【题目】 It's October and you know what that means —the return of pumpkin Kit Kats, spooky (幽灵般的,怪异的)costumes for the kids and, of course, homemade Halloween treats. The whole spooky season leads up to tricks on October 31, but Halloween as we know it may be changing.

It's pretty common knowledge that Halloween takes place on October 31. For a lot of parents, it's a night of headaches. Sure enough, parents are fully occupied with an unforgettable Halloween party and have no time to be with the kids. Then the kids have to be dressed and out the door for two hours of trick-or-treating time, which can be tough to manage. Most remarkably, it's hard to pack all the holiday fun into a school night. Eating all that candy right before bed won't make for an easy school day the next morning.

Last year, a nonprofit organization called the Halloween and Costume Association(HCA) began a petition (请愿)to change the date of Halloween. They proposed that Halloween take place on the last Saturday of the month. Thus, parents can have time to celebrate it with their kids.

Though the petition started in 2018, it has really picked up steam this year. Right now, more than 148, 000 people have signed. When a quota(限额) of 150,000 signatures is met, the petition will be delivered to the President of the States, and the government will be making the final call.

Really, the petition isn't about breaking tradition but about making Halloween more family-friendly. It technically makes Halloween longer, so who wouldn't be taking about all-day spooks? If you'd like to sign the petition and make your voice heard before October, you can find it here.

1What troubles parents most on Halloween?

A.They can't find the kids in the night.B.They have little time to prepare for it.

C.It's hard for kids to behave themselves.D.Halloween may take place on a school day.

2The petition for Halloween is actually intended to____.

A.help kids gain more freedomB.create more parent-child time

C.allow parents to have a day offD.promote the event to a new level

3What can be inferred about the petition?

A.No one desired to sign their name at first.B.It has been put aside by the government.

C.The US president thinks nothing of it.D.It has gained increasing favor.

4What is the best title for the text?

A.Break the traditional barriers?B.Make Halloween Much Longer?

C.Celebrate it in another manner?D.Necessary to observe Halloween?

【题目】 In space, there is no up or down. Without the gravity that we experience on Earth, as-tronauts and everything else on a spaceship float freely.

Humans can experience the sense of zero gravity without going into space. HowA zero-gravity flight. When an airplane flies in a lot of parabolas(抛物线), a man-made zero-gravity environment is set up. Everything in the plane floats, even passengers.

Gravity has an effect on everything from the human body and mind to the behavior of plants and the way machines run. Space travel is expensive and dangerous. But zero-gravity flights let scientists conduct experiments in an environment that mimics(模拟) the conditions of space. On each of its research trip, Zero-G flies about 30 parabolas, each of which creates a period of weightlessness that lasts about 30 seconds. Nikolaus Kuhn of the University of Ba-sel, in Switzerland, flew with Zero-G. He was conducting an experiment about soil and the flow of water on Mars. The Red Planet has about one-third of the gravity that Earth has. This means water flows more slowly on Mars. By making the parabolas less steep, zero-gravity flights can make the feeling of Martian gravity. Flying with Zero-G has been necessary for Kuhn’s research. “It is the only chance, other than going to Mars, to mimic movement of water as it would be on Mars,” he told TFK.

For years, NASA used zero-gravity flights to prepare and train astronauts. “I have not been to space,” Peters of Zero-G says, “But I have been told by astronauts that zero-gravity feels exactly the same.” As humans continue to explore the universe beyond Planet Earth, zero-gravity flights will remain an important and fun tool. “It never gets old,” Peters says “I would do it every weekend for the rest of my life if I could.”

1Why do scientists set up man-made zero-gravity environment

A.To study the water on the earth.

B.To offer weightlessness as a business.

C.To take scientists to any other planets.

D.To mimic the condition of space for experiments.

2How much time of weightlessness can a Zero-G light offer

A.About 30 seconds.B.About 90 seconds.

C.About 15 minutes.D.About 30 minutes.

3What feature do the parabolas in Zero-G flights have

A.The gentler parabolas are, the more satisfied the researchers are.

B.The steeper parabolas are, the less weight the passengers feel.

C.The steeper parabolas are, the more successful the experiments are.

D.The gentler parabolas are, the more quickly water on Mars flows.

4What can be inferred about the Zero-G flight from the text

A.It is useless for training astronauts.

B.It has no side effect on human body.

C.It creates a substitutable environment of zero gravity in space.

D.It is cheaper but more dangerous than space travel.

【题目】 Undoubtedly, the best way to prevent illnesses of the mind is to exercise the brain. Here’re some great exercises to sharpen your mind.

Never stop learning. 1 One way is to take classes online through websites like Coursera, org or Edx. org, where you can take courses from the top universities for free. Perhaps you would like to learn a new language. 2 There are wonderful language programs available through RosettaStone. com and Duolingo.com which offer many lessons to choose from.

Read something everyday. Reading itself is a wonderful brain exercise. Make a point to read something every day. It could be a newspaper, book, blog or magazine, but the more informative it is, the more of a workout it will be for your thinking cap. 3

Exercise your body. Exercising your body affects your strength, mood and fitness. Exercise excites the nervous system and causes you to perform at a higher level.

4 Communicating with others on topics of common interest is a great workout. Talking about in-depth topics like headline news and political interests exercises your ability to pay attention and focus. There are always many like-minded people who enjoy the same hobbies or share the same beliefs.

Play games. The act of solving problems and figuring out puzzles is excellent for keeping your brain in shape. 5 Solving math equations or word puzzles, and even just a quick game of Bubble Witch will do wonders for your thinking processes.

A.Associate with others.

B.Refer to professionals.

C.If you are short on time, just read the dictionary.

D.Such exercises promoted the growth of new stem cells in humans.

E.It’ll encourage areas of the brain that will improve your native tongue too.

F.The great news is, there are so many possible ways of learning new things.

G.Whether you prefer Crossword or Sudoku, playing puzzles will help you stay sharp.

【题目】 Many people don’t have a home because of an illness or because they lost their jobs. They have bad health and can’t start working, and because of that, they can’t pay for a doctor, so it’s a never-ending circle. Homeless people don’t have anywhere to go, so they have to sleep on the streets, covering themselves with newspapers and looking through the rubbish cans to find some food or warmer clothes.

Seeing these horrible living conditions, the Australian charity Beddown decided to help these people in need. They came up with an amazing idea to make shelters in places that are vacant at night-like parking lots! The organization asked one of the largest car park-opera tors, Secure Parking, and they agreed upon it.

“It was great to start with a group of our volunteers to help us and set up some beds. Although as expected we had a few challenges to overcome, it was good to start bringing Bed down to life. Beddown will provide an immediate response for those who can not sleep well to access safe, find shelter-and access to a real bed and a great night’s sleep. We will work with our other partners to provide long-term solutions to providing our guests with accommoda-tion, education and employment opportunities.” The founders of Beddown said in one of their Instagram posts.

The charity also provided other services to the guests, like doctors, nurses, dentists, hairdressers. They gave them new clothing, a place to clean themselves and helped provide social services. “After spending the week here, having a good sleep at night, it reminded me of life and I want to begin my life again,” one homeless man said.

1What can we learn about the homeless in Australia

A.They live a hard life.B.They lost their families.

C.They don’t want to work.D.They like to live on the street.

2What does the underlined word “it” in paragraph 2 refer to

A.Making beds for the homeless.B.Using the parking lot to get money.

C.Using the parking lot to help the homeless.D.Inviting the car park operators to organize the activity.

3What did the founders of Beddown say about setting up beds for the homeless

A.It is only a part of their help.B.It helps the volunteers greatly.

C.It makes the Beddown get more reputation.D.It gives the homeless a chance to return to real life.

4What can be the best title for the text

A.The Homeless Get Good Diet Now.

B.Beddown Shelters the Homeless in Car Parks.

C.Beddown Helps the Homeless Find Jobs in Car Parks.

D.Australian Charity Beddown and the Homeless in Australian.

【题目】 Despite the countless differences between people’s characters and careers, or their likes and their dislikes, it seems that we are all connected in this wonderful life by one thing: namely, seeking happiness.

Happiness means, naturally, different things to different people. For myself, happiness is synonymous(同义的)with horse riding, Cadbury’s Creme Eggs and spending time with my friends. Some people are at their happiest at home, while others find their happiness through travelling far-off foreign lands. Happiness can be as simple as a surprise bunch of fresh flowers or a really strong coffee, just when you need it most. Sometimes, happiness comes from spending time with loved ones; for others, it’s having a well-earned quiet night at home, with nothing but a comfortable bed for company.

Since it comes in so many shapes and sizes, it’s sometimes easy to take happiness for granted. It is especially true if it’s been “one of those days”. Maybe you overslept, missed the bus and had to walk to school in the rain, only to be told that you were late. Or perhaps, because of work, you had to cancel plans with friends, despite looking forward to seeing them for ages. Forgotten keys, delayed flights, an argument with your parents, illness or injury... all very frustrating, and understandably guaranteed to make you feel unhappy.

Luckily, there are a few simple, scientifically proven ways to make the glass seem half-full again. To start with, things like trying out cycling or walking instead of driving to work and listening to music are great moodboosters(情绪助推器). Volunteering and getting involved with a charity are two ways in which you can become happier through helping others. Last, but certainly not least, try hugging your way to happiness; it’s been suggested that we humans need a minimum(最少的)of five hugs a day. If you’ve been having a bad day, there’s nothing better than a good old bear-hug.

1What would be the main idea of Paragraph 2?

A.Happiness comes from different things.

B.Fresh flowers can give you a surprise.

C.Some people enjoy themselves at home.

D.It is pleasant to spend time with close friends.

2The underlined part “one of those days” may refer to a day when .

A.it is easy to be happy

B.you go to work on time

C.you have a coffee at home

D.you tend to be sad at your life

3To tell us that people are easy to take happiness for granted, the writer .

A.performs an experimentB.provides some examples

C.tells an interesting storyD.brings up some problems

4Where does the passage come from?

A.In a scientific report.B.In an advertisement.

C.In a guidebook.D.In a novel.

【题目】 The great thing about libraries is that they house all types of books—from mysteries to biographies to dramas—all in one location. The bad thing about libraries is that they house all types of books in one location, and if it’s a location you can’t get to, you’re out of luck. Now, mobile library solutions are appearing quickly around the country to bring books to people who need them.

A few years ago, when the Little Free Libraries Movement launched, more people of all ages could have access to books. Now, more than 15,000 free book stands can be found around the world, bringing books to unexpected places. But many folks simply can’t get to the places where the books are. Bookmobile buses are a good solution, but they can be expensive to fund and to operate.

Books on bikes programs are popping up(出现)in areas where there is a strong bike culture, such as Seattle, or a strong need to bring books to the masses, such as in San Francisco.

The Seattle Public Library’s Books on Bikes program is made up of three bike/trailer combos(复合)that librarians bring to community events. The trailers are even Wi-Fi enabled so that visitors can sign up for a library card and browse(浏览)the library’s card catalog on the spot.

“Seattle has a really strong bike culture so we want to tap into that and provide full service library programs but do it in a way that is quick and smart.” librarian Jared Mills said in an interview.

San Francisco’s program, called Bibliobicicleta, was launched in 2013 by librarian Alicia Tapia. Her trailer can hold about 100 books and attracts readers of all ages and income levels. It’s an independent, donation—based library—ike a Little Free Library, but on wheels.

When asked why she would launch a free library on a bike, Tapia answers, “Why not? Bikes are cool, and can go anywhere.”

1According to the writer, the traditional libraries .

A.are popular among the readers

B.are large enough to hold any book

C.are not very convenient to the readers

D.can bring books to people who need them

2Which of the following may be the disadvantage of the bookmobile buses?

A.They are full of many travelers.

B.They cost a large amount of money.

C.They hold the limited number of books.

D.They bring books to unexpected places.

3The writer mentions Seattle to tell us that .

A.bikes are popular in it

B.visitors can use free Wi-Fi in it

C.it is the same as the city of San Francisco

D.the library card is useful to the visitors

4Tapia’s answer suggests that she .

A.enjoys showing off by bike

B.shows impatience to the readers

C.is eager to make the readers happy

D.thinks libraries on bikes are practical

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