1 . ISSI Advanced Adventurer Course
●2 sessions of 8h
●The AAC starts on every Wednesday and Saturday, lasting 2 days
●Fees: $450
Exploration, Excitement, Experiences
That’s what the Advanced Adventurer course is all about. You don’t have to be “advanced” to take it — it’s designed to advance your diving, so you can start right after earning your Open Water Diver certification. The course helps build confidence and expand your scuba skills through different Adventure Dives.
Who should take this course?
Open Water Divers who are at least 12 years old are ready to step up and sign up for an Advanced Adventurer course. Divers under 18 may only participate in certain Adventures Dives — check with your SSI Instructor.
What will you learn?
You’ll plan your learning path with your instructor by choosing from a long list of Adventure Dives. There are two required dives — Deep and Underwater Navigation — and you choose the other three. During the Deep Adventure Dive, you learn bow to plan dives to deal with the physiological effects and challenges of deeper scuba diving. The Underwater Navigation Adventure Dive helps improve your navigation skills. The other knowledge and skills you get vary with your interest and the adventures you have — photography, fish identification, exploring wrecks and many more.
What scuba equipment will you use?
Beyond basic scuba equipment, you’ll need a compass and a dive knife. You may also use specialized equipment depending on the Adventure Dives you choose. Your SSI Instructor will explain the equipment that you need and ma suggest additional equipment.
1. On which of the following dates can you take the course?| A．From Friday to Saturday. | B．From Saturday to Sunday. |
| C．From Tuesday to Wednesday. | D．From Wednesday to Saturday. |
| A．Open Water Diver certification. | B．Expensive diving equipment |
| C．Advanced scuba skills. | D．Reaching adulthood. |
| A．2. | B．3. | C．5. | D．7. |
2 . Corals are often described as undersea forests, but they are declining far more quickly than the Amazon. The coral reefs( 珊 瑚 礁 )are likely to be among the first ecosystems to be wiped out by climate change.
A temperature rise of just 1 to 2℃ can lead to the death of the algae( 海 藻 ) upon which corals depend, draining them of color and making the structure more fragile. These bleaching( 褪 色 的 ) events can be temporary if waters cool, but the more frequent they are and the longer they last, the greater the risk of damage is.
But that’s exactly what is happening. Bleaching was first observed in 1983. It was seen on a global level in 1998, then 2010, and then from 2015 to 2017. Most available scientific evidence tells us that unless we do something to limit warming to 1.5℃, we will lose 99% of the world’s coral reefs in coming decades.
But there are other threats beyond warming. Off the Philippine island of Palawan, its old reefs have been badly damaged by dirty water from the tourist holiday center, pollution from boats and overfishing. The area ought to be a shelter because it’s one of the ocean regions most tolerant of climate change. “Even here, we are losing our corals,” said David Obura, chair of the Global Specialist Group in the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. “We need to reduce stress from overfishing, coastal development, pollution and tourism.”
“I am a generation of scientists watching them disappear. It is very depressing.” Obura said. “Above 1.5℃, in about 50 years, they will be a treasure of historic movies and pictures, but very little to see in real life. Children born today may be the last generation to see coral reefs in all their glory.”
1. The rising temperature affects corals by .| A．darkening their color |
| B．harming their structure |
| C．cutting their food sources |
| D．narrowing down their living area |
| A．Coral bleaching first became a global issue. |
| B．The ocean temperature went up steadily. |
| C．We lost 99% of the world’s coral reefs. |
| D．Worldwide coral bleaching lasted longer. |
| A．Illegal fishing |
| B．Climate change |
| C．Ocean pollution |
| D．Global warming |
| A．Experts worry about global warming. |
| B．Philippine coral reefs are under threat. |
| C．Record undersea forests before it is too late. |
| D．The next generation may never see coral reefs. |
3 . If English means endless new words, difficult grammar and sometimes strange pronunciation, you are wrong. Haven’t you noticed that you have become smarter since you started to learn a language?
According to a new study by a British university, learning a second language can lead to an increase in your brain power. Researchers found that learning other languages changes gray matter. This is the area of the brain which processes information. Like exercise shapes and strengthens muscles, learning a language can have a similar effect on your brain.
The study also found the effect is greater, if the younger people learn a second language. A team led by Dr Andrea Mechelli, from University College London, took a group of Britons who only spoke English. They were compared with a group of “early bilinguals” who had learnt a second language before the age of five, as well as a number of later learners.
Scans showed that gray matter density(灰质密度)in the brain was greater in bilinguals than in people without a second language. But the longer a person waited before mastering a new language, the smaller the difference.
“Our findings suggest that the structure(结构)of the brain is changed by the experience of learning a second language,” said the scientists. It means that the change itself increases the ability to learn.
Professor Dylan Vaughan Jones of the University of Wales, has researched the link between bilingualism and maths skills. “Having two languages gives you two windows on the world and makes the brain more flexible,” he said. “You are actually going beyond language and have a better understanding of different ideas.”
The findings were matched in a study of native Italian speakers who had learned English as a second language between the ages of two and thirty-four. Reading, writing, and cognition(认知)were all tested. The results showed that the younger they started to learn, the better. “Studying a language means you can enter another world,” explained the scientists.
1. In the second paragraph, the writer mentions “exercise” in order to _________.| A．encourage a regular fitness practice and an active lifestyle |
| B．show the importance of using the language when learning |
| C．suggest that learning a second language can improve physical fitness |
| D．highlight the similarities between language learning and physical exercise |
| A．Learning a second language increases gray matter density. |
| B．Later language learning has a bigger influence on brain structure. |
| C．Language learning leads to lower gray matter density in the brain. |
| D．Learning a second language has no effect on the structure of the brain. |
| A．learning a second language is only helpful during childhood |
| B．native Italian speakers learning English were similarly studied |
| C．Learning a second language brings greater advantages if started young |
| D．bilingual will be more successful than a person who speaks only one language |
| A．Language Learning Increases IQ |
| B．Bilingual Helps Learning Mathematics |
| C．Learning a Second Language Improves Brain Power |
| D．Language Learning Unlocks the Door to A New World |
4 . Which is more important for parents, making more money to give the kids a better life or spending more time with them? It is a problem for parents and it is not easy to decide. A new study shows that today’s parents are spending more time with their children than parents in the past. According to the study, today’s college-educated mothers spend about 21.2 hours a week taking care of their children. But women with less education spend about 15.9 hours. Before 1995, it was only 12 hours.
Dads are spending more time on ball games. Before 1995, fathers with college educations only spent about 4.5 hours a week playing with their children. Today, it increases to 9.6 hours a week. For fathers with high school education, the time goes up from 3.7 hours to 6.8.
These days, parents don’t care more about the cleaning or the cooking. They are trying their best to spend time with their families. As for the kids, they don’t mind how much time their parents spend with them. They just want to enjoy the time their parents do be with them.
So, take part in the kids’ activities when you are with them, such as helping with homework or playing soccer with them.
1. How long do college-educated mothers spend taking care of their kids a week?| A．About 9.6 hours. | B．About 12 hours. |
| C．About 15.9 hours. | D．About 21.2 hours. |
| A．Women with less education spend about12 hours staying with their kids, |
| B．Mothers in the past spent less time staying with kids than mothers these days. |
| C．Mothers with college education are lazier than those with less education. |
| D．Dads spend more time staying with their kids than mothers do. |
| A．About 4.5 hours. | B．Less than 9 hours. |
| C．About 13.5 hours. | D．About 18 hours. |
| A．They care about how much money their parents can make. |
| B．They care about how much time their parents spend with them. |
| C．They care if their parents are really with them. |
| D．They care if their parents can give them a better life. |
5 . CPR (心肺复苏术) saves lives. It can really change someone’s life, as I found out for myself three years ago.
On October 14, 2009, my mom had an accident while playing soccer and was taken to hospital. The next morning, I was told that my mom had had a cardiac arrest (心脏停搏). I later learned that two players on the opposing team kept breathing air into my mother’s mouth and pressing her chest for seven minutes, as they waited for the ambulance to arrive. My mom stayed in the hospital for only ten days. I know that I am very lucky to have my mom here, because most people who have cardiac arrests and do not receive CPR within the first six minutes die.
My mom has used this experience to spread the word about CPR. She joined the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Support Group, which was set up to help survivors and their families through a difficult experience. The support group also takes part in the Heart Walk every year, raising money for the American Heart Association. And she attends Lobby Day each year, convincing the New York State Legislature to pass a law that would make basic CPR and first-aid training a graduation requirement for high school students.
This task is not as difficult as it may first appear to be. Every student in New York State must take health class in order to graduate. Just one or two days of health class each year will ensure that every student in the state will learn this important skill. This training is also nearly free. There is no need for a professional CPR instructor because the American Heart Association has online videos that show the newest techniques in CPR. Also, most local EMS services will lend training models to schools.
My mom and her fellow survivors go to a high school each year to talk to the students about the importance of learning CPR. This training will not get you the official CPR certification (证书), but as my mom says, “You don’t need a little card to save someone’s life.”
1. How does the author feel about the two players?| A．Deeply grateful. | B．Quite concerned. |
| C．A bit sorry. | D．Rather frightened. |
| A．She made efforts to improve CPR. | B．She realized the key importance of law. |
| C．She paid more attention to her health. | D．She became an active CPR supporter. |
| A．It may be turned down by a lot of students. |
| B．It requires little time and money. |
| C．It will become a graduation requirement. |
| D．It is difficult and dangerous. |
| A．It is challenging for many students to master CPR skills. |
| B．Every graduate should get an official CPR certification. |
| C．CPR skills are more important than CPR certifications. |
| D．High schools should make a special card for CPR learners. |
6 . Sleep-deprived human parents know the value of a quick nap, but it turns out chinstrap penguins (带帽企鹅) have us all beat. When nesting, these Antarctic birds take four-second-long “micro-sleeps”, a strategy that allows parents to keep constant watch over weak eggs and chicks, all while having 11 hours of total sleep a day, according to a new study.
Chinstrap parents, like other penguins, take turns guarding the nest. While one bird protects the chicks, the partner finds food at sea. Then the penguins trade places. For two months between egg laying and fledging (羽化), it’s a series of nonstop demands.
In order to study how penguins manage to accomplish all this and get the necessary sleep, Lee, a leader researcher, first stuck biologgers, small battery-powered devices, to the backs of 14 nesting penguins of both sexes. This device functions like a smart-watch, measuring physical activity, pulse, and the ocean depths of foraging (觅食) birds.
Next, the team humanely arrested each of the penguins, attaching the devices temporarily into their skull to measure brain activity. When an animal is awake, the brain constantly buzzes with activity. During sleep, however, brain waves slow down and stretch out. When Lee started reviewing the data, he was surprised to discover the birds, slept in four-second intervals throughout the day and night while looking after their eggs or chicks.
“In both humans and penguins, micro-sleeps occur during times of exhaustion, yet nesting chinstrap penguins seem to have a near-exclusive reliance on it,” Cirelli, another scientist, says. Studying sleep in natural environments is difficult, so “the simple fact that they were able to record data in these conditions is incredible.”
While the data is convincing, Cirelli notes that the researchers only studied the penguins during nesting periods, making it impossible to tell if the birds micro-sleep when they’re not parenting. The other challenge is understanding how micro-sleep impacts the brains and bodies of the penguins. Sleep deprivation (匮乏) in humans causes a range of health problems, and it’s not clear whether penguins experience this, too.
1. When do the birds have micro-sleeps?| A．When they lay eggs. | B．When they search for food. |
| C．When they migrate to other places. | D．When they take care of babies. |
| A．A charger. | B．A smart-watch. |
| C．A sleep monitor. | D．A safety alarm. |
| A．Chinstrap penguins rely nearly entirely on micro-sleep. |
| B．Chinstrap penguins sleep less than human. |
| C．The data from the micro-sleep study is simple. |
| D．The micro-sleep study is successful. |
| A．Short-term skills for tired bird parents. | B．Effects and occurrence of micro-sleep. |
| C．Problems caused by lack of sleep in humans. | D．Ways of chinstrap penguins’ parenting. |
7 . Yesterday was my final day as an English language assistant in Paris. I have loved every single moment of my time teaching, and could not have asked for a better school, with the most wonderful students. When applying to be a language assistant. I was a little worried about what the students would be like.
Upon arrival, I found the easiest approach to creating lesson plans was to focus on what was happening right here and now. For example, when it was Halloween in the UK, I found plenty of brainchildren to help me teach my students all about the different cultures and traditions they do not have in France. They loved it! And now, seven months later, it's all over!
The whole experience has been amazing. I highly recommend being a language assistant. I don't want to become a teacher，and I didn't before I arrived, but the skills and experience I have gained from these entire seven months of working is indescribable. Now, I'm finding myself still walking down the street and having ideas pop into my mind and saying, “Oh! 1 can teach mv class about that next week!” It's very bizarre(异乎寻常的).
I think this first week of having no work and not needing to think of potential lesson plans will be the hardest，and it was surprisingly difficult to say goodbye to most of my classes. But deep down，I know that my time teaching in Paris has given me so much experience and a completely new outlook on how to communicate with younger people with different needs and learning styles.
1. Where did the author work as a teaching assistant?| A．In America. | B．In England. | C．In France. | D．In Canada. |
| A．Clever children. | B．Different assistants. |
| C．Successful experience. | D．Sudden good ideas. |
| A．The writer thought it useless. | B．The writer liked it very much. |
| C．The writer found it very strange. | D．The writer had no idea about it. |
| A．My Teaching Experience in Paris |
| B．An English Language Assistant in Paris |
| C．How to Communicate with Younger People |
| D．How to Become an Amazing Language Teacher |
8 . When you think of tourist sites in Britain what do you think of? Big Ben and the Tower of London? Lock Ness? Shakespeare’s Birthplace at Strafford-upon-Avon? There are many famous tourist attractions in the UK and they attract millions of visitors each year. But along with the famous names there are thousands of other interesting places that are only open to the public for a few days each year. Heritage Open Days takes place each September and lets the public visit places that would normally be out of bounds. Among the thousands of historic sites there are castles and factories, town halls and churches. Here we look at some of these places that most tourists might not know about.
Roman Baths in Chester
Chester, in the north-west of England, is one of the oldest cities in the country. It was founded by the Romans over two thousand years ago. They stayed for more than three hundred years and you can find evidence of their stay all over the city.
Most visitors, however, don't see the remains of a Roman bathhouse in the centre of the city. For most of the year it is impossible to visit this fascinating site because it is situated under a clothes shop and a shop that sells baked potatoes!
During the week of Heritage Open Days visitors can go downstairs to the basement of the shops and find a little piece of history.
Tennis Club in Birmingham
Edgbaston Tennis Club opened in 1860 and is the oldest tennis club in the world. It is normally closed to the public but during Open Days visitors can come and see the club's collection of tennis clothes and equipment and learn about the game's rich history.
Aardman Animation in Bristol
During Heritage Open Days visitors can visit the Aardman Animation studios, which produced the famous Wallace and Gromit animated films. The studios are in an amazing new building where visitors can find out more about how the films are made.
These are just three of the thousands of places to visit each September. If you want to see more of Britain than the traditional tourist destinations then look out for Open Days.
1. Where can visitors see the remains of a Roman bathhouse in Chester?| A．In the north-west of England. | B．In a shop selling clothes. |
| C．In a basement of two shops. | D．In the center of the city. |
| A．The Tower of London. | B．Shakespeare's Birthplace. |
| C．Tennis Club in Birmingham. | D．Aardman Animation in Bristol. |
| A．To help increase the tourist income of the Great Britain. |
| B．To introduce some of the hidden tourist treasures in the UK. |
| C．To help visitors learn about the history of some fascinating sites. |
| D．To inform the visitors that each September is Heritage Open Days. |
9 . When I was six, Dad brought home a dog one day, who was called “Brownie”. My brothers and I all loved Brownie and did different things with her. One of us would walk her, another would feed her, then there were baths, playing catch and many other games. Brownie, in return, loved each and every one of us. One thing that most touched my heart was that she would go to whoever was sick and just be with them. We always felt better when she was around.
One day, as I was getting her food, she chewed up (咬破) one of Dad’s shoes, which had to be thrown away in the end. I knew Dad would be mad and I had to let her know what she did was wrong. When I looked at her and said, “Bad girl,” she looked down at the ground and then went and hid. I saw a tear in her eyes.
Brownie turned out to be more than just our family pet. She went everywhere with us. People would stop and ask if they could pat her. Of course she’d let anyone pat (拍) her. She was just the most lovable dog. There were many times when we’d be out walking and a small child would come over and pull on her hair. She never barked (吠) or tried to get away. Funny thing is that she would smile. This frightened people because they thought she was showing her teeth. Far from the truth, she loved everyone.
Now many years have passed since Brownie died of old age. I still miss days when she was with us.
1. What would Brownie do when someone was ill in the family?| A．Look at them sadly. | B．Play games with them. |
| C．Stay with them. | D．Touch them gently. |
| A．felt sorry for her mistake | B．would eat anything when hungry |
| C．loved playing hide-and-seek | D．disliked the author’s dad |
| A．She went everywhere with the family. |
| B．She played games with anyone she liked. |
| C．She was loved by everybody she met. |
| D．She was treated as a member of the family. |
| A．smiled | B．barked. |
| C．rushed to them | D．tried to be funny |
10 . Daphne Soares, a biologist, made an amazing discovery about alligators (短吻鳄). The investigation of the sensory dots of alligators began when she was at university. Now she holds a research position at the University of Maryland.
The first time Daphne Soares got really close to an alligator was when she was helping to hold down an eight-foot alligator. When she got close to the alligator, she noticed that its face was covered with little black spots.
She started her study of the black dots when she went to the library. When she read the books and the scientific journals, she learned that people had noticed the dots. People thought that the dots were some kind of sense organ. However, no one really knew what the dots were for.
It was a complete accident when she found out what the dots were used for. She placed electrodes (电极) on nerves coming from some of the sensory dots. When the nerves were stimulated, they created a tiny electric current. Just then she heard a small sound over a audio speaker. She tried to see if the dots acted like eyes and temperature sensors, but nothing worked. One day she accidentally dropped a tool into an alligator’s tank. When she put her hand in the tank to get the tool out, she made small ripples (涟漪) in the water. When the ripples reached the alligator’s face, she heard a noise over the speaker. She then realized that the dots must be sensitive to the changes in pressure when they were hit by ripples of water.
After that, she is now studying blind cavefish. She is trying to learn whether they are blind from birth or lose their sight as they grow up.
1. What was Daphne Soares doing when she noticed the black dots?| A．Studying the sense organ. |
| B．Helping to keep a hold of an alligator. |
| C．Observing an alligator in a pond. |
| D．Reading scientific journal in the library. |
| A．She collected data online. |
| B．She did some field observations. |
| C．She sought help from professionals. |
| D．She did some scientific experiments. |
| A．The sense of feeling. | B．The sense of sight. |
| C．The sense of taste. | D．The sense of hearing. |
| A．A Born Biologist | B．The Types of Alligators |
| C．A Discovery About Alligators | D．Daphne Soares’ Stories |
