I began training to swim the English Channel at 58 years old.The ______ I was asked over and over again was this: “Why？”

When a student reporter of Indiana University recently asked me this question, I said, “First let me ______ you a question.What are your ______ for this summer？” He ______ that he was going to bag groceries (食品雜貨)in the supermarket.I didn't have to say more; he understood my ______.

A ______ and an element of adventure are welcome whether you are 20 or 58 ______ when you have a choice.But why did I ______ to swim the Channel at 58? It is the challenge that ______ about 100 swimmers every year who are willing to spend time, effort and money ______ it.

I don't think that I am a superman.I do think I have three things going for me：

First, I am training hard－presently ______ 7.5 miles a day.Before that time I also kept physically ______ by training moderately (適度地)hard.

Second, I am a very goal?oriented (目標(biāo)導(dǎo)向的)person for whom this swim has long been a ______.I have a feeling I will be ______ ready and won't do as a Channel swimmer did a few years ago.

______， a young girl touched me, who was attempting to finish her swim when the ocean got ______ .She was having a ______ time with the turbulent (洶涌的)and cold water, when her trainer shouted to her from the boat that he thought she should ______ and get out of the water.She ______， “I'm doing the swimming and I will decide when to get out.” She ______ it.

1.A. opinion B. advice C. question D. reason

2.A. ask B. give C. tell D. bring

3.A. experiences B. courses C. plans D. suggestions

4.A. realized B. hoped C. agreed D. replied

5.A. situation B. poin C. problem D. success

6.A. challenge B. friend C. chance D. hobby

7.A. probably B. generally C. especially D. simply

8.A. fail B. hesitate C. stop D. decide

9.A. frightens B. attracts C. comforts D. puzzles

10.A. trying B. proving C. examining D. changing

11.A. hiking B. walking C. swimming D. running

12.A. attractive B. active C. desirable D. aggressive

13.A. target B. habit C. form D. practice

14.A. experimentally B. economically C. theoretically D. psychologically

15.A. For example B. Without doubt C. In addition D. As usual

16.A. rough B. calm C. beautiful D. vast

17.A. busy B. disappointing C. wonderful D. hard

18.A. go on B. look around C. call out D. give up

19.A. warned B. shouted C. begged D. repeated

20.A. took B. broke C. made D. caught

Our lifestyles today are very busy. We have families, school, sports, entertainment and social activities to fit into a time that seems never enough. We need to be healthy to meet the demands of daily life. But what does it mean to have a healthy lifestyle?

To have a healthy lifestyle, we need to：

◆eat different kinds of healthy food most of the time

◆do exercise often

◆have time to relax

◆get enough sleep to give our bodies time to grow healthy and strong

Read about a normal day in the lives of two children：

Abbey gets up at 7：00 a．m., feeds the dog, and has cereal and a glass of juice for breakfast. She walks to school with her friend, Julia. She has a bag of chips for a morning snack, drinks water, and has a chicken and lettuce sandwich with a banana for lunch. She likes to play soccer with her friends at lunch and morning break?time. She walks home with Julia, has some crackers with cheese and juice for afternoon snack and plays with the dog for a while. She plays computer games for an hour or two before dinner, then has a shower and does her homework. She watches her favourite television show for an hour, then usually goes to bed at about 9：30 p．m.

Carl gets up at 8: 30 a．m. and has two pieces of bread with jam and a glass of milk for breakfast. His mother drives him to school on her way to work. He eats cookies with juice for morning snack and a pot pie ordered from the school lunch room with juice for lunch. He likes to play card games with his friends at lunchtime and climb the fixed equipment at morning break?time. He catches the bus home, has a cereal bar and a can of soda for afternoon snack, then watches some television. He has a shower before dinner, then plays computer games for an hour or two. He goes to bed at about 10：30 p．m.

No matter which kind of lifestyle you agree on, just remember it's important to balance all aspects of life.

1.About a healthy lifestyle, the writer DOESN'T talk about ________.

A. diet B. exercise

C. relaxation D. medicine

2.What can we learn from the article?

A. Abbey plays soccer with her friends at school.

B. Abbey does her homework first after school.

C. Carl goes to school by bus every day.

D. Carl has juice for breakfast.

3.Where is the article probably from?

A. A health magazine.

B. A clothing website.

C. A sports guidebook.

D. A travel advertisement.

War is disturbing.No matter which “side” you're on，people are killing, people are being killed, and people are suffering.A recent poll (民意調(diào)查)in New York showed 47% for the war, 49% against.That means half the people you meet won't be agreeing with you.Be aware that this is beyond your control.You can't solve the problems of the world；no one has but it's up to you how you think about things, how you respond，what you do and say.

Help someone who is having a hard time or has a loved one serving on the front.Reassure children, telling them that they're well protected and safe.Be grateful for things in your own life or life in general, such as flowers coming out in your garden, a job you like, an A on your child's report card, someone's getting a promotion (升職)，a new baby being born and so on.Find ways to make yourself feel at peace.Talk with a good listener, spend extra time with loved ones or treat yourself with a good meal.

Remember you have a choice in the discussion about war and peace.You can choose to take part in or not, knowing that everyone who has an opinion thinks theirs will make the world better.End the discussion positively.You can connect with people in the discussion；you can't always convince others.Value being in relationship over being “right”．

Seek help if you need it.Advisers and psychologists can help you deal with your reactions caused by past events.Coaches can help you stay focused on moving ahead with plans and goals.

Start a new personal adventure.Take a course, start a new hobby, focus on a personal or professional development program，lose weight, get in shape...The way we make the world better is one person at a time.

1.The recent poll in New York shows that ________.

A. war is not necessarily a bad thing

B. only half of the people suffer from the war

C. half of the people don't like peace

D. people are deeply divided on the problem of war

2.The underlined word “Reassure” in the second paragraph means ________.

A. to make somebody feel happier

B. to make somebody less worried

C. to make somebody have the courage to fight

D. to make somebody agree with you

3.What does the author suggest doing in the discussion about war and peace?

A. To take part in as actively as possible.

B. To respect others' ideas though they disagree with yours.

C. To always support peace at the end of the discussion.

D. To be convinced by others for keeping good relationships.

4.The passage mainly wants to tell us ________.

A. some bad influences of the war

B. the result of a recent poll in New York

C. some ways to deal with war

D. the author's opinions on the war

It was a hot, sticky (悶熱的)summer day in Texas and I was surrounded by laundry, loads of baby clothes all over the floor.I folded a towel, tears streaming down my face.My newborn Dillon, just a few weeks old, was sleeping peacefully beside me.My 4?year?old Tanner was watching “Ninja Turtles”，laughing at the TV screen.

Meanwhile I was exhausted, with dark circles under my eyes and clothes dirty.I loved my baby boys more than anything.But this wasn't the life I'd pictured for myself.I was only 27 years old.Once upon a time, I'dhad dreams.I'd wanted to become a good journalist (記者)and photographer, not a stay?at?home mom, whose sleep was taken away, spent her days changing diapers (尿布)．I kept on folding...and the tears kept coming.What about my dreams and future?

The word “this is the most important job in the world” spread and I nearly dropped the towel I was folding.I looked around, but saw nobody there.Later I realized the voice must have come from the TV.I calmed down.I'd never thought a house?woman's job was the most important job in the world.I put the laundry aside, carried Tanner up in my arms and hugged him tight.From that day on, I was willing to do my housework and I made motherhood my top priority (優(yōu)先考慮的事)even when I returned to the workforce as a journalist and photographer.

Of course, it wasn't all fun and games raising three children, especially after I gave birth to my third son, Noah.Anyhow, the laundry still gave me great joy to watch my children grow healthily.Now Noah is about to enter high school.And Tanner and Dillon both have become kind, courageous young men and graduated from the key colleges.Today I think raising a child is the most rewarding job.

1.Why did the writer cry?

A. It was too hot and sticky that day.

B. Her children always made trouble.

C. Too much housework made her very exhausted.

D. She lost hope because of the boring housework.

2.The writer knew，“raising a child is the most important job in the world”________．

A. while she dreamed

B. overhearing from TV

C. when she opened a book

D. as she was watching TV

3.What did the author get from the laundry?

A. The company of her children.

B. Physical exercise.

C. Her children's appreciation.

D. Great joy to see her children's growth.

4.We can learn from this passage that ________.

A. Tanner is four years older than his brother Noah

B. the writer was once a journalist

C. the writer's three children are all college students

D. the writer once hated her children because of unhappiness

If you want to cook something quickly, you heat it from both sides.That's what's happening to the West Antarctic ice sheet(南極洲西部冰蓋)．A new study reveals that the area under the ice sheet is far hotter than previously thought, fed by an unexpected flow of geothermal energy (地?zé)崮?．While the CO2 we send out heats the atmosphere above the continent, earth is melting its ice from below.

If you were to drill (鉆)deep at some place on the continents, you would find that the temperature increases about 25℃ for every kilometer deep into the hole on average.Scientists call this the geothermal gradient (地?zé)崽荻?．Until recently, no one had drilled deeply enough through the West Antarctic ice to determine the geothermal gradient underground.For the new study, researchers drilled all the way through the ice and into the mud.They found that the geothermal gradient was about 200℃，which is several times the global average on continents.Few predicted this result, although it had been showed that the earth below the West Antarctic ice is unusually hot.

Even with the new discovery, though，we still don't know exactly where the heat is coming from.One interesting possibility is volcanoes, which are under the ice.As recently as 2013, scientists were still discovering volcanoes under the ice in the area, and there may be many more.

Some people say that these volcanoes, rather than man?made climate change, are responsible for melting the area's ice.While it's true that heat coming from within the earth, including heat related to volcanoes, makes the melting faster, it is just one contributor to the loss of the West Antarctic ice sheet－not the main cause.Today's study could help us understand how the whole system, including global warming, is melting the ice.

1.What's happening to the West Antarctic ice sheet?

A. The ice sheet is getting hotter and hotter.

B. It is heated from below rather than from above.

C. The ice sheet is producing a new kind of energy.

D. It is melting from both sides.

2.What can be learned from the second paragraph?

A. It was the first time that researchers had tried to measure geothermal gradients.

B. The geothermal gradient showed where the heat came from.

C. The result was beyond the researchers' expectations.

D. Researchers never knew the earth under the West Antarctic ice was hot.

3.The author would probably agree that ________.

A. the new discovery is unhelpful without a certain conclusion

B. no volcano has been found to support the

researchers' idea

C. volcanoes are the most important reason for the melting of the ice

D. global warming is surely one reason for the melting of the ice

4.What's the main idea of the passage?

A. The West Antarctic ice sheet is in danger.

B. Researchers are trying to stop global warming.

C. The West Antarctic ice sheet's melting will bring terrible consequences.

D. It has been known how to stop the melting of the West Antarctic ice sheet.

On the day of Chongyang Festival，one traditional activity is to climb mountains.However，mountains are not everywhere for people to climb.Therefore，for those people who live in flat regions far from any mountain，the problem is solved by going for a picnic and eating cakes.The Chinese word for cake is Gao，a homonym of the Chinese word for high.Mountains are high，so eating cakes can，by a stretch of the imagination，take the place of going for a climb.

The tradition of eating cakes in September is originated from the ancient times.Though the name of “Gao” started from the Six Dynasties，the cakes had already existed in Han Dynasty，which was called “Er”．in Chinese at that time.It is made of rice flour，which is classified into two types：paddy(水稻) rice flour and millet(粟米) rice flour.They are mixed together，which is named “Er”．In September，the millet is ripe.It is regarded as the food just in season，which is offered to ancestors as sacrifices.Chongyang Cake comes from the food just in season in September.That is why Chongyang Cake is recommended for offering sacrifices to ancestors on the day of Chongyang Festival.

In the Six Dynasties，cakes became the food for the season as the tradition Chongyang Festival is formed with the promotion of mountain?climbing activity.As the cakes appeared in different forms，Chongyang Cake was also called Hua (Colorful) Cake in the Ming & Qing Dynasties and became the food for the season in urban and rural areas.Hua Cake is divided into Unpolished Hua Cake，Refined Hua Cake and Gold Coin Hua Cake.Unpolished Hua Cake is marked with caraway (香菜) leaves，sandwiched with date，peach kernel (果仁) and other unpolished dry fruits.Refined Hua Cake is made in either two or three layers，with each sandwiched with refined glazed fruits，such as preserved apple，peach and apricot.

假設(shè)你是李華。你的外國筆友Jane打算于七月來中國，特來信了解中國人的社交習(xí)俗。請你用英語回一封信，從以下幾個方面做具體介紹：

1．見面時的問候方式；

2．對贊美的回答方式；

3．接收禮物時的回應(yīng)方式；

4．餐宴禮節(jié)。

注意：1.詞數(shù)：150詞左右。信的開頭和結(jié)束語已為你寫好(不計入總詞數(shù))；

2.可根據(jù)內(nèi)容要點(diǎn)適當(dāng)增加細(xì)節(jié)，使行文連貫。

Dear Jane，

Glad to hear from you and you're welcome to China in July.______________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

I hope what's mentioned above might be helpful and wish you a good journey.

Yours sincerely，

Li Hua

An 80-year-old man was sitting on the sofa in his house along with his 45-year-old highly educated son.

Suddenly a crow（烏鴉）perched on the tree near their window.

The father asked his son, ''What is this? ''

The son replied, ''It is a crow. ''

After a few minutes, the father asked his son the 2nd time, ''What is this? ''

The son said, ''Father, I have just now told you 'It's a crow'. ''

After a little while, the old father again asked his son the 3rd time, ''What is this? ''

''It's a crow, a crow, a crow.'' said the son loudly.

A little after, the father again asked his son the 4th time, ''What is this? ''

This time the son shouted at his father, ''Why do you keep asking me the same question again and again? 'IT IS A CROW'. Are you not able to understand this? ''

A little later the father went to his room and came back with an old diary, which he had kept since his son was born. On opening a page, he asked his son to read that page. When the son read it, the following words were written in the diary:

''Today my little son aged three was sitting with me on the sofa, when a crow was sitting on the window. My son asked me 23 times what it was, and I replied to him all 23 times that it was a crow. I hugged him lovingly each time he asked me the same question again and again for 23 times. I did not at all feel annoyed; I rather felt affection for my innocent child. ''

1.In what tone did the son say to his Father ''It's a crow, a crow, a crow. ''?

A. concerned B. anxious

C. impatient D. astonished

2.Why did the Father ask his son the same question again and again?

A. Because he couldn't understand what his son said.

B. Because he wanted to see how patient his son would be.

C. Because he wanted to make his son angry.

D. Because he was too old to remember anything.

3.How old was the old man when his son asked him 23 times ''What is this''?

A. 80 years old. B. 45 years old .

C. 38years old. D. 35 years old.

4.Where is the article most probably taken from?

A. Travel journal B. a collection of poetry

C. Newspaper D. a short story collection

About us

Started by private citizens who believe that everyone should have the right to take showers, Lava Mae seeks to reach those who lack these necessities.

We turn retired public transportation buses into bathrooms because we believe that for the thousands of men, women and children living on our streets, a shower can be the first step towards change.

Our partners

Each day we partner different local non-profit organizations providing services to the homeless.

The local government tries their best to deliver our services. For example, get buses and seek access to water.

The private sector has provided us with goods and services, in addition to other support and funding that make our service possible.

Our mission

To deliver dignity(尊嚴(yán))and unlock opportunity for the homeless—one mobile shower at a time. Fundamental to this mission are three beliefs: First, everyone has the right to be clean. Second, those experiencing homelessness can’t access jobs and housing or maintain health and happiness if they can’t get clean. Third, with hygiene(衛(wèi)生)comes dignity; with dignity, opportunity.

Our schedule

Wednesdays: 9:30am~12pm;YWAM in the Tenderloin; 344 Ellis St. between Taylor and Jones.

Thursdays: 9:30 am~3:30pm; API Wellness in the Tenderloin;730 Polk St. near Ellis St.

Fridays: 9:30 am~2:30 pm; YWAM in the Tenderloin; 344 Ellis St. between Taylor and Jones.

Saturdays: 7:00 am~1:00 pm; Mission Neighborhood Resource Center; 16th St. and Capp St.

1.Mobile showers for the homeless are designed to_____.

A. call on people to pay attention to the homeless

B. make full use of retired public transportation buses

C. advise the public to save water when they’re bathing

D. offer the homeless a chance to clean themselves for free

2.What does the local government do to help Lava Mae?

A. It collects donations of goods.

B. It offers buses and water for baths.

C. It employs workers to offer services.

D. It co-works with non-profit organizations.

3.If a man wants to take a shower, he can choose_____.

A. 7:00 a.m. on Wednesday B. 4:00 p.m. on Thursday

C. 12:00 a.m. on Friday D. 1:00 p.m. on Sunday

Have you ever run into a careless cell phone user on the street? Perhaps they were busy talking, texting or checking updates on WeChat without looking at what was going on around them. As the number of this new “species” of human has kept rising, they have been given a new name — phubbers（低頭族）.

Recently, a cartoon created by students from China Central Academy of Fine Arts put this group of people under the spotlight. In the short film, phubbers with various social identities bury themselves in their phones. A doctor plays with his cell phone while letting his patient die, a pretty woman takes selfie in front of a car accident site, and a father loses his child without knowing about it while using his mobile phone. A chain of similar events eventually leads to the destruction of the world.

Although the ending sounds overstated the damage phubbing can bring is real.

Your health is the first to bear the effect and result of it. “Constantly bending your head to check your cell phone could damage your neck,” Guangming Daily quoted doctors as saying. “the neck is like a rope that breaks after long-term stretching.” Also, staring at cell phones for long periods of time will damage your eyesight gradually, according to the report.

But that’s not all. Being a phubber could also damage your social skills and drive you away from your friends and family. At reunions with family or friends, many people tend to stick to their cell phones while others are chatting happily with each other and this creates a strange atmosphere, Qilu Evening News reported.

It can also cost you your life. There have been lots of reports on phubbers who fell to their death, suffered accidents, and were robbed of their cell phones in broad daylight.

1.For what purpose does the author give the example of a cartoon in Paragragh2?

A. To inform people of the bad effects of phubbing.

B. To advertise the cartoon made by students.

C. To indicate the world will finally be destroyed by phubbers.

D. To warn doctors against using cell phones while treating patients.

2.Which of the following is NOT a risk a phubber may have?

A. His social skills could be affected.

B. His neck and eyesight will be gradually harmed.

C. He will cause the destruction of the world.

D. He might get separated from his friends and family.

3.Which of the following may be the author’s attitude towards phubbing?

A. Supportive. B. Negative.

C. Optimistic. D. Objective.

4.What may the passage talk about next?

A. Advice on how to use a cell phone. B. People addicted to phubbing.

C. Results of phubbing. D. Measures to reduce the risks of phubbing.