3 . One destination is always on trend: the beach, People ready to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life are looking to discover tranquility (宁静) along a picturesque beach. Check out the list below to discover beaches you like.
Baby Beach in Maui. Hawaii
It scores the top spot for the calmest beach in the world with its calm waters. “Baby Beach is an ideal beach for families with toddlers,” Betts said. “Since the waters are so calm and shallow, it provides the perfect opportunity for children to splash around in the ocean.”
Browne’s Beach in Bridgetown, Barbados
This famous half-mile expanse of white sand draws crowds with its calm, crystal-clear waters. It is celebrated for its natural beauty and historical significance, boasting landmarks like the Barbados Yacht Club and the Barbados Cruising Club.
Mauna Kea Beach on Hawaii Island, Hawaii
Fronting the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel on Hawaii Island, Mauna Kea Beach is ideal for visitors to peacefully enjoy the Pacific Ocean. With its calm and clear conditions, it’s an ideal destination for swimming, snorkeling, and sunbathing.
Playa La Entrega in Oaxaca, Mexico
Situated along the Oaxacan coastline in a protected bay, Playa La Entrega offers a peaceful mix of natural beauty and adventure. Translating to “the delivery” in English, the beach was once a delivery point for goods during colonial times. It’s a popular place to snorkel along coral reefs filled with marine life. Visitors can rent snorkel gear or buy fresh fruit from local vendors.
1. Which beach best suits families with children?| A．Baby Beach. | B．Browne’s Beach. |
| C．Mauna Kea Beach, | D．Playa La Entrega. |
| A．They all have a long history. | B．They are all famous for their quietness. |
| C．They are fantastic destinations for surfers. | D．They are used for delivering goods. |
| A．A research paper. | B．A travel brochure. |
| C．A geography textbook. | D．A personal journal. |
4 . “Is there anything you want from Grandma’s flat?” My uncle, texting me, last week.
His mum had passed away. He’d begun the painful yet necessary task of sorting through her belongings. I required zero thinking time. Yes, I would like her aloe vera (芦荟) plant, please.
Here’s why. Sometime around 1975, Grandma received this plant as a gift. It came courtesy (礼仪) of the local butcher in recognition of her loyal custom. It could, I suppose, just as likely have been a calendar, or a fountain pen, or a box of biscuits. But it just happened to be a pot plant, which Grandma, who always had green fingers, appreciated and placed in her doorway. Five years later, my mum married the butcher’s son. And had me.
When my father’s mother died in 1993, Grandma revealed to me how this particular plant was different to the dozens of others she had in her home. This one had history. It was, she suggested, a living, blooming representation of the relationship that existed between the two sides of my family. As, indeed, was I.
Aloe vera is reasonably hardy, but, as I’ve learned, if you put it above a radiator, it dies. If you under-water it, it dies. If you over-water it, it dies. In short, with my awful agricultural skills, I’m better off with a plastic one. So, straight after I asked my uncle for this treasure, I put in place an insurance policy: the plant will go and live with Ann, my mother-in-law.
Ann, is a genius with a greenhouse. The plan is for Ann to keep hold of the original plant. In time, she can teach me how to care for its cuttings properly. Meantime, Ann will spread cuttings and clippings among her own family. My wife’s two sisters, for example, are both far better at tending plants than I am, so it is quite conceivable that they, too, will spread cuttings of the plant around their partners’ families; that this humble plant might yet spread across my entire extended family. What an amazing outcome!
1. Why did the butcher give my Grandma the aloe vera plant?| A．To contribute to the marriage. |
| B．To observe a specific custom. |
| C．To show the butcher’s loyalty. |
| D．To appreciate her regular visits. |
| A．She is a garden enthusiast. | B．She is loyal to her friends. |
| C．She is a local shop keeper. | D．She is ready to help others. |
| A．He is skilled at agricultural planting. |
| B．He has a preference for plastic plants |
| C．He is confident in feeding the plant himself. |
| D．He is anxious to keep the plant alive. |
| A．An amazing outcome | B．A family tree |
| C．A family history | D．Green fingers |
5 . Good news for all Wes Anderson fans — the US director is back with the film The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar which hit Netflix, an online film provider, on Sept 27. It is a film adaptation of UK novelist Roald Dahl’s novel under the same name.
The film stars UK actor Benedict Cumberbatch as a wealthy man named Henry Sugar, who develops the ability to see through objects. At the very beginning he uses this power to cheat at cards and win big while gambling (赌博), and later turns his fortune into a global network of orphanages (孤儿院).
Dialogue style
Running for just 40 minutes, the film features Anderson’s quick-paced dialogue style. He also asked the actors to recite lines directly to the audience by looking at the camera, creating “the effect of listening to a podcast (播客) while turning the pages of a lovely picture book quickly”, commented CNN.
Visual style
Anderson’s work is immediately recognizable for his visual style as well. The “Anderson aesthetic (美学)” often uses bright color palettes (调色板) to both add visual appeal and make various ideas known to the audience, reported Yahoo News. In The Grand Budapest Hotel for example, Anderson uses a color palette of deep blues, rich greens and warm pinks to recreate an old-world European feel. In The Royal Tenenhaums the red tracksuits worn by Chaz, one of the main characters, show deep-seated anger resulting from parental trauma (创伤).
Symmetrical style
Another style is his use of symmetry (对称). Many of the shots involve (涉及) a person facing the camera, with the elements around the character set up in a sense of order and balance. Anderson explained to the media that it is out of his nature to “arrange things in a frame”, which he compares to how people can’t change the individuality of their handwriting. “You might try to write very well, but really, you have something your brain tends to do”, he said.
However, his obsessive repetition of these stylistic choices in his films has led some to question his ability to innovate (创新). In response to this, Anderson stated, “It’s not something I make any effort to do. I just want to make films that are personal but interesting to an audience.”
1. What do we know about the film The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar?| A．Watching this film is actually listening to a podcast. |
| B．It reflects the unique style of the director Wes Anderson. |
| C．It is based on a real story of a wealthy man named Henry Sugar. |
| D．Its main character gains nothing in gambling in the end. |
| A．They both use colors to get various ideas across to the audience. |
| B．They both reflect deep-seated anger. |
| C．They both present an old-world European feel. |
| D．They both have colorful costumes to add to their appeal. |
| A．Out of curiosity. | B．Out of innovation. |
| C．Out of habit. | D．Out of kindness. |
| A．A film script. | B．A film lecture. |
| C．A film survey. | D．A film review. |
7 . None of my friends are going to the art camp. Despite my
Sitting under the bright sun, I thought about the art camp and wished I felt a little braver. To distract myself, I started sketching a pine.
I thought about what Mr. Weston told me as I
| A．anxiety | B．enthusiasm | C．recognition | D．expectation |
| A．pleasant | B．curious | C．familiar | D．regular |
| A．Informing | B．Teaching | C．Convincing | D．Reminding |
| A．added | B．counted | C．submitted | D．noticed |
| A．pressed | B．pulled | C．lifted | D．arranged |
| A．came up | B．came across | C．checked in | D．checked out |
| A．trunks | B．leaves | C．branches | D．roots |
| A．press | B．plant | C．hide | D．follow |
| A．makes sense | B．makes out | C．makes it | D．makes up |
| A．eye | B．nose | C．mouth | D．ear |
| A．glared | B．stared | C．aimed | D．knocked |
| A．wide | B．long | C．high | D．far |
| A．Otherwise | B．Therefore | C．Instead | D．Besides |
| A．surprisingly | B．slightly | C．suddenly | D．fortunately |
| A．statement | B．presentation | C．appointment | D．application |
8 . When astronauts land on Mars, a couple of decades from now, perhaps, they’ll need to find a way to communicate-with each other, with equipment on and around the planet, and with mission control back on Earth. Despite living so far from home, they’ll no doubt want to connect with loved ones, or stream their favorite shows or music.
But setting up a Wi-Fi connection to Earth’s internet won’t be a choice. Earth is simply too far away—around 55 million to 400 million kilometers, depending on where the planets are in their orbits. We will need another strategy.
Establishing good communication equipment is essential for human missions to Mars. Researchers are testing ways to upgrade existing networks, along with some far-out alternatives. For example, NASA’s Psyche mission, which lifted off in October with the job of exploring an asteroid (小行星) between Mars and Jupiter, will also test the communication using lasers. Lasers could carry far more data than the radio waves that have been used from the earliest days of space travel.
There is no strategy which can get rid of the time lag in communications between Earth and Mars; a message moving at the speed of light takes anywhere between 4 and 24 minutes for a one-way trip. In other words, a quick ping to mission control is out of the question, not to mention a WhatsApp call home.
There’s also the issue of solar conjunction (聚合), says Parfitt, when the sun comes between Earth and Mars. This happens for a couple of weeks every two years or so, cutting off communications between the planets. The last one took place in November.
But new approaches could open possibilities that make communications on Mars more like what we experience here on Earth. At least one research team has wondered: What if Mars had its own internet?
1. What discourages Mars to have a net connection to Earth?| A．The Earth is too far to reach. | B．The Earth is hard to identify. |
| C．The current strategy doesn’t work well. | D．Many planets are blocking the signals. |
| A．Raising a question. | B．Giving an example. |
| C．Listing numbers. | D．Comparing facts. |
| A．Laser carries less data than the radio waves. | B．There is no such thing as time lag. |
| C．It takes only four minutes for a single trip. | D．The process could sometimes be cut off. |
| A．The possible mission of the astronauts on Mars. |
| B．The communication among the astronauts on Mars. |
| C．The possibility for Mars to have its own network. |
| D．The opinions given by experienced astronomers. |
Farah was checking the party list with her mother. The exams were over and Farah wanted to invite her special friends for a party.
“Farah, aren’t you going to invite Hafsa?” her mother asked. Hafsa had been her best friend who lived across the street but now Farah had made new friends. “Mother, I am now a part of Purple Girls Club and we have rules about friends,” Farah answered hesitantly. “What rules?” her mother asked sarcastically (讽刺地).
“Only very pretty girls can be in our group. Hafsa is ... dark. I can’t be seen with her. It’s bad for my image.” “Farah, I can’t believe you base your friendship on appearance rather than character. I had expected better judgment from you than this nonsense,” her mother retorted (反驳) angrily.
Farah sank into silence. In her heart she knew her mother was right. Sometimes she too felt uncomfortable with her “cool” friends.
Just then, her father called, “Farah, come here.” Farah went and paled when she saw the report card in his hands.
“Farah, how come you failed each subject? You were my pride.” Her father questioned.
She hated to see such look of disappointment in his eyes. The truth was that the Club left her with little time for studies. The girls got together almost daily for movies, shopping, and partying. It had seemed like so much fun but now it left a bitter taste in her mouth.
“Farah?” her father asked again , but Farah just hung her head in shame and did not answer.
“Farah, you shall take supplementary (补考) papers next month.”
Knowing how strict her father could be, Farah went to her room and opened her copies.
Seeing her homework filled with red crosses, Farah felt awfully terrible. How could she have neglected(忽视)her studies so much?
She called Gina, the leader of the Club. “Gina, can you lend me your copies? I need them to complete my notes for the exams.” Gina erupted into laughter. “Exams? Who cares? Farah. There are other ways of passing them.” Farah replaced the phone quickly. Even in desperation, she could never cheat.
One by one, she called her so-called friends but no one was willing to help.
注意：1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好。
Paragraph 1: Farah sat dejected on her bed, searching hard in her mind for other names she could turn to.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2: Next Monday, as the two old friends entered the school together, Gina saw them and called out haughtily (傲慢地),
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________10 . At Ynez Library, we are champions of curiosity. At its core, our mission for nearly four centuries has been to advance the learning, research, and pursuit of truth. Our efforts are motivated and powered by working collaboratively, embracing diverse perspectives, championing access, aiming for the extraordinary, and always leading with curiosity.
There are plenty of opportunities for visitors to experience our collections. Ynez ID holders may bring up to four guests into the library. For more details, click on the following icons (图标).
| Visitors Interested in using our libraries, but are not a Ynez student, faculty, alum, or staff? You’re in the right place. | Exhibits Library exhibits tell the unique stories of our diverse and deep collections. Many are open to the public. | Tours Browse upcoming library tours. Some tours are open to the public; others are open to Ynez ID Holders and their guests. | Events Many library events are open to the public, including academic meetings, forums, lectures, etc. Check Admittance information first. |
SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
Many of our libraries are home to rare and unique materials, which are available to all researchers.
• Our special collections are open to all without a fee, by appointment.
• Please contact the holding library to learn more about accessing their special collection items in person.
• Different libraries have different holdings, so you may want to start by using our search tools to find materials relevant to your research.
1. What does Ynez Library highlight in the first paragraph?| A．Its new changes. | B．Its main values. |
| C．Its best achievements. | D．Its working principles. |
| A．Visitors. | B．Exhibits. | C．Tours. | D．Events. |
| A．By paying a special fee. | B．By visiting main libraries. |
| C．By locating them online. | D．By appointing a librarian. |
