1 . It is very important to stay healthy. A lot of people aren’t aware of many benefits of daily exercise and only begin to do so when health complications (并发症) happen. Why then is it important to stay healthy?
Regular exercises will help you burn extra body fat and keep your body vigorous. There are many health complications related to having too much body fat. Heart diseases that are often very deadly are mostly a result of extra body fat.
Exercising keeps you sharp at all times. Keeping your body active also improves the functioning of the brain. Any kind of exercise is terrific. Most sports are excellent for keeping the body in good health, such as, basketball, swimming, bicycling, running and so on. Sports are not only good for your body, but they are enjoyable and interesting, too. There is a reason why most athletes are usually happy. Maybe the reason why you stay angry easily all the time is due to lack of exercise.
Fitness exercises are ideal for strength building. Regular daily exercise will build body muscles and improve your physical strength. They are also important in strengthening your back for good postures. People generally become less active as they grow older, especially when they have small kids that expect to play with them. Daily fitness will help you get the much needed strength and activity to keep up with the youthful energy of your children. Exercising also slows down the aging process by tightening your skin and increasing your body’s metabolic (新陈代谢的) rate.
Exercising is very important and some of the results of not joining in daily fitness are dangerous. Having fitness goals that actually mean something to you will help you develop a controlled daily fitness and achieve your desired result. These are just some of the benefits of having a strong fitness program. Many people ignore them and just begin to suffer from lifestyle diseases in their later lives. Exercise is very significant.
1. What can we learn from paragraph 1?| A．Lots of people are too busy to exercise. |
| B．Lots of people are used to staying quiet. |
| C．Lots of people keep exercising when they are sick. |
| D．Lots of people don’t realize the advantages of daily exercise. |
| A．Fit. | B．Thin. | C．Young. | D．Graceful. |
| A．We can’t get ill. | B．We will eat more food, |
| C．We can become energetic. | D．We will become beautiful. |
| A．What do people think about keeping fit? | B．Why is exercise significant to keep fit? |
| C．What kind of exercise are good for health? | D．Why do people go to gymnasium to exercise? |
2 . Tugce Seren Gul’s aunt and grandmother were killed in Antakya in Turkey’s southeast. Every night, she waits until 4： 17 a. m. in the morning, the exact time that the disaster hit, to try to go to sleep. “I keep thinking another disaster will strike at that time and just wait for it to pass,” said the 28-year-old Gul.
Experts fear children will be hardest hit. The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) said many of the more than 5. 4 million children who live across the area affected by the earthquake were at risk of developing anxiety, depression and other disorders.
“We know how important learning and routine are for children and their recovery,UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia Afshan Khan said after a visit to Turkey. “They need to be able to resume their education, and they urgently need psychological support to help deal with the trauma they have experienced.
Psychologist and professor at MEF University, Ayse Bilge Selcuk, said, “As rising poverty and the COVID-19 pandemic have hurt the country, the stress is chronic, meaning that the tension continues over time.” “For this nation to get back on its feet, we need to find that strength within us and that starts with our psychologyshe added. Anxiety, helplessness and depression are likely to be common and young people could feel anger. ” Rebuilding efforts should include mental health,“ Selcuk said. She urged the government to provide money for training psychologists to be sent to the earthquake areas to stay there. “We shouldn’t withdraw our attention three months later, ”she said.
1. What is Gul’s problem after the earthquake?| A．She is too sad about her relatives’ being killed. |
| B．She can’t fall asleep until another disaster passes every night. |
| C．She can not sleep all the night. |
| D．She is suffering mental health damage. |
| A．More than 5. 4 million children have mental health problems. |
| B．International aid is the main solution. |
| C．Focusing on mental relief should last. |
| D．Young people respond angrily to the government. |
| A．Permanent. | B．Destructive. | C．Poisonous. | D．Unbearable. |
| A．Experts5 Suggestions about Turkey5 Rebuilding after Quake |
| B．Mental Healthcare? an Important Part of Recovery from Turkey Quake |
| C．Healthcare Provided for Children in Turkey Urgently |
| D．Experts’ Concerns for Problems Caused by Turkey Quake |
3 . A bunch of flowers, a box of chocolates and a bottle of wine are the classic moves when it comes to buying the best mother’s day gifts. If you want something a little different this year, we’ve prepared a guide to fine gifts for your mother, grandmother or mother-in-law.
Personalized Chopping Board (切菜板)
From £40, Etsy
Quickest delivery: 5-7 days, free
A good chopping board will stay with you for life. This wooden board is handmade in a Yorkshire workshop, and can be personalized on one or both sides. Sizes vary from small to extra large.
Bloom & Wild Flower Subscription
£104 for six months, Bloom & Wild
Give the gift of fresh flowers once a month, for six months with this well priced Bloom & Wild gift subscription. It works out at £17.33 per bunch. That’s a pretty good deal considering the average bunch at Bloom & Wild costs nearer £25.
The Body Shop Rose Quartz Gua Sha Stone
£15, The Body Shop
Quickest delivery: next day if you order before 11am, £4.99
The practice of gua sha is rooted in ancient Chinese medicine but became the number one western beauty trend in 2020 after influencers and beauty editors alike were crazy about how it made their faces appear more attractive. It involves combing a gua sha along your cheeks, jawline, chin and around your mouth in delicate dragging motions to de-puff (消肿).
Fitbit Inspire 2
£44.99, John Lewis
Quickest delivery: next day from £7.50
It’s a common misconception that you have to break the bank to buy a fitness watch, but this Fitbit watch suggests otherwise. For less than £50, she gets a tracker of activity, heart-rate and sleep, as well as a battery that lasts up to 10 days.
1. How much may yearly subscribed flowers cost at Bloom & Wild?| A．£100. | B．£104. | C．£208. | D．£300. |
| A．Its beautifying effect. | B．Its easy-to-use feature. |
| C．Its body weight control. | D．Its Chinese medicine origin. |
| A．It is water-proof. | B．It is reasonably priced. |
| C．It has a long battery life. | D．It can track users’ activity. |
4 . Set in the snow-covered Himalayan mountains, Nainital’s waterways and forests are popular places for tourists. The road to Nainital is covered with woodlands that elephants, snakes, and squirrels always use as well. Nainital’s wildlife and human visitors exist together in the same place, but increasing tourist traffic causes a danger to some of these animals while they cross the roads. Then on the way to Nainital, an eco-bridge appears on a busy highway.
A forest manager said, “This is a rich forest, and elephant, leopards, deer and bulls move in this area. Drivers can see these large animals from some distance and slow down or stop, but they seldom do so for animals like snakes, lizards and squirrels.” To make things safer for these smaller animals, an eco-bridge was built.
No iron was found in the building of the 90-foot-long bridge. It was only made from materials like bamboo and grass and high up in the air above the road. Workers are now growing grass and plants to cover the bridge in order to attract animals. It is hoped that a green bridge will draw animals to use it. Meanwhile, it is always attracting tourists, who stop to take photos of the amazing bridge. It will make drivers realize how dangerous their high driving speed will be to animals and then reduce their speed.
Although the eco-bridge is the first Indian wildlife bridge for small animals, Indian people have recently worked on a number of projects to help cars and larger animals share the road. For example, six bridges were built over a highway in the Annamalai Hills. These bridges were built to support monkeys in reaching both sides of the highway. On India’s busy National Highway 44, several bridges have successfully enabled large wild animals to cross the crowded highway. Plans for more animal crossings are already carried out in India, including one for elephants on the Chen-nai-Bangalore National Highway.
India has some of the most unique wildlife in the world. Hopefully, nature-based city planning will benefit both India’s native wildlife and its human neighbors.
1. Why was an eco-bridge designed on the way to Nainital?| A．To attract more tourists to go there. | B．To keep small animals safe. |
| C．To protect some rare animals. | D．to prevent wild animals hurting people. |
| A．It is cost-effective to build. | B．It is the first bridge in India. |
| C．It can improve visitor’s safety. | D．It draws on the natural materials. |
| A．Avoiding taking photos of animals when they are passing by. |
| B．Using the new bridge only if it is necessary. |
| C．Visiting Nainital’s forests as little as possible. |
| D．Improving their awareness of slowing down for wild animals. |
| A．Indians’ effort in building wildlife-friendly highway systems. |
| B．The difficulties of building animal crossing in big cities. |
| C．Why most highways in India are safe for wild animals. |
| D．How animal crossing influence wildlife and humans. |
5 . About 400 high school students from Western Pennsylvania and the neighboring state of Ohio joined a heated discussion recently on “China: What Does the Future Hold?”
“It’s either going to turn out really good or really bad—who knows?” said Braveen Ragunathan, a senior from an Ohio high school. In his mind all Americans are connected to China in some way.
The forum was held in Pittsburgh, once a US industrial center, now facing job-cuts because of competition brought about by globalization. The aim of the forum is to help American students learn more about the outside world.
Elliott Blackwell, a junior at the Neighborhood Academy, said the forum let him know more about how China’s economic development will affect America in the future.
Some students, although impressed by China’s economic boom, expressed uneasiness about the nation’s practices and differences from the American way of doing business and politics.
“China is a power coming up, so they might challenge us,” Paul Amon, a junior from Oil City High School, said. “I’d hope that China can be our partner but I think that we’d clash along the way because we’re too different,” he added.
George Riley, a teacher explained: “The view of China is usually negative and I think that’s fueled by the media.”
However, some negative feelings are not from the media. Merri Ebel is a senior at East Allegheny High School north of Pittsburgh. Both her parents lost their jobs recently. The company they worked for said it was cheaper to produce goods in China rather than the US.
“China is just this big question mark. China was just a big country with millions of people that no one really knew about because it was so far away and our class was more American history based,” she said.
For better or worse US teenagers are eager to know more about China, the forum shows.
1. From the passage we know that most US teenagers ________.| A．know only a little about China | B．know much about China |
| C．know nothing about China | D．like China very much |
| A．conflict | B．support | C．cooperate | D．help |
| A．what their teachers say affects them | B．How their classmates behave affects them |
| C．newspapers and online news affects them | D．the forum being held affects them |
| A．Teenagers in the US. | B．Job-cuts in Pittsburgh. |
| C．Cheaper goods in China. | D．China in American teenagers’ eyes. |
6 . Fashion always influences people, Isabella Springmuhl Tejada from Guatemala, one of the first professional fashion designer with Down syndrome, is proving that fashion goes beyond normal limits.
Tejada who discovered her hobby in childhood said, “I think that fashion design is in my blood.” After all, her grandmother had a studio where she produced Guatemalan-style clothing. And, when she was young, Tejada’s mother gave her fashion magazines to read. Tejada spent hours of her childhood reading the magazines and designing paper dresses for her dolls. By the time she reached high school, Tejada had decided to enter the world.
After being refused by several fashion schools because of her Down syndrome, Tejada found her own path. She signed up for a clothing-making course, where she began to make clothing for “worry dolls”, finger-sized traditional Guatemalan dolls. And she created life-sized dolls and dressed them in the colorful clothes that she’s now famous for. This-design experience greatly helped Tejada. She fell in love with traditional Guatemalan patterns and colors. She explained, “I’m lucky to work with traditional cloth, inspired by our culture and representing our country.”
Tejada also pioneered fashion design for people with Down syndrome. She said, “It is difficult for people like me to find suitable clothes. We can be shorter or weaker. That’s why I decided to design clothes that would be perfect for people with Down syndrome.”
Tejada has created her brand, Down to Xjabelle. The new brand took off right away. It made it all the way to London Fashion Week. And the great designer has plans for the future as well. Tejada said, “I want people all over the world to know my designs and to know that people with Down syndrome can do what they set out to do. I want to be able to live on my own.”
1. What awakened Tejada’s love for fashion design?| A．Her visit to a design school. | B．Her family’s strong influence. |
| C．Her efforts to fight her disease. | D．Her work experience in a famous company. |
| A．It proved her ability to run a business. |
| B．It inspired her to learn about different cultures. |
| C．It strengthened her wish to travel around the world. |
| D．It increased her interest in traditional design styles. |
| A．She won’t let her disability limit her. |
| B．Her illness has been successfully cured. |
| C．Her brand is facing serious competition. |
| D．She can’t please normal customers with her design ideas. |
| A．A special designer turns her dream into reality. |
| B．Fashion is closely connected with daily life. |
| C．Learn the value of traditional culture. |
| D．Develop a hobby from an early age. |
Allerton, Liverpool £590,000 A large-area lawn would look at home on a traditional red-brick campus. Six miles south of the University of Liverpool and the “knowledge quarter”, it is part of Allerton Priory, designed and built by Victorian gothic architect Alfred Waterhouse in the early 1800s for a local merchant and now separated into apartments. There’s a three-bedroom duplex on the lower ground and ground floor. The living room has floor-to-ceiling windows and views of the grounds, and there’s a private gate for residents leading to Allerton Manor sports car club. Fine & Country, 0151-947-0810 |
Halton, Lancashire £285,000 This environmentally-friendly home is in the eco-settlement of Forgebank in the village of Halton on the suburbs of Lancaster. It may suit the buyers who have chosen to settle close to the city they studied in. The complex sits on the banks of the River Lune and next to the Forest of Bowland. A two-bedroom home covers 1,050 sq ft with a balcony. The funky yellow kitchen cabinetry is by local carpenters. The Modern House, 0203-795-5920 |
Eddington, Cambridge £689,950 The local government of Cambridge is developing a new sustainable residential district two miles north of the city center with 3,000 homes, 2,000 postgraduate rooms for the University of Cambridge, sports facilities, a market square and park lot. One of the newest phases is Knights Park. There’s a two-bedroom, two-bathroom luxury flat on the fourth floor of the Florey building with no stamp duty to pay. Hill, 01223-607-200 |
City center, Bristol £565,000 This two-bedroom, first-floor apartment is in a pastel-colored, period townhouse on the waterfront in the heart of Bristol’s nightlife, with a parking space, a lift and views of the Floating Harbour and the Arnolfini arts center. Beyond is the tree-lined Georgian gardens of Queen Square in the old town. The University of Bristol is a 30-minute walk away. Knight Frank, 0117-317-1996 |
| A．It has a history of more than 300 years. |
| B．It is part of the University of Liverpool. |
| C．It’s in the possession of a local businessman. |
| D．It enjoys an open and broad view of nearby grounds. |
| A．Buyers can get into a forest conveniently. | B．It’s easy for people to find a place to park. |
| C．People enjoying water views may like them | D．They were both designed by Local architects |
| A．0151-947-0810 | B．0203-795-5920 | C．01223-607-200 | D．0117-317-1996 |
8 . As a child, I was proud of my southern origin. My own voice reflected my family’s past and present-part northern Mississippi, part Tennessee, all southern. There was no sound I loved more than my grandmother’s accent: thick, sweet, warm.
While growing up, I began to realize outside of our region, southerners were often dismissed as uncultured and ignorant. I was ready to leave behind my tiny town in West Tennessee, starting a new life and jumping at big chances in some far-off cities. In that embarrassing space between “teen” and “adult”, my accent was a symbol of everything I thought I hated about my life in the rural South. I feared it would disqualify me from being a noted magazine writer. I would have to talk less “country”. So I killed a piece of myself. I’m ashamed of it, but I’m more ashamed that I tried to kill that part of someone else-change Emily’s accent.
I met Emily in college. She was determined to work for the student newspaper, which was where I spent most of my waking hours, and we became friends. She, unlike me, accepted her roots. Early in our friendship, her mother asked where I was from, assuming it was somewhere up north. Then I felt my efforts paid off and even wanted to ignore the mistake.
Emily is two years younger and she cared about my opinion. I advised her to be more like me and hide her signature Manchester accent. I stressed that throughout our college years, often by making fun of her vowel (元音) sounds. I told myself I was helping her achieve her dream of working as a reporter. Now, I see that it was actually about justifying my hiding part of myself.
Grandma Carolyn used to tell me, “Girl, don’t forget where you come from.” Now I truly understand that. Many things have faded from memory, but this sticks in my mind with uncomfortable clarity. Now that I am grown and have left the South, it’s important to me.
1. What made the author want to leave her hometown?| A．Appeal of convenience in cities. |
| B．Her dream of becoming a writer. |
| C．Outside prejudice against southerners. |
| D．Her desire for the northern accent. |
| A．Upset. | B．Pleased. | C．Ashamed. | D．Surprised. |
| A．To prove herself right. | B．To help Emily be a reporter. |
| C．To make herself influential. | D．To protect Emily’s self-dignity. |
| A．Stay true to your roots. | B．Never do things by halves. |
| C．Hold on to your dreams. | D．Never judge a person by his accent. |
9 . Inspired by his mentor Louis Sullivan, an influential figure in the world of modernist architecture, Frank Lloyd Wright coined the term ‘organic architecture’ around 1908.
Rather than imitating nature or organic elements within the natural world, organic architecture is more concerned with re-interpretation of nature and harmony between the organic and the built environment. It ensures that the individual elements within buildings are put together to reflect the order within nature. Here are 4 of the most striking examples.
Casa Milà
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Year of completion:1910
Architect: Antoni Gaudi
Considered the greatest exponent of Catalan Modernism, Antoni Gaudi was devoted to nature and the Catholic religion. While he originally intended this organic building to have a religious purpose, it is now an apartment building. True to the organic style, it features honey shapes that seemingly emerge from the earth.
Learning Hub at Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
Location: Singapore
Year of completion:2015
Architect: Thomas Heatherwick
Earning the nicknames ‘dim sum basket building’ and ‘the Hive’, the Learning Hub consists of 12 eight-storey towers arranged around a public atrium. The organic nature of the building extends to its interior with features like gardens that are intended to encourage social interactions and study among students.
Falling Water
Location: Mill Run, Pennsylvania
Year of completion:1939
Architect: Frank Lloyd Wright
A classic of modernism and organic architecture, Falling Water sits on top of a waterfall. Frank Lloyd Wright designed it for the Kaufmann family who-though they had originally hoped for a view of the waterfall-came to love the home.
East Beach Café
Location: Littlehampton, UK
Year of completion:2007
Architect: Thomas Heatherwick
Located in a seaside area with an industrial history, East Beach Cafe resembles (像) a piece of driftwood. Forty meters long, seven meters wide and five meters high, it initially polarised locals, but has since been well-received by the whole community. It was the first building for Thomas Heatherwick who previously was better known as a sculptor.
1. Which building has the longest history?| A．Casa Milà. | B．Learning Hub at NTU. | C．Falling Water. | D．East Beach Cafe. |
| A．It remains floating on the sea. | B．It serves to encourage social interactions. |
| C．It was not accepted by all the locals initially. | D．It was originally intended for a particular family. |
| A．Natural World | B．Architectural Digest |
| C．Organic Gardening | D．Extraordinary Figures |
10 . A cancer treatment no longer means what it used to be. Just a few decades ago, the survival rate beyond five years was less than 50%. Now, nearly 70% of those who get cancer survive that long, and that rate is set to rise. Why? Because, more than ever, chemotherapy (化疗) and radiation, once the only ways of cancer treatment, are being paired with or replaced by varieties of new drugs and treatments.
For example, the first medication for what was previously considered an “undruggable” lung cancer was recently approved in the United States, Canada, Europe and the U.K. And a brand-new precise chemotherapy drug delivered directly to breast cancer cells is giving hope to patients with the HER 2-positive form of the disease.
Another discovery has been the promise of a treatment called immunotherapy, as researchers around the world have discovered ways to use the body’s own immune (免疫) system to battle cancer cells.
Also driving hope is a focus on prevention. Decades of research and public education have led to greater awareness of how lifestyle changes can reduce our risk of developing cancer. According to an article from the journal Pharmaceutical Research and published by the National Institutes of Health, 90% to 95% of cancers can be owed to environment and lifestyle, rather than to genetic (基因的) factors.
Employing vaccines (疫苗) is another effective way of prevention. Take the mRNA cancer vaccines for example. The speedy development of COVID-19 vaccines was thanks to foundations already laid by researchers who had been working for years to create mRNA vaccines to fight cancer. These vaccines use a specially programmed molecule (分子) to activate an immune response in the body’s cells. Unlike the COVID-19 vaccines designed to help protect billions of people, each cancer mRNA vaccine is tailored to treat a single patient’s cancer.
In fact, this personalized approach can be made for everyone, and for every cancer.
1. Why is the survival rate beyond five years rising now?| A．Because new drugs and treatments have come out. |
| B．Because chemotherapy and radiation get advanced. |
| C．Because new drugs have been paired with old ones. |
| D．Because new treatments have replaced the old ones. |
| A．All the cancers are not related to genetic factors. |
| B．Most cancers have no relationship with lifestyle. |
| C．A focus on prevention is our only hope to deal with cancer. |
| D．All cancers have relationship with environment and lifestyle. |
| A．The COVID-19 vaccines can be used to fight some cancers. |
| B．One cancer mRNA vaccine can’t be used for another cancer. |
| C．One cancer mRNA vaccine can be used to treat patients of the same cancer. |
| D．The COVID-19 vaccines were created from previous cancer mRNA vaccines. |
| A．A diary entry. | B．A news report. |
| C．A book review. | D．A science fiction. |
