A.presentationB.preservationC.preferenceD.persistence

1. 由于冠状病毒病爆发，假期被迫延长；

2. 寒假生活（在线上课、读书、锻炼身体等）；

3. 期盼开学。

注意：

1. 词数80左右；

2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；

3. 信的开头已为你写好。

参考词汇：冠状病毒病COVID-19

Dear Frank,

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Yours,

Li Hua

The wildfires in Australia became considerably worse in January, 2020. The disaster faced by 【1】country is far from over. Many of the fires 【2】 (send) smoke high into the atmosphere and some smoke turned into pyrocumulonimbus clouds. The clouds can help a fire draw in more air and shift surface winds, 【3】 (result) in fire tornadoes (龙卷风). Fires have destroyed habitats for animals that 【4】(find) only in Australia, including koalas and rare birds. It will take time to fully know how much harm the fires have done 【5】 wildlife. The wildfires are expected 【6】 (continue) burning for months as Australia entered its dry season.

This past year, 2019, is the hottest and driest year on record. Fires happen 【7】(regular) during the Australian dry season. However, climate and natural changes are making the situation 【8】 (bad). At least 12 million acres have been burned so far in Victoria and New South Wales alone. Smoke from the fires has made 【9】to South

America. There is so much smoke that it may stay in the air for months, 【10】 could have a small effect on the planet’s climate.

According to History, com, Roman emperor Julius Caesar is the “father” of Leap Year. Until he came along, people used a 355-day calendar, which was 10.25 days shorter than the solar year. Roman officials were supposed add an extra month every now and then to keep the seasons exactly where they should be. But that didn’t work out all that well. When special occasions started shifting into different seasons around 45 BCE, Caesar consulted with astronomers and decreed (下令) that the empire should use a 12-month, 365-day calendar, which he named after himself, Caesar’s Julian calendar included a Leap Day every four years.

Though Leap Day keeps your calendar in line with the earth’s rotation around the sun, it causes a different kind of problem for leapsters. When should these February 29th babies celebrate their birthdays during the other three-quarters of their lives? Some party on February 28th, while others prefer a two-day celebration that spans the last day of February and the first day of March.

Leap Day can be a nuisance in the legal system. In 2006, a court in Massachusetts was deciding whether criminal John Melo could be released a day early since his 10-year sentence included a Leap Day. In the case, the judge decided that since the man was sentenced to prison for years, not days. Leap Day didn’t make a bit of difference.

Though a few timekeepers have pushed for calendars that don’t include Leap Day, almost all astronomers and societies agree that Leap Day is the best method to keep the calendar on track.

【1】Why was Leap Day created?

A.To celebrate special occasions.B.To honor Emperor Julius Caesar.

C.To keep pace with the solar year.D.To keep track of all the seasons.

【2】What is the problem with the birthday celebration of February 29th babies?

A.It is sometimes delayed.B.It lasts at least two days.

C.It has to be held every other year.D.It may take place on different dates.

【3】What does the underlined word “nuisance” in Paragraph 4 mean?

A.Joke.B.Topic.

C.Trouble.D.Mistake.

【4】what is the attitude of most astronomers towards Leap Day?

A.Critical.B.Supportive.

C.Doubtful.D.Cautious.

Right as she was unlocking her car, a man quickly came up behind her and tried to wrestle her purse away. She was in shock. Luckily she remembered she had her Safe Personal Alarm (SPA) on her purse, and since she was too scared to scream for help, she quickly reached for the alarm and pulled the pin (保险栓). Immediately her SPA started just screaming. The man didn't know what to do! He froze for a second, and then ran away like a bat out of hell!

SPA is a safety device capable of creating a 125db sound that attracts attention and scares away potential attackers. To compare, it's the same volume as a military jet during takeoff.

Paul Davidson, the inventor of SPA, knows all too well the type of situation that Ruth found herself in. But that's not the only type of situation that SPA helps protect against. Parents can give it to their kids as an extra means of protection. Teenagers can use it so they can feel safe walking home. Women can know it's there when they have to use the parking lot at night. “My mother, who is 76 years old, carries it around in case she falls and needs to ask people for help. I only wish I'd have thought of it earlier,” said Paul.

The police have been recommending SPA since it first hit the market. In fact, since its launch, SPA has been in a state, shifting between in stock to sold out nearly every other week, and it's also got tons of loyal followers worldwide.

【1】What does the underlined part “the unthinkable” in Paragraph 1 refer to?

A.An attempted robbery.B.A wrestling match.

C.An angry argument.D.A car accident.

【2】How did Ruth react to the unexpected situation?

A.She fought violently.B.She froze in great fear.

C.She cried desperately for help.D.She sounded her safety device.

【3】Why does Paul mention his mother?

A.To imply the elderly need more care.B.To suggest he cares about his mother.

C.To show SPA can be widely used.D.To make an advertisement for SPA.

【4】What can be learned from the text?

A.SPA is well received in the market.B.People hesitate to pay for security.

C.SPA was sold out in the first two weeks.D.SPA is not important in life.

Everyone buys unnecessary things

Whether you shop at a chain dollar store such as Dollar Tree, Family Dollar or your local 99 cents store, not everything that’s on sale is necessarily worth purchasing. Bryan Waring, a former Dollar Tree employee, says that you’re not alone in buying more than necessary from these stores. “It seems basic, but everyone falls for this trap,” he says. “You go into a store where everything is cheap, and you walk out with things you don't need.” He suggests going into a store — yes, even the dollar store — with a checklist of things you truly need.

Everything is cheaper after the holiday season

Patricia, a seasonal worker at a Dollar Tree, says that the post-Christmas season means even more deals on everything from decorations to sweets. “After Christmas, all the gift wrap paper went to 50 cents, and all Christmas items were half price,” she says. “Even candy bars are 89 cents versus $ 1.”

Products are less expensive because of their size

In order for dollar stores to keep their prices low, product sizes are usually smaller than normal, according to Cheapism. Dollar stores area t the only ones guilty of this trick. Cheapism also reports Walmart is guilty of doing the same thing to attract customers.

【1】What is Bryan’s advice against buying unnecessary things?

A.Making a purchase alone.

B.Writing a to-buy list ahead.

C.Shopping at your local store.

D.Buying basic things separately.

【2】Which of the following is a better time for shopping according to Patricia?

A.In the Christmas sales.

B.At a particular discount.

C.After the Christmas season.

D.During some holiday seasons.

【3】How do stores make their products cheaper?

A.By reducing product sizes.

B.By lowering product costs.

C.By adopting discount strategies.

D.By attracting more customers.

“I’m hungry,” she explained _______. Caught red-handed, the woman no doubt expected to be treated as a _______. But the police had other _______. “We’ll pay for her food.” One of them told the _______ security guard. She would not be _______.

Drying her wet __________, the woman repeated, “Thank you, thank you.” She wasn’t the only one touched by this act of __________. Customers at the store were so impressed by what they’d __________ that some even posted a photo on Twitter. __________, attention was never what the officers sought. They were __________ by a far more common emotion. When we look at someone’s face and see that they need you, it’s pretty __________ as a human being to walk away from something like this.

【1】A.safeB.sweetC.cleanD.cold

【2】A.woundedB.suspectedC.reportedD.wronged

【3】A.scaredB.disappointedC.puzzledD.annoyed

【4】A.clothesB.medicineC.toysD.food

【5】A.politelyB.loudlyC.seriouslyD.helplessly

【6】A.thiefB.beggarC.victimD.customer

【7】A.factsB.secretsC.ideasD.reasons

【8】A.rudeB.surprisedC.patientD.embarrassed

【9】A.arrestedB.employedC.keptD.doubted

【10】A.bagB.handsC.packetD.cheeks

【11】A.cautionB.sympathyC.justiceD.faith

【12】A.ignoredB.expectedC.witnessedD.recognized

【13】A.HoweverB.ThereforeC.BesidesD.Instead

【14】A.attractedB.controlledC.requiredD.driven

【15】A.typicalB.amazingC.difficultD.silly

【3】 The typers had a significant edge when it came to note-taking efficiency. The typers could copy down significantly many more words than the writers, sometimes even transcribing the contents of the lecture word-for-word.

But while more of the lecture's content was retained (保留) on paper when typing, it wasn’t necessarily retained in participants’ heads. 【4】 On the test 30 minutes after the lecture, typers and writers did more or less equally well on questions about the basic facts of the lecture, but typers fell behind when it came to more conceptual questions.

As for the later quiz, the results were similar. Students with handwritten notes were able to remember and still understand the concepts of the lecture after a week had passed. These participants were also more open to understanding new ideas. 【5】

A.The tests that the participants took proved this.

B.The efficiency of handwriting might best benefit you.

C.That’s not to say that typing doesn't have its benefits.

D.In this study, the laptops were only used to take notes.

E.Generally speaking, typing also has its own disadvantages.

F.But what are we losing as handwriting loses its significance in society?

G.Clearly, writing by hand is one of the things that can make you smarter.

1.表明意图；

2.给出理由；

3.期待回复。

注意：1.词数100左右；

2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

参考词汇：中国书法俱乐部Chinese Calligraphy Club;招募recruit

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The researchers from Boston University found that global green leaf area has increased by 5 percent in the new century, an area equal to all of the Amazon rainforest. China alone accounts for 25% of the global net increase in leaf area with only 6.6% of global vegetated area. China's contribution comes in large part from its programmes to conserve and expand forests, taking up about 42 percent of the greening. The greening from farmlands in China is about 32%, but that in India is about 82%.

Rama Nemani, a research scientist at NASA's Ames Research Centre and a co-author of the study said, 'When the greening of the Earth was first observed, we thought it was due to a warmer, wetter climate and fertilisation from the added carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. But with data from NASA satellites, scientists realised that humans are also contributing, which was all against our expectations. '

Nemani sees a positive message in the new findings. 'Once people realise there is a problem, they tend to fix it, ' he said. 'In the 1970s and 1980s in India and China, the situation around vegetation loss was not good. In the 1990s, people realised it, and today things have improved. Humans are incredibly resilient. That is what we see in the satellite data. '

However, the researchers rang bells as well. They said that the gain in global greenness did not necessarily make up for the loss of natural vegetation in regions like Brazil and Indonesia.

【1】What is the second paragraph mainly about?

A.The decreasing size of the Amazon rainforest.

B.China's bigger contribution to global greening.

C.Total global green leaf area in the new century.

D.China's programmes to conserve and expand forests.

【2】What surprised scientists regarding global greening?

A.Human activities.B.The level of fertilisation.

C.A warmer and wetter climate.D.Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

【3】What does the underlined word 'resilient' probably mean?

A.Good at making programmes.B.Suitable for analysing data.

C.Able to make corrections.D.Active in planting trees.

【4】What does the last paragraph imply?

A.It is urgent to protect global natural resources.

B.Much remains to be done for global greenness.

C.Brazil and Indonesia lose most of their vegetation.

D.Global greenness needs all countries to work together.