1 . It was Jennifer William's mother who got her hooked on books. As a librarian, she read to her three children every day. “Not until we went to kindergarten,” Williams told the local news site. “Until we went to college.”
When Williams, now 54, became an elementary school teacher and tutor in Danville, Virginia, she wanted her students to fall in love with reading just as she had. But early on, she realized that some kids had limited access to books.
To Williams, the solution was simple: Give kids books. In 2017, as part of a civic event called Engage Danville, she gave away 900 used children's books over three days. Most people would be satisfied with that.
“I was like, ‘Anybody could do that,’” she said. “I wanted to do something that's going to stretch my faith, my work ethic, my everything.”
So she raised the ante considerably by setting a new goal for herself: Give away one million books. It sounds like an unreachable number, but as Williams posted on Face book: “Don't complain in the bleachers if you aren't willing to work hard out on the field.”
In the four years she's been devoted to her work. The Book Lady, as Williams has come to be known, has given away more than 78,000 books—only 922,000 more to reach her goal! And she's not slowing down. It's too important for kids with few options.
“Reading can take you anywhere,” she said. “You can travel in time and space. If you can read, you can learn almost anything.”
1. We can learn from the first paragraph that Jennifer Williams ________.| A．often reads to her children | B．works in a local library |
| C．credits her love for books to her mother | D．didn't like reading until her college time |
| A．Proud. | B．Unsatisfied. | C．Unhappy. | D．Admirable. |
| A．found a new direction | B．set up a higher aim |
| C．made a different decision | D．improved one's ability |
| A．The Book Lady | B．One Million Books |
| C．Children Needing Books | D．A Great Teacher |
2 . It’s baby-animal season in the towns north of New York. But with many of the mothers gone missing, humans are stepping in to help out.
Patrick Moore, the volunteer president of Animal Nation, a nonprofit animal-rescue group in Rye, N.Y., harbors baby deer in his home shower when the facility is overcrowded.
Normally, when the mother deer is away, the fawn(幼鹿)hides in tall grass and remains vigilant-eyes open and ears pricked, listening for movement. When the doe returns, she feeds her baby milk and licks it all over to remove its scent. Her cleaning ensures that predators will not detect a whiff of her baby.
But sometimes the doe does not return-hit by a car, perhaps.
Fortunately, Mr. Moore knows how to be a doe. In his home bathroom, he cleans them imitating the mother deer. Every two to four hours, he feeds the fawns goat milk. “The hardest thing is not letting them imprint,” Mr. Moore said. A cuddled baby deer can easily come to think of itself as a human, too, making it difficult to release the animal back into the wild.
Although he is president of Animal Nation, Mr. Moore is an unpaid volunteer. But if there is space in his own home, he can’t help but help the animals. “People say, ‘Let me visit your facility,’” he said. “And I say, ‘You’re coming to my bathroom.’”
Sometimes, after being released to nature, the fawns return to Animal Nation as early as the following year, their legs broken by cars. Mr. Moore said that it was easy to spot a mature deer he looked after as a fawn. “They’ll come closer than a deer should,” he said. “And you know it's your baby.”
1. Why would the doe lick her baby over?| A．to keep the fawn clean | B．to remove the dirt from its body |
| C．to hide its smell from the predators | D．to keep it distant from the predators |
| A．to avoid their misunderstanding | B．to feed them every two hours |
| C．to release the animal back to nature | D．to clean them like a doe |
| A．warm-hearted and selfless | B．generous and honest |
| C．devoted and loyal | D．kind and diligent |
| A．Mr. Moore knows every fawn in Animal Nation. |
| B．mature deer like coming back to Animal Nation after being released. |
| C．deer saved by Animal Nation are closer to people than others. |
| D．deer can recognize the one taking care of it. |
3 . Between 1 November and 7 December 2021, three locations across London will give visitors the chance to explore a collection of collaborative projects, all working to address climate change in unique and creative ways. All the exhibitions are free.
1 to 11 November: Paternoster Square, next to St Paul's Cathedral, London EC4M 7BP
12 to 29 November: Aldgate Square, Aldgate High St, London EC3N 1AF
30 November to 7 December: Guildhall Yard, off Gresham Street, London, EC2V 5AE
The exhibitions will show the work of nine Creative Committees-global actions developed to provide creative responses and solutions to the climate challenge through art, science and digital technology. The aim for these committees is to stimulate global conversations about climate change and to inspire transformational change.
We look forward to seeing you onsite. Join the global conversation and come and see how you can:
·create green space in your city with Green Space Atlas
·learn to make plant graffiti（涂鸦）with Trees for Life
·step up to the climate challenge with Millipede's virtual shoe shop
·set up a school Eco-Committee with Connecting the Climate Challenge
·be inspired to reuse and recycle with Tales of Care and Repair.
1. If you are available on November 20th, which place should you go to enjoy an exhibition?| A．Paternoster Square | B．St Paul's Cathedral | C．Aldgate Square | D．Guildhall Yard |
| A．It will charge a small fee. | B．It will last for more than 2 months. |
| C．It encourages citizens to submit works. | D．It aims to solve climate change from new perspectives. |
| A．Green Space Atlas. | B．Trees for Life. |
| C．Tales of Care and Repair. | D．Connecting the Climate Challenge. |
4 . Past surveys have shown that more than 80% of dog owners report observing jealous behavior from their dogs — vocalizations, disturbed behavior, pulling on a leash (绳子) — when they give attention to other dogs. New research published in the journal Psychological Science supports these observations and finds that dogs also exhibit jealous behavior when they merely imagine that their owner is interacting with a potential opponent, in this case, a highly realistic artificial dog.
Dogs appear to be one of the few species that might display jealous behavior in ways similar to a human child showing jealousy when their mother gives affection to another child. In humans, jealousy is closely linked with self-awareness, which is one reason why animal-cognition researchers are so interested in studying jealousy and other secondary emotions in animals.
To test how and when dogs display jealous behavior, the researchers presented 18 dogs with situations where they could imagine a social interaction between their human companion and either a realistic fake dog or a wool cylinder (圆柱). The fake dog served as a potential opponent for attention while the cylinder served as a control. In the experiment, the dogs observed the fake-dog opponent positioned next to their owner. A barrier was then placed between the dog and the potential opponent stopping them from view. Despite blocking the line of sight. the dogs forcefully attempted to reach their owners when they appeared to stroke the fake dog behind the barrier. In a repeat experiment using a fleece cylinder rather than a fake dog, the dogs pulled on the leash with far less force.
Through their study, the researchers found that dogs showed three human-like features of jealous behavior. This behavior emerged only when their owner interacted with a noticed social opponent and not a lifeless object; occurred as a consequence of that interaction and not due to a potential opponent’s mere presence; and emerged even for an out-of-sight interaction between their owner and a social opponent.
“These results support claims that dogs display jealous behavior. They also provide the first evidence that dogs can mentally represent jealousy-causing social interactions,” said the researchers. “But there is still plenty of work to do to establish the extent of the similarities between the minds of humans and other animals, especially in terms of understanding the nature of nonhuman animals’ emotional experiences. It is too early to say whether dogs experience jealousy as we do, but it is now clear that they react to jealousy-causing situations, even if these occur out of sight.”
1. Why does the author mention the new research in Psychological Science?| A．To make comparison. | B．To make a prediction. |
| C．To provide example. | D．To introduce the topic. |
| A．To distract dogs’ attention. |
| B．To block the sight of the dog. |
| C．To serve as a potential competitor. |
| D．To protect the fake dog from attack. |
| A．Dogs can experience jealousy as humans do. |
| B．Dogs make reactions based on their imagination. |
| C．More research is needed to study emotions of animals. |
| D．It is the first time that dogs have represented jealous behavior mentally. |
| A．Are dogs jealous as humans？ |
| B．Dogs, faithful friends of humans! |
| C．Be careful about the jealous dogs! |
| D．Are dogs the most clever animals? |
5 . A star athlete at the college where I work recently stopped by my office. After committing a few unforced errors during a weekend match, she was torn apart by self-criticism. “I can’t stop beating myself up,” she told me. “I’m at peak fitness, and I practice hard. How is this happening?”
Many students I teach, like this athlete, believe that all-nighters in the library and hours on the field should get them exactly where they need to go. When they fall short of what they imagine they should accomplish, they are crushed by self-blame.
We talk often about young adults struggling with failure because their parents have protected them from discomfort. But there is something else at play among the most privileged in particular: a false promise that they can achieve anything if they are willing to work for it.
Psychologists have sourced this phenomenon to a misapplication of “mind-set” research, which has found that praising children for effort will increase academic performance. Developed by Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck, mind-set education has entered classrooms around the world. But a 2018 analysis found that while praising effort over ability may benefit high-risk or economically disadvantaged students, it does not necessarily help everyone.
One possible explanation comes from Suniya Luthar, who argued in a research paper last year that for teens in wealthy communities, “it is not a lack of motivation and perseverance that is the big problem. Instead, it is unhealthy perfectionism, and difficulty with backing off when they should, when the drive for achievements is over the top.” This can lead to physical and emotional stress.
The cruel, messy reality is that you can do everything in your power and still fail. Instead of allowing our kids to beat themselves up when things don’t go their way, we should all question a culture that has taught them that feeling anything less than overwhelmed means they’re lazy, and that where they go to college matters more than the kind of person they are.
The point is not to give our kids a pass on working hard. But we would be wise to remind our kids that life has a way of sucker-punching(出其不意地击打) us when we least expect it. It’s often the people who learn to say “stuff happens” who get up the fastest.
1. Which sort of students does the star athlete belong to?| A．Those lacking courage to make self-criticism. |
| B．Those tired of working all night in the library. |
| C．Those believing hard work surely pay off. |
| D．Those overprotected by their parents in life. |
| A．It encourages teachers and parents to praise smart children. |
| B．It has been proved beneficial to students all over the world. |
| C．Applying it wrongly causes a problem for privileged teens. |
| D．Psychologists believe it is the source of academic achievement. |
| A．They don’t stick to their goals. |
| B．They are less motivated to achieve success. |
| C．They break down easily under mental stress. |
| D．They can’t tolerate imperfect things. |
| A．By telling them to give up some unrealistic goals. |
| B．By discouraging them from working hard. |
| C．By choosing where to go to college for them. |
| D．By pushing them to fight against the cruel reality. |
6 . Children think other youngsters who wear glasses look smarter and are more honest than those who don't wear glasses, according to a U.S. study of 80 children. In addition, the researchers found that children seldom judge peers wearing glasses in terms of appearance.
The study included 42 girls and 38 boys, aged 6 to 10.Of those, 30 wore glasses, 34 had at least one classmate with glasses, and almost two-thirds had at least one parent who wore glasses. The study participants were shown 24 pairs of pictures of children. The children in each pair of pictures differed by gender and race, and each pair of pictures included one child with glasses and one child without glasses. The children were asked a series of questions about each pair of photos. About two-thirds said children wearing glasses looked smarter than those without glasses, and 57 percent said children wearing glasses looked more honest.
These findings may help comfort children as they're fitted for their first pair of glasses, lead author Jeffrey Walline, an assistant professor of optometry at Ohio State University, suggested in a prepared statement. "If the impression of looking smarter will appeal to a child, I would use that information and tell the child it is based on research. Most kids getting glasses for the first time are sensitive about how they're going to look. Some kids simply refuse to wear glasses, because they think they'll look ugly," Walline said.
1. What impression may a youngster wearing a pair of glasses leave on his classmate?| A．Ugly. | B．Easygoing. | C．Dynamic. | D．Intelligent. |
| A．Most of them wore glasses at an early age. |
| B．Most of them had one family member wearing glasses. |
| C．They observed children of different ages in each picture. |
| D．They were required to answer the same questions. |
| A．Because the study is carried out in a scientific way. |
| B．Because it convinces them of the necessity of wearing glasses. |
| C．Because it may help remove all their initial worries. |
| D．Because the children do care about being smarter. |
| A．Wearing Glasses, Smarter Looking. | B．Wearing Glasses, More Intelligent. |
| C．Concerns on Wearing Glasses. | D．Wearing Glasses, a New Trend. |
7 . The coffee giant Starbucks is once again a popular search on the internet, and there are people who think that coffee is now replacing tea as the most popular drink in China.But, is that really so?
Starbucks opened its biggest café shop in the world in Shanghai this Wednesday.The coffee giant says this will not only give customers the usual great coffee, but also give them the full experience of how the magical coffee beans get roasted to become those wonderful drops that make up your favorite drinks.It is like the Willy Wonka factory for coffee lovers.The company is expanding aggressively, and opening a new store every 15 hours on average in China.
China has very rich and splendid tea culture.What seems like the most enjoyable thing is to drink a cup of tea on a quiet day that is full of "Zen" spirit. But the fast-pace of life sometimes doesn't allow that. So there are tea shop owners locating their shops in the downtown area in order to provide quick service for customers. Take Heytea for example. It's one of the most highly rated tea shops and it has now opened several new branches in the business areas of big cities like Beijing. Waiting in lines for longer than one hour is common.China's consumption of tea is immeasurable. According to a research of USC Institute, in China, the average person consumes 400 cups of tea per year.
So it is unlikely that coffee can replace tea as the country's main drink any time soon.The expanding coffee shops are not there to replace tea, but to provide people with another choice that they can use to enjoy life.
1. Which of the following statements is correct about Starbucks?| A．The shop opened in Shanghai simply works as a drinking place. |
| B．Starbucks can only be seen in the downtown area of a city. |
| C．Starbucks holds a certain share of Chinese drinking market. |
| D．Starbucks supplies the world with the best-tasting coffee. |
| A．Tea culture is rooted in the hearts of Chinese citizens. |
| B．The enjoyment of tea drinking can only be experienced in a quiet place. |
| C．Tea consumption holds the largest share of world drinking market. |
| D．The fast pace of modern life makes tea drinking no longer pleasant in China. |
| A．Tea may bring more pleasure to Chinese citizens’ life. |
| B．Coffee will replace tea in Chinese drinking market. |
| C．Both coffee and tea will make people’s life enjoyable. |
| D．Coffee and tea gain the same popularity in China. |
8 . Our tiny boat was ploughing through (费力穿过) the waves across the Indian Ocean and I was absolutely freezing.The further we got from the shelter of the land, the more I thought how foolish I'd been to come along on this trip.
The pilot of the boat looked almost 60 but, perhaps because of a lifetime on the open sea in the hot sun, was very fit and strong.I was wondering how he managed to find his way.To me, it seemed difficult enough to navigate a boat without any electronic equipment even on a sunny day.
So at least we were safe.But this was not what we had come along for.A look at the other divers' faces suggested that now they were also doubtful that we'd ever get the chance to see a whale shark — these weather conditions were totally unsuitable for diving! None of us spoke.It seemed too much of an effort.Then suddenly the boatman stopped the engine.He said a few words in his own language to the diving instructor, who immediately jumped up from his seat and told us to get ready to dive.
When I jumped into the grey sea, I was sure I wouldn't see anything.But then ...there it was! An enormous whale shark, slowly swimming through the water.I couldn't believe my eyes — my first whale shark! I hardly dared breathe — I was afraid my streams of bubbles (气泡) might scare the huge creature away.And the other divers were equally awed.Slowly we approached this huge animal.It was swimming quite slowly and we were able to swim with it, looking at the beautiful markings on its back.I was still holding my breath, telling myself that this huge fish was harmless! Then I reached out and touched it, stroking (轻抚) its thick skin.It was amazing how this giant suddenly gained speed — we watched it as it swam away from us, and a few moments later it was gone.
1. While riding a tiny boat across the Indian Ocean, the author _____.| A．volunteered to act as a pilot |
| B．felt regret about his decision |
| C．enjoyed the beautiful sunshine |
| D．talked with other people happily |
| A．kept fit in his spare time |
| B．spent his life on the boat |
| C．navigated his boat at sea |
| D．communicated with others |
| A．To see a whale shark. |
| B．To learn how to dive. |
| C．To swim the Indian Ocean. |
| D．To save underwater creatures. |
| A．Rather anxious and angry. |
| B．A little scared but excited. |
| C．Doubtful and disappointed. |
| D．A bit tired but later relaxed. |
9 . Besides walking the red carpet and living the glamorous life, these celebrities, including Angelina Jolie, Lauren Conrad, Prince William and Kate Middleton and Matt Damon, are working hard to make the world a better place. Read up on their charities!
Angelina Jolie
It's safe to bet that the mother of six has headlined more humanitarian efforts than her acting credits. “I came into this business young and only worried about my own experiences, my own pain. And it was only when I began to travel and look at life beyond my home that I came up with an idea to start a worthwhile program,” she said when receiving the Humanitarian Award.
Lauren Conrad
After traveling to markets around the world, Lauren Conrad and her friend founded The Little Market, an organization that works with female artisans across the globe to “lessen poverty, empower communities, and create social justice”. “We have been traveling all over the world to find local female craftsmen in the communities and sell their handmade products through our online store,” Lauren wrote on her blog.
Prince William and Kate Middleton
Instead of asking their wedding guests to buy them fine china or stock their wine collection, the couple requested that donations be made to the Royal Wedding Charitable Gift Fund. According to the Palace, approximately $1.7 million was raised through their generosity.
Matt Damon
Matt Damon and Gary White co-founded non-profit Water.org, an organization pioneering solutions to provide people across the world with access to safe water and sanitation (卫生设备). “I hope to raise global consciousness about the importance of this challenge and the solutions,” says Damon. “I have four girls of my own and I want them to be proud of the impact I'm making in the world.”
1. What do the celebrities mentioned have in common?| A．They raised a lot of money. | B．They are famous actors and actresses. |
| C．They are contributing to a better world. | D．They are running nonprofit organizations. |
| A．Lauren Conrad. | B．Angelina Jolie. | C．Kate Middleton. | D．Matt Damon. |
| A．By helping sell women's handcrafts. | B．By providing safe water. |
| C．By teaching women arts. | D．By making donations. |
10 . Although May 24 was a working day, thousands of people wearing black went to the Mingyangshan Funeral Home in Hunan province to present flowers and bunches of rice plants to honor Yuan Longping. The top rice scientist, referred to as the “father of hybrid rice”, died of organ failure at age 91 on May 22.
Born in 1930 in Beijing, Yuan witnessed the despair of people who lost their land they lived on in an era of war. So when he applied for university, he decided to study agriculture. But his parents worried it would be tough and tiring. However, Yuan said: “Having enough food was people’s basic needs,” noted People’s Daily. Yuan set out to solve the problem. He began researching hybrid rice in 1964, succeeding in producing the world’s first high-yielding hybrid rice strain in 1973.
More importantly, he was selfless when it came to sharing his research to benefit people globally. To date, his hybrid rice strain has been planted in large areas of India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Vietnam, the US and Brazil. “Professor Yuan was incredibly humble, never seeking fame or praise, instead focusing only on hard work and results that could help remove poverty and lift people out of hunger,” Kenneth M. Quinn, president of the World Food Prize Foundation, told China Daily.
Yuan could make such achievements partly because he believed in the power of science as a harvest multiplier, noted People’s Daily.
The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs mourned his passing on Twitter, saying, “Yuan passed away today at 91 but his mission to end hunger lives on.”
1. What can we learn from the passage?| A．People went to Yuan’s funeral during weekend. |
| B．Yuan began researching hybrid rice in his twenties. |
| C．A great many people have benefited from Yuan’s research. |
| D．Yuan chose to study agriculture after graduating from university. |
| A．University life. | B．Agricultural work. | C．Scientific research. | D．Hybrid rice planting. |
| A．His teachers’ encouragement. | B．His belief in science. |
| C．His parents’ support. | D．His simple lifestyle. |
| A．Devoted and generous. | B．Enthusiastic and proud. |
| C．Bookish and positive. | D．Capable and passive. |
