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One day when I was 12, my mother ordered me to walk to the public library and borrow at least one book for tho summer. This was one more weapon for her to 1  my strange problem 2  to read.

In the library, I sat down on the floor and pulled a few books off the shelf 3 . The beagle (比格猎犬) on the book's cover 4 my eye. The first and only animal companion I ever had as a child was a beagle. 5 , one morning, he was gone, given 6 to someone who had this space and money to care for him. I never 7 my beagle.

The beagle on tho cover looked 8 to my dog. My eyes ran across the 9 , " Amor, the Bengle with a Plan." 10 , I I had read the title. Without opening the book, I 11 it from tho library for the summer.

I started to read about Amos very slowly and with 12 . It was about a dog who, like mine, had been 13  from his family and found his way back home. That dog was my dog, and I was the little boy in the book. At the end of the story, my mind continued the final scene of 14  until my own lost dog and I were, in my mind, running together.

My mother's call returned me to the 15 world. I suddenly 16 something I had read a book and loved it. Everyone knew I couldn't read, but I had read it. Books were 17 , and I was going to read them.

I 18  told my mother about my miraculous (奇迹般的) experience that summer, but she saw a slow but remarkable 19  in my classroom performance during the next year. Years later, she was 20 that her son had read thousands of books, was awarded a PhD in literature and authored his own books, articles, poetry and fiction.

Weather could power the next generation of smart windows. Researchers have created glass by harvesting energy from wind and precipitation(降水). The approach offers an alternative to other smart windows powered by batteries, solar panels, and even standard power outlets." The creation represents a new kind of renewable energy source, "says Liming Dai, a nanomaterial engineer at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, who was not involved in the research.

Smart glass, which changes its characteristics to block out light, has been around for decades. Common examples include glarefighting rearview(后视) car mirrors and windows that change color for energy savings and privacy. But many are expensive, and people are still looking for ecofriendly ways to power the windows. Batteries and plugin outlets aren't apparently "green", and builtin solar panels can cloud or hide parts of the glass.

In experiments, the glass produced up to 130 milliwatts per square meter, enough to power a pacemaker or a smart phone while it's asleep, the team reported online last month in ACS Nano. This output might suit many applications, such as being a power source for home or office electronics, says co­developer and scientist Zhong Lin Wang of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. Since their first project in 2012, a light­up sidewalk powered by footsteps, he and his colleagues have miniaturized（使小型化） their generators（发电机） to create everything from self­cleaning keyboards to sensors for security systems.

But Wang and his colleagues still have more work to do before this smart glass is ready for commercialization. Now, the glass has no way to store the energy it creates. To solve this problem, Dai says, transparent super capacitors(电容器) could be placed into the glass without decreasing visibility.

For now, the team wants to improve the energy efficiency of their nanogenerators. These tiny power plants can convert about 60% of the mechanical energy that they collect into electricity. "The output power is a constant goal, "Wang says."Free energy surrounds us, and anything can happen if you take control of it."

Natural selection is the process by which one type of animal within a species thrives (兴旺) because of certain characteristics that make it more likely to live than others in its group. The history of the peppered moth (灰蛾) is an example of the natural selection process.

In nineteenth-century England, certain types of peppered moths were able to better blend (融合) into their surroundings. During that time period, great changes were happening in Great Britain. The Industrial Revolution was part of this change, and with it came air pollution. Natural selection often takes hundreds or even thousands of years to occur. For the peppered moth, this process occurred comparatively quickly.

At the beginning of the Industrial Age most peppered moths in England were light-colored and covered with black markings, although a few moths had dark-colored wings. Because the light-colored moths blended into the light-colored bark on the trees, they could not be easily seen by birds that would eat them. The light-colored moths became easy for birds to see against the dark tree trunks. Since the dark-colored moths now had the advantage, their numbers grew. Within 50 years, the peppered moth went from being mostly light-colored to being mostly dark-colored.

In the twentieth century, the air cleared up, and the peppered moth population changed again. As tree trunks lightened due to less soot in the air, light-colored moths once again had an advantage. Their numbers increased as soot levels declined. Depending on their environment, the coloration of the moths helped them to be "naturally selected" to survive.

What is a family? Why does it matter? What does it teach us that we can't learn on our own? These questions seem especially relevant in the holiday season when it is often our tradition to gather as families and celebrate together.

My mother was one of twelve children. As they grew up, married and had children of their own, most of them lived near enough to gather for holidays at my grandparents' home in a small town in the mountains of North Carolina.

I don't recall getting many gifts from them. I remember the sense of belonging, of being part of something that assured me I was loved and not alone. I delighted in the laughing playing and fighting with my crazy cousins, I watched my granddad and uncles sit on the porch(门廊), rain or shine, smoking and joking arguing about politics and trying to solve the problems of the world. I listened to grandmother, mother and aunts stir pots on the stove and talk about their lives, hopes, dreams and disappointments, and gossip about any sister who failed to show up. The food was always plentiful and delicious — country ham, sweet potatoes, green beans, biscuits and my grandmother's banana pudding. But for me, the food was never the highlight. The highlight was simply being together. A family.

However, they're all gone now. My parents and grandparents, my aunts and males have left this world for the next. My cousins are scattered(分散) here and there. And yet the memories linger, along with the love that we shared. I treasure those memories and the things they taught me. They told me that families aren't perfect, but they prepare us to find our way in an imperfect world. They made me realize that all families are crazy in their own peculiar(独特的) ways.

My husband and I are growing a new family while keeping close to the surviving members of the families. It's a beautiful blend (混合) of kindness, traditions nurturing(养育) and friendships, which grows year after year.

I hope this holiday season will fill you with lovely memories of the family that raised you, and surround you with all the people who mean "family" to you now.

 Alice had just been appointed in the multinational bank. After one month of severe training, today was her first day to go to work. 

 She got up a bit earlier than usual, and decided to skip her gym workout as she did not want to risk being tired or getting late to her office on her first day. She went through her morning routine and spent a lot of time in selecting what to wear. None of her dresses seemed to appeal to her—they were either a little too casual or too dull and she definitely wanted to make an impression right from the start. Finally she settled on the white embroidered (刺绣的) dress. 

She waved bye to her mom and set off cheerfully towards the bus stop. But she saw a bus leaving the stop just as she crossed the street. Now she would have to wait for a good 15 minutes. 15 minutes passed and then 30 minutes and there was no sign of the bus. "It must be stuck in heavy traffic", a kind lady who was also waiting for the bus told her. Hearing that, Alice got anxious. She had to reach her office on time. Then she saw a taxi approaching but when she tried to stop it, the taxi driver sped by without even taking a glance at her. Alice was wondering what she could do.

It was then that a car stopped near her and a man waved to her. The driver asked her where she was going and after Alice told him that she was going to the bank at Nariman Point, the man said "Oh, my office is in the nearby building. Can I give you a lift?" Alice hesitated for a moment and got into the car. They exchanged names and began to talk for a while. Then the driver switched on the radio and was absorbed in the song. Alice looked out of the window and imagined her first day at work, worrying whether she was capable of the new job, and if she could get along well with her colleagues. After about ten minutes, Alice realized they were not on the familiar route to her office.

 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。 

 She began to worry that she might get into the car of a bad man.  

 …… 

 Then the car turned around a corner and Alice saw the tall building where her office was unexpectedly. 

 注意：1. 词数80左右；2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。 

 Dear Henry, 

 …… 

 Yours, 

 Li Hua 

The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute is America's only (science) organization that investigates life on other planets. Project Phoenix, is SETI's main research project, uses the world's most advanced equipment to look at outer space. They look especially for signals on the microwave band from 1,000 MHz to 3,000 MHz, the band that researchers believe life on other plants could use to get touch with us.

Project Phoenix has not detected any extraterrestrial (外星的) signals yet. If an unusual signal is discovered, the scientists must be able (keep) track of it. In 1977, an unusual signal was heard at the Ohio State Radio Observatory. (unfortunate), the signal was irrelevant to life. The signal was never heard again. Nothing like this (happen) at SETI since then. In the (absent) of such signals, no one could tell whether there is any other life form out there in space. But what if SETI discovered a signal? Would they reply to the signal? Right now, SETI does not plan to reply to any signals they might discover. If they heard a signal, the nations of the Earth would have to decide whether not to reply. This means senders of signal may never know the Earth received their signal. Also, it's never easy to send signals back. The receivers would be very far away, and it (take) many years for the signals to travel to them.

The Internet can be a dark place. Readers generally don't show their true1 and thus feel free to leave bitter comments.

So2 , schoolteacher Decker in Florida felt worried when her son wanted to share her3 online. He posted a photo of Decker shyly holding her painting and wrote: "My mom painted this and said no one would be4 of it. It's her 2^nd painting."

To Decker's surprise, more than 24,000 people praised her painting! An artist saw the photo and made a decision to express his5 for the mother by painting Decker carrying her painting. He even6 the shy look on her face. He then7 himself holding his painting of Decker with her painting and posted the image online.

Two days later, a journalism student8 her own picture of the artist holding his painting of Decker holding her painting online. Well, thus the Internet just stepped in and9 . More and more people joined in and10 the "fun". By this time, the paintings and pictures of paintings had got over one million people's attention online.

Instead of the11 remarks she was expecting, Decker said so many people were very friendly to her. She registered a social media account to12 their support. She wrote, "I was really13 I was going to read a lot of hateful comments. I was 14 . You all are sympathetic, caring, and a ton of fun! You all have15 me and strengthened my confidence. Thank you!"

Griffin Kubik spent two years at Chicago Waldorf preschool before his parents pulled the plug on his formal education. The 6-year-old now spends his days with his parents travelling in their newly purchased touring car. "." said Griffin's mom.

Griffin is one of about 3.5 million homeschooled children in the nation. This number has been growing by 3 to 8 percent each year, since 2012, according to the National Center for Education Statistics., ranging from parents' ideas to more practical issues including globally-focused families who don't want to tie their children to a set way of learning and school-based issues.. There are parents who teach kids at home loosely, and others who do a full homeschool program delivered by tutors and teachers in the home.

But homeschooling isn't problem-free. As public school teachers, Genola Johnson and her husband are homeschooling their children." . Besides, your child loses interest and is bored, which can be due to no social interaction (互动),'' Johnson said. "You have to find ways for them to socialize with their peers (同龄人) regardless of them having brothers or sisters at home."

 . In the early years, parents may consider teaching their own children, but as they advance—or as the child needs classes or other opportunities for socializing—the fees can quickly add up. 

A.Tasks can easily get out of control 

B.Homeschooling is becoming more unacceptable 

C.Homeschooling can also become very expensive 

D.We suggest creating a schedule for homeschooling 

E.That growing popularity can result from a number of things 

F.Homeschooling can also be designed to fit a family's lifestyle

G.For our family, learning while travelling is of more benefit than going to school 

 Electric cars are dirty. In fact, not only are they dirty, they might even be dirtier than their gasoline-powered cousins. 

People in California love to talk about "zero-emissions vehicles", but people in California seem to be clueless about where electricity comes from. Power plants mostly use fire to make it. Aside from the new folks who have their roofs covered with solar cells, we get our electricity from generators (发电机). Generators are fueled by something—usually coal, oil, but also by heat generated in nuclear power plants. There are a few wind farms and geothermal (地热) plants as well, but by far we get electricity mainly by burning something.

In other words, those "zero-emissions" cars are likely coal-burning cars. It's just because the coal is burned somewhere else, it looks clean. It is not. It's as if the California Greens are covering their eyes—"If I can't see it, it's not happening." Gasoline is an incredibly efficient way to power a vehicle; a gallon of gas has a lot of energy in it. But when you take that gas (or another fuel) and first use it to make electricity, you waste a nice part of that energy, mostly in the form of wasted heat—at the generator, through the transmission lines, etc.

A gallon of gas may propel your car 25 miles. But the electricity you get from that gallon of gas won't get you as far. If our electricity came mostly from nukes or geothermal, or hydro or wind or solar, then an electric car truly would be clean. But for political, technical, and economic reasons, we don't use much of those energy sources.

In addition, electric cars' batteries which are poisonous for a long time will eventually end up in a landfill. And finally, when cars are the polluters, the pollution is spread across all the roads. When it's a power plant, though, all the junk is in one place. Nature is very good at cleaning up when things are too concentrated, but it takes a lot longer when all the garbage is in one spot.

 In the future your automobile will run on water instead of gas! You will be able to buy a supercomputer that fits in your pocket! You might even drive a flying car! 

 Not all past predictions have been proven wrong. A few of them have been surprisingly accurate. Some great thinkers predicted the arrival of the credit card, the fax machine and even the Internet—years before they happened. But for each prediction that has come true, some others have missed by a mile. Many of these predictions didn't consider how people would want to use the technology or whether people really needed these high­tech things in their lives or not. Let's look at some predictions from the not­too­distant past. 

 Robot helpers 

 Where's the robot in my kitchen? Nowhere, of course. And he's probably not coming anytime soon. Robots do exist today, but mostly in factories and other working environments. 

 Back in the 1950s, however, people said that by now personal robots would be in most people's homes. 

 So why hasn't it happened? Maybe because robots are still too expensive and clumsy. And probably the idea of robots cooking our dinners and washing our clothes is just too weird. At home we seem to be doing fine without them. 

 Telephones of tomorrow 

 In 1964 an American company introduced the video telephone. They said by the year 2000 most people would have a video phone in their homes. But of course the idea hasn't caught on yet. 

 Why? The technology worked fine, but it overlooked something obvious: people desire for privacy. Would you want to have a video phone conversation with someone after you just stepped out of the shower? Probably not—it could be uncomfortable! Just because technology doesn't always mean people will want to use it. 

 And finally, how about that crazy prediction of the flying car? It's not so crazy any more! But a flying car remains one of the most wonderful technology ideas to catch our imagination. Keep watching the news or perhaps the sky outside your window to see what the future will bring. 

Charles Darwin was a naturalist who described his findings in many papers and published works. The basis of his works was the theory of evolution (进化). Darwin pieced together information from his earliest studies to continuously expand upon the heart of his theory called "natural selection".

 The root of Darwin's theory can be traced back to his time at the University of Edinburgh. There he first became interested in invertebrates (无脊椎动物) and the possibility that other creatures evolved from simpler organisms like them. Then in Christ's College in Cambridge, Darwin began to collect knowledge about plants and the earth. 

Though Darwin began his life as a somewhat religious person, several ideas like the argument that nature was a process of "God's design" did not seem to match his rapidly increasing understanding of nature and geology. When the chance to contribute to his study as a naturalist on the HMS Beagle presented itself, Darwin was excited to undertake that role. Though the voyage lasted five years and was extremely difficult and tiring, it provided the basis of knowledge that Darwin would build upon to write his description of natural selection.

 Darwin's time aboard the HMS Beagle and his time spent off the ship in South America were full of observation and collection. Apart from the creatures, Darwin explored the rise and fall of the land and grasped the massive time span (时间跨度) of the earth and the changes it had experienced as an environment during its time span. 

 Upon his return, Darwin worked for years to produce the first edition of his theory of natural selection in his 1859 book On the Origin of Species. 

 Darwin drew his theory from years of studies of various creatures including some extinct animals. It was paired with knowledge of geology and how the earth had evolved as an environment in which every living thing has existed.