1 . Pick-your-own farms are set for a post-lockdown boom this summer, as people look to support local businesses and spend more time outdoors. Here are four of our favorites.
Parkside Farm, Enfield
Juicy blackberries, and strawberries are the stars of the show at this pick-your-own place on the northern edge of London. One key selling point is the “table-top” strawberry-growing system, which means plants are grown in places at waist height — no more bending down in the dirt to pick your berries. Parkside is also one of the few farms accessible without a car, as long as you don’t mind a walk — it’s 25 minutes from Gordon Hill station.
Craigie’s Farm, Scotland
Just outside Edinburgh, Craigie’s Farm is bursting with produce including cherries, peas, broad beans and, perhaps surprisingly, sunflowers. The onsite shop, deli and cafe have a lot more to offer besides fruits and vegetables — you can pick up homemade jams, meat, cheese and an apple press for making your own juice. There are activities for children too, including a Nature Detective Trail involving encounters with sheep and goats.
Hewitts Farm, Kent
This family-run farm in Kent offers everything from spinach to apples and blackberries during its pick-your-own season, which runs from June to October (for Halloween pumpkins). There’s also a shop selling farm-grown and local produce, as well as free tractor rides for youngsters on Sundays during the summer.
Bellis Brothers Farm, Wrexham
This farm in North Wales started growing strawberries back in 1860 and has operated as a pick-your-own since 1967. More fruits have been added since then, but it’s still mostly known for its strawberries. Pickers can download Bellis family strawberry recipes from the farm’s website, including those for jams and a baked strawberry cheesecake.
1. Which of the following is TRUE about Parkside Farm?| A．You can enjoy sunflowers in the sunshine. |
| B．You can pick berries without bending down. |
| C．You need not worry about getting dirty on the farm. |
| D．You must drive there due to its long distance from the station. |
| A．Parkside Farm. | B．Craigie’s Farm. |
| C．Hewitts Farm. | D．Bellis Brothers Farm. |
| A．Business. | B．Books. | C．Sports. | D．Travel. |
Venice is in the northeast of Italy. It was built on small islands in saltwater lakes more than 1,500 years ago. It is a city with no cars and people travel by boat. There are 117 waterways and more than 400 bridges that can guide you to any place you want to go.
Los Angeles
It was founded in 1781. It is now the second largest city in the United States. It is famous for Hollywood, which is the oldest film industry of the world. It is also the home of Disneyland.
Budapest
The population of Budapest is about 1.7 million and the city is a very popular place for tourists. Visitors like to take boat rides along the Danube (多瑙河). Budapest is known for its exciting nightlife. The best time to visit Budapest is summer.
Singapore City
It is the capital of Singapore. For many tourists, the city is a wonderful place in Southeast Asia. It has a night zoo called “Night Safari”. People can watch lions, tigers and foxes there.
1. How do people travel around in Venice?| A．By boat. | B．By car. | C．By train. | D．By bus. |
| A．Spring. | B．Summer. | C．Autumn. | D．Winter. |
| A．A storybook. | B．A dictionary. |
| C．A travel guidebook. | D．A book review. |
3 . Have you seen bees at work and stopped to wonder how smart they are? Results of a recent experiment prove that bees are clever enough to
Behavior
Nigel Raine, PhD, from Royal Holloway, University of London, has always been interested in finding out why animals behave as they do. He is also interested in bees. Therefore, it turned out to be not a
A(n)
Flowers make pollen (花粉), and when bees visit them, they
They completed the experiment on the roof of Queen Mary, using
Travelling salesman
The problem that the bee solved is similar to a math puzzle called the “travelling salesman problem”. A salesman who goes to
Scientists are very interested in how they do this. It would help us to understand how pollen is moved around.
| A．waste | B．save | C．devote | D．have |
| A．disappointment | B．specialty | C．joy | D．surprise |
| A．takes | B．operates | C．installs | D．purchases |
| A．easier | B．harder | C．shorter | D．smoother |
| A．gather | B．produce | C．draw | D．carry |
| A．make | B．start | C．examine | D．continue |
| A．artificial | B．brightly-coloured | C．scented | D．fresh |
| A．pollen | B．nectar | C．seed | D．food |
| A．convenient | B．secret | C．new | D．specific |
| A．surprise | B．embarrassment | C．delight | D．regret |
| A．various | B．distant | C．interesting | D．business |
| A．get over | B．figure out | C．count down | D．round off |
| A．trick | B．deal | C．calculation | D．experiment |
| A．However | B．In addition | C．Therefore | D．After all |
| A．cause | B．hate | C．reduce | D．suffer |
4 . Gelje Sherpa was leading a Chinese climber up Mount Qomolangma when he spotted a Malaysian climber in need of help, and the two men then abandoned the summit (顶峰) in order to rescue the Malaysian climber. They were in the “death zone”, an area near the summit of Mount Qomolangma where temperatures are extremely low and where there isn’t enough oxygen to breathe.
The Malaysian climber had “nothing” and was on the brink (边缘) of death. Gelje recalled that no one was helping him, no friends, no oxygen, no Sherpas with him and no guides. Stopping at an altitude where the body was rapidly deteriorating (恶化) and where many deaths occur was quite dangerous for him. However, other climbers and guides just focused on the summit, so that they didn’t notice the Malaysian climber’s state.
According to Nepali officials, 12 people have died, and five are missing on Qomolangma as the spring climbing season comes to an end. Gelje, the Sherpa, said there were a few likely reasons why this season has been so deadly. The weather has been poor and extremely cold, and some climbers lack experience or sufficient training for such a high altitude.
Gelje was guiding a Chinese climber to the summit when he made the decision that they would abandon their journey to save the Malaysian climber.
It was nearly an impossible task: Gelje had to secure the climber to his back and carry him down 600 meters for about six hours before another guide joined the rescue. They then took turns carrying the climber, wrapped in a sleeping mat, sometimes having to drag him through the snow, before reaching a helicopter that carried them down to base camp.
The rescue, which took place on May 18, 2023, was massively challenging. Gelje has previously carried out more than 55 rescues during his work as a guide, some very long operations, but he said the rescue was the hardest in his life.
1. When did Gelje meet the climber in danger?| A．After reaching the summit. | B．During the rest in the “death zone”. |
| C．On the way to the top of the mount. | D．During the journey back to base camp. |
| A．They didn’t know the climber. | B．They were at a dangerous altitude. |
| C．They lacked experience of helping people. | D．They only cared about their arrival at the summit. |
| A．He’s an experienced coach. | B．He’s careful and skilled at climbing. |
| C．He s a rescue worker on Qomolangma. | D．He’s irresponsible for the climber he led. |
| A．A Hard Rescue for a Climber | B．A Difficult Task from a Guide |
| C．A “Death Zone” Blocking Climbers | D．A Sad Decision to Give Up Climbing |
5 . Libraries are places to preserve cultural heritage, develop information resources and carry out social education. Let’s look at some of the most beautiful libraries in the world.
Vennesla Library and Culture House, Norway
The library is one of the most beautiful libraries in the world. Opened in 2011, this library is an important site for concerts, theatrical performances and film screenings. The design of the library is unique. The building is supported by 27 laminated (层压的) wood arches that hold the roof up.
Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana, Italy
The library is one of the largest and most important libraries in Italy. It preserves one of the most important collections of Greek, Latin and Asian manuscripts (手稿) in the entire world. Some of them are the most precious pieces. The library specializes in Venetian history and classic philology. Its collection of antique maps is also very significant.
Stacja Kultura, Poland
Thanks to a recent restoration, a station that was once in ruins underwent an architectural change. The library might seem unremarkable from the outside, but the innovative project and its division into a train station, public library and cultural center have certainly made this building worth a visit.
Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, United States
The library is the main source of literary archives (档案), ancient manuscripts and rare books at Yale University, and it’s visited by students and researchers from around the world. Completed in 1963, the library is home to the Bollingen Prize for Poetry which is awarded biennially, and the Windham-Campbell Prizes which are awarded annually for fiction, literary essays, poetry, and theater.
1. Which library will attract people interested in the stage?| A．Vennesla Library and Culture House. | B．Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana. |
| C．Stacja Kultura. | D．Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. |
| A．Its architecture. | B．Its collection. | C．Its location. | D．Its original owner. |
| A．They have a long history. | B．They are favored by movie lovers. |
| C．They hold some precious treasures. | D．They are the most important libraries. |
6 . Getting rid of old tyres has long been a problem. Most are thrown into landfills or piled up in storage. Energy recovery is another common method. This involves burning tyres to generate electricity or heat for industries, but that produces planet warming pollution; or we use them to repair roads, but chemicals from them might pollute the ground.
Some firms, therefore, have begun exploring an alternative. One such firm is Wastefront, which owns a big tyre-recycling plant in north-east England. In a couple of years, it will be able to turn 8 million old tyres into new products, including a black liquid called TDO (轮胎衍生油).
The process works by deconstructing a tyre into steel, rubber, and carbon black (炭黑). After tearing down the steel, the remaining material is exposed to high temperatures in the absence of air to make the rubber change into a mix of hydrocarbon gases, and then they’re removed. What is left behind is pure carbon black. Once the removed gases cool down, a part of them liquefies into TDO. The remaining gases are to be burned to fuel the process. This creates a closed-cycle system that prevents emissions (排放).
The carbon black can be reused to make new tyres. That is of interest to tyre-makers because it helps efforts to become carbon neutral-achieving a balance between the amounts of carbon dioxide produced and the carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere. Producing new carbon black requires burning heavy oil or coal, which lets off plenty of greenhouse gases
The recovered TDO is well-suited for making diesel (柴油). While not completely carbon-neutral, it does produce an 80-90% reduction in emissions of carbon dioxide, compared with the conventional fuel. The future market for such cleaner fuels will remain large, even though electric vehicles are on the rise. Fossil-fuelled vehicles will exist for decades, particularly the big burners of diesel-trucks, which are harder to electrify. The fuel is also needed by trains and ships. So, anything that helps clean up overall emissions is useful—especially if it also eases a mountainous waste problem.
1. What’s the purpose of the first paragraph?| A．To analyze causes. | B．To present problems |
| C．To reach solutions. | D．To make comparisons |
| A．Air boosts the burning of the old tyres. |
| B．The remaining gases are emitted into the air. |
| C．Pure carbon black is an unprocessed substance. |
| D．TDO comes from the removed hydrocarbon gases. |
| A．Diesel made from TDO. | B．Clean electric energy. |
| C．Carbon-neutral process | D．Recovered TDO from old tyres. |
| A．The Problems of Burning Old Tyres. |
| B．The Black Liquid Called TDO. |
| C．The System Preventing Emissions |
| D．The Alternative to Tyre-recycling. |
7 . Christmas was approaching. I still hadn’t prepared a gift for my wife Donna. However, Donna was good at
We had just moved to Italy and were still
Northern Italy is usually
Donna’s daily calls continued, and so did my daily visits. I still didn’t mention the
When approaching our home, Donna shouted, “You give me the best Christmas gift!” I was
| A．decorating | B．recycling | C．evaluating | D．planning |
| A．thoughtful | B．cheap | C．common | D．similar |
| A．exercising | B．unpacking | C．wandering | D．arguing |
| A．library | B．house | C．store | D．clinic |
| A．horribly | B．abnormally | C．reasonably | D．rarely |
| A．freeze | B．escape | C．starve | D．move |
| A．replaced | B．advocated | C．ruined | D．enriched |
| A．collection | B．treatment | C．approval | D．description |
| A．reward | B．topic | C．proposal | D．assistance |
| A．turn in | B．turn out | C．turn on | D．turn away |
| A．complaint | B．schedule | C．disappearance | D．prediction |
| A．proudly | B．silently | C．angrily | D．blindly |
| A．analyze | B．get | C．break | D．publish |
| A．frightened | B．thrilled | C．inspired | D．confused |
| A．purpose | B．theory | C．adventure | D．example |
8 . Kindness is seen as a true strength, and the success of civilizations relies on kindness. As parents and teachers, we also teach children from a young age to “be kind to one another” and “treat others the way you want to be treated.”
In addition to being helpful to our interpersonal relationships, research has shown that kindness can even contribute to our well-being. According to the Mayo Clinic, when we perform acts of kindness, the pleasure center in our brain is activated, releasing the stress-reducing hormone (激素). Individuals who volunteer on a regular basis report greater life satisfaction. And what is even greater is that kindness rarely stops with just one person. There can be a positive contagion (扩散) effect, where other people are motivated to be nice if they receive a random act of kindness. The question then arises: Could kindness be harmful to us when it has such clear benefits? Let’s think about this in the workplace or in an organization.
You are the new person on the team and you want to be well-liked and respected by your colleagues. You are a kind person and tell your team, “Let me know how I can help you; I’m always available to help.” Though you may truly mean this, there are unfortunately people in this world who can see your kindness as a weakness. This can lead to you being taken advantage of by others.
Let’s fast forward a year. You have been in your position now for one year, and you are working with the same team. You are noticing that your colleagues continue asking for your help over and over again. In fact, the only time they communicate with you is when they need something. You have been so helpful to your colleagues and there has rarely been any return from them.
In a very broad sense, it is advantageous to be kind to others, and your kind acts will be appreciated and, perhaps, paid forward. However, you need to be willing to say “no”. Recognize when your plate is already too full. When people ask you a favor, assess if you have the time, energy, and attention to give to them. To truly be kind, sometimes you need to be more comfortable saying “no” to others and saying “yes” to yourself.
1. What has the Mayo Clinic found concerning kindness?| A．It does good to our mind. |
| B．It reduces hormone levels. |
| C．It adds years to people’s life. |
| D．It leads to the success of civilizations. |
| A．Grateful. | B．Bored. | C．Disappointed. | D．Energetic. |
| A．When you’re too full to eat anything. |
| B．When your kind acts get appreciated. |
| C．When you should ask others a favor. |
| D．When you’re physically and mentally tired. |
| A．Your kindness counts for your well-being! |
| B．Are we tiring ourselves with kindness? |
| C．Why are random acts of kindness important? |
| D．Never underestimate the power of kindness at work! |
9 . Electronic timing is older than most people imagine and was used for the first time more than a hundred years ago at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics. Initially, the well-known company Ericsson was tasked with developing the technology, but it was the Swedish inventor Ragnar Carlstedt who eventually created the final product.
At the same time, Carlstedt introduced another invention: the finish line camera. The 1, 500-meter Olympic final was extremely close with Arnold Jackson from Great Britain winning by only 0.1 seconds. But it was impossible to decide on the silver medal since the two Americans Abel Kiviat and Norman Taber finished side by side. For the first time in history, the outcome of an Olympic event had to be settled based on a photo finish when Kiviat was judged to be “slightly ahead”.
The significance of these two inventions led a major newspaper to write: “Electronic timing at the Olympic Games. Simultaneous (同时发生的) timing and photography of contestants. A brilliant idea!”
The next step in timekeeping was the photo-finish camera with a time stamp imprinted on each picture, which was introduced at the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles. The 1948 Olympics saw the introduction of another invention with the continuous slit camera (狭缝摄影机), where a film behind a narrow slit rolls (滚动) with the same speed as the runners. Four years later the clocks were connected to the slit camera giving a solution of 1/100 s. But it was not until 1972 that official times were recorded to the 100th of a second.
The next big step in the eighties was to make the camera digital to speed up the feedback (反馈). But the idea behind the slit camera was kept and is still the basis of all timing systems for athletics used today. The only difference is that now there is a very narrow sensor array ( 阵列传感器) instead of the moving film.
After a century technology has reached the point where the whole timing system can be stored in a smartphone. So in a way, the circle was closed when SprintTimer, a sports timer and photo finish app, was developed in the same place and precisely a hundred years after Ragnar Carlstedt.
1. What do we know about electronic timing?| A．It was created in recent years. |
| B．It was first introduced at the Olympics. |
| C．It was developed by the well-known company Ericsson. |
| D．It was perfected by the Swedish inventor Ragnar Carlstedt. |
| A．The increasing need for a finish line camera. |
| B．The excellent performance of Arnold Jackson. |
| C．The significant role of Carlstedt's another invention. |
| D．The intense competition of the 1,500-meter Olympic final. |
| A．It avoided the use of a moving film. |
| B．It rolled with the same speed as the runners. |
| C．It made a 100th-of-a-second record possible. |
| D．It adopted a new idea for all timing systems used today. |
| A．Further improvement was discontinued. |
| B．The problem was back to the origin. |
| C．A new invention was created. |
| D．The issue was resolved. |
10 . For some people, nothing beats a long walk on a sandy beach. But there’s no denying that it’s not as easy or as fast to get around on the beach as it is on a road or a sidewalk. But why is it so hard to walk on sand?
The problem with sand is that it’s soft; you “sink in” at each step. This forces you to use 2.1 to 2. 7 times more energy with every step you take. Another idea is that people walk more difficultly on soft than they do on hard surfaces, a study found. The researchers compared how people walked on foam (沫) and hard surfaces by analyzing the forces under their feet and how much oxygen each person consumed. They found that walking on soft surfaces, such as sand, mud and snow, caused people to take longer steps — actions that use more energy than walking on a hard surface.
But as experienced beach walkers know, there’s a way to make it easier to walk on sand: Just add water, When sand is wet, it becomes more compact (紧密), and walking on it is more similar to walking on hard surface. In other words, it’s much easier to cross a beach by walking along the shoreline, where the waves roll in and out. This is a balance though; too much water could make the sand soft once again. If water isn’t an option, there is another way to make walking on sand easier — increasing your surface area. This could be accomplished by wearing shoes.
Although it’s more difficult, there are some good reasons to exercise on sand. The impact forces are lower on sand than on hard surface. Research suggests that walking across sand is much easier on your joints (关节) and muscles, especially compared with an unforgiving surface such as concrete (混凝土). This means sand is a better surface for helping athletes recover more quickly from workouts.
1. Why is the question raised in the first paragraph?| A．To show problems. | B．To call up readers’ memories. |
| C．To invite readers to answer it. | D．To draw readers’ attention to the topic. |
| A．By putting on shoes. | B．By taking longer steps. |
| C．By walking in the water. | D．By using special breath methods. |
| A．Sand. | B．Concrete. |
| C．Foam. | D．Snow. |
| A．Tips for Beach Vacation | B．All Kinds of Sports on the Sand |
| C．Why Is It So Hard to Walk on Sand? | D．Where Are We With the Sand Research? |
