If there was a subject at school that made me anxious, it was science. Maybe that’s because in my tenth grade, I couldn't understand my physics teacher's instructions, causing me to accidentally set fire to the classroom. So, when my husband and I decided to home-school our daughters, we made a deal: he would teach science, while I would handle everything else. But that’s not how things have been going these past few weeks, since my husband has been too busy to teach the girls.
Recently, while out on my morning hike before starting lessons, I noticed that the sky was a beautiful blue, and the air was filled with the sweet smell of flowers. That s why I decided that the day’s lessons would be taught outside, although I remembered that my daughters hadn't had any science classes from my husband for a while.
I returned to the house to get the girls ready. We headed up into the forest, settling ourselves by a pond that rarely has any visitors. My daughter Saoirse started to pick up pond weeds and catch frogs, while my other daughter Ula looked at me, waiting to be instructed. I handed her a drawing board and colored pencils. "We wait, "I told her, " and see if something comes along. In the meantime, just draw what's around you.”
We worked for more than an hour, hardly speaking. A bird flew across the water, and then settled in a front of a fallen tree. I quickly told Ula, worried that she’d not seen the creature. But she had, and she started drawing it. An hour later, she’d not finished her picture and I stared down at it. She drew the bird on her paper with amazing accuracy. But there was one other interesting fact about this drawing: she also drew me, sitting beside her.
I realized, as I stared at this child's drawing of us watching a bird, how I'd lived for 40 years, gathered 10 years of higher education, and never understood the foundation of science before this moment. The foundation of science is a sense of wonder; it isn't about accurately reciting words from a textbook. It is first and foremost about stepping outside our busy lives and amazing at the world around us.
1. How did the author feel about science when in school?| A．She was nervous about it. | B．She was fond of it. |
| C．She was confused about it. | D．She was eager for it. |
| A．the fallen tree | B．the forest |
| C．the bird | D．the picture |
| A．She's very outgoing. | B．She's good at observing. |
| C．She's very hard-working. | D．She shares interests with her sister. |
| A．Attention to accuracy. |
| B．Curiosity about the outside world. |
| C．Determination to find out the truth. |
| D．Ability to understand teachers' instructions. |
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【推荐1】I grew up in a poor family. This was something I did not realize until l was older. 1thought everyone in the city took the bus. because everyone in my neighborhood took the bus. I thought everyone in the city used the food bank, because all my friends’ families ate the same government-labeled food as my family ate. We all wore hand-me-down clothes.
Shopping with my mom made me first understand that my family was a little different. My mom used paper money that looked different from the paper money others in line were using, I asked my mom why our money looked different. She said that we used food stamps that were provided by government so we could eat.
In high school, I was still embarrassed and wished we were not so poor, but I loved my mom and the other members of my family and knew we had things to be proud of. Though my mother was uneducated, she taught me how to love and told me to believe in myself. Growing up in poor family taught me perseverance. I have always believed in myself and my abilities. I knew I could focus on schoolwork and build a life that looked different from my childhood.
As I became a man, I started understanding how my experiences made it possible for me to be resilient, and how to respect people for who they are as an individual — and not by what they have. I think there are a lot of fixed images placed on those experiencing poor life that do not actually come from the people experiencing it. These opinions come from people on the outside trying not to look into the experience. Hardworking, trust-worthy, reliable, clean, efficient, successful and disciplined are all words not specially connected with poor life. But those words are very much shown by those experiencing poor life. I am proud to be who I am and proud of where I’m from.
1. What was the author’s mom purpose of using different paper money in the shop?| A．To show her difference. | B．To spend the extra stamps. |
| C．To support the local government. | D．To buy food without real money. |
| A．Wise. | B．Highly educated. | C．Frightening. | D．Impatient. |
| A．Careless. | B．Proud. | C．Annoyed. | D．Disappointed. |
| A．Childhood memories. | B．Sadness because of being poor. |
| C．Lessons from growing up poor. | D．Tiring poor life. |
【推荐2】Growing up, I understood one thing about my dad: He knew everything. This was our relationship :
In my teen years, he taught me things I’d need to know to survive in the real world. When I moved out on my own, I called him at least once a week, usually when something broke in my apartment and I needed to know how to fix it.
I don’t know when it happened, but our conversations when I called changed into six words. “Hi, Dad, sweets. Here’s Mom.” (Because I still needed her. ) I loved my dad, of course, but I wondered at times if maybe he had already shared everything I needed to know.
A few weeks later, after my family moved back into our house, I called my parents. Dad answered. “Hi, sweets,” he said. “Here’s Mom.” “Wait, Dad,” I said. “How are you?” We ended up talking about what he was working on. To anyone else, it would sound like a normal conversation between a dad and his daughter.
| A．But to me, it was novel , a new beginning. |
| B．We loved each other very much. |
| C．I asked him questions and he told me the answers. |
| D．I thought I knew everything about my dad — his various jobs. |
| E．He was not as strong as before and out of breath. |
| F．But then, eventually, I needed him less. |
| G．Maybe, after knowing a man for 40 years, there’s nothing left to say. |
【推荐3】One day when I was 5, my mother scolded (责骂) me for not finishing my breakfast and I got angry. I wanted to play outside and not to be made to finish eating my breakfast. When angrily opening the screen door with my foot, I kicked back about a 12-inch part of the lower left hand corner of the new screen door. But I had no remorse, for I was happy to be playing in the backyard with my toys.
Today, I know if my child had done what I did, I would have scolded my child, and told him about how expensive this new screen door was, and I would have delivered a spanking (打屁股) for it. My parents never said a word. They left the corner of the screen door pushed out, creating an opening, a breach (裂缝) in the defense against unwanted insects.
For years, every time I saw that corner of the screen, it would constantly make me think about my mistake. For years, I knew that everyone in my family would see that hole and remember who did it. For years, every time I saw a fly buzzing (嗡嗡) in the kitchen, I would wonder if it came in through the hole that I had created with my angry foot. I would wonder if my family members were thinking the same thing, silently blaming me every time a flying insect entered our home, making life more terrible for us all. My parents taught me a valuable lesson, one that a spanking or stern (严厉的) words perhaps could not deliver. Their silent punishment for what I had done delivered a hundred stern messages to me. Above all, it has helped me become a more patient person and not burst out so easily.
1. When the author damaged the door, his parents ________.| A．gave him a spanking |
| B．left the door unrepaired |
| C．scolded him for what he had done |
| D．told him how expensive it was |
| A．regret | B．joy | C．anger | D．notice |
| A．to hide his anger away from others |
| B．not to go against his parents’ will |
| C．to have a better control of himself |
| D．not to make mistakes in the future |
| A．Adults should ignore their children’s bad behavior. |
| B．Parents are the best teachers of their children. |
| C．Patience is the key to becoming a better person. |
| D．One learns most when shown the result of his/her action. |
【推荐1】The New Year comes with Northeast China's coldest days, but it's also, the peak season for winter tourism.
Harbin
A major draw for Harbin, known as “Ice City”, is its more than 400 activities started from early November to early April. They cover tourism, culture, art, fashion, sports and trade. The 22nd Harbin Ice, and Snow World, a 600,000-squaré-mcter: wonderland of sculptures, opened on Dec 24 and will run until the end of February. Another important event in the city — the 33rd China Harbin Sun Island International Snow Sculpture Art Expo — kicked off on Dec 20. At the expo, tourists can view 50 groups of snow sculptures, which use more than 90,000 cubic meters of snow, including the 116-meler-long main snow sculpture The, Chinese Dragon.
Mohe
Mohe, China's northernmost city, is also presenting its unique winter charms to tourists. As the coldest place in China, winter tourism season begins in mid-October and lasts until late January. Beiji Village, 88 kilometers from the city center, attracts almost all the' visitors who land at Mohe. In the village, a recently built hotel made of ice and snow has become a popular attraction. Almost everything inside is made of frozen water in some forms, including the beds, tables, sofas and decorations.
Jilin
During this winter tourism season, which started in mid-November until April,nearly 300 snow and ice themed activities will be held across Jilin. The fifth Jilin International Ice and Snow Industry Expo promoted a combination of Winter Olympics themes,winter culture,ice and snow tourism and winter sports. On the frozen Chagan Lake, an impressive winter fishing lasts ritual（仪式）that dates from the Jin Dynasty also takes place. The activity of winter fishing lasts two months. The traditional skills of Chagan Lake winter fishing were listed as an intangible cultural heritage in 2008.
1. What can you do in the 33rd China Harbin Sun Island International Snow，Sculpture Art Expo？| A．Watch a fashion show. | B．Build an ice hotel. |
| C．Go fishing. | D．View a snow dragon sculpture. |
| A．Harbin. | B．The city center of Mohe. | C．Beiji Village. | D．Jilin. |
| A．The 22nd Harbin Ice and Snow World. |
| B．Winter tourism season in Mohe. |
| C．Winter tourism season in Jilin. |
| D．Fishing on the. Chagan Lake. |
【推荐2】Not all natural disasters can be prevented. However, the impacts can be lessened with proper planning systems. Only by managing land and water resources can cause higher costs in property damage. Planning requires the cooperation of a network of state and local officials working with federal agencies like the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to assess risks and implement changes where necessary.
According to FEMA, floods are the most common natural disaster. Effects of floods are complicated by weather patterns such as drought, which hardens soils and increases the possibility of flash flooding. The amount of impervious (不受影响的) surfaces (like roads and parking lots) in developed areas can contribute to floodwater.
One way to reduce the impacts of flooding is to restore and maintain river flood plains and wetlands. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that restoration of the Upper Mississippi’s 100-year flood zone could have contained the estimated 39-million-square acre-feet of floodwater that caused the Great Flood of 1993 in this area.
A reduction in impervious surfaces is another measure to prevent a natural disaster. The EPA estimates that a single acre of wetlands can store up to 1.5 million gallons of floodwater. Replacing wetlands with impervious surfaces sets the stage for a flood event. By reducing the amount of impervious surface through city and local planning, flash flooding can be prevented or at least lessen impacts.
Natural disaster prevention also relies on the individual. The American Red Cross provides training for individuals to prepare for natural disasters. Having an emergency preparedness kit in your home is important, since some natural disasters can occur without warning. A well-stocked kit will include a complete first aid kit, a few days’ supply of drinking water and canned goods, and other necessities such as batteries, matches and flashlights. While having the kit will not prevent the disaster, it will give you the peace of mind of being prepared.
1. What may cause flash flooding?| A．Long droughts. | B．Hardened soils. |
| C．Enlarged parks. | D．Developed fields. |
| A．Preserving plains and wetlands. | B．Building dams to restore water. |
| C．Getting rid of impervious surfaces. | D．Trying to change weather patterns. |
| A．To help you make good planning systems. | B．To help you prepare for natural disasters. |
| C．To help you prevent some natural disasters. | D．To help you share the national responsibility. |
| A．The functions of FEMA. | B．The impacts of national disasters. |
| C．Ways to prevent severe natural disasters. | D．Disaster prevention and individual preparation. |
【推荐3】There are different regional accents across the UK, and a number of regions have several different dialects-that is, they have their own unique vocabulary and grammatical phrases. There are many different accents native to London, because it is not just where a person is born in the UK that decides their accent. Language and accents also differ across class and level of education. Therefore, the recent rise of a new accent coined at the end of the 20th century, “Multicultural London English.” Other factors are also important in the invention of new accents and ways of speaking. These include the influence of people from different racial(种族的) backgrounds and different age groups, too.
The word “yoof’ is a slang spelling of “youth”. Some people consider “yoof” to be a negative term, since its pronunciation is easier and lazier than youth. Other people see the term as positive, because it describes how young people are creating their own language, concepts and identity. By using words that their parents don’t understand, children can talk about things that their parents might not agree with. In this way, young people are starting to find freedom, independence and self-expression. They are creating a “yoof culture”. A few features(特点)of the yoof style of language are as follows:
· instead of “think”, “the”, “that”, “what” and “because”, yoof will say “fink”, “da”, “dat”, “wot” and “coz”.
· instead of using a variety of tag questions like “., isn’t it?” or “... don’t they?”, yoof will use the all-purpose “innit” (e.g. “It’s hot, innit! ”or “You can dance really well, innit!”)
· instead of “I don’t care!”, yoof will say “Whatever!”.
Certain groups of society feel threatened by “yoof culture” or by the British working classes having more social freedom. As a result, a negative term now commonly used in the UK is “chav”.It is an insult(辱骂)and is meant to describe someone who is uneducated and anti-social (e.g. “He’s a chav!” ). A young person who wears a jacket with a hood-after all, it is often cold and rains a lot in the UK-is sometimes called a ‘hoodie’. It is a negative term again and suggests that the young person is interested in committing a crime(犯罪).
Learners of English often feel that the best test of their English is how well they can talk to a native speaker, but perhaps they should worry less about this. In fact, when we think about ‘international English’, there is no such thing as a native or non-native speaker. The UK no longer owns the English language.
1. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a factor in the invention of new accents?| A．Class. | B．Race. | C．Age. | D．Family. |
| A．The word “yoof”. | B．Other people’s attitude. |
| C．The pronunciation of “yoof’. | D．Multicultural London English. |
| A．They are only used online. |
| B．They are simple but easy to understand. |
| C．They are usually an incomplete list of words. |
| D．They are short but have complete grammar structure. |
| A．Young people are more likely to commit a crime. |
| B．Yoof culture has a bad influence on young people. |
| C．Certain groups have negative ideas of the yoof culture. |
| D．Different people have different attitudes towards yoof culture. |
【推荐1】Bus Tours in Washington DC
The Lights Night Tour in Washington DC
Duration: 3 hours $56.33
Highest-rated Night Tour in DC! The ONLY DC Night Tour where the Tour Guides HOP OFF with you at each stop and tell you about each monument and attraction. Hop aboard the The Lights Night Tour! The best time to take a tour of Washington DC is at night.
Best Mount Vernon & Arlington Cemetery Tour from Washington DC
Duration: 6 hours $78.96
See Arlington Cemetery, Old Town Alexandria and George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate on this small group bus tour from Washington DC. Your tour guide will accompany you through Mount Vernon, telling you about all of the attractions there and the history of George Washington’s home on the Potomac River.
The Best Minibus Tour in Washington DC
Duration: 3 hours $46.92
See all the key attractions DC has to offer in a 3-hour format. You will learn all about the history and trivia that surrounds Washington and visit the major monuments and attractions DC has to offer.
Please Note: Rates for this tour vary by day of the week. When you choose your specific date on the availability calendar, the rates for that date will be displayed.
The Blossoms Tour in Washington DC
Duration: 3 hours $56.99
BEST WAY to Experience the Cherry Blossoms! Each year from mid March to mid April, see the beautiful Cherry Blossoms in Washington DC and get great photos because you’ll be led to all the best spots by the best guides. The annual spring bloom in DC is a magical time and this tour promises to provide the very best tour opportunity for you!
1. Which tour would provide you with a sightseeing boat?| A．The Blossoms Tour. |
| B．The Lights Night Tour. |
| C．The Best Minibus Tour. |
| D．Best Mount Vernon & Arlington Cemetery Tour. |
| A．Its price is not fixed. |
| B．The best time to take it is at night. |
| C．The tour guide accompanies you. |
| D．You can get great photos of cherry. |
| A．July 4. |
| B．August 15. |
| C．March 27. |
| D．October 8. |
【推荐2】What do you think of your Chinese? If you think your Chinese is good enough, you can take part in the competition named Chinese Characters Dictation Competition（中国汉字听写大会）.
Today teenagers are using more and more smart phones. They spend too much time in shopping, chatting, playing games and so on. Many of them cannot stop using smart phones to help with their study. Overuse of smart phones will make students too lazy to think and write. Some of them even forget how to write Chinese characters by hand. Teachers and parents are very worried about it.
In order to draw people’s attention to the problems above, in 2013 CCTV held the first Chinese Characters Dictation Competition. About 200 students from 32 teams took part in it. They stood on the stage to write down Chinese characters by dictation. Lu Jialei, a 14-year-old girl from Zhejiang, got first place.
Since then, the competition has been popular among teenagers. Many people are interested in this kind of competition, too. They like to write down the characters while the competitors（参赛者）are writing them.
Can you be the next winner?
1. From Paragraph 2, we know that teenagers are using more and more _____．| A． cars | B．money | C．books | D．smart phones |
| A．eating too much | B．walking too much |
| C．using too much | D．singing too much |
| A．About 400. | B．About 300. | C．About 200. | D．About 100. |
| A．Lu Jialei, a girl from Zhejiang. | B．Lu Jialei, a girl from Guangxi. |
| C．Liao Yilin, a girl from Zhejiang. | D．Liao Yilin, a girl from Guangxi. |
【推荐3】After the election day in the United States, there is a period of uncertainty. Both candidates（候选人） could claim victory, and misinformation about the result would go viral. Anger, fake news and hate speech on social media could cause tensions. So what is Big Tech planning to do about it?
Twitter says after election day candidates will not be permitted to claim they have won the election before a declared result. And candidates can't tweet or retweet content that affects with the election process.
What will it do if that happens?
Twitter will direct people to resources with accurate, up-to-date information about the election status. It won't take down tweets. But these tweets will be labelled.
Reddit appears to go much further than Twitter. It says information that seeks to mislead or misrepresent the election results is not allowed and would be removed from the site.
Reddit also has an entire page committed to what happens after the election. The site will host a series of "Ask Me Anything" events from the day after the election.Voting experts will be on hand to answer questions about the vote, and what people can expect in the coming days.
YouTube
YouTube says it will not allow "misleading claims about voting or content that encourages interference(干扰) in the process".
It also says it will remove false content that aims to change the results of an election.That goes further than Twitter and Reddit. Users will face the biggest punishment. YouTube will shut down the account permanently that posts misleading information if necessary.
TikTok
TikTok says it is working with independent fact checkers during the election period.
It says it will remove misinformation related to the 2020 election - including the vote itself.
It is also adding an election misinformation option to in-app reporting so that users can flag content.
In short, all these social media companies are treating the election, and its aftermath(后果), very seriously.We may know in a few days whether these measures are enough.
1. Which of the following Apps will not remove the misinformation?| A．Twitter | B．Reddit | C．YouTube | D．TikTok |
| A．It removes misleading information. |
| B．It encourages users to flag the content. |
| C．It connects users with voting experts. |
| D．It directs users to certain accounts. |
| A．Your account will be labelled. |
| B．All your false content will be removed. |
| C．Your account can be closed down forever. |
| D．The users may be flagged. |
【推荐1】A few years ago, my younger sister and I were the first to board our flight for Norfolk, Virginia. Just as we were about to board the plane, a mechanic came out of the aircraft and blocked the door with his arms. He turned to the flight attendant and hurriedly stated, “We got problems!”
I thought to myself, “Why did I have to be the one to hear that? Why couldn’t I have been at the back of the line? I didn’t need to know that!” Very soon we were back in the terminal, waiting, and then finally back on the plane. I waited for the pilot to give an explanation. Pilots take courses to ease passengers’ mind, right? They know what to say to calm nerves.
Unfortunately, I didn’t think this pilot took that course. Soon his voice thundered throughout the plane. “Sorry for the delay, ladies and gentlemen. We had no power on the plane. We have a generator on the ground right now, and we’re going to jump—start the engine. Once we get them going, we’ll get up in the air and head to Norfolk, and see what happens.”
See what happens? We were going to get up in the air, and see what happens? Couldn’t we have another plan, one that’s been worked out just a little better?
At this point, all I could do was to laugh nervously. One woman started yelling, “Oh no! We’re going to crash!” There were sighs of desperation and anxiety spreading throughout the cabin. Finally, we got up in the air thirty minutes later, and what happened? Nothing—other than thrust(推力) and lift. We arrived in Norfolk, and no sooner had the wheels touched the ground than a round of applause burst out, as everyone throughout the airplane breathed a sigh of relief at the same time.
Although, I did sincerely like to have a plan better than “see what happens” worked out when flying—it really isn’t such a bad life strategy. Success will never be guaranteed. The best thing you can do is just get up in the air, and see what happens. Sometimes adjustments would be made in the air, or shall we say, in the middle of the process.
1. The purpose of the text is to _______.| A．introduce a frightening flight experience |
| B．prove that taking a plane is dangerous |
| C．show a way of making plans |
| D．tell readers a life strategy |
| A．The mechanic explained the problems to the passengers. |
| B．The pilot said nothing to calm the passengers. |
| C．The passengers arrived in Norfolk safely. |
| D．The flight was delayed for half an hour. |
| A．complained about the mechanic’s carelessness |
| B．stood up and started yelling |
| C．waited calmly for the problems to be solved |
| D．felt hopeless and anxious |
| A．To ensure success, don’t get started before you’ve got everything ready |
| B．To avoid repeating failure, give yourself all the reasons why you can’t. |
| C．To set up a business, don’t wait until you have everything you need. |
| D．To achieve success, try to prepare for the worst. |
【推荐2】Thousands of people have headed to an area in the western United States to search for a hidden treasure. A wealthy art collector and businessman from the area named Forrest Fenn says he hid the treasure. The searchers follow nine clues (线索) from a poem that Fenn wrote. They consider the poem their “treasure map.”
The treasure hunters believe the prize could be hidden in an area that starts in New Mexico and stretches all the way to the northern state of Montana. Many believe the treasure is real. Others, however, think it does not exist.
An estimated 350, 000 hunters from around the world have come to the area seeking the treasure. One of them is Sacha Johnston. She is a single mother, “I have been hunting for the treasure for five years and I’m not regretful about my choice,” Johnston said. She thinks she has made good progress on guessing some of the clues. So, she’s happy and has kept her search going.
Forrest Fenn spoke to VOA from his home in Santa Fe. The house is filled with priceless art pieces collected over his lifetime. He talked about volunteering to fight in the Vietnam War in 1968 and narrowly escaping death several times during his service.
Fenn said doctors found cancer in his body in 1988 and told him he only had about six months to live. So he decided to put pieces of gold, jewels and other valuables in a bronze box and leave it for others to enjoy after he was gone. But Fenn ended up beating cancer. Years later, in 2010, he decided to hide the box. “I wanted to give people something to look forward to and everyone is hopeful,” he said.
When asked whether he thinks people are close to finding the treasure, Fenn said he really has no idea. “It is possible my treasure box could be found this afternoon, or it could be 100 years or 500 years. Who knows?” he said.
1. According to the first two paragraphs, what can we learn about the treasure hunt?| A．The clues are hidden in nine poems. |
| B．The searching area is very large. |
| C．Only a few people have taken part in it. |
| D．Most people don’t believe the treasure exists. |
| A．She is uncertain about her hunt. | B．She is tired of her hunt. |
| C．She is satisfied with her hunt. | D．She is relaxed by her hunt. |
| A．To bring people a goal as well as hope. |
| B．To celebrate his recovery from cancer. |
| C．To let more people know about his poems. |
| D．To draw people’s attention to war survivors. |
| A．introduce a successful treasure hunter to the readers |
| B．persuade the readers to join in a treasure hunt |
| C．show the readers how to be a good treasure hunter |
| D．tell the readers that a treasure hunt is going on |
【推荐3】Cowboys, Policemen, Princesses and Superheroes are all characters kids choose to be on any given day. Putting on a play can be a fun activity that lets them act out their favorite characters as well as use their artistic (艺术的) ability to create the stage.
Best of all, they will be able to use their favorite line (台词) “look at me” as the audience sits down to enjoy the production.
Help your kids decide on a play they would like to act out. Use the Internet or library to find scripts (剧本) for older reading kids. For younger kids, you can act out a favorite story or fairy tale. Of course, you could always help them write their own script.
Decide how many characters are needed. Invite neighbors and friends to be in your play or let your kids play more than one character. Make sure you teach them to change the way they look, move and speak so the audience can tell the difference.
Search for costume and prop (工具) supplies. Find clothes from your closet or attic (阁楼), or go to a garage sale. Help everyone make a mask or put on makeup to represent their character.
Get creative. Make tickets, invitations, movie posters and props for your kids’ play. You can even decorate a curtain and hang in front of the stage. Set up chairs for the audience.
Invite the audience to sit down and enjoy the play.
1. Which of the following characters may NOT be chosen by kids?| A．Policemen | B．Princesses. | C．Superheroes. | D．Beggars. |
| A．Put on a play to improve kids’ learning ability. |
| B．Choose different scripts for kids of different ages. |
| C．Let a kid act out a single character in the same play. |
| D．Buy unique costumes and props for unique scripts. |
| A．How to Help kids to Put on a Play |
| B．How to give Kids useful Advice on Performance |
| C．How to Get Kids Interested Performing |
| D．How to Teach Kids to Represent Their Character |
