1 . Your family may love to travel．However，you may worry about the environmental effect of doing so.It is time to take an eco-friendlier trip.We have discovered four destinations for you.
Vienna
Explore the kid-friendly city of Vienna,Austria.Here，you can find plenty of bike-share stations for getting around．The city has a large number of playgrounds and some fantastic museums for children．In the city，there are many hostels run by local people．There is alwaysone that suits your family’s taste．
Volcan Tenorio Area
When you think about taking your kids to Costa Rica，you normally focus on viewing its amazing wildlife．But what about turning to the human activities?One way to do so is to stay on a farm．Kids can take a hand in looking after animals and learning about traditional farming methods．
Khao Sok National Park
In this park，you can show your children a different side of Thailand．Use a local guide to introduce you to the interesting plants and animals．Stay at one of the locally owned cottages．You can even spend a night in a raft house on Chiaw Lan Lake，which runs without electricity．
Countryside of Fiji
Leave luxury hotels behind and head to a village homestay in Fiji．Your kids will learn all about Fijian culture．Your money will go directly to the community．With older children you can join in both sea conservation and community projects，with the help of a reliable organization．
1. Which place will attract people fond of cycling?| A．Vienna． | B．Volcan Tenorio Area． |
| C．Khao Sok National Park． | D．Countryside of Fiji． |
| A．They are close to nature． | B．They are surrounded by trees． |
| C．They are operated by local people． | D．They are independent of electricity． |
| A．They favour older children． | B．They offer green transportation． |
| C．They help protect the environment． | D．They provide farming homestays． |
2 . About 750 million people in the world do not have access to electricity at night. Solar cells provide power during the day, but saving energy for later use requires massive battery storage. Researchers from Stanford University constructed a photovoltaic (光伏发电) cell that harvests energy from the environment during the day and night, avoiding the need for batteries altogether.
The device makes use of the heat leaking from Earth back into space. At night, solar cells radiate (辐射) and lose heat to the sky, reaching temperatures a few degrees below the surrounding air. The device under development uses a thermoelectric module (热电组件) to generate voltage and current from the temperature difference between the cell and the air. This process depends on the thermal design of the system, which includes a hot side and a cold side.
The setup is inexpensive and, in principle, could be combined within existing solar cells. It is also simple, so construction in remote locations with limited resources is possible.
Using electricity at night for lighting requires a few watts of power. The current device generates 50 milliwatts per square meter, which means lighting would require about 20 square meters of photovoltaic area.
“None of these components were specifically engineered for this purpose,” said author Shanhui Fan. “So, I think there’s room for improvement, in the sense that, if one really engineered each of these components for our purpose, I think the performance could be better.”
The team aims to optimize (优化) the thermal insulation and thermoelectric components of the device. They are exploring engineering improvements to the solar cell itself to promote the radiative cooling performance without influencing its solar energy harvesting capability.
1. What is the biggest advantage of the new solar device over the traditional one?| A．It is light to move. | B．It is easy to control. |
| C．It collects more energy. | D．It doesn’t need battery storage. |
| A．The movement of water in the sea. |
| B．The flow of electricity through a wire. |
| C．The fact of particular ideas present in people. |
| D．The movement of air in a particular direction. |
| A．It needs improving. | B．It will need much fund. |
| C．It performs well enough. | D．It has no room to survive. |
| A．Solar energy is a free resource | B．The world needs lots of solar electricity |
| C．Millions of people need electricity at night | D．Solar cells keep working long after sun sets |
3 . New research published in the journal BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine indicates that men and younger adults have been less physically active during the COVID-19 lockdown.
The study, led by Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) and Ulster University, includes data from 911 UK adults who took part in an online survey which began on 17 March. The research found that 75% of UK adults had met the World Health Organization’s physical activity recommendations of 150 minutes of middling physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous (剧烈的) physical activity per week, since the introduction of social distancing regulations. This is higher than previous studies carried out before the COVID-19 pandemic, which found that between 58% and 66% of the UK adult population typically meet physical activity guidelines.
The new study found that women, older adults, and those with a higher annual household income were significantly more likely to meet the WHO’s physical activity guidelines. This is the opposite of studies carried out before the pandemic, where men and younger adults were found to have higher levels of physical activity.
Lead author Dr Lee Smith, Reader in Physical Activity and Public Health at ARU, said, “ The overall levels of physical activity are higher than we were expecting. It may be that the UK public have experienced an increase in free time and used this time to be physically active. Additionally, during the early stages of the outbreak, one of the few reasons to leave home was to take part in an hour of exercise. As well as offering a reason to go outside, this may have served as a target for some people. ”
Typically, the proportion (比例) of UK adults meeting physical activity guidelines declines with age. Therefore, there should be additional support offered to older adults to encourage them to sustain this level of physical activity post pandemic.
1. How long does WHO recommend one exercise per week?| A．2 hours and a half of medium exercise. | B．2 hours of vigorous exercise. |
| C．150 minutes of vigorous exercise. | D．75 minutes of middling exercise. |
| A．Older adults. | B．Teenagers. |
| C．Younger adults. | D．Middle aged men. |
| A．Higher income. | B．Added spare time. |
| C．Concern for health. | D．Better education. |
| A．The more one earns, the less he works out. |
| B．The busier one gets, the more he works out. |
| C．The older one becomes, the less he works out. |
| D．The less freedom one has, the more he works out. |
4 . Parisians have always been known for their courage and enthusiasm. They are very generous and trusting. The culture of communication is well developed among the local people, as they are taught to establish contact with others from early childhood. Here in Paris it is believed that a quiet and modest (谦逊的) person will never succeed even if he or she is very talented and smart.
Visitors are advised to learn at least a bit of French before their trip. If locals see a traveler who tries to communicate using the native language, they start respecting this person and are ready to help. It is worth remembering that even fluent English will cause only a sense of contempt (蔑视) among locals.
Paris is famous for its colorful celebrations and festivals. Various interesting events take place at Christmas and on New Year’s Eve here. June 21 is the day of a famous music festival in particular—this event attracts many music lovers from different countries of the world. All day long, the squares of the city are turned into concert spots, where free concerts are performed. Bastille Day is a very interesting holiday which is celebrated annually on July 14. A beautiful military parade (阅兵) is a necessary part of Bastille Day. The first mention about this celebration was made in 1789. The holiday ends up with grand fireworks.
In early February, the city of Paris is filled with collectors of antique (古董的) cars. The exhibition of antique (复古) cars is held in the center of Porte de Versailles, where you can see antique cars and details about them as well as communicate with interesting people.
Paris can impress anyone with its cultural richness and diversity. In this magical city, something interesting happens all the time. Once in the center of the city, almost every hour you will be able to attend one event or another, moving from the art center to the concert hall, admiring the performances of street artists on the way.
1. Who will be more welcome in Paris according to the text?| A．Someone who is shy and quiet. | B．Someone who is talented and smart. |
| C．Someone who knows a little French. | D．Someone who speaks English well. |
| A．It takes place on Christmas Day. | B．It has a history of over 230 years. |
| C．It includes a lot of free concerts. | D．It ends up with a military parade. |
| A．Most Parisians are very wealthy. | B．Paris is a center of car manufacturing. |
| C．Parisians like collecting antiques. | D．Paris is a city with colourful life. |
| A．In a history book. | B．In a novel. | C．In a science report. | D．In a travel magazine. |
5 . In need of some encouragement, kind words or smile? Try calling “Peptoc”, a free hotline created by students at West Side Elementary in Healdsburg, California, to offer advice and uplifting messages to those going through a difficult time.
Martin, together with other teachers at West Side Elementary, is behind the program. “There are depressing periods when we really needed to hear from the children — their extraordinary advice and their continual joy,” Martin told NPR.
They spoke to their students, aged 6 to 11, about the idea and asked them to think of how they’ve stayed positive throughout the pandemic. They also asked them to recall moments when they received helpful advice. “So all of the responses are really coming from the kids and their own life experiences, and the advice they’ve gleaned (搜集) over their short years on this planet,” Martin told The Guardian. The teachers and their students also hung posters and fliers (传单) throughout town spreading positive messages.
The hotline, launched in less than a week, went viral, receiving 500 calls per hour in just two days. It currently receives up to 9,000 calls per hour. After dialing, you’ll be prompted (提示) with a menu of options, such as words for encouragement and life advice, inspiring talks from kindergartners, kids’ laughing with delight. “The world is a better place with you in it”, “If you re frustrated, you can always go to your bedroom, punch (拳打) a pillow or cry on it and just go to scream outside” are such uplifting tips, voiced by excited, optimistic children.
According to Martin, the children’s creativity and resourcefulness is something that is amazing, because that level of joy and love and imagination is what’s going to warm and save us in the end.
Amy McWilliams, who has suffered from cancer, says she’s called the hotline several times for encouragement and has even shared it with fellow cancer patients. “It’s joy straight from the literal mouths of babies,” she told CNN. “We adults forget that spreading kindness and positive thinking can really be that simple.”
1. What do we know about “Peptoc”?| A．It offers service for a fee. | B．It is intended for students. |
| C．It can help us feel relieved. | D．It assists us to leave messages. |
| A．By offering the callers pillows to punch. | B．By collecting the callers’ suggestions. |
| C．By chatting with those calling for help. | D．By putting up posters across the state. |
| A．Critical. | B．Influential. |
| C．Meaningless. | D．Shameful. |
| A．Students launched a hotline to spread encouragement. |
| B．A teacher gave her students a special calling training. |
| C．A teacher told her students an inspiring story. |
| D．Students were taught tips on getting rid of frustration. |
6 . Here we give you an introduction to several cities in the world that were lost in the past and discovered again after a long time.
Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu is a very mysterious city near the Urubamba Valley in Peru. It was discovered by the historian Hiram Bingham in 1911, and until then, no one knew of its existence. The city has special structures bordered by stone walls. It is said that the Incas built the city and it was abandoned 100 years later. The main reason is unknown, but some people believe it was due to a decreasing population.
Atlantis
It is still in debate whether this city exists in reality. The city first appeared in Plato’s fictional work in 360 BC. And since then, so many historians and scientists have been in search of the lost city. It is believed that the city sank into the Atlantic Ocean. But some say it was an island in the Mediterranean, an island in northern Europe, or even in Antarctica.
Mohenjo-Daro
Situated in the Indus Valley, the Indus Valley civilization is one of the oldest civilizations. It is believed that the science, art, trade, writing and agriculture of the city was in an advanced form and it had ordered streets and proper drainage (排水) systems. The city disappeared because of climate change. It was rediscovered in 1922.
Pompeii
The city, which is situated not far from Rome, was destroyed in AD 79 due to a volcanic eruption (火山爆发). The entire population was buried under 60 feet of ash. It had around 20,000 inhabitants at that time and the city was a quiet spot for vacation for the upper classes of Romans. After its loss, the ruins were buried and forgotten for 1700 years before being discovered.
1. Which city is possibly unreal according to the text?| A．Machu Picchu. | B．Atlantis. |
| C．Mohenjo-Daro. | D．Pompeii. |
| A．Decrease in population. | B．Climate change. |
| C．Volcanic eruption. | D．Years of war. |
| A．It used to be a popular attraction for some Romans. |
| B．Its exact position has been unknown to us so far. |
| C．It was an advanced city in terms of urban planning. |
| D．It is the most mysterious among the four cities. |
7 . Moms try so hard to make sure that their children are healthy. And this means that they try and avoid foods that have too much sugar or artificial ingredients (人工添加剂). Sugary drinks can be one of the main items that moms avoid, and that is because they are bad for their children’s teeth and health.
A new study, however, is showing that a sugary drink in the morning may not be so bad after all, at least not for girls. According to Medical Xpress, consuming sugary drinks before class has been shown to improve math scores, but only in girls. It has little impact on boys.
This was shown through a study that was published in the journal Health Economics. It found that sugary drinks had a direct impact on the behavior and math scores of children in preschool. It seems a little early to be offering the children sugary drinks, but let’s find out what they discovered.
To complete the study, researchers looked at more than 450 children, and the children in the study were given a sugary drink or an artificially sweetened (人工加糖的) drink and then they collected data before and after they had drunk it. When it came to boys and their behavior, they found that one sugary drink did seem to have a “relaxing” effect on them at first, but it didn’t last long and then they were more restless. The sugary drink did not result in any difference in a girl’s behavior. They then looked at math scores, and it showed that consuming a sugary drink had a negative impact on boys’ math scores, but it had a positive impact on the math scores of the girls.
“There are still a lot of schools that sell and hand out sugary drinks to students, and while this may seem to benefit girls, it could be making things more difficult for young boys,” says one of the researchers.
1. What is moms’ attitude to children’s drinking sugary drinks?| A．Supportive. | B．Doubtful. | C．Unconcerned. | D．Unfavorable. |
| A．They make girls relaxed. | B．They help girls stay healthy. |
| C．They benefit girls in math. | D．They supply boys with more inspiration. |
| A．Schools should be careful about selling sugary drinks to students. |
| B．Sugary drinks have attracted more school girls than school boys. |
| C．School girls should drink more sugary drinks before class. |
| D．School boys should drink more sugary drinks than school girls. |
| A．School girls may be much better at math than school boys |
| B．Sugary drinks prove to be harmful to our health |
| C．School children are consuming too many sugary drinks |
| D．Sugary drinks may help improve girls’ math scores |
8 . Eighty-eight-year-old Robert Seaman has been drawing since he was a boy. At the age of 60, he left his job, selling houses to take up his hobby professionally. But it took COVID-19 to fully return him to what he loved to do.
Seaman said, “I would love to go up to my room where I had a drawing table and I’d spend hours up there drawing pictures. That’s what I’m doing now.”
Seaman recently has marked one year since he started drawing what he calls his daily doodles(涂鸦). He spends about six hours a day working on his doodles. “After a long life, I’m back doing what I did when I was 11 years old,” he said. “And it’s great, I love it. I’m so lucky that I can do this.”
Seaman moved into the town Maplewood just two weeks before the pandemic(流行病) restraint cut people off from the outside world. For many months, they could not leave their rooms. It was only recently that they were permitted to interact in common areas.
“The first thought I had was to just do some kind of ‘dark stuff’ that reflected the restriction that we were experiencing and the difficulties that were caused by this pandemic,” he said. “Then it just started to grow, and I thought it would be interesting to do one a day.” As the days passed, Seaman’s art got brighter in both subject matter and appearance.
He sent the doodles to his daughter, Robin Hayes, and other friends and family. Hayes then shared them on Facebook. As interest grew, she began offering the drawings for sale on-line. And all the money earned was donated to causes, including a COVID-19 aid program, a homeless shelter and an organization that helps refugees.
“It keeps me occupied, and I love doing it, but it also does help some other people, which is kind of nice,” Seaman said.
1. What did Seaman start to do at the age of 60?| A．Post his drawings online. | B．Take up his drawing attentively. |
| C．Take an interest in drawing. | D．Keep moving to other places. |
| A．Rule. | B．Cure. | C．Medicine. | D．Care. |
| A．The memories of his childhood. | B．The old days with his daughter. |
| C．The actual situation during the pandemic. | D．The practical experience of drawing. |
| A．To make Seaman famous. | B．To communicate with others. |
| C．To help others learn to draw. | D．To raise money for charity. |
9 . Some Sightseeing Tours
Tour A: Bath & Stonehenge, £39
It includes entrance fees to the ancient Roman bathrooms and Stonehenge. Visit the city with over 2,000 years of history and Bath Abbey, the Royal Crescent and the Costume Museum. Stonehenge is one of the world’s most famous monuments dating back over 4,000 years.
Tour B: Oxford & Stratford, £36
It includes entrance fees to the University St Mary’s Church Tower and Anne Hathaway’s house. Oxford: It includes a guided tour of England’s oldest university city and colleges. Look over the “city of dreaming spires (尖顶)” from St Mary’s Church Tower. Stratford: It includes a guided tour exploring much of the Shakespeare wonder.
Tour C: Windsor Castle & Hampton Court, £37
It includes entrance fees to Hampton Court Palace, a guided tour of Windsor and Hampton Court, Henry Ⅷ’s favourite palace. Free time to visit Windsor Castle (entrance fees not included). With 500 years of history, Hampton Court was once the home of four kings and one queen. Now this former royal palace is open to the public as a major tourist attraction. Visit the palace and its various historic gardens, which include the famous maze (迷宫) where it is easy to get lost!
Tour D: Cambridge, £33
It includes entrance fees to the Tower of Saint Mary the Great. It also includes a guided tour of Cambridge, the famous university town, and the gardens of the 18th century.
1. Which tour is the most expensive?| A．Tour A. | B．Tour B. | C．Tour C. | D．Tour D. |
| A．They include a free tour of a church. |
| B．They offer a chance to visit some gardens. |
| C．They include a guided tour of a university. |
| D．They encourage visitors to know Shakespeare. |
| A．Meet a king. | B．Visit a palace. | C．Build a maze. | D．Live in a castle. |
10 . Traveling to China is the dream of many people but it is important to be aware that the Chinese culture is different from Western cultures. So before arriving in China, make sure that you understand the Chinese traditions.
The eldest comes first
In China, it is a big deal to respect the eldest one in the family. The Chinese have a great respect for their parents and grandparents. So if you are introduced to someone in a place full of people, always address the oldest person first, and do the same when you are leaving.
The host pays the bill
If you are invited to a restaurant by your Chinese friends, be prepared to eat and drink for free. And if you invite them, also be ready to pay all the bill on your own. And it is not polite if you don’t offer to pay it in full if you are the host.
Be aware of the chopsticks rules
Believe it or not, there are several traditions and rules involving chopsticks in China. So never stick them straight up to your rice, never drum (敲打) them, or have them in your hands while making a gesture.
Check if your gift isn’t on the bad-luck list
If you are offering a gift to a Chinese friend, be aware that there are many items considered to bring bad luck to them, such as clocks, umbrellas, scissors and knives. Presents should be given with both hands and never be wrapped in white.
1. Who is the most respected in social life in China?| A．A millionaire. | B．A senior citizen. |
| C．A wise man. | D．A powerful leader. |
| A．Making a gesture by using chopsticks. |
| B．Opening the gift as soon as you receive it. |
| C．Offering to pay the meal in full if you are the host. |
| D．Paying for the bill when you are invited to a dinner. |
| A．Restaurant staff. | B．The assistants in the gift stores. |
| C．The hosts of a party. | D．Exchange students to China. |
