One afternoon in August, five years after Mom passed away, I was unpacking my groceries(食品杂货) in my kitchen. When I lifted my left hand out of a grocery bag, I suddenly couldn’t breathe. Looking at the ring on my finger, I found the star sapphire (蓝宝石)was gone. Mom had given me the ring on my twenty-first birthday. I had worn it every day for twenty-nine years. It was a reminder of Mom and a symbol of our love.
“No! No! No!” I yelled, hurrying to check the bag and the floor, and then my car, but the star sapphire was nowhere to be found. Feeling helpless, I called my best friend, Marie. “The star sapphire in my ring fell out. I don’t know what to do,” I said, extremely worried.
Marie replied, “Please don’t be anxious. Try to stay calm and positive. You can go back to the places you just visited and take a look.” But how could I keep hope in seemingly impossible situations? Anyway, I started my car and drove to the grocery store again. I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was little chance that I could find my stone.
Back at the grocery store, I pulled into the same parking spot and looked everywhere for my star sapphire. My hands and knees felt the hot ground as I searched crazily around and under my SUV car. Then I rushed inside the store, searching for a familiar face for more help. I spotted Amanda, a staff member whom I had met on previous shopping trips, and urgently tapped her on the shoulder. “I was just here twenty minutes ago and lost the stone of this ring. It’s very special to me. It’s from my late mom. Could you please help me look for it?” I cried, unaware that many other people around also heard my words.
Amanda’s eyes softened and she nodded understandingly. She immediately took a large mop(拖把) and started carefully sweeping it back and forth down the first aisle (过道) of the huge store.
Paragraph 1:In tears, I called after her, “It’s light blue and small.”
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Suddenly, a customer near the counter excitedly called out loudly, “Oh, Madam, I’ve found it!”.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________2 . An apology tells someone that we’re sorry for the hurt we caused — even if we didn’t do it on purpose. It’s a way of saying we’re aware of what we did and we’ll try to do better in future.
Apologies are one of the tools that we use to get along better with other people. Saying that you’re sorry is more than just words.
Everyone needs to apologize when they do something wrong. For example, if someone is irritated because of something you did, you need to apologize. If you say something that hurts someone, even if you don’t mean it, then you should apologize.
When someone apologizes to you, you may welcome it and be ready to forgive.
A.When you apologize in a caring way |
B.When you accept an apology in a desirable way |
C.It’s difficult to mend a relationship if we don’t apologize |
D.Or you might not feel like being friendly again right away |
E.It isn’t always easy for us to get along well with everyone all the time |
F.If you lose or break something belonging to someone else, you should say sorry |
G.You’re also saying that you respect and care about the other person’s feelings |
Regular physical activity is one of the most
Being physically active can help manage weight. Both eating
People differ
To lose weight and keep
4 . When I was young, my mother was very much concerned for my happiness and was always there to support me. We had healthy boundaries (界限). When my own turn came for being a mother, I was determined to do so.
But as my daughter and I sat down to choose courses for the seventh grade, I felt the boundaries begin to fall. Students were allowed three electives (选修课) each term. Several of these were year-long courses—band, orchestra, yearbook and Spanish, and the rest were random (随机的) — technology education, drama, leadership and PE. I hated PE in my own school days.
We read the elective options carefully and sweet relief flooded through me. “You can sign up for band, yearbook and Spanish, and you won’t have to take PE ever,” I told her. I settled back into my chair, a weight taken off my chest. My daughter, however, frowned. “But I’m not sure I want to take Spanish. And I want to do the leadership class... and try drama!”
I broke in on her words with more practical wisdom. “You can’t pick the electives you want, though. They’re organized randomly. So you might get drama and leadership..., or you might get gym class or technology education. You might get the classes you want, and you might not. Is it worth risking having to take PE?” Finally, she chose to take the chance and signed up for band, yearbook and one period of the unknown elective. I reminded myself she was not me.
Watching your child walk into the trap of middle school is worse than experiencing it yourself. Motherhood, after all, is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. I am not going into the seventh grade again. It is my daughter’s turn. She is her own person, and while she is delicate and easily hurt, she is also stronger and more confident than I was.
1. What is the function of paragraph 1?A.To present a fact. | B.To provide an example. |
C.To introduce the topic. | D.To make a comparison. |
A.Drama was her daughter’s favorite. | B.Her daughter followed her advice. |
C.There were many year-long courses. | D.PE was optional for her daughter. |
A.It seemed organized. | B.It was uncertain. |
C.It was made at random. | D.It sounded reasonable. |
A.Motherhood is rewarding. | B.Mothers should learn to let go. |
C.Children should ask for help if necessary. | D.Children are too young to make a decision. |
5 . Imagine a school where students are taught by the best teachers in every subject, regardless of location. Imagine a school where students could go on safe field trips to the Amazon rainforest or Everest base camp. Well, such schools are already being built: in virtual(虚拟的)reality.
Last year, Optima Academy Online, an all-virtual school, delivered courses that aim to improve the hearts and train the minds of young people. These courses are of different levels, attracting 170 full-time students from all over Florida. In the progress of home-schooling, students use headsets for about three hours a day for formal lessons and then do course work independently with digital check-ins.
Future versions(版本)of VR will doubtless be widely used in education, but the only questions are: for what purpose and at what speed? There are enough reasons to doubt whether VR schools represent the future of education. Sticking a child in their bedroom with a heavy VR headset fastened to their face and no physical social interaction with other kids will fill many of them and their parents with horror.
A recent report concluded that digital education could significantly improve the quality and equality of schooling systems. But if managed poorly, it could have the opposite effect, turning a digital divide into an educational one. There is growing evidence to suggest that is happening. In Mexico, only 24 percent of 15-year-old students in poor schools have access(使用)to a home computer for schoolwork compared with 87 percent in rich ones.
Used properly, technology can be great for enabling self-motivated students to access learning resources and connect with fellow students and teachers all over the world, says Beeban Kidron, a member of the UK’s Digital Futures Commission. The trouble is that Edtech is too often seen as a shiny new toy that will solve all problems and save money rather than being viewed as a different way to learn, she adds.
1. What can we learn about Optima Academy Online?A.It has been widely accepted. |
B.It holds faraway outdoor field trips. |
C.It provides various online courses. |
D.It requires parents to help with check-ins. |
A.The development. | B.The concerns. |
C.The advantages. | D.The popularity. |
A.Mexican schooling quality has been improved |
B.local schooling systems are not fully developed |
C.technology access gaps may cause education inequality |
D.family backgrounds shape people’s views on education |
A.It enriches learning. | B.It’s irreplaceable. |
C.It needs improving. | D.It’s undervalued. |
6 . The Power of Insensitivity
Highly sensitive(敏感的)person, or HSP, is a term invented by psychologist Elaine Aron. HSPs can come with many challenges. They may find it hard to adapt to new surroundings, and easily become uncomfortable in response to certain feelings or others’ opinions.
The power of insensitivity can be explained as “slow power”. Usually, people connect “insensitivity” with something bad, but indeed, it stresses the ability to keep doing something difficult without complaining.
There are some ways to practice “insensitivity”: Don’t pay too much attention to the ups and downs of life at the moment.
Everyone can gain the ability to be insensitive.
A.Insensitivity plays a significant role. |
B.Rather, you should be looking forward. |
C.That’s where the need to be insensitive comes from. |
D.Once you slow down the pace, you will feel more comfortable. |
E.Those not easily affected are the people who care less about others. |
F.That is, calmly facing the downtime in life and moving towards one’s own direction. |
G.One reason why insensitivity allows people to better survive is the strong self-awareness. |
Ray was there to pick me up for the three-hour drive back home. That was how I came to know his story. As the father of two, he spent six days a week driving in a town far away from home. On his only day off, he drove five hours there and back to have time with his family in Preston.
“Leaving the kids is hard,” Ray smiled gently.
I smiled, too. I remembered my dad and I eagerly talked on the phone about daily things when he worked away for weeks.
After two hours into our drive when a tall sign saying Preston came into our sight, I asked if it was where his family lived. “Yes, about 5 kilometers down the road,” Ray looked out in the right direction.
My heart hurt. Then I decided to give the family a gift, even if it just would be my time.
“Why don’t we stop and say hello?” I suggested.
I met Ray’s inquiring (询问的) eyes like I was joking.I nodded to him and said “Yes”.Then, we drove off the main road.
注意:
1.续写词数应为 80左右;
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Soon, we came to a small house in a village.
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8 . An adult African elephant consumes about 223 liters of water and 3,080 pounds of roots, grass and fruit daily. That’s like having 634 cans of soda and 1,200 hamburgers every day. This keeps them moving thousands of miles across Africa each year. Elephants usually migrate between March and May. Females live in groups with their children, and quickly run out of the food supply. They hit the road in search of food. Male elephants live alone, so they don’t use resources as quickly as the females. Instead, they migrate during their mating cycle. When the females pack their trunks, so do the males.
During migration, elephants face short water supplies and extremely high temperatures. But people are their number-one problem. Poachers (偷猎者) kill 35,000 elephants each year for ivory. Many African farmers build fences (栅栏) to protect crops and cattle, which might block regular migration paths. Traffic roads affect elephant migration, too. During one study of 28 elephants in Central Africa, only one female crossed an unprotected road.
Scientists, wildlife organizations and governments cooperate to find solutions for Africa’s elephants. “To unlock the secret of where elephants move and how they move, we place collars (项圈) with a satellite unit inside,” Dr. Michael Chase says. GPS collars help map which routes elephants use most so that countries can establish protected elephant passages.
Locals come in as well. James Isiche, East Africa Director of the International Fund for Animal Welfare says, “We have got the community on our side by a project; they’ve agreed to partner with us to conserve elephants.” The local community run wildlife parks to attract tourists. “This project helps us take care of both the wildlife and our cows,” says Sikira, a tribal elder in Maasai, Kenya. Protecting elephant migration routes allows these gentle giants to survive.
1. What can we learn about the elephants from paragraph 1?A.They show an interest in hamburgers. |
B.They move south to survive the cold. |
C.They migrate for different reasons. |
D.Females live shorter for food shortage. |
A.Results of poaching. | B.Reasons for killing elephants. |
C.Difficulties in migrating. | D.Efforts to protect migration paths. |
A.To discover the secret of migration. |
B.To track elephants with technology. |
C.To identify the population of elephants. |
D.To explore a new route for migration. |
A.Say No to Ivory | B.A Journey in Africa |
C.Ready for the Move | D.Technology in Migration |
I’m sorry to hear that life is getting you down right now ... I’m not sure there’s any specific advice I can give to cheer you up. It’s sometimes quite annoying to be reminded how much people love you when you don’t love yourself that much.
I’ve found that it’s of some help to compare one’s moods(情绪)about the world to the weather. Here are some obvious things about the weather:
It’s real.
If it’s dark and rainy, it really is.
It isn’t under one’s control as to when the rain stops, but it will stop one day.
You can’t change it by wishing it away.
It really is the same with one’s moods.The wrong approach is to believe that they are illusions(幻想). Panic, anxiety and anger are as real as weather.
But they will pass; they really will.
In the same way that one has to accept the weather, one has to accept how one feels about life. “Today’s a bad day” is a perfect approach.“Hey-ho, it’s raining inside; it isn’t my mistake, and there’s nothing I can do about it. But when the sun comes out, I shall take full advantage.”
I don’t know if any of that is of any use... I just hope this brings you a little more pleasure and purpose in life.
Best wishes!
Yours,
Stephen Fry
1. How does Crystal feel according to the letter?A.Ignored. | B.Ashamed. | C.Panicked. | D.Unhappy. |
A.offer tips on making friends |
B.teach skills of writing poems |
C.share comfort and encouragement |
D.explain ways of observing weather |
A.Literature. | B.Watch This. |
C.Just Ask. | D.Science Forum. |
10 . Have you ever imagined an insect-inspired robot, which weighs less than a gram, could one day help out in surgery (外科手术)?
Scientists have designed this small, “insect-bot” called mCLARI that can control and even change its body shape as it travels in different environments to fit through gaps. It’s 2 centimeters long, weighs less than 0.97 grams and can travel at a speed of 6 centimeters per second.It’s the smaller, faster replacement to CLARI, which was designed by the same team.
“Because of the robot’s small size and ability to change shape, we expect usage of this technology in four important areas,” the lead author Kaushik Jayaram said. These include disaster (灾害) response , check on high-value objects, environmental monitoring and medical treatment.
“In the long term, we hope such robots will be used more widely in moving through human bodies and performing surgeries that can’t be easily done at present,” Jayaram said. With mCLARI, Jayaram’s team is moving closer to creating robots that can fit in different environments—just like the insects they’re inspired by.
The mCLARI robot has four legs and can move in narrow spaces by changing between running forward and side-to-side and can use different speeds in human bodies. Its legs are joined to its body through joints (关节), which enables mCLARI to change its body shape based on the environment it is in. For example, its legs can be lengthened up to 50% in certain spaces.
As follow-up work, the scientists want to give mCLARI more power and sensing ability while helping the surgeries. “We are also excited about understanding the effect of shape change on improving functions of robots,” Jayaram said. “And this is sure a great one-step forward of the technology. The robot will have entered the market by 2025 and will bring greater benefits to mankind, especially in medical treatment.”
1. What is paragraph 3 mainly about?A.Possible application fields of the robot. | B.Different types of the robot. |
C.Several important features of the robot. | D.Working process of the robot. |
A.Valuable but uncontrollable. | B.Modern but high-cost. |
C.Heavy and time-consuming. | D.Advanced and effective. |
A.Worried. | B.Positive. | C.Doubtful. | D.Uninterested. |
A.Jayaram: A Scientist Studying Robot Intelligence |
B.mCLARI Is Already Widely Available in the Market |
C.CLARI: A Robot Invented by Inspiration from the Insects |
D.A Tiny Shape-changing Robot Will Help Perform Surgeries |