2019.4 海淀
A
Ray Tokuda, a 54-year-old Japanese American, is proud of the title his school has given him. He is a Shifu, a Chinese word literally meaning a master, mentor or senior practioner of martial arts.
Tokuda has reason to be proud. He has been involved with Chinese martial arts for almost four decades. After
learning them at the martial arts school in New Mexico State, today he is among the most experienced kung fu teachers of the school.
Practicing martial arts two to three hours and helping students improve their skills have become Tokuda’s daily routine. He expects to practice and teach martial arts for the rest of his life. “I’m still learning. It’s worth more than a lifetime to learn Chinese martial arts,” he said. “Once I started, I just couldn’t stop. I think it’s also
the magic of Chinese culture.”
Tokuda was sent to the martial arts school when he was 10. He still remembers how unwilling he was when starting out. “My father had always wanted to learn Chinese martial arts but never got the chance, so he put his kid in,” he said. “I was so afraid at that time because I thought kung fu was all about fighting.”
But things changed after he learned that martial arts were more than punching and kicking.
“One of the things martial arts teach me is overcoming adversity,” Tokuda said. “As a little kid, my first lesson was like, oh, look, this is a thing that I can get through by diligence, perseverance（毅力）and dedication, and that was priceless for my life.”
Learning Chinese martial arts opened a gateway for him to better understand Chinese culture because he could hear a lot of ancient Chinese kung fu-related stories. “It is like in America, where we hear stories about knights in shining armor and King Arthur and noble deeds done,” he said. “I feel martial arts preserve something of ancient China that can’t be found in books. They are sort of an oral history.”
Tokuda has also been invited to various events in his home state to showcase traditional Chinese culture, including the dragon dance and lion dance, which he also learnt at the martial arts school. Because of this, he is now considered a cultural envoy (使者) in the eyes of the public.
31. Tokuda didn’t want to learn kung fu because he had thought it was __________. A. practical
B. magical
C. violent
D. difficult
32. From the passage, what can we learn about Tokuda?
A. He learnt martial arts from his father. B. He is the founder of the kung fu school. C. He learnt from martial arts how to deal with difficulties. D. He is the most experienced kung fu teacher of his state. 33. Which of the following words can best describe Tokuda? A. Modest and friendly. C. Talented and humorous.
B. Devoted and persevering. D. Motivated and considerate.
B
New App Helps People Remember Faces
Large gatherings such as weddings and conferences can be socially overwhelming. Pressure to learn people’s names only adds to the stress. A new facial-recognition app could come to the rescue, but privacy experts recommend proceeding with caution.
The app, called SocialRecall, connects names with faces via smartphone cameras and
facial recognition, potentially avoiding the need for formal introductions. “It breaks down these social barriers we all have when meeting somebody,” says Barry Sandrew, who created the app and tested it at an event attended by about 1,000 people.
After receiving an invitation to download SocialRecall from an event organizer, the user is asked to take two selfies and sign in via social media. At the event, the app is active within a previously defined geographical area. When a user points his or her phone camera at an attendee’s face, the app identifies the individual, displays the person’s name, and links to his or her social media profile. To protect privacy, it recognizes only those who have agreed to participate. And the app's creators say it automatically deletes users’ data after an event.
Ann Cavoukian, a privacy expert who runs the Privacy by Design Center of Excellence praises the app’s creators for these protective measures. She cautions, however, that when people choose to share their personal information with the app, they should know that “there may be unintended consequences down the road with that information being used in another context that might come back to bite you.”
The start-up has also developed a version of the app for individuals who suffer from prosopagnosia, or “face blindness,” a condition that prevents people from recognizing individuals they have met. To use this app, a person first acquires an image of someone’s face, from either the smartphone’s camera or a photograph, and then tags it with a name. When the camera spots that same face in real life, the previously entered information is displayed. The collected data are stored only on a user’s phone, according to the team behind the app.
34. SocialRecall is used to ________.
A. take photos
B. identify people C. organize events D. make friends
35. Paragraph 3 is mainly about ________.
A. how the app works B. how the app was created C. what makes the app popular D. what people can do with the app A. giving names to the photos kept in their smartphones B. collecting information previously entered in the phone C. providing the information of a person when they first meet D. showing the person’s information when it spots a stored face
36. SocialRecall helps people with prosopagnosia by ________.
37. What can we learn about SocialRecall from the passage?
A. It may put people’s privacy at risk. B. It has caused unintended consequences. C. It can prevent some communication disorders. D. It is praised by users for its protective measures. 2019.4 西城
A
Amsterdam Destination Guide
Amsterdam is one of the most popular travel destinations in the world, famous for its beautiful canals, top art museums, cycling culture and so on. It is the capital and most populous city in the Netherlands and often referred to as the “Venice of the North” because of its expansive system of bridges and canals. Here are some of the key points to remember as you plan your trip to Amsterdam. Boom Season Population Language(s) Currency January Climate July Climate May to October 813,562 Dutch Euro Average high: 5.8 °C Average high: 22.0 °C Must-See Attractions Most visitors begin their Amsterdam adventure in the Old Centre, which is full of traditional architecture, shopping centers, and coffee shops. You’ll also want to check out Amsterdam’s Museum Quarter in the South District, which is great for shopping at the Albert Cuyp Market and having a picnic in the Vondelpark. The top museums to visit there are the Rijksmusuem, the Ann Frank House, and the Van Gogh Museum. If You Have Time
There are several other unique districts in Amsterdam, and you should try to explore as many of them as time allows. The Canal Ring is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that was originally built to attract wealthy home owners and is a center for celebrity spotting and nightlife today. The Plantage area has most of the city’s museums, including the Jewish Historical Museum, the Scheepvaart Museum, and the botanical gardens. Money Saving Tips
? Unless you really want to see the tulips (郁金香) blooming, avoid booking between mid-March and mid-May.
This is when hotel and flight prices rise.
? Look for accommodations in Amsterdam’s South District, where rates are generally cheaper than in the city
center.
? Buy train tickets at the machine instead of the counter to save a bit of money.
? Instead of hiring a tour guide, hop on a canal boat. They’re inexpensive and will give you a unique point of
view of the city.
Check out our homepage to view price comparisons for flights, hotels, and rental cars before you book.
31. What can be learned about Amsterdam from this passage?
A. Amsterdam is called the “Venice of the North” because of its location. B. The Van Gogh Museum lies in Amsterdam’s Museum Quarter. C. The Old Centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. D. The Canal Ring is a place to attract garden lovers. 32. In order to save money in Amsterdam, you can ______. A. arrange a guided canal tour B. buy train tickets at the counter
C. reserve a hotel in the South District
D. book flights between mid-March and mid-May 33. Where is the passage most probably taken from? A. A magazine. B. An essay. C. A report. D. A website.
B
Three months after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Rebecca Sell, then 24, a photojournalist for Fredericksburg photographed a New Orleans couple worriedly examining water-spotted photo albums. As she took the photo, something within her clicked. “I told them I could take the ruined pictures, copy them and give them digitally restored (修复) photos,” she recalls. Although a bit sceptical, the couple agreed. Rebecca took their photos home, restored them and took them to the couple at their temporary home. “It felt so good to be able to do that for them,” says Rebecca.
When her editor, Dave Ellis, saw the photo of the couple, he suggested they go back and restore damaged
2019年高三一模阅读理解AB篇
