When nine-year-old Zion Harvey was two, he lost both his hands and his legs below the knees due to a life-threatening infection. The infection also damaged his kidneys and he receive a healthy kidney donated by his mom, Pattie Ray.

In the first few years of his life Zion had more medical hardship than most of us in a lifetime. That didn’t kill his spirit, though. Last year he became the first child to receive a double-hand transplant in the US. NBC News checked with him to see just how he was doing after the operation.

“I will be proud of the hands I get, ”he told NBC News. “Now I can do many things most people take for granted. When I got my hand’s its like, here’s the piece of my life that was missing. Now my life is complete.”

When his mom Pattie talks about him, you can see the pride in her eyes, but you also see her strength. You can tell she’s helped her child develop his unbelievable spirit. The two are clearly a team, and seeing them together would make any person’s heart overflow.

“One of the major concerns I have for him is his being able to do certain things in his life,” Ray explains. “Without my mom, I would not be right here right now,” Zion says. “She helped me get through the most difficult times of my life. She is the best mom in the world.”

Zion Harvey is an amazing spirit, and wise well beyond his years.

21. Zion lost his hands _______.

A. at the age of nine                                                       B. owing to a medical failure

C. because of being seriously infected                      D. after a kidney transplant operation

22. After Zion received the double-hand transplant, ________.

A. NBC News went to give him encouragement        B. he took what he got for granted

C. he joined a team with his mother                                D. he was content with his life

23. What may Pattie care most about Zion?

A. Whether be can succeed.                                    B. Whether he can manage on his own.

C. How he can suffer less hardship.                                 D. How he can keep high spirits.

24. What emotion is expressed by the author in the last paragraph?

A. Appreciation.                    B. Excitement.                    C. Surprise.                  D. Satisfaction.

Speed-reading is a vital skill in the Internet age. We skim over articles and e-mails to try to grasp key words and the essential meaning of a certain text. Bombarded（轰炸）with information from our electronic devices, it would be impossible to cope if we read word by word, line by line. But a new trend calls on people to unplug and enjoy reading slowly.

A recent story from The Wall Street Journal reported on a book club in Wellington, where members meet in a café and turn off their smartphones. They sink into cozy chairs and read in silence for an hour. Unlike traditional book clubs, the point of the Slow Reading Club isn’t exchanging ideas about a certain book, but to get away from electronic devices and read in a quiet, relaxed environment. According to the Journal, the Wellington book club is just one example of a movement started by book lovers.

Slow readers, such as The Atlantic’s Maura Kelly, say a regular reading habit sharpens the mind, improves concentration, reduce stress levels and deepens the ability to understand others.

Yet technology has made us less attentive readers. “Screens have changed our reading habits from the linear, left-to-right sequence, to a wild skimming and skipping pattern as we hunt for important words and information, which leads to weaker comprehension than reading plain text. The Internet may have made us stupider,” says Patrick Kingsley from The Guardian.

Slow reading means a return to an uninterrupted pattern, in a quiet environment free of distractions. Aim for 30 minutes a day, advises Kelly. “You can squeeze in that half hour pretty easily if only during your free moments–whenever you find yourself automatically starting your laptop to scan your favorite site for something to pass the time–you pick up a meaningful work of literature,” Kelly said. “Reach for your e-reader, if you like. Kindles make books like War and Peace less heavy. “

25. What’s the real purpose of the book club in Wellington?

A. To turn off its members’ smartphones.

B. To let its members relax in cozy chairs.

C. To make people share ideas about books.

D. To provide a quiet, relax environment for readers.

26. Slow reading has the following benefits except _______  according to Maura Kelly.

A. sharpening the mind                       B. reducing stress levels

C. broadening the view                       D. improving concentration

27. What Patrick Kingsley said suggests that __________.

A. the Internet slows our reading speed

B. the Internet is full of mistaken information

C. electronic devices have changed our reading patterns

D. electronic devices enable us to have a better understanding

28. What’s the best title for the text?

A. Time to Go Slow Reading                       B. Electronic Devices Takeover

C. Kindles for Readers                                D. Reading Matters More

On Sunday morning in Rio, when Chinese women’s volleyball team took on Serbia for the Olympic title, 70 percent of Chinese families watched live broadcast on TV, easily beating the audience rating for Lunar New Year Gala. As team captain Hui Ruoqi hit a powerful spike to seal it 19-25, 25-17, 25-22, 25-23 on Sunday morning in Rio, applause and cheers almost blew off the roof of Maracanazinho. China’s news program Xinwen Lianbo spent seven of 30 minutes reliving the story. This is their third Olympic gold medal the Chinese women’s volleyball teams has win since the 1980s.

In Rio, the Chinese women’s volleyball team was assigned to the so-called group of death and faced several strong competitors. But the team never gave up. When the team lost its Rio Olympic opener to the Netherlands on Aug 6, Lang Ping urged her players to support one another through the ups and downs. When China lost to Serbia and the United States, finishing fourth to get a narrow escape from Group B and had to face host Brazil in the quarters, Lang Ping helped her players grow from each defeat on the pressure-packed Olympic stage.

Lang Ping, nicknamed “Iron Hammer”, is a national heroine as well as a legend in world sports. She made histories in coaching many clubs and national teams to top level. She resigned due to health reasons in 1998. However, when the Chinese women’s volleyball faced difficulties after the Beijing Olympics, the 52-year-old lady came back in 2013 and took the coaching position. She dug out a group of young talents including Rio 2016 MVP Zhu Ting to help seasoned players Hui Ruoqi and Xu Yunli. But more importantly, she passed on the spirit to them.

Among all the Chinese sports teams, the women’s volleyball remain the most special one, whose victories fueled Chinese confidence in the 1980s and still represent the best things that sports can offer to the Chinese: perseverance, courage and unity.

29. What can we learn from Paragraph 1?

A. The game against Serbia attracted more Chinese audience than Lunar New Year Gala.

B. China’s Xinwen Lianbo reported the team’s victory for 30 minutes.

C. The roof of Maracanazinho was blown off by the excited audience.

D. The Chinese women’s volleyball team was beaten by Serbia.

30. It can be inferred from the text that_______.

A. the team beat the Netherlands on Aug 6.

B. Lang resigned from a club due to health problems in 2013.

C. Lang brought the Chinese women’s volleyball back to the Olympic glory

D. after the Rio Olympic opener, the team experienced non-stop victories

31. Who does the underline word “she “in Paragraph 3 refer to?

A. Zhu Ting.                         B. Hui Ruoqi.                       C. Xu Yunli.                         D. Lang Ping.

32. What make the Chinese women’s volleyball team so special?

A. The coach and strong competitors.                     B. Some young talents and seasoned players.

C. Each defeat and pressure.                                   D. The teams’ success and spirits.

The Spectacular Concert Celebrating the Greatest Entertainer of All Time

(LYRIC THREATE)

In a career spanning 40 years, Michael Jackson has sold 750 million records worldwide with the Thriller album still the world’s best-selling recording of all time. Thriller Live includes over two hours of non-stop hit songs delivered in a show.

BOX OFFICE & 24 HOUR CREDIT CARD BOOKINGS

0844 412 4461 Provided by SEE

0844 482 9674 Provided by the Ticket Factory

Book Online: www. nimaxthreatres. com

PERFORMANCE TIMES

Evenings: Tuesday – Friday 7:30pm, Sunday 7:30pm, Saturday 8pm

Matinees: Saturday 4pm, Sunday 3:30pm

SEAT PRICES

Stalls:            £62.50          £33.50*

Upper Circle:  £47.50          £27.50*

Balcony:        £33.50          £27.50*

Boxes:           £62.50          £57.50*

* = Limited View

Group Rates

For Groups of 8 + Best available for £29.50.

There will be a maximum of 50 tickers per performance on Saturday matinees at the Group Rate.

Call 0844 412 4650 or email: groups@ seetickets. com

Family Offer

Per 1 full price ticket, up to 2 children go at half price.

Max 2 adults with 4 children at half price.

N/A (not available) Fri & Sat & School Holidays.

School rates

For Groups of 8 + Best available Upper Circle for £15.00 on Monday to Friday performances and £20.00 on the weekend.

Call 0844 412 4649 or email: education@ seetickets.com

33. What do we know about the performances?

A. 750 million records of Thriller have been sold.

B. Tickets can be booked by credit card at any time.

C. You can watch the performance on Saturday morning.

D. You can buy more than 50 tickets for Saturday matinees at the Group Rate.

34. For Box seats, a man with two children should at least pay _________.

A. £ 100.5                            B. £115                       C. £125                       D. £172.5

35. I f you are a student and want to book the performance. You’d better ________.

A. email education@seetickets. Com                 B. visit www.nimaxtheatres.com

C. call 0844 482 9674                                      D. call 0844 412 4650

How long can you safely freeze food?

Frozen food lasts indefinitely. But does that mean the raw chicken you bought on sale and froze will taste as good a year from now as it will three weeks from now? No. You can cook up that chicken a year later and it won’t harm you, but its taste and texture will be diminished. The key is knowing when frozen food starts to lose quality.__36__.

Fruits and vegetables.

You can freeze most vegetables and non-citrus fruits for about 8 to 12 months, according to the National Center for Home Food Preservation. (You can freeze citrus, too, but you need to take some extra steps.) Vegetables will benefit from blanching（用沸水烫）before you freeze them. __37__, which affects nutrient levels and appearance of your veggies.

__38__

●Ground beef, turkey, veal, pork and lamb: For best flavor and texture, these ground meats are best used within three or four months of being frozen.

●Steaks and chops: These cuts of beef, veal, lamb or pork can be frozen for six to 12 months before losing quality. Chops of these meats start to lose quality after four to six months.

●Poultry: __39__ ; pieces of birds keep their quality for up to nine months.

●Fish: For best quality, fatty fish (salmon, tuna) should be consumed within two to three months. Lean fish (cod, flounder) should be consumed within six months.

Soups, stews, chili and casseroles

Soups, stews chili and casseroles that have vegetables, meats, grains, pasta or cheese will keep their quality for two or three months in the freezer. __40__.

A. Raw meat

B. General leftovers

C. Whole birds can keep their quality for up to a year

D. The point of that process is to stop the enzyme（酶）process

E. It’s still safe to eat, but it will have a lower quality taste and texture

F. This depends on whether they are newly purchased of freshly made and frozen

G. There isn’t a magic number of days for each food, but there are general guidelines to follow