I finally calmly told my friend about our situation. She started strategizing about what we would do and how we could call my husband, Steve, but I didn’t want him to have to get our three children out of bed. There was the tow truck option, but we would have to be on the side of the road in the middle of the wilderness for at least 45 minutes! All of the options were truly terrible.
She was nervous, and all I could do was constantly tell her I was certain we would make it. Sure enough, we did. We literally made it over 40 miles with no fuel, and I know that my car’s fuel measurement system is pretty accurate. Now, there is the logical part of my brain, trying to make excuses for the situation and the car and every other possible option. But inside, I heard the truth: we experienced a miracle.
56. From the first paragraph, we can infer that the author and her friend ______.
A. were enjoying themselves on the way B. hadn’t seen each other for a long time
C. were nervous when driving in the countryside D. had a serious conversation in the car
57. When the author first found they were almost out of fuel, she ______.
A. told her friend instantly B. tried to find a petrol station nearby
C. secretly tried to keep calm D. made a phone call to the police
58. What does the underlined word probably mean in the third paragraph?
A. terrible B. nervous. C. harmful. D. unexpected.
59. Why didn’t the author want to call her husband?
A. She was worried about bothering her husband.
B. She knew she could still drive a long way.
C. She thought her friend could find out a solution.
D. She didn’t want her children to have to get up.
60. What would be the best title for the passage?
A. A Memorable Birthday B. Miracles Can Happen
C. A Deep Conversation with One’s Best Friend D. Heading Out of the Town
B
Service Trips for High School Students
Are you a high school student who loves to be outdoors and is eager to experience new challenges, learn new skills and meet new people? Learn all about the world of building and maintaining hiking trails, and experience it in a safe, teamwork-oriented environment in various locations across the state. WTA offers first-time participants country trips and returning students have the option to go on trips in the back country (边远地区).
Front Country Trips
Our front country trips provide opportunities for people to experience projects near the ocean, in the scenic Cascade Mountains and in northeast Washington. All our trips provide you with experienced crew leaders, a great project, some camping tents, sleeping bags and all your meals for the week.
Advanced Back Country Trips
On these trips you will be backpacking to the work site and will have a chance to advance your trail and leadership skills under the supervision of a WTA crew leader. Approval from a previous crew leader is necessary.
Trip Details
In 2015, trip fees for WTA members will be $195 for the first trip and $145 for each additional trip. Non-members will pay an additional $40 for their first trip and can be qualified to be members in the second trip. Due to the popularity of our trips, please submit your payment and application within two weeks of signing up for a trip. If a trip is full and you would like to be added to the waiting list, please call us at 206/625-1367 or email trail-teams@wta.org.
Scholarships
We believe no student should have to stay at home this summer because he or she can’t afford to go outside. Thanks to donations from members and supporters, WTA is proud to announce that we are able to offer a limited number of scholarships. Application deadline: March 1, 2015.
2015 Youth Volunteer Vacation
You must be 14 to 18 years old to go on one of our Youth Volunteer Vacations. We always recommend that volunteers go on a one-day trip before attending a Youth Vacation to understand what the work will be like for a week.
61. If you are going on Front Country Trips, you can’t go on trips __________.
A. near the ocean B. in the back country
C. in the Cascade Mountains D. in northeast Washington
62. How much will you have to pay for your second trip if you’re not a WTA member?
A. $145. B. $185. C. $195. D. $235.
63. After choosing a trip, you __________.
A. will naturally become a WTA member
B. can cancel your trip and get all your money back
C. will be added to the waiting list
D. must submit your payment and application within two weeks
64. You may be lucky enough to obtain a scholarship if you __________.
A. apply before March 1, 2015 B. donate a little money to WTA
C. support WTA by advertising D. volunteer in your high school
65. From the passage we can learn that 2015 Youth Volunteer Vacations __________.
A. will be the last activity of the year B. are more popular than people say
C. are open only to 14- to 18-year-old children D. offer a one-day trip for training
C
Taking photographs at a birthday or a wedding has become as natural as blowing out candles or cutting the cake. But our obsession with recording every detail of our happiest moments could be damaging our ability to remember them, according to a new research. A study has shown that taking pictures rather than concentrating fully on the events in front of us prevents memories taking hold.
Dr. Linda Henkel, from Fairfield University, Connecticut, described it as the “photo-taking impairment effect”. She said, “People often pull out their cameras almost mindlessly to capture a moment, to the point where they are missing what is happening right in front of them. When people rely on technology to remember for them — counting on the camera to record the event and thus not needing to attend to it fully themselves — it can have a negative impact on how well they remember their experiences.”
Dr. Henkel and her team carried out an experiment in a museum to learn if taking pictures of the exhibits was hindering the ability of visitors to remember what they had seen.
A group of university students were led on a tour at the Bellarmine Museum of Art at Fairfield University and were asked to either photograph or try and remember objects on display. The next day their memory was tested. The results showed that people were less accurate in recognizing the objects they had photographed than those they had only looked at. It was found that their memory for the details of the objects they had photographed was poorer.
Henkel’s lab is currently investigating whether the content of a photo, such as whether you are in it, affects memory. She is also researching whether actively choosing what to photograph might influence what we remember.
Previous research suggests that reviewing photos we have taken does help us remember objects, but only if we take the time.
“Research has suggested that the sheer volume and lack of organization of digital photos for personal memories discourages many people from accessing and recalling them. In order to remember, we have to access and interact with the photos, rather than just collect them,” said Dr. Henkel.
66. What does the word, “them”, in the first paragraph, refer to?
A. Gifts at a birthday. B. People who go to parties.
C. Photos taken at a wedding. D. Details of the happiest moments.
67. What is the “photo-taking impairment effect”?
A. Some unhappy events may impair the effects of photos.
B. Taking photographs of objects ruins one’s memory of them.
C. The effects of photos are strongly affected by bad cameras.
D. Memories last forever when people take the photos they like most.
68. What can we learn about Dr. Linda Henkel’s study?
A. A group of high school students were involved.
B. The memory of participants was tested the following week.
C. People who just looked at the objects remembered fewer details.
D. People who photographed objects were worse at recognizing them.
69. With which of the following may Dr. Linda Henkel agree?
A. Reviewing photos improves memories of objects.
B. Focusing on people at events is the best way to remember.
C. Relying on technology to remember affects the memory.
D. Counting on cameras to record events is always reliable.
