If you have no special plans for your holidays, why not spend your time helping others?
Don’t listen to people who say that young people today often think only of themselves. It’s not true at all. More and more young people in the USA volunteer to spend their school holidays working for others. And they don’t do it for money. Here are some of their stories.
| Alice Hamilton, 17 I’m going to help the Forest Center build new hiking paths(小道) in the mountains. It’s going to be terrific(棒极了). I will spend the whole summer living in a tent(帐篷) and breathing the fresh mountain air. I’m going to sleep under the stars. It will be a nice sport, and I will be able to do something good at the same time! |
| Jason Moore, 18 This summer, I’ll volunteer with Special House Program. They build good, low-cost houses and sell them to the poor. They’ll teach me what to do, so I am going to help people and also have a chance to learn how to build houses. |
| Trish Anderson, 16 I’m going to teach children who have trouble in reading. I’ll work for a program called Reading For Life. Every day, I’m going to help children choose and read books that they like. I want to be a teacher, and I love children and reading, so this is going to be a great experience for me. |
What does Alice volunteer to do in summer?
| A．To sleep under the stars. |
| B．To spend the whole summer living in a tent |
| C．To help build new hiking paths in the mountains. |
| D．To be a teacher |
From the passage, we know that Jason Moore _____.
| A．likes reading | B．is 18 years old |
| C．isn’t very rich | D．likes children |
________ wants to be a teacher.
| A．Alice Hamilton | B．Jason Moore |
| C．Trish Anderson | D．The writer |
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. |
As a mountain，1，642﹣foot Squaw Peak isn't that impressive.But its views attract many hikers（远足者）.Henry Grant，a college student at Ithaca College，was one of them.
While waiting for his mother one day in August，2019，Grant watched other hikers enjoy the view.One hiker，dressed in pink，was looking over the lip of the cliff（悬崖）with her husband.
When Grant's mother rejoined him，the two continued on their way.Suddenly，he heard something scaring： "Paula!Paula!" a man shouted crazily.Grant turned around quickly.________
Several hikers immediately started looking for her，but their view was screened by trees.Uncertain they could help，Grant and his mother headed down the trail.But when he saw some hikers still searching，he decided to lend a hand.After promising his mother that he would be safe，he went on alone.
After 15 minutes of climbing over large rocks，pushing past bushes，and slipping（滑） down loose earth，Grant found a pink figure.The woman had fallen about 75 feet.Luckily，she was alive.
"Paula!Paula!" Grant shouted.The woman didn't reply.She was badly hurt.Grant called the police to report her location.She kept trying to move，and every time she moved，she slipped a little more.Afraid that in her unclear state of mind she might fall off the rock to her death，Grant climbed on all fours up a tight，narrow path by digging into the earth with his fingers and feet until he reached Paula.
Paula was moaning，almost senseless.Grant gently put her hand in his，trying to keep her mind off the pain by keeping asking her questions： "Where are you from？Do you have kids？" Soon， theywere joined on their perch（歇脚处）by another hiker named Simon.
About 45 minutes later，first rescuers（救援者）arrived.Paula and her husband were flown to a hospital.Five hours after the woman in pink had fallen，Grant was back on top of Squaw Peak.
（1）Which sentence should go in the empty line in Paragraph 3？
| A． |
He ran as fast as possible to save Paula. |
| B． |
His mother turned around at the same time. |
| C． |
The woman in pink was nowhere to be seen. |
| D． |
Other hikers were scared by the terrible shout. |
（2）Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage？
| A． |
Grant had no difficulty in reaching Paula. |
| B． |
Simon and Grant's mother joined in saving Paula. |
| C． |
Paula and her husband were both badly wounded and saved. |
| D． |
Grant asked Paula questions to keep her mind off the pain. |
（3）The underlined word "they" in Paragraph 7 refers to（指的是） .
| A． |
first rescuers |
| B． |
Paula and Grant |
| C． |
Grant and his mother |
| D． |
Paula and her husband |
（4）What does the passage mainly talk about？
| A． |
How a woman fell 75 feet from a mountain cliff. |
| B． |
How a young man tried his best to save a stranger. |
| C． |
How a woman managed to survive a terrible accident. |
| D． |
How a young man made a decision in face of danger. |
Roberta，Peter and Phyllis lived in a large house in London.Father worked hard in a government office.He was never angry and always ready for a game.Mother was almost at home，ready to play with the children，and read to them，and help them do their home﹣lessons.
These three lucky children always had everything they needed：pretty clothes，good fires，a lovely playroom and a dog called James.They had a happy life，but they did not know how happy till the pretty life in the large house was over.
Peter had a toy engine and it broke.After dinner，Peter showed Father the engine.Father looked it over and promised to do it on Saturday.
At that moment two men came to see Father.Minutes passed.Father's voice came out from the study，loud and angry.
More time passed.Then Mother came in and said， "Father's been called away﹣on business."
A week after their father went away，their mother said， "Now，we're going to move to the country.A pretty little white house，called Three Chimneys. "
The family started packing：clothes，plates，candles and also tables and chairs. "We seem to be taking all the ugly things，" said Roberta.
"We're taking the useful ones，" said Mother. "We've got to play at being poor for a bit."
Peter said joyously， "I do like moving!I wish we moved once a month." Mother laughed and said， "I don't like moving!"
As she turned away，Roberta saw her face.She never forgot it.
"Oh，Mother，" she whispered， "how I love you!You are brave enough to laugh when you're feeling like that! "
Then they took a train to Three Chimneys.No one knew how long they had been in the train when Mother woke them up.
They stood in the cold night air on the dark platform. At that moment they didn't know how important the station and the trains would become to them.They didn't know they were going to be the railway children .
﹣Taken from The Railway Children
（1）The family packed things like plates and candles because Mother thought they were .
| A． |
useful |
| B． |
new |
| C． |
expensive |
| D． |
beautiful |
（2）Which of the following questions is answered in this passage？
| A． |
How did Peter's toy engine break？ |
| B． |
When would the children's father be home？ |
| C． |
What was the family like before Father was away？ |
| D． |
What was the family's life like in Three Chimneys？ |
（3）According to the passage，which of the following is TRUE？
| A． |
Phyllis wanted to move a house once a month. |
| B． |
Father said goodbye to the children when he left. |
| C． |
Mother wanted to leave London and move to the country. |
| D． |
Mother was brave enough to laugh when she was feeling sad. |
（4）What can we infer（推断）from the underlined sentences in the last paragraph？
| A． |
The children don't like their life in London. |
| B． |
The station has nothing to do with the family's future life. |
| C． |
Something is going to happen to the children later in the story. |
| D． |
Parents can better deal with life changes than their children. |
