My family and I had set out on a day trip from Shillong to Cherrapunji, a town known for being one of the wettest places on Earth. However, after we had been stuck in traffic for more than four hours, one of my sisters proposed going back to the city as a last attempt to save whatever remained of the day. A quick online search revealed other must-visit spots around Shillong. Most were familiar, but one caught our attention—Nartiang with its mysterious monoliths (独石碑). The photo showed tall stones piled together in a strange formation, appealing to us to explore further despite the lack of details provided.
That is how I found myself standing in the shadow of the huge monoliths of Nartiang, which is home to the thickest and largest collection in the region. Curious to uncover their history, I approached Maryo Symblai, a village elder I met later that day, who told me the story of the monoliths that has been orally passed down over generations. She said, “Back in the day, Nartiang didn’t have a bazaar (集市) and the nearest one was at Raliang. On one such bazaar, a giant named Mar Phalyngki was caught in heavy rain on his way back. He requested to borrow an umbrella from the Raliang chief’s youngest daughter, but she wanted to test his legendary strength instead. ‘Why don’t you go lift that huge stone in the bazaar and use it as an umbrella?’ she said dismissively. Emboldened by her challenge, he just did that, but before reaching Nartiang, he placed it in a forest when the rain had stopped.”
“There is a certain overlap of ancient story and memory in the case of the Nartiang monoliths. The locals’ account of how the place came to be is based on ancient stories or folk customs. But they also remember it because it served their ancestors as a weekly marketplace, a memorial, and a place for political gatherings. That is how oral history works. It mixes fact and fiction into collective memory”, said Dr Reeju Ray, a local writer.
Today, even though the traditional customs and more confirmed historical accounts offer some insight into the site, the mystery(奥秘)of the stone giants lasts.
1．Why did the author and his family come to visit the monoliths of Nartiang?| A．It was in their original trip plan. |
| B．They had to choose it as an alternative. |
| C．It was the only remaining place to visit. |
| D．An elder village r gave them the suggestion. |
| A．Threatened. | B．Moved. | C．Stimulated. | D．Frightened. |
| A．To info rm what the monoliths served as. |
| B．To illustrate how the mysterious story came into being. |
| C．To introduce the feature of Nartiang monoliths. |
| D．To deny the overlap of ancient story and memory. |
| A．A Trip to the Monoliths. | B．The Mystery of Shillong. |
| C．The Formation of the Monoliths. | D．A Disappointing Travel Experience. |
| ||||
YOUR IMPACT BEGINS TODAY
With your support, we’re driving new knowledge, working to reduce our human footprint on the planet, and inspiring a new generation of changemakers to value the natural world and help create a brighter future. | 100% of all donations go directly to our Explorers and programs. We’ve built a sustainable, innovative business model that allows us to invest every dollar you donate directly to our Explorers and programs. When you support the National Geographic Society, not only are you supporting your passion for the planet, but you also help protect its wonder. You ensure our mission lives on so we can continue exploring the planet, saving wildlife, protecting our ocean, empowering the world’s most innovative scientists to help solve the planet’s mysteries and challenges, and preserving our ancient heritage for future generations. Your generous contribution will immediately go to work supporting the things you care passionately about — not operating costs. | |||
| SUPPORT OUR WORK Tax-free gifts National Geographic Society is a tax-free organization, and we rely on the generosity of donors like you to support our Explorers’ work in science, exploration, education, and storytelling. | ||||
| Single and monthly donations Make a gift today to help explore and protect our planet. By giving monthly, your reliable support allows us to respond to the most pressing programmatic needs. | Employer Matching Gifts Many companies have a matching gift program for employees. You give an amount and your company donates the same. Double your impact by exploring your employer’s matching gift programs. | Honor/Memorial Giving Honor a friend or loved one’s passion for science, exploration, education, and storytelling by making an unusual gift in their name. | ||
| A．To guide people to invest in a sustainable business. |
| B．To attract donations to National Geographic Society. |
| C．To appeal to people to preserve ancient heritage sites. |
| D．To publicize the mission of National Geographic Society. |
| A．Make it a gift in the name of your friend. |
| B．Support the most pressing employer. |
| C．Reduce the tax attached to the donation. |
| D．Try your company’s matching gift programs. |
| A．It needs no operating costs. | B．Its mission hasn’t been recognized. |
| C．It is dedicated to protecting nature. | D．Its employees needn’t pay income tax. |
My father asked me to chat with him for a while. Actually, I was unwilling to listen to his talking endlessly as he always did. My father was a lawyer, but I never wanted to go to law school or follow his path through life.
As was expected, he cleared his throat and started to say, “Er... What... What do you really want to do in the gorgeous(灿烂的) future?”
I was silent for a moment playing with the cell phone. I kept thinking, “Should I tell him my true thoughts? What if he gets angry? What if I let him down?” later I replied, “Well, I want to be a writer.”
I guessed this may be not the answer he would expect. But surprisingly, “Interesting idea!” he answered. I was shocked, speaking in a low voice with hesitation.
“Are you serious, dad?”
“Well, you need confidence and good preparations, and you still have plenty of time. You need to find out what you really enjoy now. Look, it’s late. Let’s take the boat out tomorrow morning, just you and me. Maybe we can catch some crabs (螃蟹) for dinner, and we can talk more.”
Early next morning we packed up the equipment and set off for the coast. We didn’t talk much, but enjoyed the sound of the seabirds and the sight of the coastline.
There were no big waves and blinding sunlight at that time. “Let’s see if we are lucky,” he said, picked up a web basket with a rope tied and threw it into the sea. We waited a while, then my father stood up and said, “Give me a hand with this,” and we pulled up the crab cage onto the deck.
To our joy, the cage was filled with dozens of soft shell crabs. Squatting (蹲) down, we watched them for a moment. At first they fought against each other to climb out hard, trying to escape. Many were pulled back into the cage. Later, some gave up, but there were still some crabs trying to escape again and again.
注意：It was a typical Monday morning. My form teacher, Mrs Tan, was going through our exam questions. I pot down some notes and did my corrections.
“Riiiiiiinnnngg!” A high-pitched sound pierced through the air like a knife. Covering my ears in annoyance, realization dawned on me. It was the fire alarm! While I encouraged others to remain as cool as a cucumber, it was in vain. My classmates were all screaming and running around like crazy.
“Calm down, everyone! Please queue up in an orderly manner! We have practised this in the fire drills!” instructed Mrs Tan , sounding anxious.
The class ignored her and continued screaming at the top of their voices. One student even broke down in a fit of panic. I rushed around the class, asking all my fellow students to settle down while waiting for further instructions.
A serious voice soon announced from the speakers in every class, drawing our attention. “All students are to follow their teachers and evacuate(撤离)the building in a calm and organized manner. The fire may have been caused by a gas explosion in the canteen; do not go near there!”
Mrs Tan finally managed to calm the panicky class down. In a strict voice, she told us that we were to use the evacuation route to Gate 6. She arranged the pupils quickly in neat straight rows and led us out of the classroom.
Upon taking my first step out of the classroom, I took a deep breath instantly. The surroundings were hazy(模糊的) as thick smoke came from the canteen. Choking, I unconsciously covered my nose. To make matters worse, the ash from the smoky surroundings hurt my eyes. Coughing anxiously, I tried to see my teacher in the lead, but the air was too hazy for me to see anything clearly. Within less than a minute, I lost sight of my class and was left alone.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150个左右；A wave of anxiety washed over me.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Just then, the figure of Mrs Tan waving a torchlight appeared from the smoke.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Studying a subject that you feel pointless is never a fun or easy task. If you’re studying history, asking yourself the question “why is history important” is a good start.
History enriches our experience. Reading history is an amazing experience because it enables us to reflect on the social and economic life of the people living long time ago. According to the experts, problems faced by people regardless of the past and present are the same.
History makes us more empathetic(具有共情能力的). Studying history can give us insight into why our culture does certain things, and how the past has shaped it into what we know now.
History can inspire us to learn more.
| A．History grounds us in our roots. |
| B．History helps us develop our interest. |
| C．History is an essential part of human civilization. |
| D．What’s fantastic about history is the way it broadens our horizons. |
| E．Being empathetic means listening to and understanding someone else. |
| F．It also provides a rather strong foundation for empathy across cultures. |
| G．With the information about the ancestors, one can become more experienced in handling challenges of life. |
If a pancake could dream, it might long for legs so it could jump off your breakfast plate in pursuit of a better, unchewed life. But legs aren’t necessary for something as flat as a pancake to jump around. A group of scientists have designed a pancake-shaped robot that can jump several times per second and higher than seven times its body height. The new robot named Hop, which swiftly jumps without feet, is an important contribution to the soft robotics.
Many ground robots move by rolling or walking. But it’s more efficient for robots to jump over obstacles (障碍物) than to go around them. Although jumping can offer some robots a competitive edge, engineering that ability has been a challenge for robotics researchers. Some soft robots that store energy can perform a single impressive jump very infrequently. Some lightweight soft robots that don’t store energy can jump frequently but can’t jump high or far enough to successfully cross an obstacle.
For inspiration, the researchers looked to gall midge larvae (瘿蚊幼虫) that miraculously throw themselves across distances 30 times as long as their loglike bodies. A gall midge larva bends its body and squeezes the liquid in its body to one end, making it rigid (僵硬的). The accumulation of liquid builds up pressure, and releasing the pressure sends it soaring (飙升). The robot’s body doesn’t resemble (像) that of a gall midge larva, but it jumps like one. Its body is made of two small plastic bags printed with electrodes; the front bag is filled with liquid and the back one is filled with the same volume of air. The robot uses electricity to drive the flow of liquid, which causes the body to bend and generate force with the ground, resulting in a jump. And the air bag imitates the function of an animal’s tail, helping the robot keep a stable position.
While the robot is currently restricted to Earth, it might be right at home exploring another planet. If this is true, the researchers robot might jump over dusty rocks and large holes on the moon or Mars, going where no pancake has gone before.
1．What does the author want to show by mentioning a pancake?| A．A pancake’s dream to have legs is unrealistic. |
| B．A robot is capable of serving a good pancake. |
| C．A pancake-shaped robot can jump without legs. |
| D．Research on pancakes advances our understanding of robots. |
| A．Hop’s avoiding an obstacle. | B．Hop’s moving around by rolling. |
| C．Hop’s performing one remarkable jump. | D．Hop’s jumping high and far continuously. |
| A．They are shaped like logs. |
| B．They have tails to change positions. |
| C．They bend their bodies and increase force. |
| D．They are filled with liquid and have rigid bodies. |
| A．Intolerant. | B．Positive. | C．Indifferent. | D．Ambiguous. |
A man recently connected with me on LinkedIn and sent me this note: “Let me know if you ever need a writer.” I guess he’s a writer? I don’t know. But I do know this phrase “Let me know if you ever need a.” shows up a lot, in my inbox and surely yours, too. I’ve come to think of it as the eight most deadly words in selling oneself because that phrase is the death of opportunity.
Let’s consider the approach. These people are being standoffish. Rather than selling themselves, they’re shifting the burden onto someone else to make the sale. If I need a writer, I should reach out to them. If I need a story, I should ask them for an interview. If I need a customer service solution, I should ask them for details. “Let me know if you ever need a ... ” sounds like an invitation, but it’s really a shrug.
Imagine the situation where I’d assign (分派工作) a story to the writer who used the nine words, “Let me know if you ever need a writer.” I would have needed a writer. Just any writer. Just anyone who can string words together. I would have needed to be in a panic, so desperate for someone to contribute to our magazine that I’d stopped thinking about great writers or good writers, or even serviceable writers and simply settled for a writer. This isn’t a situation that exists. The world is full of good options! We are not living in times of shortage. If we need a job done, there are plenty of qualified people to do it. Our question is: Who’s the best?
If you want to create opportunity for yourself, answer that question convincingly. The first thing to do is show someone you are the opportunity. Hiring you can help them. We also need to stop hiding behind ourselves. Get out in front! Sell yourself and your amazing abilities. Understand someone’s problem, and explain exactly why you are the solution. Avoid saying “Let me know if you ever need a ... ” Instead, start with: “Let me explain how I can help you.”
1．What do we know from the author’s experience?| A．We’d better start our own careers as early as possible |
| B．The author prefers to hire his employees on Linkedln. |
| C．The phrase “Let me know if you ever need a ... ” is polite. |
| D．Many people use the wrong opening sentence to sell themselves. |
| A．Frank and open. | B．Unfriendly and proud. |
| C．Unsure and sensitive. | D．Concerned and confident. |
| A．The author is in desperate need of a writer’s help. |
| B．There are very few great writers available nowadays. |
| C．Anyone who can string words together is a good writer. |
| D．The author isn’t interested in the writer using the nine words. |
| A．A Better Way of Selling Yourself. | B．Full Preparations Matter Most. |
| C．Good Jobs Wait for No Man. | D．Politeness Makes Difference. |
| A．tried; couldn’t | B．have tried; won’t |
| C．tried; won’t | D．have tried; can’t |
| A．have been added | B．were added | C．has been added | D．was added |
| A．which, that | B．that, what | C．what, that | D．that, which |
搜索
