1 . Edwin Hubble made his most important discoveries in the 1920s. Today, other astronomers continue the work he began. Many of them are using the Hubble Space Telescope that is named after him.
Edwin Powell Hubble was born in 1889 in Marshfield, Missouri. He spent his early years in the state of Kentucky. Then he moved with his family to Chicago, in Louisville. He attended the University of Chicago. He studied mathematics and astronomy. Hubble was a good student. He was a good athlete, too. He was a member of the University of Chicago championship basketball team in 1909. He also was an excellent boxer. Several people urged him to train for the world heavyweight boxing championship after college. Instead, he decided to continue his studies. He went to Queen’s College at Oxford, England.
At Oxford, Hubble studied law. He was interested in British Common Law, because his family had come to America from England many years before. He spent three years at Oxford. In 1913, Hubble returned to the United States. He opened a law office in Louisville, Kentucky. After a short time, however, he decided he did not want to be a lawyer. He returned to the University of Chicago. There, once again, he studied astronomy. Edwin Hubble was the first person to use the Hale Telescope.He died in 1953 while preparing to spend four nights looking through the telescope at the sky.
Hubble’s work led to new researches on the birth of the universe. One astronomer said scientists have been filling in the details ever since. And, he said, there is a long way to go.
1. According to this passage, what was Edwin Hubble most interested in?A.Sports. | B.Law. |
C.Astronomy. | D.Mathematics. |
A.Because he was interested in British Common Law. |
B.Because he was eager to be a famous judge in future. |
C.Because his parents had been to Britain a few years before. |
D.Because he wanted to go on with the study of astronomy. |
a. He joined the University of Chicago championship basketball team.
b. He studied astronomy at the University of Chicago once again.
c. He moved to Louisville with his family.
d. He used the Hale Telescope to look at the sky.
e, He became a lawyer in Louisville for a short period of time.
A.c, a, b, d, e | B.a, c, b, e, d | C.c, a, e, b, d | D.a, b, d, e, c |
A.The Hubble Space Telescope was made by Hubble himself. |
B.Edwin Powell Hubble went to Oxford, England in 1910. |
C.Edwin Powell Hubble grew up in Marshfield, Missouri. |
D.Hubble died while he was looking at the sky. |
2 . Dr. Mantri is an India-born British woman. As she grew up, a teacher used an abacus (算盘) to help her
Dhruv was in fifth-grade when his mother started to notice he was
In just six days he started to show
Now Dr. Mantri is using the abacus to
“Seeing Dhruv’s
Dhruv has
A.fully | B.correctly | C.normally | D.visually |
A.advanced | B.ancient | C.senior | D.standard |
A.deal with | B.bring up | C.run into | D.go around |
A.beginning | B.meeting | C.working | D.struggling |
A.balance | B.memory | C.performance | D.judgement |
A.developing | B.designing | C.improving | D.employing |
A.patience | B.progress | C.relation | D.satisfaction |
A.change | B.thought | C.fame | D.decision |
A.comment | B.advice | C.agreement | D.feedback |
A.tutor | B.monitor | C.examine | D.treat |
A.although | B.if | C.because | D.when |
A.difficulties | B.conflicts | C.connections | D.competitions |
A.landed | B.offered | C.refused | D.requested |
A.abandoning | B.seeking | C.finishing | D.risking |
A.curious | B.concerned | C.confident | D.particular |
3 . Never climbed before? It doesn’t matter! Boulders Indoor Climbing Centre is a fantastic outing for the whole family that’s guaranteed to pack your day with fun and adventure! No experience is necessary.
Under the guidance of qualified instructors, you will step outside of your comfort zone in a safe and controlled environment. All equipment is provided — just bring your spirit of adventure and your willingness to challenge yourself! Boulders specializes in introducing people of all abilities into this vertical (垂直的) world in a fun, safe and inclusive way!
With climbing walls that reach between 4 to 12 metres in height, Boulders, whose task is to teach you all the skills required to climb safely, is designed to train the bravest explorer. You will learn how to move around the climbing wall in a safe manner, and how to differentiate (区分) between grades and varieties of techniques.
There’s even a café on site with free Wi-Fi, so send the children to climb and check in with the office while you’re enjoying a skinny latte! Boulders offers a wide range of climbing activities, including:
Climbing classes for children, families, students and adults
Birthday parties for all ages
Children’s holiday activities
Soft play for children 7 years old and under
Climbing-Introduction courses
Opening hours: Mon.-Thur. 10:00-22:00
Fri. 10:00-21:00
Sat.-Sun. 10:00-18:00
Price: Adults £15 Children £10
The price includes entry to the wall after the session, your one-off registration fee and shoe hire.
Family pass: £38
Up to 4 persons. Rental shoes & chalk included.
1. Which is the requirement for the climbers in Boulders Indoor Climbing Centre?A.Awareness of safety. | B.Being brave and adventurous. |
C.Previous experience of rock climbing. | D.Abilities to communicate with others. |
A.To instruct the climbers to gain skills of climbing safely. |
B.To help instructors to enjoy the spirit of adventure. |
C.To guarantee the climbers out of their comfort zones. |
D.To equip learners with abilities to design climbing walls. |
A.Having soft play at 10 am on Wednesday. |
B.Attending a birthday party at 8 pm on Saturday. |
C.Taking climbing classes at noon on Sunday. |
D.Attending climbing classes at 9 am every Friday. |
4 . Mia Samolinski attended the same school as Anthony Zhongor, an 18-year-old freshman, but the two had never met. That night, their paths crossed in the most remarkable way.
Mia had just gotten into her car and was about to drive away, but she hit the gas instead of the brakes. Security footage (录像) shows the car rushing over a sidewalk, hitting a trash can, and then plunging (突然前冲) into the dark, cold water of the bay in just a few short seconds. People rushed to look in the water, but only one person jumped in after Mia, and it was Anthony.
“She went pretty deep in there,” the teenager recalled. “She was striking the door and the window, trying to break the window, of course, and that got me nervous and scared for her, so I just took my clothes off and went into the water.”
Mia’s car began to sink rapidly, but she couldn’t get the doors or windows open. Anthony tried to get the doors open from the outside, but couldn’t quite manage it. As the seconds ticked by, the teenage hero realized he could use his own body weight to push down the heavy front end of the car, making the back end stick out of the water. Mia climbed into the back and managed to escape through the rear hatch (后备箱盖). She and Anthony swam to the shore together. As soon as they were safe, tearful Mia thanked Anthony sincerely for saving her.
Like so many heroes, Anthony did not set out to save a life that night. But he was in the right place, at the right time. “It doesn’t matter who it was, he or she was suffering,” he said, “I couldn’t watch anybody suffering in front of me.”
1. What led Mia into the accident?A.The brake’s failing. |
B.Her wrong operation. |
C.Her awkward driving skill. |
D.The complex traffic situation. |
A.He opened the back door. |
B.He broke one of the windows. |
C.He kept the back of the car out of the water. |
D.He managed to push the car to the shallow end. |
A.Brave and helpful. |
B.Creative and gifted. |
C.Lucky and friendly. |
D.Generous and careful. |
A.Heroes are never accidental. |
B.Heroes come from teenagers. |
C.Heroes are not born but made. |
D.Behind every hero hides a tragedy. |
5 . Since the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was passed in 1973, it has helped hundreds of species avoid extinction in the United States. The strong conservation policy has been used as a model in other countries. But it’s not as successful as it could be, a new study finds.
Researchers have discovered most species are not being protected until their numbers have become so low that their chance of recovery is slim.
“The ESA is an incredibly powerful, ambitious law for protecting our endangered wildlife. Yet, for decades, the agency primarily responsible for operating the ESA — the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) — has been starved of resources,” lead author Erich Eberhard says.
“As a result, we are very slow to give species the protection that they deserve. We typically wait until species are extremely rare and thus at extreme risk of extinction, and then, when a species is finally listed, the USFWS is straining its resources to try to recover it.”
In 1993, a study found that few species received protection under the ESA until their populations became very small. For the new study, researchers repeated the methods used in the earlier research to see whether protections have become better since the problem was first noted. They also looked at trends in “wait times” — the amount of time between when a species is identified as potentially needing protection and when it actually receives protection under the ESA.
“Our analysis suggests that, in the nearly 30 years since attention was first brought to this problem, we have not become more active in protecting endangered species,” says Eberhard.
The researchers found that the population sizes of species when they first became protected under the ESA are not statistically different from those in the 1993 study. They also discovered that there are long wait times between when a species is identified as likely needing protection and when they actually receive them.
“I can say that our study paints the current state of the ESA as a bit of cautionary (告诫的) tale for the strong conservation policy,” says Eberhard.
1. What problem does the USFWS have protecting endangered species?A.It takes ineffective measures. | B.It is lacking in resources. |
C.It can’t get timely information. | D.It is an irresponsible organization. |
A.To try out new ways to protect endangered species. |
B.To find out the exact number of endangered species. |
C.To check the time needed to save endangered species. |
D.To see if endangered species have been better protected. |
A.It found out many more endangered species. |
B.It pointed out the direction for the USFWS to act on. |
C.It proved the role of the public in conservation. |
D.It showed some effective ways to protect animals. |
A.The USFWS Needs Stronger Laws |
B.The ESA Has Achieved Great Success |
C.New Conversation Laws Are on the Way |
D.Endangered Species Act Isn’t Working Well |
6 . It’s known that reading is good for a child’s vocabulary and literacy skills, teaching them math or science concepts and helping them learn history. Apart from those, reading has another benefit. Have you read a story and felt tears well up because of a character’s suffering? If so, that is because you have empathy (共鸣) for the character — and empathy can be learned through various fictions. “It’s a magic eye that sees into other people’s hearts,” explains author Cressida Cowell.
Research shows that human brains react differently to stories and facts. “Many more areas of your brain light up when you’re enjoying a story,” explains Miranda McKearney from EmpathyLab, an organization that builds empathy through reading. “Your brain thinks you are in the story… This means you experience the characters’ thoughts as if they are real.”
Empathy helps you to read people’s emotions and work out the best way to respond. This skill, called emotional intelligence, can make it easier to communicate and connect with people. Research has shown that building empathy can lead to greater kindness and tolerance. One study found that children who read the Harry Potter novels — which tell stories about humans fighting against the evil — were less likely to behave unfairly towards powerless groups including refugees (难民).
This theory has been put into practice by St Michael’s Primary School. After reading The Boy at the Back of the Class — a story about a boy who is a refugee escaping from the war — students in that school were inspired to do a 10-mile walk for the non-profit organization Refugee Action. Their empathy also spurred them to raise £1,000 for people who were forced to leave their homes because of war.
Reading encourages children to empathise with others, which could potentially lead to several beneficial learning outcomes, new research suggests. For society to develop, creative, communicative and empathetic individuals really matter.
1. Why do readers cry about a character’s experience?A.They have magic eyes. | B.They want to show empathy. |
C.They understand his feelings | D.They have the same experience. |
A.The process of building empathy. |
B.The benefits of developing empathy. |
C.The definition of emotional intelligence. |
D.The results of the school’s activity. |
A.Reminded. | B.Permitted. | C.Persuaded. | D.Encouraged. |
A.Read to learn empathy. |
B.Become empathetic to others. |
C.Put themselves in others’ shoes. |
D.Read as many books as possible. |
7 . Drew Bason thought he would be a medical technician. His mom was in medicine, and he always thought he would
“I always wanted to cook,” he admitted. “I had eleven uncles and they were always
But not long after, the pandemic (疫情) began, and Drew
But Drew did not want to just
Now, Drew is working at a nearby restaurant, but he still volunteers at the church. “Food is
A.follow | B.join | C.major | D.check |
A.secure | B.different | C.normal | D.scientific |
A.reading | B.listening | C.singing | D.cooking |
A.Besides | B.Otherwise | C.Instead | D.Still |
A.symbol | B.prize | C.preference | D.job |
A.lost | B.limited | C.found | D.improved |
A.business | B.challenge | C.opportunity | D.attempt |
A.kept in touch with | B.broke in | C.came across | D.worried about |
A.warning | B.friend | C.meal | D.entertainment |
A.stress | B.humour | C.intention | D.strength |
A.buy | B.sell | C.borrow | D.take |
A.advertising | B.volunteering | C.competing | D.learning |
A.work | B.practice | C.acknowledgement | D.courage |
A.appreciate | B.offer | C.waste | D.protect |
A.efficient | B.enough | C.amazing | D.fashionable |
8 . Nobel Prize-winning theoretical physicist Frank Wilczek has been honored with this year’s Templeton Prize. The award recognizes individuals whose life’s work brings together science and spirituality.
Wilczek is known for his research into the laws of nature. In a statement, the John Templeton Foundation said his work changes “our understanding of the forces that govern our universe.” It said he used physics to address “the great questions of meaning and purpose pondered by generations of religious thinkers.”
John Templeton created the prize in 1972. It is one of the most highly valued prizes at more than $1.3 million. Past winners include Jane Goodall, Mother Teresa and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
Wilczek told The Associated Press, “It’s a company I’m very glad to join in.” He added, “It’s encouragement in a direction that I’ve really only taken up in a big way quite recently… which is thinking about not just what the world is and how it came to be this way but what we should do about it.”
Over a long career, Wilczek had many successes. He won the 2004 Nobel Prize along with David J. Gross, and H. David Politzer for their 1973 research explaining the unusual properties of the strong force. Wilczek is currently a physics professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Arizona State University and Stockholm University. He is also the founding director of Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s T. D. Lee Institute. He has also written several books that are informed by science but look into spiritual and philosophical questions.
Heather Dill is the Templeton Foundation president. In a statement, she said, “Like Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein, he is a natural philosopher who unites a curiosity about the behavior of nature with a playful and profound philosophical mind.”
1. What is Frank Wilczek famous for?A.His long-time efforts in philosophy. | B.His study in natural science. |
C.His gains in the chemical awards. | D.His contribution in the field of art. |
A.Governed strictly. | B.Designed seriously. |
C.Considered carefully. | D.Abandoned completely. |
A.His hobbies. | B.His advantages. |
C.His expectations. | D.His achievements. |
A.To advertise a book. |
B.To introduce a great scientist. |
C.To explain the difference of two prizes. |
D.To stress the importance of science and philosophy. |
9 . For some people, nothing beats a long walk on a sandy beach. But there’s no denying that it’s not as easy or as fast to get around on the beach as it is on a road or a sidewalk. But why is it so hard to walk on sand?
The problem with sand is that it’s soft; you “sink in” at each step. This forces you to use 2.1 to 2. 7 times more energy with every step you take. Another idea is that people walk more difficultly on soft than they do on hard surfaces, a study found. The researchers compared how people walked on foam (沫) and hard surfaces by analyzing the forces under their feet and how much oxygen each person consumed. They found that walking on soft surfaces, such as sand, mud and snow, caused people to take longer steps — actions that use more energy than walking on a hard surface.
But as experienced beach walkers know, there’s a way to make it easier to walk on sand: Just add water, When sand is wet, it becomes more compact (紧密), and walking on it is more similar to walking on hard surface. In other words, it’s much easier to cross a beach by walking along the shoreline, where the waves roll in and out. This is a balance though; too much water could make the sand soft once again. If water isn’t an option, there is another way to make walking on sand easier — increasing your surface area. This could be accomplished by wearing shoes.
Although it’s more difficult, there are some good reasons to exercise on sand. The impact forces are lower on sand than on hard surface. Research suggests that walking across sand is much easier on your joints (关节) and muscles, especially compared with an unforgiving surface such as concrete (混凝土). This means sand is a better surface for helping athletes recover more quickly from workouts.
1. Why is the question raised in the first paragraph?A.To show problems. | B.To call up readers’ memories. |
C.To invite readers to answer it. | D.To draw readers’ attention to the topic. |
A.By putting on shoes. | B.By taking longer steps. |
C.By walking in the water. | D.By using special breath methods. |
A.Sand. | B.Concrete. |
C.Foam. | D.Snow. |
A.Tips for Beach Vacation | B.All Kinds of Sports on the Sand |
C.Why Is It So Hard to Walk on Sand? | D.Where Are We With the Sand Research? |
10 . With the Forbidden City and Jingshan Park to its east, Zhongnanhai to its south, Beihai Park, also known as Northern Sea Park, is one of the oldest, largest and best-preserved ancient imperial gardenst (皇家花园) in China located in the center of Beijing.
Beihai Park is said to be built according to a traditional Chinese legend. The story is that once upon a time there were three magic mountains called “Penglai”, “Yingzhou” and “Fangzhang”. Gods in those mountains had a kind of medicine which would help humans gain immortality (永生). Consequently, many emperors constantly sought those mountains. I For example, Emperor Qin Shihuang had sent people to look for the magic mountains but they failed. Emperor Wudi, the fifth emperor of the Western Han Dynasty did similar things.
It was believed that different mountain-water combinations in ancient Chinese architecture led to totally different effects. So from then on, almost every emperor during the succeeding dynasties would build a royal garden with one-pool-with-three-hill layout near his palace. Beihai Park was surely built after this traditional style: the water of Beihai with Zhongnanhai is the Taiye Pool; the Jade Flowery Islet, the island of the Circular City and the Xishantai Island represent the three magic mountains.
Actually, Beihai Park was initially built in the Liao Dynasty (916-1125) and was repaired and rebuilt in the following dynasties including Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing. The large-scale rebuilding in the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) generally established the present scale and pattern. In 1925, it was first opened to the public, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the world every year.
It is enjoyable to walk around the various scenic areas in Beihai Park. There are many places to visit, including the Bai Ta, Five-Dragon Pavilions, Nine-Dragon Wall, Yong’an Temple and so on. There is also a classy restaurant called Fangshan Restaurant where the Empress Cixi once dined.
1. Where is Beihai Park?A.Near the ocean. | B.In the south of Zhongnanhai. |
C.To the west side of Jingshan Park. | D.In the uptown area of Beijing City. |
A.They loved to listen to stories. | B.They both pursued immortality. |
C.They were mountain-climbing lovers. | D.They were the first emperor of their dynasties. |
A.Less than 100 years old. | B.About 500 years old. |
C.About 1, 000 years old. | D.Nearly 2, 000 years old. |
A.A famous park. | B.Historical palaces. |
C.An unforgettable legend. | D.Ancient architectural styles. |