出自:北京开放大学大学英语（2)
The Cinderella Story
1.__________________________________
The Cinderella story is a famous one. Cinderella was living happily with her family when her mother died. Her father remarried. Cinderella’s new stepmother and two stepsisters treated her poorly. She had to wear old clothes and work hard while the sisters wore fancy clothes and had fun.
You know the rest of the story. A good fairy helped Cinderella. She turned Cinderella’s old clothes into a beautiful dress. Cinderella went to a party and a prince fell in love with her. Cinderella left the party in a hurry and didn’t tell the prince her name. But she did leave a glass slipper and the prince used that to find her. Eventually, Cinderella and the prince married and lived happily ever after.
2.___________________________________
That’s one telling of the story, but the Cinderella fairy tale is found in many different countries with minor differences. In an African version, for example, there is one stepsister, not two. In a version from the Philippines, a forest spririt helps the Cinderella character. Settareh, a Middle Eastern Cinderella, goes to a New Year’s party. And Cinderella is not always a woman. In an Irish story, a young boy, Becan, marries a princess and lives happily ever after.
3.__________________________________
There are also modern retellings of the Cinderella story. In one, a girl named Cindy Ella is a student at a Los Angeles high school. Her fashionable stepmother and older stepsisters care a lot about shopping and money. Cindy doesn’t. when she writes a letter to her school newspaper against a school dance, she becomes very unpopular with both students and teachers. Only her two best friends—and later the school’s most handsome boy—support her.
4._____________________________________
Why is the Cinderella story so popular and found in so many cultures? There are several reasons. First of all, it’s a romantic story, which is a popular style. Also, Cinderella is a kind girl with a hard life. That makes people want to root for her. But maybe most important is that in the Cinderella story, a person faces many challenges but overcomes them in the end. That’s a story that everyone—boy or girl, young or old—wants to believe can come true.
Read the story and write the headers below in the correct places in the reading. Two headers are extra.
Going Solo Is the Way to Go!
How do you usually travel? Do you go with a close friend or a group of friends? Do you join a tour group? Do you travel with your family? Have you ever imagined “going solo”? In the mid 1990s, it was estimated that 9 million Americans were planning a summer vacation alone. Since then, the number of solo travelers has increased.
You may think that traveling alone would be scary or boring. Well, according to people who do it, that’s not exactly true. Solo travelers often have positive experiences: they make new friends, get to know themselves better, and can make their own schedule.
There are many different things you can do on a vacation alone. Some solo travelers use the time to learn or practice a sport such as golf, mountain climbing, or scuba diving. Others go and stay on a ranch and learn how to ride a horse. You can pretend to be a cowboy or cowgirl for a day!
You may not believe this, but some travelers like to study on their vacation. They even go to “vacation college” at a university or join a research team as a volunteer worker. It’s hard but satisfying work. You can “play scientist” for a week or two while you help someone with their project.
For solo travelers of different ages and genders, there are many travel options. There are tours for women only and for people over the age of 60. And, of course, there are trips for singles who are looking for romance. One company offers trips that focus on fine dining—there is time for sightseeing during the day and for sharing a delicious meal with new friends at night.
The next time you take a trip somewhere, why don’t you consider going solo?
Bon voyage!
Task 1（任务1）
1. What do you think the author is writing about?
a. The advantages of traveling alone.
b. Some memories of traveling alone.
c. The expense of traveling alone.
2. What topics does the author mention about solo travel?
a. The cost of solo travel.
b. The dangers of traveling alone.
c. Study vacations.
d. Using your vacation to learn a sport.
e. Packing for a trip alone.
f. Options for solo travelers.
3. Look at the topics you chose in 2. For each item, give examples from the reading.
a. Study vacations：
b. Using your vacation to learn a sport:
c. Options for solo travelers:
Complete the sentences below. Use the correct form of a verb in the chart. Use each verb only once.
1. Before the movie starts, please
your cell phones.
2. A: Carlos?
B: Yeah, wait a minute…I
on the phone. I’m talking to Marta.
3. A: I heard the phone ring. Who called?
B: It was probably a wrong number. When I
the phone and said, “Hello,” the person
.
4. A: Good morning, Barr and Associates.
B: Mr. Choi, please.
A: He’s busy at the moment. Can I
a message?
B: No, thanks. I’ll
back later.
5. A: Ann, you
a call from Bill earlier.
B:Did he
a message?
A: Yeah. He said to meet him at the library at 3:00.
6. A: Your phone is ringing. Aren’t you going to answer it?
B:No, I’m
my calls. I don’t want to talk to Sam.
7. A:
your messages. I think Mom called you.
B: No, I haven’t
a message from her. Oh, wait—she
me a text message. It says, “Dinner at 7:00.”
8. Can I use your phone for a minute? I need to
a call.
Local Girl Rescued
She may have a broken leg, but she couldn’t be happier. Morgan Bailey, 15, is happy to be alive.
Tuesday was like any other day for Morgan. She was at school. It was fourth period, and she was the first student to arrive in the gymnasium for her physical education class.
Suddenly there was a loud noise.
“There was a sharp cracking noise and then a loud boom. After that, I don’t remember anything,” said Morgan. “I guess I passed out!”
The roof of the gymnasium had collapsed under the heavy snow. Morgan was trapped underneath. She couldn’t escape.
“I woke up and there was a big piece of wood on my leg. I couldn’t move it. I was starting to get cold.”
Fortunately, help was nearby. A new program using “rescue robots” was tried for the first time.
“We were nervous about using the robots,” said Derrick Sneed, the man in charge of the program. “But in the end, the robot gave us reliable information. It went extremely well. “
The rescue robot was able to get into the gym and locate Morgan’s exact position.
“We send in robots first because it may not be safe for humans,” said Mr. Sneed. “People are not as useful as robots in some situations. A gas leak, for example, could kill you or me but wouldn’t hurt a robot.”
Although it didn’t happen in Morgan’s case, some rescue robots can bring fresh air or water to people who are trapped.
Rescue robots go into rough, dangerous places. They work in life-or-death situations. They have to be durable.
“Once we identified Morgan’s location and knew it was safe, a couple of our men went in to rescue her,” says Sneed. “Her leg was broken and she was scared, but thankfully, she was alive.”
Doctors say that Morgan is doing well. She should be going home in two or three days. What is the first thing she wants to do after she gets out of the hospital?
“I want to meet my hero,” laughs Morgan, “That little robot saved my life!”
Task 1（任务1）
A. Find the bold words in the passage and read the sentences they are in. Then match each word with its definition. One definition is extra.
Word Definition
(1) collapsed a. discovered
(2) trapped b. put something down
(3) position c. fell down
(4) identified d. unable to escape or move
e. location, place(1) collapsed
(2) trapped
(3) position
(4) identified
B. Morgan is telling people what happened to her. Number the events (1-9) in the order they happened.
They took me to the hospital.
Then the roof of the gym fell down, and I passed out.
I went into the gym for my class.
I have to stay for a couple o f days, but I’m feeling much better!
Then suddenly, this little robot appeared.
It was snowing really hard on Tuesday morning.
A few minutes later, a couple of men found me.
When I woke up, I tried to move, but I couldn’t. I was scared.
I heard this really loud sound.