The Italian dinners we had every Sunday when I was a boy were feasts fit for a king. There were
Today I buy my bread at the store and it isn’t as good. It is factory-made and
| 简介 | 出生于1518年，医学家（medical scientist） |
| 著作 | 《本草纲目》Ben Cao Gang Mu，中草药（herbs）总集，包含近2,000 种中草药、数百万字（characters），历时37年。 |
| 经历和精神 | 访民间，走群山，尝百草，亲身做实验，不畏艰险 |
| 评价和感悟 | …… |
Xia Boyu is a 73-year-old Chinese mountaineer. He successfully climbed to the top of Mount Qomolangma on two artificial legs. Xia was a professional soccer player before he got into the Chinese national
At the beginning, Xia was unable to
Xia made numerous efforts to climb the mountain again. Since his artificial legs cannot give him a
“Sometimes the paths are very slippery and I can easily fall if I don’t notice it right away.”
But Xia has never given in. He
With his very life, he
| A．football | B．mountaineering | C．basketball | D．running |
| A．service | B．solution | C．training | D．effort |
| A．proving | B．expecting | C．thinking | D．promising |
| A．brought out | B．fell off | C．took away | D．cut through |
| A．give up | B．adapt to | C．fight for | D．lay down |
| A．tired | B．impressed | C．relaxed | D．unhappy |
| A．blocked | B．awakened | C．shared | D．tested |
| A．feel | B．goal | C．wonder | D．relief |
| A．naturally | B．gently | C．heavily | D．calmly |
| A．noted | B．protected | C．replied | D．read |
| A．apply | B．express | C．enjoy | D．challenge |
| A．richest | B．oldest | C．smartest | D．youngest |
| A．measured | B．walked | C．kept | D．judged |
| A．dream | B．saying | C．spirit | D．story |
| A．master | B．friend | C．hero | D．athlete |
If you miss one of the old friends you’ve lost touch with and think about reaching out to them, you may worry about whether it’ll be just like old times, or uncomfortable and awkward. Here are some ways to help you avoid any awkwardness while reconnecting with an old friend.
Reach out through social media. Connect with them through social media, text message or other means if you’re too nervous to make a phone call or to begin a meet up. Follow up on one of their most recent posts.
Show some love. If you’re really happy to connect with your old friend, make it a point to communicate that to them.
Display your interest. As you chat with your friend, try to pay attention and ask follow-up questions.
Move past conflicts. Don’t talk a lot about your conflicts or the reasons why your friendship became less close. If it happens to come up naturally down the line, then feel free to address any possible hurt feelings.
| A．Bring back a happy memory. |
| B．Make detailed plans for the future. |
| C．But better avoid taking the risk too soon. |
| D．Update your friend on everything going on in your life. |
| E．This shows you’re interested in what they’re sharing with you. |
| F．Be warm with them and let them know how much it means to you. |
| G．Then starting conversation about what they’re up to will be a natural thing. |
Scientists have discovered the world’s largest known field of sea grass. They did it using videos shot by some sea animals. The work should help protect the sea grass, and also shows off a creative way to explore the ocean.
Sea grasses are flowering plants that normally grow in shallow waters near coasts. They grow in thick fields, known as meadows. Sea grass meadows help clean the ocean water, and provide food and home for many sea creatures. Importantly, sea grass meadows also help in the fight against the climate problems. That’s because they store a great deal of carbon — the harmful pollution that’s making global warming worse. Damaging (破坏) these sea grass meadows can release this pollution again, so it’s important to protect them.
However, the ocean is too huge for humans to study all by diving (潜水). A team of scientists decided to have tiger sharks help with the research because tiger sharks live underwater, swim fast and spend a lot of time in sea grass meadows.
The researchers attached cameras and other trackers to seven tiger sharks. After catching the sharks, the scientists worked quickly to attach the equipment, then let them go again. The cameras were designed to fall off after a few hours and float (漂浮) to the surface. Tracking signals helped the scientists find the floating cameras and collect the videos the sharks had taken over the sea floor. Putting all the data together, the scientists learned that the waters around the Bahamas are home to the largest sea grass meadow ever discovered.
The project is important for several reasons. Since sea grass is so valuable in fighting global warming, it’s important to know where it is. Oliver Shipley, a leading scientist, says, “If we don’t know where it is, we can’t protect it.” The program also shows how useful large sea animals can be in helping to learn more about life under the sea. Shipley says animals like tiger sharks “… are going to take us to new places that we didn’t know.”
1．What helped the scientists discover the largest ever field of sea grass?| A．Ships working underwater. | B．Videos taken by tiger sharks. |
| C．Images shot from passing planes. | D．Exploration of professional divers. |
| A．Let out. | B．Cut down. | C．Clear away. | D．Wind up. |
| A．The ways of following large sea animals. |
| B．The steps of fixing cameras to the tiger sharks. |
| C．The unique functions of the signal-tracking equipment. |
| D．The process of finding the world’s largest known sea grass meadow. |
| A．Sea grass is of high value in research and business. |
| B．Humans have benefited from pollution-free oceans. |
| C．Scientists have solved the climate problems effectively. |
| D．Ocean animals can help uncover more secrets of nature. |
China is recognized as a world leader in the development of artificial intelligence (AI) and facial recognition systems. A Chinese company says it has created a new facial recognition system that can identify people even if they are wearing masks. Engineers at the Beijing-based company say their system is the first to be created to effectively identify people wearing face masks.
The company told a news agency that a team of 20 people built the system in about a month. The system is based on existing technologies developed over the past 10 years. The process involved adding a collection of about 6 million unmasked faces and a much smaller collection of masked faces, the company said.
The company is now selling two main kinds of products that use the new technology. One performs “single channel” recognition, which is designed to be used at the entrances to buildings. The other product is a “multi-channel” recognition system that uses groups of surveillance (监视) cameras. It can identify individuals in a crowd of up to 30 people within a second.
“When people are wearing a mask that covers the mouth and the nose, the recognition rate can reach about 95%, which can ensure that most people can be identified,” said Huang, vice president of the company. He added that the system’s success rate for people not wearing a mask is about 99.5%.
However, the new system struggles to identify people wearing both a mask and sunglasses. “In this situation, all of the key facial information is lost. In such cases recognition is tough,” Huang said.
People react to the new technology differently. While some citizens have been against using such tools, the majority have accepted the technology as an effective way to reduce crime and catch criminals.
1．What did the company do to build the system?| A．It gathered many face images. |
| B．It used the latest technology. |
| C．It added a collection of masks. |
| D．It employed hundreds of people. |
| A．Its success rate is affected by cameras. |
| B．It recognizes groups of people in seconds. |
| C．Its performance changes with the location. |
| D．It does better in identifying unmasked faces. |
| A．Negative. | B．Doubtful. | C．Objective. | D．Supportive. |
| A．An Effective Way to Reduce Crime |
| B．Benefits of a New Facial Recognition System |
| C．The Development of AI |
| D．A New Facial Recognition System |
David worked as the cleaner in the same school for 25 years, and he considered his job an important part of his life. Besides keeping the school clean, he was always ready to help teachers carry books from the library to the classroom. Anyone who needed help in school knew they could count on David.
Decades ago, his wife suddenly passed away soon after their marriage, and since then, David had been living alone.
After returning home from work, David often read cooking magazines because of his passion for baking (烘焙). He would bring freshly baked cookies and bread to school every week and serve them to the teachers.
“Wow! They’re so delicious, David!” Samantha, the English teacher, told him. She was one of the teachers that enjoyed David’s love and praised his efforts.
David felt he was losing his strength as he turned old. He’d turn 75 in a week. He thought he should retire (退休). He told Samantha and other teachers what he had been thinking, “I’m planning to retire. I think there must be someone else who might need this job to make a living.”
“Oh! David! We’ll miss you if that happens,” the teachers cried. “We don’t want you to leave!” David smiled and told them, “You know I don’t have a wife to look after or kids to raise, so money isn’t what has kept me going all these years. Your care and praise have encouraged me to work hard.”
The next day, David went into the headmaster’s (校长的) office and told him about his decision. “Are you sure, David? You’re an excellent member of our school, and letting you go isn’t easy for us,” the headmaster said. “Thank you, Sir,” David said. “But I feel I’m getting weaker, and it’s become difficult for me to keep the school clean. So my decision is final.” The headmaster agreed eventually.
The day before David’s 75th birthday was his last day at work.
The next day after work, Samantha, with other teachers, went to see David with a big cake.
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