相关试卷

Like many kids, last summer I learned to ride a bike. Only I am in my 30s. When I was a child, I had no one to teach me. My mum never learned. My parents divorced (离婚) when I was 4, and in an attempt to perform parental responsibility, my father bought a bicycle for my brother and me to share.

My mum later remarried. When my brother and I were laughed at because we were the only kids past 6 years old who still relied on training wheels, my stepdad removed them, but in doing that, I lost interest and trust in the activity. I was so scared—I was quite tall for my age at 7 and I was worried I'd fall off. I thought I was too old to learn too.

Not knowing how to ride didn't bother me initially, until we moved to the suburbs, where bicycles were popular. On trips to the convenience store to buy candy with my friends, I was always the last to arrive, on foot. By then, I was 12 years old.

In my early 30s, I remember feeling envious as I watched children as young as 3 learn to balance on bikes. Among them were my neighbours, whom I would occasionally babysit. Then something changed. The fear within was still there, but something much stronger was taking over.

I decided to join a women's bike-riding workshop. There, I stood in an urban park, determined to overcome my fear. Meeting women from diverse backgrounds, all seeking cycling skills for various reasons, strengthened my determination. The first thing I noticed was how different each person's learning curve (曲线) was. Some were balancing in no time, while others, like me, needed a bit more time. The workshop was a safe space, full of encouragement and support. Each time I fell, there were hands to help me up, and every time I made progress, there were cheers to celebrate it. Several weeks later, I learned to ride.

注意：

1.续写词数应为150左右；

2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

To enjoy the joy of riding, I bought my own bike.

Learning to ride a bike in my 30s taught me that it's never too late to learn something new.

1.写信目的；

2.你的感想。

注意：

1.写作词数应为80左右；

2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

Dear Mary,

Yours,

Li Hua

A type of glazed pottery(釉陶)with the main colours of yellow, green and white was very popular in the Tang dynasty. It was later called tri-coloured glazed pottery of the Tang dynasty, or Tangsancai.

Tri-coloured glazed pottery was usually used as burial(object). Those human and animal figures have smooth  graceful(优雅的)lines. The soldier figures have strong muscles and carry swords or arrows. The human figures stand quietly, (look)natural and elegant. The animal figures are mainly of horses and camels.

Tri-coloured glazed pottery of the Tang dynasty was mostly produced in Xi'an, Luoyang and Yangzhou, were important cities along the Silk Road. Camels were the major form of transport the ancient trade route during the Tang dynasty. Seeing these glazed pottery artworks, we can imagine the travellers and camels making their hard journey across the desert, depending on one another for (survive).

Tang people were open-minded (accept)different cultures from all over the world. Foreign traders, officials, and artists travelled thousands of miles along the Silk Road to visit the Tang's capital city Chang'an. The evidence of cultural integration can (find)in tri-coloured glazed pottery of the Tang dynasty.

Tri-coloured glazed pottery is the (high)point of Tang pottery and it developed (successful)during the dynasty's early and middle period.

On August 2, 2023, Paul, 68, and Dawn Molineux, 66, from the United Kingdom, visited Southport's Hickory's Smokehouse to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary (周年纪念日) in advance. The actual date of their anniversary was August 29 but 1 was something they did not have much of, and they wanted to fully 2 what they had.

The couple, who were high school sweethearts, found out at the beginning of the year that Paul had a 3 illness. With only about 18 months left together, they 4 to enjoy life to the full. So they went to Hickory's to celebrate their 5 and were welcomed 6 and surprised when their table had a "Happy Anniversary"7 . Many staff members spoke to them, but their8 James Davies left them with the most lasting 9 .

Paul wrote on a Facebook food review group for Southport about how Davies went 10 to serve them. Davies was 11 in the couple's marriage and heard about Paul's terminal diagnosis (绝症), but they never12 what he did for them.

After enjoying their meal, some drinks, and a delicious dessert, Paul and Dawn 13 their bill, which totaled £

80. However, they soon realized that the amount was reduced to £0, and a message that came with the receipt 14 : "Happy anniversary! The bill is on us."

Paul admitted he was "lost for words" when Davies explained how touched he was by their story and had 15 their meal! Paul recalled, "My wife was just in tears when she saw the gesture."

How to Plan a Surprise Party

●Pick a party theme. They may come up wearing crazy clothes, see everyone else's, and you will get the chance to use your creativity when it comes to decorations, prizes, and activities. The best part? It can be anything: cartoon-themed, colour-themed or costume-themed.

●Pick a place your guests of honour frequents to avoid suspicion (怀疑). If you tell your party-persons that you're heading to the nicest restaurant in town, they'll know that there's an occasion. However, if you tell them that you're heading to the same restaurant you go to every Thursday night, suspicion will be kept at a minimum.

●Pick a date before the actual occasion. If this surprise party is for a birthday, holding a party on the day might be a little hard to turn into an awesome surprise.  Besides, choose a date when all of their friends are able to go.

●Choose your guests. Here's what to consider:

A small group. This is easier to manage, people can keep their mouths shut, and it creates a more warm environment. However, it's less impressive and more people might be upset that they're not invited.

A large group. This is harder to manage, the word might slip out, it's harder to get a space, but in the end, your party-persons might be surprised by seeing everyone they love in one room.

● There are three types of people in this world: those that don't like surprise parties because they always want to be prepared, those that don't like surprise parties because they think they're being forgotten, and those that love a good surprise party in their honour. Make sure your party-persons fall into the third category!

A. So choose a place that seems "normal".

B. It isn't much better if something emergent happens.

C. To avoid that, plan something before the actual date.

D. Be sure your guests of honour would want a surprise party.

E. You have two options: a small gathering or a big get-together.

F. An easy way to get guests excited about a party is to give it a theme.

G. The hardest part about a surprise party is making sure your guests don't find it out.

Using fatty foods to comfort eat during times of stress can harm the body's recovery from the pressure, research suggests.

Although many people turn to unhealthy foods such as chocolate, crisps or pastries when they are feeling the strain, researchers have found this can reduce blood flow to the brain and cause poorer vascular (血管的) function, which in turn can have a negative effect on mental health and increase the risk of heart disease. The researchers suggest people resist the attraction of convenient treats by eating fruits and vegetables instead.

Prof Jet Veldhuijzen van Zanten said, "We looked at healthy 18- to 30-year-olds for this study, and to see such a clear difference in how their bodies recover from stress when they eat fatty foods is staggering." For people who already have an increased risk of cardiovascular (心血管) disease, the impacts could be even more serious. We all deal with stress all the time, but especially for those of us in high-stress jobs and at risk of cardiovascular disease, these findings should be taken seriously. This research can help us make decisions that reduce risks rather than make them worse.

The study involved a group of young healthy adults who were given two butter bread as breakfast. The participants were then asked to do mental maths, increasing in speed for eight minutes, and alerted when they got an answer wrong. They could also see themselves on a screen.

The researchers found that consuming fatty foods when mentally stressed reduced vascular function by 

1.74%. Previous studies have shown that a 1% reduction in vascular function leads to a 13% increase in cardiovascular disease risk.

"We also know that the elasticity (弹性) of our blood tubes, which is a measure of vascular function, declines following mental stress," said the study's first author, Rosalind Baynham from the University of Birmingham.

Between 20 and 40 per cent of planet Earth is covered in grasslands, across every continent except for Antarctica. Grass is a low-growing, flowering plant with groups of narrow leaves growing from its base. Strong roots typically hold this plant's leaves firmly to the ground.

One of the most common sights along stretches of grass is grass-eating animals. This is because many large animals rely on extensive grasslands to survive, and grass grows well with this regular trimming (修剪). The plants gain their energy from sunlight and require healthy cells to do so. If the leaves aren't cut, the tips die and start to rot. When they are damaged with a clean cut, however, the cells are caused to grow quicker and produce new, healthy tissue. This is also why cutting your garden's grassland regularly can make your grass look thicker and healthier.

Humans rely on grass for food, too. Many grasses, such as w heat or corn, are harvested as a main part of some diets. Meanwhile, grass is used indirectly to produce food in the form of livestock (牲畜). Cattle farmers require grass in their fields to feed cows and sheep before they are turned into meat for human consumption.

One of the most debated questions is how long ago grass evolved. Because grass doesn't preserve well as a fossil, a definitive answer is hard to come by. Until recently, many scientists estimated that grass began to grow on Earth between 50 and 65 million years ago.

However, within the last decade, a piece of 100-million-year-old amber (琥珀) was found that appeared to contain the oldest grass fossil to date. Studies of fossilized dinosaur faces (粪便) also suggest that some dinosaurs lived at the same time that grass grew on the planet, incorporating it into their diets.

At 102 years old, toy inventor Eddy Goldfarb is still going like freshly wound Yakity-Yak Talking Teeth, one of his more than 800 creations. Goldfarb also dreamed up the Bubble Gun, battery-powered Stomper vehicles and KerPlunk, in which hopeful players hold their breath as they strategically remove sticks without disturbing the marbles above.

"Being active and being creative is my secret, and I think it could apply to a lot of people," the Toy Industry Hall of Fame inductee (新成员) says in an interview before singing the praises of his pair of 3D printers. "That's the most wonderful machine because you start with nothing, and it goes layer by layer and builds something."

The Chicago native still creates in his workshop and is the focus of Eddy's World, a documentary that aired on TV. The 28-minute film is directed by his daughter, Lyn Goldfarb.

Goldfarb knew he was going to be a creator at 5 when his father invited an inventor to dinner. "That's when I learned the meaning of the word," he says, "and I knew from then on that I was going to be an inventor." The designer couldn't afford college and joined the Navy during World War II. He thought of the ideas for his first three toys while serving on the USS Batfish.

Goldfarb feels "very lucky" to still be alive at his age. He owes his longevity (长寿) to being creative and his optimistic personality. "During the war I was on the submarine (潜艇) and saw a lot of action, and I think I realized what's important and what's not," he says. "I found out that most things aren't that important. I can overlook a lot."

What's next for the centenarian (百岁老人)? He'd fancy another milestone birthday. "Oh, I'd like to turn 105," he says. "I'm fortunate that I'm healthy. I don't have any of the aches and pains that I heard about all my life. So life is worth living. At 105, we'll start thinking about what we should do."

Four best photobooks in 2023

Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake

Following 2020's smash hit Entangled Life, mycologist Merlin Sheldrake return s just in time for Christmas with an amazing illustrated edition. At over 240 pages, Sheldrake's passion and knowledge leap off every spread. From the microscopic (微观) to the splendid, the colour images create an entertaining experience.

Anna Atkins: Cyanotypes by Peter Walther

Often copied, seldom improved on, the elegant cyanotypes (氰化钾照片) of Ann a Atkins are timeless. First created in the 1840s, cyanotypes use light-sensitive iron salt solution and exposure to sunlight to create beautiful Prussian blue prints. Peter Walther's book is comprehensive, 660 pages long, and is perfect for Atkins' fans or anyone keen to learn.

The Earth in Our Hands by Thomas Pesquet

Thomas Pesquet's breathtaking collection of photographs taken from the International Space Station(ISS)follows in the footsteps of astronaut Don Pettit's Spaceborne. Pesquet took more than 245,000 images over two missions, with his book including 200 of these. It is the closest most of us will get to being on the ISS — a really immersive read.

Looking at Trees by Sophie Howarth

Sophie Howarth's absorbing book features 26 of the world's leading photographers, including Nicholas J. R. White and Anna Beeke. From a framed Hollywood juniper in California to a surreal (超现实的) image of Halfway Gardens in Gauteng, South Africa, Howarth asks us to value trees at a time of environmental challenge. A book you will return to.

Babloo was picking color papers and some watercolors while his mum was busy selecting the necessary daily supplies for this month. They both completed their selection of items and went to the checkout to pay the bill. Seetha was surprised to see the bill of Rs. 1000 (卢比), which was more than the budget that she had set. She wanted to return some of the items picked up by Babloo. 

"But I like drawing. My teacher always shows my art to the class," Babloo cried. He usually went to a secret place to work on creative artwork. He knew it was difficult for his parents to earn enough money. He was sure his artwork would be appreciated by the shop-keepers around and that he could give his parents a big surprise.

Seetha decided not to disappoint her son. Back at home, Babloo wanted to eagerly open the boxes and look at those items he had selected. But Seetha asked him to do his homework first. She was a litle worried about what her husband, Ramesh, would say about the additional bill amount. 

Ramesh reached home around 7:00 P. M. He was very tired and Seetha offered him a cup of coffee. He was a sales executive. He had to work hard to complete the sales target to save his job in the company. 

"We need to save at least a little more amount per month, Seetha. It might help us for any emergency expenses," said Ramesh with a dull face. "What was the bill amount for this month? I hope that was within our budget."

Seetha was silent for a moment and asked him to have his coffee first. Ramesh, with worry on his face, asked again, wondering if there was any problem. 

"No... no issues at all. Only thing is this week's spending has gone over the budget." answered Seetha. "Babloo bought color papers and some watercolors and I did not want to disappoint him."

注意：

1.续写词数应为150左右；

2.请按如下格式在相应位置作答。

At this, Ramesh called Babloo and talked to him angrily and seriously. 

Four weeks later, Babloo ran towards his father with lots of excitement and 10 notes of Rs. 

100.

注意：

1.词数应为80左右；

2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答；

3.开头和结尾已给出，不计入词数。

Good morning, everyone! It is a pleasure to talk about a topic that has played a crucial role in my life: self-discipline. 

......

In conclusion, self-discipline is the key to success in both academics and life.

A skywell, or "tian jing" in Chinese, dating back to the Ming dynasty, is a typical feature of a traditional home in southern and eastern China. It(design) to allow in light, improve ventilation (通风), and harvest rainwater. Less(expose) to the outdoor environment, a skywell is smaller and distinct from a northern courtyard.

Despite the fact a skywell's size and design vary from region to region, it is almost always rectangular (长方形) and located in the core of a house. It is either enclosed by rooms on four sides three sides plus a wall. When wind blows above a skywell house, it can enter the indoor space through the opening. Because outdoor air is often cooler, the incoming wind travels down the walls to the lower stories creates airflow by replacing(warm) indoor air, which rises and leaves through the opening.

Due to the (revive) of traditional Chinese architecture, skywell buildings have been making a comeback. Architects are now looking towards the (principle) behind skywells while designing new buildings (save) energy. One example is the National Heavy Vehicle Engineering Technology Research Center in the eastern Chinese city of Jinan. A giant skywell is in the middle of the 18-storey glass-walled tower block, (stretch) from the fifth to the top floor.

"This will never do." I kept telling my husband as he set the table one Thanksgiving. I wanted everything to be 1 , because my parents would come. Criticisms from my childhood 2 rang in my mind. So whenever my parents visited us, I 3 myself for more faultfinding. The unhealthy pursuit of perfection 4 the joy from our celebration. Gradually I 5 the reason for Thanksgiving, and I found myself, like my parents, 6 people around me.

Then luckily, I read from a book, "Too much criticism hurts; necessary praise helps. Put your praise of someone in 7 so that the person can save and read it."

So the next Thanksgiving, I 8 to my husband and my son, "We're each going to write a message saying what we 9 about one of us." Despite their eye-rolling, we soon finished and exchanged our 10 . My son sat up straighter after 11 what his father had written about him. And I felt so uplifted myself when I read "I am proud of your cooking." That was a life-changing 12 . Since then my family has the 13 and we do it year-round―not just the fourth Thursday of November.

I no longer just focus on finding fault with others. I'm more 14 how I can help the people around me feel loved and appreciated. Especially in writing, because behind every 15 is the power of love.

Have you ever wondered why different people react differently to the things you say and do? Maybe you told your parents a story that made them laugh, but found that the same story was upsetting to the kids at school. What caused them to react so differently? 

Boundaries are the cut-off point between what a person finds funny and charming, and what they find hurtful and inappropriate. You may not always share a person's boundaries, but it's still important to respect them.

That's why it's especially important to be a good listener when you're first getting to know someone. Listening will help you get a feel for the topics they are comfortable discussing. If they become withdrawn when you bring up a certain topic, or they try to change subjects, you may be making them uncomfortable. Then it is better to pull back in the conversation, and let them take the lead for a while.

While many people won't tell you directly that you've made them uncomfortable, some people will. In that case, it's always best to apologize and correct the offensive behavior. Failing to take a step back can create a lot of discomfort for the people around you. Most people can forgive a one-time slip, but you should avoid making the same mistake repeatedly, which can damage a friendship.

A. You aren't sure of a person's boundaries.

B. Different people have different boundaries.

C. The gateway to a healthy relationship is boundaries.

D. They may tell you that you're standing too close to them.

E. Pay attention to the way they react to your ideas and jokes.

F. A person tends to tell you directly if you've made a mistake.

G. The answer has something to do with a tricky concept called boundaries.

The subject of Jay Owens's new book has long been trying to kill me. Like millions of people around the world, I am allergic to dust. I have long considered it an enemy. But Owens is out to broaden our perspective.

While each particle (微粒) of dust may be tiny, together they have outsized consequences. Approximately 2bn tons of dust are lifted into the Earth's atmosphere each year, Owens tells us, both absorbing and reflecting the sun's energy and seeding clouds — therefore directly affecting global temperatures and climate. Like water, dust is part of an essential ecological cycle.

Owens's own fascination with dust started in 2015, with a road trip through California. Owens was transfixed by the story of Los Angeles, whose growth and modern existence was only possible through the systematic theft of water and the creation of a dust desert to the east.

Early in the book, Owens unpacks the history of hygiene (卫生), exploring how dirt and our relation to it has changed over centuries, and cleanliness — or the pursuit of it — defines our modern lives. After the Industrial Revolution, emerging ideas about the relationship between dirt and disease made dust something to be fought against- a responsibility that fell on women. The poorest people tended to have the least time and money to clean a house; often, their jobs were to clean the houses of others. "The history of 20th-century cleanliness is, thus, a history not only of the making of sex and class distinctions, but racialised inequalities."

Perhaps the most emotionally stirring chapter in the book is that in which Owens retells the story of the nuclear age not through mushroom clouds, but through the radioactive dust they left behind. One study estimated that the effects of atmospheric nuclear testing would eventually result in the deaths of 2. 4 million people from cancer, a threat "that has gone substantially unnoticed because radioactive dust is such a delayed killer".

One reason to think about dust, Owens writes in Dust, is "to challenge ourselves to try to see the world beyond our easy imaginings".

Years ago, I interviewed James Patterson, an advertising manager, about the latest campaign. But all he wanted to talk about was fiction-writing. "I hope to be a writer. It is always in my head," he said.

I remember thinking: Sure, you and everybody else. 

A decade or so later, however, I was surprised to see James on TV, holding up his new book. 

Mr. Patterson's ability to see himself as a writer illustrates a concept known as "possible selves." The term, coined in 1986 by the social psychologists Hazel Markus and Paula Nurius, grew out of research on self-concept. While self-concepts – "I am a kind person" or "I am a good parent"- are rooted in the present, the researchers found people are also informed by ideas about what they might become and how they might change.

These possible selves, both positive and negative, are closely related to motivation. A violin student who envisions life as a professional musician might be motivated to practice. A person whose feared possible self is an alcoholic may become a non-drinker. In a small study, when young adults were encouraged to envision themselves as either regular exercisers (hoped-for selves) or inactive(feared selves), both groups exercised more in the weeks afterward. 

A possible self can take you beyond daydreams, which are often not necessarily grounded in reality. It can come to fruition if you build a bridge from your "now" self to the possible self. "If you're regularly dreaming of a different career, enroll in a course, shadow someone, take up a hobby or a side job. Making the transition requires you to say now, today, this week, these are the steps I can actually take to attain the goal," said Daphna Oyserman, a psychology professor at the University of Southern California.

But don't quit your job just yet. An analysis of career-transition research concluded that successful reinventions require adjustments and re-evaluations as you go. Mr. Patterson, for example, wrote almost a dozen books while still at his ad agency; he found his style only after many tries.

Sometimes one plus one does equal three, as was the case when McNee, a basketball coach, met Mandekic. When Mandekic, a math teacher, told McNee how hard it was to get students excited about math at a gathering, he suggested, "Why not throw in something they enjoy, like sports?" "You are kidding!" Mandekic dismissed his idea at the moment.

The idea of mixing basketball and mathematics got its first shot two years later, when Mandekic and McNee, the now colleagues - who had launched a tutoring non-profit - were invited to run a summer-school program for kids who'd failed Grade 9 math at Vanier School.

When the students showed up for their first day, they weren't exactly thrilled. Over the next few hours, Mandekic and McNee gave the kids techniques to improve their shooting while also helping them calculate their field-goal percentage - which, in turn, taught them math knowledge. At the end of the game, the winning team was determined based on which group had the highest total percentage and had done the most efficient math. "When the bell rang, they were so focused on collecting their data and figuring out which team won that they didn't leave," says Mandekic. The classes, later named BallMatics, soon spread to other schools.

Later, McNee and Mandekic established a private school called Uchenna. At the school, kids with excellent basketball skills study all subjects, train at their sport and work part-time helping out with the BallMatics after-school programs. For the school's first graduates, the value of BallMatics is clear: all of the 16 boys landed university scholarships for their performance in the classroom, not on the court. "The school's commitment to academics is the key reason for our success. The coaches would bench students who didn't keep up in class." Abbott, one of them, says, "At Uchenna, we were student athletes, after all, not athlete students."

Windy City Harvest Farm Tours

Visit one of the Windy City Harvest farm sites and learn more about our program. We offer different tours which include information about the program history, job-training mission, and growing practices. All profits from the tour fees help fund the education of the city. 

SITE

North Lawndale Farm

This farm site is located on the west side of Chicago on a 1/5-acre (英亩) lot. It has been a training site since our programme was launched in 2003. Currently this space can serve up to 20 people at a time. 

McCormick Place Farm

It is a 3/5-acre rooftop farm at McCormick Place West in cooperation with Savor Chicago, the food service team for McCormick Place. Produce grown on the rooftop farm is harvested and then delivered directly to Savor Chicago. This 12-year-old farm is a sought-after training site for WCH program participants. 

Washington Park Farm

Established in 2012, Washington Park Farm is a major job-training center. Located on the east of Chicago Park District, this 3/4-acre site hosts up to 25 participants during the growing season. 

PRICE

ADMISSIONReservation is required. Provide payment in the form of check or money order payable to Windy City Harvest or in cash upon your arrival at the tour site except Washington Park Farm. For groups interested in visiting two or more farm sites during the tour, an additional fee will apply. It's important to note that tour groups should arrange for their own transportation.

Today I am going to share my experience that is related to the quote that I just read. I tall started when the drawing competition was taking place. I really wanted to win it and get the trophy(奖杯)of the best artist, so I started working really hard on my weak points in drawing and I started to plan on how I could win the trophy. I spent so many hours working on it that the time flew really fast and I didn't even notice that finally the day came. I was so excited but nervous at the same time. I just hoped my plans worked to make me good enough to win the trophy and the competition. 

I went to the hall where we had to draw in and I saw my best friend, so I waved to her and she waved back. When the drawing competition started I drew what I needed to draw in the given time and the funny thing was that I didn't even face any problems. Everything went in place and I was feeling very confident that I would finally get the trophy of the best artist. 

Then came the day when they announced the winner. I was so confident to get the prize that I didn't even bother to hear who was getting it because I knew I would be the one to get it. Then I heard my friend's name being called and this shocked me so much. How could she get it and not me?I congratulated her and went home, making sure nobody saw how sad I was. I was happy for my friend but I was very disappointed at the same time, so I did something that I usually do when I am sad or disappointed—read a book. The first book I saw was the book of moral stories. 

注意：

1. 续写词数应为150左右；

2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

1. 社团简介；

2. 招新条件；

3. 试唱安排。

参考词汇：试唱audition

注意：

1. 写作词数应为80左右；

2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。