1 . Today’s gift was to my friend Oscar in Portland who is unhorsed. I got him a $50 Kroger card so that he can buy fresh fruits and vegetables. Oscar and I have been talking a lot about gut (肠道) health and how important nutrition is.
Oscar told me that it’s really hard to get good food. Most of what is given out is past the sell-by dates. He is always grateful for the food, but he has an autoimmune (自身免疫的) disease so these kinds of foods are really making it worse. Now that spring is here, hopefully, he can get fresher produce.
I told him about the book I’m reading by Will Bulsiewicz, MD called Fiber Fueled. I’m learning so much. Today is day 70 since I started learning to make meals just from plants. The more I learn about plant-fueled eating, the better I feel about this decision. And this book is specifically about taking advantage of the body’s capacity to cure itself. So my friend ordered the audio from the library and it will come in soon. He wants to learn about this too since he has serious autoimmune issues. That’s why he lost his job and then his apartment.
Oscar is a young man I can help. I want him to heal, and find a job and a home again. I know he can do it. And I won’t stop helping him until that happens. I told him that. Once my social security checks come in, I plan to make sure he gets Kroger cards every time I get paid so that he has plenty of healthy produce.
Oscar’s page on Twitter is @MyHomelessMeals. More than anything, he shows gratitude for every single person who helps him on a daily basis. He always shares what we send if he can, too. He recently joined Service Space because he said their Mission Statement is aligned with his values. He’s quite an exceptional young man.
1. Why did the foods Oscar received make his disease worse?A.They are rich in fat. | B.They are a little raw. |
C.They are hard to digest. | D.They are not so fresh. |
A.The author introduced a proper book to Oscar. |
B.Oscar’s disease made him lose everything. |
C.Oscar wanted to cure his disease quickly. |
D.The author gave Oscar a book as a gift. |
A.By helping Oscar get a well-paid job. |
B.By making sure Oscar can get healthy food. |
C.By recommending some restaurants to Oscar. |
D.By introducing Oscar to some famous doctors. |
A.Transforms. | B.Matches. | C.Allows. | D.Controls. |
2 . So far, many dolphins worldwide have been captured and kept in small pools, performing for people, especially kids. These dolphins are fed on fish instead of having to
Thus comes the question. “Should captive (被关起来的) dolphins be
This program was successful, but there have been other failures. For example, another dolphin, Keiko, returned into the ocean in 2002, but
If people want to avoid these accidents, we must go to great lengths and put
A.pick up | B.throw away | C.look after | D.hunt for |
A.see | B.hear | C.jump | D.dive |
A.taste | B.shelter | C.lifestyle | D.popularity |
A.unexpected | B.possible | C.terrible | D.indirect |
A.released | B.disturbed | C.protected | D.fed |
A.exercise | B.pain | C.appearance | D.condition |
A.wild | B.clever | C.helpless | D.harmless |
A.Because | B.Unless | C.Although | D.If |
A.hardly | B.exactly | C.possibly | D.awfully |
A.train | B.search | C.survive | D.perform |
A.escaped | B.died | C.returned | D.recovered |
A.led to | B.went through | C.went over | D.brought up |
A.environment | B.temperature | C.ocean | D.food |
A.dreams | B.hopes | C.promises | D.efforts |
A.inspire | B.treat | C.please | D.change |
3 . A One-woman Cinderella Show Is Coming to Fairfield
A one-woman show that reimagines the classic fairytale Cinderella is coming to the Fairfield Community Arts Center. The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati will present Cinderella Wore Cowboy Boots for one night only on Jan.26. The traveling show is for children ages 4 and up and promises “knee-slapping” comedic moments and heartwarming life lessons.
“I love children's theatre,” says Rosvic Siason, who plays Cinderella. “Kids are our future and we introduce them to these stories. We all have situations at one point in our life that look like this conversation. It just kind of helps you develop your brain and learn how to think as a developing person. It’s really important to expose kids to theatre and well-rounded actors they can talk to for guidance.”
These one-man, one-woman shows have so much beauty because it is very raw. People actually follow along much easier than you think. It’s easy to share a feeling. They will be expected to interact, deliver lines and repeat after Cinderella throughout the production. Cinderella Wore Cowboy Boots will deliver a funny, meaningful twist on the classic fairytale that encourages audiences to expand their imagination.
“Using imagination helps kids to think of things in more ways than one,” Siason says. “It opens them up and makes them think, ‘Hey, this is one way this could work.’ Or, ‘I could try this way,’ and then see what happens.”
Visit fairfield-city. org for tickets and more information.
1. What is Cinderella Wore Cowboy Boots?A.A book. | B.A theatre. | C.A performance. | D.A lesson. |
A.offer temporary amusement | B.help deal with life’s challenges |
C.allow individuals to avoid reality | D.provide opportunities to make friends |
A.Stick to the rules. | B.Dare to dream big. |
C.Always follow the crowd. | D.Think outside the box. |
4 . Thanks to the pandemic, more people are or have been working from home. Multiple studies and surveys have shown that many would like to carry on doing so, even as the threat from COVID-19 fades. However, new research carried out in the USA suggests that in-person teams tend to perform better in creativity at certain tasks than those working through videoconferencing software.
The initial study involved 602 participants, including university students and staff. With half the pairs sitting face-to-face in one room, and half using videoconferencing software, subjects were asked to come up with novel uses for a product. The researchers found that the in-person teams generated a greater number and wider range of ideas than the virtual teams. But when it came to their ability to pick the ‘best’ idea rated by comparing the creativity scores of the ideas they chose with the scores of those picked by the judges, there was little difference between the two groups.
To make sure the study wasn’t specific to any given population group, the tests were then conducted again, with 1,490 engineers working for a large company from five other countries. For this second set of tests, participants were asked to come up with new product ideas for their real-life employer. Using a variety of methods, the researchers found that people in the in-person group looked around the room and talked with each other more, whereas those using videoconferencing software took it in turns to speak and kept their eyes on the screen. These things negatively connected to idea generation.
“This new research was an important first step. But this is a single study and the effects are somewhat small, amounting to a difference in one or two ideas between the groups. How much impact this has would depend on the company itself. ” said Dr. Jay Olson, who studies ways to measure creativity.
1. What did the new research made in America show?A.Relaxing environment leads to great ideas. |
B.Videoconferencing makes creativity likely happen. |
C.Home-working surroundings bring about creativity. |
D.Interaction in-person better contributes to novel ideas. |
A.The ability to pick the best ideas. | B.The methods to tell the best ideas. |
C.The number of best ideas produced. | D.The scores obtained in creating ideas. |
A.To make the test more convincing. | B.To engage more people in the study. |
C.To arouse the creativity of the subjects. | D.To classify the participants of the study. |
A.Conducting more researches. | B.Treating the effects critically. |
C.Making full use of the findings. | D.Clarifying the results of the study. |
5 . When I first entered university, my aunt, who is an English professor, gave me a new English dictionary and advised me to use it. I was
As I
Using a monolingual dictionary has helped me in another important way. This dictionary uses a(n)
A.worried | B.sad | C.surprised | D.nervous |
A.difficult | B.interesting | C.important | D.practical |
A.look over | B.look up | C.take down | D.take up |
A.new | B.familiar | C.informed | D.confusing |
A.explained | B.expressed | C.described | D.created |
A.appreciation | B.courage | C.advice | D.power |
A.more natural | B.better | C.more convenient | D.easier |
A.checked out | B.broke down | C.found out | D.turned up |
A.words | B.names | C.ideas | D.characters |
A.hoped | B.declared | C.complained | D.dreamt |
A.exact | B.basic | C.translated | D.expected |
A.understanding | B.practice | C.expression | D.consideration |
A.wanted | B.preferred | C.meant | D.suffered |
A.extra | B.average | C.total | D.limited |
A.repeatedly | B.nearly | C.immediately | D.anxiously |
6 . When I started learning German some time ago, I realized the power of stories and storytelling in my own life.
I was
While it was quite
One day, when I was a kid, I was with my father at a flea market (跳蚤市场) and we
Once home, my father explained that it was a German translation of the famous book “Treasure Island” . He
A.looking into | B.suffering from | C.working on | D.leading to |
A.realized | B.imagined | C.replied | D.dreamed |
A.change | B.attention | C.importance | D.help |
A.useful | B.easy | C.boring | D.foolish |
A.wonder about | B.put away | C.depend on | D.give up |
A.purpose | B.reason | C.plan | D.task |
A.believing | B.guessing | C.knowing | D.hearing |
A.came across | B.searched for | C.talked about | D.learned from |
A.managed | B.regretted | C.started | D.failed |
A.book | B.song | C.film | D.name |
A.until | B.but | C.if | D.so |
A.satisfaction | B.confidence | C.luck | D.difficulty |
A.gave | B.lent | C.copied | D.wrote |
A.close | B.read | C.buy | D.order |
A.remembered | B.typed | C.mentioned | D.saw |
Dear Worried Friend,
You wrote that you are very worried about your friend, Chen Lei. I understand quite well that you are anxious and feel terrible. You think that your friend plays computer games too often and spends too much time online.
I recommend that you talk to your friend about his behaviour. It is not unusual for teenagers of your generation to be attracted to computer games and the online world. But spending too much time online is unhealthy and makes it very difficult to focus on other things in life. Some students even become addicted to the Internet and cannot concentrate on school and family life. I think you should encourage your friend to try new hobbies. Why not discuss the problem together? I am sure he will listen to you, since you are his good friend.
All the best.
1. What is the letter’s main purpose?A.To give advice. | B.To ask for advice. |
C.To make a promise. | D.To keep a promise. |
A.He is absent from school. |
B.He is addicted to computer games. |
C.He doesn’t do well in English. |
D.He can’t concentrate on his study. |
A.talk to Chen Lei | B.talk to Chen Lei’s parents |
C.leave Chen Lei alone | D.set an example to Chen Lei |
A.Interesting. | B.Popular. |
C.Unhealthy. | D.Difficult. |
8 . I survey the pile of dirty dishes jamming the sink after the party. With no working
Hot water
My three daughters, now, are
The dishes are done, and the sink is
A.dish-washer | B.hand-drier | C.rice-cooker | D.air-conditioner |
A.washing | B.filling | C.heating | D.leaking |
A.coldness | B.darkness | C.warmth | D.length |
A.leave | B.stop | C.witness | D.recall |
A.knife | B.dish | C.spoon | D.fork |
A.settings | B.manners | C.patterns | D.arrangements |
A.appetite | B.sense | C.weight | D.direction |
A.chance | B.power | C.honor | D.struggle |
A.born | B.gone | C.abandoned | D.married |
A.sisters | B.daughters | C.children | D.friends |
A.on good terms | B.on active duties | C.in great need | D.in big trouble |
A.ride | B.find | C.steal | D.buy |
A.fade away | B.flood back | C.go far | D.bury deep |
A.clean | B.empty | C.dirty | D.sticky |
A.saving | B.engaging | C.reminding | D.attracting |
9 . Derlin Newey, an 89-year-old pizza delivery driver was in disbelief when the Valdez family visited him. The local TV station was there to
The Valdez family always ask for him when
With more than 53,000 followers, they often got comments asking why Newey was delivering pizzas at his
Newey didn’t even know what TikTok was, but was
And if the cash wasn’t
A.witness | B.interview | C.meet | D.call |
A.cleaned up | B.moved off | C.held back | D.put down |
A.fruit | B.pizzas | C.meals | D.water |
A.However | B.Besides | C.Therefore | D.Instead |
A.people | B.teenagers | C.customers | D.parents |
A.ordering | B.picking | C.selecting | D.eating |
A.hates | B.dislikes | C.loves | D.recognizes |
A.lunch | B.assignment | C.job | D.delivery |
A.number | B.house | C.time | D.age |
A.donation | B.part | C.list | D.meeting |
A.useful | B.thankful | C.hopeful | D.helpful |
A.surprise | B.information | C.news | D.article |
A.eagerness | B.sadness | C.kindness | D.happiness |
A.filled | B.broke | C.stole | D.lost |
A.missed | B.gone | C.real | D.enough |
10 . English is full of funny expressions that don’t always make sense. Idioms are phrases and sentences that do not mean exactly what they say. Even if you know the meaning of each word, you may not understand the idiom because you don’t understand the culture behind it. Here are some English idioms based on animals.
When children jump around and act silly, their parents may tell them to stop “monkeying around”.To “monkey around” means to do things that are not useful or serious, or to simply waste time.
Many American families have and love pet dogs. But for some unknown reason, Americans use “dog” in a phrase that means to feel unwell. If you are “as sick as a dog”, you’re really, really sick.
Sometimes you may also hear cats mentioned in conversations, “I told you to keep that secret, but you have just ‘let the cat out of the bag’!” You probably guessed it — that idiom means to reveal a secret or tell facts that were previously unknown.
Dogs and cats don’t always get along, but they appear side by side in a commonly used idiom. When it rains heavily, people might say it’s “raining cats and dogs”.
Heavy rain often ruins people’s plans for outdoor activities. But on a lovely day, you can have a picnic. If a swarm (一群) of tiny bugs love your food and start to hover (盘旋) around you, it would be really annoying. That experience perfectly explains why people often tell someone who keeps bothering them to “stop bugging me”.
Idioms are very common in both spoken and written English. If you want to have a better understanding of English, you have to learn idioms.
1. According to Paragraph 1, which is right about idioms?A.Expressions which are based on animals. |
B.Expressions with rich cultural background. |
C.Expressions that always make sense. |
D.Expressions which are easy to understand. |
A.Children jump around and waste time. |
B.Children do something useful and serious. |
C.Children play with monkeys with their parents. |
D.Children spend time playing with their family pets. |
A.Dogs and cats always get along nicely. |
B.Bugs can be used to show your annoyance. |
C.Americans believe cats can give away secrets. |
D.Americans use the idiom “as sick as a dog” to describe a healthy man. |
A.By sharing experiences. |
B.By making comparisons. |
C.By giving examples. |
D.By listing figures. |