1 . You saw the video, right? The 45-second recording of a kid dancing in the rain? There was something inspiring about it. In a moment when our social media channels have been flooded with unsettling news, here was a kid whose love for dance couldn’t be stopped by the rain. Or by the concrete (混凝土) ground he was dancing on. Or the fact that he was barefoot (赤脚的).
Since it was uploaded to Instagram in June, the video of Nigerian ballet dancer Anthony Mmesoma Madu gathered thousands of views, likes, and comments. People seem to be absolutely stunned by the boy’s dedication (献身), elegance (优雅), and talent.
Madu is one of a dozen students between the ages of 5 and 12 at Leap Academy of Dance in Badagry. Daniel Ajala Owoseni, Anthony’s teacher, founded this school in Lagos in 2017. Unfortunately, even after 5 years, the school still doesn’t have a dedicated space for its students. Because of that, most of the time, they practice in Owoseni’s tiny home as well as public spaces in the community.
“We are trying to change the traditional thought around ballet dance. Boys can actually do ballet,” the teacher told the BBC. “Male ballet dancing is here to stay and it is not only supposed to be for females.”
“Where I live, there are no male ballet dancers like me,” young Anthony told a BBC reporter. When he is dancing, he said, “the feeling that comes over me is as if I am dreaming.”
The video eventually caught the attention of Cynthia Harvey, the current artistic director of the ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School of Dance, one of America’s most famous ballet schools. Fortunately, she succeeded in tracking Anthony down. Moreover, she had arranged for full scholarships (奖学金) so Anthony could attend the ABT virtual Young Dancer Summer Workshop, a three-week intensive program.
“A child who shows this much dedication, you just have to help,” she said. “You are not only changing your world there in Africa but you’re changing the hearts and minds of so many people.”
1. Why did Anthony’s video become so popular? (no more than 10 words)2. What does the underlined word in Paragraph 2 mean? (no more than 2 words)
3. What’s Paragraph 3 mainly about? (no more than 5 words)
4. What made Anthony qualify for the unusual scholarship? Give two of the facts. (no more than 10 words)
5. Do you consider Anthony as your role model? Please explain. (no more than 25 words)
2 . Maya Ackerman just wanted to write a song. She tried for years — song after song. In the end, she didn’t like any of the tunes (曲调) she wrote. she says, “All the melodies (旋律) that came into my mind were so boring that I couldn’t imagine wasting time performing them.” Maybe, she thought, a computer could help. Nowadays, computer programs are already useful for recording songs that people come up with. Ackerman now wondered if a computer could be more — a songwriting partner. It was a flash of inspiration. “I knew immediately that it would be possible for a machine to give me ideas,” she says. That inspiration led to the creation of ALYSIA, a songwriting program that uses algorithms (算法). When first-time songwriters type in lyrics, this computer program can produce new melodies, based on the lyrics.
As a computer scientist at Santa Clara University in California, Ackerman has a lot of experience using algorithms. These are step-by-step math ways to solve problems and make predictions (预测). Algorithms are useful in programming computers. They can also be useful for everyday tasks.
When a computer runs software, it’s completing tasks by following algorithms written as computer language. Computer scientists like Ackerman analyze (分析), study and write algorithms to solve a series of problems. Some of them use algorithms in the field of a new technology, AI, which teaches computers to carry out tasks or activities that the human brain usually deals with.
Ackerman isn’t the only one using AI for songwriting. Some programs produce music for many instruments. AI is also finding its way into other arts. Painters, dancers and photographers have found new ways to make use of Al algorithms. Ahmed Elgammal runs a computer-science lab that focuses on using AI to influence art. “AI is a creative tool that will be accepted as an art form,” he says. “It will influence the way art is made, and what art will be.”
1. What did Maya Ackerman think of the song she wrote?| A．Surprising. | B．Satisfactory. | C．Disappointing. | D．Wonderful. |
| A．By copying other songs. | B．By attracting partners online. |
| C．By giving songwriters inspiration. | D．By using algorithms according to the lyrics. |
| A．Making use of algorithms. | B．Making scientific predictions. |
| C．Recording her own songs. | D．Recommending new songs. |
| A．Making people write better algorithms. | B．Doing things that people often do. |
| C．Letting computers follow algorithms. | D．Inventing a variety of creative tools. |
| A．AI has been used mainly in singing. | B．AI can take the place of instruments. |
| C．Ahmed Elgammal is a famous artist. | D．Ahmed Elgammal thinks highly of AI. |
3 . After taking part in 53 rescue operations (救援行动), saving a dozen lives and finding over 40 bodies in disaster zones (灾区), Frida, the beautiful and brave 65-pound and 10-year-old yellow Labrador rescue dog has retired from active duty(现役)in the Mexican Navy.
The Mexican Navy celebrated the dog’s contributions (贡献) by honoring her in a ceremony on Monday, as part of the International Rescuers Day. “Her bark (吠声) always gave hope, and in moments of pain and uncertainty she brought comfort,” said Deputy Naval Minister Eduardo Redondo. The postal service honored three search-and-rescue dogs, Frida, Evil and Ecko, in a stamp, showing them wearing protectors.
As a local hero, her professional and tireless work won the love, support and respect of the people of Mexico. Mexico also put her painted picture on a huge advertising board. Frida’s stop board can also be seen on the roads of Mexico. A cartoon book and toy dolls are also designed for her.
The Mexican Navy said in July that Frida was a veteran of more than 9 years of rescue efforts across Mexico, Guatemala, Haiti, and Ecuador Frida helped with rescue efforts after the deadly earthquake in Port-au-Prince in 2010. But it wasn’t until September 2017 that she gained more international attention on social media after the Mexican Navy shared a video of her. Frida went with the first Search and Rescue team to look for the children reported missing in a school in Mexico City during the strong earthquake. The images traveled the world and became a hot topic to the point that famous actor Chris Evans shared the video saying, “What did we do to deserve (应得) dogs?”
Today, her protectors which she had worn to carry out tasks in Mexico and abroad were taken down and sent to EIBorcegu Shoe Museum Collection for exhibition. Her trainer Arauz Salinas awarded her a toy to play with as a new beginning. Frida is expected to move to the countryside and help with the training of the next-generation rescue dogs.
What a good girl!
1. What can we know about Frida from the text?| A．She is a special rescuer in Mexico. |
| B．She is a sign of hope for Mexicans. |
| C．Mexico set up a festival in her honour. |
| D．She is the only specially trained dog of the Mexican Navy. |
| A．Someone who is smart. | B．Someone who is green. |
| C．Someone who is generous. | D．Someone who is experienced. |
| A．After a rescue video was spread widely. |
| B．After she saved all the children’s lives in a school. |
| C．After a star applied to keep it as a pet. |
| D．After she completed international search-and-rescue tasks successfully. |
| A．She will live out her life in peace. |
| B．She will serve as a model for all the dogs. |
| C．She will continue to contribute to society. |
| D．She will settle down and start a family. |
| A．An introduction to Frida. |
| B．Why people like Frida so much. |
| C．How Frida influences the culture and history of Mexico. |
| D．What people have done to give something back to Frida. |
| A．should have got | B．can’t have got | C．will have got | D．must have got |
| A．work out | B．turn up | C．slow down | D．play safe |
| A．which | B．that | C．where | D．whose |
| A．contact | B．resource | C．context | D．title |
| A．recognized | B．admitted | C．understood | D．knew |
9 . Today, I went hiking with a friend of mine. The sky suddenly became covered with
Left behind were a young boy and his
I only took a few steps forward before feeling that there was more that could be done. I said
The
| A．dark | B．thin | C．white | D．light |
| A．easier | B．slower | C．quicker | D．harder |
| A．remembered | B．met | C．heard | D．mentioned |
| A．crowded | B．flat | C．wide | D．empty |
| A．reach | B．control | C．breath | D．sight |
| A．father | B．mother | C．sister | D．brother |
| A．compete | B．fight | C．talk | D．argue |
| A．turned up | B．shut up | C．caught up | D．called up |
| A．rudely | B．patiently | C．pleasantly | D．successfully |
| A．laughing | B．shouting | C．sleeping | D．crying |
| A．head | B．knee | C．leg | D．arm |
| A．fear | B．pity | C．surprise | D．anger |
| A．announcing | B．praising | C．advertising | D．explaining |
| A．push | B．exam | C．beat | D．bite |
| A．because | B．when | C．after | D．before |
| A．sorry | B．goodbye | C．hello | D．thanks |
| A．wait | B．leave | C．come | D．go |
| A．gave | B．stood | C．got | D．woke |
| A．spring | B．summer | C．autumn | D．winter |
| A．honestly | B．happily | C．politely | D．loudly |
10 . A girl is smiling at me from a picture on my desk. She is one of my sponsor (资助) children. I didn’t spend much money helping her. The joy from helping her gives me, however, is over the picture.
I can still remember the first time that I decided to help a child. It was many years ago, I was only a middle school student. I had a little extra (额外的) money each month. I didn’t feel like buying anything, though. A few years ago, we lost everything in a house fire. That fire bought me a lot. I cleared that I didn’t need a lot of things to be happy. From then on I began to care about the suffering of children in poor countries. With my mom’s help, I soon found a few groups and joined them. They were helping others around the world.
It felt so good being able to reach out and help others in need. It felt so good being able to make even one life better. I could feel the love growing in my head and beginning to change me. This feeling makes us into better people with bigger hearts. It helps us to love, to be kind, and to make this world a better place.
1. The writer began to sponsor a child ________.| A．when he studied in the middle school | B．before his house had a fire |
| C．when he felt like buying something | D．before he had a little extra money |
| A．苦难 | B．经验 | C．情绪 | D．要求 |
| A．Why the writer helped poor children. | B．How the writer found a few groups. |
| C．When the writer began to care about others. | D．How the writer felt after helping others in need. |
| A．The writer needed a lot of money to be happy before. |
| B．The writer spent much money on his sponsor child. |
| C．The writer spent lots of money doing shopping every month. |
| D．After joining the groups, the writer changed a lot in his heart. |
| A．rich | B．lucky | C．kind | D．careless |
