1 . Having worked for more than a decade in finance in the oil industry in Canada, Tori Fahey found herself wanting more from life. But it wasn't through desperation that her circumstances changed: “I didn't get fed up and storm off, nothing like that; it was curiosity about other interests and wanting to experience something new.”
Fahey left her job and completed an MBA before setting up a move to New York to begin a degree. However, the opportunity of an open year between the MBA and the degree came up, and as a keen touring cyclist, Fahey realised that a much dreamed-about adventure was now becoming a possibility: "The ride in Africa had been on my fantasy list. It was a moment when I realised that I could do anything, so I should."
Fahey rode across Africa, a 7,500-mile trip that took four months. The whole experience had a life-changing impact. Fahey said: “Bicycles provide a literal freedom. You don't allow yourself to feel like that in everyday life because there are so many distractions. But when you' re out on the bike and there's nothing else, you' re really free to experience what life is.”
Post-degree, Fahey worked on projects with the UNDP(United Nations Development Project) in Montenegro with the aim of bringing investment to rural communities.
It was while working on these projects that the seeds were sown for the next new investment. “It was through my trip across Africa that I discovered pannier and rack systems inconvenient and I was never going to use them again.” Little did she know this would lead her to start up her own company.
In 2013, Apidura was born, producing storage solutions for people looking to travel the world by bike, race across continents and carry all they need to do so. It's now a successful global brand, but Fahey remains reflective about what else the company can do for people.
1. Why did Fahey leave her job in Canada?| A．She was bored with the job. | B．She was disappointed with life. |
| C．She wanted to add new dimensions to her life. | D．She found it hard to adjust to the circumstances. |
| A．Demanding. | B．Liberating. | C．Eventful. | D．Dangerous. |
| A．To encourage bicycle traveling. | B．To make her investment profitable. |
| C．To help cyclists carry traveling stuff. | D．To increase the pleasure of riding bikes. |
| A．A tough path to fame. | B．An adventure across Africa. |
| C．The benefits of green travelling. | D．The story behind the birth of Apidura. |
2 . In an era when fashion trends can change in a nanosecond(纳秒), people want to keep pace. They'll wear a look a few times and then move on to the next one. In reality, most people can't really afford this.
To meet this demand, online clothing rental services are growing in popularity. Shoppers can pay money online to rent the clothes they need, says the Fashion United website. The first company to put this idea into practice is Rent the Runway. The United States — based company has hit a $ 1 billion valuation. CEO Jennifer Hyman credits its success to the concepts of the sharing economy. She believes that the clothing rental business and the idea of dynamic ownership is a trend in the young generation. “The millennium generation(千禧一代)，the consumer, is so ready to adopt this behavior.” Hyman told CNBC.
She also points out that working women make up one of the biggest consumer groups subscribing to their services. They want more clothes but they have limited space and ability to purchase new fashion. “Rent the Runway can be a solution for them,” Hyman told CNBC, “where they can dress for the job they want and save money and time.”
Although the clothing rental business has many advantages, people still have some concerns. Journalist and author Elizabeth Cline wrote in Elle that “Renting the clothes is not as sustainable as it seems.”
Take shipping, for example, which has to go two ways if an item is rented—receiving and returning. Cline writes that consumer transportation has the second largest footprint of our collective fashion habit after manufacturing. Then there's the burden of washing, which has to happen to every item when it's returned, regardless of whether or not it was worn. For most rental services, this usually means dry—-cleaning, a high— impact and polluting process. “They can produce hazardous waste and air pollution if not handled correctly, and they're often paired with stain removers that are more toxic than the solvents themselves,” she told the Fashion Platforms website.
1. What is the article mainly about?| A．The fast changes of fashion trends. |
| B．The development of the sharing economy. |
| C．What contributes to the popularity of online clothing rental services. |
| D．The advantages and disadvantages of online clothing rental services. |
| A．Different fashion tastes. | B．Growth of delivery services. |
| C．The trend of the sharing economy. | D．The financial pressures facing consumers. |
| A．Consumers tend to rent more than they need. |
| B．They could lead to other unsustainable fashion habits. |
| C．The shipping and washing involved are not environmentally friendly. |
| D．People can catch infectious diseases by renting clothes from sick people. |
| A．supportive | B．indifferent |
| C．objective | D．passive |
3 . The protected lands of the National Parks are some of the most amazing destinations within the United States to view some spectacular pieces of nature. Many of these parks have fun family-friendly activities, making them great destinations for holidays and summer break.
Olympic National Park, WAOlympic National Park is a great destination for families to explore the wild beauty. At this park, visitors will find beautiful beaches, a rain forest, mountains and more. Children will love the wild coastline, with amazing beaches, and a lot of fascinating sea life. The whole family will love the many hiking trails, the wild beauty of the beaches throughout the park, and the wildlife within the forest and mountains.
Yellowstone National Park, WYYellowstone National Park is the nation's first national park. Visitors can start at one of the Visitor Centers to learn about the abundant wildlife of Yellowstone. Children will love keeping an eye out for elk and bison while driving and hiking through the park.
Cape Hatteras National Seashore, NCLocated on North Carolina's Outer Banks, the Cape Hatteras National Seashore is an amazing destination for recreating, relaxing and much more. The seashore has many beautiful beaches for the whole family to explore and enjoy. Visitors can spend vacation time searching for shells, birding, kayaking, hiking and more. The Outer Banks are also an excellent spot to go windsurfing, especially on Hatteras Island.
Glacier National Park, MTGlacier National Park was the tenth national park created in the nation. The park offers visitors the opportunity to explore the amazing wilderness of Montana, through biking, hiking, camping, backpacking, boating and more. The best time of year to visit is the early summer, the region is snowy in the winter and hot in the summer.
1. What can you do in Olympic National Park?| A．Visit the park by car. | B．Go boating in the park. |
| C．Take a camp trip there. | D．Enjoy attractive sea life. |
| A．Olympic National Park. | B．Yellowstone National Park. |
| C．Cape Hatteras National Seashore. | D．Glacier National Park. |
| A．Both have beautiful beaches. | B．Both offer bird-watching. |
| C．Both are in the same island. | D．Both provide windsurfing. |
4 . The African grey parrot’s ability to talk and mimic sounds makes it a charming companion. African grey owners often report that their greys oftentimes talk in context and can understand their people’s emotions (情感). The African grey parrot is not just a top talker - this bird is also known for its extreme intelligence, which gives them the name “The Einsteins of the Bird World”.
The bird is medium-sized, dusty-looking and almost pigeon-like. It has a bright red tail, intelligent orange eyes, and a stunning scalloped (扇形的) pattern to its feathers. Their diet in the wild consists mostly of nuts, seeds, fruits, and leafy matter.
At home, African greys need plenty of toys that challenge their intelligence, such as food searching and puzzle toys. Nutri-Berries by Lafeber Company are a perfect choice, which, with a balance of grains, seeds and other nutrients in the shape of a berry, encourages African greys to hold, bite off, and even play with, just as they do in the wild.
African greys seem especially affected by stress and disturbing noise in their environment and can be put more at ease by placing one corner of the cage against a wall as opposed to in the middle of a room.
African grey parrots are more likely to suffer from lack of Vitamin-A/beta-carotene, and therefore benefit from eating vegetables high in beta-carotene, such as cooked sweet potato and fresh kale. Lack of Vitamin-D is another concern, especially for greys on a poor diet. Offering a balanced, pill-shaped diet, such as Nutri-Berries, helps prevent vitamin and mineral shortage.
1. Why are African grey parrots called “The Einsteins of the Bird World”?| A．Because of their brain size. | B．On account of their intelligence. |
| C．Owing to their rich emotions. | D．Due to their talking ability. |
| A．A brand of bird food. | B．Puzzle toys for birds. |
| C．A type of round fruit. | D．Wild Intelligence games. |
| A．They may get ill due to lack of Vitamin |
| B．They prefer to stay in the middle of the room. |
| C．They are dusty looking with blue eyes. |
| D．They are smart and love to have fun. |
| A．In a wildlife magazine. | B．In science fiction. |
| C．In a travel guide. | D．On a shopping website. |
5 . Music festivals in Europe
Visiting a festival abroad can be a great reason to travel and a way to experience different cultures. These days there is such a number of choices that it’s possible to spend the whole summer watching live music in exciting places. Of course, it’s also a chance to meet people from across the world.
Melt! Festival, Germany
This festival takes place on the site of an open air museum for industrial machinery. There’s also a lake which can be used for swimming when it’s hot. This year’s line-up has over 120 different bands (乐队). Around 90% of the people attending the festival are German providing a perfect chance to practise speaking the language.
Exit Festival, Serbia
Set on the banks of the Danube in an old fortress (城堡), the festival began as a way to show people’s dissatisfaction with the government. These days it’s less political (政治的) but still worries about people who are poor, ill, old, etc and tries to help them. This year’s festival will host many famous bands. From electronic music and dance music to hard rock, there is something for everyone to enjoy.
Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival, Scotland
Set on a Scottish estate (庄园) near Inverness, this year Belladrum will welcome artists from around the world. The most enjoyable part of the weekend is the ceilidh(traditional Scottish dance and party) which is always a lively event. It doesn’t even matter if you’re a beginner because the band teaches you each dance.
Open’er Festival, Poland
Held in an airfield near the northern city of Gdansk, each year Open’er has a seriously good selection (精选品) of bands. This year is no exception, with many famous bands set to play. Not only are there amazing artists, but both Poland and the festival itself also provide very excellent value for money.
1. What is special about Melt! Festival?| A．It provides German lessons. | B．It is held by a local museum. |
| C．The bands are from 120 countries. | D．Most of the festival goers are German. |
| A．For political reasons. | B．For personal reasons. |
| C．To help stop a fight. | D．To offer help to the poor. |
| A．It falls in summer. | B．It is a live music festival. |
| C．It teaches people Scottish dance. | D．It invites the most famous bands. |
6 . When it comes to work, workers, and jobs, much of the concern of the modern age boils down to the fear that we're witnessing the final stage of the game, and that there will be nowhere for humans to withdraw as machines take over the last few tasks. The most recent example comes from the use of artificial intelligence (AI). Is there no area of human experience that can't be replaced by AI? And if not, what is left for humans to do except the tasks involved in taking care of the machines?
At the heart of this concern is our desire for good jobs — jobs that make the most of workers' natural abilities and where the work provides the worker with motivation and work-life balance. More importantly, good jobs support workers in learning by doing—and, in so doing, deliver benefits on three levels: to the worker, who gains in personal development and job satisfaction; to the organization, which reforms as staff find new problems to solve and opportunities to pursue; and to the community as a whole, which harvests the economic benefits of hosting positive organizations and workers. This is what makes good jobs productive for the organization, as well as engaging and fulfilling for the worker.
Does the ongoing advance of AI threaten to get rid of all the learning, creativity, and meaning that make a job a good job? Certainly, some have blamed technology for just such an outcome. Headlines today often express concern over technological innovation(革新) resulting in bad jobs for humans, or even the complete disappearance of certain professions. Some fear that further technology advancement in the workplace will result in jobs where employees are being asked to work in split times or for longer periods over more days.
The problem here isn't the technology; rather, it's the way the technology is used — and, more than that, the way people think about using it.
1. What is the passage mainly about?| A．The human fears in the age of AI. |
| B．Human experiences were replaced by AI. |
| C．How to take care of the AI machines. |
| D．The relations among work, workers, and jobs. |
| A．The ones that provide basic benefits. |
| B．The ones that require no economic return. |
| C．Those that don't bring new problems to workers. |
| D．Those that offer chances to progress professionally. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Optimistic. | C．Negative. | D．Ambiguous. |
| A．The proper attitude towards AI. | B．The future jobs humans will do. |
| C．The possible application of AI in the future. | D．The approaches to handling the issues of AI. |
7 . Gretchen Altman is smiling, leaning back casually, a cup of coffee in hand — Hills Bros. Coffee, to be precise. It looks like a casual shot, but if you hit like, leave a comment, and tag a friend, you can get three different cups of coffee, for free.
Altman is part of a growing trend of "micro-influencers". She has a small following — around 6,000 on Instagram(社交平台). Her going rate is $300 to $800 to promote something. She does some posts in exchange for free goods, as long as it’s stuff she believes in.
As a micro-influencer she has a much closer relationship with her followers than a big social media star. "I’m just living a normal life and people relate to that," she says. "They just feel like I’m a friend of theirs."
But it worries consumer rights groups. Several recent studies have found that young audiences are largely unable to understand when something is sponsored content.
In some cases, it’s clear. When a big star takes to a social media to advertise Coca-Cola, for example, the assumption is that he or she’s probably getting paid to do so. And the posts are clearly labeled as ads, with the caption "advertisement" or "sponsored content".
But what happens when an everyday person with just a couple thousand followers takes to social media to extol(颂扬) the virtues of a product? The motivations are not so clear cut. The problem with these social media posts is that you don’t know whether it’s an ad or not.
Altman is diligent about using those hashtags(标签). She loves what she does and sees it as a business, but she doesn’t necessarily want to be a social media celebrity.
"With social media being so integrated into our everyday lives, we have this unique opportunity that I don’t think anyone has ever had before where we can each be our own brand," Altman says.
1. What does a micro-influencer do according to the passage?| A．Give enough likes. | B．Post to promote sales. |
| C．Recommend some comments. | D．Design advertisements. |
| A．Sponsored ads content. |
| B．Ads with caption on posts. |
| C．The unclear motivations of the posts. |
| D．The increasingly growing number of audiences. |
| A．Annoyed. | B．Delighted. | C．Ambitious. | D．Depressed. |
| A．Instagram Advertising: Do You Know It, When You See It |
| B．To be a Micro-influencer or to be a Big Star |
| C．We Can Each Be Our Own Top Brand |
| D．Hills Bros. Coffee, Your Coffee |
8 . It’s a common belief that the roles actors play might somehow reflect their true personalities. It’s usually not true, but British actress Phoebe Waller-Bridge, 34, is an exception.
Just like Fleabag, the character she played in the comedy-drama series of the same name, Waller-Bridge feels that her life is a mess. “It’s just really wonderful to know that a dirty and messed up woman can make it to the Emmys,” she said. She may be “messed up”, but Variety magazine calls her an “all-around icon”.
Last month, Waller-Bridge took home three Emmy awards for her work on Fleabag — best writing in a comedy series, best lead actress, and best comedy series.
Her success is partly because of her family. Waller-Bridge was brought up in a free environment. Her mother always told her, “You can be whatever you want if you imagine it.” So Waller-Bridge broke all the rules about what a “good” girl should do. “Our laws and moral codes don’t apply — she lives without fear of consequence,” The Sun noted.
That fearlessness extends to being authentic (真实的) in her writing and acting. Unlike the can-do heroines and strong, successful women in many TV dramas, Waller-Bridge shows a flawed but real character. The character Fleabag was a screw-up who always found a way to say or do the wrong thing. “It resonated with the lives of stressed-out women everywhere in reality — doing their best to find balance in their lives,” a viewer wrote on US movie website.
Villanelle in Killing Eve, another hit TV series developed by Waller-Bridge, was a little bit violent but showed no interest for the rules others created, which make many people see themselves in her.
“People have been scared to write characters like these. But I think, now, women are so relieved to have this new template (样板). And, aren’t we all a bit of everything?” Waller-Bridge said in an interview with Indian Express.
With such courage and sincerity, Waller-Bridge is, without a doubt, a “golden girl” in Hollywood, Australian news website The New Daily commented.
1. What is the article mainly about?| A．What helped Waller-Bridge succeed in comedy. |
| B．The popularity of the comedy-drama series Fleabag. |
| C．What inspired Waller-Bridge to take up writing and acting. |
| D．The similarities between Phoebe Waller-Bridge and the character she plays on Fleabag. |
| A．They pushed her to follow social codes. |
| B．They constantly encouraged her to be herself. |
| C．They always reminded her to be curious and fearless. |
| D．They taught her to write and act when she was young. |
| A．messed up | B．paid attention to |
| C．had great effects on | D．was in agreement with |
| A．Both are courageous and organized. |
| B．Both are much alike in character. |
| C．Both successfully find balance in their lives. |
| D．Both are rebellious but strong and successful. |
We are having a debate about this topic. Here are some letters from our readers.
Yes, many cyclists behave dangerously. Many drivers are disrespectful of cyclists But pedestrians are probably the worse offenders.
People of all ages happily walk along the pavement with eyes and hands glued to the mobile phone, quite unaware of what is going on around them. They may even do the same thing while crossing a road at a pedestrian crossing or elsewhere. The rest of us have to evade (避让) them or just stand still to wait for the unavoidable collision.
The real problem is that some pedestrians seem to be, at least for the moment, in worlds of their own that are, to them, much more important than the welfare of others.
——Michael Horan
I loved the letter from Bob Brooks about cyclists (Viewpoints, May 29). I am afraid they seem to think they own the roads.
I was walking across Altrincharn Road one morning when a cyclist went round me and on being asked what he was doing he shouted at me.
The government built a cycle lane on the road but it is hardly used.
The police do nothing. What a laugh they are!
The cyclists should all have to be made to use the cycle lanes and wear helmets, fluorescent (发荧光的)jacket and tights at night and in the morning. They should pay some sort of tax and be fined for not wearing them.
——Carol Harvey
Cyclists jump on and off pavements (which are meant for pedestrians), ride at speed along the pavements, and think they have a special right to go through traffic lights when they are on red.
I was almost knocked down recently by a cyclist riding on the pavement when there was a cycle lane right next to him.
Other road users, including horse riders, manage to obey the rules so why not cyclists?
It’s about time they had to be registered and insured, so when they do hit a pedestrian or a vehicle, or cause an accident, at least they can be traced and there might be an opportunity to claim.
——JML
Write to Viewpoints of the newspaper.
1. Michael Horan wrote the letter mainly to show that ________.
| A．drivers should be polite to cyclists |
| B．road accidents can actually be avoided |
| C．some pedestrians are a threat to road safety |
| D．walking while using phones hum one’s eyes |
| A．be provided with enough roads |
| B．be asked to ride on their own lanes |
| C．be made to pay less tax for cycling |
| D．be fined for laughing at policemen |
| A．accidents | B．vehicles |
| C．pedestrians | D．cyclists |
| A．real sources of road danger |
| B．ways to improve road facilities |
| C．measures to punish road offences |
| D．increased awareness of road rules |
10 . Language learning apps are very popular now and offer opportunities to learn vocabulary and practice grammar. But there has been a discussion about just how effective such apps can be.
Among the most popular apps are Duolingo and Busuu. A previous research found positive results on the use of them. But it mainly concentrates on studies with learners who had signed up for language courses and these apps worked as an after-class support, so the results were not always reliable. A recent study of 4,095 Busuu users has been carried out to find out if users can actually learn a language with an app.
Busuu provides learning materials for 12 different languages. It offers special models where some contents are available for free while some contents are not, We find that its users are an even mix of men and women. More than half consider themselves to be at the beginner level as there is a decrease in users as their language levels go up. Most people use the app because of personal interest, or because they want to study or live abroad. Females tend to use it less often but for longer periods of time than male users.
Getting any feedback on Busuu depends on whether your answer is correct or not. While it is helpful, this is not the sort of feedback language teachers prefer, as it does not explain why the answer is right or wrong. In spite of this, feedback in the app is very highly rated.
More than 92% of the people state that the app has met their expectations and 86% consider the app as very good or good. In fact, more than 80% of the users surveyed strongly agree that using the app has helped them improve their knowledge of the language they are learning.
Besides, language learning apps also create an environment where mistakes are only known to the users, and this can address the performance anxiety that many learners suffer from when asked to speak a foreign language. So language teachers should encourage their students to use them to do the grammar work, leaving precious class time for more language communication.
1. Why weren’t the results of the former research always dependable?| A．Because it used out-of-date methods. |
| B．Because it just focused on positive results. |
| C．Because it was only carried out before class. |
| D．Because it only considered users of a limited type. |
| A．All the contents are free to use. | B．It’s used by more advanced learners. |
| C．Most users consider it satisfying. | D．It’s more popular with female learners. |
| A．Deal with. | B．Write down. | C．Turn to. | D．Speak of. |
| A．Students won’t suffer anxiety in learning languages by using Busuu. |
| B．Language learning apps are effective and satisfactory to language learners. |
| C．Language learning apps are very popular with most language teachers. |
| D．Students should be required to use apps for homework after class. |
