When Dekalb Walcott III was just 8 years old, his father, a Chicago fire chief, let him tag along on a call. Dekalb says a lot of kids idolized basketball player Michael Jordan when he was growing up in Chicago in the 1990s. Not him.
"I wanted to be like Dekalb Walcott Jr.," he says of his father. So when his dad asked if he wanted to go on that call with him when he was 8, Dekalb was excited. "I'm jumping up and down, saying, Mom, can I go? Can I go?"
The experience changed Dekalb's life, he tells his dad on a visit to Story Corps. "My eyes got big from the moment the alarm went off." the younger Dekalb says. "This is the life that I want to live someday."
Now 27, the younger Dekalb is living that life. He became a firefighter at 21 and went to work alongside his dad at the Chicago Fire Department. Before his father retired, the pair even went out on a call together—father supervising(监督)son.
"You know, it's everything for me to watch you grow," his father says. But he also recalls worrying about one particular fire that his son faced.
I received a phone call that night. And they said, “Well, your son was at this fire.” I said, “OK, which way is this conversation going to go?” Dekalb Walcott Jr. recalls.
And they said, “But he's OK. And he put it out all by himself. Everybody here was proud of him.'
And the word went around, “Who was out there managing that fire? Oh, that's Walcott! That's Walcott up there!” So, you know, moments like that, it's heaven on Earth for a dad.
Dekalb Walcott Jr. retired in 2009. The younger Dekalb says he's proud of being a second-generation firefighter. "You know, it makes me look forward to fatherhood as well, because I'm definitely looking forward to passing that torch down to my son."The underlined phrase tag along in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ______.
| A．put out fire |
| B．watch basketball |
| C．follow his father |
| D．ask his mother’s permission |
Dekalb Walcott III determined to become a firefighter at the age of _________.
| A．27 | B．21 | C．8 | D．35 |
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
| A．Dekalb Walcott III wants his son to become a firefighter too. |
| B．Dekalb Walcott Jr. is proud to be a second-generation firefighter. |
| C．Dekalb Walcott Jr. wants to pass the torch to Dekalb Walcott III. |
| D．Dekalb Walcott III is proud that his son has become an excellent firefighter. |
Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
| A．Putting Out Fire: A Challenging Job for Father and son. |
| B．Passing The Torch: A Firefighter Dad's Legacy. |
| C．Dekalb Walcott III: A Second-generation Firefighter. |
| D．Dekalb Walcott Jr.: A Chicago Fire Chief. |
My mom has eyes in the back of her head. She also taught me from an early age to be suspicious of strange men, especially when they give you presents. One day, a “nice man” bearing flowers managed to steal 20 euros from her purse, while she was holding it in her hands. “He said he was collecting for a church charity so I pulled out a euro,” she explains, “He said ‘no, no, that’s too much’ and offered to look in my purse to find a smaller coin. He must have slid out that 20 euro note at the same time. I did not even notice until an hour later. I felt so stupid.”
According to neuroscientists, the key requirement for a successful pickpocket is not having nifty (熟练的) fingers, it’s having a working knowledge of the loopholes (漏洞) in our brain. The most important of these loopholes is the fact that our brains are not set up to multi-task. Most of the time that is a good thing — it allows us to filter (过滤) out all but the most important features of the world around us. But a good trickster can use it to against you. This kind of trick involves capturing all of somebody’s attention with other movements. Street pickpockets often use this effect to their advantage by manufacturing a situation that can not help but overload your attention system. Other strategies are more psychological. Pickpockets tend to hang out a “beware of pickpockets” sign, because the first thing people do when they read it is check they still have their valuables, helpfully giving away where they are. And in my mom’s case, the thief’s best trick was not coming across like a pickpocket. “He was a very nice guy and very confident. Not someone that would cause you to suspect,” she says. Apollo Robbins, a stage pickpocket, said smart move, like moving your hand in an arc motion rather than a straight line, is another popular strategy employed by tricksters.
At last, it should be pointed out that most thefts are opportunistic. The skill level of most thieves is far less than you think. But they are opportunistic enough to keep up with new technology.What does the underlined word “it” in paragraph 2 refer to?
| A．People’s brains are not designed to multi-task. |
| B．People’s brains can filter out all but the most important features. |
| C．Somebody’s attention can be distracted by a certain trick. |
| D．Somebody’s overload attention system. |
【改编】 How did the pickpockets manage to cheat the mother ?
| A．He had such smart motion that she didn’t notice that. |
| B．He looked so reliable that she didn’t suspect him. |
| C．He made her focus her attention on what he said instead of being cheated . |
| D．All the above. |
In the author’s opinion, _________.
| A．people’s brains have many loopholes |
| B．thieves are more skillful than opportunistic |
| C．signs reminding people of pickpockets can play a negative role in protecting valuables |
| D．his mom’s losing money is nothing but a by-accident experience |
What will the author probably talk about next?
| A．Mom’s another suffering |
| B．Pickpockets concerning new technology |
| C．Pickpockets’ tricks |
| D．Apollo Robbins’ stage pickpockets |
Batteries are included, but the charger’s not. The Nokia E-Cu concept phone doesn’t need to plug in; it charges from any heat source. Designer Patrick Hyland says it can even work off the warmth of your pocket. The first time“it would take approximately seven hours to reach full charge, then after that it’s continuously charging by keeping the phone in areas between 86 degrees and 104 degrees Fahrenheit. ”That’s one hot pocket.
He’s put a thermo generator(热偶发电器)inside the phone that transforms heat into electric potential energy. To better conduct the heat to that little power plant in your pocket, the E-Cu(E for energy, Cu for copper)is coated by copper backing with heat sinks like those normally used to keep electronics from overheating.
Nokia doesn’t have current plans to build the phone, so for now it remains a concept. But Hyland says he’s open to anyone who wants to cooperate.
For Americans this technology would certainly be convenient. It would also save a bit on energy bills and waste. ”Annually, unwanted phone chargers produce 51, 000 tons of waste in addition to the greenhouse gases created by the production of the electricity needed to charge them, ”Hyland says. So a charger-free phone is also a green phone. Though adapting our plug-in habits would help a group of people, most cell phone related energy use comes from leaving your charger plugged in all day unnecessarily.
The real potential for charger-free cell phone technology is what it could enable places where plugging in isn’t an option, like rural areas in the developing world.
Cell phones are spreading faster than power lines and bringing with them countless opportunities, aid and health advances. A phone like the E-Cu, if it ever comes to be, would enable all manner of expanded aid and development by phone projects. Let’s hope Patrick finds a partner.
What do we know about the E-Cu phone?
| A．It doesn’t have a battery or a charger. |
| B．It is properly marketed and sells well. |
| C．It’s continuously charging from any area. |
| D．It has a highly conductive copper cover. |
What’s the function of the underlined part “heat sinks” in Paragraph 2?
| A．To give off heat. | B．To measure heat. |
| C．To turn up heat. | D．To supply heat. |
【改编】The most benefit of the Nokia E-Cu concept phone is .
| A．It would be a hit as soon as this kind of phone was produced. |
| B．It is friendly to the environment, because it is free of charge. |
| C．It charges from any heat source instead of traditional way of charging. |
| D．It must be welcomed by people in rural areas in the developing world. |
From the last two paragraphs we can know that .
| A．Patrick is not ready to cooperate with others |
| B．power lines spread every corner of the world |
| C．phone projects may help solve the energy crisis |
| D．phones like the E-Cu have huge potential benefits |
What is the best title of the text?
| A．Designer Patrick Hyland |
| B．Charging Your Phone from Pockets |
| C．Nokia Concept Phone on Sale |
| D．Benefiting from Phone Technology |
While most teenagers were studying to get into a top university，one 19-year-old was starring in his first movie，Blue Gate Crossing．It was a film about love on campus and it was well received in Taiwan．Many say it was this film that put Bolin Chen in position for his later glittering career in show business．
In fact．it was not until he played a troubled young man in the movie Buddha Mountain three years ago that he regained his passion for acting．
While being called a“youth idol”may seem like a compliment，it is a title that Chen has tried to shake off．He believes that “a youth idol means you simply rely on your appearance，not your acting talent”．
The most important thing for Chen now is to take more initiative(主动性）as an actor．“To me，an actor is like a chess piece，waiting for producers and directors to put him somewhere they want him to be．”Chen，29，told NetEase．“But I want to be the game player．”He even took his ambition a step further，setting tip his own production company．
But just when Chen started to focus on off-screen work，his life on screen took another turn．He won the title of Best Leading Actor at the 2012 Golden Bell Awards on Oct 26 for his role in hit TV drama In Time with You．When asked why he accepted the part，which is another “youth idol”role．he told Yangcheng Evening News：“I played it for my grandfather．He tells everyone around that I am an actor．but I used to play in movies，not TV series．Now he is in the hospital．I hope that he can watch my performances by simply turning on the TV．”
Chen is a veteran(老手)in the entertainment world，but unlike many stars，he hasn’t led a luxurious(奢华的)life．He doesn’t even have a car but walks，rides a bike or takes a taxi whenever he goes out．He doesn’t have a house，either．“Everyone will eventually find some place to live anyway，why bother to buy property (地产)?”he asked Taiwan magazine Business Today．
What does Bolin Chen think of his title“youth idol”?
| A．He likes it very much． | B．He thinks it a compliment． |
| C．He wants to get rid of it． | D．He is not worthy of it． |
Bolin Chen’s words in Para 4 suggest that he______．
| A．1ikes to play games such as chess |
| B．wants to take an active part in producing his films |
| C．cannot get along well with some directors |
| D．thinks producers are more important in making a film |
Bolin Chen played a part in the TV drama In Time with You because he_____．
| A．failed in off-screen work |
| B．had become a“youth idol” |
| C．wanted to delight his grandfather |
| D．wanted to succeed in the new field |
【改编】In what way is Bolin Chen different from many stars?
| A．He hasn’t led a luxurious life |
| B．He doesn’t like to be a “youth idol”. |
| C．He acted for his sick grandfather |
| D．He has become famous since he was young. |
Recreational tree climbing is taking root in the eco-tourism industry, and it’s sending guys like Tim Kovar to far off reaches of the globe. Kovar, a tree-climbing instructor, recently returned to the U. S. from Brazil, where he spent time developing a tree-climbing operation thanks to the“slow travel”movement.
Slow travel, is like the slow food movement, the practice of giving fast food in favor of homegrown cooking—the kind that takes hours to prepare and enjoy. Likewise, slow travel urges visitors to experience a place’s natural surroundings and learn about the ecology in a way not afforded by extreme games.
“Tree climbing is a slow activity, ” says Kovar. “It’s not something you do quickly and then you’re on to the next thing or event. ”There is no such thing as a quick climb, especially for beginners. This wasn’t a race against the clock or the fellow climbers. In fact, tree climbing is unlikely to ever become a feature of the extreme games. Many climbers refuse competition. There has already been so much competition in the world.
“When you stand below the tree, it can be amazing, ” Rusel DeMaria says, looking affectionately up at Michael’s Triumph, a 150-foot-tall tree. But reaching the treetop, he adds, is an entirely different feeling. Likewise, his wife, Viola Brumbaugh, kneels on the ground and asks Michael’s Triumph for permission to climb. “It goes a lot smoother that way, ”she says.
And climbing has been included into many educational programs. New Tribe offers guided climbs through its school, Tree Climbing Northwest, where “we teach enough tree biology and forest ecology to raise awareness in our students, ” says New Tribe president Sophis Sparks. “We know that the tree climbing experience deepens personal appreciation for trees. After climbing, people value trees more and are motivated to support preservation. This is not just to preserve their playground. ”
Perhaps that is why he struggles with the term “recreational tree climbing, ” saying, “I prefer to call it inspirational tree climbing. ”What do slow travel and the slow food movement have in common?
| A．They take people a long time. |
| B．They are related to the eco-tourism industry. |
| C．They advocate protecting nature. |
| D．They cost people little money. |
What do we know about tree climbing from the passage?
| A．People compete to see who can climb to the top first. |
| B．It favors the experience of enjoying nature. |
| C．It is a kind of extreme sport and needs a lot of effort. |
| D．People view it as a challenge to climb the tallest tree in a forest. |
【改编】Which one of the advantages is not mentioned about tree climbing from the passage?
| A．There are many educational programs in tree climbing. |
| B．It favors the experience of enjoying nature. |
| C．After climbing, people value trees more. |
| D．Tree climbing is another travel. |
Sophia Sparks prefers the term “inspirational tree climbing” because it .
| A．provides people with more chances to play outside |
| B．makes people realize they should protect trees |
| C．deepens personal love between each other |
| D．brings a lot of pleasure to life |
What’s the best title for the passage?
| A．Tree-climbing travelling | B．Slow travel movements |
| C．Dangers of climbing | D．Respect for nature |
The Hawaiian people did not celebrate Christmas before the arrival of Captain Cook in 1778. It was, however, the protestant missionaries(传教士)from New England who first arrived in 1820 that first introduced Christmas to the Hawaiian people.
The missionaries reduced the Hawaiian language to written form, enabling the Hawaiian people to read and write in their own language. Many words for which there were no clear Hawaiian language equivalents(对应词)were translated phonetically.
Let’s look at some key phrases that you may hear in Hawaii during the Christmas and New Year’s Day holiday season.
•Mele Kalikimaka—Merry Christmas. The words “Mele Kalikimaka” are a phonetic translation. When the missionaries and other Westerners first brought the custom of Christmas to the islands, the Hawaiians had difficulty pronouncing “Merry Christmas” and turned it into words that rolled more easily off their tongues.
•Hau’ oli Makahiki Hou—Happy New Year. The western Christmas and New Year fell during this same time of the year when the Hawaiians traditionally honored the earth for giving them plenty to eat. This period of resting and feasting was called Makahiki (mah-kah-HEE-kee). It lasted for 4 months, and no wars or conflicts were allowed during this time. Because makahiki also means “year”, the Hawaiian phrase for “Happy New Year” became “Hau’ oli(happy) Makahiki (year) Hou (new)”.
•Mele Kalikimaka me ka Hau’ oli Makahiki Hou—Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
•Mahalo Nui Loa—Thank you very much. When you receive a nice gift or are treated to a special meal or beautiful song, you’ll want to express your appreciation for the kindness.【改编】Who made the greatest contribution to Hawaiian language according to the passage?
| A．Captain Cook | B．The missionaries |
| C．Westerners | D．The Hawaiian people |
The underlined word “phonetically” in Paragraph 2 probably means“ ”.
| A．by sound | B．by meaning |
| C．by appearance | D．by form |
Makahiki is a traditional time for the Hawaiian people to .
| A．celebrate the New Year | B．show thanks to God |
| C．show thanks to the earth | D．go for holidays |
What is the text mainly about?
| A．How the Hawaiian people celebrate their holidays. |
| B．The development of the Hawaiian language. |
| C．How Christmas was brought to the Hawaiian people. |
| D．Some phrases used in Hawaii during festivals. |