1 . Brothers Mike and Nick Fiorito had a smooth life in the first 30 years.
They
Now, their organization is very
Adults can
A.Occasionally | B.Frequently | C.Consistently | D.Unexpectedly |
A.confused | B.prosperous | C.indifferent | D.curious |
A.assuming | B.acknowledging | C.resembling | D.witnessing |
A.backed down | B.backed up | C.set up | D.cooperated with |
A.shunned | B.invaded | C.assisted | D.posed |
A.acclaimed | B.involved | C.preserved | D.dominated |
A.inspire | B.promise | C.thank | D.teach |
A.exquisite | B.fascinating | C.challenging | D.successful |
A.disrupt | B.participate | C.commemorate | D.depict |
A.glory | B.friction | C.contribution | D.victim |
A.giving away | B.giving in | C.handing in | D.wearing out |
A.comprehension | B.connection | C.barrier | D.assessment |
A.difference | B.date | C.decision | D.estimate |
A.objective | B.prosperous | C.hopeful | D.potential |
A.understanding | B.receiving | C.paying | D.spreading |
2 . Exhausted, Jia Ling ate five packs of chocolate cookies alone at night by her bed after wrapping up filming for her new film YOLO that day. “Recalling that moment, I felt so great, like a tired soldier claiming the spoils of war,” she said.
By then, she had lost an incredible 50 kilograms, and her entire image had changed. The chubby (胖乎乎的), round and cute comedian Jia Ling was gone, replaced by a cool, muscular warrior.
Audiences were shocked by her appearance on Chinese New Year’s Day, Feb.10, when the film was first released. Jia had kept everything so secretive, avoiding public appearances for a year, that her new look was only revealed when she appeared on the big screen. Conversations about her high-intensity weight loss training, along with her courage and determination, have become trending topics across China, propelling the film’s box office earnings.
YOLO, which stands for “you only live once,” is the theme Jia aims to tell in her new film. The story follows an overweight, depressed woman who becomes isolated from society. However, after meeting a boxing coach and taking up the sport, she begins to regain her passion and finds her way in life. The filming was divided into five stages. Jia had to gain 20 kilograms at first for the role, moving on to the final stage when she lost a significant amount of weight and became muscular. This method mirrors what some Hollywood stars, such as Christian Bale, have done, but Jia’s effort is jaw-dropping and takes it to an even more extreme level.
Yet, the film’s core goes beyond physical transformation. “This film is not about weight loss, nor is it much about boxing. It’s a film that tells the story of how a kind person finds her true self and learns to love herself,” Jia said.
1. What does the underlined word “propelling” in Paragraph 3 mean?A.Disturbing. | B.Restoring. | C.Driving. | D.Slowing. |
A.Generous and funny. | B.Determined and courageous. |
C.Creative and sensitive. | D.Ambitious and enthusiastic. |
A.A woman’s pursuit of boxing glory. |
B.A woman’s journey through weight loss. |
C.A woman’s struggle with social pressure. |
D.A woman’s discovery of self-love and acceptance. |
A.The early bird catches the worm. | B.Actions speak louder than words. |
C.It’s never too late to change. | D.Don’t cry over spilled milk. |
3 . This question has fascinated behavioural scientists for decades: why do we give money to charity?
The explanations for charitable giving fall into three broad categories, from the purely altruisic (利他的)— I donate because I value the social good done by the charity. The “impurely” altruistic— I donate because I extract value from knowing I contribute to the social good for the charity. And the not-at-all altruistic— I donate because I want to show off to potential mates how rich I am.
But are these motives strong enough to enable people to donate as much as they would want to? Most people support charities in one way or another, but often we struggle to make donations as often as we think we should. Although many people would like to leave a gift to charity in their will, they forget about it when the time comes.
Many people are also aware that they should donate to the causes that have the highest impact, but facts and figures are less attractive than narratives. In a series of experiments, it was found that people are much more responsive to charitable pleas that feature a single, identifiable beneficiary(受益者), than they are to statistical information about the scale of the problem being faced. When it comes to charitable giving, we are often ruled by our hearts and not our heads.
The good news is that charitable giving is contagious—seeing others give makes an individual more likely to give and gentle encouragement from an important person in your life can also make a big difference to your donation decisions— more than quadrupling them in our recent study. Habit also plays a part— in three recent experiments those who volunteered before were more likely to do donate their time than those who had not volunteered before.
In summary, behavioural science identifies a range of factors that influence our donations, and can help us to keep giving in the longer term. This is great news not just for charities, but also for donors.
1. What can we learn about people who do charitable giving?A.Most people support charity as often as they think they should. |
B.Some people don’t want to leave a gift to charity until the time comes. |
C.Those who donate because they can gain an advantage are purely altruistic. |
D.Some people send money to charity simply to tell others they are wealthy. |
A.Not revealing the names of the donors. |
B.Showing figures about the seriousness of the problem. |
C.Telling stories that feature a single, recognizable beneficiary. |
D.Reminding people to write down what to donate in the will in advance. |
A.People will learn from others and follow the suit. |
B.Many people are familiar with charitable giving. |
C.Charitable giving helps the beneficiary in all aspects. |
D.Charitable giving can bring a lot of benefits to donors. |
A.To persuade more people to donate. |
B.To explain the science behind why people donate. |
C.To criticize some false charitable giving behaviours. |
D.To explore approaches to making people donate more. |
4 . At The Rachael Ray FoundationTM (RRF), we’re pretty big animal lovers. As a part of our work, we support a wide variety of organizations that do good for animals, from rescue to care and more. Get to know a few of them and the work we do together.
Pittsburgh Aviation Animal Rescue TeamRRF helped enable Pittsburgh Aviation Animal Rescue Team (PAART) to purchase a new and bigger plane for its rescue missions which bring animals from danger to safety. Whether it be flying dogs in overcrowded shelters to new homes, saving animals caught in the path of natural disasters, or bringing supplies to shelters in need, the brave PAART pilots are always ready to help.
National Disaster Search Dog FoundationNational Disaster Search Dog Foundation (SDF) works to find and train shelter dogs who have the talent and drive to become search and rescue animals. RRF supports SDF’s efforts to identify and transform rescued dogs into rescuers, to provide lifetime care for these dogs and to find homes for all dogs who enter the SDF training program.
Rachael Ray Save Them All GrantsThis is a program administered by Best Friends Animal Society (BFAS) to support Best Friends’ network partners in their lifesaving efforts. The money has been awarded to organizations across the country to fund initiatives such as adoption drives and shelter intake prevention efforts.
North Shore Animal League America Disaster Relief GrantsThis program, administered by North Shore Animal League America (NSALA), provides money for animal welfare organizations impacted by disasters. RRF is proud to help NSALA in its efforts to identify needs in disaster situations and provide targeted, effective relief.
1. What is special about PAART?A.It provides necessities for-animals in need. | B.It conducts animal rescue missions by plane. |
C.It is supported by the Rachael Ray Foundation. | D.It assists in finding adopters for rescued animals. |
A.SDF. | B.BFAS. | C.PAART. | D.NSALA. |
A.They both strongly promote animal adoption. |
B.They are both in charge of Best Friends Animal Society. |
C.They both provide financial assistance to animal welfare initiatives. |
D.They are both administered by welfare organizations impacted by disasters. |
5 . In 2016, Mark Raymond learned the hard way that life can change in a split second(一瞬间). One day, Raymond went boating with his friends. He jumped off the back of the boat and hit a sandbank, leading to a severe injury to his neck. He became paralyzed(瘫痪的)and spent months in the hospital receiving treatment. When he was allowed to leave the hospital, he realized that the hard part was just beginning. He still needed to exercise to recover his strength after finishing the outpatient(门诊病人)treatment.
However, when Raymond returned home, he realized there was a serious lack of accessible gyms or facilities that could help people with different abilities work out and improve their health in his community. The lack of them caused Raymond to take action. In 2018, he established the Split Second Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides treatment that takes up from where outpatient treatment left off.
“The Split Second Foundation has equipment for people who have different disabling conditions,” Raymond explained.“Our specially trained staff will evaluate(评估)disabled customers’ physical needs and limitations and then provide recovery, education, and ongoing fitness classes suitable for them. We’re able to push them in a recovery driven fitness environment to be their best selves.”
Raymond’s goal is to open more accessible gyms, not just in New Orleans where he lives. He hopes the Split Second Foundation can help even more people get their lives back after disastrous accidents. “People with disabilities should also be thought of as productive members of society,” said Raymond. “Anybody’s life can change in an instant due to some kind of injury or disabling condition, and we are providing what’s next.”
When Raymond couldn’t find the services he needed, he made some for himself and others. This is the sort of cleverness we love to see in the world.
1. What does the underlined part “the hard part” in Paragraph 1 refer to?A.The mental problem. | B.The process of recovery. |
C.The high pressure of work. | D.The treatment in the hospital. |
A.His love for a variety of sports. |
B.His dream of becoming a businessman. |
C.A boating accident that happened to his friend. |
D.A lack of accessible exercise resources in his community. |
A.It provides treatment by cooperating with hospitals. |
B.It focuses on holding basic classes for poor children. |
C.It offers fitness and recovery services to the disabled. |
D.It creates plenty of job opportunities for disabled people. |
A.Mark Raymond’s Journey from Paralysis to Recovery |
B.Mark Raymond: Help the Disabled Rebuild Their Lives |
C.The Importance of Accessible Gyms for Disabled People |
D.Split Second Foundation: Offer Patients Postoperative Treatment |
6 . Dorothea Dix was born in 1802 in Massachusetts. When she was 12 years old, she left her unhappy home to live with her grandmother in Boston. There Dorothea went to school and was so quick at her lessons that two years later she went back to Worcester, Massachusetts and taught in a school for little children. She was only fourteen and rather small for her age. Anyway, she proved herself a good teacher, and the children loved her and respected her. In 1821, she opened a school for girls in Boston.
Gradually, her health broke down, and she began to think that she could never work any more, but after a long rest in England, she came back to America and did something far greater than teaching. She went through the whole country where she first observed the inhumane treatment of the mentally ill. During Dorothea’s traveling for nearly two years throughout the state, and meeting similar conditions, she always spoke kindly to the ill-treated, but she spoke wrathfully to the men who ill-treated them. In January 1843, she submitted to the Massachusetts legislature (立法机关) a detailed report of her fully documented findings.
In the next 40 years Dorothea inspired legislators in 15 US states and in Canada to establish state hospitals for the mentally ill. Her continuous efforts directly affected the building of 32 institutions in the United States. When the Civil War broke out, she went straight to Washington and offered to nurse the soldiers without pay. She hired houses to keep supplies in and bought an ambulance. She gave her time, strength and money to her country.
Dorothea Dix has been called the most useful woman of America. She is an, American educator, social reformer and humanitarian whose devotion to the welfare of the mentally ill led to widespread reforms in the United States and abroad.
1. What do we know about Dorothea Dix when she was 19?A.She set up a school. | B.She lived with her parents. |
C.She went to school in Massachusetts. | D.She failed to become a good teacher. |
A.Patiently. | B.Fluently. | C.Angrily. | D.Quickly. |
A.The awards Dorothea Dix received in her life. |
B.The contributions Dorothea Dix made to her country. |
C.The support Dorothea Dix got from her family. |
D.The difficulties Dorothea Dix met during the Civil War. |
A.Humorous and well-educated. | B.Generous and warm-hearted. |
C.Proud and hard-working. | D.Romantic and open-minded. |
7 . Falcons are powerful birds that may be trained to hunt in cooperation with humans. The art of training falcons as “hunting dogs of the skies” is called falconry (训鹰术). It was developed in the ancient Arabian Desert around 4000 B. C. In the past, falconry mainly involved hunting with falcons to supplement one’s diet. But now, it has become the favorite sport and pastime in the Arabian Peninsula.
Falconry includes three major processes: acquiring the falcons, training them, and hunting with them. Every year, falconers begin capturing wild falcons in June and July, the migration season. The best birds to catch are the ones with naturally nurtured hunting skills, aged one or two years. Once the falcons are captured, their heads are immediately covered with a leather hood. This is essential because they imprint as their master whomever they see first after the hood is removed. Right after a bird is caught, the training process starts. It begins by depriving (剥夺) the bird of food to make it easier to tame. The birds are taught to know their own name and respond to their master when called. Arab falconers live with their birds day and night in order to build a strong relationship with them.
By the end of October or mid-November, the trained falcons are ready to hunt in the desert. They have excellent vision, 2. 6 times greater than that of a human. They are also the fastest divers on the planet. One hunting technique that sets them apart from other animals is that they can be trained to deliver their prey, without killing it first. This is vital in Islamic culture because animals used for food must still be alive to ensure that the meat is halal, that is, properly prepared according to Islamic law.
Falcons have played such a crucial role in traditional Islamic cultures that a number of countries in the Middle East have made them their national bird. Falconry has grown so popular that specialist hospitals have been established to take care of these magnificent birds. Falcons are even issued their own passports. They are the only animals in the United Arab Emirates that are legally allowed to travel inside planes, enjoying a level of luxury that some humans can only dream of.
1. What is the main reason for Arabic people to hunt with falcons today?A.To serve as entertainment and exercise. |
B.To supplement their diet. |
C.To replace the practice of hunting with dogs. |
D.To honor their national bird. |
A.Falconers don’t give food to falcons in order to capture them. |
B.Falcons are not allowed to see their masters during the training process. |
C.Wild falcons with natural hunting skills are ideal for falconers to catch. |
D.The trainers’ names are written on the hoods covering the birds’ heads. |
A.Falcons keep their prey alive before delivering it to falconers. |
B.Falcons can form a strong bond with their owners quickly. |
C.Falcons’ vision is particularly suitable for hunting in deserts. |
D.Falcons are relatively easy to train for specific hunting. |
A.Free air ticket. | B.Passports issued by the King. |
C.Expensive meals. | D.Access to specialized medical care. |
8 . Last year, my friend, Kydee Williams, and I started a non-profit project because we wanted to do charity work differently. Thus, The Pop-Up Care Shop was
TPUCS is a traveling shop of
From our experience, we learned smaller shelters, especially those in less-commercialized areas were often
While material things like food, clothes, money, and shelter can help people survive, what
A.found | B.donated | C.born | D.purchased |
A.cheap | B.free | C.value | D.messy |
A.quit | B.chose | C.forbade | D.held |
A.homeless | B.fearless | C.guiltless | D.restless |
A.Ceasing | B.Highlighting | C.Starting | D.Monitoring |
A.hard | B.fun | C.odd | D.core |
A.crucial | B.unnecessary | C.impossible | D.logical |
A.breaking down | B.giving back | C.keeping up | D.pulling through |
A.ignored | B.emphasized | C.mentioned | D.estimated |
A.harmful | B.relevant | C.opposed | D.open |
A.shoppers | B.pioneers | C.officers | D.volunteers |
A.reliable | B.selfless | C.creative | D.courageous |
A.understand | B.satisfy | C.anticipate | D.illustrate |
A.originally | B.slightly | C.truly | D.barely |
A.identify | B.detect | C.reveal | D.make |
9 . A few years ago my sister moved from her home in Alabama to Buffalo, New York. Since moving to Buffalo she’s become a big hockey (曲棍球) fan and has encouraged me to start watching it. Unfortunately it’s very difficult to find hockey on television here in Alabama. Since hockey games don’t air very much on television, I’ve had to look for different ways to watch hockey games.
I often see websites that claim if you go to their website you can watch television on your computer. I try out many of these websites, hoping that one of the television stations is a northern station that airs hockey games. Unfortunately, most of them don’t work. Either the site doesn’t really give you what they advertise or their video player doesn’t work properly. But finally I’ve found one websites that actually works.
Free Tube is a site that you can go to and watch Television online for free. You don’t have to download any kind of special software or pay money or even sign up for anything. All you have to do is go to Free Tube, choose your channel and start watching.
The different channels to choose from are separated into different categories like news, business, entertainment, music and sports. You’re not going to find channels like NBC or ABC, so you can watch the latest episode of Heroes or Grey’s Anatomy but it does include some popular channels like Cartoon Network and ESPN.
There is also a movie section. Each movie channel airs different sorts of films like adventure, classics, comedy or horror and that channel will always air that kind of movies. The movie section also includes my favorite station called Max Trailers (预告片). Max Trailers airs nothing but movies trailers 24 hours a day. Some of the trailers are for movies coming out and some are for movies that have already been released but already released movies don’t go back farther than a couple of months.
So far I haven’t had any problems with Free Tube’s video player either. Whenever I choose a channel the video almost always works and usually loads every quickly. The only problem I have with Free Tube is that there is currently a fault if you’re using Firefox. Once you choose a channel you can’t select another channel to change to, your web browser will freeze up. So if you’re using Firefox, the only way to switch channels is to leave the site and re-enter the site, when choosing what channel you want to go to. However, Free Tube is aware of this fault and is working with Mozilla to get it fixed right away.
If you’re missing some show everyone is talking about like Grey’s Anatomy or Heroes, this isn’t really a solution for that. But Free Tube is a good way to find channels that you weren’t aware of; there are several good stations to be found.
1. The author mainly ________ in this passage.A.tells us his experience in using the Web. | B.shows us the disadvantages of Free Tube |
C.introduces Free Tube to the readers | D.shows us how to enjoy films online |
A.because he is a sports fan | B.because he has nothing to do all day long |
C.since everyone enjoys the games | D.due to his sister’s influence |
A.the author is also very fond of movies |
B.Max Trailers airs to-be-released movies |
C.ABC is a very famous TV station in America |
D.Firefox is the only software used to watch films online |
10 . The cost of living crisis is causing suffering for millions this winter. One in five people are worried about where their next meal will come from. Parents who live near you are burdened with anxiety about how they will afford to feed their children. Families are struggling and don’t know where to turn. Yet while people go hungry, three million tonnes of surplus(剩余的) food is being wasted every year.
Fare Share is a national charity working to get that food to people who are struggling—but we need your help. A gift of £90 could provide three meals a day to a family of four for a whole month. Plus, you may be entitled to recover 25p of tax on every £1 you give as gift money.
Your gift will help us redistribute food to our network of 8,500 local charities and community groups across the UK. You’ll also help people to access other services and support through these groups, strengthening communities and easing loneliness through food.
WILL YOU DO YOUR FARESHARE? PLEASE HELP PEOPLE GOING HUNGRY THIS WINTER | |||
How could your £90 help feed a family in your community? | surplus food is received from suppliers. | FareShare redistributes the food to local charities helping people in need. | People and families can get healthy meals at day centres, youth groups and community cafes. |
We’d love to keep you up to date on Fare Share’s work including fundraising updates. Please get in touch by calling us on 0300 302 3677 or emailing fundraiser@fareshare.org.uk
To give online, please visit fareshare.org.uk/community 1. For more information please scan the QR code.
1. What is the primary focus of FareShare?A.Providing gifts for families. | B.Redistributing surplus food. |
C.Organizing festival events. | D.Offering tax recovery services. |
A.They will receive a tax refund. |
B.They will help run the local charities. |
C.They will be recognized as organizers. |
D.They will receive free meals for themselves. |
A.A travel blog. | B.A news report. |
C.A community noticeboard. | D.An entertainment magazine. |