浙江省温州市2021年英语中考一模

— Cool! I hope ________ amazing Chinese sport can attract more people.

— Sure, but I ________ be a little late. I have to go to the library first.

—Usually in five days.

— Wait a moment. I ________ coffee in the kitchen.

—It's said there's a special monkey exhibition.

—________. I've got a new task so I've changed my plan.

I grew up in a town in the south of Spain. I was 16 when one morning, my father told me I could drive him into a village, 18 miles away, but  1  had to drive the car to be serviced at a nearby garage. Having just learned to drive, and hoping to have a try, I immediately  2 .

I drove Dad there and promised to pick him up at 4 p.m., then drove to the garage. With a few hours to spare, I decided to catch a couple of 3. However, I became so immersed in them that I completely forgot the time. When they finished, it was six!

I knew Dad would be 4 if he found out I'd been watching movies. He'd never let me drive again, so I decided to tell him the car needed some 5 , which had taken longer time. When I drove back, I saw Dad waiting patiently. I said sorry for being late. But I would never forget the 6 he gave me.

"I'm disappointed that you have to 7 to me, Jason."

"What do you mean, Dad?"

Dad looked at me again. "When I was waiting, I called the garage. They told me everything was done and you hadn't 8 the car. So you see, there were no problems with it." A rush of 9 came to me as I told the truth. Dad listened carefully as a sadness passed 10 him.

"I'm angry, not with you but myself. I realize I've failed 11 I've brought up a son who even lies to his own father. I'm going to walk home now and think seriously about the mistakes 12 I've made these years."

"But Dad, it's 18 miles. It's already dark."

I had let my father down. Dad began to walk along the dusty roads. I quickly jumped in the car and followed behind. I 13 all the way, telling him how sorry I was, but he simply ignored me, continuing on silently, thoughtfully and painfully. For 18 miles, I drove behind him, 14 . Seeing my father in so much physical and emotional pain was the most painful experience.

However, it was also the most 15 lesson. I have never lied to him since.

It was only March, but 16-year-old Hita thought that life wouldn't return to normal for a long time. To support lonely seniors, she began giving packages to nursing homes in her town in Pennsylvania.

"When I received a call from the nursing home I've been volunteering at telling me I couldn't visit any more because of the pandemic, I couldn't stop thinking about these seniors and the loneliness and anxiety they felt being isolated." Hita told CNN. "I knew I needed to remind them that they weren't alone, and I did everything I could to make sure they knew that."

Hita's efforts are a part of the organization Brighten A Day, which she started in 2018 to "spread joy to seniors and children in the hospital". With the help of other volunteers, she sent out almost 100,000 handwritten cards and packages to nursing homes in countries including Ireland, Australia, and Canada. They also make videos in which they tell jokes, play music, read poetry, or sing. They also call the seniors to make sure they have someone to talk to.

"________." Hita said. "A lot of the seniors cried when they opened the packages and read our cards. It's changing people's lives at a time when they need it the most."

Some of the seniors receiving packages live at the Woodbury Senior Living in Minnesota. Its director, Kathy, told CNN, "No one could imagine someone so young coming up with these ideas, but Hita found a way. The seniors don't feel alone. Instead, we see their expressions of joy and thanks knowing that someone out there is caring for them. So, Brighten A Day really does brighten a day."

Imagine a world where you move around in front of a computer in your own sound space. You listen to your favorite songs, play loud computer games or watch a movie-all without other people hearing the sound.

That's the possibility presented by "sound beaming," a new technology from Noveto Systems, an Israeli company. The company debuted a desktop device that sends sound directly to a listener without the need for headphones. The device included nature videos of birds on a lake, bees flying and a quiet waterway.

Because the device does not use headphones, it's possible to hear other sounds in the room clearly. The device uses a 3-D technology that finds and follows the ear position of the listener. It sends ultrasonic waves to create sound pockets by the user's ears. Sound can be heard in stereo or 3-D. The 3-D method creates sound on all sides of the listener. By changing a setting, the sound can follow a listener around when he moves his head. The listener doesn't need to tell the device where he is. It is also possible if the listener moves out of the sound beam's path, he hears nothing at all.

Ayana, the manager of the company, enjoys watching the reactions of people trying the technology for the first time. Most people just say, "Wow, I really don't believe it. No one else can hear but only you." One tester, Louise Dixon, writes that listening to the device is like something from a science fiction movie. The sound seems so close that it feels like it's inside your ears while also in front, above and behind them.

The company expects the device will have many uses. People could play a game, a movie or music without waking up others in the same room. Office workers could listen to music or have video meetings without others hearing.

While the idea of sound beaming is not new, Noveto was the first to make use of the technology. Its CEO Christophe Ramstein said a "smaller" version of the device would be on sale next year.

The bed was about 45 years old when Mom passed it to me months after my father died. I decided to repaint it for my daughter Melanie. The headboard was full of scratches.*

Just before I started, I noticed one of the scratches was a date: September 18, 1946, the day when my parents got married. This was the first bed they had as husband and wife!

Right above that was another name and date "Elizabeth, October 22, 1947."

"Who is Elizabeth," I asked my mother on the phone, "and what does October 22, 1947 mean?"

"She's your sister," she answered.

I knew Mom had lost a baby, but I never saw this as anything more than a misfortune* for them. After all, they went on to have five more children.

"You gave her a name?" I asked.

"Yes. She's as much a part of me as any of you."

"Mom, there are other dates on the headboard. May I come over and talk about them?" I realized it was full of stories.

Over lunch, Mom told me about January 14, 1951, the day when she lost her purse. Three days later, it arrived in a mail. A letter from a woman named Amy said, "I took $5 from your wallet to mail it to you. I hope you'll understand." There was no return address, so Mom couldn't thank her and there was nothing missing except that $5.

Then there was George. On December 15, 1967, George shot a rattlesnake which wanted to hit my brother. On September 18, 1971, my parents celebrated their silver wedding anniversary.

I learned about a nurse named Janet who stayed by my mother and prayed with her after my sister's near-fatal fall from a swing.

"Who is Ralph?" I asked.

"On February 18,1968, Ralph saved your brother's life in Vietnam." My brother never spoke about the Vietnam War. The memories were deeply buried. My nephew's name was Ralph. Now I knew why.

"Each scratch tells a remarkable story. How could you give this headboard to me?" I said.

"We carved our first date the night we married. From then on, it was a diary of our life. When Dad died, our life was over. But the memories never die."

When I told my husband about the headboard, he said, "There's room for a lot more stories." We moved the bed with the storybook headboard into our room. We've already carved in two dates and names: Barbara and Jackson. Someday the bed will be passed on to Melanie.

Liu Jichen, a student from Tsinghua University, has developed a WeChat mini-program called "Clear Plate". After a meal, users can open the mini-program and take a photo of their  (空的) plates. Once the image is checked by the AI, users can collect points and use them to buy gifts or meals for children in poor (地区) .

"Technology is a good way (解决) the problem of food waste," Liu thought. He organized a team of (二十) members to work on the project. In order to improve the mini-program, the team (花费) half a year collecting over 100,000 photos in school dining halls and restaurants. In 2018, the mini-program was put into use. Soon, it became one of (流行的) mini-programs in universities across China.

Meanwhile, Liu and his team, together with other organizations, started the "Clear Your Plate" campaign in (十一月) in the third year of his university. Almost 1. 6 million college students were attracted and food waste  (减少) by 862 tons. "Through the campaign, we hope to encourage  (每个人) to take action against food waste," he said.

Thanks to his great efforts, Liu stood out  (在……中) more than 7,600 people around the world and was rewarded one of the Young Leaders for the SDGs by the UN.

Dear Mike,

……

Yours,

Li Hua