Matt's hobby was collecting stamps. He had stamps from many countries, like America, Egypt and China. On his birthday, can you guess what people gave him? That's right——stamps.
Matt's favorite stamps came from France. He had almost every stamp from 1954 to 2003 except one. That was a 1974 special edition (版). It was very hard to find.
He looked for it everywhere. He asked his friends and relatives to help him. But nobody could find the stamp. It made Matt very sad.
"Don't worry," his father said to him. "You'll find it one day."
"I hope so," Matt said.
"Be patient (耐心的),"his father said. "Don't give up."
Besides collecting stamps, Matt liked writing. He had a pen friend in France. They wrote to each other every month. Matt's pen friend, Philip, gave him a big, green stamp. It looked old. When Matt received the letter, he was very surprised. On the envelope, he looked closely at the stamp. It was the 1974 special edition stamp. Matt was so happy! He told his sister, his mother and his father.
"You see," his father said, "You did find your stamp. So, you see, it's good to have two things in life."
"What are they?" Matt asked.
“Friends and patience (耐心).” he answered.Matt loved the stamps from ______best.
A.America | B.Egypt | C.France | D.China |
It was very difficult for Matt to find a special French stamp of_____.
A.1954 | B.1974 | C.2003 | D.2011 |
His father told him to_______.
A.stop looking for it | B.ask his friends for help |
C.be patient | D.write a letter |
______sent Matt the letter with the special edition stamp on it.
A.Philip | B.Philip's mother | C.Matt's father | D.Philip’s friend |
In our culture, the ability to make one's own decisions is important. John F. Kennedy's quote(引语)"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." shows an unpleasant truth.
Much of what we know and believe has been taught to us by others, and we often accept this information without spending much time thinking it over for ourselves.
In today's world, we are being presented with information, ideas and beliefs, but many of them are against each other. Psychology(心理学)tells us that if we hear an idea enough times, or if it comes from someone we respect(尊敬), we will probably believe that idea. In these cases, we base our opinions on the opinions of others. If each of us does not think about this information for ourselves and come to our own conclusions , we will become nothing more than parrots(鹦鹉) quoting the opinions of others.
Examples of spreading fake news without thought can be seen on the Internet. Some people believe whatever they read and then share the story without thinking about the facts. All it takes is one quick click(点击)of the "share" button, and the story travels on its way to influence even more unthinking readers. This can cause serious problems.
If we just stop for a moment to think about what we read and hear, and form our own opinions, we will be more thoughtful, more independent, and more creative people, but few take that time. Yet we need not lose heart over this bad habit. In fact, simply becoming aware (意识到) of it is the first step towards correcting it. Once we become aware that we tend(趋向)to hold opinions and beliefs without thinking them through, we can change that pattern of behavior. Hopefully, we can learn to experience and enjoy the "discomfort of thought" and form our own opinions.
(1)What's the purpose of this passage?
A. To describe how Internet news spreads.
B. To explain why people don't have their own opinions.
C. To tell people that they should have their own thoughts.
D. To warn people not to believe other people's ideas.
(2)The underlined word "fake" in Paragraph 4 probably means .
A. untrue
B. unhappy
C. unfair
D. unusual
(3)How can we have our own opinions according to the passage?
A. By spreading the information we receive.
B. By learning more about psychology.
C. By quoting others' opinions like parrots.
D. By thinking about what we read and hear.
(4)We can probably find this passage in a book about .
A. history
B. education
C. sports
D. languages
Artificial intelligence (AI) (人工智能)is the ability of a computer program or a machine to think and learn. It is also a field of study that tries to make computers "smart". John McCarthy, a scientist, came up with the name "artificial intelligence" in 1955. Many things such as learning and problem solving can be done by computers, though not in the same way as we do.
An unusual goal of AI research is to create computer programs that can learn, solve problems, and think logically(逻辑地). At present we use the term AI for successfully understanding human speech, recognizing(识别)human faces, operating self﹣driving cars and competing in some game systems like Chess and AlphaGo(阿尔法狗). Some people also consider AI a danger to humans if it develops too quickly. Professor Stephen Hawking (霍金), a well﹣known British scientist, was not for this kind of technology.
Math is the basic language of AI. If we raise the standard in the learning of math, our students will be more likely to become successful AI designers in the future. We not only want bright students, but also need to attract average students and give them the math skills which are needed to change them into AI designers. Besides, a good knowledge of computer science is also necessary for AI designing.
Scientists hope to create creative and emotional AI which can possibly understand human feelings or create art. Many ways and tools have been tried to discover this fascinating field.
(1)From Paragraph 1, we know that .
A. all problems can be solved by AI
B. machines with AI can think and learn
C. AI has been around for only 60 years
D. AI works in the same way as humans
(2)The underlined word "it" in Paragraph 2 refers to(指的是) .
A. Chess
B. AlphaGo
C. the danger
D. AI
(3)According to the writer and the following school report, which student will most probably become a successful AI designer?
School Report
Subject Name |
Math(100) |
Art(100) |
Computer(100) |
Mike |
60 |
95 |
95 |
Peter |
95 |
65 |
90 |
Amy |
65 |
90 |
95 |
Cathy |
95 |
95 |
60 |
A. Mike.
B. Peter.
C. Amy.
D. Cathy.
(4)Paragraph 4 mainly tells us the scientists' about AI.
A. wishes
B. worries
C. feelings
D. discoveries
I graduated from college recently and moved to Washington by myself. While I was in college, it was really easy to meet new people. But "out in the real world", I was finding it really hard. I live in a big city, and it seems like everyone around me is busy or already has all the friends they want. I was feeling so discouraged(沮丧的)and I didn't know what to do, so I called my sister for some advice.
My sister is five years older than I am, so she's been through all this already. She's been helping me with my problems all my life. When I explained my problem, she understood completely. She said, "Why don't you try meeting people online?"
"Online? Are you kidding?" I asked. "A friend of mine chatted with a guy online, and when she finally met him face to face, he was nothing like what he said."
My sister laughed. "You don't have to look for dates online," she said. "But you can find other people like you﹣people who have just moved to town and want to make some new friends. When I first moved to New York after college, I found a book club and a football team online. I met a lot of people that way."
"But you don't even like football!" I said.
"I know," she replied. "But that didn't matter. I still had a lot of fun. You played volleyball in college. Why don't you look for a volleyball team to join? Or an art class?"
"Yeah! I saw a website about volunteering the other day." I said. "I could volunteer for an organization here in Washington. I bet I could meet a lot of really nice people that way."
"Good idea!" my sister answered excitedly. "Hey, you might even meet the perfect guy."
"OK, now you're starting to sound like Mom," I said. "Thanks a lot for the advice. I'm going online right now. I'll let you know what happens. Will you be home tonight?"
"No, but I'll be here all day tomorrow, so give me a call," my sister replied. "Good luck!"
(1)What was the writer's problem?
A. She was cheated by her friend online.
B. She was refused by a volleyball team.
C. She couldn't meet people in her new city.
D. She felt discouraged in her college.
(2)The writer's sister .
A. lives in the same city as the writer
B. doesn't have any advice for the writer
C. had the same problem when she finished college
D. She didn't go to college, but understands the writer's problem
(3)The writer is probably going to .
A. become a member of a football team
B. look for dates online
C. join a book club like her sister did
D. volunteer for an organization
(4)What's the best title for this passage?
A. Looking for Fun Online
B. Volunteering in a New City
C. Chatting with Friends Online
D. Making Friends in a New City
As long as everyone contributes a little, the world will become a much better place.
Most people are kind﹣hearted and want to lend a helping hand. Now let's share some memorable moments.
Linda: Once, when I was on my way back to my hometown, I lost my purse without even knowing it. I was told over the train's loudspeaker that my purse was at the railway station's lost and found office. But the train had already started. Seeing my helplessness, a kind hostess offered to lend me some money. I went back to the railway station and got my purse. I am still thankful to the railway staff and the person who found my purse.
Scott: When I was a little boy, there was a time when I went to fish with my elder sister. All of a sudden, I slipped into the river. The next thing I remember is my father holding me in the hospital. Today I still don't know who got me out of that river. I have been trying to help other people whenever I can all these years.
Tina: One of my neighbors is an old man who cannot speak. He makes money by recycling waste. Our other neighbors don't like his behavior. But in my opinion, it's his way to support his family. Once, after cleaning my house, I placed some cardboard boxes in his garden and left my rubbish beside my door. However, when I was about to go out, I found nothing outside my door but a note: "I have thrown away your rubbish. You are a nice girl. Thanks a lot!"
(1)According to the passage above, we know that .
A. the hostess found Linda's purse
B. Linda knew where she lost her purse
C. Scott still doesn't know who got him out of the river
D. some cardboard boxes were stolen by Tina's neighbor
(2)The writer is trying to tell us the value of .
A. health
B. kindness
C. money
D. safety
(3)The passage above is probably a .
A. report
B. diary
C. novel
D. letter
My mother is a teacher, And I grew up with the challenges (挑战) a teacher faces. I often asked her," Why do you teach? What keeps you teaching?" The answer was always the same. "There is always that one child, that one moment that is worth it."
Now,I am a teacher, too. But different from my mother, I teach students challenging activities
outdoors. And when my mother asked me the similar questions, my answer was, "It's that one child, that one special moment."
One of those moments happened recently. I was working with a group of girls in a four﹣ week programme.Everything went on well through the "Team" events and we were moving on to a "High" one called the Wire(钢索) Walk.
In the Wire Walk, each girl had to climb up the pegs (木桩) in a tree to a wire, 8 meters high, and then walk across it. Of course. everything was safe for sure.
When I asked who would try,a few girls raised their hands, and they finished the Wire Walk with little difficulty.
But when it was Susie's turn, it seemed that she didn't really want to. I asked Susie if she was ready. She answered softly," I suppose".
Now, Susie was at the foot of the tree. She started to make the long reach for the first peg. The other girls cheered for her. Then I found Susie was becoming nervous with every step. I realised she would not go much further.
Susie was halfway up. Then she stopped and held the tree tight(紧紧地), looking very afraid. Her eyes were closed. With her face against the tree, she cried, "I can't."
The other girls sat in silence. I talked quietly to Susie, trying to relax her. I talked for a long time till I ran out of words.
"I will still be your friend no matter what, Susie!" Mary broke the silence.
To my surprise, Susie lifted her head and looked up to the wire. Then she turned to look down at Mary and smiled. Mary smiled back.
Finally,Susie made it all the way across that wire. When she returned to the ground, the first hug she looked for was from Mary.
We all cheered.
Moments like this keep me doing what I do. The young hearts continue to fill me with courage.
(1)Susie stopped halfway up to the wire because .
A.the teacher asked her to do it
B.something was wrong with it
C.she was too afraid to move on
D.it was too high for her to reach
(2)Mary broke the silence in order to .
A.encourage Susie
B.relax the writer
C.try again herself
D.draw Susie's attention
(3)From the story of Susie and Mary, we can learn that .
A.helping others is helping ourselves
B.a word of encouragement matters a lot
C. outdoor activities bring people closer than ever
D.a good method plays an important role in teaching
(4)Which of the following can be the best title for the passage ?
A.That One Moment
B.The Wire Walk
C.Love and Courage
D. The Young Hearts