A MOTHER’S DAY SURPRISE
The twins were filled with excitement as they thought of the surprise they were planning for Mother’s Day. How pleased and proud Mother would be when they brought her breakfast in bed. They planned to make French toast and chicken porridge. They had watched their mother in the kitchen. There was nothing to it. Jenna and Jeff knew exactly what to do.
The big day came at last. The alarm rang at 6 a.m. The pair went down the stairs quietly to the kitchen. They decided to boil the porridge first. They put some rice into a pot of water and left it to boil while they made the French toast. Jeff broke two eggs into a plate and added in some milk. Jenna found the bread and put two slices into the egg mixture. Next, Jeff turned on the second stove burner to heat up the frying pan. Everything was going smoothly until Jeff started frying the bread. The pan was too hot and the bread turned black within seconds. Jenna threw the burnt piece into the sink and put in the other slice of bread. This time, she turned down the fire so it cooked nicely.
Then Jeff noticed steam shooting out of the pot and the lid starting to shake. The next minute, the porridge boiled over and put out the fire. Jenna panicked. Thankfully, Jeff stayed calm and turned off the gas quickly. But the stove was a mess now. Jenna told Jeff to clean it up so they could continue to cook the rest of the porridge. But Jeff’s hand touched the hot burner and he gave a cry of pain. Jenna made him put his hand in cold water. Then she caught the smell of burning. Oh dear! The piece of bread in the pan had turned black as well.
注意:1.续写词数应为150左右。2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
As the twins looked around them in disappointment, their father appeared.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The twins carried the breakfast upstairs and woke their mother up.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________2 . Living in Iowa and trying to become a photographer specializing in landscape (风景) can be quite a challenge, mainly because the corn state lacks geographical variation.
Although landscapes in the Midwest tend to be quite similar, either farm fields or highways, sometimes I find distinctive character in the hills or lakes. To make some of my landscape shots, I have traveled up to four hours away to shoot within a 10-minute time frame. I tend to travel with a few of my friends to state parks or to the countryside to go on adventures and take photos along the way.
Being at the right place at the right time is decisive in any style of photography. I often leave early to seek the right destinations so I can set up early to avoid missing the moment I am attempting to photograph. I have missed plenty of beautiful sunsets/sunrises due to being on the spot only five minutes before the best moment.
One time my friends and I drove three hours to Devil’s Lake, Wisconsin, to climb the purple quartz (石英) rock around the lake. After we found a crazy-looking road that hung over a bunch of rocks, we decided to photograph the scene at sunset. The position enabled us to look over the lake with the sunset in the background. We managed to leave this spot to climb higher because of the spare time until sunset. However, we did not mark the route (路线) so we ended up almost missing the sunset entirely. Once we found the place, it was stressful getting lights and cameras set up in the limited time. Still, looking back on the photos, they are some of my best shots though they could have been so much better if I would have been prepared and managed my time wisely.
1. How does the author deal with the challenge as a landscape photographer in the Midwest?A.By teaming up with other photographers. | B.By shooting in the countryside or state parks. |
C.By studying the geographical conditions. | D.By creating settings in the corn fields. |
A.Proper time management. | B.Good shooting techniques. |
C.Adventurous spirit. | D.Distinctive styles. |
A.They went crazy with the purple quartz rock. |
B.They felt stressed while waiting for the sunset. |
C.They reached the shooting spot later than expected. |
D.They had problems with their equipment. |
A.Amusing. | B.Satisfying. |
C.Encouraging. | D.Comforting. |
3 . Many years ago, I bought a house in the Garfagnana, where we still go every summer. The first time we
What we discovered is that it’s
It’s good to eat things at the correct time, when they’re
A.waited | B.met | C.camped | D.stayed |
A.making | B.searching | C.squeezing | D.feeling |
A.customer | B.neighbor | C.relative | D.passenger |
A.lend | B.send | C.bring | D.show |
A.choice | B.comment | C.promise | D.gesture |
A.worried | B.moved | C.thrilled | D.bored |
A.simple | B.real | C.shiny | D.fun |
A.more | B.good | C.new | D.easy |
A.sympathetic to | B.thankful for | C.cautious about | D.interested in |
A.tried | B.sold | C.returned | D.mixed |
A.unnecessary | B.uncertain | C.unwise | D.unusual |
A.appearance | B.quality | C.origin | D.price |
A.size | B.shape | C.color | D.taste |
A.smell | B.look | C.become | D.work |
A.happy | B.vivid | C.short | D.vague |
A.clean | B.check | C.count | D.pack |
A.perfect | B.useful | C.convenient | D.familiar |
A.on view | B.on sale | C.in season | D.in need |
A.finished | B.stored | C.found | D.grown |
A.cooked | B.given | C.bought | D.told |
May 21st this year marks the first International Tea Day, which was named officially
The chairman of the China Culture Promotion Society
The “First International Tea Day Tea Road Cooperative Initiative” issued (发布) at the ceremony calls for people working in the tea industry to come together to promote international cooperation
The Chinese Ancient Tea Museum was officially unveiled (揭幕) at the ceremony, opening
A visually-challenged man from Beijing recently hiked (徒步) 40 days to Xi’an, as a first step
On the 1,100 kilometer journey, the man Cao Shengkang,
Cao and Wu also collected garbage along the road, in order to promote environmental
In the last five years. Cao
Now, Cao has started the second part of his dream to walk along the Belt and Road route. He flew 4, 700 kilometers
6 . Like many young people, Jessica wants to travel the globe. Unlike most of them, this 25-year-old is doing it
They’re part of a new form of the
It’s not all sightseeing. The two travelers carefully
The couple has a high
A.indoors | B.online | C.single-handed | D.full-time |
A.game | B.service | C.vacation | D.procedure |
A.safe | B.busy | C.helpful | D.affordable |
A.local | B.private | C.sharing | D.agricultural |
A.strangers’ | B.parents’ | C.co-workers’ | D.neighbors’ |
A.favor | B.defense | C.honor | D.absence |
A.plan | B.explain | C.compare | D.complete |
A.buy | B.transport | C.choose | D.please |
A.support | B.comfort | C.control | D.attention |
A.cooking | B.staying | C.waiting | D.studying |
A.success | B.survival | C.growth | D.unemployment |
A.budget | B.abilities | C.expectations | D.understanding |
A.admiring | B.donating | C.sending | D.borrowing |
A.clean | B.open | C.simple | D.empty |
A.guess | B.decision | C.response | D.impression |
Going to Mount Huangshan reminds me of the popular Beatles’ song “The Long and Winding Road”.
The hot spring at the foot of the mountain is something you must try after the climb. It will
What comes next is the endless series of steps. You can’t help wondering how hard it
As the song goes, this long and winding road “will never disappear”, and it will always stick in the visitor’s memory. It sure does in
8 . As Ginni Bazlinton reached Antarctica, she found herself greeted by a group of little Gentoo penguins (企鹅) longing to say hello. These gentle, lovely gatekeepers welcomed her and kick-started what was to be a trip Ginni would never forget.
Ever since her childhood, Ginni, now 71, has had a deep love for travel. Throughout her career (职业) as a professional dancer, she toured in the UK, but always longed to explore further. When she retired from dancing and her sons eventually flew the nest, she decided it was time to take the plunge.
After taking a degree at Chichester University in Related Arts, Ginni began to travel the world, eventually getting work teaching English in Japan and Chile. And it was in Chile she discovered she could get last-minute cheap deals on ships going to Antarctica from the islands off Tierra del Fuego, the southernmost tip of the South American mainland. “I just decided I wanted to go,” she says. “I had no idea about what I’d find there and I wasn’t nervous, I just wanted to do it. And I wanted to do it alone as I always prefer it that way.”
In March 2008, Ginni boarded a ship with 48 passengers she’d never met before, to begin the journey towards Antarctica. “From seeing the wildlife to witnessing sunrises, the whole experience was amazing. Antarctica left an impression on me that no other place has,” Ginni says. “I remember the first time I saw a humpback whale; it just rose out of the water like some prehistoric creature and I thought it was smiling at us. You could still hear the operatic sounds it was making underwater.”
The realization that this is a precious land, to be respected by humans, was one of the biggest things that hit home to Ginni.
1. Which of the following best explains “take the plunge” underlined in paragraph 2?A.Try challenging things. | B.Take a degree. |
C.Bring back lost memories. | D.Stick to a promise. |
A.Lovely penguins. | B.Beautiful scenery. |
C.A discount fare. | D.A friend’s invitation. |
A.It could be a home for her. | B.It should be easily accessible. |
C.It should be well preserved. | D.It needs to be fully introduced. |
A.A childhood dream. | B.An unforgettable experience. |
C.Sailing around the world. | D.Meeting animals in Antarctica. |
9 . The Government’s sugar tax on soft drinks has brought in half as much money as Ministers first predicted it would generate, the first official data on the policy has shown.
First announced in April, 2016, the tax which applies to soft drinks containing more than 5g of sugar per 100ml, was introduced to help reduce childhood obesity (肥胖). It is believed that today’s children and teenagers are consuming three times the recommended level of sugar, putting them at a higher risk of the disease.
Initially the sugar tax was expected to make £520m a year for the Treasury. However, data of the first six months showed it would make less than half this amount. At present it is expected to generate £240m for the year ending in April 2019, which will go to school sports.
It comes after more than half of soft drinks sold in shops have had their sugar levels cut by manufacturers (制造商) so they can avoid paying the tax. Drinks now contain 45 million fewer kilos of sugar as a result of manufacturers’ efforts to avoid the charge, according to Treasury figures. Since April drinks companies have been forced to pay between 18p and 24p for every litre of sugary drink they produce or import, depending on the sugar content.
However, some high sugar brands, like Classic Coca Cola, have accepted the sugar tax and are refusing to change for fear of upsetting consumers. Fruit juices, milk-based drinks and most alcoholic drinks are free of the tax, as are small companies manufacturing fewer than 1m litres per year.
Today’s figures, according to one government official, show the positive influence the sugar tax is having by raising millions of pounds for sports facilities (设施) and healthier eating in schools. Helping the next generation to have a healthy and active childhood is of great importance, and the industry is playing its part.
1. Why was the sugar tax introduced?A.To collect money for schools. | B.To improve the quality of drinks. |
C.To protect children’s health. | D.To encourage research in education. |
A.They turned to overseas markets. | B.They raised the prices of their products. |
C.They cut down on their production. | D.They reduced their products’ sugar content. |
A.Most alcoholic drinks. | B.Milk-based drinks. | C.Fruit juices. | D.Classic Coke. |
A.It is a short-sighted decision. | B.It is a success story. |
C.It benefits manufacturers. | D.It upsets customers. |
10 . In 1916, two girls of wealthy families, best friends from Auburn, N. Y. — Dorothy Woodruff and Rosamond Underwood — traveled to a settlement in the Rocky Mountains to teach in a one-room schoolhouse. The girls had gone to Smith College. They wore expensive clothes. So for them to move to Elkhead, Colo. to instruct the children whose shoes were held together with string was a surprise. Their stay in Elkhead is the subject of Nothing Daunted: The Unexpected Education of Two Society Girls in the West by Dorothy Wickenden, who is a magazine editor and Dorothy Woodruff’s granddaughter.
Why did they go then? Well, they wanted to do something useful. Soon, however, they realized what they had undertaken.
They moved in with a local family, the Harrisons, and, like them, had little privacy, rare baths, and a blanket of snow on their quilt when they woke up in the morning. Some mornings, Rosamond and Dorothy would arrive at the schoolhouse to find the children weeping from the cold. In spring, the snow was replaced by mud over ice.
In Wickenden’s book, she expanded on the history of the West and also on feminism, which of course influenced the girls’ decision to go to Elkhead. A hair-raising section concerns the building of the railroads, which entailed (牵涉) drilling through the Rockies, often in blinding snowstorms. The book ends with Rosamond and Dorothy’s return to Auburn.
Wickenden is a very good storyteller. The sweep of the land and the stoicism (坚忍) of the people move her to some beautiful writing. Here is a picture of Dorothy Woodruff, on her horse, looking down from a hill top: “When the sun slipped behind the mountains, it shed a rosy glow all around them. Then a full moon rose. The snow was marked only by small animals: foxes, coyotes, mice, and varying hares, which turned white in the winter.”
1. Why did Dorothy and Rosamond go to the Rocky Mountains?A.To teach in a school. | B.To study American history. |
C.To write a book. | D.To do sightseeing. |
A.They enjoyed much respect. | B.They had a room with a bathtub. |
C.They lived with the local kids. | D.They suffered severe hardships. |
A.The extreme climate of Auburn. | B.The living conditions in Elkhead. |
C.The railroad building in the Rockies. | D.The natural beauty of the West. |
A.A news report. | B.A book review. | C.A children’s story. | D.A diary entry. |