1 . Overlooking the Davis—Gant Varsity Soccer Field, a bed of overturned soil waits for further development. In a few years, this area will become a natural habitat and a playground for animals and residents. This peaceful area didn’t appear naturally, but through planning and action taken by Catlin Gabel’s Tiny Forest project launched by teacher Patrick Walsh.
Forests typically take hundreds of years to mature, with four stages of growth. “Tiny forests flatten out time through the planting of all four layers (层),” Walsh explained. The end result is a fast-growing, native forest in about 20 years. Over 600 plants from 43 species will be planted in the tiny forest, the first one in Oregon.
Walsh was inspired to build a tiny forest after hearing about this idea, which emerged in Japan and has taken hold in North America. He shared his vision with seniors in his class. The seniors researched tiny forests and made a proposal resulting in Clean Water Services donating 60 trees and $5,000 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Armed with these resources, Walsh and the students started working. “Something I didn’t really expect was the outpouring of students’ enthusiasm. Seeing students from all grades volunteered to contribute to the ‘dirty work’ really blew me away,” Walsh said.
Senior Megan Cover has been at the school since the first grade. “I’ll graduate after working on this project, which is surely sad, but it’s really rewarding and great to be a part of this project and to do my bit. We’re creating this educational space for many young kids,” Cover said.
Walsh summed up his goal of the project, which is to build a place where students can enjoy and learn about nature. “The forest will obviously not solve climate change, but it will deserve the efforts if the kids think about climate change and remember the importance of reforestation and trees when they look outside at the forest.”
1. What is special about tiny forests?| A．They originated in North America. | B．They are usually planted in schools. |
| C．They contain various types of trees. | D．They become mature in a shorter time. |
| A．The abundance of native tree species. | B．Public concern about the environment. |
| C．The active participation of students. | D．Support from local organizations. |
| A．Proud. | B．Regretful. | C．Grateful. | D．Disappointed. |
| A．A model. | B．A reminder. | C．A resource. | D．A witness. |
2 . It was a typical summer day in my small town, with the sun shining and the sky clear. I was sitting on my porch, enjoying the peaceful view of the rolling hills and the calm lake, when suddenly a strong wind blew in from the west. The peaceful sky turned dark as a storm approached.
I went inside, grabbing my raincoat and heading to the barn to secure the animals. The cows were nervous, sensing the approaching storm. I quickly tied them up and ran back to the house, just as the rain started to pour down. The wind was howling and the rain was pounding against the windows. Lightning and thunder followed, making the atmosphere even more electric. I sat by the window, watching the raging storm and praying that everything would be okay.
After what seemed like hours, but was only a few minutes, the storm passed. The clouds moved away, revealing a bright and sunny sky. I walked outside, taking in the fresh air and surveying the damage. The trees were bent over and some branches had been blown off. Our vegetable garden was flooded, but other than that, everything seemed to be fine. I breathed a sigh of relief as I realized that no serious damage had been done.
That evening, as I sat by the fireplace with a cup of hot coffee, I reflected on the experience. It reminded me that nature can be both powerful and unpredictable, but that we must persevere and adapt to whatever it throws at us. The next morning, as I watched the sun rise over the now-calm landscape, I felt a sense of pride knowing that my family and I had weathered the storm together.
1. What does the word “weathered” mean in the last paragraph?| A．enjoyed | B．survived | C．forecasted | D．changed |
| A．Angry | B．Relieved | C．Scared | D．Sad |
| A．Problem and solution | B．Cause and effect |
| C．in order time | D．by Comparison |
| A．The author explains how to prepare for and cope with a storm. |
| B．The author describes how a storm ruined his day and his garden. |
| C．The author compares and contrasts the different weather conditions in his town. |
| D．The author recounts how he and his family withstood a sudden storm and learned a lesson from it. |
3 . It’s been nearly two decades since the traditional clothing style Hanfu first started to reemerge in China. Since then it has gone from a small cultural movement celebrating an ancient fashion to a trend that is booming on social media, having been adopted by China’s Generation Z as a means of connecting with their past. Instead of following other cultures blindly, Generation Z now have different opinions about what trend is by promoting local culture while having an objective view of exotic cultural products.
The new tastes of Generation Z—young people born after 1995—are well represented on Bilibili. In the recent New Year’s Eve gala presented by Bilibili, it attracted more than 100 million views within 48 hours with a colourful set of programmes ranging from Peking Opera to classical Chinese cartoons. The same is also true of movie industry. Last year, for the first time, the top 10 most viewed films in China were all domestic films, while the ticket sales for imported films have dropped to only 16.28 percent.
”Generation Z grew up with the rapid development of China and under good economic conditions. With the development of the Chinese Internet industry, they have more access to diverse international information and culture, which bring them a much broader vision and makes them more open and confident in analyzing foreign culture. Apart from taking pride in China’s rapid development, this generation also pursues individuality and values devotion to the country,“ Professor Zhang Yiwu said.
He also noted that the popular rock and punk culture pursued by the 70s and 80s generation is more of a challenge against real life and local culture. Some people who were born in the 1970s and 1980s did not grow up in the Internet age—they experienced the transformation of China going from poor to rich first-hand. This kind of longing and admiration of the West came from a lack of confidence.
However, Generation Z now have the confidence to look at Western culture with equal status. This kind of cultural confidence will result in China being more active and creative in its development on the international stage in the future.
1. What does the underlined word ”exotic“ in Paragraph 1 mean?| A．Foreign. | B．Fashionable. | C．Traditional. | D．Elegant. |
| A．To confirm the rise of new media. |
| B．To promote Chinese Internet industry. |
| C．To highlight the popularity of domestic art. |
| D．To show the popularity of New Year’s Eve gala. |
| A．They have a stronger cultural identity. |
| B．They are longing for cultural diversity. |
| C．They have made China develop rapidly. |
| D．They are more fond of foreign culture. |
| A．Confident China, Better Future |
| B．China’s Progress Results in Cultural Confidence |
| C．China’s New Generation Redefine Local Culture as Trendy |
| D．Hanfu Style, Connector of Ancient Fashion and Modern Trend |
4 . Next time you are struggling with the crossword, try putting the kettle on. Drinking a cup of tea can improve creativity, a study suggests.
Researchers gave participants either tea or water and then asked them to complete a word association game, which was used to measure a form of creativity known as convergent thinking (聚合思维).
In the game, the participants were given sets of words such as “same, tennis, head” and asked to find a meaningful link between them. After analyzing the results in a way that ruled out the potential effects of a person’s intelligence and language ability, the researchers found those who drank the tea performed significantly better in the word association game. The tea drinkers scored an average of 13.89 in the game compared with 12.94 for water drinkers.
The researchers said it was not clear why tea has this beneficial effect. Tea contains special components, which can improve attention, but the participants in the study drank only a small amount of tea — 90 ml, on average — and carried out the tests very soon after consuming it, meaning any effect would have been ignored. This result showed the tea drinking event itself — rather than the biological components of tea — played a positive role, the researchers said.
Previous research has found that people tend to associate tea drinking with a specific set of personality traits(特征), such as smart, creative, elegant, confident, and stable. It may be that when participants are stimulated (刺激) by tea, the mental representation of a tea drinker is also activated, and they unconsciously think that they should be smarter and more creative.
1. What did the participants have to do in the study?| A．Pair the words with each other. |
| B．Guess the meaning of the words. |
| C．Find a connection between the words. |
| D．Tell the differences among the words. |
| A．The participant’s intelligence. |
| B．The action of drinking tea itself. |
| C．The participant’s language ability. |
| D．The biological components of tea. |
| A．Drinking tea makes people more active. |
| B．Drinking tea is popular among the youth. |
| C．People tend to drink tea more than before. |
| D．People drinking tea are often thought smart. |
| A．Drinking Tea Is Good for Health |
| B．Drinking Tea Is A Popular Trend |
| C．Drinking Tea Makes for Creativity |
| D．Drinking Tea Matters A Lot in Life |
5 . Sara Hinesley, who is 10, doesn’t understand why it is so remarkable that she won a national handwriting competition.
Sara, a third-grade student at St. John Regional Catholie School in Frederick, Maryland, won the 2019 Nicholas Maxim award for her cursive (草书的) handwriting.
She paints and draws, and sculpts clay. She can write in English and some Chinese. When she learnt to write in cursive this year, Sara said, she thought it was “kind of easy”. This is all despite the fact that Sara was born without hands.
To write, Sara holds her pencil between her arms and then focuses on the shapes of letters, each point and curve. “Writing in cursive feels like creating art work,” Sara said. “I like the way the letters are formed. It’s kind of art.”
Sara has never worn a prosthesis (artificial arms), and when she is offered help or a tool that might ease some tasks — such as cutting paper with scissors — she rejects it, said her mother, Cathryn Hinesley She has this independent trend where she just knows that she can do it and she'll figure out her own way. She is beautiful and strong and mighty just the way she is, and she just lives that way. She really does. She moves through life in this way that you never really see her as having a disability because she has a “can do, I-can-solve-anything attitude”
“Sara is an evidence of strong will and the human spirit,” Cathryn said. “Every day I am amazed at the things she is capable to do and that she chooses to do. She doesn't attempt to find her way to avoid s difficulty. She finds a way to finish the task.”
Sara received her national award — a medal — at an award ceremony on June 13, where she was also given a $500 prize. She is the first student from St. John’s to ever receive the Nicholas Maxim award.
1. We can infer from the first sentence that .| A．Sara makes every effort to win the award |
| B．Sara considers it easy to win the award |
| C．Sara doesn’t take the award seriously |
| D．Sara is excited at winning the award |
| A．Brave. | B．Intelligent. | C．Generous. | D．Strong-minded. |
| A．She expects Sara to be independent. | B．She is greatly proud of Sara. |
| C．She doesn’t think Sara has a disability. | D．She is concerned about Sara's future. |
| A．Health. | B．Education. | C．Science. | D．Entertainment. |
6 . If you could travel in time, where would you go? Perhaps you would watch an original performance of a Shakespeare’s play in Elizabethan England? What about hanging out with Laozi in the Spring and Autumn Period? Or maybe you’d voyage far ahead of the present day to see what the future holds.
The possibility of time travel is indeed appealing. Stories exploring the subject have been around for hundreds of years. Perhaps the best known example is the science fiction novel The Time Machine, which was written by H. G. Wells and published in 1895 for the first time. It was adapted into at least two feature films of the same name, as well as two television versions, and a large number of comic book adaptations. It is generally credited with the popularization of the concept of time travel using a vehicle that allows an operator to travel purposefully and selectively. The term “time machine”, coined by Wells, is now universally used to refer to a vehicle transporting people into the far future.
But could time travel actually be possible? Some scientists say yes, in theory. They propose using cracks in time and space called “wormholes”, which could be used as shortcuts to other periods. Einstein’s theory of relativity allows time travel in extreme circumstances. And British physicist Stephen Hawking said you could travel into the future with a really fast spaceship—going at nearly the speed of light. Though building such a spaceship would of course be no simple task.
Even if you could travel into the past, there is something called the “grandfather paradox”. It asks what would happen if a time traveller were to go back in time and have his own grandfather killed for some reason, and therefore prevent himself from being born. If the time traveller wasn’t born, how would he travel back in time?
And would you really like to visit the future? In H. G. Wells’ book, the main character travels into distant time where he arrives at a beach and is attacked by giant crabs. He then voyages 30 million years into the future where the only living thing is a black object with tentacles (触角). If that’s what’s in store, maybe we are better just living in the present day after all.
1. The novel The Time Machine mentioned in Paragraph 2 aims to show .| A．people’s interest in time travel |
| B．the special features of the book |
| C．the long history of time travel |
| D．the contribution of H. G. Wells |
| A．have similarities in many ways |
| B．push the invention of the first spaceship |
| C．have proved wrong by some time travellers |
| D．suggest the possibility to invent the time machine |
| A．the traveller is prevented from meeting his grandfather |
| B．the traveller goes back in time to seek for his grandfather |
| C．the grandfather’s death makes the traveller’s birth impossible |
| D．The reunion of the traveller and his grandfather brings happiness |
| A．Unclear. | B．Skeptical. |
| C．Supportive. | D．Unconcerned. |
7 . The exhibit, Digital Dunhuang — Tales of Heaven and Earth, which was held at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, brought to Hong Kong more than 100 exhibits including the visual murals and other related programs that could allow visitors to learn about the art and history of the Mogao Caves in a fun way.
“Dunhuang was an international city, a place where East met West, on the old Silk Road. So the Mogao Caves, which were completed in a period of over 1,000 years, record the ways of life and beliefs of the different peoples that crossed paths there,” explained Fion Lin of Hong Kong Heritage Museum.
Visitors can now get up close and personal with these faraway treasures without having to step into the caves, thanks to the digitization project of the Dunhuang Academy, a pioneer that has made great progress in the digitization and 3D scanning of the Dunhuang treasures.
“Studies have shown that in a cave, both temperature and CO2 concentration level can rise with 15 tourists inside for ten minutes. As a result, the wall paintings are going to eventually fade. Digital technology has helped to strike a balance between sharing the treasures and protecting them,” said Lin.
However, digitization of the caves faces many challenges such as poor lighting and rough wall surfaces. On average, 40,000 pictures have to be taken to cover 300 m2. Great amount of efforts have been made to piece the pictures together. What the exhibition presented is the result of years of hard work.
During the exhibition period, a mini display on Dunhuang music culture was also being held at the Museum for public participation.
1. What could visitors see at the Digital Dunhuang exhibit?| A．The Mogao Caves. | B．About 40,000 Dunhuang pictures. |
| C．Digital Dunhuang wall paintings. | D．Ancient records of Dunhuang. |
| A．It helps Dunhuang become an international city. |
| B．It lets people better appreciate the Dunhuang art. |
| C．It is effective in cutting the CO₂ level in the caves. |
| D．It attracts more tourists from East and West to Hong Kong. |
| A．They are brightly lit. | B．They are very rough. |
| C．It is very hard to protect them. | D．It is impossible for the tourists to see them. |
| A．In paragraph 2. | B．In paragraph 3. |
| C．In paragraph 4. | D．In paragraph 5. |
8 . Born in 1926, Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary was not originally chosen for the special position. However, that changed in 1936, when her father’s brother Edward Ⅷ gave up being the king and her father, George Ⅵ, took his place as the king. Suddenly, the 10-year-old was the heiress(女继承人).
Elizabeth’s royal(王室的)duties didn’t stop her interest in technology. During World War II, the princess wanted her father to allow her to do something for her country. Her father finally agreed to let her volunteer for the British Army, where she became a driver and trained in auto mechanics.
It was a pioneering move: Not only was she the first member of her family ever to serve in the military, but the sight of a woman taking apart engines and changing tires signalled a sea change in social and gender roles that would continue throughout the future queen’s lifetime.
In 1952, Elizabeth became queen of her country upon her father’s death. Her rule was modern from the very start. The new queen’s birth had roughly happened at the same time as the development of television, and during planning for her coronation(加冕礼)she broke with tradition and allowed the BBC to broadcast the event over live TV. It was the first coronation ever televised, and it literally created must-see TV.
Elizabeth came to power as the atomic age kicked into full swing, and she helped introduce the nation to those nuclear advances. In 1956, she opened the world’s first complete nuclear power station, Calder Hall. But the technology came with risk: The next year, a reactor at a nearby nuclear power plant, Windscale, caught fire, which was Great Britain’s worst nuclear disaster.
The queen also launched live broadcasts of royal addresses and permitted royal use of the Internet. Besides, she was one of the first people to ride through the Channel Tunnel, the undersea railway linking Britain to the rest of Europe.
1. After World War Ⅱ broke out, how did Elizabeth support her country?| A．By encouraging women to volunteer. | B．By using her influence to stop the war. |
| C．By getting away from her royal duties. | D．By joining the army to serve her country. |
| A．Normal. | B．Significant. | C．Unnecessary. | D．Unreasonable. |
| A．She didn’t really want to be queen. |
| B．She loved watching TV very much. |
| C．She liked adopting new technology. |
| D．She didn’t consider her coronation modern. |
| A．She considered nuclear power important for her country. |
| B．She was satisfied with her country’s nuclear advances. |
| C．She didn’t show much interest in nuclear power. |
| D．She considered nuclear power dangerous. |
9 . There are 7 billion people in this world, with 7 billion different opinions about outer beauty. What you may find physically attractive can be an absolute eyesore to someone else and vice versa. And this is truly magical because it implies that regardless of a person’s physical features , there is always going to be someone out there who finds them appealing.
Nowadays there are many ways you can manipulate the way you look. Plastic surgery (整形) and other cosmetic procedures are becoming more and more accessible and affordable. This is absolutely incredible for people who really need body changes to improve their mental health.
Sadly, with social media being a massive part of our lives, far too many people are struggling with self-image issues not because there is something wrong with them, but because they are convinced they need to look a certain way to be accepted by society. So they delve into (钻研) the world of plastic surgery and they slowly lose their identities in order to fit in.
In reality, what we should be encouraging is not altering our bodies, but remodeling our mindset. We should become more aware of the way we treat others and ourselves. We should be inspired to learn more languages, so we can dive into different cultures and expand our limits. Instead of spending money on looking like someone else, spend time in becoming the best version of yourself, because outer beauty fades, but the beauty within is timeless.
As noted by the book A Conscious Rethink, when asked about what traits (特性) they look for in a potential long-term partner, most people name things that have nothing to do with physical appearance. Some of the features we seek the most are Kindness, Loyalty, Patience, Integrity, A good sense of humor, and A supportive nature.
All of these traits can be found in anyone, regardless of the outer beauty they possess. More importantly, these are personality characteristics we seek in those we see as our potential life partners, meaning that we value them more than we value a pretty face.
1. What does the underlined word “manipulate” in paragraph 2 mean?| A．Check. | B．Manage. | C．Maintain. | D．Appreciate. |
| A．To improve their mental health. | B．To indicate their identities. |
| C．To adapt to society. | D．To cover their physical disability. |
| A．It’s permanent. | B．It can be measured. |
| C．It’s a natural-born thing. | D．It varies from culture to culture. |
| A．Adventure. | B．Healthcare. | C．Entertainment. | D．Relationship. |
10 . When I decided to leave my home country of Iran to pursue a PhD in Canada, I hadn’t expected that communication would be an issue. In Farsi, I was a(n)
But soon after my
Later, I
I made a
| A．concrete | B．effective | C．absurd | D．considerate |
| A．research | B．investigation | C．project | D．admission |
| A．travel | B．sight | C．arrival | D．education |
| A．eventually | B．fluently | C．hardly | D．consciously |
| A．translate | B．break | C．develop | D．speak |
| A．relief | B．vain | C．response | D．case |
| A．communicate | B．spell | C．apply | D．stress |
| A．texts | B．conversations | C．conducts | D．actions |
| A．passive | B．delighted | C．thrilled | D．passionate |
| A．reasonable | B．critical | C．useless | D．simple |
| A．brief | B．rigid | C．moral | D．academic |
| A．paused | B．donated | C．failed | D．declared |
| A．occurred | B．objected | C．referred | D．adapted |
| A．put on | B．contribute to | C．get through | D．set down |
| A．challenge | B．time | C．thought | D．passion |
| A．seek | B．accept | C．convey | D．persuade |
| A．program | B．copy | C．note | D．practice |
| A．account | B．discover | C．make | D．expose |
| A．pronunciation | B．grammar | C．plots | D．characters |
| A．comfortable | B．curious | C．disappointed | D．concerned |
