In 1943, when I was 4, my parents moved from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, to Fairbanks, Alaska, where adventure was never very far away.
We arrived in the summer, just in time to enjoy the midnight sun. All that sunlight was fantastic for Mom's vegetable garden. Working in the garden at midnight tended to throw her timing off, so she didn't care much about my bedtime.
Dad was a Railway Express agent and Mom was his clerk. That left me in a mess（混乱）. I usually managed to find some trouble to get into. Once I had a little fire going in the dirt basement of a hotel. I had tried to light a barrel（桶） of paint but couldn't really get a good fire going. The smoke got pretty bad, though, and when I made my exit, a crowd and the police were there to greet me. The policemen took my matches and drove me home.
Mom and Dad were occupied in the garden and Dad told the police to keep me, and they did! I had a tour of the prison before Mom rescued me. 1 hadn't turned 5 yet.
As I entered kindergarten, the serious cold began to set in. Would it surprise you to know that I soon left part of my tongue ( 舌头 )on a metal handrail at school?
As for Leonhard Seppala, famous as a dog sledder (驾雪橇者), I think I knew him well because I was taken for a ride with his white dog team one Sunday. At the time I didn't realize what a superstar he was, but I do remember the ride well. I was wrapped (包裹) heavily and well sheltered （保护） from the freezing and blowing weather.
In 1950, we moved back to Coeur d'Alene, but we got one more Alaskan adventure when Leonhard invited us eight years later by paying a visit to Idaho to attend a gathering of former neighbors of Alaska.What can be inferred about the author's family?
| A．His father was a cruel man. |
| B．His parents didn't love him. |
| C．His parents used to be very busy. |
| D．His mother didn't have any jobs. |
What happened when the author was 4?
| A．He learned to smoke. |
| B．He was locked in a basement. |
| C．He was arrested by the police. |
| D．He nearly caused a fire accident. |
Which of the following is true?
| A．Leonhard was good at driving dog sleds. |
| B．The author spent his whole childhood in Alaska. |
| C．Leonhard often visited the author's family after 1950. |
| D．The author suffered a lot while taking the dog sled in Alaska. |
What is the author's purpose of writing the text?
| A．To look back on his childhood with adventures. |
| B．To describe the extreme weather of Alaska. |
| C．To express how much he misses Leonhard. |
| D．To show off his pride in making trouble. |
Must-Read about Notting Hill Carnival(狂欢节)
Route
The carnival procession itself begins at 9am on both Sunday and Monday. It starts on Great Western Road, winding its way along Chepstow Road, then on to Westbourne Grove, and then down Ladbroke Grove. See our Notting Hill Carnival map for the full route.
Bus
While extra services will be in operation, no buses will enter the Carnival area from first thing Sunday morning until the first service on Tuesday morning. On both days bus services begin from Notting Hill Gate in the south and from Harrow Rd (close to Elgin Avenue) in the north.
Bike
Last year the nearest bike-parking stations – Chepstow Villas and Pembridge Road – were removed for Carnival, so don’t rely on being able to park your bike nearby this year.
Safety
Avoid carrying expensive items, such as jewellery and digital cameras. Take a bag with a secure zip to keep your more valuable possessions in and avoid putting your valuables in your back pocket.
Do tell police if you see an incident. Officers will be stationed throughout the Carnival area. Don’t try to walk against the flow of the crowd, as you won’t get far. Drink plenty of water on the day too, especially if the sun makes an appearance.
Children
Children’s Day on Sunday is recommended for families as the smaller crowds and kid-friendly floats(游行花车) create a fun atmosphere. Arrange meeting points in case you become separated. The smaller the buggy(婴儿车), the better. Ear defenders may be necessary for very young children.Visitors are warned not to bike to the Carnival because _________.
| A．there are an increasing number of bike thefts there |
| B．there are no bike-parking stations nearby |
| C．roads to the Carnival area are closed to bikes |
| D．they will be charged with extra parking fees |
Visitors had better_________.
| A．wear trousers without back pockets |
| B．bring plenty of beer with them |
| C．leave their valuables in the hotel |
| D．walk along the flow of the crowd |
People who go to the carnival with children are advised_________.
| A．to be there on Sunday |
| B．to let their children go wherever they like |
| C．to arrange a meeting time |
| D．to bring ear defenders for each child. |
A few days ago we – that’s me and the husband – took a cab to the station. Chat with the driver fell to the wrong of cyclists, and the misunderstanding of the road rules. So far as the rules of the road go, there seems to be one basic principle: when you are driving a car you hate bikes, when you are riding a bike you hate cars (and I guess walkers hate everyone).
There is an obvious difference of viewpoint built in here. It wasn’t until I started to drive a car (almost 20years after I had first rode a bike) that I actually realized that you could not see a cyclist at night without lights. In fact I now want to shout at late night cyclists without lights(like motortists once did at me): “You’ll get killed, sunshine, I can’t see you.”
The problem is that cyclists do ride headlong into danger. It's not just not having lights. It’s biking on pavements (and so threatening to injure a load of innocent walkers in the process) and biking down one-way streets the wrong way.
I admit that I do bike the wrong way down a one-way street sometimes. My feeble(软弱无力) defense is that I try always to do it as if I know I was doing wrong. That is slowly, with an apologetic look on the face, and ready to get off at any minute. I can’t bear the guys(一伙人) (usually, but not always it is guys) who do it as if they owned the place, and at high speed.
So cyclists are not entirely innocent. But they are among the disadvantaged groups, because the bottom line is that a car or a lorry can kill a cyclist and not the other way around.When did the writer realize the danger for late night cyclists without lights?
| A．Not until she became a driver herself. |
| B．Not until she had driven a car for 20 years. |
| C．After she was shouted at by a motorist. |
| D．After she was once knocked down by a group of guys. |
When the writer biked the wrong way down a one way street, she felt_________.
| A．angry | B．guilty | C．innocent | D．proud |
Which group is most likely to face danger according to the writer?
| A．walkers | B．passers-by | C．cyclists | D．motorists |
What can we learn about the writer?
| A．She often took a cab with her husband. |
| B．She has been a motorist for over 20 years. |
| C．She used to ride a bike without lights at night. |
| D．She often biked the wrong way down a one way street. |
A research found that people shown silent videos of piano competitions could pick out the winners more often than those who could also hear the music. It underlines the importance of our sense of vision, say scientists. Their study concludes that the best predictor of a winner’s musical performance was the visible passion they displayed, followed closely by their uniqueness and creativity.
Chia-Jung Tsay, from University College London, UK, is the study’s author and herself a concert pianist. She was interested in how music was judged and found that even professional musicians were unaware of how much they were using visual information over sound. “For the last two decades, I’ve taken part in various competitions. Through this experience, I found that depending on what type of evaluations were used, the results might vary widely. This led me to wonder about how much visual information really affects these important decisions,” she explained.
More than 1,000 participants in the study were given samples of either audio, silent video or video with sound, and asked to rate the top three finalists from 10 international classical music competitions. The actual competition winners were only correctly identified by those who were randomly assigned(分配) the silent videos.
Dr Tasy said the findings were quite surprising, especially because both trained musicians and those without training had stated that sound was most important for their evaluation. “Regardless of levels of expertise, we still seem to be led primarily by visual information, even in this field of music,” she said. “Classical music training is often focused on improving the quality of the sound, but this research is about getting to the bottom of what is really being evaluated at the highest levels of competitive performance. She added, “We must be more mindful of our inclination(倾向) to depend on visual information at the expense of the content that we actually value as more relevant to our decisions.”According to the study, who would most probably win a piano competition?
| A．One who plays with great passion. |
| B．One who plays unique music. |
| C．One who plays creatively. |
| D．One who has a sense of vision. |
The participates in the study were asked to__________.
| A．watch classical music competitions |
| B．assign the silent videos |
| C．pick out the best three competitors |
| D．decide who the winner is |
What probably led Dr Tsay to carry out the study?
| A．Her love for music. |
| B．Her desire to explore. |
| C．Her experience as a competitor. |
| D．Her curiosity in musical education. |
Where does this text probably come from?
| A．A text book. | B．A sports magazine. |
| C．A story book. | D．A science website. |
Recently I fully understood that a little favor could really make a big difference. My daughter and I were, accidentally, in time to catch a falling heart just before it hit the ground.
It all started when Charlene, one of my co-volunteers at the library, asked if I could do her duty on Tuesday since her doctor appointment had been unexpectedly changed. I agreed, which meant I was home on Friday instead of volunteering as previously planned.
My daughter, Mary, managers a book store in town. Mid-morning, she called to ask me for help. Would I buy a fifty dollar gift card, birthday card, and cake for one of Mary’s assistant managers, Cindy?
Mary explained she had to call Cindy in to take the place of another assistant manager who was sick, but felt terrible about it when she discovered it was Cindy’s birthday. Cindy insisted that it was just fine. But that was not what Mary thought, so she gathered enough money from other employees to throw a surprise party for Cindy. Since neither Mary, nor any of the other employees, could leave to pick up the goodies, they were turning to me for help. Days later, Mary told me the wonderful rest of the story, “Cindy cried and cried when we surprised her. After the party, Cindy told us that her boyfriend had chosen that morning to break up with her. To top that off, she only had 26 cents left in her bank account.”
We were surprised at the series of unexpected events that took place in order to circle Cindy with love and catch her falling heart just before it hit the ground.Why did Charlene ask a favor of the writer?
| A．ShehadtoseethedoctoronFriday. |
| B．Shewantedtocelebrateherdaughter’sbirthday. |
| C．ShehadanunexpectedappointmentonTuesday. |
| D．Sheneededtoprepareforherdaughter’sbirthday. |
What can we learn about Mary?
| A．Shewasalearned careerwoman. |
| B．Shehaduneasyrelationshipswithherassistants. |
| C．SheknewCindy’slovestorybeforethesurpriseparty. |
| D．Sheplayedthemostimportantroleinthiscircleoflove. |
Which of the following couldn’t be the reason why Cindy cried?
| A．She had to work on her birthday. |
| B．She had little money in her bank account. |
| C．She was greatly moved by Mary’s care and kindness. |
| D．She and her boyfriend parted that very morning. |
The underlined word “goodies” refers to_________.
| A．Gifts for Cindy | B．Good stories | C．Close friends | D．Goods on sale |
The bedroom door opened and a light went on, signaling an end to nap time．The toddle（初学走路的婴儿）, sleepy-eyed, clambered to a swinging stand in his crib．He smiled, reached out to his father, and uttered what is fast becoming the cry of his generation: "iPhone!"
Just as adults have a hard time putting down their iPhones, so the device is now the Toy of Choice for many 1-, 2- and 3-year-olds．The phenomenon is attracting the attention and concern of some childhood development specialists．
Natasha Sykes, a mother of two in Atlanta, remembers the first time her daughter, Kelsey, now 3 but then barely 2 years old, held her husband's iPhone．"She pressed the button and it lit up．I just remember her eyes．It was like 'Whoa!' "The parents were charmed by their daughter's fascination．But then, said Ms．Sykes （herself a Black Berry user）, "She got serious about the phone．" Kelsey would ask for it．Then she'd cry for it．"It was like she'd always want the phone," Ms．Sykes said．
Apple, the iPhone's designer and manufacturer, has built its success on machines so user-friendly that even technologically blinded adults can figure out how to work them, so it makes sense that sophisticated children would follow．Tap a picture on the screen and something happens．What could be more fun?
The sleepy-eyed toddler who called for the iPhone is one of hundreds of iPhone-loving toddlers whose parents are often proud of their offspring's ability to slide fat fingers across the gadget's screen and pull up photographs of their choice．
Many iPhone apps on the market are aimed directly at preschoolers, many of them labeled "educational," such as Toddler Teasers: Shapes, which asks the child to tap a circle or square or triangle; and Pocket Zoo, which streams live video of animals at zoos around the world．
Along with fears about dropping and damage, however, many parents sharing iPhones with their young ones feel guilty．They wonder whether it is indeed an educational tool, or a passive amusement like television．The American Academy of Pediatrics is continually reassessing its guidelines to address new forms of "screen time．" Dr．Gwenn Schurgin O'Keeffe, a member of the academy's council, said, "We always try to throw in the latest technology, but the cellphone industry is becoming so complex that we always come back to the table and wonder- Should we have a specific guideline for them?"
Tovah P. Klein, the director of a research center for Toddler Development worries that fixation on the iPhone screen every time a child is out with parents will limit the child's ability to experience the wider world.
As with TV in earlier generations, the world is increasingly divided into those parents who do allow iPhone use and those who don't. A recent post on UrbanBaby.com, asked if anyone had found that their child was more interested in playing with their iPhone than with real toys. The Don't mothers said on the Website: "We don't let our toddler touch our iPhones ... it takes away from creative play." "Please ... just say no. It is not too hard to distract a toddler with, say ... a book."
Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, a psychology professor who specializes in early language development, sides with the Don'ts. Research shows that children learn best through activities that help them adapt to the particular situation at hand and interacting with a screen doesn't qualify, she said.
Still, Dr. Hirsh-Pasek, struck on a recent visit to New York City by how many parents were handing over their iPhones to their little children in the subway, said she understands the impulse (冲动). "This is a magical phone," she said. "I must admit I'm addicted to this phone."The first paragraph in the passage intends to ______.
| A．get us to know a cute sleepy-eyed child in a family |
| B．show us how harmful the iPhone is |
| C．lead us to the topic of the toddlers' iPhone-addict |
| D．explain how iPhone appeals to toddlers |
According to the author, iPhones are popular with both adults and young kids because they are______.
| A．easy to use | B．beautiful in appearance |
| C．cheap in price | D．powerful in battery volume |
The underlined word "them" in the seventh paragraph refers to ______.
| A．televisions | B．cellphones | C．iPhones | D．screens |
The tone of the author towards parents sharing iPhones with their children is ______.
| A．negative | B．subjective | C．objective | D．supportive |
The passage mainly tells us ______.
| A．children's iPhone addict is becoming a concern |
| B．iPhone is winning the hearts of the toddlers |
| C．Apple is developing more user-friendly products |
| D．ways to avoid children's being addicted to iPhone games |
粤公网安备 44130202000953号