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.

2. What do we know about Stony Plain?

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.

3. Which festival will you be most interested in if you’re a poem lover?

A．Cowboy Festival.	B．Indigenous Festival.
C．Bluegrass Festival.	D．The Cariwest Festival.

2 . You probably know who Marie Curie was, but you may not have heard of Rachel Carson. Of the outstanding ladies listed below, who do you think was the most important woman of the past 100 years?

Jane Addams (1860-1935)

Anyone who has ever been helped by a social worker has Jane Addams to thank. Addams helped the poor and worked for peace. She encouraged a sense of community by creating shelters and promoting education and services for people in need. In 1931, Addams became the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

Rachel Carson (1907-1964)

If it weren’t for Rachel Carson, the environmental movement might not exist today. Her popular 1962 book Silent Spring raised awareness of the dangers of pollution and the harmful effects of chemicals on humans and on the world’s lakes and oceans.

Sandra Day O’Connor (1930-present)

When Sandra Day O’Connor finished third in her class at Stanford Law School, in 1952, she could not find work at a law firm because she was a woman. She became an Arizona state senator (参议员) and, in 1981, the first woman to join the U.S. Supreme Court. O’Connor gave the deciding vote in many important cases during her 24 years on the top court.

Rosa Parks (1913-2005)

On December 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks would not give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger. Her simple act landed Parks in prison. But it also set off the Montgomery bus boycott. It lasted for more than a year, and kicked off the civil-rights movement. “The only tired I was, was tired of giving in,” said Parks.

1. What is Jane Addams noted for in history?

A．Her social work.	B．Her teaching skills.
C．Her efforts to win a prize.	D．Her community background.

2. Who made a great contribution to the civil-rights movement in the U.S.?

A．Jane Addams.	B．Rachel Carson.
C．Sandra Day O’Connor.	D．Rosa Parks.

3. What can we infer about the women mentioned in the text?

A．They receive higher education.	B．They are truly creative.
C．They make great achievements.	D．They are peace-lovers.

3 . Have you ever shouted at your computer because it wasn’t working? Your computer couldn’t “yell” back – until now. AI researchers are now working on computers that can argue and perhaps even win debates with humans.

IBM scientists published a paper in Nature on March 17 about their new AI system – Project Debater. After listening to arguments from its opponent (对手), the system can search around 400 million online articles in less than five minutes. It looks for ideas that can support its own argument.

Testing on the system began in 2019 when it debated with Harish Natarajan, a professional debater who holds the world record for most debate competition victories. The debate topic was whether or not preschool should be funded, and the AI system argued in favor of this idea. Although the AI lost the debate in the end based on the audience vote, the audience said it did very well. Interestingly, 58 percent of the audience said that Project Debater increased their knowledge about the topic, while only 20 percent said the same about Natarajan. Also, Project Debater has shown strength at making impressive and logical opening statements in the debate, according to Scientific American.

Humans and technology have been battling for decades. In 1997, IBM’s Deep Blue became the first computer to defeat a reigning (卫冕的) chess champion, Garry Kasparov in a six-game match. So after two decades, have IBM’s researchers just reproduced a “Deep Blue” to debate? It’s much more than that, the researchers noted. Argument and debate are fundamental abilities of human intelligence, and it’s a step outside of AI’s comfort zone to enter this field, according to the article in Nature.

1. What is the purpose of Paragraph 1?

A．Make a comparison.	B．Introduce the topic.
C．Ask a question about computer.	D．Give background information.

2. How can Project Debater debate with humans?

A．By learning from humans.

B．By making use of its internal data.

C．By listening to researchers’ instructions.

D．By collecting a lot of data in a short time.

3. What did the majority of the audience think about the performance of Project Debater in the testing?

A．Its opening statements were boring.

B．Its statements were not logical enough.

C．Its overall performance was better than Natarajan’s.

D．It made them more aware of the topic.

4. What can be learn from the last paragraph?

A．Humans have an advantage over AI in debating.

B．Project Debater is considered an updated version of Deep Blue.

C．AI has a long way to go before it can win against humans.

D．AI technology hasn’t progressed much in the last decades.

8 . Learning to say “yes, and”

When I first heard about the improvisation (即兴交流) class, I was hesitating. As a quiet and shy girl, I feared improvising in front of strangers. However, I knew I wanted to work as a science communicator after finishing my Ph.D., so it seemed like a perfect chance to learn how to speak and communicate with others effectively. I signed up, knowing the experience would give me help.

During our first class, we learned an important concept of improvisation: “yes, and.” It means that, as improvisers, we’d better accept what fellow performers say. If someone says that rhinos (犀牛) are librarians, for example, then rhinos are librarians. We do not question the logic; we say “yes” and then continue with the scene as if nothing is wrong.

The first few scenes were hard, but as weeks turned into months, I became more comfortable and even started to enjoy our classes. I became better at listening, relating to my conversation partners, and communicating clearly in the moment. Once when I was giving a presentation about my science, an audience member surprised me with a question that didn’t grow out of the information I’d presented. Instead of getting confused and nervous, I took the “yes, and” approach—accepting the question and letting my mind focus on why it was asked. That helped me find an appropriate answer. I got pretty excited about it.

The benefits of improvisation go beyond communication. Before attending the class, I would get stuck when my experiments produced unexpected data, thinking that I had made a mistake. But now, instead of getting discouraged, I will stay open to the possibility that the results are real, keep exploring the data and end up identifying a new type of cell—one that isn’t behaving as expected.

I think all scientists can benefit from this lesson. If the data say rhinos are librarians, then it’s worth finding out whether rhinos are, in fact, librarians. As scientists, our job isn’t to challenge data that support, a preconceived story, but to say “yes, and.”

1. Why did the author attend the improvisation class?

A．To get a different experience.

B．To finish her Ph.D. at university.

C．To give up her job as a science communicator.

D．To improve her speaking and communicating ability.

2. What was the author’s change after attending the improvisation class?

A．She formed her own idea quickly.

B．She came up with lots of creative responses.

C．She paid more attention to the logic of answers.

D．She became a good listener before giving an opinion.

3. The author mentions applying the “yes, and” approach to her scientific experiments to ________.

A．explain the process of using the method

B．prove the benefits of the improvisation class

C．share her own research experiences with readers

D．attract fellow scientists to attend the improvisation class

4. What can be inferred about scientists from the last paragraph?

A．They should attend the improvisation class.

B．They should question all preconceived ideas.

C．They should carry on research by admitting earlier data.

D．They should try to improve their academic knowledge.

10 . As the weather gets colder, we start wearing jackets, and most of us stop thinking about the sun. But the sun's rays can be just as harmful when it’s cold and cloudy outside. "Any exposed area of your body can still get sunburned," Dr. Apple A. Bodemer, an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told Live Science.

Whether you spend a day on the slopes or clearing snow out of your driveway, your face is still getting exposed to the sun's radiation in the form of ultraviolet (紫外线)(UV) light, which can go deep into your skin cells, causing DNA damage, according to Bodemer.

The sun's long ultraviolet A (UVA) waves can cause earlier aging and wrinkles, while its shorter ultraviolet B (UVB) rays are known for causing skin reddening and bums.

Skin damage caused by UV exposure increases over time. More exposure to radiation contributes to severer damage, even skin cancer. In addition, snow and ice can also make sun damage worse. They reflect up to 80 percent of UV rays reaching the ground. That means you get heat from both the sky and the ground. And skiers and snowboarders increase their risk of getting sunburned even more because UV exposure increases at higher altitudes.

"Generally, the biggest factor for sun-sensitivity is how pale your skin is," Bodemer said. "But the reality is that even the individual with the darkest skin can get sun damage."

Luckily, the solution to protecting your skin is simple: Wear sunscreen every day. Rigel recommended using sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 30, and that SPFs go higher at higher altitudes. As a rule of thumb, SPF 30 will block 97 percent of UVB rays, SPF 50 blocking 98 percent, and SPF 100 blocking 99 percent. Whatever kind of sunscreen you use, it's important to apply it once about every 2 hours.

Rigel also suggested sunscreens with "broad spectrum" — to protect against both UVB and UVA rays — as well as sunscreens that are water-resistant for up to 80 minutes. That way, you can go about your day without it wearing off too quickly.

1. Which of the statements best describes UV light?

A．UVB rays cause much less damage to skin than UVA rays.

B．Skin damage from UV light can be totally prevented by sunscreen.

C．Snow and ice make people suffer much more UV light damage.

D．People outdoors needn't worry about getting sunburned on a cold day.

2. Which is the most vital factor as for sun damage?

A．Your skin color.	B．The clothes you wear.
C．The altitude of your place.	D．The weather when you are outside.

3. What do we know about sunscreen?

A．The lower the sunscreen's SPF is, the better effect it will have.

B．People working on high mountains need sunscreen of SPF 30.

C．Applying sunscreen once a day when you are outside is necessary.

D．Water-resistant sunscreen can be applied once every 80 minutes.

4. What may be the best title for the text?

A．Being Exposed to Sun Rays	B．Ultraviolet A & Ultraviolet B
C．Preventing Sunburn in Winter	D．Different Kinds of Sunscreens