1 . Travel is one of the most exciting experiences a human being can have. Imagine how Italian traveler Marco Polo must have felt when he found himself on Chinese soil, seeing a way of life quite different from anything he’d seen before.
And how great must it have been to listen to Zhang Qian when he returned to China from his journey through Central Asia and West Asia? His brain must have been packed with everything he’d seen and heard, leading to the founding of the Silk Road.
Some people have traveled all over the world, and travel is a way of life to them. They perhaps know what to expect before they travel. That’s why the best travel is when it’s for the first time. Imagine a person who has always wanted to travel to the United States. Of course, they’ve probably seen the Statue of Liberty a thousand times on TV, and the White House, and all the other famous sights. But none of that would compare to the excitement of looking out of the window as the plane lands, watching the cities and streets of the real America come into view.
Although travel is often just for recreation, it’s also educational. We may not know that we are getting an education, but we still are.
We’re learning every day: new words in a new language, new people, and new ways of life. But this learning takes place in the school of the world, not the classroom. As we get to know foreign places, we come to understand that there are many different ways to live, and that the way we live isn’t necessarily the best way.
1. The author uses Marco Polo and Zhang Qian as examples to .A.explain how the Silk Road was founded | B.present travel as an amazing experience |
C.show how the way people travel has changed | D.describe important cultural exchanges in history |
A.one’s first trip is usually the most challenging |
B.no other trip is better than one’s first trip |
C.there is always much to learn on one’s first trip |
D.people usually make better preparations for their first trip |
A.fun | B.risk | C.learning | D.knowledge |
A.traveling should be included in formal education |
B.traveling improves people’s confidence in their lifestyle |
C.foreign journeys can enrich people’s knowledge of the world |
D.foreign ways of life are better than our own way of life at home. |
2 . A self-driving Uber vehicle struck and killed a pedestrian in a late-night accident in Tempe, Arizona, police said on Monday. The accident is believed to be the first pedestrian death involving the technology of autonomous vehicles.
The gray SUV had an operator in the driver’s seat and was traveling at about 40 miles per hour in autonomous mode when it struck a woman who was walking across the street late Sunday night, Tempe police said. The pedestrian was rushed to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead from her injuries.
“The City of Tempe has been supportive of autonomous vehicle testing because of the innovation and promise that the technology may offer in many areas, including transportation options for disabled residents and seniors,” Tempe Mayor, Mitchell said in the statement. “Testing must occur safely. All indications we have had in the past show that traffic laws are being obeyed by the companies testing here. Our city leadership and Tempe police will pursue any and all answers to what happened in order to ensure safety moving forward.”
Self-driving cars have been praised by technology companies as the wave of the future. Autonomous cars are already being in more than 30 cities around the world, with companies investing more than $80 billion into research and development.
“Everyone recognized that someone was going to die in a crash involving an autonomous vehicle eventually,” Bryant Walker Smith, a law professor at the University of South Carolina who studies risks in automated driving systems, told NBC News. “As good as that technology tries to be, mistakes can happen, or it may be one of the small fraction of crashes. I just think everybody kind of hoped that one wouldn’t come this soon.”
Smith added that because federal and state agencies don’t have the resources to monitor individual vehicles, the responsibility for safety falls on the individual companies running the technology.
The National Transportation Safety Board announced that a four-person team has been sent to Tempe to investigate the crash.
1. Which of the following is true about the accident?A.The woman was dead on the spot. |
B.The accident is under investigation. |
C.The driver was arrested for speeding. |
D.It is the first accident caused by autonomous vehicles. |
A.The autonomous vehicle can make transportation safer. |
B.A large profit will be brought by the autonomous vehicles. |
C.The autonomous vehicles will help disabled residents and seniors. |
D.Companies invest more than $80 billion into research and development. |
A.The driver. | B.The pedestrian. |
C.The individual companies. | D.The federal and state agency. |
A.Tempe is in favor of autonomous vehicle testing. |
B.Autonomous vehicles have a lot of disadvantages. |
C.Companies should take action to improve self-driving cars. |
D.A self-driving Uber car caused a pedestrian’s death in Arizona. |
3 . Pasta and pizza were on everyone’s lunch menu in my native land of Italy. Everyone who had such a lunch was fair-skinned and spoke Italian. A few years later, as I stood in the lunch line with my kindergarten class in a school in Brooklyn, I realized things were no longer that simple. My classmates ranged from those kids with pale skin and large blue eyes to those with rich brown skin and dark hair. The food choices were almost as diverse as the students. In front of me was an array of foods I couldn’t even name in my native language. Fearing that I would pick out something awful, I desperately tried to ask the boy ahead of me for a recommendation. Unfortunately, between us stood the barrier of language.
Although my kindergarten experience feels like a century ago, the lessons I learned will stick in my mind forever. For the past three summers, I have worked in a government agency in New York. New immigrants much like the little girl in the lunch line flooded our office seeking help. I often had to be an interpreter for the Italian-speaking ones. As I served the role of vital communication link, I was reminded of my desperate struggle to converse before I learned English. I watched with great sympathy as elderly Italians tried to hold a conversation in Italian with people who did not speak the language. It suddenly became very clear to me how lucky I was to be fluent in two languages.
In New York, a multicultural city, students like me are blessed with a chance to work with a diverse population. In my English to Italian translations, I’ve learned about social programs that I didn’t know existed. This work expanded my mind in ways that are impossible inside the four walls of a classroom. Walking through the streets of Brooklyn today, I am no longer confused by this city’s sounds and smells. Instead, enjoy its diversity.
1. What did the author realize after entering school in Brooklyn?A.Time passed quickly. | B.English was hard to learn. |
C.The food was terrible. | D.People were very different. |
A.An Italian teacher. | B.A government official. |
C.The author herself. | D.The author’s classmate. |
A.It strengthened her love for school. | B.It helped sharpen her sense of direction. |
C.It opened her eyes to the real world. | D.It made her childhood dream come true. |
4 . The mom had died when the rescuers found her after the terrible earthquake. She was covered by a destroyed house. Through gaps (缝隙) of those ruins,the rescuers could see her last posture (姿势).It was something like an ancient person who was kowtowing (叩头),but it just looked strange because she was out of shape by pressure.
The rescuers confirmed her death by touching her through the gaps of the ruins. They shouted at the ruins again and again,knocked the bricks using various tools,but no reply inside.
Then the rescuing team went to the next building. Suddenly the leader ran back,calling “Come here.” He came to the body,put his hands under the woman,feeling and touching,then shouted loudly and gladly,“There is someone,a baby,still living.”
Through some efforts,rescuers cleaned up the ruins which blocked her. Under her body lay her baby,who was covered by a small red quilt (棉被).He was about 3 or 4 months’old. Since well protected by his mother’s body,he was safe. He was in a deep sleep when the rescuer carried him out,and his lovely and peaceful face warmed everyone around him. The doctor,along with the rescuing team,took the baby out of the quilt to check if the baby was all right,and he found there was a mobile phone in the quilt. The doctor looked at the screen; a written message was already there:“My dear baby if you could live,don’t forget how much I love you.” As a doctor,he experienced much of this type of separation; but at this moment,he cried. The mobile phone was passed,and every person who saw this message shed (流出) tears.
1. When the rescuers found the mom,she________.A.was using her mobile phone to ask for help |
B.begged the rescuers to save her baby first |
C.was struggling with the pressure |
D.didn’t have the normal shape |
A.was smiling a lot | B.was fast asleep |
C.was listening carefully | D.was frightened to death |
A.pleased | B.excited |
C.moved | D.tired |
A.a story of saving a mother and her baby |
B.the disaster of a terrible earthquake |
C.the rescuers’ hard work after an earthquake |
D.the great love of a mother in the earthquake |
5 . Chinese people may not be that familiar with sports tourism but it is one of the fastest growing sectors of tourism, because an increasing number of people are showing interest in sports activities during tours even if sports is not the main objective of their travel.
Sports tourism refers to tourism involving participation in or watching sports events and staying in an environment different from the usual tourist hotels or resorts.
Sports tourism is the fastest growing segment of the tourism industry today, with an annual growth rate of about 15 percent globally.
Also, the integration of sports and tourism products will to eventually lead to the integration of the sports and tourism markets to meet people's diversified consumption demand. Rural tourism, consist of fishing, hiking, horse riding and other outdoor activities.
In short, the rapid growth of sports tourism will help meet people's leisure needs and boost the high-quality development in China.
A.It plays a vital role in rural construction. |
B.But sports tourism is still a new sector in China. |
C.However, this sector has long drawn people's attention in China. |
D.The origin of sports tourism can be traced back to Ancient Greece. |
E.In China, however, the growth rate is 30-40 percent despite a slow start. |
F.Marathons, cycling, hiking and camping fall in this part of sports tourism. |
G.The government can address some of the challenges of rapidly aging society. |
6 . In the traditional religions of Africa, life doesn’t end with death.
Among the spirits, the ancestors comprise a special category of their own.
Many African groups believe that the spirits of ancestors remain near their living descendants as guardians of the family and their traditions.
A.As ancestors, they have some extra powers. |
B.After death, humans continue to live on as spirits. |
C.Ancestors have an indispensable significance for some Africans. |
D.Some of the dead will become spiritual ancestors living in their descendants’ hearts. |
E.Ancestor worship also plays a very significant role in the mythologies of some African peoples. |
F.They help in times of trouble as long as their descendants perform proper rituals and pay them due respect. |
G.For these Africans, the honored dead have become not only objects of worship but also subjects of tales and legends. |
7 . With the rapid development of science and technology, we don’t know how different our life will be in the future.
At first we think about human relationships. In the year 2050, we will use computers almost every day. We will be making new friends through the Internet — even our husbands or wives will be met in this way.
Computers will also help us in many other activities in 2050. For example, they will be used by the children at school to make their learning easier. In addition, there will be much more other machines which will play a similar role as computers, like robots which will do the housework for us.
We could expect that the faster technological progress would lead to a more polluted environment. But it isn’t true.
Although we can’t predict the exact changes which will be made in the world, we often think about them. We worry about our and our children’s future; we have expectations, hopes as well as fears. But I think we should be rather confident about our future.
A.However, we are convinced of the following |
B.We should be happy and believe good things will happen |
C.We will pay more attention to protecting the environment |
D.We can only imagine it |
E.Spending holidays will also be completely different |
F.It will be much faster and easier for us |
G.Our environment will be more polluted |
8 . Five Star Yellowstone Tour
Discover the world’s oldest national park, Yellowstone, on this grand wildlife tour. Our professional guides will give you a 5 star customer service experience on your all inclusive tour without any additional taxes or booking fees.
Starting at approximately 7 am, we will be rolling out the red carpet for you and all you have to do is to sit back and enjoy the ride. We provide snacks, bottled water, and cooked food for lunch. This tour’s main focus is on the wide variety of wildlife, Yellowstone’s rich historic landscapes as well as the fascinating prospect formed by the Yellowstone Supervolcano for over millions of years. Binoculars (双筒望远镜) are provided to help you appreciate the scenery better.
Whether you are an amateur photographer, a science or history enthusiast or just want to explore the outdoors, this tour has something for everyone. Our fun but professional guides will give you a first class tour in a very comfortable tour bus.
Tour snapshot
Duration: 10-12 hours
Taking Covid-19 safety measures: Click here
Hotel pickup offered
Group size: 9
Ticket type: Mobile
Available language: English
Book in advance
Scheduled date: Check availability
Total fees: $300 per adult (age 13-99); 40% discount (age 1-12)
Reserve now & pay later: Learn more
Free cancellation: For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.
Now you’re all set! Have a great time.
1. Where is this text probably taken from?A.A textbook. | B.A website. |
C.A scenery magazine. | D.A travel report. |
A.It has both mobile and paper tickets. |
B.It is a 9-people group with extra fees. |
C.It offers snacks, breakfast, binoculars and hotel pickup. |
D.It highlights wildlife, historic sights and volcanic scenery. |
A.Pay $180 per child for the tour. |
B.Pay at once after your reservation. |
C.Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund. |
D.Consult the guide to check available date. |
9 . Danielle Waterman, an English woman rugby (橄榄球) player is interviewed and talks about her experience and opinions about the sport.
Having two older brothers taught me a lot about survival.
I was lucky to have supportive parents, especially my mother, who was my role model.
A few years ago, I got hurt in my knee and was told I couldn’t play again.
A.That’s what women’s sport needs. |
B.Sometimes I did feel different to other girls. |
C.I never thought of myself as different from them. |
D.Playing rugby is my passion, and it enriches me. |
E.However, I decided to insist on and to get to the Olympics. |
F.As well as the physical side, the sport also leads me to a happy life. |
G.There weren’t many female role models in sport when I was growing up. |
10 . Fitness Magazine recently ran an article titled “Five Reasons to Thank Your Workout Partner.” One reason was: “You’ll actually show up if you know someone is waiting for you at the gym, ” while another read: “
So, how do you find a workout partner?
First of all, decide what you want from that person.
You might think about posting what you are looking for on social media, but it probably won’t result in a useful response.
My partner posted her request on the notice board of a local park. Her notice included what kind of training she wanted to do, how many days a week and how many hours she wanted to spend on each session, and her age. It also listed her favorite sports and activities, and provided her phone number.
You and your partner will probably have different skills.
A.Your first meeting may be a little awkward. |
B.A workout partner usually needs to live close by. |
C.You’ll work harder if you train with someone else. |
D.Do you want to be a better athlete in your favorite sport? |
E.How can you write a good “seeking training partner” notice? |
F.Just accept your differences and learn to work with each other. |
G.Any notice for a training partner should include such information. |