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 . 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. |
3 . 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. |
4 . Some Music Festivals
Pitchfork Music Festival
Anyone who adores indie(独立的) music and upandcoming artists will have an amazing time at the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago's Union Park. This is a wonderful festival that explores more underground and lessknown bands than the other big Chicago summer festival, Lollapalooza.
Date: July 14－16
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Music Type: Indie
Price: $75－$365
Essence Music Festival
No matter what time of the year it is, New Orleans is an incredible place to be if you love live music. The Essence Music Festival is a celebration of great artists like Diana Ross, Chaka Khan, and Mary J. Blige.
Date: June 29－July 2
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Music Type: R & B, soul
Price: $126－$2, 700
Sziget Festival
Budapest knows how to organize a party, and Sziget is one of the biggest celebrations of music and culture in all of Europe. You can expect to watch favorite artists like Bad Religion and Mac DeMarco appearing on the stages here during this sevenday festival.
Date: August 9－15
Location: Budapest, Hungary
Music Type: Eclectic, indie, rock
Price: $70－$96
Flow Festival
The Flow Festival is a great excuse to explore the city of Helsinki. Artists including Lana Del Rey and The XX will be playing, among many others. Come to this festival to enjoy a relaxing atmosphere with an earthfriendly attitude.
Date: August 11－13
Location: Helsinki, Finland
Music Type: Rock, soul, jazz
Price: $106－$199
1. What is special about Pitchfork Music Festival?| A．It is more independent. | B．It is held underground. |
| C．It is more famous than other festivals. | D．It focuses on unknown bands. |
| A．In Budapest. | B．In Helsinki. |
| C．In Chicago. | D．In New Orleans. |
| A．Sziget Festival. | B．Flow Festival. |
| C．Essence Music Festival. | D．Pitchfork Music Festival. |
5 . There was a king who loved art very much. One day a(n)
At the same time, another artist came and asked to work on the
The following day they began to work. The first artist brought in a(n)
A month later, the first artist’s work was
The king went to
The king was quite satisfied and gave him double money. However, he
“I just
The world is a reflection of you too. If you are sad, the world will be
| A．waiter | B．actress | C．server | D．artist |
| A．put | B．copy | C．paint | D．get |
| A．created | B．destroyed | C．founded | D．built |
| A．persuaded | B．realized | C．allowed | D．decided |
| A．same | B．similar | C．opposite | D．ordinary |
| A．with | B．under | C．upon | D．without |
| A．put back | B．put up | C．put away | D．put on |
| A．even if | B．so that | C．as if | D．only if |
| A．special | B．regular | C．extra | D．strange |
| A．mirror | B．cloth | C．stick | D．pen |
| A．stayed | B．begun | C．kept | D．completed |
| A．research | B．touch | C．see | D．cover |
| A．number | B．total | C．amount | D．many |
| A．Amazing | B．Exciting | C．Famous | D．Valuable |
| A．probably | B．exactly | C．certainly | D．hardly |
| A．knew | B．warned | C．noticed | D．wondered |
| A．drew | B．faced | C．displayed | D．wiped |
| A．of | B．from | C．to | D．in |
| A．set | B．added | C．showed | D．took |
| A．happy | B．excited | C．sad | D．surprised |
6 . Many people think that hippos (河马) are cute and funny-looking. They are really fat and they have short, thick legs. They also have little round ears that wiggle (摆动) sometimes.
Hippos look funny, but you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Hippos are extremely violent and dangerous. In fact, they kill more people than any other animal in Africa. Think of how many dangerous animals that Africa has. It has got crocodiles, snakes, lions, elephants and many more. Hippos are more dangerous than all of them.
Hippos are naturally very dangerous animals, but there are some situations that make them even more dangerous than normal. They are very territorial. That means that they stay in one area which they consider to be their private area. If a person or animal enter a hippo’s area, the hippo will attack. Hippos also often attack when they are returning to the water. Hippos eat on land and return to water at dusk. If a hippo sees an animal when it’s returning to the water, it will become violent.
Hippos are so strong that they often kill crocodiles. There are two reasons that explain why hippos and crocodiles often fight. First of all, hippos and crocodiles live in the same areas. Since hippos are territorial, they don’t like having crocodiles nearby. Also, crocodiles often eat young hippos. For that reason, adult hippos frequently kill crocodiles.
Mother and daughter hippos have close relationships. However, hippos don’t have any other close relationship with each other. Hippos often live together in large groups, but scientists don’t know why. It’s hard to study the behaviour of male and female hippos, because males and females look the same.
Hippos are violent, but they are herbivores. A herbivore is an animal that eat only plants. An adult hippo eats about 50 kilograms of plants every day. Hippos are much more comfortable in the water, but they can run fast on land. Their top speed is about 19 kilometers per hour. That’s much faster than humans can run.
1. What is the text mainly about?| A．The fight between hippos and crocodiles. |
| B．How to tell male hippos and female ones. |
| C．Africa’s most dangerous animal — hippos. |
| D．Why hippos get violent. |
| A．It is afraid of other animals. |
| B．It stays within a limited area. |
| C．It does not like to live in large groups. |
| D．It does not want other animals to enter its area. |
| A．Hippos swim faster than crocodiles. |
| B．It is hard to explain why hippos live in groups. |
| C．Male and female hippos look different. |
| D．Violent animals usually eat plants. |
| A．To inform. | B．To entertain. |
| C．To instruct. | D．To persuade. |
7 . When Dean Arnold got his first job, he was miserable , Each time he went to work, he coughed and he couldn’t breathe. Working in a bakery when you are allergic to flour can be painful.
But Arnold stayed with the National Biscuit Company for ten years. He was a businessman and he helped them improve production. At last his health problems became too serious. He left and formed his own company.
With his wife and mother, he founded Arnold Bakery. They tried new recipes . changing the kind and amount of flour used. This enabled Arnold to work there without too much pain. The bread, made with unbleached flour (标准粉), was baked in a brick oven .
They began by baking two dozen loaves. The bread was sold door to door for fifteen cents a loaf. Winning customers to his unusual, old-fashioned bread took time. But Arnold, struggling against his allergy, built his bakery into one of the largest in the United States.
1. During his stay in the National Biscuit Company, what did Arnold do?| A．He founded Arnold Bakery. |
| B．He tried a new method of baking. |
| C．He helped the company improve their production. |
| D．He became successful in his business. |
| A．He suffered from allergy to flour | B．He didn’t like the job |
| C．He wanted to make more money | D．He wanted to form his own company |
| A．determined | B．brave | C．unusual | D．unhealthy |
| A．Arnold’s bread was baked in a brick oven. |
| B．Arnold’s bread was made with unbleached flour. |
| C．Arnold’s bread was sold at a low price. |
| D．Arnold’s bread was of poor quality. |
| A．A Sick Baker | B．A Brick-oven Bread Baker |
| C．An Old-fashioned Baker | D．How to Overcome Allergy |
8 . Summer is the most popular season to visit Texas since there is so much to see and to do. While visiting the Lone Star State this summer, don’t miss visiting some of these attractions and taking part in some of Texas’ best summer vacation activities.
Visit SeaWorld
There are sea life shows，adventure camps，thrilling rides and a water park. A great many activities are waiting for you at SeaWorld.
Windsurf at South Padre
With miles of shallow (浅的)，calm water in the Lower Laguna Madre and strong winds conning off the Gulf of Mexico，South Padre Island is a windsurfer’s dream.
Swim at Barton Springs
Barton Springs is in the famous Zilker Park. It was formed when Barton Greek was built. Since its opening, Barton Springs has become one of the most popular swimming pools in the state.
Take part in an outdoor adventure
In the scenic Texas Hill Country, Lake Buchanan Adventures offers different kinds of activities, including boating, hiking, camping and more.
Camp and hike in Big Bend Park
Big Bend offers a great number of outdoor activities in an old way. Backpacking, mountain biking, fishing, boating, hiking, nature watching and camping - you name it. If it can be done outdoors, it can be done in Big Bend.
Enjoy saltwater fishing
Saltwater fishing in Texas is as good as anywhere else in the USA. More and more fishermen have been discovering this in recent years and packing their bags and rods (鱼竿)to make good use of Texas, world - class saltwater fishery.
1. The underlined phrase “the Lone Star State” in Paragraph 1 is another name for .| A．Texas | B．San Antonio | C．South Padre | D．Gulf of Mexico |
| A．sea life shows | B．adventure camps |
| C．climbing | D．exciting rides |
| A．San Antonio. | B．South Padre. |
| C．Barton Springs. | D．Texas Hill Country. |
Indoor air pollution results from the use of dangerous fuels and cook stoves in the home. WHO officials say nearly three billion people are unable to use clean fuels and technologies for cooking, heating and lighting. And they say more than seven million people die from exposure to indoor or outdoor air pollution each year. Of that number, the WHO says about 4.3 million people die from household air pollution given off by simple biomass(生物燃料）and coal stoves.
These findings show that the home use of poisonous fuels is to blame for many of these deaths. These fuels include wood, coal, animal waste and so on. Carlos Dora is Coordinator in the WHO’ s Department of Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Health. He says people should not use unprocessed coal and kerosene(煤油）fuel indoors. He says opening a window or door to let out the harmful air will not correct the situation. It will only pollute the outdoors. “New technologies and clean fuels can rid people of this problem.”
The United Nations found that more than 95 percent of families in sub-Saharan Africa depend on solid fuels for cooking. It says huge populations in India, China and Latin American countries, such as Guatemala and Peru, are also at risk.
Nigel Bruce is a professor of Public Health at the University of Liverpool. He says researchers are developing good stoves and other equipment to burn fuels in a more efficient way.“There are already many technologies for clean fuels available now. An effective and reasonably low-cost ethanol(酒精）stove that is made by Dometic (a Sweden-based company)is now being tested out. Another interesting development is electric induction stoves.” In India, you can buy an induction stove for about $8. And in Africa you can buy a solar lamp for less than $1.
1. How is Paragraph 2 mainly developed?
| A．By making classifications. | B．By listing numbers. |
| C．By following time order. | D．By describing a process. |
| A．People should use an effective air cleaner. |
| B．People should use new technologies and clean fuels. |
| C．People should open a window or door to let out the harmful air. |
| D．People should prevent themselves from being exposed to harmful air.. |
| A．Most of the deaths from indoor pollution are in developing countries. |
| B．Burning solid fuels can help limit indoor air pollution . |
| C．People can buy ethanol stoves made by Dometic in India. |
| D．There are already two technologies for clean fuels available for use. |
| A．The way we cook is changing. |
| B．Cause of indoor air pollution. |
| C．The development of electric stoves. |
| D．Indoor air pollution kills millions each year. |
