1 . One-to-one English tutoring personalised to you
English Score Tutors is the British Council's one-to-one tutoring platform for 13-to 17-year-olds.
●Build your confidence with fun sessions where you can learn at your own pace.
●Find the perfect . tutor for you ——choose from our list of qualified tutors.
●Study when you want, with sessions available 24/7.
●Improve with personalised sessions designed around you and your goals.
Learn at your own pace
We. understand everyone has their own ways of learning. Sessions on English Score Tutors are personalised to your level, needs and goals. Together with your chosen tutor, you will create a learning plan that focuses on the areas important to you.
Our tutors will get the best from you because each session is tailored to you as an individual. Your sessions will be enjoyable and give you plenty of time to practise speaking.
Flexible learning
Choose sessions at times that suit you. Fit them in around school, weekend activities and holidays, so that you can learn when you want to. You will get access to a personalised dashboard to keep track of your progress any time.
$1 introduction session
We offer a 30-minute introduction session where you can choose a tutor and get a feel for how sessions will work. After this introductory session, you can decide if you would like to purchase a pack of lessons to continue learning. Try your first session for just $1.
●Choose a tutor that you would like to study with.
●Understand your current language level and areas where you can improve.
●Get a personalised learning plan.
1. Who might attend English Score Tutors classes?| A．A preschool child. | B．A university student. |
| C．A middle-school student. | D．A working woman. |
| A．Call the information centre. |
| B．Write a letter of inquiry. |
| C．Send an email to ask. |
| D．Buy an introduction session. |
| A．Take an Exam. | B．UK-China Youth Exchange Program. |
| C．Learn English Online. | D．Our Work in Arts. |
2 . Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) recently announced that they have figured out how to engineer a biofilm (生物膜) that harvests the energy in evaporation (蒸发) and changes it to electricity. This biofilm, which was announced in Nature Communications, has the potential to revolutionize the world of wearable electronics, powering everything from personal medical sensors to personal electronics.
“This is a very exciting technology, says Liu Xiaomeng, a graduate student in electrical and computer engineering in UMass Amherst’s College of Engineering and the paper’s lead author. “It generates real green energy, and unlike other so-called ‘green-energy’ sources, its production is totally green.”
That is because this biofilm — which is a sheet of bacterial cells and as thin as a sheet of paper — is produced naturally by an engineered version of the bacterium Geobacter sulfurreducens. G sulfurreducens is known to produce electricity and has been used previously in “microbial batteries” to power electrical equipment. But such batteries require that G sulfurreducens be properly cared for and fed a constant diet. By contrast, this new biofilm, which can supply as much energy as a comparably sized battery, works continuously, because it is dead. And because it is dead, it doesn’t need to be fed.
The secret behind this new biofilm is that it makes energy from the moisture (水分) on your skin. While we daily read stories about solar power, at least 50% of the solar energy reaching the earth goes toward evaporating water. “This is a huge, undiscovered source of energy,” says Yao Jun, professor of electrical and computer engineering at UMass Amherst, and the paper’s one senior author. Since the surface of our skin is constantly moist with sweat, the biofilm can “plug into” it and change the energy locked in evaporation into sufficient energy to power small equipment. “Our next step is to increase the size of our film to power more intelligent wearable electronics,” says Yao, and Liu points out that one of the goals is to power entire electronic systems, rather than single equipment.
1. Which of the following can biofilm do according to the first paragraph?| A．Update wearable electronics. |
| B．Get power from evaporation. |
| C．Supply energy to microbial batteries. |
| D．Transform the way of generating electricity. |
| A．It is comparatively thinner. |
| B．It is environmentally friendly. |
| C．It adopts a rare energy source. |
| D．It decreases the cost in usage. |
| A．By interacting with solar power. |
| B．By making electricity out of sweat. |
| C．By gaining energy from electronic system. |
| D．By employing water to generate electricity. |
| A．Intelligent. | B．Flexible. | C．Impractical. | D．Promising. |
3 . The first time you start to read a poem, you must relax and read through it without concentrating on its meaning. Imagine you are meeting a person for the first time. You will just observe him and listen to his voice, as well as watch his shapes or movements, but you have not yet known what he is all about. Likewise, you may enjoy the sound, rhythms, or wording, and form some first impressions about a poem.
On your second reading, you should concentrate more on the general meaning of the poem. This time, you will want to compare your feelings about the poem by now with how you felt before. Are they the same? What is different and why?
Your third reading will focus more on details: the words, phrases, or images. Looking up any unfamiliar words in a dictionary so that you can gain a more accurate understanding. Using the example given above about meeting someone, his image will change gradually and slightly as you meet and learn more about him. Therefore, in your additional readings, it is a good idea to compare your understanding each time with the understanding before.
A helpful approach to further understanding a poem is to summarize it in your own words. Compare your version of understanding with those of others reading the same poem, and listen to how they form such opinions. Remember, however, that there is no exact or right meaning for a poem, as most poets have admitted they themselves are not exactly sure what they meant when writing certain lines or phrases; they have even been heard to say on occasion that sometimes words just seem to “drop from heaven” and land on the page. That is what awakening the imagination is all about. If you are lucky, and if you practice enough, magical things may happen when you write and you may be able to produce a beautiful poem or other work of art yourself.
1. Why does the author give the example of “meeting a person” ?| A．To arouse readers’ interest | B．To support his argument |
| C．To offer some advice | D．To interpret his point |
| A．General meaning. | B．Rhythm beauty. |
| C．Deeper meaning. | D．Poetic structure. |
| A．Poets themselves don’t understand their poems. |
| B．Beautiful poems drop from heaven occasionally. |
| C．Poetic meanings are open to different explanations. |
| D．Writing a summary helps understand a poem. |
| A．Inspiration and hard work help create great poems. |
| B．Poetry is an expression of one’s will in words. |
| C．Practice and patience make a man perfect. |
| D．Luck marches with those who give their very best. |
4 . I was 6 years old when my father told me we were leaving the Big Apple Circus (马戏团). Until that point, I had spent most of my life on the circus lot, playing with the other circus kids. The circus, by its nature, is one that has a loose structure. So the early years after my leaving the circus to sit in a classroom all day felt more like a prison.
But years later, I found areas that interested me. I took the skills I had learned from being onstage and applied them to broadcasting. And so when Boston’s news station WBUR offered me a job out of college, I jumped at the chance. Along the way, I found I really enjoyed the work. I became WBUR’s news reporter. The flexibility and adaptability I’d learned in the circus as a child helped me do my job naturally and easily in a stressful situation — whether it was a destructive tornado outside Boston, or the Boston Marathon bombings of 2013.
But then a serious infectious disease appeared. Suddenly, for the first time in my adult life, I went for a year without doing any shows. But it became clear to me that performing was what I truly wanted. For me, the circus symbolizes who I am. And stages have always been where I’ve felt the most free. Some people get nervous before they go onstage, but by assuming (扮演) the character of Jacques ze Whipper and drawing a stupid moustache on my face, all my social anxiety disappears.
Circus performances go beyond age, socioeconomic status (地位), and even language. It’s the type of performance where you can go anywhere in the world to entertain anyone — help anyone forget their troubles for 5, 10, and even 30 minutes. And most importantly, for me, it means coming home.
1. How did the author feel in the early years of school?| A．Curious. | B．Unfree. | C．Loose. | D．Impatient. |
| A．He did it for his father. | B．He did it against his will. |
| C．He risked his neck doing it. | D．He took to it like a duck to water. |
| A．A means of living. | B．A chance to go anywhere. |
| C．A part of his identity. | D．A way to forget his troubles. |
| A．To express his love for circus performances. |
| B．To stress the value of performing. |
| C．To share his personal experiences in a circus. |
| D．To discuss the problem of choosing a job. |
5 . When I first heard about Summit Learning, I admitted I was not a bit happy and excited at all. I thought it would require interactions with others. But later, I was astonished when I got to experience it firsthand.
Recently, we did a poetry project, and one of the activities was a peer (同龄人) review. I would never have taken part if it was up to me, as I preferred to work independently. But when I got involved, I found in the experience, I had done something that I thought was nearly impossible it made my poetry better. My partner informed me of my mistakes and told me where I could give more detail.
One of our final products of the project was to present our poetry to the class. I’ve always loved public speaking, but I thought with Summit Learning, I would have fewer chances to speak. I was wrong. The peer activities we did with a partner gave me more belief in my ability and inspired me to do more to make my presentation the best it could possibly be.
Interactions like these are what Summit Learning is all about. This style of learning brings a positive and hard-working culture that allows us to push our boundaries and keep going. It creates a sense of community since we are all working towards a similar goal.
As an active boy, I have always been ahead and advanced, but in a normal classroom, there are restrictions on what I can do. With Summit Learning, I can go beyond expectations in projects or move ahead in learning new content when I’m ready. I have ownership of my work and pursue my goals.
Summit Learning has showed me how much people can grow and change. It has helped me see people and myself differently. It has been one of the greatest experiences of my life, and I cannot see myself going back to a normal classroom.
1. What was the author’s initial response to Summit Learning?| A．He was unwilling to attend it. | B．He was excited to take part in it. |
| C．He was astonished to hear about it. | D．He was unhappy to withdraw from it. |
| A．It boosted his confidence. | B．It developed his sense of humor. |
| C．It reminded him to be independent. | D．It taught him how to organize activities. |
| A．It proves the limits of one’s abilities. | B．It teaches poetry in a normal classroom. |
| C．It transforms the traditional way of learning. | D．It promotes diversity of classroom objectives. |
| A．Demanding. | B．Admirable. | C．Upsetting. | D．Conventional. |
6 . At a family picnic for employees of the company where my father worked, they held a contest for children. I was 13, full of enthusiasm, so I
The host gave each child a cloth handkerchief and told us the winner would be the one who cast it the
It
I took a long wind-up, and the balled handkerchief
| A．admitted | B．threw | C．trapped | D．talked |
| A．farthest | B．strongest | C．highest | D．biggest |
| A．escaped | B．wrinkled | C．opened | D．appeared |
| A．pain | B．applause | C．laughter | D．anger |
| A．demonstrate | B．engage | C．improve | D．involve |
| A．responsibility | B．imagination | C．demand | D．passion |
| A．delighted | B．frightened | C．amused | D．annoyed |
| A．cloth | B．technique | C．rule | D．line |
| A．ant | B．rock | C．leaf | D．shoe |
| A．fined | B．disqualified | C．distracted | D．banned |
| A．loosely | B．randomly | C．firmly | D．vividly |
| A．anticipating | B．enjoying | C．stopping | D．confirming |
| A．dashed | B．jumped | C．threw | D．rocketed |
| A．died | B．roared | C．continued | D．weakened |
| A．run into | B．tap into | C．break into | D．dive into |
7 . Tiffany Hammond and her son Aidan communicate in some familiar ways, like hand gestures and body language. But when Aidan wants to
Aidan is autistic (患孤独症的) and does not speak, so when his mom asks
“Every single time we go outside the house, there’s something bad happening. There’s a
Hammond also wrote about the
In an interview, Hammond said, “I want to
| A．express | B．enjoy | C．persuade | D．change |
| A．chances | B．questions | C．roles | D．fantasies |
| A．imply | B．inquire | C．understand | D．bother |
| A．saying | B．witness | C．cheat | D．comment |
| A．pushed | B．elected | C．warned | D．begged |
| A．avoid | B．represent | C．ignore | D．refuse |
| A．necessary | B．cold | C．different | D．equal |
| A．daily | B．weekly | C．monthly | D．yearly |
| A．cover | B．significance | C．price | D．time |
| A．imagine | B．notice | C．defeat | D．achieve |
| A．record | B．teach | C．doubt | D．celebrate |
| A．nervous | B．strange | C．dangerous | D．hopeful |
| A．create | B．organize | C．share | D．build |
| A．look for | B．pick up | C．stare at | D．serve as |
| A．Immediately | B．Fortunately | C．Actually | D．Finally |
8 . When Antonio Gwynn Jr. saw the rubbish from a parade (巡游) in his hometown of Buffalo, New York, he picked up a broom, bought some trash bags and started cleaning the streets by himself.
Gwynn is an 18-year-old high school senior. He started at 2 a.m. on Monday and didn’t stop cleaning for the next 10 hours. He told CNN that he “knew people needed to use that street to get to work in the morning.”
When word spread of how Gwynn single-handedly took action, his community responded. Matt Block saw Gwynn’s story on the news and decided to give him his 2004 red Mustang convertible (敞篷汽车). Block, 27, said the car is one he wanted since he was a child, but these days he is only using it occasionally. He saw Gwynn ask for some car buying advice on Facebook, and Matt decided to offer up his sports car.
It turns out that gift has more meaning than Block ever imagined. Gwynn’s mother, who passed away last year, also drove a red Mustang. When he realized the coincidence, Gwynn says that he was so shocked he “didn’t have any words.”
After high school, Gwynn had planned to go to trade school while saving up to go to college. Upon hearing Gwynn’s story, Medaille College in Buffalo offered him a full scholarship where he plans to study business starting this fall. One of his many goals is to open a cleaning business.
This is the first time Gwynn received this type of recognition for his good deeds, but this is not the first time he stepped up to help others. He is a member of Kappa Phi where he enjoys doing community service, and he helps out at churches.
Gwynn is thankful for the community response, saying, “I appreciate everything everyone is doing for me.”
1. Why did Gwynn clean the street?| A．He dropped a lot of rubbish there. | B．He liked to help people. |
| C．He wanted to get paid by cleaning. | D．He had a cleaning business. |
| A．From social media. | B．By asking him directly. |
| C．From his own experience. | D．By reading the news. |
| A．Stubborn. | B．Honest. | C．Generous. | D．Warm-hearted. |
| A．A good beginning is half done. | B．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
| C．A good turn deserves another. | D．Where there is a will, there is a way. |
9 . Drew Bason thought he would be a medical technician. His mom was in medicine, and he always thought he would
“I always wanted to cook,” he admitted. “I had eleven uncles and they were always
But not long after, the pandemic (疫情) began, and Drew
But Drew did not want to just
Now, Drew is working at a nearby restaurant, but he still volunteers at the church. “Food is
| A．follow | B．join | C．major | D．check |
| A．secure | B．different | C．normal | D．scientific |
| A．reading | B．listening | C．singing | D．cooking |
| A．Besides | B．Otherwise | C．Instead | D．Still |
| A．symbol | B．prize | C．preference | D．job |
| A．lost | B．limited | C．found | D．improved |
| A．business | B．challenge | C．opportunity | D．attempt |
| A．kept in touch with | B．broke in | C．came across | D．worried about |
| A．warning | B．friend | C．meal | D．entertainment |
| A．stress | B．humour | C．intention | D．strength |
| A．buy | B．sell | C．borrow | D．take |
| A．advertising | B．volunteering | C．competing | D．learning |
| A．work | B．practice | C．acknowledgement | D．courage |
| A．appreciate | B．offer | C．waste | D．protect |
| A．efficient | B．enough | C．amazing | D．fashionable |
10 . A new trend called “praise groups” or “in-need-of-praise” chat groups has become popular on Chinese social media. In Chinese culture, where modesty (谦逊) is valued, openly seeking and giving praise is uncommon. These chat groups provide a platform for people to receive compliments (赞扬) and encouragement, which are often lacking in their daily lives.
To join a praise group, users can pay a fee on e-commerce sites, starting at 50 yuan for five minutes of compliments. The group members will then show the person with praises and kind words. The compliments can be designed for a friend or loved one as well. Participants have found that being praised by strangers can help lift their spirits and improve their self-confidence.
For example, Meng Zha, a student at Shanghai’s Tongji University, tried the service and found it amusing and uplifting. She received compliments on her appearance and even quotes (引用) from popular songs. Ms Meng couldn’t help but laugh at the compliments and expressed her desire to post such high-quality praises in the future.
Praise groups have appeared as a way for people in China to seek and receive compliments and encouragement that may be lacking in their daily lives. It provides a positive and uplifting experience for participants, improving a sense of happiness and self-worth.
Those who support the groups, see them as an antidote to extremely bad moods (情绪) which are often associated with things happening on the Internet. “At first, the purpose of this group is to make us learn to praise others and accept others’ praises confidently. Here we can drop everything, and use our heart to praise and support others,” one member said. But the life journey is long and there are some unexpected situations that we can only count on ourselves to face when there is no one out there to offer help.
1. What is the purpose of praise groups?| A．To make praise popular. | B．To have everyone supported. |
| C．To share common interests. | D．To give people hope and happiness. |
| A．She was not strong enough. | B．She was under working stress. |
| C．She was satisfied with the service. | D．She was a gifted singer in her area. |
| A．A way of making new friends. | B．A kind of medicine. |
| C．A method of being confident. | D．The wisdom of solving problems. |
| A．Objective. | B．Critical. | C．Supportive. | D．Unclear. |
