An incredible dog has mastered more than just the doggy paddle (狗刨式游泳) — the golden brown pet helps disabled children learn how to surf. Ricochet’s owner Judy Fridono said, “I was working with her at balance and coordination (协作). Her balance is so good that she can help to stabilize the board for the kids. And it makes them feel good to know that Ricochet is there with them, keeping them company.”
After becoming an expert, two-year-old Ricochet helps the disabled children build up the confidence to get on the board themselves. Dressed in a yellow jacket, Ricochet helps to counter-balance the board and acts as a reassuring presence.
Ms. Fridono knows what an impact her beloved dog can have. She herself was severely disabled since her teens. Having Ricochet around lifts her spirits, and inspires her to conquer her pain to get on the board. “Ricochet has taught me to focus on what I can do, rather than what I can’t,” she said.
One of those who have benefited from Ricochet’s skills is six-year-old Ian McFarland. In 2008 a car crash left him with brain damage. Although he had loved surfing before the accident, he was too nervous to go back into the water. His fear turned to excitement, when he was told he could try a tandem (双人) surf session with Ricochet. Their session was a success and by the end of it, Ian was smiling from ear to ear. As well as helping with treatments, Ricochet also raised £5,000 to help continue Ian’s recovery.
Over the last 10 months, Ricochet’s excellent performances on the sea have raised more than £30,000 for a number of charity causes.
According to the passage, Ricochet is .
| A．a doctor | B．a dog |
| C．a dog owner | D．a disabled boy |
What role does Ricochet play according to the passage?
| A．She acts as a pet to please its owner. |
| B．She accompanies the disabled children at home. |
| C．She helps the disabled children learn to surf. |
| D．She works as a guide dog for the blind. |
Ian McFarland considers Ricochet’s work to be .
| A．challenging | B．doubtful |
| C．attractive | D．satisfying |
Which statement can best describe Ricochet?
| A．The two-year-old dog is severely disabled. |
| B．Ricochet helps youngsters build up their confidence. |
| C．Ricochet helps youngsters in their daily life. |
| D．Ricochet is a lifesaver on the sea. |
阅读理解
阅读下列四篇短文，从每小题后所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该选项涂黑。
Ice Age Cave Art of Southwest France
May 21, 2013 —May 27, 2013
Day 1 U.S.— Bordeaux, France
Leave the U.S. for Bordeaux to start our prehistoric exploration(史前探索).
Day 2 Bordeaux — Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil
On arriving in Bordeaux, join the group to Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil, France’s prehistory capital. Cheek into Les Glycines hotel. Enjoy a welcome dinner here.
Day 3 Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil
Begin at the Combarelles cave, believed to have been used by Cro-Magnon man between 14 000 and 12 000 years ago. After lunch in a restaurant in the rock, enjoy a guided tour of the National Prehistory Museum, containing one of the largest prehistoric collections. Our day ends at the cave of Font-de-Gaume. Discovered in 1901, it remains one of the most exciting places in the world, with many drawings of horses, deer and so on.
Day 4 Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil
Journey through Black Perigord, starting with a tour of Sarlat. After lunch in town, visit Bernifal. Discovered in 1898, it offers its visitors various paintings.
Day 5 Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil
At the Rouffignac cave, get on an electric train to explore the nearly 10 kilometers of cave — a real underground maze(迷宫)of prehistoric drawings and several surprising handprints. Pause for lunch in a local farm house, then continue to Abri Castanet.
Day 6 Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil
After checking out of Les Glycines, travel to Cougnac cave, containing the oldest paintings in a site open to the public. Enjoy lunch in this beautiful town on the Dordogne river. As you leave Rocamadour, visit the Abri des Merveilles, then continue to the popular Chateau de Mercues.
Day 7 Toulouse — U.S
Check out of the Chateau de Mercues, and travel to the Toulouse airport for your return flight to the U.S..Where will tourists have a welcome dinner?
| A．At the Rouffignac cave. |
| B．At the Cougnac cave. |
| C．In the Les Glycines hotel. |
| D．At the Combarelles cave. |
On which day tourists will visit Cougnac cave?
| A．Day 3. | B．Day 4. |
| C．Day 5. | D．Day 6. |
How many nights will tourists stay in Les Glycines hotel?
| A．Two nights. | B．Three nights. |
| C．Four nights. | D．Five nights. |
阅读理解。
阅读下列四篇短文，从每小题后所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该选项涂黑。
People think being an artist must be a wonderful way to earn one’s living. And of course, there are lots of great things about working for oneself, at home alone, even in a cold studio like mine. What I really like is that nobody tells me what time to start in the morning. I like to paint as soon as I wake up, which is always early, but isn’t the same time every day. And nobody tells me what to wear or whether I can take the afternoon off and go to a football match.
But then, I have no one to chat with when I’m bored, no one to discuss last night’s match with during the office lunch hour. Sure, I can spend the afternoon doing something I enjoy like cycling or gardening if I choose. But the work will still be there when I do finally get back home.
Unfortunately, working at home means that people can always find me, whether I’m bored or not, and once I’ve answered the doorbell, it’s too late — my thoughts have been interrupted. No one would dream of calling in if I worked in an office, but I find myself listening to friends’ troubles. As they talk, my ideas disappear and I feel increasingly stressed thinking of my work waiting to be done.
However, when I hear the traffic news on the radio, and imagine my friends sitting miserably in their cars in a jam, feeling bored, or waiting unhappily for an overcrowded train in the rain, I realize that I really haven’t got much to complain about. I find a CD which will start me thinking, turn it up really loudly and begin another picture. In the passage the writer is trying to ________.
| A．encourage readers to work at home |
| B．explain why he decides to be an artist |
| C．describe his working life |
| D．show how he begins a picture |
What does the writer like about his working life?
| A．He has plenty of opportunities for sport. |
| B．He can do things without being told by others. |
| C．He needn’t work in the morning. |
| D．He has a comfortable place to work in. |
The writer plays loud music because ________.
| A．the traffic outside is noisy |
| B．it helps him to have ideas |
| C．it prevents him from feeling bored |
| D．he doesn’t want to hear the doorbell |
Which of these notices would be the most useful for the writer to put on his door?
| A．I’m working — please don’t disturb. |
| B．Please knock before entering. |
| C．I’m listening to music — join me. |
| D．Come in and have a chat. |
阅读理解
阅读下列四篇短文，从每小题后所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该选项涂黑。
Emergency rooms (ER) are supposed to cure people but Dr. John Stemgold wonders if working in an ER in Willits made him sick. The ER was downwind of the Remco chrome plant. “I used to sit facing that window and kind of daydream out the window, looking at Remco, looking at the fog coming out of there. Then I would cough and cough.” Stemgold said.
What Dr.Stemgold didn’t know was that Remco was flowing out Chromium VI into the air--- a chemical known to cause cancer and breathing problems in humans. A recent state health department study found that people who were in Willits when Remco was in operation from 1964 to 1995 are at higher risk for cancer because of Chromium VI exposure.
Today Dr.Stemgold has lots of time to play his guitar. It turns out he has a form of breathing difficulty. Hospital chemicals cause coughing so violently that he’s broken bones and it’s cost him his career. Others in this town believe the Chromium has made them sick, too, and their families. Actually, Chromium VI was classified as a carcinogen , a cancer-causing substance, thirty years ago, Twenty years ago, a group of state scientific specialists found no exposure level below which carcinogen effects would not have some probability of occurring. Still, Remco was allowed to flow out Chromium VI into the air.
In the battle to balance public health and a healthy economy, laws often favor business, Alan Ramo is a professor of law at Golden Gate University. “There is a real drive to make money, to have employment. When there’s a real job that’s available and a theoretical risk of a chemical, jobs win out, business wins out.”
And chemicals are allowed to flood the marketplace and the government requires strict testing before any drugs can be sold. But the vast majority of industrial chemicals are put into use little testing of any kind Chemicals that people like us, you and me might be exposed to. Marilyn Underwood is with California state health department. “ You need to have the convincing evidence that something is bad to then start regulating it.” However, in most cases, chemicals are not tested until someone reports the abnormal, unnatural condition of the environment in general.
“I think that if people really knew what really goes on with environmental protection I think they would be shocked and they should be.” Says Professor Ramo. “It might be valuable for other people to know what has happened to me, not for me but for them.” He said “because they might be in a similar situation because of where they work.”What happened to the people who lived in Willits from 1964-1995?
| A．most of them were forced to move away. |
| B．They earn a lot of fortune from the factory or the profit it brought about. |
| C．employees from local area all got sick and lost their jobs at the plant. |
| D．They have a greater chance of having severe disease. |
What can we infer from the scientists’ finding twenty years ago?
| A．Chromium VI surroundings help surgeons have more casual life. |
| B．More skillful and capable doctors were needed. |
| C．There is no safe level of Chromium VI exposure. |
| D．A group of scientists were trying proper ways to solve the problems. |
When are new chemicals for industry tested?
| A．When they make smog-forming gases. |
| B．When some problem is noticed. |
| C．Ten years after they are first used. |
| D．When the plant faces collapse. |
One of the important issues in the story is______.
| A．The dangers of emergency rooms that create health problem downwind. |
| B．Doctors prescribing too many drugs. |
| C．The battle to balance public health and a healthy economy |
| D．Why scientists restricted chemical, like Chromium VI |
阅读理解
阅读下列四篇短文，从每小题后所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该选项涂黑。
The vast majority of fitness trackers count your steps and are worn around the wrist, but now there’s a device that’s designed to be worn like a necklace and monitors tiny movements to improve your posture.
The Fineck device aims to address neck pain by tracking tiny movement, spotting bad habits and suggesting exercises via an accompanying app. Made from silicone(硅)and titanium(钛), Fineck monitors a wearer’s movement, balance, posture and movement thanks to sensors inside. The Mountain View California-based firm says that a high percentage of people suffer from neck pain and associated problems, probably caused by more individuals doing office jobs, which generally involve leaning over computer keyboard.
The device contains sensors, several different types of instruments to monitor movement, plus a monitor to shake. It connects to an IOS app via Bluetooth so that wearers can see their bad habits and play “neck training” games. The app warns of health risks and records a user’s activity to build up a customer personal health description. The necklace shakes to give smart advice, such as reminding wearers to sit up straight. The app also allows users to set goals, like many other wearables do. “Fineck is the first wearable device for your neck that tracks your neck activity and warn you when you are in a bad posture for too long. You can also exercise your neck with Fineck’s interactive games.” The company writes on Kickstarter. “No matter where you are and what you are doing at office, on the go, or simply just feeling bored, Fineck will bring you enriched exercise experience through motion sensing games and therapies.”
It also claims that it is “the world’s first titanium wearable device”. The metal is widely used in fashion stuff that you can wear or carry to match your clothes because it is lightweight, durable and does not tend to cause allergic(过敏的)reactions. It also offers additional features such as shaking to indicate alerts on a user’s smartphone, but it is not currently clear whether it can also be used like bands, to count steps, and so on.
The Fineck has a battery life of around seven days and takes one hour to charge. It is available to pre-order via Kickstarter from ＄69(￡44)and is due to ship in March next year.What helps the Fineck device to deal with neck pain?
| A．An accompanying app. | B．A necklace |
| C．Computer keyboard. | D．A remote control |
Besides allowing people to set goals, the iOS app also_____.
| A．improves your posture and suggests exercises |
| B．exercise your neck and does office jobs |
| C．alerts you to health risk and records your activity |
| D．counts your steps and addresses neck pain |
Which of the following statements is true?
| A．The Fineck takes an hour to charge and is available at any time. |
| B．Movie stars like to wear necklace made of silicone to match their clothes. |
| C．The device count the steps to help wearers to see their bad habits. |
| D．Neck-ache is something caused by using computers too much. |
We can infer from the passage that the Fineck device will_____.
| A．actually not cause allergic reactions. |
| B．enrich your life by providing “neck training” games |
| C．monitor a wearer’s movement due to the material it is made of |
| D．help to correct your improper postures |
阅读理解
阅读下列四篇短文，从每小题后所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该选项涂黑。
Previously, I heard a story about a mother who had two daughters. She loved them very much, but two girls would fight with each other from their earliest years. As they grew older, they became total strangers. They had no contact with each other when they were adults.
This caused the mother great pain. Then, later, she had an idea. She decided to write a letter to them. In this letter, she told them how much she loved them, and how she wanted them to love each other in this way. She also gave them news of herself, and some guidance on how they might live happier lives.
When the letter was ready, she wrote out one copy for each daughter, but these copies were special. Each copy contained only every second sentence of the original letter. The copy for one daughter had only the even(偶数的) sentences, and the other daughter’s copy contained only the odd sentences. Neither copy made sense on its own. Neither contained the fullness of the mother’s message.
When the two daughters received their letters, they were puzzled. If they really wanted to know what the letters said, they would have to put the two letters together, and read them as one. That meant they must approach one another again in mutual(彼此的) love and respect.
For a long time, the mother waited in vain. Both daughters tried to understand the half-letter, but they each blamed the other for not helping them. Each daughter thought she knew her mother better.
Then one day, when the mother had almost given up hope, there was a knock at the door. There they stood, together. “We’ve come home,” they said at the same time. “We’ve finally put our letters together, and we’ve come to say how much we love you, Mum.” Then she hugged them both, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks, and welcomed them back home. Why did the mother give her daughters incomplete letters?
| A．She wanted to tell them her good news and bad news. |
| B．She hoped they would ask her for more information. |
| C．She hoped they would approach each other and make up. |
| D．She thought she could change their attitude towards her. |
It can be inferred from the passage that _____.
| A．love can neither be bought nor sold |
| B．faults are thick when love is thin |
| C．without respect, love can’t go far |
| D．love can help enemies become friends |
What is the best title for this passage?
| A．An Unusual Letter |
| B．A Mother’s Endless Love |
| C．Special Daughters |
| D．Deep Love from Daughters |