1 . Weeds and pests are “garden heroes” according to the Royal Horticultural Society.
The RHS is now encouraging gardeners to welcome weeds instead of considering them enemies. The rebranding(重塑形象)comes just in time for this year’s Chelsea Flower Show, held by the RHS. In the show 4 out of 12 of the gardens will include “weed heroes” as an important part, according to Sheila Das, the RHS Wisley garden manager.
“If you’ve got a weed”, says Das, “it’s telling you what’s going on underground. Your weed is your adviser. It’s your friend. So don’t treat weeds as troubles, something growing where they shouldn’t. They are actually plants in the right place”.
Nettles(荨麻草)let a gardener know that the soil is rich in nitrogen, and fat hen, a weed often considered “troublesome”, is a sign that an area is low in nutrients.
Until last year, the RHS published a yearly “pest” list, including snails and slugs. But this year, to be more “biodiversity(生物多样性)positive”, they’ve published a list of the most beneficial wildlife into our garden, and both snails and slugs are making a comeback.
Sheila Das noted our gardens would be a duller place without those unpopular ones. Apart from food for hedgehogs, frogs and birds, slugs and snails are excellent for recycling dead plant and animal waste, helping to keep soil healthy.
These are just the first steps towards the RHS’s goal towards better biodiversity. Sheila Das said, “The RHS has realized the role of gardens in supporting biodiversity and it will no longer call any garden wildlife as ‘pests’. Instead, there will be greater consideration of the role that weeds, slugs, and snails play in a balanced garden eco-system together with more popular wildlife such as birds, hedgehogs and frogs. ”
1. Why does the rebranding come in time for the show?| A．The weeds’ gardens will win. | B．The weed heroes will be known. |
| C．It will be popular worldwide. | D．It will be an excellent competition. |
| A．Giving examples. | B．Introducing a topic. |
| C．Describing a scene. | D．Making comparison |
| A．They support a habitat for rich biodiversity. |
| B．They play a great part in wildlife protection. |
| C．They contain only popular weeds and insects. |
| D．They keep a balance between weeds and pests. |
| A．Pests are good advisers. | B．Weeds make a comeback. |
| C．Weeds and pests are our friends. | D．Heroes will win the flower show. |
2 . It’s often said that we human beings can dream in a foreign language. Could dreaming in a foreign language improve our memory? Does dreaming in a foreign language mean we are making progress in learning that language?
Before we look at multilingual (多语言) dreams, first we need to look at sleep. The connection between sleep and language can be applied to how we learn any language, including our native language. Even adults still learn about one new word every two days in their first language. But, if we are going to remember that new word better, what matters is that we need to connect it with what we have learned. And in order to do that, we “need to have some sleep”, says Gareth Gaskell, a professor at the University of York.
It’s during sleep that the integration (整合) of old and new knowledge happens. At might, one part of our brain — the hippocampus — takes whatever new information it receives during the day and passes it on to other parts of the brain to be stored. The role that dreams play in this night-time learning process is still being studied, but “it’s entirely possible that during multilingual dreams, the brain is trying to connect the two languages”, says Marc, a researcher at a university in Bern, Switzerland.
So having multilingual dreams could mean that our brain is trying to remember a new word or phrase. However, it could also have an emotional (情感) significance. Danuta, a professor of psycholinguistics at the University of Silesia in Poland, suggests that multilingual dreams can express “fears or wishes” around learning a foreign language, including the wish to be a local speaker or to be accepted within a certain community.
We clearly still have a lot to learn about multilingual dreams, but one thing seems certain: if you’re trying to learn a new language, you can sleep on it.
1. Why does the author mention questions in paragraph 1?| A．To compare different ideas. | B．To introduce the main topic. |
| C．To present different types of dreams. | D．To discuss the human language ability. |
| A．The other new words. | B．The native language. |
| C．The gained knowledge. | D．The speaking practice. |
| A．They may influence people’s sleep quality. | B．They can reflect language-learning feelings. |
| C．They are the best option to learn a language. | D．They help to clear up the useless information. |
| A．A novel. | B．A diary. | C．A guidebook. | D．A magazine. |
3 . I had been skiing since childhood. I’d
When I reached the top of the blue trails — only chairlift (缆椅), though, something in the atmosphere
It
One afternoon, I took a chairlift with a retired ski
Bob
“You’re skiing better already!” he shouted at me.
“Thank you!” I yelled back.
Then I skied a few more feet and
| A．frequently | B．rarely | C．mostly | D．steadily |
| A．submitted | B．reduced | C．stuck | D．restricted |
| A．tackle | B．declare | C．change | D．skip |
| A．continued | B．emerged | C．conflicted | D．disappeared |
| A．refreshed | B．sensitive | C．alien | D．harmonious |
| A．took on | B．turned out | C．held on | D．worked out |
| A．trend | B．custom | C．prejudice | D．evidence |
| A．pain | B．influence | C．bonus | D．award |
| A．official | B．director | C．constructor | D．instructor |
| A．offered | B．learned | C．managed | D．preferred |
| A．urged | B．reminded | C．guaranteed | D．stimulated |
| A．similar | B．regular | C．random | D．effective |
| A．unlocking | B．switching | C．testing | D．suspending |
| A．anxious | B．awkward | C．aimless | D．early |
| A．fell | B．balanced | C．proceeded | D．abandoned |
4 . I spent time at my father’s house and mountain cabin this weekend, both of which have plug -in electric kettles. I enjoyed how quickly they boiled water, plus it’s kind of nice to not have to run across the house to stop the unbearable scream of the whistle( 哨 声 ) , My father was shocked that I didn’t own one, but I explained that I value the classic design of my Revere Ware kettle and I enjoy boiling water on the stove for my tea.
However, I’m nothing if not practical. I have a gas stove and the price of natural gas has been coming up, which isn’t ending any time soon. We’re not as bad as Europe, where people are removing their beloved stoves due to skyrocketing gas prices, but it’s certainly worth considering the cost of gas vs. electricity. The gas company is rolling out a 25% rate increase, which made me dive down this rabbit hole.
It’s not easy to compare gas to electric costs, as an electric kettle uses 1. 5 kilowatts to boil water and it takes 6428 British therm units (BTUs)to boil water using a standard gas stove. Of course, the gas company uses “therms”, and there are 1. 00024e-5 therms in one BTU. 1 kWh=0. 0341296 therms and I pay 14.47e/kWh for electricity and 61. 458≠/therm for gas. So you can see why you almost need an advanced mathematics degree to puzzle out the cost of heating a kettle on the gas stove vs. a plug-in electric. Of course you also have to consider that you’re not actually boiling water for a full hour
I never got even close to a point where I could do the math, but I did come to the conclusion that I could stop mindlessly filling the entire kettle when I’m having just a single cup of tea. Plus my low-tech kettle was produced without planned obsolescence( 过 时 )and should last for a very long time. No additional purchases necessary.
1. What does the author think of her father’s electric kettles?| A．They cause annoying noise | B．They are inconvenient to use |
| C．They are classic in design. | D．They lose some traditional flavor |
| A．Hold a negative attitude to life. | B．Consider moving somewhere else |
| C．Get into an awkward situation. | D．Study how to escape like a rabbit |
| A．To stress an advanced math degree is rewarding |
| B．To show it’s hard to make an economical choice |
| C．To prove the gas company has overcharged users |
| D．To explain the author is a price-sensitive consumer |
| A．Keep using it. | B．Upgrade it. | C．Replace it. | D．Sell it |
5 . The Language of Flowers
Ding dong! I looked up from the couch. Who in the world could that be? My body was troubled with illness, so I’d
I
Instead of returning to the couch, I
The group had followed him and picked very
The more I understood what the flowers were
| A．hidden | B．given | C．driven | D．broken |
| A．forbid | B．accept | C．act | D．respond |
| A．cautiously | B．reluctantly | C．instantly | D．cheerfully |
| A．size | B．style | C．uniqueness | D．shape |
| A．go together | B．stand out | C．mix up | D．fade away |
| A．informed | B．thanked | C．rewarded | D．telephoned |
| A．delivery | B．program | C．mystery | D．scene |
| A．companion | B．message | C．commitment | D．gift |
| A．expensive | B．rare | C．specific | D．fresh |
| A．explained | B．clarified | C．defined | D．analyzed |
| A．pain | B．fortune | C．sympathy | D．sunshine |
| A．modest | B．tolerant | C．formal | D．meaningful |
| A．involving | B．saying | C．smelling | D．signing |
| A．advocated | B．confirmed | C．required | D．earned |
| A．ambition | B．value | C．curiosity | D．fantasy |
6 . If you visited a big aquarium such as SeaWorld or the Miami Seaquarium a decade ago, performances by tiger whales were probably a centerpiece of the visiting experience. However, animal advocates have pushed to end the harmful practice of keeping these enormous whales locked up in small pools and forcing them to perform for audiences. Now the good news is emerging from this continuing movement Lolita, one tiger whale living in the Miami Seaquarium, may soon be released to the Salish Sea where her mother lives.
Lolita’s possible homecoming is a longtime coming. The enormous animal was caught in 1970 in the Salish Sea, a body of water off the coast of Washington, which is home to tiger whales. Until now she has spent the past 52 years in captivity in Miami. Her tank is considered the smallest among those of captive whales in America. She has been forced to perform for crowds for decades. This has resulted in injuries. She has hit her head while performing “fast swims”, and her blood work has been abnormal.
Whales in captivity can suffer severe health issues. Lolita outlived her tank-mate Hugo, who died of aneurism (动脉瘤) caused by hitting his head on the aquarium walls. “Lolita’s lucky,” said Howard Garrett, a whale researcher and activist. “It’s against all odds that she is still alive. I think is her mental health that keeps her physical health in good shape. She is a complete miracle in her ability to stay healthy.”
According to the United States, Department of Agriculture, Lolita may not be getting enough food and water. This only adds to the list of health concerns which can appear in captivity. Activists who have been pushing for decades may at last see Lolita return to the Salish Sea, where her mother, a 93-year old tiger whale known as “Ocean Sun”, leads a pod. Returning these magnificent creatures to their natural habitat is a humane solution advocated for by the likes of the International Marine Mammal Project.
1. Which of the following best describes Lolita?| A．She got many injuries while performing for audiences over 50 years. |
| B．Her blood works well though she suffers severe health problems. |
| C．She was caught on the beach in Miami as a result of her injuries. |
| D．She was switched to a bigger tank because of her mate’s attack. |
| A．Her mental state is sound. |
| B．Hugo influenced her positively. |
| C．She gets timely medical treatment. |
| D．Whale researchers offer necessary aids. |
| A．Activists have succeeded in accomplishing the project. |
| B．Lolita will definitely fit in with the pod led by her mother. |
| C．Joint efforts are being made to release creatures like Lolita. |
| D．There’s little hope for Lolita to return to her natural habitat. |
| A．Lolita, the Last Tiger Whale in the World |
| B．Lolita, Released to the Salish Sea |
| C．Animals in Capacity Are Suffering a Lot |
| D．Lolita May Soon Go Free from Captivity |
7 . Children are more creative when they learn in natural surroundings, according to new research from Curtin University. Primary school students in Australia and England were put to the test to see whether writing poetry in a natural outdoor setting produced more creative outcomes than writing in a classroom, and the answer was yes.
Dr Paul Gardner and Sonja Kuzich from Curtin’s School of Education ran comparative trials with 10-year-old students in both countries and the results, recently published in the Cambridge Journal of Education, gave a big thumbs-up to the positive influence of natural settings. “We found that students who had direct contact with nature by immersing (沉浸) themselves in a bush or forest setting were much more descriptive and vivid in the language they used than the classroom-based writers who ‘imagined’ being in nature through photos,” Dr Gardner said.
In total, 97 students took part in the study, split across four classrooms, including two based at an English primary school and two from a primary school in Western Australia. In each country one class visited a natural bush or forest before writing a poem based on what they saw, smelt and felt. The other class viewed a pile of images of the same bush or forest setting.
Ms Kuzich said the difference in creative language used between the classes was obvious with twice as many UK forest students using figurative (比喻的) language compared with their class-based counterparts. In Australia that figure rose to more than four times when comparing the poetry of the bush-based students with those who remained at school.
The researchers say further studies of larger groups are now recommended to gain greater understanding of the influence of natural spaces and “green learning” in schools. Future research may also be needed to examine if the green learning can be translated into other learning themes or context to see if there is a flow on effect in different environments.
1. Why were the students placed outdoors in nature?| A．To get more outdoor exercise. | B．To experience nature in depth. |
| C．To understand poems about nature better. | D．To prove nature’s effect on creativity. |
| A．The specific steps of the experiment. | B．New findings about students’ writing. |
| C．The steps of training the children. | D．The purpose of performing the test. |
| A．Students indoors are not good at poetry. |
| B．Students in Australia prefer to study poetry. |
| C．Students are more creative in a natural environment. |
| D．Students in the UK and Australia have different writing skill preferences. |
| A．Green learning is becoming a trend. | B．Further studies are to be carried out. |
| C．Green learning has been applied in school. | D．Future research is of little significance. |
8 . At a museum in Vietnam, Lena Bui’s film Where Birds Dance Their Last reflected on the beauty and vulnerability of Vietnamese feather farms after Bird Flu. During a festival in Rwanda, Ellen Reid’s audio experience Soundwalk was shared in a hopeful discussion about music, parks and mental health. These are a few of the things I have helped bring to life over the years, working at the intersection of scientific research, the arts and advocacy to support science in solving global health challenges.
Science is key to addressing these issues. But it isn’t the only key. To achieve its potential and for its advances to be implemented and reach all who could benefit, science depends on trust and good relationships. People might not always see science as relevant, trustworthy or meaningful to their lives. There are reasons why some see science as having a chequered past, from nuclear weapons to eugenics, and are therefore uninterested in, or suspicious of, what it proposes. Others feel excluded by the incomprehensibility of hyper specialist knowledge.
In its capacity to build upon and test an evidence base, science is powerful, but researchers and funders haven’t been as good at ensuring this evidence base responds to the needs and interests of diverse communities, or informs policy makers to take action. Science might be perceived as distancing itself from the personal, the poetic and the political, yet it is precisely these qualities that can be most influential when it comes to public interest in atopic or how a government prioritizes a decision.
A moving story well told can be more memorable than a list of facts. This is where the arts come in. Artists can give us different perspectives with which to consider and reimagine the world together. They can redress the proclaimed objectivity in science by bringing stories —subjectivities —into the picture, and these can help foster a sense of connection and hope.
In 2012, I set up artist residencies in medical research centres around the world. Bui was attached to the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit in Vietnam. The head of the research team was delighted, finding that Bui, as a Vietnamese artist, had license to be in, and to share useful insights from, villages where infectious disease researchers weren’t welcome. Six years later, I led Wellcome’s Contagious Cities program, which established artist residencies worldwide to support locally led explorations of epidemic preparedness. The recent pandemic made this work more noticeable, and has informed our Mindscapes program which is currently sharing experiences of mental health through the work of artists.
With pandemic, climate and mental health crises upon us, rising inequality and what feels like an increasingly broken world, never has there been more need to build and nurture hopeful and imaginative spaces to grow human connection and shared purpose for the common good. Science and the arts can work hand in glove to achieve this.
1. The author lists two works in Paragraph 1 mainly to ______.| A．reveal the gap between science and art | B．prove his competence in both science and art |
| C．introduce successful science-related artworks | D．show that science can be promoted in art forms |
| A．Recent and remote. | B．Good and bad. |
| C．Usual and unusual. | D．Peaceful and scary. |
| A．Policy-makers base their decisions on science. | B．Researchers popularize science effectively. |
| C．Science is well received among the public. | D．The arts help people build connections. |
| A．The Value of the Arts to Science | B．Where Do Science and the Arts Meet? |
| C．A New Way to Fight Pandemic—the Arts | D．Which Matters More, Science or the Arts? |
9 . Egyptian table tennis player Ibrahim Hamadtou didn’t win a medal, or even score a victory. But he has become one of the most
Hamadtou lost his
After several
He first competed at the Rio Paralympics, and was finally able to fulfill his lifelong
In Tokyo, he lost to a Chinese player and a player from South Korea,
“I want to tell everybody that nothing is
| A．interesting | B．inspiring | C．depressing | D．surprising |
| A．parents | B．legs | C．arms | D．friends |
| A．reduce | B．beat | C．lose | D．fall |
| A．in shape | B．held up | C．shut up | D．in comfort |
| A．intense | B．tiring | C．noisy | D．dangerous |
| A．thoughts | B．matches | C．injuries | D．attempts |
| A．practice | B．failure | C．waiting | D．challenge |
| A．start | B．hit | C．serve | D．ball |
| A．chance | B．journey | C．road | D．dream |
| A．earn | B．pay | C．deserve | D．give |
| A．developed | B．adopted | C．demonstrated | D．extended |
| A．abandoning | B．ending | C．winning | D．joining |
| A．example | B．message | C．quote | D．lesson |
| A．unfortunate | B．comfortable | C．meaningful | D．impossible |
| A．disability | B．pity | C．suffering | D．belief |
10 . How long have you been going to the same hairdresser or barber? It’s a question that gets us thinking about the unique friendship we
You have confidence in each other. You have a laugh together and regularly
Many people have
While she cut my hair recently, we chatted about that special
For Claire, the customer interaction is something she loves about the job and that she has
| A．break | B．promote | C．form | D．begin |
| A．catch up on | B．make up for | C．put up with | D．end up with |
| A．request | B．desire | C．occasion | D．recipe |
| A．resolve | B．remember | C．cherish | D．evaluate |
| A．reliable | B．unforgettable | C．imaginable | D．inseparable |
| A．shapes | B．models | C．styles | D．sorts |
| A．Besides | B．Despite | C．Given | D．After |
| A．injuries | B．emotions | C．concerns | D．challenges |
| A．brought | B．shared | C．observed | D．emphasized |
| A．link | B．role | C．habit | D．pattern |
| A．other than | B．rather than | C．less than | D．more than |
| A．eventually | B．gradually | C．immediately | D．frequently |
| A．caring | B．hanging | C．worrying | D．talking |
| A．desire | B．ambition | C．hobby | D．job |
| A．fascinated | B．struck | C．uplifted | D．impressed |
