河北省邢台市2020届高三联考英语试卷

河北省邢台市2020届高三联考英语试卷

英语学科试卷 注意事项：‎ 1. 答卷前，考生务必将自己的姓名、准考证号填写在答题卡上。‎ 2. 回答选择题时，选出每小题答案后，用铅笔把答题卡上对应题目的答案标号涂黑。如需改动，用橡皮擦干净后，再选涂其他答案标号。回答非选择题时，将答案写在答题卡上，写在本试卷上无效。‎ 3. 考试结束后，将本试卷和答题卡一并交回。‎ 第一部分 听力（共两节，满分 30 分）‎ 做题时，先将答案标在试卷上。录音内容结束后，你将有两分钟的时间将试卷上的答案转涂到答题卡上。‎ 第一节 （共 5 小题；每小题 1.5 分，满分 7.5 分）‎ 听下面 5 段对话。每段对话后有一个小题，从题中所给的 A、B、C 三个选项中选出最佳选项。听完每段对话后，你都有 10 秒钟的时间来回答有关小题和阅读下一小题。每段对话仅读一遍。‎ 1. Where does the woman want to go?‎ A. Rainbow Street. B. The bus station. C. The Business Center.‎ 2. What does the man mean in the end?‎ A. He will buy a house in London.‎ B. James can’t afford the house in London.‎ C. James will get a job in the bank.‎ 3. Why does the man speak so loudly?‎ A. The TV is on.‎ B. Too many people are talking.‎ C. The woman stands far away.‎ 4. What does the man mean?‎ A. He didn’t get the book he needed.‎ B. He had no idea where the book was.‎ C. The library is closed on weekends.‎ 5. How does the woman sound?‎ A. Excited. B. Relaxed. C. Worried.‎ 第二节 (共15小题;每小题1.5分,满分22.5分)‎ 听下面5段对话或独白.每段对话或独白后有几个小题,从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项。并标在试卷的相应位置。听每段对话或独白前，你将有时间阅读各个小题， 每小题5秒钟;听完后，各小题将给出5秒钟的作答时间。每段对话或独白读两遍。‎ 听第6段材料，回答第6、7题。‎ 1. What is the man’s computer mainly for?‎ A. Writing papers. B. Surfing the Internet. C. Playing online games.‎ 2. What do the speakers think people should do more?‎ A. Learn new things. B. Read more books. C. Communicate with each other.‎ 听第7段材料，回答第8 、9 题。‎ 3. What are the speakers trying to do?‎ A. Stop a vehicle.‎ B. Ask someone for directions.‎ C. Prepare everything for their trip.‎ 4. What does the man think of the trip?‎ A. It’s totally boring.‎ B. They should have got fully prepared.‎ C. It’s a lot of fun.‎ 听第8段材料，回答第10至13题。‎ 5. Where are the speakers?‎ A. In Helsinki. B. In London. C. In Shanghai.‎ 6. How long will the woman’s stopover be?‎ A. Five hours. B. Six hours. C. Nine hours.‎ 7. What will the woman do at the airport?‎ A. Buy some batteries. B. Do some reading. C. Eat some local food.‎ 8. What does the man say about Moscow?‎ A. He met a poor student there.‎ B. He didn’t spend any money there.‎ C. He wandered around the city for hours.‎ 听第9段材料，回答第14至16题。‎ 9. Why was the man upset last week?‎ A. He was fired.‎ B. The woman lied to him.‎ C. He was asked to work overtime.‎ 2. What does the man say about Mr. Ainsworth?‎ A. He is a fair manager.‎ B. He always misses his work.‎ C. He always listens to Tammy.‎ 3. What does the woman suggest the man do?‎ A. Explain to Tammy.‎ B. Look for another job.‎ C. Talk to Mr. Ainsworth again.‎ 听第10段材料，回答第17至20题。‎ 4. In what way was the bear dangerous?‎ A. It had killed several people.‎ B. It was following people during the day.‎ C. It often attacked farm animals.‎ 5. How many people carried out the robbery in Brussels?‎ A. Two. B. Three. C. Eight.‎ 6. What is true about the robbers?‎ A. They shot fifty people.‎ B. They stole some diamonds.‎ C. They knew an official at the airport.‎ 7. What will happen to the snakes on the island of Guam?‎ A. They will be poisoned to death.‎ B. They will be killed by power lines.‎ C. They will be used for scientific tests.‎ 第二部分 阅读理解（共两节，满分 40 分）‎ 第一节 （共 15 小题；每小题 2 分，满分 30 分）‎ 阅读下列短文，从每题所给的 A、B、C 和 D 四个选项中，选出最佳选项。‎ A Located in Los Angeles, University of Southern California is in the heart of a leading city. ‎ Although LA ranks highly in The Economist’s Safe Cities Index, navigating the city calls for certain safety precautions (预防措施) along with practicing common sense.‎ ‎♦ Mobile Safety App Powered by LiveSafe The Mobile Safety App powered by LiveSafe, manage by the USC Department of Public Safety and the USC Department of Emergency Planning, is a free downloadable app that mobile users can use to initiate contact with emergency responders around the campus. Features include: immediate “push button” calls to DPS, easy reporting for suspicious activity or crimes in progress, and location services to notify friends of your route through campus.‎ ‎♦ Blue Light Phone Locations The University Park has multiple blue light phones that are strategically placed throughout campus. Take note of where the closest ones are on your route. They come in handy in case you lose your phone or in an emergency. These phones are directly connected to USC’s Department of Public Safety’s 24-hour communications center. Besides emergency needs, it can also be used to report suspicious activity, request for an escort (护送) if you feel unsafe and to report a crime.‎ ‎♦ Trojans Alert Trojans Alert is an emergency notification system that allows university officials to contact you during an emergency by sending messages via text message or email. When an emergency occurs, authorized USC senders will instantly notify you with real-time updates, instructions on where to go, what to do (or what not to do), whom to contact and other important information. All members of the USC community, as well as parents and regular visitors to campus, are strongly encouraged to sign up for Trojans Alert.‎ 1. What do blue light phones do for students?‎ A. Light up the way if students feel unsafe.‎ B. Connect them with the safety department.‎ C. Guide students through campus.‎ D. Alert students to crime activities.‎ 2. How does USC send out instructions during an emergency?‎ A. With blue light phones. B. By calling all USC members.‎ C. Through mobile safe app. D. Via text message or email.‎ 3. What is the purpose of the text?‎ A. To encourage students to fight crime.‎ B. To introduce USC’s safety department.‎ C. To provide safety services for USC students.‎ A. To inform parents of safety risks on campus.‎ B Since the age of three, Chelsie Hill had dreamed of becoming a dancer. That ambition nearly ended in 2010 when Hill was in a car accident, which put the 17- year-old high school senior in hospital for 51 days and left her paralyzed from the waist down. For most people, that would have destroyed any hope of a dancing career. But for Hill, it was the beginning. Far from being a barrier, her wheelchair encouraged her to fight. “I want to prove to everyone including myself that I'm still normal,” she said, “whatever normal means.”‎ Normal for her meant dancing, so Hill did it in her wheelchair alongside her nondisabled high school dance team. Half of her body was taken away from her, so she had to move it with her hands. It took much learning and patience.‎ After graduation from high school, Hill wanted to expand her dance network to include women like her. She met people online who were fighting for the dream of dancing against various spinal (脊椎的) injuries, and invited them to dance with her. To reach more people in a larger city, Hill moved to Los Angeles in 2014 and formed a team of dancers with disabilities she called the Rollettes.‎ Every year Hill holds a dance camp called the Rollettes Experience for wheelchair users to help them bring out their acting talent. In 2019, 173 participants from ten countries attended. For many, it was the first time they’d felt they belonged. Edna Serrano said that being part of the Rollettes team gave her the courage to get behind the wheel of a car. “I didn't know I could do so many things that my fellow teammates had taught me.” she said. “I didn’t know I could be sexy. It’s so powerful to have my teammates in my life, because they're my teachers. I have more confidence.”‎ Chelsie Hill attained what many of us never will: her childhood dream. She has been chasing her dream in the wheelchair. She’s a dancer. The Rollettes have helped her find something else just as fulfilling.‎ 2. What happened to Chelsie Hill in 2010?‎ A. She gave up her hope of dancing.‎ B. She suffered from a serious disease.‎ C. She realized her dream of becoming a dancer.‎ D. She was severely disabled due to a car accident.‎ 1. Why did Chelsie Hill set up the Rollettes in 2014?‎ A. To motivate more people like her. B. To enlarge her dance business.‎ C. To seek more chances to dance. D. To expand her social network.‎ 2. What change did the Rolleltes Experience bring to Edna Serrano?‎ A. She could help others. B. She had more faith in herself.‎ C. She learned how to drive. D. She became sexier than before.‎ 3. Which of the following words can best describe Chelsie Hill?‎ A. Modest and professional. B. Responsible and creative.‎ C. Determined and inspiring. D. Cooperative and generous.‎ C The African grey parrot’s ability to talk and mimic sounds makes it a charming companion. African grey owners often report that their greys oftentimes talk in context and can understand their people’s emotions (情感). The African grey parrot is not just a top talker — this bird is also known for its extreme intelligence, which gives them the name “The Einsteins of the Bird World”.‎ The bird is medium-sized, dusty-looking and almost pigeon-like. It has a bright red tail, intelligent orange eyes, and a stunning scalloped (扇形的) pattern to its feathers. Their diet in the wild consists mostly of nuts, seeds, fruits, and leafy matter.‎ At home, African greys need plenty of toys that challenge their intelligence, such as food searching and puzzle toys. Nutri-Berries by Lafeber Company are a perfect choice, which, with a balance of grains, seeds and other nutrients in the shape of a berry, encourages African greys to hold, bite off, and even play with, just as they do in the wild.‎ African greys seem especially affected by stress and disturbing noise in their environment and can be put more at ease by placing one corner of the cage against a wall as opposed to in the middle of a room.‎ African grey parrots are more likely to suffer from lack of Vitamin-A/beta-carotene, and therefore benefit from eating vegetables high in beta-carotene, such as cooked sweet potato and fresh kale. Lack of Vitamin-D is another concern, especially for greys on a poor diet. Offering a balanced, pill-shaped diet, such as Nutri-Berries, helps prevent vitamin and mineral shortage.‎ 24. Why are African grey parrots called “The Einsteins of the Bird World”?‎ A. Because of their brain size. B. On account of their intelligence.‎ C. Owing to their rich emotions. D. Due to their talking ability.‎ 24. What can “Nutri-Berries” probably be?‎ A. A brand of bird food. B. Puzzle toys for birds.‎ C. A type of round fruit. D. Wild Intelligence games.‎ 25. What is the characteristic of African grey parrots?‎ A. They may get ill due to lack of Vitamin B.‎ B. They prefer to stay in the middle of the room.‎ C. They are dusty looking with blue eyes.‎ D. They are smart and love to have fun.‎ 26. Where can we most probably find the passage?‎ A. In a wildlife magazine. B. In science fiction.‎ C. In a travel guide. D. On a shopping website.‎ D Angel Garcia is a computer engineer at Carlos III University of Madrid in Spain. His group has invented a new way for deaf-blind people to “watch” TV. The idea for the technology grew out of previous work by his group. The team had already worked on making audiovisual (视听的) materials accessible to people with either vision or hearing disabilities. But the group wanted to help people with both challenges. So they asked some deaf-blind people what would help.‎ In addition to relying on their sense of touch to communicate, deaf-blind people can also get and send information with a Braille line. The Braille system uses patterns of raised dots to stand for letters and numbers. A Braille line is an electronic machine with a changeable Braille display. Dots rise up or drop down based on the information sent to the machine.‎ Now the new system changes TV signals to data a Braille line can use. “The key to the system is the possibility of using subtitles ( 字 幕 ) to collect TV information”, Garcia Crespo explains. “Subtitles travel with the image and the audio in electromagnetic waves we don’t see. But an electronic system can keep those waves.”‎ First, a computer program, or app, pulls out the subtitles and visual descriptions from the broadcast signal. The system then combines the information and changes both into data for Braille.‎ Now another app gets to work, which sends the data out to people’s Braille lines on demand. “This is done in real time, in less than a second,” Garcia Crespo says. This lets a deaf-blind person “watch” TV as it’s broadcast. The system will work with various Braille lines, as long as there’s a ‎ bluetooth connection available. Now, the system is only used in Europe, and it should soon be available in the US.‎ 32. What inspired Garcia Crespo’s group to work on the new technology?‎ A. Their pity on the disabled people. B. Deaf-blind people’s poor life.‎ C. The challenges they face in work. D. Their group’s previous research.‎ 33. Why can the electronic system collect TV information?‎ A. It can keep the waves with subtitles traveling.‎ B. It can combine all kinds of broadcast signals.‎ C. It can work together with a variety of Braille lines.‎ D. It can pull out the subtitles and visual descriptions.‎ 34. What does the author think of the future of the new technology?‎ A. Challenging. B. Rewarding. C. Bright. D. Hopeless 35. What should be a suitable title for the text?‎ A. New Technology Is Improving Deaf-blind People’s Life.‎ B. New Technology Helps Deaf-blind People “Watch” TV C. A New Braille Line Is Applied to Disabled People’s Life.‎ D. A Spanish Group Makes TV Accessible to Blind People.‎ 第二节 （共 5 小题；每小题 2 分，满分 10 分）‎ 根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。‎ College is the time when you’re expected to focus on your path in life. But it’s also the time you’re the least equipped to have any long-term plan. 36 .‎ The whole process can be divided into three stages.‎ The first is “gathering fuel”. This means building up your skills, learning from different experiences and developing a network of people who you trust and who trust you. And this is a stage that requires patience and a willingness to identify your own weaknesses and work on them. If you complete this stage with a growing sense of what you love to do and what you are good at, 37 .‎ The second stage is “burning fuel”. This is the time to improve the skills you’ve obtained through experiences, the people you’ve met along the way and the recognition of what you should do. 38 . We want to get where we’re going in a hurry, but that hardly works.‎ ‎ 39 . Simply speaking, it’s about staying strong, while turning an eye towards what lies ‎ ahead. It’s a surprisingly long journey and most people underestimate it. You can’t expect an ideal life to happen by itself. You must recognize that no matter where you are on the path, each step is there to teach you something, feeding you that fuel.‎ If you’re not doing what you want, you need more fuel— so go out and get it. 40 .‎ A. you are winning B. that will come true C. The last part is “saving fuel”‎ D. The final part is “filling fuel”‎ E. Here are some tips on how to aim your sights into the future F. It seems that most of us try to jump straight to the next stage G. And if you’re doing what you want, keep moving and don’t settle 第三部分 语言知识运用（共两节，满分 45 分）‎ 第一节 （共 20 小题；每小题 1.5 分，满分 30 分）‎ 阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的 A、B、C 和 D 四个选项中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。‎ Life is filled with challenges. As we get older we 41 realize that those challenges are the very things that 42 us and make us who we are, it is the same with the challenges that come with 43 .‎ When we are faced with a challenge, we usually have two 44 . We can try to beat it off, or we can decide that the thing 45 the challenge isn’t worth the 46 and call it quits.‎ Although there are certainly 47 when calling it quits is the right thing to do, in most ‎48 all that is needed is 49 and communication.‎ When we are committed to something, it means that no matter how 50 or how uncomfortable something is, we will always choose to 51 it and work through instead of running away from it. Communication is making a 52 for discussion and talking about how you feel instead of just saying what the other person did wrong. 53 you can say to a friend, “I got my feelings hurt.” 54 “You hurt my feelings,” you are going to be able to solve the problem much faster.‎ In dealing with many challenges that friendship will bring to you, try to see them for 55 they are: small hurdles you need to jump or 56 on your way through life. Nothing is so big that it is 57 to get over, and hurt only 58 to make us stronger. It is all part of ‎ growing up, and it 59 to everyone, and some day you will 60 all of this and say, “Hard as it was, it made me who I am today. And that’s a good thing.”‎ ‎41. A. seem to B. come to C. hope to D. try to ‎42. A. design B. promote C. direct D. shape ‎43. A. confidence B. pressure C. friendship D. difficulty ‎44. A. choices B. expectations C. opportunities D. aspects ‎45. A. demanding B. deserving C. predicting D. presenting ‎46. A. comment B. loss C. trouble D. expense ‎47. A. means B. times C. dates D. ages ‎48. A. cases B. fields C. parts D. occasions ‎49 . A. assessment B. commitment C. encouragement D. adjustment ‎50. A. doubtful B. shameful C. harmful D. painful ‎51. A. keep B. control C. face D. catch ‎52. A. chance B. plan C. topic D. space ‎53. A. If B. As C. While D. Unless ‎54. A. other than B. rather than C. or rather D. or else ‎55. A. what B. who C. where D. which ‎56. A. pass by B. come across C. get through D. run over ‎57. A. unnecessary B. necessary C. impossible D. possible ‎58. A. serves B. means C. aims D. attempts ‎59. A. opens B. appeals C. goes D. happens ‎60. A. look down on B. look back on C. look forward to D. look up to 第二节 （共 10 小题；每小题 1.5 分，满分 15 分）‎ 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入 1 个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。‎ On March 12, the day when the Olympic torch 61 (light) in ancient Olympia without spectators because of ongoing concerns about COVID-19, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said it was “fully committed” to 62 (hold) the Games, set to run from July 24 to August 9, in Tokyo.‎ The situation 63 (remain) unsettled and talk of holding the Games elsewhere has been ‎64 (wide) disapproved. The cost of hosting, organizers said in December, was some 1.35 trillion yen ($12.35 billion). Professor Victor Matheson, a sports economist, believes the 65 (true) sum is likely to be $25 billion, a vast majority of 66 has already been spent on large-scale infrastructure projects such as 67 (transport) networks, hotels and new venues.‎ The handover of the flame to Tokyo 2020 Games organizers still took place as 68 (schedule) at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens on March 19 without spectators, 69‎ ‎ whether the Olympic will be held in July remains, much 70 the virus, unknown.‎ 第四部分 写作（共两节，满分 35 分）‎ 第一节 短文改错（共 10 小题；每小题 1 分，满分 10 分）‎ 假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共 有 10 处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。‎ 增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。删除：把多余的词用斜线（）划掉。‎ 修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。注意：1．每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；‎ ‎2．只允许修改 10 处，多者（从第 11 处起）不计分。‎ Dear Tom,‎ How is everything going? Since you are interesting in the shadow play, I’d like to introduce it to you.‎ As the traditional Chinese folk art, the shadow play has been existed in China for centuries. It dates back to the Han Dynasty, where Emperor Liu Che lost his beloved wife Li. Depressed about his death, he even ignores the state affairs, worrying his officials. Then they made a puppet with the image of Li but performed before the Emperor. He was too pleased that he asked them to spread the art form.‎ Unfortunately, it is becoming more attractive due to the impact of modern media. Both Chinese artists and the government are making joint efforts conserve the ancient art form.‎ If you want to know more, don’t hesitate to contact me. Best wishes.‎ Yours, Li Hua 第二节 书面表达（满分 25 分）‎ 假定你是李华，你收到外国朋友 Peter 的邮件，他想了解你校在新冠疫情（COVID-19 epidemic）期间线上学习的情况。请你给他回复邮件，内容包括：‎ 1. 课程与时间；‎ 2. 你的学习状态；‎ 3. 你的期待。注意：‎ 1. 词数 100 左右；‎ 2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。‎ Dear Peter,‎ I’m so glad to hear from you and know what you are doing these days.‎ Best wishes.‎ Yours, Li Hua 答案 听力 ‎1—5 CBAAC 6—10 ACACB 11—15 BCBAC 16—20 BBCBA 阅读 ‎21-23 BDC 24-27 DABC 28-31 BADA 32-35 DACB 完形 ‎36-40 EAFDG ‎41-45 BDCAD 46-50 CBABD 51-55 CDABA 56-60‎ CCADB 语填 ‎61. was lighted/lit 62.holding 63. remains ‎64. widely ‎65. truer ‎66. which 67. transportation/transport 68. scheduled ‎69. but /yet ‎70. like 改错：‎ How is everything going? Since you are interesting in the shadow play, I’d like to introduce it interested to you. As the traditional Chinese folk art, the shadow play has been existed in China for centuries. It a dates back to the Han Dynasty, where Emperor Liu Che lost his beloved wife Li. Depressed when about his death, he even ignores the state affairs, worrying his officials. Then they made a puppet her ignored with the image of Li but performed before the Emperor. He was too pleased that he asked them to and so spread the art form.‎ Unfortunately, it is becoming more attractive due to the impact of modern media. Both Chinese less artists and the government are making joint efforts ︿conserve the ancient art form.‎ to If you want to know more, don’t hesitate to contact me. Best wishes.‎ 书面表达：‎ Dear Peter,‎ ‎Yours, Li Hua I’m so glad to hear from you and know about what you are doing these days. I’m writing to tell you how our schooling is now going on.‎ Actually, we are having e-learning at home, studying in the “classroom in the air” all the academic and non-academic subjects. The holiday schedule runs from 7:40 am till 4:30 pm on work day, with more and longer breaks for rest than usual. Personally, I’ve got used to online learning, which I think is a creative form of schooling, and also our own way to fight the COVID-19 epidemic. We’ve come to realize how important computers and mobile phones have become to us! But I really miss the days with my friends and teachers on campus. That’s why I pray for the end of the epidemic every day, and I believe it’ll soon come.‎ Best wishes.‎ Yours, Li Hua Text 1‎ 听力材料：‎ W: Excuse me, sir. Could you show me the way to the Business Center?‎ M: Sure. Go straight and turn right at the traffic lights onto Rainbow Street, and then turn left. Go straight for about five minutes. The Business Center is on your right, next to the bus station.‎ Text 2‎ M: I spoke to James today. He said housing prices in London have gone through the roof. W: Yeah, I heard. Is James going to buy a house there?‎ M: Well, only if the bank will lend him some money.‎ Text 3‎ W: Is it really necessary to speak so loudly when I am only a couple of feet away? M: I’m sorry. I thought you wouldn’t be able to hear me over the TV.‎ Text 4‎ W: Did you find the book for your reading assignment in the library?‎ M: It closed before I got there. I had no idea it closed so early on weekends.‎ Text 5‎ W: When was the last time you took out cash from an ATM? M: Uh, three or four days ago, I guess.‎ W: That’s what I thought. Hmm, that’s strange. I thought we had more money in our checking account. I’ll call the bank and find out what’s going on.‎ Text 6‎ W: Lance, do you spend a lot of time online?‎ M: To be honest, no. I usually use my computer to write papers for my classes.(6) I’m not one of those guys who is always playing online games or surfing the Net. I think many people spend too much time in front of their computers and not enough time in front of each other!(7)‎ W: I totally agree with you.‎ Text 7‎ W: I’m exhausted, Harry.‎ M: I know, but no one has stopped. Cheer up! Someone will give us a ride as long as we keep trying.(8) W: Can we sit here and wait? I can’t go on.‎ M: All right. Let’s rest for a minute.‎ W: Oh, I shouldn’t have come with you on this silly trip.‎ M: Don’t say that, Laura. We’ve had a lot of fun over the past few days, haven’t we?(9)‎ W: We did, but now I’m... Hey, here comes another truck... Stop, please!... Oh, he won’t stop. M: Look! He stopped.‎ W: Thank God.‎ M: Let’s get all our stuff together! Hurry!‎ Text 8‎ M: Hey, I heard you’ll be flying to China in two weeks.‎ W: Yeah, I’m really excited — I’ve never been to Asia before.‎ M: Did you get a cheap flight? The airlines have raised their prices a lot recently, with the price of oil going up.‎ W: Yeah, I managed to get a cheap flight with Finn Air — I booked it a week ago. They started flying direct to Shanghai recently, but not from London.(10) I’ll have to fly to Helsinki first and have a 6-hour stopover.(11) Then I’ll have a 9-hour flight to Shanghai.‎ M: Wow, 6 hours in the airport? No wonder you got a discount. What’ll you do for all that time?‎ W: Well, I guess I can watch a movie on my laptop, as long as my battery doesn’t run out. I looked online, and I can have a Finnish meal at a nice café there,(12) and buy some Finnish liquor at the duty-free store.‎ M: I had a 5-hour stopover in Moscow once, when I flew back to London from Tokyo.(10) It was pretty boring. I just wandered around the airport mostly. I couldn’t afford to buy anything because I was a poor student at the time.(13)‎ Text 9‎ M: Hey, Chloe! How are you?‎ W: Uh, hey, Jordan. I’m a little surprised you’re even talking to me. You seemed pretty mad at me last week. M: I know, I’m sorry about that. I was just in a bad mood. I got fired from my job ‎ that day for something that I didn’t even do.(14)‎ W: Oh, no, I’m sorry to hear that. What happened?‎ M: I missed work, but I wasn’t even supposed to be there that day. Tammy, the woman who does the schedules, forgot to tell me that she had changed the schedule last week. I tried to tell my manager about it, but after Mr. Ainsworth talked to Tammy, he took her side and fired me on the spot.‎ W: That’s ridiculous! You should complain to Mr. Ainsworth’s boss!‎ M: Well, there isn’t much I can do about it. It’s basically my word against Tammy’s, and she has been there a lot longer than I have. Plus, I think Mr. Ainsworth would do pretty much anything she asked him to do.(15)‎ W: How do the other people in the office think of Tammy?‎ M: I’m not sure, but it’s pretty obvious that she is Mr. Ainsworth’s favorite person in the office.‎ W: Well, it sounds like you are better off without that job. With your experience and skills, you can get a good job soon.(16)‎ Text 10‎ The only bear to have been living in the wild in Switzerland, known as M13, was recently shot dead in the mountains near the Italian border. The brown bear had become dangerous because he regularly looked for food in busy areas, including a school, and had started following people during the day. (17)The creature also showed little fear of humans despite several attempts to get it away from villages. He had been called a “problem bear” back in November, 2012, but he had never showed any actual aggression toward people before the shooting. Some nature groups said that wildlife officers should have continued efforts to make him more frightened of humans before making the decision to shoot him.‎ On February 18, eight men wearing masks and carrying guns drove two cars through a fence at Brussels International Airport(18), sped toward a waiting aircraft, and stole $50 million worth of diamonds(19). The robbery took only three minutes from start to finish. The men wore clothing that looked like police uniforms, and they appeared to be professionals.‎ The tiny island of Guam( 关 岛 ) has finally found a way to deal with its snake problem. The U.S. will take thousands of dead mice, give them poison, and drop them on the island in an attempt to kill some of the island’s two million Brown Tree Snakes.(20) The snakes are responsible for killing off the island ’ s entire native bird population, biting residents, and even knocking out electricity by climbing onto power lines.‎