On Christmas Eve, 1944, my grandmother urged my uncle, then 12 years old, to slip out of the concentration camp where they were imprisoned near 15 miles east of Vienna to go to Deutsch-Wagram. “People are charitable around Christmastime,” Grandma Lili said to her son, Gyuri. “Ask for some food. Anything they can spare. Tell them that we’re on the edge of starvation. Tell them that your 3-year-old sister can not get off the bed because she’s outgrown her shoes.”

In the dark of that night, Gyuri secretly left the camp and walked nearly four miles to Deutsch-Wagram, the closest town. He happened upon a house and knocked on the front door. A woman opened that door. She was probably alone, her man far away, fighting in the war, her children asleep in their beds. The 12-year-old pieced together in German exactly what his mother had told him to say.

“Come back tomorrow," whispered the woman. The next day, my uncle returned. The woman opened the door with a smile. She piled his hands with bread, clothing, a pair of shoes that her child had outgrown and a pair of socks. The woman had knitted warm socks for my mother. After putting on the socks and shoes that fit, my mother got off the bed in delight. Her ragged shoes were passed on to a younger child who was also living in the camp. They shared their unexpected harvest with the entire camp. It was a quiet celebration of human kindness around Christmastime.

In April 1945, my mother, uncle and grandmother were liberated. And it was those very socks and shoes that my mother wore as she walked some 28 miles over two days to Bratislava on her walk to a new life.

To the unknown giver, I thank you. In the desperation of a cold and snowy land, when many hearts were closed and death was more likely than life, especially for Jews, you gave them hope and comfort.

1.What did Gyuri manage to do on Christmas Eve?

A. Get permitted to go out.

B. Receive food and clothing.

C. Express what his family needed.

D. Celebrate Christmas in the camp

2.Why does the author mention shoes so many times?

A. To prove the truth of the story.

B. To help the development of the story.

C. To attract readers’ attention to the story.

D. To make clear the background of the story.

3.What feeling did the author write the text with?

A. Desperation. B. Gratefulness.

C. Excitement. D. Sorrow.

4.What is the passage mainly about?

A. Light in darkness. B. Peace to common people.

C. Courage in face of danger. D. The influence of Christmas.

Oh my God, the robots are taking over! We’re doomed! Doomed! Now that I’ve gotten that out of my system, it’s become clear that while we may or may not be doomed, the robots are taking over. The latest example is the government’s new guidelines for self-driving cars.

Tesla, Google and Uber are already testing driverless cars in cities across America. Uber chief executive Travis Kalanick is among those predicting that by 2021, self-driving cars will play a big part in urban settings.

Nearly 40,000 people died last year in this nation in automobile-related accidents, and we believes driverless cars can save tens of thousands of lives annually.

Makes sense. Robot drivers are less likely to get drunk, drive without a license, text while driving or feel agitated at the scene of a pileup. On the other hand, I wonder how these highly sensitive cars will react, with walkers constantly dashing into the street. Will they jam on the brakes every 10 seconds?

But there’s a bigger picture. Not only are robots replacing humans behind the wheel, but behind the work desk, in warehouses, senior homes, you name it. Robots aren’t just taking over in the workplace.

The question is, where can’t a robot function better than a human? How about writing songs? A robot can go through every combination of notes in record time and come up with a pleasing melody. The lyrics might be a different story. Is a Grammy-winning song co-written by Hank Human and R-3071 in our future?

Finally, it’s only a matter of time until we have robot politicians and presidential candidates. Why not? They can be programmed to be experts in world and domestic affairs and come up with the best solutions without corruption and bad humors.

Actually, it’s too bad such technology isn’t available in 2016. Pretty sure the robot would win in a landslide.

1.What does the underlined word “agitated” mean?

A. Tired B. Cautious

C. Careful D. Anxious

2.What doubt does the writer have about self-driving cars?

A. How passengers behave in it.

B. How robot drivers get the license.

C. How they avoid crashing into other car.

D. How they respond to walkers on a busy street.

3.The last questions asked in the sixth paragraph reflects the writer’s ________.

A. confidence in robots, winning Grammy Awards

B. eagerness to listen to songs written by robots

C. doubt about robots’ ability to write songs

D. curiosity about the future Grammy songs

4.What might be the most suitable title for the text?

A. Robots will control the world in every field

B. Robots are coming but not soon enough

C. Robots are being used in our daily life

D. Robots can drive cars and write music

Like many thickly populated urban neighborhoods, Lincoln Park also has rats. A lot of rats. “Every night when I walk down the sidewalk, I see rats, ” says 36-year-oId Kelly McGee, who has come to accept this aspect of city living. “It’s an urban area; I don't know what else we can expect.”

McGee lives just down the block from the old Children's Memorial Hospital, which is about to be torn down as part of a massive redevelopment project. “Construction all over the city often disturbs rats that are living underground,” says Lincoln Park’s City Council representative, Alderman Michele Smith. “Every developer has to do active rat reduction on site, ”Smith says. Already, there are poisonous and inviting food boxes all around the old hospital complex. But the developer of the hospital site still warned residents in a recent community meeting that when digging begins later this month, the rat problem could be awful.

Victoria Thomas, who lives a few miles north of Lincoln Park in Chicago’s Lake View neighborhood, says she tried everything from underground fencing to poison traps to wipe out rats, but nothing worked until she got some cats. From the first day she got the cats, Thomas says the rats started to disappear.

“The cats will kill off a great deal of the initial population of the rats, ”says Paul Nickerson, who manages the Cats at Work program for Tree House Humane Society. “And through spreading their pheromones, a chemical produced by an animal, the cats will keep other rats from filling their absence.” Nickerson says that is what makes the cat program so successful in keeping rats away for the long term. ” The rats are far from stupid. They smell the cats’ pheromones so they’ll stay out of the cats’ territory(领域).”

After Smith highlighted the program in a recent newsletter, Nickerson and Tree House Humane Society have been getting lots of calls from people seeking their own cat colonies. That means a lot more wild cats that might otherwise be killed out of pity will be cared for while doing something that they love: hunting rats.

1.What is McGee’s attitude towards the rat problem?

A. Indifferent. B. Tolerant.

C. Annoyed. D. Frightened.

2.What does the underlined word in the last but one paragraph refer to?

A. Rats’ stupidity.

B. Tree House Humane Society.

C. Cat’s nature of killing rats.

D. The smell of cat’s pheromones.

3.What does the last paragraph suggest?

A. The program is a win-win thing.

B. Cats should be taken good care of.

C. Wild cats are more skilled at hunting.

D. It’s important to keep the ecological balance.

Everyone wants to be happy, but not everyone can make it. Do you want to have a good mood every day? If so, the following steps will be useful to you.

Be grateful.

1. They can be simple things like the purple flower on the sidewalk, the beautiful sunset, and the hot shower you take every day. When you have a grateful heart, you’11 cherish them and be naturally filled with happiness.

2.

When you put your mind, heart and soul into what you’re doing, you’re creating a happiness state—called the “flow”. When you’re living in the flow, you’re less likely to mind what others may think about you, and less bothered by unimportant things. The result? More happiness, of course!

Become a problem solver.

Happy people are problem solvers. 3. Instead, they face up to the challenge and channel their energies into finding a creative solution. By becoming a problem solver, you’ll build up your self-confidence and your ability to accomplish whatever you determine to do.

Practice forgiveness.

Hatred and anger are forms of self-punishment. When you forgive, you’re actually practicing kindness to yourself. 4. Everyone makes mistakes. It’s through our mistakes that we learn and grow to become a bigger and better person.

Give back.

Doing good is one of the surest ways to feel good. According to Harvard, when people do good, their brains become active in the very same reward center that is stimulated when they experience other rewards. 5.

A. Go with the flow.

B. Focus on what you are doing.

C. And most importantly, learn to forgive yourself.

D. When they face a challenge in life, they don’t fall into a sad state.

E. When they meet with difficulties, they will solve them on their own.

F. So It’s not a surprise that people who care more about others are happier.

G. Slow down, look around, and pay attention to the little details in your life.

For me, two of the loveliest words in English are “Life persists”.

I _______ them years ago as a college student, sitting in the library, _______, working on a paper. Out of nowhere, those words came _______ off the page in a quote: “In the midst of death life persists, in the midst of _______ truth persists, in the midst of darkness light persists.”

Suddenly I wasn’t unhappy and impatient any more. Then I _______ my granddad. I loved to talk with him. And I was _______ to hear what he’d think of it. He had poor hearing, so I had to _______ it a few times, but once he _______ it, he laughed. “All I can say to that is totally _______,”he said on the phone. I told him how glad I was, after a long winter, to finally see spring and ________ to find that quote. “Why is that?” he asked. "Well, spring is a sure ________ that life persists. And it just makes me ________.”

He laughed again, and then in his ________ voice, he recited for me his ________“spring time” words: “The desert shall rejoice(高兴), and ________ as the rose does…Even with joy and singing.”

Many years later, ________ my husband and I drove across a desert with many wildflowers and blooming cactuses(仙人掌), I could ________ hear my granddad laughing: “The desert shall rejoice."

Life persists, and so do we, in the silence of ________ and the blooming of cactuses; and in the dead of ________ and the green of spring. Spring ________ us that we’re alive forever.

1.A. looked for B. came across C. picked out D. made up

2.A. bored B. worried C. tired D. confused

3.A. running B. dancing C. rushing. D. moving

4.A. fear B. doubt C. terror D. lie

5.A. called B. visited C. consulted D. informed

6.A. patient B. confident C. upset D. desperate

7.A. copy B. print C. repeat D. recite

8.A. got B. made C. undertook D. managed

9.A. puzzlement B. excitement C. agreement D. amusement

10.A. practically B. especially C. obviously D. naturally

11.A. way B. inspiration C. mark D. sign

12.A. nervous B. energetic C. merry D. alive

13.A. lovely B. calm C. cold D. high

14.A. impressive B. superb C. classical D. favorite

15.A. exist B. flower C. survive D. sow

16.A. after B. when C. until D. although

17.A. hardly B. always C. almost D. mostly

18.A. journeys B. words C. world D. desert

19.A. winter B. spring C. summer D. autumn

20.A. convinces B. ensures C. reminds D. strikes

When summer arrives, it's not uncommon to get a strong desire for sand and water. But those who can only make day-long trips may find it hard to achieve. Don't worry! Plenty of opportunities for kicking back in the sand exist here in Ohio, although it's far away from the oceans.

East Harbor State Park Beach

1169 N. Buck Rd., Lakeside-Marblehead

Those looking for a bit of extra space between their blankets and their neighbors' will like this beach. At 1,500 feet long, the sandy strip has a significant amount of real estate(房产)for sunning or relaxing in the shade. Amenities(设施)include a bathhouse, vending machines, grills and picnic tables.

Nickel Plate Beach

Corner of Tiffin Avenue and Nickel Plate Drive, Huron

Anyone who spends a day at the beach knows that swimming and doing sports on the beach give you a good appetite. Luckily, Nickel Plate Beach offers a variety of dining options nearby, including beachside pizza delivery. Amenities include a sheltered picnic area, charcoal grills, playground equipment and beach volleyball courts.

Main Street Beach

Main Street, Vermilion

No beach umbrella or chairs? No problem. This beach offers hourly rents of chairs, umbrellas, tables, shade tents and wheelchairs. And with downtown Vermilion only a block away,shops and restaurants are nicely within reach. Amenities include an observation deck and some benches. No lifeguards are on duty.

Kelleys Island State Park Beach

920 Division St. Kelleys Island

With its gradual water depth, this beach is perfect for young children. The park's campground also includes a playground and a store with snacks and ice cream. Other amenities include a picnic shelter and hiking trails.

1.What do the beaches have in common?

A. They are all at the seaside.

B. They are all close to downtown areas.

C. There are lifeguards on duty on all the beaches.

D. They serve the needs of people who cannot travel long distance.

2.Which beach is the best choice for people who don’t like to be crowded around?

A. East Harbor State Park Beach.

B. Nickel Plate Beach.

C. Main Street Beach.

D. Kelleys island State Park Beach.

3.Who will be more likely attracted by Nickel Plate Beach?

A. Hiking lovers who are going on a diet.

B. Athletic men who get hungry easily.

C. A family with two children under 10.

D. An aged couple with no shade tents.

4.Which of the following is one of the attractions of Kelleys Island State Park Beach? /

A. Children can swim in the shallow water.

B. People can rent whatever they need there.

C. Parents can leave their children with lifeguards.

D. People can do shopping and enjoy the sunshine at the same time.

We’d arrived at Rockefeller Center station on the D train. As in many of New York’s underground stations, trains pull in at both sides of the platform. Or rather, they seem to erupt into the station first on one side, then on the other.

Abruptly, my wife stopped.

“Uh, what’s this?” she said.

I looked over her shoulder. There at our feet lay a young woman of about 20. She was on her stomach with the top half of her body on the platform, while her legs hung over the tracks kicking powerlessly.

She was stuck. She had also, clearly, been down on the tracks and discovered that climbing back up is really hard.

But unlike in our imaginings, this woman was not in panic, expecting her approaching death by the F train which would be screaming into the station in the next few minutes, if not seconds.

She was laughing! So was her friend who half-heartedly leant down to assist. The assistance was somewhat weakened by the fact that the friend was holding her smartphone. Was she hoping to capture this moment with a picture? Or composing a text?

It’s well known that people’s compulsive checking of their phones can be deadly. Among young people in America, texting is now the number one cause of car crashes. Maybe it’s also a leading cause of leaving friends to die when they fall in the river or on to the train tracks.

I stepped forward, leant out as far as I could, got hold of her leg somewhere near the knee and, together with her finally-engaged friend, dragged the young woman on to the platform.

And you can guess why she'd been on the tracks. Still laughing, but maybe chastened (内疚)by my look of horror she said, “Thanks. Sorry. My phone fell down there. ”

While I turned to hold my daughter’s hand and head upstairs, the young woman and her friend walked away. I wonder when she'll be scared.

1.What was the young woman doing on the edge of the platform?

A. Trying to get down on to the train tracks to pick up her phone.

B. Trying to get back on to the platform after jumping down.

C. Desperately waiting for someone to help her get back her phone.

D. Posing for her friend to capture a good picture with her smartphone.

2.Which of the following did the author think was NOT a cause of the young woman’s dangerous situation?

A. The station was too crowded.

B. She did not realize the danger.

C. She cared too much about her phone.

D. Her company didn't assist her whole-heartedly.

3.What was the author’s worry about people like this young woman?

A. They would cause damage to the underground system.

B. They knew too little about how to help others as well as themselves.

C. It would be too late when they understood how dangerous the situation is.

D. They would send misleading information to the public with their smartphones.

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