1 . Lucy was rescued from a rural farm in New South Wales, Australia, two years ago. She was suffering from chlamydia (衣原体病), a disease widespread among koalas. Today, she is one of “the lucky” living creatures in tree corridors (走廊) that have been created by volunteers to protect koalas and other animals by saving their quickly shrinking habitats, or natural environment.
The corridors, planted by the local conservation group Bangalow Koalas, are made up of large systems of plants. They are intended for koalas and other animals like the glossy black cockatoos, possums, and wallabies. All of them are endangered, or at risk of becoming extinct. The corridors provide a safe path across the koala’s increasingly broken habitat. “Our corridors are actually trying to get them away from humans, from cars and from dogs,” said Linda Sparrow, president of Bangalow Koalas. “They can safely move across the landscapes and don’t have to put up with us humans.”
The koala is predicted to be extinct in the wild in New South Wales by 2050. Some of the biggest dangers include wildfires and habitat loss through land clearing for development. Koalas have already been declared endangered in several Australian states. A recent report by the Australian Koala Foundation said the animal was worth an estimated $3.2 billion per year to the tourism industry.
Founded in 2016, Bangalow Koalas has planted over 936,000 trees on 119 properties, helping koala conservation and improving the local ecosystem. The group, which depends on com munity volunteers, aims to plant 500,000 trees by 2025. Volunteer Lindy Stacker, who has been planting trees for over five years, still remains devoted to the cause. She said the activity is good for mental health and has brought the community together. “I can’t imagine a world where there’s no koalas in the wild. We’re going to do everything we can possibly to. make sure that won’t happen,” Lindy said.
1. Who is Lucy?A.A farmer. | B.A patient. | C.A volunteer. | D.A koala. |
A.To shelter koalas from human threat. | B.To test the local natural environment. |
C.To save koalas suffering from chlamydia. | D.To stop koalas’ habitats from being rebuilt. |
A.The reason for koalas’ extinction. | B.Koalas’ value in tourism industry. |
C.The necessity of saving koalas. | D.People’s deep love for koalas. |
A.Bangalow Koalas: A Group Intended For Koalas |
B.Tree Corridors: A Lifeline For Endangered Koalas |
C.Bangalow Koalas: Call On Volunteers For Koalas’ Protection |
D.Tree Corridors: Responsible For The Loss Of Koalas’ Habitats |
2 . Family Vacations in Hawaii
Whether your interests are history, native cultures, hiking, water sports, or simply relaxing in the sun, Hawaii has abundant choices to keep you and your family entertained.
Waikiki BeachThis famous two-mile stretch of sand is home to scores of family-friendly beach hotels and all kinds of action-packed excitement. Waikiki Beach is the perfect place to go if you’re looking for warm ocean water and golden beaches. Kids will enjoy walking along the beach, stopping for shaved ice or an ice cream and taking a dip in a safe area of the ocean.
Oahu’s North ShoreSome of the tallest ocean waves in the world are found at Oahu, Hawaii’s North Shore coastline during the winter months. These crashing walls of water are born for surfing and offer one of the best free shows on the islands. The North Shore is home to world-class surf contests, attracting the world’s top surfers.
Polynesian Cultural CenterNothing appeals to the whole family like Hawaiian past coming alive. Besides, the colorful costumes, lively songs, and traditional dances in the Pacific region are presented here. You’ll see customs of Fiji, New Zealand, Marquesas, Samoa, Tahiti, Tonga, and Hawaii all represented in Polynesian Cultural Center’s re-created island villages, which is decorated with palm trees and tropical gardens.
Waimea Canyon (峡谷) State ParkMore than 3,500 feet deep, this landmark on Hawaii’s island of Kauai is the largest canyon in the Pacific. Unlike Grand Canyon, plentiful rain keeps Waimea Canyon and its surrounding area thick with vegetation (植被), and visitors are frequently treated to the sight of vivid rainbows. It offers a great canyon view and a covered picnic area.
1. What makes Oahu’s North Shore known to the world?A.Its best free cultural shows. | B.Its family-friendly beach hotels. |
C.Having the tallest coastline. | D.Being a perfect place for surfing. |
A.Waikiki Beach. | B.Oahu’s North Shore. |
C.Polynesian Cultural Center. | D.Waimea Canyon State Park. |
A.It has a covered picnic area. | B.It has a depth of over 3,500 feet. |
C.It’s rich in plants and rainfall. | D.It owns a unique kind of vegetation. |
3 . Donna Urquhart is an experienced runner. She ran 1,402 kilometers over the course of 28 days in Antarctica (南极洲),
Urquhart spent 10 months training for the
The difficulties that Urquhart faced in Antarctica were
Urquhart launched the Run Antarctica aiming to encourage more women to
“Confidence is a real issue for females,” says Urquhart. “And a sporting environment provides them with a great opportunity to
A.closing | B.keeping | C.missing | D.setting |
A.puzzle | B.outcome | C.challenge | D.examination |
A.painted | B.refrigerated | C.heated | D.crowded |
A.varied | B.soft | C.smooth | D.high |
A.purposes | B.messages | C.preparations | D.suggestions |
A.new | B.tough | C.interesting | D.exciting |
A.accommodating | B.recovering | C.harvesting | D.complaining |
A.gentle | B.slight | C.warm | D.wild |
A.likely | B.significantly | C.hardly | D.really |
A.noticing | B.taking | C.decreasing | D.forgetting |
A.refer to | B.apply for | C.carry on | D.take up |
A.price | B.record | C.target | D.rule |
A.support | B.trust | C.prevent | D.wait |
A.inspiration | B.impression | C.symbol | D.adventure |
A.processes | B.positions | C.schedules | D.limits |
4 . Being cut from a school team can be a difficult experience for a kid. But when 13-year-old Emmie Tallent who has Down syndrome (唐氏综合征) didn’t make her school’s cheer squad (啦啦队), she responded in the most impressive way — she cheered anyway. Emmie Tallent, agirl with firm determination, took to the sidelines while her school’s cheer squad performed. She matched the entire routine, moving for moving, in a black dress and tie-dyed shoes.
Her sister, Sydnee, recorded this moment on video, and it’s now capturing hearts worldwide. The video, with over 3 million views and 87,000 likes, shows Emmie facing the official squad and performing the routine alongside them. Her performance is nothing short of inspiring. “Girl didn’t make the cheer team, but she didn’t care,” Sydnee wrote, admiring Emmie’s confidence.
“Emmie may not be on the cheer team this time, but I’m sure her talent and spirit will shine through somewhere in the future,” Sydnee said with a smile. “Right now, she’s satisfied and happy doing what she loves. Thank you all for supporting her. I want to show the world Emmie’s joy from pursuing what she likes and the beauty of diversity.”
The team did not have a lot of spots and even neurotypical (神经正常的) girls who were much better than Emmie didn’t make it to join it. Emmie’s school was giving Emmie help and kept encouraging her, but there are hard decisions that have to be made sometimes. Though Emmie didn’t make the squad, she wasn’t feeling upset at home, and continued to follow cheer squad’s routines and moves to please herself and spread joy to others, even if from the sidelines.
In the face of rejection, this tough 13-year-old chose to dance rather than sit by and let it define her, inspiring us all to embrace our uniqueness and find joy in every moment.
1. What do we know about Emmie from the first two paragraphs?A.She refused to give up performing. | B.She used to be looked down upon. |
C.She showed a special talent for cheerleading. | D.She felt down for not joining the cheer squad. |
A.To show Emmie’s dancing skills. | B.To inspire others with Emmie’s spirit. |
C.To help Emmie attract people’s attention. | D.To express her gratitude to the cheer squad. |
A.They told her to quit. | B.They satisfied her need. |
C.They made an excuse. | D.They offered her support. |
A.Believe in ourselves. | B.Keep our dreams alive. |
C.Prepare for the worst. | D.Youth gives us light. |
5 . Deep sleep doesn’t just rest your body. Scientists believe it’s also when the brain washes away toxins (毒素), with a new project looking at whether the brain’s self-clean can be boosted.
South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) neuroscientist Dr Tim Sargeant has teamed with Dr Edward Robins from SAHMRI’s Molecular Imaging and Therapy Research Unit to develop a brain scan that shows how well a brain is cleaning itself. Studies have shown that a clean brain would help with memory while fighting dementia (痴呆).
Scientists believe our brains clean themselves out each night when we enter deep sleep. Cerebrospinal fluid (脑脊液) is thought to wash through the brain, cleaning out toxins. Studies have shown a clear link between poor memory and toxins like the buildup of sticky plaques (粘性斑块) in the brains. Scientists believe brains that have a buildup of this plaque over time may not be cleaning themselves properly, putting people at risk of dementia.
Fortunately, the hope is that a clean brain would help with memory while fighting dementia. The brain scan will use special material to track how well the brain can keep itself clean and healthy through the process of removing and recycling its waste. “We’re aiming to catch the signs of the brain struggling to keep itself clean in individuals around the age of 50 or 60, well before the onset of Alzheimer’s disease (老年痴呆症) in most people,” Dr Sargeant said.
This new scan, an exciting imaging technology, will allow scientists to form a picture of a living brain and watch how it’s recycling wasting material in real time. “The scan takes out a lot of the guess work, by allowing scientists to see with their own eyes if they’ve hit the target or not,” Dr Robins said. “Without imaging, a researcher can get all the way up to the trial stage before realising they’re at a dead end.”
1. What is the aim of Dr Sargeant and Dr Robins’ developing the brain scan?A.To help people enter deep sleep. | B.To reduce memory loss and dementia. |
C.To research how to remove sticky plaques. | D.To study what the brain uses to clean itself. |
A.Not enough blood in the brain. | B.Too frequent cleaning of the brain. |
C.The increase of cerebrospinal fluid. | D.The gradual increase of sticky plaques. |
A.Beginning. | B.Improvement. | C.Worsening. | D.Disappearance. |
A.It brings more work. | B.It is just imaginary. |
C.It is quite effective. | D.It is far from exact. |
6 . I signed up to volunteer at a local hospital last year. I knew the
On my first day, having been given a tour of the
But on the third day, everything
I introduced myself and
After David had gone to his
This
A.presentation | B.grade | C.invitation | D.experience |
A.community | B.fair | C.hospital | D.college |
A.reminded | B.assigned | C.predicted | D.promised |
A.deal | B.fight | C.voice | D.influence |
A.occurred | B.changed | C.mattered | D.failed |
A.road | B.shift | C.surgery | D.interview |
A.recognize | B.doubt | C.join | D.know |
A.complained | B.realized | C.explained | D.pretended |
A.history | B.team | C.research | D.skill |
A.trends | B.details | C.signals | D.excuses |
A.appointment | B.celebration | C.achievement | D.gathering |
A.understood | B.blamed | C.approached | D.monitored |
A.amusing | B.disturbing | C.embarrassing | D.amazing |
A.great | B.shocked | C.busy | D.annoyed |
A.belonged to | B.lived up to | C.gave way to | D.led to |
7 . The Planting Hope Company Inc. has introduced a new kind of sesame (芝麻) milk to the market. The company has termed its new product as the world’s most planet-friendly and nutritious plant-based milk.
The milk is produced from sesame seeds, a development that has been made possible by the company. For over five years, Planting Hope has invested in the development of the product, which is now taking the vegan milk market by storm.
“Planting Hope has brought important breakthrough innovation to plant-based milk, opening a whole new category, sesame milk, that unlocks the good nutrition of the extremely sustainable and planet-friendly sesame seed,” said Julia Stamberger, CEO and cofounder of Planting Hope. “We’re very excited to bring our innovative sesame milk line, in our eye-grabbing, colorful new packaging, to Canadian consumers.”
Sesame milk is not the first plant-based milk product in the world. The plant-based milk market is currently worth $38.9 billion globally. According to Data Bridge, plant-based milk’s market value is 7.7 times larger than that of plant-based meat.
One of the main factors driving demand for plant-based milk is intolerance to dairy milk (牛奶). Almost 70% of the world’s population is intolerant to dairy proteins. Besides the concern about allergic (过敏的) proteins, there is concern about greenhouse pollution. Raising livestock (牲畜) contributes heavily to greenhouse gases like methane and CO2. This has seen more people shifting to plant-based alternatives.
On the other hand, the journey to plant-based milk is not all plain sailing. Some types of plant-based milk such as almond (杏仁) milk have been found to be equally stressful to the planet. Almond farming uses plenty of water and harms bee populations. However, more friendly milk options such as sesame are now popping up.
With rising consumer awareness about climate change, the growth of the sesame milk market is unlikely to desist. In addition, it is important that the globe finds the type of plant-based milk that offers value without serious disadvantages.
1. What is one selling point of Planting Hope’s sesame milk?A.It is incredibly rich in nutrition. | B.It is easily affordable to customers. |
C.It is packaged with planet-friendly materials. | D.It is the world’s first plant-based milk product. |
A.The popularity of dairy milk. | B.The huge market for plant-based milk. |
C.The public concern about raising livestock. | D.The reasons behind the rise of plant-based milk. |
A.It is easier to produce. | B.It is more eco-friendly. |
C.It is more delicious. | D.It is less likely to cause allergies. |
A.Delay. | B.Continue. | C.Stop. | D.Return. |
8 . Upcoming Events in California
PAW PatrolThe heroic PAW Patrol dogs need your help in Adventure Bay! Based on the hit preschool series PAW Patrol, this interactive exhibit gives visitors an opportunity to run rescue missions and work together to overcome challenges. The hands-on exhibit is a fun way for the whole family to learn bravery and heroism with exciting stories.
Dates: January 28~May 14Location: Discovery Cube Los Angeles
Cost: $10
Maya: the Exhibition
The exhibition features over 250 authentic artifacts (真品) highlighting the ancient Maya civilization. Through priceless artifacts and hands-on exhibits, visitors can discover how the ancient Maya built and sustained complex cities in the heart of the rainforest.
Dates: January 15~March 2Location: California Science Center
Cost: $7
Centennial Farm Discovery Days
Centennial Farm Discovery Days is an unguided tour program and open to all grade levels and ages. During a discovery day, “farmers” are stationed around the farm available to answer questions and provide information. There are also opportunities for children to pet a chick, plant a seed and see a milking demonstration.
Dates: June 1~November 8Location: Centennial Farm
Cost: $50
It’s Magic!
It’s Magic! features an all-new cast of award-winning performers from around the globe, ready to leave audiences speechless with excellent stage tricks, comedy and variety acts. “It’s the best magic show in town!” cheers the Los Angeles Times.
Date: May 21Location: Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts
Cost: $75
1. Which event helps people understand courage?
A.PAW Patrol. | B.It’s Magic! |
C.Maya: the Exhibition. | D.Centennial Farm Discovery Days. |
A.Centennial Farm. | B.California Science Center. |
C.Discovery Cube Los Angeles. | D.Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts. |
A.Watch a great magic show. | B.See a milking demonstration. |
C.Learn some farming methods. | D.Carry out fun rescue missions. |
9 . Dave Hall led Surprise Squad, an organization to bring surprise to those in need, on a mission to spread joy at a local Albertsons store. Their
She
Dave
He stood in the checkout
He thanked Dave wholeheartedly and left the store, carrying not just groceries but a moment of
A.plan | B.experience | C.style | D.movement |
A.regular | B.unique | C.random | D.specific |
A.suggested | B.revealed | C.insisted | D.referred |
A.afraid | B.confident | C.full | D.uncertain |
A.schedule | B.solution | C.gesture | D.strategy |
A.felt | B.noticed | C.kept | D.left |
A.Initially | B.Hurriedly | C.Excitedly | D.Absolutely |
A.adventures | B.investments | C.hesitations | D.struggles |
A.path | B.point | C.line | D.corner |
A.cared for | B.insisted on | C.thought of | D.gave up |
A.basket | B.store | C.vehicle | D.hand |
A.needed | B.provided | C.expected | D.ignored |
A.remarked | B.regretted | C.judged | D.required |
A.creative | B.calm | C.positive | D.evident |
A.curiosity | B.kindness | C.generosity | D.ambition |
10 . Compared to robots, human bodies are flexible, capable of fine movements, and can change energy efficiently into movement. Drawing inspiration from human gait, researchers from Japan crafted a two-legged biohybrid robot by combining muscle tissues and artificial materials. This method allows the robot to walk and pivot.
“Research on biohybrid robots, which are a mix of biology and mechanics, is recently attracting attention as a new field of robotics featuring biological function,” says corresponding author Shoji Takeuchi of the University of Tokyo, Japan. “Using muscles as actuators allows us to build a compact robot and achieve efficient, silent movements with a soft touch.”
The research team’s two-legged robot, an innovative bipedal design, builds on the legacy of biohybrid robots that take advantage of muscles. Muscle tissues have driven biohybrid robots to crawl and swim straight forward and make turns—but not sharp ones. Yet, being able to pivot and make sharp turns is an essential feature for robots to avoid obstacles.
To build a nimbler robot with fine and delicate movements, the researchers designed a biohybrid robot that copies human gait and operates in water. By alternating the electric stimulation between the left and right leg every 5 seconds, the biohybrid robot successfully “walked” at the speed of 5.4m m/min(0.002 mph). To turn, researchers repeatedly zapped the right leg every 5 seconds while the left leg served as an anchor.
The robot made a 90-degree left turn in 62 seconds. The findings showed that the muscle-driven bipedal robot can walk, stop, and make fine-tuned turning motions.
“Currently, we are manually moving a pair of electrodes to apply an electric field individually to the legs, which takes time,” says Takeuchi. “In the future, by integrating the electrodes into the robot, we expect to increase the speed more efficiently.
The team also plans to give joints and thicker muscle tissues to the bipedal robot to enable more complicated and powerful movements.
1. What is the weakness of a robot?A.Awkward to move. | B.Complex to operate. |
C.Tough to control. | D.Easy to lose energy. |
A.More stylish. | B.More flexible. | C.More intelligent. | D.More suitable. |
A.Add more power to the bipedal robot. | B.Expand the use of the bipedal robot. |
C.Better the bipedal robot’s movements. | D.Apply an electric field to the bipedal robot. |
A.Biohybrid robots are a mix of biology and mechanics |
B.Human bodies are flexible, capable of fine movements |
C.Making sharp turns is essential for robots to avoid obstacles |
D.Scientists designed a two-legged robot powered by muscle tissues |