weather. Warm sunshine and gentle rains, along with Ed Rawlings" expert care, they will produce a good crop
of" oranges this year.
But Ed has to fight against Florida"s changeable winter weather. In January and February, temperatures can
destroy Ed"s entire orange crop. Having farmed in Florida for the past 35 years, Ed Rawlings is prepared for the
frosts. When temperatures drop below freezing, Ed tries to save his crop by watering his orange trees. The
water freezes and forms a thin layer of ice on the trees. Strange as it may sound, this thin layer of ice actually
keeps the fruit warm.
What happens is simple. When the trees are watered, the water loses heat and becomes ice. The warmth of
the heat it loses is sucked in by the fruit and keeps its temperature at a safe level. Ed Rawlings has effectively
used this method to save many orange crops.
But Ed still faces some difficulties. The trees should "be watered at the exact moment the temperature drops
to the freezing point. Also, just the right quantity of water must be used. Too much water can form a thick layer
of" ice that will break the trees" branches. Another difficulty is that wind blows away the heat. So Ed has to
worry about not only when but also how often his trees should be watered, and how much water should be
used.
Computer technology may help Ed Rawlings with some of these worries. With equipment, air and soil
temperatures and wind speed can be measured. The information is fed into a computer which can tell when
temperatures drop to freezing. The computer can correctly decide the quantity of water to be used and how
frequently the trees should be watered. Ed Rawlings will find looking after his orange trees a lot easier with the
help of a computer, and we"ll all have the benefits of computer-age oranges.
B. the different uses of computers
C. growing oranges in Florida"s changeable weather
D. different ways of crop protection
B. equipping them with a computer
C. watering them at the proper time
D. picking his fruit at the first sign of frost
B. can be a valuable tool for the farmer
C. can be used to help oranges grow bigger
D. cannot take the place of the farmer"s experience and judgement
point.
B. He should decide the exact moment when the orange trees should be watered.
C. He has to water the orange trees more often in January and February.
D. He has to judge how often he should water the orange trees.
B. help the farmer get a better harvest
C. tell the farmer why outdoor temperature changes
D. prevent the temperature from dropping to the freezing point
I made a pledge (发誓) to myself on the way down to the vacation beach cottage. For two weeks I would
try to be a loving husband and father. Totally loving. No ifs, ands or buts.
The idea had come to me as I listened to a talk on my car radio. The speaker was quoting a Biblical (圣经
的) passage about husbands being thoughtful of their wives. Then he went on to say, "Love is an act of will.
A person can choose to love." To myself, I had to admit that I had been a selfish husband. Well, for two weeks
that would change.
And it did. Right from the moment I kissed Evelyn at the door and said, "That new yellow sweater looks
great on you.
"Oh, Tom, you noticed," she said, surprised and pleased, maybe a little puzzled.
After the long drive, I wanted to sit and read. Evelyn suggested a walk on the beach. I started to refuse, but
then I thought, "Evelyn"s been alone here with the kids all the week and now she wants to stay with me." We
walked on the beach while the children flew their kites.
So it went. Two weeks of not calling the Wall Street firm where I am a director; a visit to the shell museum
though I usually hate museums. Relaxed and happy, that"s how the whole vacation passed. I made a new pledge to keep on remembering to choose love.
There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment, however. Evelyn and I still laugh about it today.
Last night at our cottage,p reparing for bed, Evelyn stared at me with the saddest expression.
" What"s the matter?" I asked her.
"Tom," she said in a voice filled with distress, "do you know something I don"t?"
"What do you mean?"
" Well...that checkup (体检) I had several weeks ago...our doctor...did he tell you something about me?
Tom, you"ve been so good to me...am I dying?"
It took a moment for it all to sink in. Then I burst out laughing.
"No, honey," I said, wrapping her in my arms. "You"re not dying; I"m just starting to live."
B. unexpectedly
C. impossibly
D. unconditionally
B. with Evelyn
C. alone
D. with his children
B. he had made a lot of money in Wall Street
C. he was determined to be a good husband
D. she was seriously ill
B. she insisted on visiting a museum, which he hated
C. he knew something about her illness but didn"t tell her
D. he was so good to her that she thought she must be dying
B. he is just beginning to enjoy his life as a loving husband
C. he lived an unhappy life before and is now starting to change
D. he is beginning to feel regretful for what he did to his wife
Last spring I bought two newly-hatched chickens for her. She got 1 and took good care of them. 2 ,
a few days later, both chickens died. She burst into tears from 3 , I helped her 4 the two birds under a
tree behind our house. I thought it would be the 5 of her ideas.
6 I was wrong. Children are children 7 . The failure hasn"t 8 my daughter in any way. She still tried
to keep a small animal or even a snail.
One day last winter, I noticed under the eaves (屋檐) of the house a family of sparrows. My daughter and
I could 9 the sparrows as our "pets", but we didn"t. So I told her to 10 the grains in the windowsill. A few
minutes later, the sparrows came to land on the windowsill 11 and pecked at the rice. Suddenly my daughter
asked me, Mum, can we catch and 12 the sparrows, and let them live with us in the room? How 13 it is for
them to live outside?
"Oh, my dear, I do not think it"s a good idea. You know, "I explained to her." the sparrow is a bird who
loves 14 . No one can keep them in a cage. If they are caught, they will 15 quickly. They are 16 to living
outside. Moreover, they have warm nest under the eaves."
From then on, we have set up a kind of 17 with the sparrow family. We feed them frequently and 18 them
as pet birds. However, we do not need to 19 them. We 20 seeing these little birds flying and jumping among
branches, leaves and flowers in the spring mornings.
( )1. A. exciting ( )2. A. Naturally ( )3. A. excitement ( )4. A. bury ( )5. A. end ( )6. A. Thus ( )7. A. at all ( )8. A. upset ( )9. A. look ( )10. A. throw ( )11. A. one after another ( )12. A. stay ( )13. A. free ( )14. A. freedom ( )15. A. please ( )16. A. safe ( )17. A. neighbour ( )18. A. think ( )19. A. hurt ( )20. A. enjoy | B. excited B. Suddenly B. feeling B. put B. beginning B. Then B. in all B. encourage B. act B. pour B. one another B. cage B. happy B. spring B. starve B. proud B. understanding B. dream B. possess B. would like | C. disappointed C. Unfortunately C. sorrow C. dig C. wish C. Therefore C. after all C. help C. catch C. pile C. every other C. love C. cold C. trees C. suffer C. happy C. friendship C. treat C. belong to C. want | D. encouraged D. Finally D. heart D. set D. reality D. However D. for all D. impress D. feed D. scatter D. each other D. watch D. warm D. flying D. die D. used D. confusing D. appreciate D. hatch D. consider | ||||
语法填空。 阅读下面的短文,按照句子结构的语法性和上下文连贯的 要求,在空格处填入一个适当的词或 使用括号中词语的正确形式填空。 | |||||||
Thomas and Inger, who live in Sweden, are the happiest couple in the world. Two years ago, they were sailing on a boat a few kilometres 1_____ the beach. Thomas asked Inger to marry him and he gave her the 2_____ (nice) gold ring he could afford to buy. While putting the ring on Inger"s finger Thomas lost his balance, slipped over and sent the ring flying into the sea. 3_____ (see) the ring drop into the water, they were sure it was lost forever. That 4_____ (last) until week, when Mr. Carlsson came to visit them. Several days earlier Mr Carlsson, who is the 5_____ (own) of a fish shop, was getting a fresh load of fish 6_____ (sell) at his shop. When he was cutting open one of the fish he discovered it contained 7_____ beautiful gold ring. Inside the ring he read the words "To Inger, All my love, Thomas" and was curious to know 8_____ it came from. Mr. Carlsson visited all the jewelers in town until he found the person 9_____ had made the ring. After leaming the address of the rightful owner, Mr. Carlsson was able to return the ring. Meanwhile Thomas had bought Inger a replacement ring. Inger now loves both her wedding rings 10_____ thinks the one the fish ate is the better one. | |||||||
完形填空。 | |||||||
The following Monday Steve arrived at school on time, and he waited for Miss White to enter the classroom. She 1 , all smiles! God, she was beautiful! He yearned (渴望) for her smile to 2 on him. It did not. Miss White, immediately, gave a quiz on the weekend homework. Steve 3 the test, and was the first to hand in his paper. With a look of 4 , Miss White took his paper. Obviously puzzled, she began to look it over. Steve walked back to his 5 , his heart pounding within his chest. As he sat down, he couldn"t resist (忍住) another look at the 6 woman. Miss White"s face was in total 7 ! She glanced up at Steve, then down, then up; Suddenly, her face broke into a complete 8 . The smartest boy in the seventh grade had just passed his first 9 ! From that moment 10 was the same for Steve. Life at home remained the same, but life still 11 . He discovered that not only could he 12 , but he was good at it! He discovered that he could understand and get 13 , and that he could translate the things he learned into his own life. Steve began to excel (优秀)! And he continued this 14 throughout his school life. After high-school Steve enlisted (参加) in the Navy, and he had a(n) 15 military career. During that time, he met the love of his life, he 16 a family, and he graduated from college Magna Cum Laude. During his Naval career, he 17 many young people, who without him, might not have believed in themselves. Steve began a second 18 after the Navy, and he continues to inspire others, as an adjunct (助手) professor in a nearby college. Miss White left a great legacy (遗产). She 19 one boy who has changed many lives. I know, because I am the love of his life. You see, it"s 20 , really. A change took place within the heart of one boy, all because of one teacher, who cared. | |||||||
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