1 . Every summer, as a child, I spent with my parents the annual family holiday, flying away from our home in the West Midlands to their birthplace in Ireland.
I enjoyed it, but once, I behaved differently and left home. Package tours and long-distance flights became my idea of a holiday. I then went and ran into an Englishman who also came of Irish stock, and we both felt the urge to renew our knowledge of Ireland.
It was important for us to discover something different from our childhood visits. So that’s how we came to drive along the winding St John’s Point Peninsula (半岛) in Donegal, part of Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way, to visit a unique part of the 20th-century history — the Donegal Corridor.
When anyone drives to the point where the land runs out, he sees giant white stones fixed firmly in green grass spelling out “EIRE” and “70”, while the Atlantic wind fiercely blows across the headland and the ice-white waves smash into the rocks below. The meaning behind the stones? They date back to the Second World War when St John’s Point was number 70 in a total of 83 Look Out Points (LOPs), observation stations set up and maintained by Ireland all around its coast.
There lies a bit of curious UK-Ireland history. Although Ireland was officially neutral during the war, the Battle of the Atlantic was being fought close to Irish shores, and these LOPs, staffed by local volunteers known as Coast watchers, passed on information on activities connected with the sea and weather fronts to London.
At St John’s Point, we were standing right under the Donegal Corridor, a long narrow area of airspace in which Ireland ensured safe passage during World War II to planes in the RAF (Royal Air Force) from bases in the UK-governed North of Ireland. The stone markings acted as reference points to aircrews.
Standing on this rough area of land surrounded by the wild and windy ocean brought home to us the conditions in which the Coast watchers and aircrews in the RAF cooperated in a shared history.
I revolted against my family tradition that summer, and I fulfilled my aim of discovering something new and absorbed all Donegal has to offer: empty golden beaches, mysterious ancient stone circles, folk music and crafts, and tasty food. I had fallen in love with Ireland all over again.
1. What can we learn about the author from paragraphs 1 to 3?| A．She met a childhood friend from Ireland that year. |
| B．She explored the Wild Atlantic Way with her family members. |
| C．She took package tours and long-distance flights every year. |
| D．She and that Englishman both had Irish ancestors. |
| A．worried about | B．passed on | C．celebrated | D．disobeyed |
| A．they functioned as reference points to aircrews in the RAF |
| B．weather information from the UK was sent through them |
| C．the Battle of the Atlantic took place right close to them |
| D．they ranked at the top in the 83 LOPs around the Irish coast |
| A．A Global Journey | B．Escaping from the West Midlands |
| C．Happy Holidays | D．Discovering Undiscovered Donegal |
2 . Last Tuesday I took my two daughters to town by car. It began to rain
I returned to the car in less than five minutes but the girls had
Feeling quite sick with
| A．heavy | B．hard | C．big | D．hardly |
| A．looked into | B．faded into | C．rushed into | D．leapt into |
| A．talk | B．reach | C．touch | D．hear |
| A．away | B．out | C．along | D．back |
| A．herself | B．her | C．them | D．themselves |
| A．discovered | B．described | C．disappeared | D．delivered |
| A．eyes | B．words | C．ears | D．heads |
| A．even | B．again | C．still | D．already |
| A．frightened | B．proud | C．foolish | D．pleased |
| A．that | B．which | C．where | D．when |
| A．fear | B．rapture | C．satisfaction | D．embarrassment |
| A．tried | B．had | C．tired | D．ought |
| A．felt | B．listened | C．smelt | D．heard |
| A．pulled out | B．pick out | C．drop out | D．put out |
| A．look forward | B．leaned forward | C．fall over | D．fall apart |
3 . There is a famous study called “the marshmallow (棉花糖) test”, conducted by Stanford University professor Walter Mischel. The experiment measured how well children could delay immediate gratification (满足) to receive greater rewards in the future an — ability that predicts success later in life.
For a long time, people assumed that the ability to delay gratification had to do with the child’s personality and was, therefore, unchangeable. But more recent research suggests that social factors—like the reliability of the adults around them — influence how long they can resist temptation (诱惑). Now, findings from a new study add to that science, suggesting that children can delay gratification longer when they are working together toward a common goal.
In the study, researchers repeated a version of the marshmallow experiment with 207 five- to six-year-old children from two very different cultures —Western, Germany and a farming community in Kenya. Kids were first introduced to another child and given a task to do together. Then, they were put in a room by themselves, presented with a cookie on a plate, and told they could eat it now or wait until the researcher returned and receive two cookies. (The researchers used cookies instead of marshmallows because cookies were more attractive treats to these kids.) Some kids received the standard instructions. But others were told that they would get a second cookie only if they and the kid they’d met (who was in another room) were able to resist eating the first one. That meant if both cooperated, they’d both win.
Results showed that both German and Kikuyu kids who were cooperating were able to delay gratification longer than those who weren’t cooperating. Apparently, working toward a common goal was more effective than going it alone.
“Delaying gratification is not just about material benefits,” says Sebastian Grueneisen, coauthor of the study. “Addressing various social issues often necessitates giving up short-term gains for long-term advantages.”
1. What was the traditional belief about kids’ ability to delay gratification?| A．It is dependent on rewards. | B．It is relevant to intelligence. |
| C．It is linked to social factors. | D．It is a fixed personality trait. |
| A．It is an extended version of Mischel’s experiment. | B．It took age differences into consideration. |
| C．It was carried out on a local basis. | D．It reveals the secret of success. |
| A．Self-control. | B．Reliable adults. | C．Cooperation. | D．Cultural differences. |
| A．Instant rewards bring short-term benefits. | B．Delaying gratification holds social value. |
| C．Cooperation is motivated by self-satisfaction. | D．Social development outweighs personal benefits. |
4 . Opening Notice for the National Museum of China (NMC)
Admission:
NMC is open from Tuesday to Sunday, 9:00-17:30 (no entry after 16:30), and is closed on Mondays (except for public holidays). All visitors are required to book online 1-7 days in advance via the NMC official website or WeChat platform.
Audio Guide Rental:
Audio guide devices are available at the West Hall Service Desk for RMB40, with a RMB100 deposit (押金). A valid (有效的) ID is necessary. Damage to an audio guide causes a fee based on the level of damage. Lost devices are subject to payment of the full purchase cost.
Facilities:
Wheelchairs and strollers (婴 儿 推车 ) are available for free use on the day of visit at the Service Desk. A valid ID card and a deposit of RMB500 are required.
Photo Policy:
Photography is allowed in the NMC collection exhibitions without using flash, selfie sticks, or tripods. Temporary exhibits may have specific photo policies, indicated by clear signs put up at both the entrance and the corresponding exhibit halls.
Transportation:
Bus Route:
You can take the No.1, No.2, No. 52, No. 82, No.120 buses, or Sightseeing Line 2, Tourist Bus Line 1 and Line 2 and get off at Tian'anmen East Station.
Metro:
You can take Metro Line 1, get off at Tian'anmen East Station, and exit the station through Exit C.
1. What happens if a rented audio guide device is damaged?| A．An additional fee of RMB40 is charged. |
| B．The visitor is excused from any charges. |
| C．Its full price is charged regardless of the damage. |
| D．Fee for damage is based on the extent of the damage. |
| A．Borrow a wheelchair with a deposit of $500. |
| B．Use a stroller provided by the museum for free. |
| C．Take photos with flashlight, selfie stick or tripod. |
| D．Take pictures of the collections on all exhibitions. |
| A．The No.82 Bus. | B．Tourist Bus Line 52. |
| C．Sightseeing Line 1. | D．Metro Line 2. |
5 . As a mother who had three kids in public schools, it always bothered me that the elementary school had a voluntary “reading club” in which students received prizes based on how much reading for pleasure they did each week. The message seems all wrong: We have to bribe (贿赂) you to read for fun.
A survey by the National Assessment for Educational Progress found that the numbers of 9- and 13-year-olds who say they read for enjoyment almost every day dropped from slightly more than half in 1984, to 42% during the 2019-20 school year. The trend among middle schoolers is worse. The percentage who frequently read for fun dropped by more than half, to 17%, while the percentage who seldom or never do more than tripled (增至三倍).
Meanwhile, a British study found that reading for pleasure had much wider benefits, resulting in better vocabulary, spelling and mathematical abilities. According to the nonprofit reading-advocacy group Kids Read Now, readers also learn better empathy (同理心), decision-making and social skills.
One contributor to this disappointing trend seems obvious: Social media and other digital activities are heavy draws and can consume hours of time. But some librarians and students point to other reasons as well: As students advance in school, required reading of textbooks and classroom-assigned literature increases. They may be reading more, but often enjoying it less.
Reading for pleasure isn’t the same as assigned reading because kids need to be able to relax with the reading material of their choice. As a child, my son used to finish his reading for school and then sigh (叹息) with pleasure, saying, “Now I can read.”
Parents play a key role in changing this situation, but many may not realize how important it is to expose their kids to books, magazines and the like. Giving older students more choices in what they read for class would help encourage pleasure reading too. The class could make group choices or students could pick from a menu of options instead of being assigned a single book. When there are just a few choices and we spoon-feed them to kids, we just deprive them of the experience of realizing there’s a bigger world of books out there for them to explore.
1. What made the author annoyed according to paragraph 1?| A．The messages sent by the reading club each week. |
| B．The lack of reading clubs in the elementary school. |
| C．The unrealistic reading goals set by the elementary school. |
| D．The way to encourage elementary school students to read for fun. |
| A．By listing some persuasive figures. | B．By providing some research results. |
| C．By referring to some experts’ views. | D．By sharing her own parenting experience. |
| A．It takes time to finish reading for school. |
| B．Parents should read together with their kids. |
| C．The reading for school is hardly fun for children. |
| D．Children have difficulty choosing reading materials. |
| A．Keep them from. | B．Prepare them for. |
| C．Lead them to. | D．Fill them with. |
6 . Hawking was one of the most famous scientists in the world. But humor was always a big part of Hawking’s effort to bring physics to the masses. In his 2010 book, The Grand Design, for instance, he describes how, in 1277, the religious government declared scientific laws such as gravity to be wrong, since they seemed against their belief. “ Interestingly,” the text adds in a humorous way, “ the religious leader was killed by the effects of the law of gravity a few months later when the roof of his palace fell in on him. ”
Hawking was only 21 when he was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis — ALS (肌萎缩侧索硬化). For most people, the condition would have been a disaster. But Hawking rolled over difficulty as if it were just a rock under his wheelchair. “Life would be tragic (悲剧的),” he once said, “ if it weren’t funny. ”
So Hawking made jokes. There was the time when talk show host John Oliver asked him about parallel (平行的) universes. “ Does that mean there is a universe out there where I am smarter than you?” Oliver joked. Hawking’s dry reply: “ Yes. And also a universe where you’re funny.” Hawking liked physical humor too. He reportedly enjoyed wheeling his chair over the feet of people who annoyed him, including Prince Charles. “ A malicious (恶意的) rumor,” Hawking said. “ I’ll run over anyone who repeats it. ”
Hawking’s greatest hit, humor-wise, was probably the cocktail party he held in 2009. It was a “welcome reception for future time travelers,” he said, so naturally he sent out the invitations the day after the party. No one showed up yet. “ Maybe one day someone living in the future will find the information and use a wormhole time machine to come back to my party,” Hawking explained. After all, he never missed a chance to have fun.
1. Why did Hawking mention the death of the religious leader in his book The Grand Design?| A．To enhance the credibility of his book. |
| B．To show the result of going against science. |
| C．To illustrate the law of gravity humorously. |
| D．To question the power of the religious government. |
| A．Indifferent. | B．Positive. | C．Ambiguous. | D．Confused. |
| A．People showed no interest in time travel. |
| B．The party was in fact a joke by Hawking. |
| C．There was no such thing as a time traveler. |
| D．The wormhole time machine wasn’t there yet. |
| A．The Humorous Side of Hawking | B．Great Achievements of Hawking |
| C．A Party with No One Attending | D．The Personal Life of Hawking |
7 . Between the last application season and the current one, Swarthmore College, a school nationally renowned for its academic rigor, changed the requirements for students for admission into its next freshman class. It made filling out the proper forms easier.
Swarthmore is hardly alone in the desire to eliminate obstacles for a bounty of applicants. Over the last decade, many elite colleges have adjusted their applications in ways that remove disincentives and maximize the odds that the number of students contesting to get in remains robust — or, even better, grows larger.
In one sense, that’s an egalitarian (平等主义的) approach worth compliment and a sensible attempt to be sure that no qualified candidate is missed. But there’s often a less pure motive in play. In our increasingly status-oriented society, a school’s reputation is improved by a low acceptance rate, which can even influence how U. S. News & World Report ranks it. And unless a school is shrinking the size of its students body, the only way to bring its acceptance rate down is to get its number of applicants up. So, many colleges methodically generate interest only to frustrate it. They woo applicants for the purpose of turning them down.
And there can be other justifications for what looks like a loosening of application demands. Smith College and several other similarly prominent colleges no longer require the SAT or ACT, and Kathleen McCarney, the president of Smith College, said that that’s not a bid for more applicants. It’s a recognition that top scores on those tests correlate with high family income and may say more about an applicant’s economic advantages — including, say, private SAT tutoring — than about their academic potential.
Jim Bock, Swarthmore’s dean of admissions, said that by lightening the essay load for its current applicants, the college was less concerned about increasing its overall number of applicants than about making sure candidates of great merit didn’t miss out on Swarthmore and vice versa. He mentioned the hypothetical example of a high school student from a low-income family who works 10 or more hours a day and doesn’t have sufficient time to do different essays for different schools.
But will Swarthmore’s applicants this year give quite as much thought regarding whether it is suitable and the right home for them? I’m betting not.
When it’s very easy for a student to apply to yet one more college and each school is simply another desirable box of cereal on the top shelf that he or she is determined to reach, there’s inadequate thought to a tailored match, which is what the admission process should strive for. It’s what the measure of success should be.
1. What changes has Swarthmore College made in the application process?| A．It simplified its application procedure. | B．It lowered its requirements for admission. |
| C．It expanded the size of its next freshman class. | D．It eliminated obstacles for minority applicants. |
| A．respect | B．pursue | C．impose | D．cheat |
| A．should pay an essential role in the admissions process |
| B．conceal the uneven distribution of educational resources |
| C．reflect test-takers’ academic potential to a large extent |
| D．are closely related to test-takers’ family income levels |
| A．improving the school’s reputation nationwide |
| B．increasing the overall number of applicants for the school |
| C．recruiting as many genuine students as possible |
| D．making suitable matches between applicants and the school |
8 . On July 20, Yu Yifei, a medical intern (实习生), made his way home in a subway train after his first day’s training. When a heavy rain struck the city, he
Flood
As water continued to flow into the carriages, passengers’
As more passengers were pulled from the
| A．saw | B．prevented | C．kept | D．saved |
| A．record | B．height | C．point | D．depth |
| A．pushed | B．made | C．burst | D．pulled |
| A．rising | B．falling | C．reaching | D．disappearing |
| A．uncertain | B．unfortunate | C．unusual | D．unable |
| A．foolish | B．unique | C．considerate | D．desperate |
| A．excitement | B．fears | C．adaptation | D．deaths |
| A．managed | B．failed | C．intended | D．hesitated |
| A．tried on | B．got on | C．put on | D．looked on |
| A．later | B．further | C．earlier | D．former |
| A．gained | B．lifted | C．sank | D．ran |
| A．platform | B．air | C．boat | D．water |
| A．stopped | B．continued | C．explained | D．refused |
| A．regaining | B．refreshing | C．reminding | D．replacing |
| A．bored | B．heartbroken | C．energetic | D．tired |
9 . 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. |
10 . Books That Changed My Life
Shakespeare’s Kitchen by Lore SegalShakespeare’s Kitchen not only reveals, sometimes surprisingly, what people were eating in Shakespeare’s time but also provides recipes that today’s cooks can easily re-create with readily available ingredients.
Persuasion by Jane AustenIn this novel, Anne Eliot is the daughter of a foolish noble. Their home must be rented out and Anne goes to stay with her younger sister Mary. Here she is thrown into the company of Captain Wentworth who offered to marry Anne eight years earlier. But Anne was persuaded to turn him down. He hasn’t forgiven her. Anne is forced to watch the man she still loves attach himself to this and that pretty woman.
The Puttermesser Papers by Cynthia OzickPuttermesser, a woman of magic, takes some dirt from a flower pot and makes a half man and half god creature which will make her mayor of New York. During her administration, the city is free of all hate and crime, for a while. The reader who has a strong heart and stomach can stick with Puttermesser to her sad and brutal end.
David Copperfield by Charles DickensDickens showed me what to do with my life. I was twelve when my mother read me David Copperfield about how David’s young mother dies and leaves him in the brutal step-father’s care. My favorite character is the young lawyer who responds to misfortune with cheerful goodness. That’s what I wanted to do.
1. Which book do you choose if you prefer a fantasy novel?| A．Shakespeare s Kitchen. | B．Persuasion. |
| C．The Puttermesser Papers. | D．David Copperfield. |
| A．People cooked and ate unhealthily in Shakespeare’s time. |
| B．Anne and Wentworth’s love story may turn out complicated. |
| C．Puttermesser is likely to end up living happily with her creature. |
| D．The young lawyer holds a negative attitude towards misfortune. |
| A．Tourism. | B．Literature. | C．Sports. | D．Entertainment. |
