The little boy

A little boy selling magazines for school walked up to a house that people rarely visited. The house was very old and shabby and the owner hardly ever came out. When he did come out, he would not say hello to his neighbors or passers-by but simply just glare at them.

The boy knocked on the door and waited, sweating from fear of the old man. The boy’s parents told him to stay away from the house, and a lot of the other neighborhood children were told the same thing from their parents.

Dust found the boy lingering on and hesitating what to do. As he was ready to walk away, the door slowly opened. “What do you want?” the old man said impatiently. The little boy was very afraid but he had a quota(份額) to meet for school with selling the magazines. So he got up the courage and said, “Uh, sir, I am selling these magazines and uh, I was wondering if you would like to buy one from me.”

The old man just stared at the boy without a word. The boy could see inside the old man’s house and saw that he had dog figurines(小雕像) on the fireplace mantle. “Do you collect dogs?” The little boy asked. “Yes, I have many collections in my house. They are my family here and they are all I have.” The boy then felt sorry for the man, as it seemed that he was a very lonely soul.

“Well, I do have a magazine here for collectors. It is perfect for you. I also have one about dogs since you like dogs so much.” The old man was ready to close the door on the boy and said, “No, boy. I don’t need any magazines of any kind, now goodbye.”

The little boy was sad that he was not going to make his quota with the sale. He was also sad for the old man being so alone in the house that he owned. The boy went home and then had an idea. He had a little dog figurine that he got some years ago from an aunt. The figurine did not mean nearly as much to him since he had a real live dog and a large family.

Para 1:

The little boy headed back down to the old man’s house.

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Para 2:

From that day on something changed inside the old man.

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1. 春節(jié)飲食習(xí)俗；

2. 推薦一道你家鄉(xiāng)的特色菜。

注意：1. 詞數(shù)80左右；

2. 可適當(dāng)增加細(xì)節(jié)，以使行文連貫；

3. 開頭和結(jié)尾已給岀，不計入總詞數(shù)。cuisine

Dear Jim,

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Yours,

Li Hua

Dachi was the name of my pet cockatiel. His name comes from the second half of the Japanese word tomodachi, 【1】means friend.

I taught Dachi to whistle two songs, “For He’s A Jolly Good Fellow” and “Happy Birthday to You”. Though his whole range of skills was small, his 【2】 (confident) never lagged (滯后), and he would frequently wish me a happy birthday when it wasn’t — which could be 【3】 (embarrass).

When Dachi had been with us for three or four years, I think I may have become a bit too confident with him. One day, I didn’t realize that he was still sitting on my shoulder 【4】 until the door behind me shut loudly. He 【5】 (fly) away.

After I placed 【6】an advertisement in the local paper, I received a phone call from a woman. I was so relieved to hear this news that I 【7】 (immediate) drove to her house. When I arrived, she asked me to see whether the bird was 【8】(my).

I had a better idea 【9】 (identify) Dachi and began to whistle the “Happy Birthday” song. The lady stopped me, saying, “He is yours alright — he’s been whistling that all week.”

So Dachi came home in the car 【10】 (sit) on my shoulder, whistling.

But there is a long way to go. One in four people will experience a mental-health problem at some point in life. In rich countries mental illnesses account for more suffering and premature death than heart disease, strokes(中風(fēng)) or cancer. Meanwhile the central-African countries have just one mental-health professional per 100,000 people, a fiftieth as many as Europe has. (Less than 1% of foreign aid for health care goes towards mental health.)

As developing countries handle infectious diseases, mental health will consume a greater share of budgets and attention there. By 2020 mental-health conditions may account for 15% of the global burden of disease, but even in rich countries many people with common problems still go without treatment.

It is clear that mental illness is fast becoming one of the global health challenges of the 21st century. Until recently, this hasn’t had the profile it deserves on a global stage. The ministers gathering in London must produce new money and focus—and not just another declaration. The summit is also expected to help countries learn from each other to find the best ways to deal with increased rates of depression and anxiety among young people.

【1】Which of the following best explains “on an equal footing” underlined in paragraph 1?

A.Standing up for.B.Being as important as.

C.Standing in one’s shoes.D.Having an advantage over.

【2】What is the purpose of holding the meeting?

A.To find more foreign aid for health care.

B.To make a declaration on mental illnesses.

C.To solve the physical problems of the youth.

D.To stress the importance of mental health.

【3】Which disease causes more premature death in rich countries?

A.Heart disease.B.Cancer.

C.Mental illness.D.Stroke.

【4】What can we learn from the last two paragraphs?

A.Effective measures should be taken on mental health.

B.The problem of mental illness has drawn enough attention.

C.People in developed countries suffer less mental illnesses.

D.Mental-health diseases have taken up about 15% of the global illness cases.

UK initiative 5G RuralFirst launched a smartphone app in March called Me+Moo, which lets farmers track a “connected” cow and receive daily updates on the animal’s health and behavior. The system, which is being tested on cows at the Agri-Epi Center in Somerset, England, is funded in part by UK government and supported by the tech company Cisco (CSCO). The cows wear 5G-connected collars that send data to the app on everything from what they’re eating to how they’re sleeping. Farmers can see the information instantly. “This provides peace of mind that the cows are happy, healthy and behaving normally, as well as early warning if they are getting sick, are pregnant or need to be checked,” said project manager Duncan Forbes.

Yet to make a difference, 5G will first need to be installed in rural areas. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) predicts that in order to provide for the world’s rapidly rising population, the planet will need to grow 70% more food in 2050 than it did in 2009. “To respond to those demands, farmers will need new technologies to produce more from less land, with fewer hands,” reads one report from the organization.

In 2017, another 5G RuralFirst project became the first in the world to successfully plant, tend and harvest a crop without a single human stepping foot in the field. Autonomous Automatic tractors sowed the seeds, drones with sensors monitored the crops, and smaller machines took samples from fields to assess what fertilizers and pesticides to apply.

【1】Why can 5G help the farming?

A.Because it can carry more information.

B.Because it can be equipped with sensors.

C.Because it can disrupt a lot of industries.

D.Because it can be installed in rural areas.

【2】What did farmers do firstly if they wanted to use Me+Moo?

A.They founded a tech company.

B.They let the cows wear 5G-connected collars.

C.They kept cows behaving normally.

D.They made sure the cows were checked often.

【3】According to FAO, how will the world solve the food problem?

A.People should control the rising population.

B.People should find more and more land.

C.People should turn to the new technology.

D.People should learn to get more money.

【4】How did RuralFirst decide what kind of fertilizer to apply?

A.It analyzed the soil.

B.It dug earth with tractors.

C.It employed experts.

D.It hired drones with sensors.

Her career in helping the sick began when her brother David became her first patient. He fell down from the roof of a house when Clara was just 11 years old. She stayed by his side and looked after him for three years, learning how to give him all his medicines.

When the Civil War began in 1861, she immediately recognized that the poorly equipped soldiers needed help. Instead of waiting for others to step in, Clara collected necessary things on her own, asked the public for donations and learned how to store and distribute them to soldiers. She also read to the soldiers and wrote letters for them.

After the Battle of Cedar Mountain in northern Virginia in 1862, Clara arrived at a field hospital at midnight with a vehicle full of supplies. A doctor named Paul Smith at that hospital would later write, “I thought heaven had sent out an angel that night — her assistance arrived at exactly the right time.”

In 1869, Clara went to Europe and learned about the International Committee of the Red Cross. Upon her return to the United States, she successfully founded the American Red Cross. She led the organization for the next 23 years. Her last field mission (使命) as president of the American Red Cross was to help the victims of the 1900 Galveston hurricane. She did not retire (退休) from the American Red Cross until she was 83. True to her nature, Clara always went to where the need was the greatest.

Today, the American Red Cross continues the mission Clara started more than 100 years ago. With the help of thousands of volunteers, the American Red Cross provides relief to victims of disasters, as well as helps people prevent, prepare for and respond to all sorts of emergencies.

【1】We can learn from Paragraph 2 that Clara Barton was .

A.honestB.caring

C.talentedD.modest

【2】After the Civil War broke out, Clara Barton .

A.joined the army and fought bravelyB.went to Europe for further study

C.continued to work as a teacherD.did a lot to help soldiers

【3】Seeing Clara Barton’s arrival, Dr. Smith must have felt .

A.excited and gratefulB.proud and joyful

C.shy and nervousD.sad and sorry

【4】What is mainly described in Paragraph 5?

A.The aim of the American Red Cross.

B.The importance of voluntary donations.

C.Clara Barton and the American Red Cross.

D.Clara Barton’s contribution to the Civil War.

1. 表達歉意；2. 說明原因；3. 另約時間。

注意：1. 詞數(shù)100左右；

2. 可適當(dāng)增加細(xì)節(jié)，以使行文連貫。

Dear Anne,

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Yours truly,

Li Hua

It’s time to reconsider food. Around the globe, food problems threaten wildlife, wild places and the planet itself. Today, 7.3 billion people consume 1.6 times 【1】the earth’s natural resources can supply. By 2050, the world’s population will reach 9 billion and the demand for food will double.

So how do we produce more food for more people without 【2】(expand) the land and water already in use? We can’t double the amount of food. 【3】(fortunate), we don’t have to—we just have to double the amount of food available now instead. 【4】short, we must freeze the footprint of food.

In the near-term, food production is enough 【5】(provide) for all, but it doesn’t reach everyone who needs it. About 1.3 billion tons of food 【6】 (waste) each year—four times the amount 【7】 (need) to feed the more than 800 million people who are 【8】(hunger).

By improving efficiency and productivity while reducing waste and shifting consumption 【9】 (pattern), we can produce enough food for everyone by 2050 on roughly 【10】 same amount of land we use now.

While most visitors spend at least one night on Stewart Island, it is also readily accessible by ferry as a day excursion(遠(yuǎn)足) from Invercargill and Bluff. Experience Foveaux Strait in comfort and style on board our express catamarans(快艇). During the one-hour crossing between Bluff and Stewart Island keep a lookout for wildlife, especially seabirds.

Free tea and coffee on board.

Interpretation handouts are available (English only).

Wheelchair access available.

Personal baggage is carried free on the ferries—max. two bags per person. Additional baggage is by advance arrangement.

Vehicle parking available at Bluff (extra cost—reservations recommended).

Attention

Buy 2 or more different excursions and SAVE 20% off all lower priced!

Kids Go FREE on selected departures during NZ School Holidays!

Kids Go FREE for travel 20 April—5 May 2020!

【1】If leaving a car at Bluff, a traveler had better _____.

A.refer to the handouts firstB.use wheelchair access

C.make a reservationD.park it 30 minutes before departure time

【2】On Dec. 28th, John got to the ferry dock at 7:55 a.m. When did he most probably leave Bluff for Stewart Island?

A.At 8:00 a.m..B.At 9:30 a.m..

C.At 11:00 a.m..D.At 3:00 p.m..

【3】Which of the following is not mentioned about the ferry services?

A.Tea and coffee are free for passengers.

B.Children go free for travel for about 15 days.

C.Travelers can see some seabirds during the crossing.

D.Passengers have to pay extra cost for extra pieces of luggage.

注意：

1. 每處錯誤及其修改均僅限一詞；

2. 只允許修改10處，多者（從第11處起）不計分。

Dear Mike,

How is everything going with you? Hearing that you have a plan to learn Chinese, I’m writing to recommend a university that you can have a fruitful learning experience. My recommendation is Peking University, a well-known university suitable for language learning in China.

The reasons account for my recommendation are as follows. To begin with, being a first-class university with the best equipments and the finest teachers, Peking University is capable of offering professional guide and systematic training to you to master Chinese. That I think will impress you must be the resources you can have access during the whole process. Furthermore, locating in Beijing, which is the capital of China, this university has had profound historical culture. Thus, not only can we get to know those who speak standard Mandarin, but you will experience the power of Chinese culture.

All in all, I really hope you can pay a visit to Beijing. I’ll wait for you here and offer help wherever you need.

Yours sincerely,

Jane