1 . Reading and writing are essential to learning. In fact, a new study now shows that writing by hand may help kids learn and understand letters faster. It also may help kids learn to read more quickly. Published in Psychological Science, the study found that handwriting allowed participants to take in several components of new letters they learned, helping them to potentially process the information more effectively.
During the research, the participants, who were all adults, were divided into three different learning groups: a handwriting group, a group that watched videos, and a group that typed responses. Each group was then introduced to Arabic letters and then had to reproduce them in different ways. Those in the handwriting group wrote the letters with a pen and paper. The video group saw the letters on the screen and had to identify them. And the group with typed responses had to locate the letters on a keyboard. The individuals in the handwriting group learned the information more quickly.
While the test was performed on adults, researchers believe the results can apply to children’s ability to learn letters, identify them, and perhaps read earlier. Children learn by using different learning styles: seeing, hearing, moving or touching. The benefit of using handwriting with these learning methods is that it brings the methods of learning information to get her in a way that strengthens understanding. Dr Wiley notes that writing is not necessary to learn to read. But the ability to connect everything being learned about the letters can be beneficial as children become readers. And handwriting can play a part.
In fact, many experts agree that computers and digital learning can be used to improve the educational experience and not to replace handwriting and that writing should be a part of the curriculum. “We should stick with some form of written practice. That’s what the evidence really shows,” Dr Rapp concludes.
1. What can we know from the findings of the new study?| A．Reading and writing are of great importance. |
| B．Writing faster may cause children to read faster. |
| C．Handwriting benefits children in more than one way. |
| D．Writing by hand is in fact harmful to children’s ability to read. |
| A．Computers. | B．Pens and paper. | C．Videos. | D．Recorders. |
| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
| A．Handwriting shouldn’t be ignored. |
| B．Computers aren’t good for students at all. |
| C．Handwriting is a form of digital learning. |
| D．Handwriting should replace digital learning. |
2 . Life in the future: tech that will change the way we live
The technology we’re already exposed to has paved the way for us in the future, and these current and future technologies certainly have the potential to change our lives even more.
High-rise farms
As the population of the earth continues to grow, living space also decreases, not only for human beings but for the animals and plants we rely on too.
It’s reasonable to see a future where tech will need to be developed to allow for farmland in unusual places. This idea of high-rise farms in the middle of a city isn’t totally beyond belief.
Li-Fi
Li-Fi has been experimented with for the last few years and has some interesting potential for fast data transfer speeds. Li-Fi uses light to transfer data rather than Wi-Fi’s radio waves. It’s also thought that Li-Fi will be much cheaper than Wi-Fi.
Recycling and re-engineering
The constant development of new tech means our world is often full of old tech. One thing the human race will have to do in the future is to learn new ways to recycle, reuse and re-engineer old tech to decrease waste and save the world.
People are already coming up with a variety of interesting ways to recycle old tech, including turning disused things into material for paving roads.
Healthcare nanobots
The robotic technology is being used to care for our health. Tiny nanobots could be used to check our insides to hunt our health problems. They might also be used to repair damaged organs. This could mean less time in hospital and less recovery time too.
1. What can we learn about Li-Fi?| A．It has come into use. |
| B．It uses Wi-Fi’s radio waves to transfer data. |
| C．It probably increases data transfer speed. |
| D．It will be as cheap as Wi-Fi. |
| A．Li-Fi. | B．Healthcare nanobots. |
| C．High-rise farms. | D．Recycling and re-engineering. |
| A．A science magazine. | B．A guidebook. |
| C．A book review. | D．A fiction novel. |
3 . Tabichi’s father,uncle,and cousins have all worked as teachers. He could see that his relatives were making a real difference to people’s lives and wanted to do the same. So for the past 12 years,Tabichi has worked as a math and science teacher in the hope that his lessons will give students a chance to improve their situations.
However,working at a remote village school in Kenya hasn’t been easy. The unique challenges and obstacles have forced Tabichi to find unique solutions for his students. The school only has one computer and unreliable Internet access.The school also has no library or laboratory. To make matters worse, there are not enough books for all the students and the school is desperately in need of more teachers. Most of the students are not able to concentrate because they haven’t had enough meals at home.
One of the other major challenges that Tabichi faces is keeping kids in school as long as possible. So Tabichi spends most of his time outside of the classroom working on ways to keep kids in school. When the 36-year-old gets the feeling that a student is at risk of dropping out, he works to persuade families to put more value in education. To help those in poverty afford food,uniforms, and books, Tabichi also gives away 80 percent of his salary. Despite all the obstacles he faces,Tabichi is credited for improving the school and keeping much of the village’s youth in school. He has also managed to set up science clubs and addressed food insecurity issues.
Thanks to his tireless work, his students have excelled. In recent years,students have won national and international science competitions. In March of 2019,Tabichi was voted the best teacher in the world and won the prize of $1 million.
1. What inspired Tabichi to be a teacher?| A．The high salary of teachers. |
| B．His father’s demand on him. |
| C．The significance of a teacher’s job. |
| D．His relatives’ encouragement. |
| A．The difficulties Tabichi’s school faced. |
| B．The life of a remote village in Kenya. |
| C．Tabichi’s unique teaching ways for his students. |
| D．Most of the students’ distraction on their learning. |
| A．Giving students the best lessons. |
| B．Helping students get rid of poverty. |
| C．Persuading students not to drop out. |
| D．Getting students away from any risk. |
| A．Pitiful. | B．Lucky. | C．Outgoing. | D．Selfless. |
4 . When we pay attention, we see courage every day. I see it in my classroom when a student
I recently saw another
One girl cried her way through the entire
Just then one more mom walked up to this now
The mom who stopped and shared her story of
| A．shakes | B．raises | C．spreads | D．lowers |
| A．abnormal | B．normal | C．brave | D．typical |
| A．issue | B．crisis | C．report | D．example |
| A．attend | B．advertise | C．perform | D．organize |
| A．tension | B．scene | C．silence | D．song |
| A．journalists | B．teachers | C．parents | D．workers |
| A．performance | B．competition | C．arrangement | D．entertainment |
| A．searching | B．wandering | C．decorating | D．occupying |
| A．opened | B．rolled | C．closed | D．covered |
| A．grateful | B．hopeful | C．cheerful | D．tearful |
| A．immediately | B．gradually | C．occasionally | D．completely |
| A．hardened | B．softened | C．darkened | D．reddened |
| A．encouraging | B．blessing | C．comforting | D．threatening |
| A．comparison | B．conclusion | C．concentration | D．imperfection |
| A．courage | B．wisdom | C．patience | D．preference |
5 . At the beginning of Grade Two, I joined the cross-country running team in our school.
When I came to the first practice, I was filled with optimism. But as the distance we ran in each practice gradually increased from three to four, to six miles, I realized with surprise that no matter how hard I tried, I wasn’t able to run as fast as others. In fact, I was one of the slowest on the team.
What was the point of putting myself through so much pain? After the first few weeks, I wanted to quit.
Then we had our first cross-country meet.
When we started the race, I felt the great pressure of expectations sink onto my shoulders. And after a while I stopped running and struggled to walk up the hill. But then I heard my coaches shouting my name from the top of the hill. I felt confused and embarrassed; why were they cheering for me? I was running terribly! As I tried my best to finish the race, I realized that my coaches didn’t care how fast I ran. Neither did my teammates. During the rest of the season, they were always on the sidelines of every race, cheering for me just as loudly as they’d cheered for the front runner.
From then on, I began to put my effort into supporting my teammates instead of focusing on my own performance. In that way, I celebrated my teammates’ victories as if they were my own; I felt their pain and exhaustion as if they were my own.
Cross-country running made me realize I don’t need to be the best to be successful in life. It taught me to value my relationships with people more than my relationship with my ego. It taught me to cheer for others even if I don’t know their names.
1. Why did the author want to give up after the first few weeks?| A．He had much pain in his knees. |
| B．He didn’t perform well in long-distance running. |
| C．He couldn’t get along well with others |
| D．He showed no interest in running. |
| A．Strict and hard-hearted. | B．Brave and adventurous. |
| C．Considerate and supportive. | D．Optimistic and humorous. |
| A．He lost himself in victories |
| B．He put more effort into his study |
| C．He received more support from his coaches |
| D．He started caring about his teammates |
| A．The importance of team spirit | B．The value of competition |
| C．The secret of winning a race | D．The benefits of doing sports |
6 . Do you make money by doing small jobs? If you do, you may have heard of the idea of spending only some of it, saving some of it and donating some to people who need it more.
The head of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, and his wife announced they were giving away 99% of their money from Facebook during their lives to help others! That alone is amazing considering most people donate about 3% to 5% of the money they have. It is even more amazing when you realize they’re donating about $45 billion. That’s $45, 000, 000, 000!!!! Don’t worry. They’ll still have about $455 million to live on!
They made this decision partly because they had a baby girl, Max, and thought about what kind of world they’d like her to grow up in. It must be an amazing feeling to have that kind of money spent on people in need. Mark Zuckerberg is one of the richest persons in the world, so most of us will never know what that would be like.
But we don’t have to be super wealthy to make meaningful change. Sometimes change can come from change!
Ten-year-old Joey Roth from America started saving up change he found anywhere--around his house, on the street, on his way to school…And then he started putting it in a jar. He even asked the tooth fairy to donate some change in his letter to her after he lost a tooth! (The tooth fairy is an imaginary person.)
His collection, Jar for Change, has grown into a community-wide effort and he has raised over $10, 000 all from people dropping coins into jars! The money he raises goes to help connect parents with their very sick babies.
See what these people have done? You, too, can help others—no matter how old you are, where you live and how much you earn!
1. How much would most people donate if they had 20, 000 yuan?| A．60-100 yuan. | B．300-500 yuan. |
| C．600-1000 yuan. | D．30-50 yuan. |
| A．Joey Roth | B．their childhood |
| C．their education | D．their daughter |
| A．Making money. | B．Giving away $45 billion to help others. |
| C．Being the richest person in the world. | D．Spending money unwisely. |
| A．Everyone can make a difference. | B．Giving makes people happy. |
| C．Pocket money can be helpful. | D．Giving is better than receiving. |
7 . Compared with the obvious environmental issues we hear about every day, littering often takes a backseat-but it’s more pressing than we may think.
Some may say that a banana peel out of your car along the motorway would be a harmless action. Actually, they are wrong. A banana peel can take up to two years to decompose(分解)，and with a third of motorists admitting to littering while driving, that’s a whole lot of discarded banana peels, or much worse. An orange peel and a cigarette butt has a similar biodegrading(生物降解)term to that of a banana, but tin and aluminium cans last up to 100 years, and plastic bottles last forever, so do glass bottles and plastic bags.
Despite the fact that longer-lasting materials will serve to damage the environment and its animals for longer, we can’t only measure the severity of a certain type of rubbish by its lifetime. For example, despite having a fairly short biodegrading span, more than 120 tons of cigarette-related litter is thrown away in the UK every day. Similarly, our regular littering here and there has caused the UK’s mouse population to increase by 60 million. This suddenly isn’t so mysterious when you consider that since the 1960s our annual littering has increased by an amazing 500%.
It’s not a cheap habit either: UK taxpayers spent $500 million on keeping the streets clean. So, it’s not surprising that if caught fly-tipping, you could face a $20, 000 fine. Regardless of how severe the punishment might seem, however, among the reported cases only 2, 000 were punished out of 825, 000, so we still have some way to go in making sure people observe the rules.
To take back our beautiful cities, we need to do more than simply not leaving rubbish where it ought not to be. We need to care more about the world around us.
1. Which of the following is easiest to decompose ?| A．An aluminium can. | B．A plastic bag. |
| C．An orange peel. | D．A glass bottle. |
| A．Annual littering has increased a little in UK since the 1960s. |
| B．Shorter-lasting materials will be less harmful to the environment. |
| C．Cigarette-related litter is a severe environmental problem in UK. |
| D．Regular littering has caused the UK’s mouse population to reach 60 million. |
| A．Every little helps. | B．A drop in the bucket. |
| C．No pains, no gains. | D．Fear is often greater than the danger. |
| A．Littering, a surprisingly big issue. |
| B．Environment issue, a big concern. |
| C．Long-lasting material, a hidden danger. |
| D．Rubbish collection, an urgent task. |
8 . Nowadays, we are very worried about such COVID-19 variants as Delta and Omicron. To relieve our anxieties, we should have a look at our own cell and the original COVID-19 virus.
First of all, our cell isn’t stupid. If any virus wants to enter our cell, it must figure out a way for its spike (触手) to hold tightly to the spike on the cell’s surface. You can imagine this connecting as a secret handshake.
At the early stage, the COVID-19 virus figured out a way to connect to a specific spike on the surface of human cell, called ACE2. But the connecting wasn’t perfect. However, it was good enough to trick the ACE2 to let it in.
Once the virus was inside the cell, it kept copying itself in order to find more cells to infect. During this time, the immune (免疫) system started making antibodies to fight back. Some of those antibodies acted like little caps that stick to the ends of the virus’s spike. Once “capped”, the infection couldn’t move forward, and the body won!
But every time the virus copies itself inside a cell, it has the chance of changing its spikes slightly. Most of the variations are actually harmful to the virus. So these variants disappear. However, once the virus hits upon a set of variations that actually help the virus to connect more tightly to the cell or more quickly, a person’s cell gets infected more easily.
Then what about the antibodies? Aren’t they coming to save us again? Well, yes... and no.
Scientists found that a person who was infected with the earlier version of the virus may not be protected as well against these new variants. He still can be infected, again. However, the antibodies’ spikes come in different shapes, too. So even though some antibodies become less useful, others will get the job done—or at least, hold back the infection long enough so the body can make new antibodies that fit perfectly on the changed spike.
1. What does the underlined word "it" in paragraph 2 refer to?| A．The virus. | B．The cell. |
| C．The spike. | D．The connection. |
| A．How a virus enters the human cell. |
| B．How a virus copies itself inside a cell. |
| C．Why the immune system can fight back. |
| D．Why virus variants have different infection rates. |
| A．COVID-19 variants will become more and more infectious. |
| B．It is unlikely for COVID-19 patients to get infected again. |
| C．Old antibodies might be less effective against new variants. |
| D．It is hopeless to get rid of the COVID-19 in the near future. |
| A．Worries About the COVID-19 Variants |
| B．A Simple Guide to COVID-19 Variants |
| C．The Danger of the Deadly COVID-19 Virus |
| D．Ways to Protect Ourselves From COVID-19 Virus |
9 . Scientists have learned a lot about the kinds of people need. They say that there are several kinds of food that people should eat every day, they are: (1) green and yellow vegetables of all kinds; (2) citrus (柑桔) fruits and tomatoes; (3) potatoes and other fruits and vegetables; (4) meat of all kinds, fish and eggs; (5) milk and foods made from milk; (6) bread or cereal (谷类), rice is also in this kind of food; (7) butter, or something like butter.
People in different countries and different places of the world eat different kinds of things. Foods are cooked and eaten in many different kinds of ways. People in different countries eat at different times of the day. In some places people eat once or twice a day; in other countries people eat three or four times a day. Scientists say that none of the differences is really important. It doesn’t matter whether foods are eaten raw or cooked, canned (罐装的) or frozen (冷冻的). It doesn’t matter if a person eats dinner at 4 o'clock in the afternoon or at eleven o'clock at night. The important thing is what you eat every day.
There are two problems, then, in feeding the large number of people on the earth. The first is to find some way to feed the world’s population so that no one is hungry. The second is to make sure that people everywhere have the right kinds of food to make them grow to be strong and healthy.
1. According to the scientists, which of the following groups of food is the healthiest for your lunch？| A．Chicken, apples, cereal and cabbages. | B．Potatoes, carrots, rice and bread. |
| C．Oranges, bananas, fish and tomatoes. | D．Beef, pork, fish and milk. |
| A．three times a day |
| B．dinner at twelve o'clock |
| C．cooked food all the time |
| D．something from each of the seven kinds of food every day |
| A．People in some places don’t have enough to eat. |
| B．There are too many people in the world. |
| C．One of the problems is that no one is hungry. |
| D．The scientists are trying to make people grow to be strong and healthy. |
| A．When people eat their lunch. | B．What to do with the two problems. |
| C．How to cook food in different ways. | D．Why people eat different kinds of food. |
10 . May 29-June 2
Summer Camp for the Whole Family!
Family Camp, an annual event at Holiday Lake 4-H Educational Center in Appomattox, Virginia, offers the chance for family members to socialize with each other while at the same time experiencing their own level of independence in a safe environment. Participants take three classes a day, one of which is specially appointed as a family activity. Classes offered include swimming, theatre arts, nature, canoeing, and more. Afternoons and evenings are filled with special activities such as hikes, canoe trips, and campfires.
Family Camp offers a variety of activities for all ages. Space is limited to 25 families. Registration is now underway and will continue until all sports are full. To receive registration information, please call your local Extension Office or Heather Benninghove at Holiday Lake 4-H Center at (434)248-5444.
Family Camp, like all Holiday Lake 4-H Educational and Virginia Cooperative Extension programs, is offered to all. If you’re a person with a disability and desire any assistive devices or services to participate in Family Camp, please contact the 4-H Center at 434-248-5444 from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm to discuss accommodations 5 days before the camp begins.
Prices:
*Family of 4: $500
*Each additional member: $75
Payment:
*$200 deposit with registration
*Final payment and all signed forms due May 5
*Final payment may be sent any time
*An information packet and all relevant forms will be mailed to you upon receipt of registration and deposit.
Refunds:
*Full by May 7
*Nonrefundable after May 7
1. What will the participants of the camp be arranged to do?| A．Attend classes in the morning. |
| B．Go hiking or canoeing in the morning. |
| C．Have sports in groups in the gym. |
| D．Join in funny games in the evening. |
| A．May, 29. | B．May, 24. | C．May, 20. | D．May, 7. |
| A．$ 500. | B．$ 570. | C．$ 610. | D．$ 650. |
