Three theories
Amelia Earhart, the first woman to fly alone across the Atlantic Ocean, was attempting a round- the-world flight in 1937. She planned to land on the tiny Pacific Ocean island of Howland. She never arrived. Her fate, and that of her navigator (导航员)Fred Noonan, remains one of aviation’s (航空的)greatest unsolved mysteries. Researchers have spent millions of dollars investigating the case and several books have been published that examined different theories.
The official US position is that Earhart ran out of fuel and crashed in the Pacific Ocean. The radio log from aUS Coast Guard ship indicates that she must have been near Howland when contact was lost
Another theory says that Earhart could have crashed on a different island, called Nikumaroro, and died since the island is uninhabited.
Yet another theory claims she was captured while on a secret mission to the Marshall Islands in the North Pacific and eventually returned to the US with a new identity.
Lost and found?
The missing pilot
February 18, 2011
Amelia Earhart’s dried saliva (唾液)could help solve the longstanding mystery of the aviator’s 1937 disappearance, according to scientists who plan to take samples of her DNA from her correspondence. A new project aims to create a genetic profile that could be used to test recent claims that a bone found on the South Pacific island ofNikumaroro is Earharf s.
Justin Long, a Canadian whose family is partially funding the DNA project, points out that at the moment, anyone who finds parts of bones can claim that they are Earhart’s remains. According to Justin Long, Earhart's letters are the only items that are both proved to be hers and that might contain her DNA. Hair samples are one of the best sources of DNA, but no hair samples from Earhart are known. There was, in theory, a sample of Earhart's hair in the International Women’s Air and Space Museum in Cleveland, US. However, a 2009 study revealed that the sample was actually thread.
The remains of Earhart, her navigator Noonan, and their twin-engine plane were never recovered. But in 2009, a group of researchers found a bone fragment on Nikumaroro that they believed might have been from one of Earhart' s fingers. However, some scientists have suggested the Nikumaroro bone fragment isn’t human at all but may instead belong to a sea turtle that was found nearby.
The new Earhart DNA project will be headed by Dongya Yang, a genetic scientist at Simon Fraser University in Canada. Yang will work on four letters Earhart wrote to her family. Much of Earhart's correspondence was done by her secretary but the assumption is that Earhart must have sealed the envelopes of these personal letters herself.
1. Why are there so many theories concerning where Amelia Earhart was?| A．It is still a mystery. |
| B．She left with some secrets. |
| C．Her flight cost much money. |
| D．She returned with a new identity. |
| A．To search Nikumaroro more thoroughly. |
| B．To confirm if a bone belongs to Amelia Earhart. |
| C．To find out who Amelia Earhart often wrote to. |
| D．To locate Amelia Earhart’s remains accurately. |
| A．None of Amelia Earhart’s DNA has been collected so far. |
| B．Amelia Earhart took delight in writing letters to her family. |
| C．The Nikumaroro bone fragment belonged to Amelia Earhart. |
| D．The hair sample in Cleveland’s museum was Amelia Earhart's. |
2 . Coming of age is that time in each of our lives when we begin to see the possibilities. The world opens up in ways that mature our vision and give us a sense of responsibility and gratefulness. Connor had just started college and loved being at that stage in his life where he could eat all the pizza he wanted, yet engage in adult conversations with his parents about the responsibility to make life better for others. Connor’s optimism was infectious. There was so much he could do, and so much he could become.
But it all ended one night when Connor was distracted while driving on a Colorado highway. A young man, who gave off so much light, suddenly went dark.
Connor’s father, David, took it particularly hard.A father sees more than his own traits(性格) in his son; he sees greater possibilities than he achieved. Taking that hope away left David feeling at a loss. But Connor ‘s optimism was one of those traits passed on to him by his father. So, David got to work.
First, he established the Honor Connor Scholarship Fund to reward students who served in the community, Next, he went to work creating a research-based curriculum that educates University of Colorado Boulder students and their families about the dangers of texting while driving. It includes a very simple three part promise: Do not text or use social media while driving, speak out if riding with a driver who is distracted and encourage friends and family to drive phone-free.
David now works with lecturers at various colleges’ and high schools, ensuring young minds understand how statistically at risk they are when they text while driving. He’s become a passionate advocate for preparing young people to drive safely and not reach for their phones while they’re at the wheel. “I just don’t want other parents to go through what I did when I lost Connor,” says David. “It’s just so preventable.”
1. What’s the purpose of paragraph 1?| A．To give the background of a funny story. |
| B．To explain why David chose to volunteer. |
| C．To set off David’s great pain of losing his son. |
| D．To sing high praise for Connor’s healthy growth. |
| A．The headlight of his car went wrong. |
| B．He drove carelessly and died in an accident. |
| C．He suffered an accident for his father’s fault. |
| D．He died from another driver’s careless driving. |
| A．His coach. | B．His grandfather. | C．His teacher. | D．His father. |
| A．He wanted to take a job in a college. |
| B．He took the classes that Connor hadn’t finished. |
| C．He wanted to prevent similar sad stories repeating. |
| D．He honored Connor for what he had done in the community. |
Davyon Johnson, an 11-year-old boy, was honored by his community after saving two lives in one day. On Dec. 9, a choking student tripped into the classroom
| A．She aired the house. | B．She cleaned the vase. | C．She broke the window. |
It’s a beautiful sunny day. The Bonds boarded their boat for a carefree day trip to Dove Island for some fishing as a family custom. Thomas Bond, a 30-year-old construction worker, loved the sport, especially catching bass (鲈鱼) and had impressed on his oldest daughter, Lizzy, a love of the outdoors, teaching her how to bait (下诱饵) a hook and cast a line and brave the waves.
The family spent the day fishing in the vast ocean, and then left the island in the early evening. Upon setting off from the shore, they found thick fog rolling in. Lizzy fell into a light sleep beside her five-year-old sister, Molly, at a table on the boat’s lower deck (甲板). Their father’s sharp orders woke her up: “Get out of the boat. The boat’s sinking!” Lizzy pushed her sister into the cold, dark water. Both girls wore life jackets. The adults did not. The girls were followed by their mother, Petra Bond, who was expecting a baby at that time. Within seconds, the boat was damaged and was left just the tip of its bow in the air.
Looking into the faces of her father, mother, and sister, Lizzy wasn’t frightened. After some time, her father told them he would swim for help. “I’ll be back,” he said before disappearing into the darkness.
“Dad is like the superhero to me. I believe he will get help to rescue us,” Lizzy said to herself. After some time, her mother became quiet and stopped swimming. Lizzy wrapped a rope around her mother’s chest and tied her to the boat so she wouldn’t float away. Then her sister fell quiet too and she stayed beside her.
To keep herself awake, Lizzy daydreamed about what they would do after they were rescued. They would stay in a hotel, order room service, and lie comfortably under the blankets in bed, cozy and warm.
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。
After several hours, Lizzy heard her name called in the distance.
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On the coast, an ambulance was waiting for them.
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6 . It was rush hour on the morning of June1. Heather Santellano, 36, was driving her car on Houston Harte Frontage Road with her nine-year-old daughter and ten-year-old son in the back. Suddenly, a red pickup truck cut them off. Santellano turned the wheel hard to the right, sending the car running off the road and down an embankment (路堤) that ended in a drop-off after about 50 feet. If the car didn’t stop, it would go up into the air and slide onto the road some 20 feet below. Then came a bit of luck. As the car raced towards the edge, its undercarriage got stuck on the embankment, stopping it cold. The occupants, however, were far from safe. The car had come to rest on top of a retaining wall, literally teetering on the edge of disaster. One sudden move by anyone inside could send it over.
Jacob Rodriguez, a veteran, watched the scene unfold from the company where he works. Then, he and four other men ran to the car. They leaped onto the trunk to balance the weight as the terrified kids in the back seat watched.
Meanwhile, Julio Vasquez and his nephew, Marco Vasquez, were driving to their jobs at nearby Premier Automotive. Julio jumped out of the car to help while Marco went to the shop, grabbed a heavy-duty strap and returned to the dangling car. He tied the car to and F-350 truck that had been driven over by one of the other rescuers. With the car secured the group carefully opened the back doors and helped the children out.
But their departure shifted the car’s weight, causing it to lean forward. The men, still on the trunk, implored Santellano to jump into the back seat to re-balance the weight. She did and then inched out from the back door. Finally, the men carefully got off the trunk Everyone was safe. “Another foot,” Rodriguez told the media, “and this would be different story.”
1. What happened to Santellano’ scar after a red pickup truck cut it off?| A．It ran into the truck and was holed. |
| B．It rushed to the roadside and was broken. |
| C．It went into the air and fell sharply onto the road. |
| D．It slipped off the road and down an embankment. |
| A．Because everyone got off the car. |
| B．Because Santellano jumped into the back seat. |
| C．Because the helpers ran to the car and leaped onto the trunk. |
| D．Because the weight of the car was unbalanced when the children left. |
| A．Generous and outgoing. | B．Friendly and humble. |
| C．Helpful and professional. | D．Ambitious and optimistic. |
1. What was the woman doing when she heard a noise?
| A．She was doing the dishes. | B．She was polishing the table. | C．She was cleaning the living room. |
| A．A police officer. | B．The woman’s husband. | C．The woman’s neighbor. |
| A．In the early morning. | B．Around noon. | C．In the evening. |
8 . Colleen and her husband were part of a group walking the Overland Track. It was the fifth day of a 6-day walk. The guide, who was waiting for them at the nearest camp, had
"When I realized what was happening, I was heading to a deep ditch (沟壑), my pack on my back." Colleen's fall was only
Colleen hit her head badly and went into
Her husband took her pack along with his own and together they struggled for the final three kilometers to the camp. Once they reached the camp, the guide gave her first aid and called for the rescue helicopter immediately.
Colleen was
Later, Colleen recalled with emotion, "After this personal experience of near-death and being saved, I realized that in some situations there's absolutely no
| A．interviewed | B．warned | C．asked | D．taught |
| A．curious | B．independent | C．cautious | D．patient |
| A．opposite | B．ahead | C．faraway | D．above |
| A．broken | B．caused | C．followed | D．protected |
| A．shock | B．action | C．silence | D．panic |
| A．lay | B．settled | C．bent | D．crashed |
| A．straight away | B．after all | C．at times | D．without hesitation |
| A．forced | B．guided | C．rushed | D．invited |
| A．possibility | B．privilege | C．alternative | D．necessity |
| A．familiar | B．wonderful | C．deafening | D．unexpected |
Saved by the Belt
My family is one of the lucky ones. We still have what we consider most precious — each other. It is Kathy Hezlep, our superstar, that has saved our family. Sitting at the porch, I am transported to the accident ten years ago.
As a mother, I have been blessed. I have a nice, smart, good-looking son who has given me much pleasure over the years. In the months leading up to Alan’s 16th birthday, there was a lot of excitement about his upcoming rite (仪式)of passage — the driver’s license.
About a month before his birthday, there was an assembly about seat-belt safety presented at his high school. One of the presenters in this program, Kathy Hezlep, had lost her son in a horrible car crash the year before. When Kathy was first asked to speak at this assembly, she was reluctant. Her son’s death had been extremely hard on her. She often felt helpless and discouraged, and she wasn’t sure how she could make a difference by speaking with this group.
But the school had convinced her to talk to the students. Kathy spoke about how hard it had been since the loss of her son. There were days when it was an effort just to get out of bed. She spoke directly from her heart and my son took her words straight into his heart. I remember Alan coming home that day and the two of us talking about the crash. We thought it was interesting that she was a single mother(like me)and that her son, Ryan, was her only child(like Alan).
Well, the big day finally arrived. The state of Florida, in its infinite wisdom, granted my “ child ” a license to take a loaded weapon and drive it! At the time, I thought the worst feeling I could possibly experience was watching my only child drive off alone in my car. I was wrong.
注意：
1.续写词数应为150词左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Alan had his license one week when the police called me that Alan had an accident with his friends.
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When I rushed to the hospital, I talked to Alan about the accident.
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10 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。
I was at the back of a group of eight horse riders when one of my fellow safari (观兽旅行) camp guides called my name, nodding to the spot behind me. I turned to see a male lion, fully grown, not 10 metres away.
I’d been working as a guide at the safari camp in Botswana for a year and had seen lions a few times, usually in the heat of the day. Guests paid to come on guided rides between tented camps 20 miles apart. It was a very remote area. We left at 7 am that morning; it was three hours later when the lion appeared.
Just as I saw it, the horses ran wildly, leaving riders hanging on as the lion began its chase (追逐). I wasn’t in control of my horse, Acaba, which was heading into a much thicker bush, away from the path and the rest of the group. I realised that the lion had chosen to drive Acaba away from the others.
I thought we were going to die together. I screamed in pure panic. Suddenly, Acaba ran into a really thick bush and stopped without control, throwing me into a bush. By the time I got myself out of the low woody plants, the lion was killing him.
Unbelievable! Acaba hid me in the bushes and left himself in extreme danger! It protected me! Scared... shocked... moved... my mind went blank. I was only two metres away! Acaba was on the ground, feet in front of him. He tried to push himself up. But the lion was on top of him, covering his body entirely, his front feet around Acaba’s neck.
I seized a device hanging around my neck, which is known as a bear banger. It has a spring, and when you pull the trigger (扳机) the spring fires off containers that explode when they land. It’s like a small firework but as loud as a shotgun.
Somehow my panic died down. I found myself moving closer to Acaba and the lion.
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。
Paragraph 1:
I pulled the trigger, and it worked.
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Paragraph 2:
One of the guides gave me a horse and I planned to find Acaba.
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