Dana Cummings was in his thirties before he first went surfing. But, even more interesting is that Dana Cummings chose to learn the sport after losing a leg in a car accident. Now, nine years later, he helps other disabled (伤残的) people learn how to ride the waves in AmpSurf.
On the coast of Maine, he is working with 27-year-old Matthew Fish, who is partly blind. Cummings takes hold of Fish and leads him into the ocean. The surfboard floats next to them. Fish lies on the surfboard. He tries to stand up on it. After a few attempts (尝试) he is up and riding all the way back to land. “That was exciting,” Fish says.
A car accident in 2002 took Dana Cummings’ leg. He says the crash changed him more than just physically. “Losing my leg made me realize how precious (珍贵的) life is and get off the couch and start living. I do more things now than I ever did before. Next week I am going to compete in a contest in Hawaii,” Dana says.
One year later Dana Cummings formed AmpSurf. AmpSurf is a group that volunteers to hold surfing classes and events for people with all kinds of disabilities.
Recently, AmpSurf took its training programs to the East Coast. Eleven students attended the class in Maine. They came from all over the northeastern United States.
Dana Cummings thinks AmpSurf can change the way a disabled person thinks. “Most people with disabilities consider himself or herself unlucky and useless, but we want them to see what they can do. Who cares you lose your leg or you are blind, whatever? Have fun. Just enjoy life. Take the most advantage of it you can,” Dana says.Matthew Fish thinks learning to ride the waves is _____.
| A．boring | B．easy | C．interesting | D．difficult |
When did Dana Cummings set up AmpSurf according to the text?
| A．In 2002. | B．In 2003. | C．In 2008. | D．In 2011. |
According to Dana Cummings, AmpSurf can _____.
| A．ease the physical pain of the disabled |
| B．help the disabled learn to get used to their life |
| C．change the attitude of the disabled towards life |
| D．make the disabled pay more attention to their disabilities |
the underlined word “it” in the last paragraph refers to ________.
| A．your leg | B．your eye | C．life | D．change |
What is the best title for the text?
| A．Dana Cummings — a great surfer |
| B．AmpSurf — a training group |
| C．How to learn to live with disabilities |
| D．Disabled surfers ride the waves |
Jennifer Mauer has needed more willpower than the typical college student to pursue her goal of earning a nursing degree．That willpower bore fruit when Jennifer graduated from University of Wisconsin﹣Eau Claire and became the first in her large family to earn a bachelor's degree． Mauer，of Edgar， Wisconsin，grew up on a farm in a family of 10 children．Her dad worked at a job away from the farm，and her mother ran the farm with the kids．After high school，Jennifer attended a local technical college，working to pay her tuition（学费），because there was no extra money set aside for a college education．After graduation，she worked to help her sisters and brothers pay for their schooling．
Jennifer now is married and has three children of her own．She decided to go back to college to advance her career and to be able to better support her family while doing something she loves：nursing．She chose the UW﹣Eau Claire program at Ministry Saint Joseph's Hospital in Marshfield because she was able to pursue her four﹣year degree close to home．She could drive to class and be home in the evening to help with her kids．Jennifer received great support from her family as she worked to earn her degree：Her husband worked two jobs to cover the bills，and her 68﹣year﹣old mother helped take care of the children at times．
Through it all，she remained in good academic standing and graduated with honors．Jennifer sacrificed（牺牲）to achieve her goal，giving up many nights with her kids and missing important events to study．"Some nights my heart was breaking to have to pick between my kids and studying for exams or papers，" she says．However，her children have learned an important lesson witnessing their mother earn her degree．Jennifer is a first﹣generation graduate and an inspiration to her family﹣and that's pretty powerful．
（1）What did Jennifer do after high school？
| A． |
She helped her dad with his work． |
| B． |
She ran the family farm on her own． |
| C． |
She supported herself through college． |
| D． |
She taught her sisters and brothers at home． |
（2）Why did Jennifer choose the program at Ministry Saint Joseph's Hospital in Marshfield？
| A． |
To take care of her kids easily． |
| B． |
To learn from the best nurses． |
| C． |
To save money for her parents． |
| D． |
To find a well﹣paid job there． |
（3）What did Jennifer sacrifice to achieve her goal？
| A． |
Her health． |
| B． |
Her time with family． |
| C． |
Her reputation． |
| D． |
Her chance of promotion． |
（4）What can we learn from Jennifer's story？
| A． |
Time is money． |
| B． |
Love breaks down barriers． |
| C． |
Hard work pays off． |
| D． |
Education is the key to success． |
POETRY CHALLENGE
Write a poem about how courage，determination，and strength have helped you face challenges in your life．
Prizes
3 Grand Prizes：Trip to Washington，D．C．for each of three winners，a parent and one other person of the winner's choice．Trip includes round﹣trip air tickets，hotel stay for two nights，and tours of the National Air and Space Museum and the office of National Geographic World．
6 First Prizes：The book Sky Pioneer：A Photobiography of Amelia Earhart signed by author Corinne Szabo and pilot Linda Finch．
50 Honorable Mentions：Judges will choose up to 50 honorable mention winners，who will each receive a T﹣shirt in memory of Earhart's final flight．
Rules
Follow all rules carefully to prevent disqualification．
■ Write a poem using 100 words or fewer．Your poem can be any format，any number of lines．
■ Write by hand or type on a single sheet of paper．You may use both the front and back of the paper．
■ On the same sheet of paper，write or type your name，address，telephone number，and birth date．
■ Mail your entry to us by October 31 this year．
（1）How many people can each grand prize winner take on the free trip？
| A． |
Two． |
| B． |
Three． |
| C． |
Four． |
| D． |
Six． |
（2）What will each of the honorable mention winners get？
| A． |
A plane ticket． |
| B． |
A book by Corinne Szabo． |
| C． |
A special T﹣shirt． |
| D． |
A photo of Amelia Earhart． |
（3）Which of the following will result in disqualification？
| A． |
Typing your poem out． |
| B． |
Writing a poem of 120 words． |
| C． |
Using both sides of the paper． |
| D． |
Mailing your entry on October 30． |
We are the products of evolution，and not just evolution that occurred billions of years ago．As scientists look deeper into our genes（基因），they are finding examples of human evolution in just the past few thousand years． People in Ethiopian highlands have adapted to living at high altitudes． Cattle﹣raising people in East Africa and northern Europe have gained a mutation （突变）that helps them digest milk as adults．
On Thursday in an article published in Cell，a team of researchers reported a new kind of adaptation ﹣ not to air or to food，but to the ocean．A group of sea﹣dwelling people in Southeast Asia have evolved into better divers．The Bajau，as these people are known，number in the hundreds of thousands in Indonesia，Malaysia and the Philippines．They have traditionally lived on houseboats；in recent times，they've also built houses on stilts（支柱）in coastal waters．"They are simply a stranger to the land，" said Rodney C．Jubilado，a University of Hawaii researcher who studies the Bajau．
Dr．Jubilado first met the Bajau while growing up on Samal Island in the Philippines．They made a living as divers，spearfishing or harvesting shellfish． "We were so amazed that they could stay underwater much longer than us local islanders，" Dr．Jubilado said．"I could see them actually walking under the sea．"
In 2015，Melissa Ilardo，then a graduate student in genetics at the University of Copenhagen，heard about the Bajau．She wondered if centuries of diving could have led to the evolution of physical characteristics that made the task easier for them．"It seemed like the perfect chance for natural selection to act on a population，" said Dr．Ilardo．She also said there were likely a number of other genes that help the Bajau dive．
（1）What does the author want to tell us by the examples in paragraph 1？
| A． |
Environmental adaptation of cattle raisers． |
| B． |
New knowledge of human evolution． |
| C． |
Recent findings of human origin． |
| D． |
Significance of food selection． |
（2）Where do the Bajau build their houses？
| A． |
In valleys． |
| B． |
Near rivers． |
| C． |
On the beach． |
| D． |
Off the coast． |
（3）Why was the young Jubilado astonished at the Bajau？
| A． |
They could walk on stilts all day． |
| B． |
They had a superb way of fishing． |
| C． |
They could stay long underwater． |
| D． |
They lived on both land and water． |
（4）What can be a suitable title for the text？
| A． |
Bodies Remodeled for a Life at Sea |
| B． |
Highlanders' Survival Skills |
| C． |
Basic Methods of Genetic Research |
| D． |
The World's Best Divers |
With the young unable to afford to leave home and the old at risk of isolation（孤独），more families are choosing to live together．
The doorway to peace and quiet，for Nick Bright at least，leads straight to his mother﹣in﹣law：she lives on the ground floor，while he lives upstairs with his wife and their two daughters．
Four years ago they all moved into a three﹣storey Victorian house in Bristol ﹣ one of a growing number of multigenerational families in the UK living together under the same roof．They share a front door and a washing machine，but Rita Whitehead has her own kitchen，bathroom，bedroom and living room on the ground floor．
"We floated the idea to my mum of sharing a house，" says Kathryn Whitehead．Rita cuts in："We spoke more with Nick because I think it's a big thing for Nick to live with his mother﹣in﹣law．"
And what does Nick think？ "From my standpoint，it all seems to work very well．Would I recommend it？ Yes，I think I would．"
It's hard to tell exactly how many people agree with him，but research indicates that the numbers have been rising for some time．Official reports suggest that the number of households with three generations living together had risen from 325，000 in 2001 to 419，000 in 2013．
Other varieties of multigenerational family are more common．Some people live with their elderly parents；many more adult children are returning to the family home，if they ever left．It is said that about 20% of 25﹣34﹣year﹣olds live with their parents，compared with 16% in 1991．The total number of all multigenerational households in Britain is thought to be about 1.8 million．
Stories like that are more common in parts of the world，where multigenerational living is more firmly rooted．In India，particularly outside cities，young women are expected to move in with their husband's family when they get married．
（1）Who mainly uses the ground floor in the Victorian house in Bristol？
| A． |
Nick． |
| B． |
Rita． |
| C． |
Kathryn． |
| D． |
The daughters． |
（2）What is Nick's attitude towards sharing the house with his mother﹣in﹣law？
| A． |
Positive． |
| B． |
Carefree． |
| C． |
Tolerant． |
| D． |
Unwilling． |
（3）What is the author's statement about multigenerational family based on？
| A． |
Family traditions． |
| B． |
Financial reports． |
| C． |
Published statistics． |
| D． |
Public opinions． |
（4）What is the text mainly about？
| A． |
Lifestyles in different countries． |
| B． |
Conflicts between generations． |
| C． |
A housing problem in Britain． |
| D． |
A rising trend of living in the UK． |
When "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" was first shown to the public last month，a group of excited animal activists gathered on Hollywood Boulevard．But they weren't there to throw red paint on fur﹣coat﹣wearing film stars．Instead，one activist，dressed in a full﹣body monkey suit，had arrived with a sign praising the filmmakers："Thanks for not using real apes（猿）!"
The creative team behind "Apes" used motion﹣capture（动作捕捉）technology to create digitalized animals，spending tens of millions of dollars on technology that records an actor's performance and later processes it with computer graphics to create a final image（图象）．In this case，one of a realistic﹣looking ape．
Yet "Apes" is more exception than the rule．In fact，Hollywood has been hot on live animals lately．One nonprofit organization，which monitors the treatment of animals in filmed entertainment， is keeping tabs onmore than 2，000 productions this year．Already，a number of films，including "Water for Elephants，" "The Hangover Part Ⅱ" and "Zookeeper，" have drawn the anger of activists who say the creatures acting in them haven't been treated properly．
In some cases，it's not so much the treatment of the animals on set in the studio that has activists worried；it's the off﹣set training and living conditions that are raising concerns．And there are questions about the films made outside the States，which sometimes are not monitored as closely as productions filmed in the States．
（1）Why did the animal activists gather on Hollywood Boulevard？
| A． |
To see famous film stars． |
| B． |
To oppose wearing fur coats． |
| C． |
To raise money for animal protection． |
| D． |
To express thanks to some filmmakers． |
（2）What does paragraph 2 mainly talk about？
| A． |
The cost of making "Apes．" |
| B． |
The creation of digitalized apes． |
| C． |
The publicity about "Apes．" |
| D． |
The performance of real apes． |
（3）What does the underlined phrase "keeping tabs on" in paragraph 3 probably mean？
| A． |
Listing completely． |
| B． |
Directing professionally． |
| C． |
Promoting successfully． |
| D． |
Watching carefully． |
（4）What can we infer from the last paragraph about animal actors？
| A． |
They may be badly treated． |
| B． |
They should take further training． |
| C． |
They could be traded illegally． |
| D． |
They would lose popularity． |