golden age of whaling, was over. So was the era of entire families going to sea. Yet Laura's diary has helped to ensure that this chapter in America's seafaring history won't be forgotten.
1. Why did Laura set sail with her father?| A．She was a keen observer and writer |
| B．She was fascinated by his father's job. |
| C．His father would hunt the mightiest animal |
| D．Her father wanted the family to stay together. |
| A．Laura was tired of school lessons. | B．It took weeks to hunt a huge whale. |
| C．No whales could be spotted for weeks | D．The processing of the whale was slow. |
| A．Significant | B．Dreadful |
| C．Conventional. | D．Practical. |
6 . Love your parents
Even if you think that your parents are mean-spirited at times, loving your parents is a normal and fulfilling （满意的）part of life. You love them for the fact that they created you, raised you, and are in part a source of who you are. Here are some ways to love your parents.
Respect them more and cherish（珍惜）these moments. You can use these moments to learn from them when you're off on your own. It's OK to get angry but angry actions don't help you or your parents. Act calmly, cool off, journal about your feelings, or talk to a friend.
Obey their requests. It will make your attitude better and earn you more respect from them. It may seem like you are going through hell when you don't get what you want or you have to clean. However, you had better remember they keep a roof over your head when it's cold, raining, snowing, or too hot. Understand that parents are human beings and make mistakes.
Keep company with them. Do things with your parents like watching TV, or go somewhere with them.
Some people simply may not be able to love their parents. .
| A．There can be realistic reasons for this, family violence for example. |
| B．Anyway, spend as much time with them as you can. |
| C．Tell them you love them every morning. |
| D．Forgiveness is the key. |
| E．Parents will turn express their love to you. |
| F．After this, share your feelings with your parents. |
| G．Please remember parents are as important as friends. |
7 . Leaving everything behind to go after true happiness takes courage, and Sophie Matterson has enough to go around. The 3l-year-old enjoyed a good life in Brisbane, Australia, with a job in the TV and film industry, but it didn’t make her heart sing. That’s why she decided to try a different path. Now she’s trekking (跋涉) across the continent with five camels (骆驼) — and is the happiest she’s ever been!
In 2016, Sophie changed jobs and ended up somewhere she never expected: milking camels on a farm in Queensland.
“What I wasn’t anticipating was how much I would end up falling in love with these animals,” she wrote. “What was only going to be a six-month break from my ‘real job’ turned into five years of running after camels around Australia and other parts of the world.”
After taking tourists on camel treks for a while, Sophie decided to have an adventure of her own. She planned out a 5,000-kilometer trip from Shark Bay to Byron Bay before catching and training five wild camels in January 2019. Then she was finally ready to explore her country with Mac, Delilah, Clayton, Jude, and Charlie!
As one might imagine, the trip can be lonely at times, but Sophie’s camels make surprisingly good companions.
“It’s quite lovely and relaxing camping with camels,” she said. Best of all, she can see great views!
Sophie hopes to arrive in Byron Bay in the next nine months. In the meantime, she’ll be enjoying every second with her camel friends.
1. Why did Sophie give up her job in the TV and film industry?| A．It was of no interest to her. |
| B．It took much courage to carry on. |
| C．She needed to move to another country fora new job. |
| D．She was unwilling to leave everything behind to go for it. |
| A．believing. | B．discovering. | C．trying. | D．expecting. |
| A．From a farm. | B．From some friends. |
| C．From the wild. | D．From some tourists. |
| A．thoughtful. | B．Adventurous. | C．responsible. | D．confident. |
8 . When asked how technology might improve the lives of people with vision impairments(视力障碍) . Joann Becker, a vision impairments tech specialist, presented a misleadingly simple challenge, saying “I’d like to be able to find my bus stop through Be My Eyes”.
Be My Eyes, which went live in 2015, establishes a direct video connection between visually impaired users and sighted volunteers. The assumption is simple: Many people who are blind don't need any actual assistance in completing their daily tasks, but merely need a little help.
A sighted volunteer might be asked to help identify which of two cans contains tomatoes. In this case, the visually impaired user can cook a meal just fine on his/her own- -all he/she needs is a quick confirmation that he/she has the correct can. The model appears to be working; more than 540.000 volunteers and nearly 40.000 people with low vision are registered on the app.
“An elderly woman can now help a visually impaired technician set up his computer.” says founder Hans Wiberg, who has very low vision. “She doesn't need to know a thing about computers. She only needs to read what is presented on the screen. Then he can do the rest. ”
Early assistive technology centered on dedicated devices(专用设备), because of the niche market(小众市场) , which sold for hundreds or even thousands of dollars. But the Smartphone, multipurpose and near-universal, has completely changed the economy of scale. “There are larger market forces driving high-powered computation, high-quality engineering and high-quality battery management in the smartphone market than those in a specialty product.” says Aaron Stcinfeld, a research professor at the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University.
“The reality is most sighted people don't know somebody who is bind.” Becker says.” They think the solutions that a blind person needs are far more expansive. It turns out they need to be. “I think these apps are enabling sighted people to see that blind people just need some simple clues to help them do any number of things in their lives.”
1. What is the first paragraph used for in the text?| A．Giving one example. | B．Showing the main idea. |
| C．Making a conclusion. | D．Introducing the topic. |
| A．By creating a video link between the visually disabled and sighted volunteers. |
| B．By recognizing which of two cans has tomatoes that can be cooked. |
| C．By establishing high-quality engineering and computation. |
| D．By flashing the everyday tasks of the technician and volunteers. |
| A．Slight assistance can help the blind free from some troubles. |
| B．Volunteers should be very familiar with high-tech computers. |
| C．Only people with low vision are registered to use the app. |
| D．Joann Becker thinks it hard to find a bus stop using Be My Eyes. |
| A．The smartphone becomes a special app. |
| B．Fine devices have changed the economy. |
| C．Cost matters when it comes to assistive technology. |
| D．Smartphone market has great economic potential. |
9 . Why play sports? You might say “to get exercise” and you would be right. To have fun? That's true, too. But there's more.
Girls who play sports do better in school. You might think that athletics will take up all your study time.
Girls who play sports learn teamwork and goal-setting skills.
Sports are good for a girl's health. In addition to being fit and keeping a healthy weight, girls who play sports are also less likely to smoke. And later in life, girls who exercise are less likely to get breast cancer or osteoporosis(骨质疏松症).
Playing sports improves self-confidence.
| A．Exercise cuts the pressure. |
| B．Sports teach valuable life skills. |
| C．Regular exercise increases quality of life. |
| D．In fact, there are at least five more reasons. |
| E．Girls who play sports feel better about themselves. |
| F．Playing sports offers children more than just physical benefits. |
| G．But research shows that girls who play sports do better in school than those who don't. |
10 . The wrong donations end up costing charities precious dollars just to store leftovers (积压物资 ), which is why clothing may not be the best use of your donation efforts.
Think of the children. Children’s needs are important during disasters. As families influenced by a disaster try to protect their children from the effects, they try to provide children with toys, snacks, juices, candies, and other comfort items, particularly in post-disaster environments.
Donate your skills to your community. If you are trained in disaster response, you can contact your local emergency services and the Red Cross to see if they need volunteers. Let them know your abilities.
Become a volunteer now for the future. Besides donating money, volunteering is the best way to give.
| A．Donate to an organization you can trust. |
| B．These items are expensive to transport to shelters. |
| C．Spend time caring for families and individuals at shelters. |
| D．Then, they will follow up if they are in need of volunteers. |
| E．However, you have to begin this process long before any disaster hits. |
| F．Turn your dollars into toys and entertainment choices for kids of all ages. |
| G．Here are some tips you can follow to help people in need in the most wise ways. |
