1 . New York factories in the early 1900s were busy and dangerous places to work. Most factories were housed in brick buildings that were overly hot in the summer and extremely cold in the winter. Workers at the time often worked more than 12 hours each day, receiving few breaks and no overtime pay. The floors were crowded with people and equipment, and the doors were often locked to prevent employees from leaving early. In fact, most factory owners and managers mistreated those who asked for changes or directly fired them. The people in charge believed that they did not owe anything more than a paycheck to their workers.
Everything changed when a fire broke out at the Triangle shirtwaist factory in 1911. During that tragic event, about a quarter of the workers (mostly young immigrant women) lost their lives. The factory workers, located on the ninth floor of the building, could not get the door open. The fire escape led only to flames below. The fire truck ladders were not long enough, nor were the water hoses (水管). Fire nets were inadequate.
After the fire, people marched and protested in order to change conditions in factories. Many large protests took place in New York. Eventually, politicians took up the cause, and legislators (立法者) passed workplace laws regulating child labor and the number of workers allowed on a floor. They also called for sprinkler systems (自动喷水系统) to be placed in all factories. The rights of workers were important and valuable.
Today, working in a factory is still a demanding, difficult, and often dangerous job. The victims of the Triangle shirtwaist factory did not die in vain, however. Because of their experience, the workplace was forever changed for the better.
1. Which is the cause of the tragic accident?| A．The quality of the factory building. |
| B．The involvement of politicians. |
| C．The lack of worker safety at the factory. |
| D．The inexperience of the workers. |
| A．employers were given more control |
| B．many laws were passed to protect workers |
| C．sprinkler systems were invented |
| D．factories in New York closed |
| A．The tragedy could have been avoided. |
| B．The women who died were wealthy. |
| C．Factories were the best places to work. |
| D．Shirtwaists were hard to find after the fire. |
| A．caused little damage to the factory |
| B．brought the reform in the working conditions |
| C．became a turning point for politicians |
| D．took place on the ninth floor of the building |
2 . A woman from the United Arab Emirates has regained consciousness after spending 27 years in a vegetative state (植物人状态). Munira Abdulla was aged 32 when she suffered a brain injury after the car she was riding in was hit by a bus in 1991. Her son Omar revealed her fantastic recovery in an interview with The National.
He described how the accident occurred when he was four years old and needed to be brought home from kindergarten. Ms Abdulla's brother-in-law drove her to school to collect Omar and the family were driving home, with mother and child in the back seat, when they were hit by the bus. As the bus hit, Ms Abdulla threw herself around her son to protect him from the impact. While she suffered a severe head injury, he escaped with just a bruise. Omar described how his mother was left untreated for hours because the family were unable to call for help and there was little traffic, before she was transferred to a clinic in London.
There, doctors diagnosed a vegetative state, meaning she was completely unresponsive but able to feel pain. She was transferred back to the UAE and put on a breathing machine and a feeding tube to keep her alive, spending the next few decades hooked up to machines. But in April 2017, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, heard of her case and gave her family a fund for treatment. Ms Abdula was flown to Germany where she underwent surgeries to repair her muscles while being given medication to improve her sleep patterns.
Around a year later she began making strange sounds, and within three days she called out to Omar using his name, "It was her! She was calling my name, I was flying with joy；for years I have dreamed of this moment, and my name was the first word she said," he said.
1. How old was Ms Abdulla when she came to life?| A．27. | B．28 |
| C．32. | D．59. |
| A．People there lacked skills of first aid. |
| B．Omar’s uncle suffered a slight injury. |
| C．The traffic accident happened at a quiet place. |
| D．Ms Abdulla forgot the emergency phone number. |
| A．To receive free treatment. |
| B．To recognize her son's voice. |
| C．To meet Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed. |
| D．To have operations and improve her condition. |
| A．Every mother's child is an angel. |
| B．Children are what the mothers are. |
| C．A mother wakes up from unconsciousness. |
| D．An accident makes a mother in a vegetative state speak. |
3 . A snowboarder was feeling lucky to be alive yesterday after a helicopter rescue(直升机营救).
Ben Akintola, 30, was snowboarding in the French Alps under a clear blue sky in the afternoon when a large amount of snow fell down the side of the mountain. He didn’t have time to escape(逃脱) and it hit him with full force and knocked him senseless.
He woke in the night in total darkness. He was lying on an icy rock. Amazingly, he still had a mobile phone signal(信号), so he called a friend a thousand kilometers away in Britain. His friend called the French rescue services.
“I was waiting for what seemed like hours on that rock. I was beginning to give up hope when I heard the sound of a helicopter. It was circling around in the darkness, looking for me. I was trying my best to wave my mobile around. Fortunately the helicopter pilot saw the light.”
“I was overjoyed when the helicopter headed my way. It stayed above me and began lowering a rope.”
Ben was in hospital last night but he was not being treated for any serious injuries. He’s looking forward to going home today.
The French rescue services said: “We were very pleased that we were able to save Ben. The risk of snow slide off-piste(非滑雪场地的) is much higher at this time of year. All snowboarders and skiers should stay on the ski runs and not go off-piste. Ben was very lucky.”
1. What happened to Ben?| A．He got lost in the French Alps. | B．He had a snowboarding accident. |
| C．He was separated from his friends. | D．He was knocked down by falling rocks. |
| A．from his friend | B．in the early afternoon |
| C．after receiving his call | D．when seeing his mobile |
| A．It made him strong in the darkness. | B．It caused him to hope for the best. |
| C．It was shorter than he expected. | D．It was a little discouraging. |
| A．A Lucky Escape | B．A Rocky Mountain |
| C．Risks of Snowboarding | D．French Rescue Services |
4 . House fires cause many deaths each year.
A smoke alarm greatly reduces your chances of being hurt in a fire, especially when you are in your dream.
A smoke alarm warns you of the danger. When you hear it, take action immediately. When you come to a closed door, check it with the back of your hand. If it feels hot, there may be smoke or fire behind the door, so take care.
| A．Once you are out of your house |
| B．Make sure of working hours of fire fighters |
| C．A large number of these fires are set by kids |
| D．Although your friends know how to put out fire |
| E．So you should have a smoke alarm outside your bedroom |
| F．But remember, the alarm can work only if it has enough power |
| G．Actually most of them can be avoided with working smoke alarms |
5 . It was reported last week that developers could take photos from Apple mobile and Google Android devices without the phone owners knowing that the pictures were being taken. In Apple’s case, developers can also obtain the location information for each photo.
Senator(参议员) Charles Schumer said in a telephone interview that his office had spoken with officials at both Apple and Google on Monday. “We asked them if they could find a way on their own to prevent Apple from having access to private(私人的) information,” Mr. Schumer said. “They were friendly and open to the idea that this ought to be changed.”
On Sunday, Mr. Schumer said that he planned to send a letter to the Federal Trade Commission asking the agency to investigate Apple and Google after the privacy concerns came to light. Claudia Bourne Farrell, an F.T.C. spokeswoman, said the agency had received the letter but she could not comment further.
“It worries people to think that one’s personal photos, address book, and who knows what else can be obtained and even posted online without permission,” Mr. Schumer wrote in his letter to the F.T.C. “If the technology exists to open the door to this kind of privacy invasion（侵犯）, then surely technology exists to close it, and that’s exactly what must happen.”
Mr. Schumer said if Apple and Google could not come to an agreement to fix the problem, then he would be forced to take the issue further.
He said other companies had been willing to work with his office to deal with problems. “I’m optimistic that we can get this changed without any regulation,” he said. “If it’s not changed, then we’ll turn to the F.T.C., and if that doesn’t work then we’ll consider law ways.”
The F.T.C. has warned companies to try to be more vigilant(警醒的) in their efforts to protect consumers when it comes to privacy.
1. The senators spoke with officials at both Apple and Google___________.| A．to stop them from developing the technology of taking photos |
| B．to discuss whether it is illegal to have access to private information |
| C．to ask them not to invade consumers’ privacy |
| D．to keep them from obtaining the location information for each photo |
| A．causes privacy invasion to happen frequently |
| B．causes people to worry about the safety of their personal information |
| C．can be used if permitted |
| D．causes personal information to be posted online without permission |
| A．The senators will turn to law ways |
| B．The companies will be closed |
| C．The companies will be fined |
| D．The senators will force the companies not to invade privacy |
| A．In a travel brochure. | B．In a newspaper. |
| C．In a science report. | D．In a textbook. |
6 . A disastrous fire surrounded Notre Dame（巴黎圣母院）completely and destroyed large parts of the Gothic(哥特式的) architecture on Monday.
“Notre Dame is our history, our literature; part of our spirit, the place of all our great events, our wars, our liberations, the center of our lives" French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters in front of the still burning Paris landmark and promised to rebuild Notre Dame Cathedral.
“Notre Dame is burning, and know the sadness and this tremble felt by so many fellow French people. But tonight, I’d like to speak of hope too, "he said, announcing the launch of a fundraising campaign.
“Let’s be proud, because we built this cathedral more than 800 years ago, we’ve built it and, throughout the centuries, let it grow and improve it. So I gravely say tonight: we will rebuild it together, ”he added.
The disastrous fire engulfed(吞没) the upper reaches of Paris’ towering Notre Dame Cathedral as it was undergoing renovations(翻新)。
Tourists and Parisians looked on horrified from the streets below. France’s Interior Ministry said firefighters might not be able to save the structure.
The fire collapsed the cathedrals’ spire(尖顶) and spread to one of its landmark towers "Everything is burning; nothing will remain from the frame, "Notre Dame spokesman Andre Finot told French media. The 12th-century cathedral is home to incalculable works of art and is one of the world’s most famous tourist attractions, immortalized by Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
The cause of the fire was not known, but French media quoted the Paris fire brigade(消防队) as saying the fire is “potentially linked" to a 6 million—euro($6. 88 million)renovation project on the church’s spire and its 250 tons of lead. Officials opened an investigation as Paris police said there were no reported deaths. Some 400 firefighters were battling the fire well into the night.
1. What Emmanuel Macron said mainly shows that____________| A．Notre Dame was the symbol of Paris in history. |
| B．The French government are going to rebuild Notre Dame. |
| C．It took more than 800 years to build Notre Dame. |
| D．He was desperate when he made the announcement. |
| A．Notre Dame Cathedral was burnt down entirely. |
| B．The structure was well saved by the firefighters. |
| C．People who were killed in the fire are some firefighters. |
| D．The fire was likely caused by a renovation project on the church’s spire. |
| A．The novel made the cathedral famous. |
| B．The cathedral is repeatedly mentioned in the novel. |
| C．The novel became a bestseller thanks to the cathedral. |
| D．The novel became more mysterious due to the cathedral. |
| A．Disappointed. | B．Humorous. |
| C．Matter-of-fact. | D．Critical. |
7 . An 8-year-old southeast Kansas girl is being praised for her quick, calm thinking. She grabbed the steering wheel(方向盘) and drove the family’s SUV when her mother fell unconscious on their highway ride to school.
Abby Porter and her mom, Shelly, were heading for her school in Riverton when Shelly had a medical emergency. She passed out(昏倒) behind the wheel.
Abby is a second-grader whose father sometimes lets her drive their tractor. With her mother falling down heavily, Abby leaned over and took the wheel. At some point, Abby even successfully performed a U-turn on the four-lane highway, because she was going home to her daddy, according to Galena Police Chief Larry Delmont.
“That was at 8:37 in the morning, and there was a lot of traffic,” Delmont said. Officer Jimmy Hamilton noticed the SUV going about 20 mph and weaving a bit between the two lanes. He suspected someone was driving under the influence. As he got closer, he noticed the woman fell over in the driver’s seat and saw Abby at the wheel.
Hamilton tried to get in front of Abby’s car to slow her down, but she kept switching lanes to avoid bumping into his car. Hamilton got alongside her and told Abby to stop the vehicle, but she didn’t know how. He then told her she needed to bump into him to stop the car, but Abby said she didn’t want to because she was afraid. He convinced Abby bumping into his car was OK.
‘‘I never saw her cry,” Hamilton said. “From just the expression on her face and the tone of her voice, you could tell she was scared. But she stayed with it.”
Emergency crews got Abby’s mother to the hospital, but Delmont said he didn’t know what caused her to lose consciousness.
The police department in Galena, a town of about 3,000 residents about 150 miles south of Kansas City, planned to present Abby with a plaque(匾牌) for “outstanding bravery in a life-threatening situation”.
1. People praise Abby Porter mainly because at such a young age, she can ______.| A．drive an SUV |
| B．go to school regularly |
| C．take good care of her mother |
| D．react quickly and calmly in an emergency |
a. Abby leaned over and took the wheel.
b. Shelly fell over in the driver’s seat.
c. Abby bumped into Hamilton’s car.
d. Hamilton noticed the SUV.
e. Shelly drove Abby to school.
| A．b, a, d, e, c | B．c, b, a, d, e |
| C．e, a, b, c, d | D．e, b, a, d, c |
| A．Jimmy Hamilton was telling her what to do． |
| B．She had learned to drive her father’s tractor before. |
| C．Her mother had told her how to drive a car before. |
| D．She was clever enough to do some unexpected things. |
8 . It’s not common that a grandmother aged 89 is crowned Queen of Icebergs in north America, but when it does happen it’s quite the sight.
On a recent trip to Iceland, Judith Streng became that grandma after her son attempted to take a photograph of her sitting on an ice structure that looks like a throne (宝座) at Diamond Beach in Jokul. Shortly after Streng sat down to pose, the piece of ice broke off and floated into the water.
“I thought it was safe. One girl had been on it and then two girls at the same time, and it was very secure with them. When I got on it, it started to shake and a wave was coming in. A very large wave came in and made the throne kind of shake, and I could tell that I was slipping off,” Streng told ABC News.
Streng’s story went hot after her 24-year-old granddaughter Catherine tweeted a text message exchange she had with her father about the incident. “My grandmother almost got lost at sea in Iceland today!”
Catherine, who teaches English in Seoul, South Korea, explained via Twitter that her father described the scene vividly. He has a PhD in English, and described the event in the following words, “She climbed to the throne after a wave had pulled back and left it briefly exposed on the beach. Then a wave washed in and removed the ice throne, rocking it from side to side. When the wave left, it lifted the throne and carried her out into the sea with the tide.”
Luckily for the Streng family, Randy, a licensed boat captain from Florida with knowledge of water rescue strategies witnessed the whole thing, and was able to save the day.
1. Where was the grandma when her son was taking a picture for her?| A．On a crown. | B．In an iceboat. |
| C．At a throne beach. | D．On an iceberg. |
| A．By drawing a vivid picture. |
| B．By exchanging tweeter account. |
| C．By talking with her father in Seoul. |
| D．By posting the text message exchange with her father. |
| A．Catherine. | B．Streng. |
| C．Randy. | D．Judith. |
| A．Taking Pictures Must be Very Dangerous |
| B．A Grandma Floated out to the Sea on an Iceberg |
| C．An Optimistic Family Who Love Iceberg |
| D．The Licensed Boat Captain Went Hot Slowly |
The fire started on Sunday morning in the house of the King's baker in Pudding Lane. The baker, with his wife and family, was able to get out through a window in the roof. A strong wind blew the fire from the bakery into a small hotel next door. Then it spread quickly into Thames Street. That was the beginning.
By eight o'clock three hundred houses were on fire. On Monday nearly a kilometer of the city was burning along the River Thames. Tuesday was the worst day. The fire destroyed many well-known buildings, old St Paul's and the Guildhall among them.
Samuel Pepys, the famous writer, wrote about the fire. People threw their things into the river. Many poor people stayed in their houses until the last moment. Birds fell out of the air because of the heat.
The fire stopped only when the King finally ordered people to destroy hundreds of buildings in the path of the fire. With nothing left to burn, the fire became weak and finally died out.
After the fire, Christopher Wren, the architect, wanted a city with wider streets and fine new houses of stone. In fact, the streets are still narrow; but he did build more than fifty churches, among them was new St Paul's.
The fire caused great pain and loss, but after it London was a better place: a city for the future and not just of the past.
1. It seems that the writer of the text was most sorry for the fact that ______.
| A．many famous buildings were destroyed |
| B．the birds in the sky were killed by the fire |
| C．some people lost their lives |
| D．the King's bakery was burned down |
| A．Because Pepys was among those putting out the fire. |
| B．Because Pepys also wrote about the fire. |
| C．To give the reader a clearer picture of the fire. |
| D．To show that poor people suffered most. |
| A．Houses standing in the direction of the fire were pulled down. |
| B．All the wooden houses in the city were destroyed. |
| C．People managed to get enough water from the river. |
| D．The king and his soldiers came to help. |
(a) There was a strong wind.
(b) The streets were very narrow.
(c) Many houses were made of wood.
(d) There was not enough water in the city.
(e) People did not discover the fire earlier.
| A．(a) and (b) | B．(a), (b), (c), (d) and (e) |
| C．(a), (b), (c) and (d) | D．(a), (b) and (c) |
