Hearing what I said， my dad laughed kindly. I continued， “I owe your thanks， and I hope you realize how much you did for me as my dad.”
I could almost hear him smiling one the other end. I knew he was touched and felt a little shy. His voice sounded shaky.
“Well， we got you educated，” he said， laughing generously.
“You did more than that，” I said， “You did well.”
“You like your house now， and your life?” he asked quietly.
“Yeah， Dad， I’m happy. You don’t have to worry—things are going great for us.”
I told him I loved him and he told me he loved me and I hung up the phone. As I got ready for bed， I thought about what an amazing conversation we had.
Ten hours later， my mother called， waking me up. I could hardly understand what she was trying to say.
“Your father’s dead!” she cried. “I found him lying on the dinning room floor.”
Suddenly I was standing straight up beside my bed， holding the phone and sobbing .
I was a thousand miles away. All I could think about was how many hours， minutes and seconds it would take me to jump on a plane and get there. I thought about my mother sitting there alone with my father， and I couldn’t move fast enough.
The flight was long and painful. I had planned on going home to see my dad and mom in another month， and I cried aloud， thinking I was too late. Then I suddenly realized the incredible miracle of it all: I hadn’t been late at all. Actually， everything had been right on time.When did Dad die?
| A．Soon after he made the telephone call. |
| B．The next morning. |
| C．Before the writer hung up the phone. |
| D．Ten hours later after the telephone call. |
From the story， we can infer Dad was_____ when he died.
| A．happy | B．sad | C．angry | D．upset |
The writer lives___________.
| A．in a place not far away. | B．in the same city |
| C．a thousand miles away | D．at home |
The writer thought__________
| A．his father did well. | B．his father do enough. |
| C．his father did badly | D．his father is too old to do. |
From the last part， we can know__________
| A．the writer will be sad. |
| B．the writer will change pain into power. |
| C．the writer will be happy. |
| D．the writer won’t do anything. |
Eight hundred years ago，a man in southern Turkey invented an amazing clock.It was more than 7 meters high.At is base（基座）was a life﹣size model elephant.Every half hour，something amazing happened.The whole clock came alive Model birds，dragons，and people started to move.
The clock's inventor was an engineer named al﹣Jazari He lived in Turkey.Al﹣Jazari was probably one of the greatest engineers in history.Some historians call him "the father of modern﹣day engineering. "
We know about al﹣Jazari mostly from a book that he wrote._________They include clocks and hand﹣washing machines.The book also has drawings that show how each machine works.
Many everyday things today﹣from toys to car engines（发动机）--still use al﹣Jazari's ideas.Without his machines with moving parts，we might no have modern﹣day robots.
Today，it is still possible to see what al﹣Jazari's elephant cock looked like.A full﹣size working mode is in Dubai's Ibn Battuta Mal.There，every half hour，al﹣Jazari's most amazing invention comes to life once again.
How Does the Elephant Clock Work？
A bowl with a small hole floats（浮）in a water tank（水箱）inside the elephant's body.As the bowl slowly sinks（下沉），it pulls a rope that moves a human figure.His moving pen shows the number of minutes past he hour.
Every half hour，the water bowl becomes full and sinks completely. Thiscauses a ball to fall from the top of the clock.The movement of the ball causes a phoenix to move and make a sound.
The ball then drops out of a falcon's mouth into the mouth of a Chinese dragon.The weight of the ball causes the dragon's head to move down and the dragon's tail pulls the water bowl back up.
Finally，the ball drops out of the dragon's mouth and into a vase.As the ball lands in the vase，the elephant driver moves and makes a sound.The cycle begins again until there are no more ball in the top of the clock.
（1）Why is al﹣Jazari called "the father of modern﹣day engineering"？
| A． |
His ideas are still widely used in machines. |
| B． |
The elephant clock is an amazing invention. |
| C． |
His inventions include some parts of modern robots. |
| D． |
His book about machines is still popular with readers. |
（2）Choose the best sentence to fill in the blank " "in Paragraph 3.
| A． |
He became famous when he was a young man. |
| B． |
He invented a lot of everyday machines in history. |
| C． |
It describes a number of machines fall shapes and sizes. |
| D． |
People in Turkey enjoy reading his books in their free time. |
（3）What does the underlined word "This" in Paragraph7 refer to？
| A． |
The pen moves. |
| B． |
The all drops. |
| C． |
The bowl sinks completely. |
| D． |
The bow pulls the rope. |
（4）How does the elephant clock work？Put the steps in the correct order.
a.The ball drops into the vase.
b.The ball drops into the dragon's mouth.
c．The elephant driver moves and makes a sound.
d.After 30 minutes，a ball starts to fall from the top.
e.The bowl moves down in the water and pulls on ropes.
| A． |
b﹣d﹣a﹣c﹣e |
| B． |
e﹣d﹣b﹣a﹣c |
| C． |
a﹣e﹣b﹣d﹣c |
| D． |
c﹣a﹣d﹣e﹣b |
Today，by carefully choosing dog parents，humans have created many different kinds of dog Each kind has its own look and talents and its own role within human society.Here are three examples of "a dog's life" in the human world.
Today，many hospitals let specially trained dogs in to bring love and cheer to patients.Shaynee is a therapy（治疗）dog.She visits children who are in hospital.Dogs like Shaynee help patients feel calm and at peace which can be hard in a busy hospital.They help both children and adults stay strong during long hospital stays，and，some suggest，even help them get better.
Today some beagles（小猎犬）work in airports for the government They are part of the program called he Beagle Brigade.A beagle is good or the work because of its powerful nose，and ability to follow smells.The Beagle Brigade's job is to smell everything that comes into the country.They make officers notice illegal（非法的）fruits.vegetables，and other foods in luggage or in mail.The beagles do the job far better than any human could.
While some dogs are working hard others are free to spend their days resting and playing Across the world，many pet dogs are treated like children.Many have their own rooms and all the things a dog could want Some even have their own clothes.Many of these pets spend their days playing，learning to follow or even going to classes.Their owners give them the best，and enjoy doing so.
Whether as workers or objects of affection（钟情）dogs have become helpful to humans in many ways.There are plenty of advantages for the dog，too.Many kinds of wild dogs have nearly disappeared from the Earth.However，the domestic dog's special place as "man's best friend" has allowed it to survive （存活）in a human world.
（1）What is the main idea of Paragraph 2？
| A． |
Hospitals need many special dogs. |
| B． |
Dogs can take care of patients. |
| C． |
Patients need love in the hospital. |
| D． |
Doctors are too busy to see patients. |
（2）What does the underlined word " domestic" in Paragraph 5 mean？
| A． |
Trained. |
| B． |
Smart. |
| C． |
Hungry. |
| D． |
Valuable. |
（3）What's the purpose of the passage？
| A． |
To ask people to treat dogs as their own children. |
| B． |
To explain why humans need beagles in their work. |
| C． |
To tell people about the history of dogs' development. |
| D． |
To show a good relationship between dogs and humans. |
（4）Which of the following best shows the structure of the passage？
British adventurer（冒险家） Alastair Humphreys had ridden his bike around the world，walked cross India，and rowed （划船）from Africa to South America.In 2011，however，Humphreys had some of the biggest adventurers of his life﹣and he never even left the United Kingdom.
For a year，Humphreys went on microadventures ﹣ small，low﹣cost trips close to home.Why did he do this？ "I started to think that it was possible to have an adventure anywhere." He explains.For his first trip，he went hiking with a friend around the M25﹣a 188﹣kilometre road that goes all the way around London.Other adventures included swimming in the River Thames，sleeping outside on a hill，and going on a mountain biking trip.Humphreys learned something important from his microadventures：We find adventures when we try something new.
Humphreys wanted other people to make this discovery，too，so he decided to share his idea.He challenged people to go on microadventures and send him four﹣minute videos of their trips.He asked them to do things like climb a hill，go away for a weekend，or choose a random （任意的）place on a map and go there.People from all over the world accepted his challenge and posted their videos on Twitter.
（1）Which of the following belong to microadventures？Check and choose the right answer.
①Walk across India.
②Sleep outside on a hill.
③Go away for a weekend.
④Swim in the River Thames.
⑤Row from Africa to South America.
⑥Hike around the road around London.
| A． |
①③④⑤ |
| B． |
①④⑤⑥ |
| C． |
②③④⑥ |
| D． |
②③⑤⑥ |
（2）What can we know about Humphreys' personality according to the passage？
| A． |
Brave，creative and active. |
| B． |
Proud，humorous and kind. |
| C． |
Careful，quiet and hard﹣working. |
| D． |
Confident，strict and warm﹣hearted. |
（3）What would be the best title for the passage？
| A． |
A Big Challenge |
| B． |
An Amazing Travel |
| C． |
Keep a Trip Record |
| D． |
Go for a Microadventure |
| ART FESTIVAL 14﹣24 August 2021 |
|
| VIDEO An hourly show of videos presented by Pemberton Secondary School students.Video themes are about intellectually （智力）disabled youth and their parents. Venue：Capital Hall Dates：14﹣22 August Free admission |
PERFORMANCE Alpine Youth Theater presents A Cat's Mind with cheerful songs and dance，promising to give a wonderful performance by 20 young people between 18 and 25 years of age. Venue：National Arts Theater Dates：15﹣23 August Free admission |
| CONCERT Eric Fawkins，two﹣time Prima Music Prizewinner，will perform an evening of classical and jazz ballads.Eric Fawkins' latest CD will also be on sale. Venue：Victory Theater Dates：22﹣24 August Tickets：available at ＄50（child）， ＄80 （adult） |
|
（1）When will A Cat's Mind be performed？
| A． |
14﹣24 August. |
| B． |
15﹣23 August. |
| C． |
22﹣24 August. |
| D． |
14﹣22 August. |
（2）What is the price of an adult ticket for the concert？
| A． |
＄80. |
| B． |
＄50. |
| C． |
＄20. |
| D． |
＄18. |
（3）Which of the following is true according to the ads above？
| A． |
A group of children perform A Cat's Mind. |
| B． |
Fawkins has won Prima Music Prize once. |
| C． |
The video show is presented by the parents. |
| D． |
You can buy Fawkins' latest CD at the concert. |
Ever wondered why your virtual（虚拟的）home helper doesn't understand your questions？Or why your navigation app took you on the side street instead of the highway？In a study published April 21st in the journal Science，Italian researchers，Arianna Pipitone and Antonio Chella，designed a robot that "thinks out loud".
To explore how inner speech might influence a robot's actions，the researchers built a robot called Pepper that speaks to itself.It has the ability to reason and think.They then asked people to set the dinner table with Pepper according to etiquette（礼仪）rules.In one experiment，the user asked Pepper to lay the napkin at the wrong place，going against the rules.Pepper started asking itself a series of self﹣directed questions and concluded that the user might be mistaken.To be sure，Pepper confirmed the user's order，which led to further inner speech.
"Ehm，this situation troubles me.I would never break the rules，but I can't make the user unhappy，so I'm doing what he wants，" Pepper said to itself，laying the napkin where it was required to be.Through Pepper's inner voice，the user can learn Pepper was facing a difficult situation and solved it by prioritizingthe user's order.
Comparing Pepper's actions with and without inner speech，Pipitone and Chella discovered the robot had a higher task﹣completion rate when having self﹣dialogue.
However，some people find the robot spends more time completing tasks when it talks to itself.The robot's inner speech is also limited to the knowledge that researchers gave it.Pepper's designers still say their work provides a framework（构架）to further explore how self﹣dialogue can help robots focus，plan，and learn. "In some ways，we are creating a generational（世代的）robot that likes to chat.From navigation apps and the camera on your phone to medical robots in the operation rooms，machines and computers alike can take advantage of this chatty feature，" says Chella.
（1）Why does the writer ask two questions at the very beginning of the passage？
| A． |
To draw the reader's attention to the topic. |
| B． |
To show the writer likes electronic products |
| C． |
To tell the reader about the history of robots. |
| D． |
To prove the writer often faces trouble in life. |
（2）Why was Pepper asked to lay the napkin at the wrong place？
| A． |
To see how much time Pepper spent laying the napkin. |
| B． |
To confirm how popular Pepper was among its users. |
| C． |
To test how many etiquette rules Pepper remembered. |
| D． |
To study how self﹣dialogue might influence Pepper's actions. |
（3）What does the underlined word "prioritizing" in Paragraph 3 mean？
| A． |
repeating. |
| B． |
dealing with…first. |
| C． |
going against. |
| D． |
complaining about. |
（4）What can we infer from the passage？
| A． |
The designers are proud of their work about Pepper. |
| B． |
Pepper has already been in use in the operation rooms. |
| C． |
Pepper's inner speech depends on its user's communication skills. |
| D． |
With or without inner speech，Pepper could complete a task equally well. |
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