1 . St. Patrick’s Day, Ireland’s National Day, is celebrated on 17th March every year, marking the anniversary of the day on which he passed away. St. Patrick is the most famous saint of Ireland. Born in Roman Britain, he was enslaved in Ireland at the age of 16, but he successfully escaped. Later, he returned to Ireland and brought his religious beliefs to its people.
On St Patrick’s Day, Irish families would traditionally attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. People would dance, drink, and feast on traditional meals of Irish bacon and cabbage. The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for over 1,000 years.
Interestingly, however, the first parade held to celebrate St Patrick’s Day took place not in Ireland but in the United States. On 17th March 1762, Irish soldiers serving in the English army marched through New York City. Along with their music, the parade helped the soldiers reconnect with their Irish roots, as well as with fellow Irishmen serving in the English army.
Over 100 St. Patrick’s Day parades happen across the U.S., with New York City and Boston hosting the biggest. In 1848, New York Irish Aid societies joined to create the official New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade, the world’s oldest civilian (平民的) parade and the largest in the U.S. It draws over 150,000 participants and nearly 3 million spectators (观众), lasting over five hours. Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Savannah also celebrate the day with major parades.
Today, people of all backgrounds celebrate St Patrick’s Day, especially throughout the United States, Canada and Australia. It is also celebrated in many other locations far from Ireland, including Japan, Singapore, and Russia.
1. Why is St. Patrick’s Day celebrated on 17th March?A.Saint Patrick died on 17 March. | B.Saint Patrick was born on 17 March. |
C.Saint Patrick became a slave on 17 March. | D.Saint Patrick escaped from Ireland on 17 March. |
A.Rode. | B.Sailed. | C.Advanced. | D.Wandered. |
A.By attending church with family members. | B.By attending outdoor musical performances. |
C.By organizing large St Patrick’s Day parades. | D.By setting off fireworks and enjoying Irish cuisine. |
A.It is no longer a religious festival for the Irish. | B.It has the largest parade in Ireland. |
C.It was first celebrated in the United States. | D.It has now become an international festival. |
2 . International ShakeOut Day This Year
This year’s International ShakeOut Day is October 17, when millions of people worldwide will take part in earthquake drills (演习) at work, school, or home! It is a great way for your family or organization to become better prepared to survive and recover quickly from big earthquakes.
At 10:17 am (local time) on 10/17, you can join millions of people across the world in practicing earthquake safety. While we encourage everyone to take part, you can sign up for your ShakeOut drill for any day of the year, and drill at a time of your choice, You can also include people in different locations through videos.
FIND YOUR REGIONMost participants (参与者) are in one of the official ShakeOut Regions listed below the page (with current sign-up totals). People and organizations in other countries can also sign up.
All regions take part in it on October 17,2024, unless specified.
(As of Today) | Global Totals | US totals |
oct.17,2024 Drills | Over 270,000 | Over 260,000 |
All 2024 Drills | Over 1.10million | Over 950,000 |
All 2023 Drills | Over 57.3million | Over 19.3million |
ShakeOut began in California and has also been organized in many other states and countries. Official ShakeOut Regions require special local or regional cooperation, typically by an emergency (紧急情况) management agency or a union of many organizations. If you are interested in establishing ShakeOut for your region, please contact us at https://www.shakeout.org. If your state, province, or country is not yet taking part, you can sign up for yourself or your organization as part of the global participation total.
1. What is the purpose of the activity?A.To raise people’s safety awareness. |
B.To stress the challenges of earthquakes. |
C.To help people get ready for an earthquake. |
D.To warn people of the danger of earthquakes. |
A.Over 270,000. | B.Over 950,000. | C.Over 57.3 million. | D.Over 19.3 million. |
A.A website. | B.A book review. | C.A guidebook. | D.A diary entry. |
3 . With the start of new school, most freshmen were excited to meet new classmates and teachers.
Jeff Wilkins, the teacher of Sergio’s engineering class,
For the next four
Then came the final testing day. The whole class
The life-changing gift for Sergio drew huge attention. Jeff and his students became an instant
A.However | B.Then | C.Instead | D.Therefore |
A.how | B.what | C.who | D.whether |
A.carried | B.watched | C.figured | D.looked |
A.think highly of | B.let go of | C.keep track of | D.take advantage of |
A.failed | B.worked | C.continued | D.appeared |
A.decades | B.hours | C.weeks | D.years |
A.meeting | B.exam | C.project | D.course |
A.gradually | B.slowly | C.immediately | D.eventually |
A.different | B.common | C.energetic | D.good |
A.clapped | B.gathered | C.studied | D.discussed |
A.wore | B.controlled | C.touched | D.connected |
A.pulling | B.waving | C.holding | D.trembling |
A.left | B.right | C.only | D.single |
A.story | B.joke | C.hit | D.spot |
A.cover | B.send | C.fight | D.interview |
4 . When we eat some popular kinds of shellfish (贝类海产), we leave behind large amounts of shells.
In the U.S., shells cast aside in restaurants and other businesses are being collected, cleaned and thrown back into waterways.
Communities, environmental groups and governments around the world have had oyster reefs recycled and replanted in recent years. It’s happening in many states of the United States.
A.And most of them end up in waterways. |
B.For example, each year in Maryland, about 70 cubic meters of recycled shells are turned into oyster groups. |
C.The shells form a new living place for sea creatures like oysters. |
D.The Mullica River is actually home to some of the oysters. |
E.However, these shells are no longer thrown into waste containers. |
F.The project has kept about 60,000 kilograms of shells out of landfills (填埋). |
G.Despite the economic benefits, the main goal is to improve the environment. |
5 . Cats bring bad luck. Cats cannot be
And then I married a woman who was brought up with cats. So it was unavoidable that she would want us to
We were happy with life. But then, something
A.served | B.challenged | C.trusted | D.judged |
A.get | B.borrow | C.contribute | D.exchange |
A.unfortunate | B.unreasonable | C.unhealthy | D.uncomfortable |
A.naturally | B.closely | C.eagerly | D.secretly |
A.approach | B.harm | C.notice | D.impact |
A.Prevention | B.Dissatisfaction | C.Pressure | D.Encouragement |
A.agreed | B.failed | C.understood | D.responded |
A.stranger | B.visitor | C.neighbor | D.resident |
A.awkward | B.hesitant | C.boring | D.surprised |
A.similar | B.typical | C.wrong | D.horrible |
A.know | B.love | C.care | D.honour |
A.faith | B.belief | C.company | D.hope |
A.suffer | B.struggle | C.adapt | D.survive |
A.impressed | B.supported | C.attracted | D.surrounded |
A.get rid of | B.make use of | C.give way to | D.keep track of |
6 . “How did you publish so much as an immigrant (移民) ?”
From early on I wanted to pursue an
Still, the paper was rejected (拒绝) from three journals and I was getting rejected by more Ph. D programs. But I didn’t give up.
Learning how my professor
As my Ph. D program neared its end, my publication record made me stand out and improved my confidence during job
A.Arguing | B.Realizing | C.Predicting | D.Declaring |
A.show | B.teach | C.land | D.ask |
A.secret | B.response | C.comment | D.truth |
A.original | B.unusual | C.academic | D.impossible |
A.turned down | B.sent in | C.given up | D.put off |
A.applicant | B.athlete | C.employer | D.editor |
A.offered | B.happened | C.expected | D.struggled |
A.pleased | B.annoyed | C.determined | D.worried |
A.Meanwhile | B.Instead | C.Besides | D.Therefore |
A.appeared | B.suffered | C.mattered | D.differed |
A.recorded | B.began | C.taught | D.approached |
A.confident | B.anxious | C.silent | D.honest |
A.scores | B.publications | C.measures | D.recommendations |
A.researches | B.titles | C.cuts | D.interviews |
A.supporter | B.overseer | C.outsider | D.professor |
1. 保护野生动物的重要性;
2. 应该采取的措施。
注意:
1. 写作词数应为80词左右;
2. 请按如下格式作答。
Dear fellow students,
I’m glad to be here to give you a speech about wildlife protection.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Thanks for your listening.
9 . Being in nature is really good for you. Even just seeing nature on your way to school will brighten your day. This is the experience that is being recreated in Birmingham, England.
Once the area around Birmingham was filled with orchards (果园), resulting in its being called “a city surrounded by blossoms (花朵)”. However, by the 1900s, industrialization (工业化) had begun to take hold, and the orchards were destroyed to make room for buildings and factories. And according to the National Trust, Birmingham has lost 85% of its trees since the beginning of the 20th century.
But on January 17, 2023 that began to change. According to the website Secret Birmingham, a number 11 bus left its stations filled with trees instead of people. All along its 27-mile path, the bus dropped off those trees to citizens, schools, and community groups, who then planted them. All in all, about 600 trees have been handed out.
“Blossom is not only beautiful, but it’s also important for the wellbeing of the environment,” says Lucy Reid, who’s leading the Birmingham project. “It’s also great for pollinators (传粉者), such as bees, which help trees produce fruit, and the trees also help to clean the air.”
This isn’t the first time the National Trust has helped Birmingham blossom. The Trust created “blossoms pop-ups” as part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival. According to the project, blossoming tree installations (装置) were set up in various well-known Birmingham locations such as St. Philip’s Cathedral Square.
The National trust has also started blossoming tree projects in other UK cities. In 2021, it created the London Blossom Garden, and now the Trust is planting fruit trees in Plymouth, Newcastle, and Nottingham. Its work is important for the protection of the country’s wildlands and climate. However, their Blossoming Birmingham project shows that protecting a country’s nature not only helps the environment but brings joy and beauty to people as well.
1. What led to the loss of orchards in Birmingham?A.Extreme climate. | B.Poor management. |
C.City development. | D.Decreasing production. |
A.By filling the buses with blossoms. | B.By sending its people to plant trees. |
C.By providing trees for people to plant. | D.By surrounding bus stations with trees. |
A.The importance of farming. | B.The purposes of their project. |
C.The ways to protect the planet. | D.The benefits of flowering trees. |
A.Beautifying the Earth naturally. |
B.Bringing nature back to England. |
C.Improving the living conditions for people. |
D.Taking the lead in protecting the environment. |
10 . Lucy Flores’ father, Luciano Flores, grew up in Mexico and moved his family to the United States when Lucy was only three years old. Her father, who speaks Spanish, shared that his family had few resources, just like the school he attended. He stopped going to school after the first grade and started working to provide for his family.
In spite of this, Lucy did well in school and became the first person in her family to graduate from college. After that, she took up a job of teaching preschool students how to read letters and write their names. “I was thinking to myself, since I’m able to teach these children how to read and write, why am I not doing the same for my own father?” Then she started teaching her father to read and write.
After four months of working together, Lucy’s father can now write a lot of words and is reading some books on his own. As she taught her dad, Lucy shared their journey by posting videos on TikTok. “I don’t know if he understands how many people are watching him and following him,” said Lucy. “But I took it as a chance to encourage him.” Followers on TikTok share lesson plan ideas and have sent school supplies and books to the family.
Apart from watching her dad’s progress and inspiring others to never give up on their dreams, the most satisfying part for Lucy of teaching her dad has been the change in the family atmosphere (气氛). “In the past, we did not get along as my dad was quiet and not someone who liked to share his feelings or sit down and play with me when I was a kid,” said Lucy. Luciano said because of his daughter, he’s excited to continue to focus on learning letters and numbers and to spend time with his family.
1. What can we learn about Lucy’s father from paragraph 1?A.He began making a living when small. | B.He preferred working than studying. |
C.He had difficulty living in Mexico. | D.He wanted Lucy to attend a school in the US. |
A.Her father’s eagerness to learn. | B.Her students’ suggestions. |
C.Her teaching experiences. | D.Her family background. |
A.People’s surprise at her teaching skills. | B.Her father’s being greatly encouraged. |
C.An increase in the number of her students. | D.People’s warm support for her father’s studies. |
A.She has helped her father get a degree. | B.She can share her experiences on TikTok. |
C.Her father is able to adapt to life in America. | D.She manages to improve her family relationship. |