1 . Let’s celebrate some festivals in summer.
The Cariwest Festival
It is one of Edmonton’s most colourful summer festivals! It’s three days of fun as Caribbean Canadians share their music, cuisine and carnival culture! Local performers bring you amazing dance, music and fun. Bring Cariwest atmosphere into your home this year with these amazing online events.
Indigenous Festival
The annual Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival (SSIF) in Edmonton has done a wonderful job to make their annual off-line festival a number of online events this year because of COVID-19. The events take place from June 1 to 21. SSIF has partnered with BMO to provide Education Days for students to learn together about indigenous history. These classes for which only a small fee will be charged include art workshops, book readings and museum tours.
Bluegrass Festival
Just 45 minutes from the heart of downtown Edmonton is the town of Stony Plain that works hard to keep ties to its agricultural background, and here you’ll see old-styled lamp posts and historical wall paintings with a long history everywhere. It’s also the site of Western Canada’s largest bluegrass festival, which has been a main attraction for more than 25 years and in July every year draws in all the big names, including Grammy winners.
Cowboy Festival
You like poetry, music, art and cowboys? Then you can’t miss it. Heading into its 24th year, Cowboy Festival in Stony Plain in August is a showcase of the cowboy life. The events include good old-fashioned BBQ meals and some other entertainment.
1. What is true about SSIF?A.It takes place in two cities. | B.It focuses on students. |
C.It is annually held online. | D.It is free of charge. |
A.It’s a city with modern appearance. | B.It has produced many musicians. |
C.It has deep roots in agriculture. | D.It often hosts national festivals. |
A.Cowboy Festival. | B.Indigenous Festival. |
C.Bluegrass Festival. | D.The Cariwest Festival. |
2 . Shyness is something that many people battle with every day. They are afraid to look people in the eyes and have a hard time speaking to new people. This makes it very hard to get ahead at work and in making new friends and business connections.
●Remember that most people are not looking at you. When you are shy you may believe that people are constantly watching and judging you.
●
●If you do not have an exercise routine, you should start one now.
A.Focus on your strengths. |
B.This just is not the case at all. |
C.Stop complaining about others. |
D.They are brave to face any challenge in life. |
E.Many people are shy because they fear rejection. |
F.This will help you feel stronger and will improve your posture. |
G.Check with your doctor if you have not worked out for a while and then get to it. |
3 . If you had boarded a passenger plane in 1950, you would have seen five people in the cockpit (驾驶舱): two pilots, a radio operator, a navigator and a flight engineer. Over the years, technical advances have gradually removed the need for the last three, leaving just two pilots. That has been the norm (标准) in commercial aviation for decades.
However, things could be simplified further — one of the two remaining pilots could soon go. Many military aircraft are already manned by a single pilot, and for commercial aviation this would mean stepping into a brave new world.
But how will airlines make this brave innovation come true? One way is to greatly increase automation in the cockpit, devoting more tasks to computers. Another is to shift the same tasks from the cockpit to the ground. “The latter approach seems to be more workable, at least in the short term, because much of what is required already exists,” says Patrick Smith, an airline pilot flying Boeing 767 aircraft. “A trained ground operator could observe a number of flights at once and even fully control the plane remotely if needed.”
It’s true that single-pilot operations could help airlines save money, but there is another reason which makes them quicken their pace for this crucial breakthrough. Boeing predicts a need for 600,000 new pilots in the next two decades, but by some estimates, there will be a deficit (赤字) of at least 34,000 pilots globally by 2025. Reducing the number of pilots on some crews or aircraft could lessen the impact of this.
Perhaps the biggest barrier to a single pilot will be selling the idea to passengers. In 2019, Don Hairis, a professor at Coventry University, conducted a survey on the prospect of flying on an airliner with just one pilot. Just a minority of participants said they’d be willing to take that flight, and the general idea was that removing a pilot increased the possibility of accidents. In the study, Harris concluded that the single-crew airliner would be still probably 20 years away.
1. What is the potential trend in commercial aviation according to the text?A.It will make air travel eco-friendly. |
B.It will switch to single-pilot operations. |
C.It will tighten its flight control for safety concerns. |
D.It will bring in many military aircraft to the industry. |
A.Raising the standards in admitting new pilots. | B.Making pilots adaptable to different situations. |
C.Using computers to automate the flight process. | D.Gaining piloting support from ground operators. |
A.The shortage of pilots. | B.The need for new airlines. |
C.The airlines’ brave innovation. | D.The financial problem airlines face. |
A.The prospect of single-crew airliners is bright. |
B.It's urgent that airlines reduce airplane accidents. |
C.Passengers are willing to try new types of airplanes. |
D.Airlines have a long way to go before the innovation occurs. |
4 . “Meet me in the conference room with the contracts and a cup of coffee,” my boss barked at me. “Ten minutes. ”
I didn’t respond. I stood still as if my shoes had been glued to the floor. I had no intention of taking a cup of anything to anyone, supervisor or not.
I had seen with my own eyes what such behavior did to a woman. It happened to Mrs. Wilson next door. Old Mr. Wilson couldn’t put in his own false teeth without his wife’s assistance, let alone make himself lunch. It was a miserable union. I vowed by age eight that I would never live like her. I adopted the motto: Don’t help those who won’t help themselves.
I rushed to the file room and pulled my phone. I explained to my father what had happened and asked his advice on what to do, only to be asked back. He must have forgotten the unwritten rule between us about not answering a question with a question. Fortunately, I came up with an idea that would have the best of both worlds.
I took up the files and headed for the coffee pot. I took two cups and made two cups of coffee. Then I walked into the boss’ office with a cup of coffee in each hand. I handed my boss a cup of coffee and drank at the same time as him.
“Let’s take a break,” partway through the meeting, my boss stood, saying. “I need more coffee.” I picked up my empty cup. “I do, too,” I said, and handed it to him across the table. “Thanks,” I added, looking at him expectantly. The boss was staggered for a moment, and then took the cup from me.
When I finally left my boss’ office, I hid in the bathroom and called my dad. My father’s laughter on the phone made me feel even prouder.
1. Why does the author mention the Wilsons?A.To show how the couple grew old together. |
B.To picture what she will be like when she ages. |
C.To stress her opposition to inequality in society. |
D.To explain her unwillingness to serve the coffee. |
A.She meant to share instead of serving. |
B.She planned to have the boss serve her later. |
C.She intended to play a trick on her mean boss. |
D.She wanted to save the trouble of doing it again. |
A.Annoyed. | B.Shocked. | C.Confused. | D.Excited. |
A.She figured out how to show respect for her superior. |
B.She found it practical to seek solutions from her father. |
C.She took a sensible approach to standing up for herself. |
D.She considered it significant to fight against men bravely. |
5 . My dad is easy-going and has a gift for chatting. He
One Saturday, we went
Dad said, “Hi, how are you today? This is my son. I have a restaurant, and we
Back in the car, Dad said to me, “The cashier was obviously
A.owns | B.describes | C.visits | D.recommends |
A.supermarket | B.hospital | C.restaurant | D.company |
A.hiking | B.camping | C.exploring | D.shopping |
A.imagined | B.believed | C.noticed | D.remembered |
A.beautiful | B.unhappy | C.professional | D.polite |
A.received | B.needed | C.avoided | D.offered |
A.suitable | B.frightening | C.special | D.friendly |
A.helped | B.refused | C.waited | D.forgot |
A.problem | B.idea | C.hope | D.experience |
A.talking to | B.looking after | C.going after | D.laughing at |
A.work | B.play | C.tour | D.exercise |
A.drive | B.tie | C.treat | D.lead |
A.quitted | B.finished | C.missed | D.regretted |
A.in peace | B.in danger | C.in a hurry | D.in low spirits |
A.warmly | B.immediately | C.secretly | D.comfortably |
6 . My son was one of the students who served as a volunteer in different services while in a high school. Nowadays it is
In some cases, no. A study found that when 8th graders in some schools were asked to accumulate
If teens
A.rare | B.common | C.convenient | D.flexible |
A.achievements | B.requirements | C.ceremony | D.celebration |
A.beyond | B.of | C.within | D.for |
A.take | B.bring | C.turn | D.let |
A.hardly | B.merely | C.absolutely | D.previously |
A.inspire | B.force | C.invite | D.persuade |
A.tough | B.random | C.rough | D.specific |
A.advocated | B.recommended | C.believed | D.concluded |
A.Besides | B.However | C.Subsequently | D.Similarly |
A.response | B.solution | C.access | D.exposure |
A.neglect | B.stress | C.realize | D.weigh |
A.requests | B.benefits | C.consequences | D.effects |
A.give up | B.receive | C.apply for | D.anticipate |
A.free from | B.nothing but | C.so far | D.far from |
A.Giving back | B.Going back | C.Taking back | D.Looking back |
7 . When I was a boy growing up in New Jersey in the 1960s, we had a milkman delivering milk to our doorstep. His name was Mr. Basille. He wore a white cap and drove a white truck. As a 5-year-old boy, I couldn’t take my eyes off the coin changer fixed to his belt. He noticed this one day during a delivery and gave me a quarter out of his coin changer.
Of course, he delivered more than milk. There was cheese, eggs and so on. If we needed to change our order, my mother would pen a note — “Please add a bottle of buttermilk next delivery” — and place it in the box along with the empty bottles. And then, the buttermilk would magically (魔术般) appear.
All of this was about more than convenience. There existed a close relationship between families and their milkmen. Mr. Basille even had a key to our house, for those times when it was so cold outside that we put the box indoors, so that the milk wouldn’t freeze. And I remember Mr. Basille from time to time taking a break at our kitchen table, having a cup of tea and telling stories about his delivery.
There is sadly no home milk delivery today. Big companies allowed the production of cheaper milk, thus making it difficult for milkmen to compete. Besides, milk is for sale everywhere, and it may just not have been practical to have a delivery service.
Recently, an old milk box in the countryside I saw brought back my childhood memories. I took it home and planted it on the back porch (门廊) . Every so often my son’s friends will ask what it is. So I start telling stories of my boyhood, and of the milkman who brought us friendship along with his milk.
1. Mr. Basille gave the boy a quarter out of his coin changer to __________.A.show his magical power | B.pay for the delivery |
C.satisfy his curiosity | D.please his mother |
A.He wanted to have tea there. | B.He was a respectable person. |
C.He was treated as a family member. | D.He was fully trusted by the family. |
A.Nobody wants to be a milkman now. | B.It has been driven out of the market. |
C.Its service is getting poor. | D.It is not allowed by law. |
A.He missed the good old days. | B.He wanted to tell interesting stories. |
C.He needed it for his milk bottles. | D.He planted flowers in it. |
8 . Trainers and parents saw children play sports at a young age and then saw them become professional. Many correlated the training to success. Competitive sports are good for young children because they teach children life skills, provide health benefits, and offer special opportunities.
To begin with, sports teach children life skills. A formal athlete stated, “I played soccer in high school and college and found team sports weren’t just about winning, but also about developing a solid ethic(行为准则), and learning why that’s important.” In short, playing highly competitive sports teaches kids many life skills like teamwork. People will have to use teamwork for the rest of their life, and sports can help them improve that skill. Taking part in sports can help develop a positive attitude towards life, which will help in the long run.
Sports are also good for kids because they provide health benefits. It is healthier for a kid to play a sport competitively than to waste time playing video games all day. Furthermore, a research group of University of California said, “96 percent of the participants(参与者) said they enjoy their sports. They’re all loving life.” That is to say, kids playing highly competitive sports tend to enjoy life instead of doing something else like watching TV.
On the other hand, some people might argue that competitive sports are bad for young children because they are so time-consuming. However, the time spent is not “robbing” kids of their childhood, but offers unique opportunities. Athletes can get success to live their dream life by playing sports. Even though sports are time-consuming, they offer distinctive opportunities.
In conclusion, competitive sports are good for children because they can provide wholesome benefits, create new experiences, and build skills that will last a lifetime.
1. Why is the formal athlete mentioned in paragraph 2?A.To show a reason | B.To give an example. |
C.To list a background. | D.To draw out a new point. |
A.Supportive. | B.Uncertain. | C.Uncaring. | D.Doubtful. |
A.Common | B.Unreasonable | C.Unique. | D.Frequent. |
A.The ways to play sports. |
B.The reasons for playing sports. |
C.The problems of kids’ playing sports. |
D.The benefits of kids’ playing sports. |
9 . Marcus is a handsome and athletic kid. He plays tennis and
Marcus has known Conrad since primary school. They’ve always been
Finally, the doctors found a new
To Conrad’s delight, he gets a chance to join the cross country team. Conrad doesn’t win, not once, but Marcus is there,
A.gives up | B.competes in | C.hears of | D.breaks through |
A.able | B.lucky | C.eager | D.calm |
A.bears | B.counts | C.forgets | D.escapes |
A.accept | B.enjoy | C.lose | D.miss |
A.strangers | B.enemies | C.friends | D.teachers |
A.surprise | B.sadness | C.impatience | D.tiredness |
A.promises | B.asks | C.drives | D.forces |
A.long | B.noisy | C.boring | D.interesting |
A.treatment | B.excuse | C.period | D.topic |
A.goal | B.style | C.speed | D.skill |
A.suitable | B.serious | C.small | D.comfortable |
A.strength | B.show | C.shape | D.advantage |
A.relaxing | B.beneficial | C.painful | D.meaningful |
A.queuing | B.arguing | C.running | D.cheering |
A.excitedly | B.curiously | C.anxiously | D.actively |
10 . Wildlife conservation is the practice of protecting plant and animal species and their habitats. As part of the world’s ecosystems, wildlife provides balance and stability to nature’s processes. Wildlife conservation is aimed to ensure the survival of these species and educate people on living sustainably with other species.
The number of people has grown to more than eight billion today, and it continues to rapidly grow. The economic growth endangers the habitats and existence of various types of wildlife around the world, particularly animals and plants that may be displaced for land development, or used for food or other human purposes. This threat is at top of the list and means natural resources are being consumed faster than ever by the billions of people on the planet. The introduction of invasive species from other parts of the world is another threat to wildlife. Other threats include climate change, pollution, fishing and hunting.
International organizations like the World Wildlife Fund, Conservation International, Wildlife Conservation Society and the United Nations work to support global animal and habitat conservation on many different fronts. They work with the government to establish and protect public lands, like national parks and wildlife protection areas. They help write legislation(法规), such as the Endangered Species Act(ESA)of 1973 in the United States, to protect various species. They work with law enforcement to charge those with wildlife crimes. They also promote biodiversity to support the growing human population while preserving existing species and habitats.
National Geographic Explorers, like conservation biologists Camille Coudrat and Titus Adhola, are working to slow the extinction of global species and protect global biodiversity and habitats. Environmental filmmakers and photographers, like Thomas P. Peschak, are essential to conservation efforts as well, documenting and bringing attention to endangered wildlife all over the world.
1. Which is a goal of wildlife conservation according to the text?A.To stop introducing invasive species. | B.To encourage harmonious coexistence. |
C.To control the number of world people. | D.To increase the use of natural resources. |
A.Hunting. | B.Human activity. | C.Pollution. | D.Climate change. |
A.The activities of protection areas. |
B.The importance of biodiversity promotion. |
C.The relevant efforts of international organizations. |
D.The great impact of wildlife crimes on ecosystems. |
A.The necessity of legislation. |
B.The wildlife conservation’s achievements. |
C.The individuals’ contributions to the environment. |
D.The statistics about the wildlife conservation efforts. |