What makes a gift special? Is it the price you see on the gift receipt(收据)? Or is it the look on the recipient's face when they receive it that determines the true value? What gift is worth the most?
This Christmas I was debating what to give my father. My dad is a hard person to buy for because he never wants anything. I pulled out my phone to read a text message from my mom saying that we were leaving for Christmas shopping for him when I came across a message on my phone that I had locked. The message was from my father. My eyes fell on a photo of a flower taken in Wyoming, and underneath a poem by William Blake. The flower, a lone dandelion(蒲公英) standing against the bright blue sky, inspired me. My dad had been reciting those words to me since I was a kid. That may even be the reason why I love writing. I decided that those words would be my gift to my father.
I called back. I told my mom to go without me and that l already created my gift. I sent the photo of the cream-colored flower to my computer and typed the poem on top of it. As I was arranging the details another poem came to mind. The poem was written by Edgar Allan Poe; My dad recited it as much as he did the other. I typed that out as well and searched online for a background to the words of it. The poem was focused around dreaming, and after searching I found the perfect picture. The image was painted with blues and greens and purples, twisting together to create the theme and wonder of a dream. As I watched both poems passing through the printer, the white paper coloring with words that shaped my childhood, I felt that this was a gift that my father would truly appreciate.
Christmas soon arrived. The minute I saw the look on my dad's face as he unwrapped those swirling (卷曲的)black letters carefully placed in a cheap frame, I knew I had given the perfect gift.The idea for a special gift began to form when the author was .
| A．doing shopping | B．having a debate |
| C．leaving for Wyoming | D．reading a message |
The author's inspiration for the gift came from .
| A．a photo of a flower | B．a story about a kid |
| C．a call from the mother | D．a text about Christmas |
The underlined word "it" in Paragraph 3 refers to a poem by _ .
| A．the father | B．the author |
| C．Edgar Allan Poe | D． William Blake |
The author made the gift by .
| A．searching for the poems online |
| B．drawing the background by hand |
| C．painting the letters in three colors |
| D．matching the words with pictures |
What is the main purpose of the passage?
| A．To show how to design images for gifts |
| B．To suggest making gifts from one's heart. |
| C．To explain how computers help create gifts |
| D．To describe the gifts the author has received. |
When his book Little Princes begins, Conor Grennan is planning a year-long trip around the globe, a journey that began with a three-month volunteer service at the Little Princes Children’s home, an orphanage(孤儿院) in Nepal.
When he arrived at the orphanage, Conor was immediately welcomed by all the children even though he had no previous experience in working with children. He quickly grew to love the job. But it wasn’t long before Conor came to learn that the children were not orphans at all — they were actually children who had been separated from their parents by a child trafficker(贩子).
This realization turned Conor’s global journey into a strong desire to try to find a way to reunite these children with their families. As a part of his efforts, Conor did a great amount of work when he was back in America. He started up a nonprofit organization called Next Generation Nepal(NGN), raising funds in order to buy a house in Nepal for another children’s home. Then, back in Nepal, he began a life-changing trek(艰苦跋涉) into the remote villages in the mountains of Humia.
It is really amazing to read about Conor communicating with the children and to read his descriptions of each of them. He made me truly care about the kids. I wanted them to be able to reunite with their families, too! Unfortunately, this was simply not possible for some of the children. But there were some children who received amazing surprises. Jagrit, for example, had thought for years that both his parents were dead. So, Conor was dumbfounded when he visited Jagrit’s village and was introduced to the boy’s father!
Conor successfully found many of the families of the children. Also, he was successful in finding his future wife while in Nepal.What do we know about Little Princes Children’s Home?
| A．It is a profitable organization. |
| B．The children in it are all orphans. |
| C．It has many branches all over Nepal. |
| D．Many children ended up there due to illegal trade. |
In order to help the children, Conor _________.
a. gave up his plan to travel worldwide b. set up the organization NGN
c. fought against child traffickers d. visited some remote villages
e. decided to settle in Nepal
| A．a, b, c | B．a, b, d |
| C．b, c, d | D．c, d, e |
What does the underlined word “dumbfounded” in Paragraph 4 mean?
| A．Satisfied. | B．Interested. |
| C．Astonished. | D．Ashamed. |
It can be learned from the passage that Conor Grennan _________.
| A．is the author of Little Princes |
| B．is determined to remain single |
| C．likes teaching very much |
| D．is a friend of the author’s |
The breaking news of Mo Yan's Nobel Prize in Literature on Thursday evening soon aroused public curiosity of the 57-year-old Chinese writer: Why was he favored by the Swedish Academy?
Less than half an hour after the announcement from Stockholm, Mo's works turned to “sold out" status at China's major online book sellers．
One lucky buyer wrote in an online comment: "Rushed to purchase, but to my shame, I have not read any of his novels．”
Although Mo was entitled one of the top China's literature awards before the Nobel Prize, he is not the most popular novelist in China, in either the book market or in reputation．
Chinese media seemed to be shocked as some journalists were reported to be on their way overnight to Gaomi City of East China's Shandong Province, Mo's birthplace where he stayed with his family．
Born in 1955 into a rural family, Mo dropped out of school and became a farmer when he was a teenager． He joined the army and devoted himself to writing． Mo's novels were translated into several languages．
For more than a century, Nobel Prize has been regarded by the world as recognition to an individual or even a nation's cultural and scientific advances．
“I think the reason why I could win the prize is that my works present lives with unique Chinese characteristics, and they also tell stones from a viewpoint of common human beings, which transcends（超越）differences of nations and races," Mo said on Thursday evening to Chinese journalists．
Mo also said many folk arts originated from his hometown, such as paper cuts and traditional new year paintings, have inspired and influenced his novels．
Mo's prize may give powerful encouragement to the country's writers as the more reflective of Chinese lives their works are, the more possible they arise as world literature．From this passage we know that the news of Mo Yan's Nobel Prize in Literature was.
| A．a shock to online booksellers |
| B．curiosity to the Swedish Academy |
| C．contrary to the belief of the Chinese media |
| D．beyond the expectation of most Chinese people |
The "one lucky buyer" mentioned in the third paragraph admitted that he _．
| A．had not yet read Mo Yan's novels |
| B．had written an online comment |
| C．regretted not reading Mo Yan's Novels |
| D．failed to buy a copy of Mo Yan's novels |
The underlined word "they" in the last paragraph refers to.
| A．the Chinese writers | B．the Chinese writers' works |
| C．the Chinese lives | D．Mo Yan's novels |
What can we infer from this passage?
| A．Mo Yan will win another Nobel Prize in the near future． |
| B．Folk arts originated from Mo Yan's hometown will also be awarded Nobel Prize． |
| C．Nobel Prize will no longer regarded by the world as recognition to an individual． |
| D．Mo Yan's success will encourage the Chinese writers to win more Nobel Prizes． |
My name is Nick Vujicic．I was born without any limbs（四肢）．But one of my most _ videos on YouTube shows footage（视频片段）of me skateboarding, surfing, playing music, and best of all, hugs from all smts of great people．
All in all, those are pretty ordinary that just about anyone can do, right? So _ do you think that video has been viewed millions of times? My theory is that people are to watch it because in spite of my physical limitations, I'm living I have no limits．
People often expect someone _ a severe disability to be inactive, maybe even angry．I like to_ them by showing that I lead a very adventurous and fruitful life．
Among the hundreds of _ on that video, here's one typical remark: "Seeing a guy like this being happy makes me wonder why I feel for myself sometimes---or feel not funny enough, or whatever． How can I think thoughts like that when this guy is living without limbs and still being happy ! ?"
I found happiness when I realized that imperfect I may be, I am the perfect Nick Vujicic． I'm designed Cod's plan．That's not to say that there isn't for improvement．
I'm always trying to be better so I can better _ the world!
I do believe my life has no _．I want you to feel the same way about your life, no matter what your challenges may he． As we our journey together, please take a moment to _ any limitations you've placed on your life．Now think about what _ would be like to be those limitations．What would your life be if anything were possible?
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Last night’s meteor(流星) shower left many people in the community dissatisfied and demanding answers. According to Gabe Rothsclild, Emerald Valley’s mayor, people gathered in the suburbs of the city, carrying heavy telescopes, expecting to watch the brightly burning meteors passing through the sky. What they found instead was a sky so brightened by the city’s lights that it darkened the light of the meteors passing overhead.
“My family was so frustrated,” admitted town resident Duane Cosby, “We wanted to make this an unforgettable family outing, but it turned out to be a huge disappointments.”
Astronomers---scientists who study stars and planets----have been complaining about this problem for decades.They say that light pollution prevents them from seeing objects in the sky that they could see quite easily in the past. They call on people and the government to take measures to fight against it.
There is yet a population besides professional and amateur star observers that suffers even more from light pollution. This population consists of birds,bats frogs,snakes,etc. For example,outdoor lighting severely affects migrating(迁徙的)birds. According to the International Dark-Sky Association. “100 million birds a year throughout North America die in crashes with lighted buildings and towers.”
Countless more animals casualties(伤亡）result from the use of artificial lighting. Clearly, people enjoy the benefits of lighting their evenings,but some scientists think it can be harmful for humans,too. They worry that exposure to light while sleeping can increase person’s chances of getting cancer.
Emerald Valley is only one community that is becoming aware of the negative effects of hight pollution. For years, Flagstaff,Arizona, has enforced lighting regulations in its city in order to help astronomers at the Lowell Observatory. Similar efforts have been made worldwide, and a movement is underway to remind us to turn off lights when we are not using them, so that other creatures can share the night.It happened last night that __________ .
| A．the city light show attracted many people |
| B．the meteors flew past before being noticed |
| C．the city’s lights affected the meteor watching |
| D．the meteor watching ended up a social outing |
What do the astronomers complain about?
| A．Light pollution has remained unsolved for years |
| B．Their observation equipment is in poor repair |
| C．Meteor showers occur less often than before |
| D．Their eyesight is failing due to artificial lighting |
What the author concerned about according to Paragraph 4?
| A．Birds may take other migration paths |
| B．Animal’living habits may change suddenly |
| C．Varieties of animals will become sharply reduced |
| D．Animals’survival is threatened by outdoor lighting |
Lighting regulations in Flagstaff,Arizona are put into effect to__________.
| A．Lessen the chance of getting cancer |
| B．ensure citizens a good sleep at night |
| C．create an ideal observation condition |
| D．enable all creatures to live in harmony |
What message does the author most want to give us?
| A．Saving wildlife is saving ourselves |
| B．Human activities should be environmentally friendly |
| C．Great efforts should be made to save energy |
| D．New equipment should be introduced for space study |
The deserts of the world are not all covered with sand. Many of them have surfaces of rock or clay or small stones. They are not flat, either. They often have high hills and deep valleys. There is some plants’ life in many parts of the desert. There is little rain in the desert, but it does fall often enough for most plants.
The deserts of the world are not uninhabited(not lived by people). People also live outside oases(绿洲), but these people are not farmers. They have camels, goats, donkeys, sheep, etc. These animals can live on the desert plants and do not need much water.
The people of the desert have to move constantly from place to place, they must always look for grass or desert plants for their animals. They usually live in tents. When there is no more food for their animals, they fold up their tents, pat them on their camels and donkeys, and move to another place. In good years, when there is enough food for their animals, they trade their skins and their goats and camel hairs with the people of oases for wheat and fruit. But in bad years, when there is not enough food for their animals, the people of the desert would attack the oases people. But they are also hospitable, no man in the desert would ever refuse to give a stranger food and water.According to the passage, deserts are mostly made up of _______.
| A．clay | B．rock |
| C．stones | D．sand |
The underlined word “hospitable” has the meaning of being _______.
| A．brave | B．cruel |
| C．strange | D．kind |
In the desert _______.
| A．it rains in spring only |
| B．there is some rain, but far from enough |
| C．it rains for a short time every month |
| D．the rainfall is just enough for the plants |
People live _______.
| A．only inside the oases |
| B．only outside the oases |
| C．both inside and outside the oases |
| D．in places with regular rainfalls |
From the passage we know that life _______.
| A．is hard in deserts |
| B．is happy in deserts |
| C．is impossible in deserts |
| D．in deserts in much better now |