Fortune favors the brave!
At the age of three Jenny had trouble in hearing what others said. Unfortunately, after several surgeries, Jenny was found having a severe foot disease at seven. She could not put pressure on the back parts of her feet, so she walked on tiptoe (脚尖), and when the pain became unbearable, someone had to carry her. Once when she suddenly experienced sharp pain, her friends got her up and carried her from class to class.
All through her primary school, and on into high school, Jenny suffered, yet never complained. She took her medicine and wrapped her feet in steaming towels until the pain was reduced. As soon as she could bear the pain Jenny immediately carried on, as though she was free of pain. She always wore a smile on her face and expressed her love for others.
Jenny had never been a cheerleader or competed in a sport. She could not even take part in a gym class, though she took the same health class four years in a row, through which she could pass with a substitute credit each year.
Jenny continued to have one surgery after another on her ears all through school. Her hearing improved and she taught herself to read lips. She also carried a pillow(枕头)to school so that she could relieve the pain when she sat down. Gradually, Jenny began attending every football game, cheering the team on.
Then came her senior year. She saw documents about scholarships on the school website when visiting it one day. According to the statement, she would be considered for scholarships; however, school activities, especially sports, could often mean the difference between receiving an award and losing out. She continued to read other notices and found an ad from the football team, which stated that the football manager was seeking for an assistant, who would take on ancillary( 辅助的)services like taking charge of the team’s belongings, handing out water and towels and cheering them up.
Jenny decided to seize the chance.
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When asked why the team did so well that year, a player spoke of Jenny.
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2 . For over a decade, Zubin Kanga, a pianist, composer and technologist, has changed the limits of the forms of musical performances. He has both organized and performed shows that have pushed barriers, with motion sensors, artificial intelligence (AI), live-generated 3D visuals and virtual reality among the technological advancements used to unlock new possibilities of music and performances.
Kanga’s approach to employing cutting-edge technology was first informed by the relative limitations of his chosen instrument. “The piano is a very accurate technology,” he says. “From the early 20th century till now it hasn’t really changed at all. It’s an amazing instrument, but it does have certain limitations in terms of the types of sound you can create.”
One of the early works is Steel on Bone, composed by Kanga himself. He performs the piece using MiMU multi-sensor gloves. “I can put up one finger, and that’ll produce a particular sound,” Kanga explains. “And then I can control that sound just by moving my wrist through the air — I can do that with lots of different gestures.”
“For Steel on Bone, I’m actually playing inside the piano with these steel knitting (编织) needles, and getting all these interesting effects on the strings. Then I’m using samples of them. Sometimes I’m using live delays and operating them. The sound can change depending on how my hands are moving. It allows me to make a very theatrical piece, and people can see this immediate connection between how I’m moving — these very big, almost conductor-like gestures through the air — and the way the sound is changing,” said Kanga.
This is just the start, and Kanga goes on to be enthused with the use of motion sensors to make music, the possibilities that AI offers composers as a tool, and how virtual reality could transform performances and more.
1. What do technological advancements do for music and performances?A.Remove music barriers. |
B.Bring new performance forms. |
C.Popularize musical performances. |
D.Make performances professional. |
A.To indicate its stability. |
B.To prove its rare accuracy. |
C.To show it has a long history. |
D.To clarify why he uses technology. |
A.By moving his hands in the air. | B.By pressing the piano keys. |
C.By beating the steel knitting needles. | D.By making very small gestures. |
A.Technology: When It Replaces Music |
B.Virtual Reality: Future of Performances |
C.Zubin Kanga: When Music Meets Technology |
D.AI Music: From Composing to Performing |
3 . “Mayday! We got Mayday!” Frank Pisano screamed over the micro-phone to the air control tower at John Wayne Airport last June. One of the two engines on his 1975 Cessna had failed, and he was now on a collision course with one of the busiest highways in America—Interstate 405, just south of Los Angeles—and there was no stopping it.
Driving south on the 405, near the airport’s runway, was John Meffert. A fire department captain, Meffert, 47, was heading home from his shift. Then a low-flying plane caught his eye. After he took a second glance, a thought crossed his mind: “This plane’s going to hit me,” Meffert told Fox 8.
He was right. The plane knocked into the center highway, popped up a few feet, and then hit the front of Meffert’s SUV. It finally stopped after hitting the divider on the southbound side. Meffert pulled over. He was unhurt, so he turned his attention to the plane. He ran toward the smoke billowing from it—and then he saw Frank’s wife, Janan Pisano, pop her head up on the passenger side.
By the time Meffert reached the aircraft, part of the fuselage (机身) was on fire and Janan, who was covered in blood, was on the wing trying to pull her husband from the wreck. Meffert, afraid the plane would explode, guided her to safety behind it. At this point, traffic had come to a stop, and two nurses jumped out of their cars to help lead Janan farther away as Meffert ran back for the pilot.
“I’m going to get you out,” Meffert said as he positioned himself under the pilot’s arms and carefully lifted him from the seat. He dragged the pilot off the wing and carried him to the side of the freeway to safety, where they watched flames swallow the plane.
Remarkably, Meffert’s car was the only one hit by the plane. Had Meffert been a second or two faster, Frank told the Orange County Register, the left propeller (螺旋桨) would have torn the top off his SUV and killed him.
“I play all the what-ifs—going slower, going faster. It could have been in a very different situation,” Meffert told Fox 8. “We just had a lot of angels.”
1. What was the reason for the accident?A.The plane hit a SUV. | B.Frank was not a good pilot. |
C.One of the engines didn’t work. | D.The plane landed at a wrong place. |
A.It hit part of Meffert’s car. | B.It set Meffert’s car on fire. |
C.It caused Meffert covered in blood. | D.It threw Meffert into the air. |
A.Because he knew how to perform first aid. |
B.Because the plane couldn’t fly any more. |
C.Because he didn’t want to cause a traffic jam. |
D.Because the plane might explode. |
A.Nervous. | B.Lucky. | C.Sad | D.Excited |
4 . When the host announced that my choir (合唱队) won the second place of the World Choir Game, I couldn’t believe what I heard. All the
In the semi-finals (半决赛), we were supposed to sing four songs. When we played the third song, I suddenly heard an unexpected
After the competition, I was disappointed. Just because of one person’s fault, the whole choir must afford the fact that we might lose the game. I cried, but then I found nothing would change no matter how hard we
Never blame a person when she makes a mistake, but help her to solve the problem when you are struggling
A.promises | B.efforts | C.requirement | D.differences |
A.considered | B.forgot | C.learned | D.explained |
A.name | B.shout | C.voice | D.song |
A.driven away | B.led away | C.given out | D.turned down |
A.similarly | B.easily | C.happily | D.immediately |
A.failed | B.succeeded | C.arrived | D.agreed |
A.busy | B.wrong | C.warm | D.slow |
A.quit | B.stop | C.complete | D.end |
A.conductor | B.singer | C.dancer | D.worker |
A.late | B.only | C.first | D.last |
A.blamed | B.encouraged | C.called | D.asked |
A.Otherwise | B.Therefore | C.However | D.Besides |
A.bad | B.common | C.perfect | D.rude |
A.up | B.on to | C.for | D.in |
A.mistake | B.surprise | C.sadness | D.laughter |
5 . The latest photo taken at China’s well-known Tsinghua University became a hit, where a student was seen using his laptop while riding on a bike. The moral of the story is that wasting time on things like commuting between university facilities becomes unacceptable, since the pressure to graduate top of the class is so intense.
Into the real world, working extra hours is a common practice of China’s most brilliant figures in technology. In finite overtime, premature balding (秃顶) and hospital admissions are all but part of standard professional life for the nation’s brightest. Similarly, blue-collar workers don’t have it easier. Food delivery riders are reportedly trapped by an algorithm (算法) that automatically works out the best delivery time for app users, and never minds if the workers are at the risk of road accidents.
People are wondering whether all this hard work really makes life better. Actually, it may well be making things harder for everyone, but there doesn’t seem to be a way out. A popular sense of being stuck in an ever so exhausting rat race where everyone loses has given rise to a new buzzword: neijuan (involution). The Chinese word, neijuan, is made up of the characters for “inside” and “rolling”, and is understood as something that spirals in on itself, a process that traps participants who know they won’t benefit from it.
“From a sociological point of view, involution is unavoidable because of society’s structural shifts,” said Yan Fei, a professor of sociology at Tsinghua University, “One big question for the middle class is how to remain in the middle class. Meanwhile, the lower class still hopes to change their fate. But the middle and upper classes aren’t so much looking upward, and they are marked by a deep fear of falling downward. Their greater fear is perhaps losing what they already have,” he explained.
1. Why is the photo of a student in Tsinghua University mentioned in Paragraph 1?A.To clarify the writing purpose. |
B.To present an argument. |
C.To introduce the topic of the passage. |
D.To describe a character. |
A.I’s common to work overtime in the real world. |
B.Neijuan reflects the fierce competition in China. |
C.Food delivery riders benefit a lot from the apps. |
D.People live a better life due to their great efforts. |
A.The lower class suffers a deep fear of falling downward. |
B.The middle class tries to be a member of the upper class. |
C.The greatest fear of every class is to lose what they already have. |
D.Involution is inescapable in the development of society for each class. |
A.Society. | B.Economy. | C.Entertainment. | D.Tourism. |
6 . School had just started in August when Conner began throwing up for no reason. It wasn’t long before the boy also began suffering terrible headaches. In February a 1.7-inch tumor (肿瘤) was found in his brain and Conner was set to begin to receive radiation (放射疗法) treatments. Before treatments start, technicians make a white plastic mask to keep patients immovable and protect unaffected parts of the brain while radiation is directed at the tumor.
It’s an unpleasant experience and a frightening time. The doctor Cook decided that the masks could at least be made to look like something fun — maybe Batman or Mickey Mouse. “I started thinking these masks are white and not fun at all for kids,” she told The Greenville News. “I felt like if we could make it a little more fun for them, they might be a little more excited about coming in for the treatment. Because the kids are afraid. While the treatment itself isn’t physically painful, it can cause a lot of anxiety. And the treatment is required daily for up to six weeks.” And the masks really make a difference. “The kids really like them because they get to choose something themselves.” Cook said.
When new children come in for the treatment, Cook finds out what their favorite movies or cartoon characters are. Then she sets about creating the mask by drawing the image she wants onto paper, sticking it with glue, and once it’s dry, she applies the colors using paints. Each child can take the mask home once the treatment ends.
“Coming to the doctor always means fear and pain. I wanted to make it fun,” she said. “The kids really love it. It’s something they enjoy and can relate to. And it fills an interest I have. I get great pleasure from it.”
1. Why was the plastic mask used according to Paragraph 1?A.To check the patient’s brain. |
B.To reduce the patient’s headache. |
C.To protect the patient’s brain during the treatment. |
D.To prevent the patient from throwing up. |
A.It can be received at home. |
B.It may make the patients feel anxious. |
C.It has to be finished in a month. |
D.It will cause huge physical pain for patients. |
A.Make the masks more interesting to kids. |
B.Show them their favorite movies or TV shows. |
C.Dress them up as cartoon characters. |
D.Offer them some free masks as gifts. |
A.Health matters to everyone. |
B.Creativity leads to success. |
C.Love can treat the terrible sickness. |
D.Kindness can bring warmth and joy. |
7 . Emily Bhatnagar has always loved reading. “Growing up, I was really shy, so I always turned to books,” she said. “They became my best friends when I didn’t have one.”
In 2019, when Emily was in her second year of high school, her dad suffered from cancer. The news was difficult for the family. Books became an even bigger comfort, and she started thinking about families in similar situations. When her father recovered, she came up with a plan to help others. “The idea came from the fact that there were kids who were facing the same problem,” she said.
Then, Emily started the book drive in her hometown, Gaithersburg, Maryland. The goal was to collect books and give them to kids being treated for cancer in local hospitals. Her father was not surprised by this plan. “She always wants to do things for the neighborhood,” he said. Since the start of the book drive, which she calls For Love & Buttercup, Emily has collected more than 10,000 books.
Emily had no idea how much attention her work would get. She started by posting on social media, asking people in her area to donate. “I was expecting maybe two or three neighbors to do it,” she said. “But it ended up blowing up,” especially when newspapers began reporting it.
The Children’s Inn is one of the places where Emily has donated books. “Donations like Emily’s share a piece of the world with kids and families that they may not experience,” said its director, Aisha Campbell. Emily continues to run the book drive with her parents’ help. She hopes to one day make it reach more kids. The memory of the first time she visited children who’d received her books sticks with her. “It was the best day of my life,” she said. “I realized I wanted to do this type of work forever.”
1. What made Emily come up with the book drive?A.Her father’s illness. | B.Her care for others. |
C.Her habit of reading. | D.Her own shyness. |
A.Help her father defeat cancer. | B.Give her father a surprise. |
C.Comfort other kids in need. | D.Collect books for hospitals. |
A.Uncertain. | B.Surprised. | C.Proud. | D.Disappointed. |
A.Getting more help from her parents. | B.Starting another book drive very soon. |
C.Making her program benefit more kids. | D.Writing books about her experiences. |
Chinese archeologists have successfully unearthed an animal bronze statue at the Sanxingdui Ruins in Southwest China’s Sichuan Province.
The bronze statue looks like a mythical beast
Zhao Hao, the researcher in charge, explains that since the excavation of the Sanxingdui Ruins first started in 1986, all the animal statues
The chest of the beast also sports the image of a tree. “This tree,
So far, nearly 14,000
9 . Graduation Day is a memorable experience for all who participate. Families and friends
Six Long Island High School students recently graduated, but they’ll
Often during an
The six students who controlled the fire have been
All are grateful for the students’
The students admitted the night before that they
Their graduation day didn’t end in the
A.agree | B.gather | C.promise | D.combine |
A.excited | B.serious | C.worried | D.cautious |
A.experience | B.difficulty | C.occasion | D.campaign |
A.expect | B.do | C.remember | D.admit |
A.kept | B.led | C.contributed | D.responded |
A.assessment | B.explosion | C.interaction | D.emergency |
A.ended up | B.went on | C.felt like | D.adapted to |
A.Obviously | B.Naturally | C.Fortunately | D.Accordingly |
A.training | B.standing | C.applying | D.calling |
A.organizers | B.soldiers | C.laborers | D.firefighters |
A.gifts | B.actions | C.company | D.warning |
A.joked | B.heard | C.quarrelled | D.complained |
A.stayed | B.happened | C.fell | D.existed |
A.right | B.unique | C.traditional | D.innovative |
A.terrible | B.distant | C.virtual | D.cool |
10 . A food allergy (过敏) is a medical condition that occurs when the body’s protection system perceives certain foods as a threat and responds to them with an allergic reaction.
Symptoms (症状) of a food allergy
Judging a food allergy
Doctors consider a number of factors when investigating a food allergy. Those include both a patient’s symptoms and family history of allergies. A physical examination may be performed to rule out any other conditions.
Treating a food allergy
It may not be possible for a patient to completely avoid foods that induce (导致) an allergic reaction. For minor reactions, you can take some medicine. For severe reactions, however, turn to doctors for help.
The only sure way to prevent an allergic reaction to food is to carefully avoid the allergens. This can be a difficult process. That requires patients to carefully study food labels to ensure the food is safe for them.
A.Avoiding harm from allergy. |
B.Preventing an allergic reaction. |
C.Not everyone knows what a food allergy is. |
D.But many people don’t know the allergens. |
E.Other tests can include blood test or oral food challenge. |
F.An allergic reaction to food usually occurs within minutes. |
G.For some people, certain allergens can bring a severe reaction. |