Although fires are still a danger in every major city today, they were a much more serious problem in earlier centuries. The historic Fire of London was a serious example of the damage fire can cause. Finally, however, this disaster also positively affected the city.
In 1666, the Great Fire of London burned out of control for three days, destroying most of the central district of the city. The disaster caused a huge amount of damage — around seventy thousand people lost their homes. At the time, there were only about eighty thousand living in the city. There are no accurate records of how many people died in the fire because the worst damage happened in poor neighborhoods. Unfortunately, the government didn’t record the deaths of poor people in those early times.
When the fire happened, people in London were already struggling to survive a large plague (瘟疫) outbreak that had begun in 1665. London’s housing troubles were a major cause of the problem. At the time, much of central London consisted of closely packed and poorly made wooden buildings. This created an unhealthy environment because germs travelled freely from home to home. In addition, the buildings were on narrow, dirty streets where people threw their garbage. Rats were attracted by the garbage, and they brought fleas (跳蚤) — the carriers of the plague. Once people caught the plague from flea bites, the disease spread rapidly throughout the city especially in the cramped central district. It was in these terrible conditions that the Great Fire raged through London.
Despite the damage, the fire had a positive effect because it destroyed the old, poorly made wooden buildings. It also killed most of the rats and fleas, which slowed the spread of the plague. After the fire, the government rebuilt the damaged areas. Whenever possible, they used brick or stone. Thus, the new houses were much more solid and more difficult for rats to enter. Widened streets and improved garbage collection also helped to stop the disease from spreading from person to person because there was simply more room to walk.
1. Which of the following is TRUE about fires in the past?| A．They mainly happened in large cities. |
| B．They always had some positive effects. |
| C．They caused small amounts of damage. |
| D．They were more dangerous than fires today. |
| A．The numbers were beyond counting. |
| B．The government intended to hide the facts. |
| C．The records were destroyed in another fire. |
| D．The deaths of poor people were unrecorded. |
| A．Ancient. |
| B．Crowded. |
| C．Damaged. |
| D．Popular. |
| A．To reduce building costs. |
| B．To make houses stronger. |
| C．To keep fleas out of the city. |
| D．To stop the plague spreading. |
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【推荐1】When many people are worried that there are no more heroes in the modem society, two university students who lost their lives to rescue drowning children have shown that heroes still exist.
According to the Inner Mongolia Morning Post, the tragedy occurred on the afternoon of December 14, 2002 when three school students skating on a frozen lake in Qingcheng Park in Hohhot fell through the ice into the freezing water.
More than 20 university students who happened to be near the spot immediately went to the rescue of the children.
Two children were quickly rescued, but the third died. The child’s body was not found for three hours. Two of the rescuers, Liu Ye and Hao Longbiao, also died of cold and exhaustion(筋疲力尽).
The body of Hao who took the lead in jumping into the lake was not found until the next day.
A student who was unwilling to tell his name said he and his classmates from the local college were taking photos at the lake. When they heard the children’s cries for help, they went to the ice hole hand in hand to rescue the children. But the ice kept breaking, causing most of them to fall into the icy water.
Local residents held mourning ceremonies (祭奠仪式) at the lake.
Eight of the students were seriously affected by the freezing water and were being kept in hospital for further observation, but their lives were no longer in danger.
1. The underlined word “occurred” here means_____________.| A．employed | B．mixed |
| C．guided | D．happened |
| A．taking photos at the lake | B．skating on the ice |
| C．having a picnic | D．walking along the lake |
| A．The university students didn’t think it dangerous to save the drowning children in the lake. |
| B．Hao Longbiao’s body was found on December 14, 2002. |
| C．Three students died on the same day in all. |
| D．Local residents were not brave in face of danger. |
| A．people think little of the two university students’ death |
| B．the ice on the lake wasn’t strong enough to skate on |
| C．some students regretted for what they had done |
| D．heroes don’t agree with the steps of modern times |
【推荐2】It was the final climb on his quest to reach the highest summit on all seven continents. When Christopher Kulish finally reached Mount Everest’s 29,035-foot peak, he joined an elite group known as the “Seven Summits Club”. But the 62-year-old Colorado attorney died suddenly Monday after returning to the first camp below the mountain’s summit. He’s the second American to die in the past week after reaching Everest’s highest point. His family believes the cause was a heart attack, according to the Denver Post. “He saw his last sunrise from the highest peak on Earth,” his brother, Mark Kulish, said in a statement to the Denver Post. “We are heartbroken at this news.”
Last week, 55-year-old Donald Lynn Cash of Utah collapsed and died just after reaching the Everest peak. He too had reached the highest point on all seven continents. Including Christopher and Cash, at least 11 people have died on Mount Everest this year.
The deaths come among reports of overcrowding on the popular mountain. The Nepali government granted a total of 381 permits to climb Everest this year, a number that doesn’t include guides who are on the mountain as well. For some climbers, that traffic has meant longer wait times — some told the Himalayan Times the wait has exceeded two hours between the last camp and the peak. Mountaineer Vanessa O’Brien, who has also climbed the seven summits, said when there’s a crowd, being a more experienced climber won’t help you. “It doesn’t matter if you’re the best racecar driver in the world. If you’re stuck in traffic, you’re stuck in traffic,” she said in an interview.
And when a climber is stuck in that traffic, “their body is starting to deteriorate.” O’Brien, who set a record as the fastest woman to reach the highest peak on every continent, also said the descent is often harder than the climb.
Climbing expert Alan Arnette said there’s no simple explanation for the string of deaths. He said weather that has led to a shorter climbing season is one factor causing overcrowding. He also said the cost to climb Mount Everest has decreased, which means more people are making the journey. He urged the governments in charge of granting permits to limit how many people can be on the mountain at once.
Still, Christopher was no beginner. His family said he’d been mountain climbing for five decades. He arrived at the base camp nearly two months before his climb so he could give himself time to adapt to the conditions. When he made his journey, his family said he was climbing with a small group in almost ideal conditions after some of the overcrowding had cleared.
His brother described being a lawyer as a “day job” for Christopher. Climbing was his passion. “He was an inveterate climber of peaks in Colorado, the West and the world over,” Mark Kulish said. “He passed away doing what he loved.”
1. What do we know from Christopher?| A．He has reached the highest point on all seven continents. |
| B．He joined the “Seven Summits Club” at the base camp. |
| C．11 people following him died after reaching the Everest peak this year. |
| D．He died from a heart attack below the mountain’s summit. |
| A．Lacking guides. | B．Overcrowding. |
| C．Bad weather. | D．Getting Government’s permission. |
| A．To wait for his friends. | B．To learn about the mountain. |
| C．To clear the traffic jam. | D．To adapt to conditions earlier. |
| A．Experienced. | B．Famous. | C．Excellent. | D．Addictive. |
The driver of the truck was a 50-year-old man who was unemployed and it was clear that he had been drinking because the police found 18 empty beer cans inside his truck. However, the man denied drinking even if he had failed the police test for drinking, saying, “No, I haven’t drunk anything.” When asked to touch his nose , ears, and mouth with his eyes closed, he was unable to touch any part of his head.
So the police put him into the back seat of a police car. But the man kept crying, “Mabel, where is my Mabel? I can’t find her now. I want my Mabel.” The police asked him if Mabel was his wife. He said, “She’s my dog, my dog! Where’s my baby?” Later in the day, the police found a dog with a ring around her neck, on which was written “Mabel” half a block away from where the accident happened. Perhaps the man was looking for his pet dog after drinking when the accident happened. As a result, the man was taken to the city jail for driving after drinking and it seemed that Mabel would be left alone.
1. Which of the following is true about the accident ?
| A．The boy’s mother was injured. |
| B．The boy was driving the car. |
| C．A car ran into a truck at a corner. |
| D．The truck driver drank beer. |
| A．amazed | B．frightened |
| C．puzzled | D．concerned |
| A．He was OK because he was conscious. |
| B．He may be injured inside. |
| C．His right leg was broken. |
| D．He was going to die of a broken leg. |
| A．admitted | B．determined | C．disagreed | D．preferred |
【推荐1】British people work some of the longest hours in Europe, but are among the least productive. Now some companies are shortening the working week to increase efficiency, health and happiness.
Rich Leigh has introduced a four-day week at his PR company. In fact, his entire company has Friday off, because his firm has adopted a four-day week. It is one of several UK businesses that now operate like this: staff still get paid their previous five-day salary, but they work a day less. The company found that they achieved just as much-and there were even signs of growth. “The key to the scheme’s success,” Leigh says, “is how happy our employees now are.”
The average British worker takes only a 34 minute lunch break and works 10 hours overtime each week (more often than not this is unpaid). Yet UK productivity falls seriously behind their European neighbors, who tend to work fewer hours.
British working practices have caused loss and damage to the nation’s health and happiness. More than half a million workers in the UK were signed off with work-related stress or anxiety last year. Moreover, the work landscape itself is changing. Automation and AI will have a significant impact on the labor market, where unsteady work becomes more common.
Britain is the only EU member that allows workers to ignore the EU working time limit and work longer hours. For campaigners, now is the time for a change. O’Grady, an advocate, argues that where businesses have increased their profits (利润)as a result of automation, success should be shared with workers in the form of reduced hours. “It’s time to share the benefits from new technology, not allowing those at the top to grab them for themselves.” she says.
1. We can learn from the passage that ________.| A．British people are the least productive in the world |
| B．Most companies in Britain have conducted a four-day week |
| C．PR company has witnessed a rise in employees’ happiness |
| D．British people work longer and get more payment than other countries |
| A．The working time of British workers is within the EU limit. |
| B．In productivity, Britain is beaten by the United States. |
| C．Profits gained from new technology are on the decrease. |
| D．Automation and AI are likely to cause an unsteady work market. |
| A．It’s time for employers to share the increased profits created by automation. |
| B．Workers should benefit from automation in the form of less working hours. |
| C．New technology should belong to both businesses and workers. |
| D．Businesses can’t make more profits without new technology. |
| A．To introduce some British firms’ switch to a four-day working week. |
| B．To explain the reasons why British workers suffer stress and anxiety. |
| C．To appeal for more reasonable working conditions. |
| D．To show the present productivity problem in Britain. |
【推荐2】Are you learning another language? Maybe you’re trying to study it for work or study, or maybe you’re trying to master it just for the fun of it? Language learning is nothing new, of course, but technology has made it easier than ever to learn.
The popularity (流行) of language-learning apps in particular has increased around the world, especially as more people are working or studying at home. They are usually easy and convenient to use because you can use them on your smartphone. And apps can offer languages not popular enough to be taught at evening classes or schools or universities.
Many of us aim to speak two languages to enable us to communicate with people around the world. But, maybe surprisingly, the British, who are not famous for their love for language learning, are leading the way in the growth of these apps. US company Duolingo told the BBC that in 2020 new user numbers globally were up 67% compared with 2019, while in the UK they increased by 132%, almost double the worldwide average.
But for anyone trying a new language, what encourages them to carry on learning when there isn’t a teacher around to manage their progress? Colin Watkins from Duolingo told the BBC that for UK learners at least, “people are learning because of culture, brain training, family, and relationships, along with school and travel. We want a positive use of our time, and to do something productive (富有成效的) on our apps.” The recent lockdowns have given us more time to do this. Certainly, speaking two or more languages is a good thing, and helps us to bring the world a little closer together.
1. What has made learning a language easier?| A．Teachers. | B．New teaching methods. |
| C．Technology: apps. | D．Learners’ goals. |
| A．They are not difficult to use. |
| B．They are interesting. |
| C．They can offer more languages. |
| D．They are convenient to use. |
| A．The number of language app users is increasing. |
| B．Many of them want to speak two languages. |
| C．The British are using language-learning apps. |
| D．The British are leading the rise in the use of language-learning apps. |
| A．Positive. (肯定的) | B．Negative. (否定的) |
| C．Indifferent. (冷漠的) | D．Critical. (批判的) |
【推荐3】As PhD research goes, Brian Wisenden was enviable, watching baby fish swimming swiftly through the clear waters in the Costa Rican tropical dry forest. By recording their growth and numbers, he hoped to look at their risks of being eaten. Instead, he witnessed something odd. Many groups were increasing in numbers. In these groups, some were smaller than others, suggesting they weren’t siblings (兄弟姐妹). Wisenden had accidentally discovered that the fish, called convict cichlids, adopt each other’s babies. Why would they do that, he wondered?
In the human world, we think of adoption as a selfless act. But in nature, its presence is puzzling. Taking on the burden of bringing up babies with no genetic link would seem to reduce an animal’s chances of survival or at least provide no gain. Yet, adoption is surprisingly common in the world.
Take the eastern grey kangaroo. Between 2008 and 2013, Wisenden followed the fates of 326 baby kangaroos in the National Park in Victoria and recorded 11 cases of pouch swapping. The circumstances behind some of these adoptions aren’t known, but four were straight swaps and another four occurred after a mother had lost her own baby.
How come? Before independence, baby kangaroos go through a period inside and outside their mother’s pouch. Following out-of-pouch forays, mothers normally sniff their young before allowing them back in, but Wisenden’s team suspect that during an emergency they may skip the sniff test, allowing a vulnerable baby to quickly climb in before fleeing from danger. Once inside the wrong pouch, the young may fake the mother’s odor, making them smell confusingly like her own progeny. So, poor baby recognition is the prime cause of “accidental” adoption.
Some of nature’s adoptions are, actually, driven by young looking for better prospects. In burrower bugs, for example, females lay a nest of eggs close to those of unrelated bugs. Mother bugs tend their developing eggs before they hatch, then feed their babies nuts from weedy mint plants. Finding nuts is a competitive business, so not every mother bug gets her fair share. And if the delivery rate isn’t up to scratch, clever young may abandon their mothers to join a better-fed group. That’s similar to behavior in several species of gull whose babies, if poorly fed, may leave home in search of better parents.
The consequences of adoption following mistaken identity can be dire. The true babies of adopting mothers were abandoned. But it can have remarkable benefits, not just for adoptees but also for adoptive parents.
1. It can be inferred from the passage that Wisenden’s findings are .| A．too weird to be witnessed | B．out of his own expectations |
| C．envied by his peer co-researchers | D．a sound proof of his research object |
| A．Baby animals’ looking for better parenting. |
| B．Parents’ failure to recognize their own babies. |
| C．Selfless adoption commonly seen in animal world. |
| D．Parents, inability to provide enough food. |
| A．weak and easily attacked | B．naughty and easily hurt |
| C．independent and well-fed | D．fragile and poorly raised |
| A．The benefits for baby animals. | B．The benefits for adopters. |
| C．The consequences of adoption. | D．The consequences of wrong identity. |
【推荐1】In 2015 the project of an architectural (建筑方面的) company won the most important art award in Britain, the Turner Prize. The Turner Prize was established to celebrate developments in contemporary art, which is the art of today. The win by the company, named Assemble, was a surprise as architectural projects are not usually seen as art.
The Turner Prize website describes Assemble as a company from London “who works across the fields of art, design and architecture to create projects with the communities who use and inhabit them.” They won the prize because they work with local people in an ongoing way when they do a project.
The project that they won the prize for is called Granby Four Streets, which is in Liverpool. The Granby Four Streets are four streets of terraced houses in an area called Toxteth in Liverpool, a city where the famous music group, the Beatles, came from. In fact, terraced houses were a terrible eyesore in the city. One could hardly believe these rows of houses, in such a bad state, were right in the inner city of a big British city.
However, over the past ten years, local people have cleaned the streets, planted trees and flowers in them, painted the empty houses and organized a busy monthly street market. They also founded a Community Land Trust to take care of the terraced houses. A Community Land Trust is a not-for-profit organization run by volunteers that delivers housing and other community facilities at affordable levels or local people. Their goal was to get the area beautiful and livable again to make their city a better place.
Local resident Hazel Tilley was asked if Assemble's work was really art. She replied, "It's recognizing the humanity in art. It's not this piece of work of art that goes into some rich person's warehouse; this is something that you live with. And it's art for the people.”
1. Why was the win by the company named Assemble unexpected?| A．Because Assemble's work appeals to many communities. |
| B．Because architecture projects are seldom referred to as art. |
| C．Because Assemble is a company working across many fields. |
| D．Because the Turner Prize website views Assemble as a community. |
| A．These terraced houses were rows of houses in a good state. |
| B．These terraced houses were sold by the Community Land Trust for profit. |
| C．The Beatles, a famous music group, once lived in one of these terraced houses. |
| D．Local people set up the Community Land Trust to tend to these terraced houses. |
| A．The reason why the Community Land Trust was set up. |
| B．The benefits that local people have got from the community. |
| C．The efforts that people have made to improve the community. |
| D．The influence that the Community Land Trust has had on the city. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Opposed. | C．Uninterested. | D．Doubtful. |
【推荐2】In recent years, wooden buildings have reached new heights, with soaring(高耸的)wooden skyscrapers completed or underway in countries like Norway, Switzerland and AustraliA. Sweden, likewise, has come up with a plan—building the world’s biggest wooden city. As the world’s largest urban construction project in wood, Stockholm Wood City will be built in Sweden’s capital, Stockholm in 2025.
“By using wood, the project is expected to reduce carbon footprint by up to 40%,compared with building in concrete and steel,” says Annica Anäs, CEO of Atrium Ljungberg, a Swedish urban development company. Some people may have concerns over fire risks posed by wooden buildings, but experts say engineered timber(木材)can resist fire as well. As with other modern construction projects using wood, Wood City will still use some concrete and steel in places like the foundations, but the overall amounts will be greatly reduced.
“The construction will not be as noisy as it is built from concrete and bricks,” adds Ms Anäs. This makes wooden buildings particularly suitable for urban redevelopment in general, since putting them up is less likely to annoy the neighbours. It should also be profitable. Ms Anäs is looking for a return on investment of 20% or better.
The world’s largest wooden city is supposed to make commute (通勤) easier and shorter, decreasing emissions from transportation. The website for the project describes Stockholm Wood City as a “five minute city”. As Anäs concluded, “We want to create an environment where our customers, who will live and work here, can participate in the development and design of the city district of the future. ”
1. The project mentioned in the passage is about__________.| A．making a modern city | B．creating wooden skyscrapers |
| C．building the highest wooden building | D．constructing the largest wooden city |
| A．Resisting fires. | B．Lasting long. |
| C．Being environmentally friendly. | D．Being comfortable. |
| A．they are profitable for investors | B．they cause less noise when built |
| C．they have a short construction period | D．they are less costly to maintain and repair |
| A．Optimistic. | B．Critical. | C．Concerned. | D．doubtful. |
【推荐3】On January 20th 2017, Donald Trump became the new US president. He and his family moved into the White House. The White House is the official home of the president and his first family. The president's office is also there. It is Washington, DC, the capital city of the US. The White House is an American symbol.
The "Gold" Office.
US presidents work in the Oval Office. Each new president makes changes to the White House and his office. President Trump likes bright gold and yellow. He makes something gold in his office as he likes. For example, he put gold carpets and gold curtains in his office.
What's in the White House?
The White House has three floors. There are 132 rooms and 35 bathrooms. The first family sleep and eat on the second and third floor. The first lady is the hostess here. Sometimes she throws parties with the help of other workers. There are about 96 workers in the White House.
Easter Fun.
Every year, the White House holds many interesting activities. The president and the first family invite many kids to the White House for an Easter celebration. There is a race called the Easter Egg Roll on the grassland. The activity started in 1878.
Vegetable Garden.
The White House has a big vegetable garden on the lawn. The White House kitchen uses the vegetables from the garden to cook for the first family. The White House also gives vegetables to a charity organization.
1. Why did Donald Trump move into the White House with his family?| A．Because the White House is the symbol of the US. |
| B．Because he is the President of the US now and he has to work in the office there. |
| C．Because the White House is in the capital city of he US. |
| D．Because the first family all want to move into the White House. |
| A．Mr Trump made his office an Oval Office. |
| B．Mr Trump made everything in his office gold or bright yellow. |
| C．Mr Trump changed the gold carpet or curtains in his office and bought new ones. |
| D．Mr Trump changed his office by putting gold carpets and curtains in his office. |
| A．1 | B．2 | C．3 | D．141 |
| A．Vegetable Garden is a wonderful place for an Easter celebration. |
| B．The first family eat the vegetables from the vegetable garden. |
| C．Every year the first family invite many kids to the White House. |
| D．The first family don't sleep or eat on the first floor in the White House. |
| A．The president's work. | B．The president's family. |
| C．The White House. | D．Activities in the White House. |
