1 . Disneyland’s opening day, July 17, 1955, was a terrible experience. Rides broke down. Restaurants ran out of food and drink and drinking fountains were in short supply... All in front of a national audience of 90 million, then the largest live broadcast in television history on a day that would be known in Disney history as Black Sunday.
But Disney’s story actually started two decades earlier with what Walt Disney called “Daddy’s Day”. On Saturdays in the 1930s and 1940s, Disney would take his two daughters to ride the Griffith Park merry-go-round, which they’d enjoy while he sat on a bench dreaming of ways for families to have fun together. Disney disliked the amusement parks they often visited, seeing them as dirty, unimaginative places run by rude employees.
He thought he could do better. In 1939 he asked two animators (动画片制作者) at his movie studio to work on a plan for an amusement park. By 1952 the idea had expanded into a $1.5 million amusement park proposal that he presented to Burbank. The City Council, which feared such a project would create a carnival (嘉年华) atmosphere, rejected the proposal. Disney counted the rejection as fortunate setback. By now, his dream for a theme park had gone beyond the space available in Burbank. He searched locations throughout Southern California. A 160-acre orange garden, 22 miles south of Los Angeles, was soon selected.
The ABC television network offered $5 million in loans and investments if Disney agreed to produce and host a one-hour weekly show called "Disneyland". The deal amounted to months of free advertising for the park and allowed Disney to introduce TV audiences, particularly kids, to the park.
Disneyland opened then. The 5,000 expected guests increased to 28, 154, thanks to fake tickets. After the madness of opening day, Disney and his new park were criticized in the press. The media predicted a quick and early end. But the public didn’t listen. Visitors arrived in large groups, and within weeks Disneyland was a success.
Over sixty years later, Disneyland’s popularity continues to grow, with total overall attendance topping 700 million and showing no signs of slowing down.
1. What mainly led to Walt Disney’s plan to build his own amusement park?A.His ambition to expand beyond the movie industry. |
B.His animators’ suggestion on an entertainment plan. |
C.His wish to create a better place for family recreation. |
D.His daughters’ unpleasant experience in the Griffith Park. |
A.brought good luck to Disney and his park |
B.contributed to the difficulty of opening the park |
C.was viewed as a financial obstacle to the design of the park |
D.presented Disney with a favorable opportunity to rethink his plan |
A.Everything went on smoothly before it opened. |
B.It spent $5 million on advertising for its opening. |
C.People’s enthusiasm for it increased despite criticism. |
D.Only invited guests could get into it on its opening day. |
A.Disneyland: How It All Began | B.Disneyland: An Overnight Success |
C.Disneyland: How It Developed | D.Disneyland: A Park with a Long History |
2 .
Challenge curious young minds from 9 to 14 with Cricket Media’s collection of magazines. Whether your child is a promising poet or a future engineer, these award-winning, ad-free publications are made for your kids.
CRICKET@Magazine
CRICKET Magazine, our flagship publication, is the world leader in providing the highest-quality fiction and nonfiction to children from 9 to 14. Since its premiere in 1973, CRICKET has delighted and entertained generations of kids with contemporary stories and classic literature from the world’s best writers. ADD TO CART
COBBLESTONETM Magazine
COBBLESTONE knows history doesn’t have to be dull and dry. Filled with fascinating true stories of American history, every page is a living, breathing guide to how Americans lived from the 1600s to today. It takes kids on a journey through history while exciting their imaginations and bringing the past to life! ADD TO CART
FACESTM Magazine
FACES magazine takes young readers around the world and back to learn about important inventions and ideas from other cultures. From common customs to rules of the road, games to housing, FACES uses breathtaking photography and authentic local voices to bring the entire world right to your kids. ADD TO CART
MUSE@Magazine
MUSE magazine is the arts and science magazine for kids from 9 to 14 who want to know how to keep robots from taking over the world or whether animals can think, accompanied by high-quality illustration and photography. Explore the world in a fun (and funny!)way with MUSE. ADD TO CART
1. In which magazine is it the most possible for readers to experience the past life?A.CRICKET@Magazine. | B.COBBLESTONETM Magazine. |
C.FACESTM Magazine. | D.MUSE@Magazine. |
A.They are packed with authentic local voices. |
B.They provide high-quality fictions. |
C.They cover life in foreign countries. |
D.They are vividly illustrated with photos. |
A.A publication advertisement. | B.A magazine column. |
C.A literature review. | D.A blog entry. |
3 . Everywhere I look, there are new buildings under construction. The neighborhoods that I knew as a boy, filled with beautiful old buildings, have mostly disappeared, and in their place, modern, high-rise buildings have appeared. There is good reason for this. Residents want all the conveniences of modern living. However, how can our children understand and maintain their cultural identity if we erase so much of the physical evidence of it?
The arguments for preserving historic buildings are not simply about an emotional attachment to the past. There are also good economic arguments in favour of preservation. The renovation (修缮) and preservation of historic districts can become an economic engine, drawing tourists and small businesses to the area. For example, in Dubai, the historic Al Bastikiya district draws thousands of tourists every year from all over the world. It also attracts local residents, eager to learn about their city's past.
Some have argued that historic preservation is too expensive, but many recent projects have demonstrated that this is not necessarily the case. In fact, renovation of an existing structure for adaptive reuse can cost about £40 per square metre less than even the most basic new construction, while preserving the beauty of the original building. And, although it is often claimed that old buildings have a more significant environmental footprint than new construction because they aren’t very energy efficient, architects and environmental experts maintain that the greenest building is the one that is already built. New construction almost always has a more serious environmental impact (影响) because it requires the use of all-new materials that must be transported, often over long distances, instead of recycled materials that are already on site. We recycle so many other things. We can and should recycle buildings, too.
Historic preservation is an option that opens many possibilities; demolition (拆毁), in contrast, is irreversible. Once these treasures are lost, they are lost forever, an important link in our heritage that can never be recovered.
1. What drives people to replace old buildings with new ones?A.Their dislike of old buildings. | B.Their pride in cultural identity. |
C.Their concern about young generations. | D.Their desire for modern comforts. |
A.Historic renovation costs much money. |
B.Local governments support small businesses. |
C.Historic preservation brings economic benefits. |
D.International tourism promises economic recovery. |
A.It uses green materials. | B.It damages architectural beauty. |
C.It reduces enviromental impact. | D.It worries environmental experts. |
A.Positive. | B.Doubtful. | C.Disapproving. | D.Objective. |
4 . Consumers may soon find meat on restaurant menus that has never walked the earth—grown from cell to fillet (肉块). The product, called “cultured” or “cultivated” meat, is reaching more plates. Cultivated chicken has been sold in a Singapore restaurant since 2020, and recently the Department of Agriculture approved the sale of cultured chicken in the United States. More than 150 businesses worldwide are working to put beef, fish, and pork on the market, too.
Cultured meat begins as a cell from an egg or a piece of traditionally butchered meat. Fed with certain nutrients for two or three weeks, the meat is processed into forms that consumers are familiar with. “Initial research is in a lab, but the meat is made in a production facility.” says Josh Tetrick, CEO of Good Meat, one of the USDA-approved cultured chicken manufacturers. The company has made public their own nutrient analysis, evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration, which reveals that the nutritional profiles of their products are almost identical to conventional meats.
By alleviating the raising and killing of animals, cultured meat companies say their product helps reduce animal cruelty and will be better for the environment. Their process uses far less land because there’s no need to house animals or grow their feed. Cultured beef, especially, could reduce the number of cattle on farms-a significant source of methane emissions. However, some studies contradicted that cultured meat may also require greater energy usage than conventional production. Much of the environmental impact will depend on whether the energy used is renewable and on the efficiency of future production technology.
Given a growing consumer consciousness around animal rights and climate change, supporters foresee a future meat market where consumers will choose between different kinds of conventional meat, cultured meat, and plant-based alternatives. Approved sale of cultivated chicken in the U.S. is a landmark moment, but not yet a revolution. While cultured meat’s widespread consumption and impact on the economy seem a step closer to reality, scientists, philosophers, and the product’s own manufacturers acknowledge years of work lie ahead.
1. What’s the first paragraph mainly about?A.The official approval of meat marketing. |
B.The growing popularity of meat products. |
C.The increasing promotion of cultured meat. |
D.The widespread consumption of cultured chicken. |
A.Initial forms. | B.Production efficiency. |
C.Nutritional contents. | D.Consumption prospect. |
A.To explain the process of raising animals. |
B.To compare cultured meat and conventional meat. |
C.To emphasize the environmental benefits of cultured meat. |
D.To highlight the significance of reducing methane emissions. |
A.Cautious. | B.Confident. | C.Doubtful. | D.Worried. |
5 . For even the most city citizens, a quick escape into nature is always a welcome breath of fresh air. Try looking for an urban garden nearby — they often hide themselves just around the corner. Click here to know more of the coolest gardens in cities around the world.
Sky Garden
As London’s highest public garden, this social space offers splendid 360-degree views of the city. With a restaurant, observation decks and beautiful plant life, there is something for everyone in this city-center escape from urban life.
The BeltLine
In a massive, 22-mile loop (环线) around the city, the BeltLine connects many Atlanta neighborhoods with parks, trails, restaurants and art shows. Although it is still under construction, the sections that are open to the public act as alternative space to enjoy the outdoors.
Jardins de Rubió i Lluch
This walled, shady garden is in the courtyard of the historic Hospital de la Santa Creu. Decorated with lilac and mandarin trees — and string lights in the evenings — this small garden square is the perfect place to sip a coffee away from Barcelona’s crowded atmosphere.
Dumbarton Oaks
The garden at this historic estate in Georgetown was listed as one of the 10 best gardens in the world by National Geographic in 2014. It has both a formal, carefully manicured (修剪整齐的) garden as well as a naturalistic garden — allowing visitors the ability to choose what they want to see.
1. Where is the passage taken from?A.A magazine. | B.A website. | C.A newspaper. | D.A book. |
A.Sky Garden. | B.The BeltLine. |
C.Jardins de Rubió i Lluch. | D.Dumbarton Oaks. |
A.They are all mixtures of entertainment and art. |
B.They are all mixtures of urban and rural gardens. |
C.They are all good places for people to get close to nature. |
D.They are all quiet places for people to enjoy a relaxed dinner. |
6 . Cows produce much methane (甲烷) the world’s second worst greenhouse gas, as they break down the grass. They are a large source of the greenhouse gases that are driving climate change. Now scientists have shown the pollution from cows can be reduced by adding a little seaweed (海藻) to their food.
Recently, the researchers from the University of California studied 21 cows on a farm for about five months. They taught the cows to get their food from inside a special hood, which allowed the scientists to know the amount of the methane the cows were giving off. They added a small amount of seaweed to the cows’ food.
The consequences were surprisingly good. In some cases, the cows produced 82% less methane. The improvement depended on the kind of food the cows were given. Even the worst-polluting cows produced 33% less methane. Over the five months, the scientists didn’t see any signs that the cows’ stomachs were getting used to the seaweed and starting to produce more methane again. What’s more, the cows that were fed seaweed gained just as much weight as the other cows.
But there are still some big problems with the idea of feeding cows seaweed. For one thing, there’s not enough seaweed to feed all of the cows in the world. So farmers would have to figure out a way to grow lots of seaweed. A bigger problem is that for most of their lives, cows live in the fields, where they eat grass. That means there’s no chance to feed them seaweed every day.
Still, as the study shows, something as simple as feeding cows seaweed can help reduce some of the pollution causing the climate crisis.
1. Why did the researchers carry out the study?A.To test the effects of the seaweed. |
B.To discover healthier grass for cows. |
C.To improve the cows’ living conditions. |
D.To measure the amount of methane in the world. |
A.The background of the subject. | B.The results of the study. |
C.The content of the experiment. | D.The process of the research. |
A.Seaweed is not as tasty as grass. |
B.Seaweed is dying out in the world. |
C.Cows fed with seaweed gained weight easily. |
D.Cows can hardly have daily access to seaweed. |
A.Positive. | B.Doubtful. | C.Unclear. | D.Negative. |
7 . Survivor bias (偏见,偏差), occurs when you tend to assess successful outcomes and disregard failures. This sampling bias paints a more promising or even misleading picture of reality.
Survivor bias is a sneaky problem that tends to slip into analyses unnoticed. For starters, it feels natural to emphasize success, whether it’s entrepreneurs, or survivors of a medical condition. We focus on and share these stories more than the failures.
Think about the famous college dropouts who became highly successful, such as Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, and Bill Gates. These successful examples might make you think a college degree isn’t beneficial. However, that’s survivor bias at work! These famous individuals are at the forefront of media reports. You hear more about them because they are extraordinary. You’re not considering the millions of other college dropouts that aren’t rich and famous. You need to assess their outcomes as well.
Survivor bias has even occurred in medical studies about severe diseases. Younger, healthier, and more fit patients tend to survive a disease’s initial diagnosis more frequently. Hence, they are more likely to join medical studies. On the contrary, older, weaker patients are less likely to survive long enough to participate in studies. Consequently, these studies overestimate successful disease outcomes because they are less likely to include those who die shortly after diagnosis.
Undeniably, successful cases are usually more visible and easier to contact than unsuccessful cases. However, focusing on the high-performing successes and disregarding other cases introduces survivor bias. After all, you’re leaving out a significant part of the picture as it’s harder to collect data from the less successful members of a population. Incomplete data can affect your decision-making process. Put simply, survivor bias produces an inaccurate sample, causing you to jump to incorrect conclusions.
To minimize the impact of survivor bias, you should find ways to draw a representative sample from the population, not just a few of successful samples. That process might call for more expense and effort, but you’ll get better results.
1. What writing technique is used in Paragraphs 3 and 4?A.Making comparisons. | B.Giving examples. |
C.Describing facts. | D.Analyzing data. |
A.You will take all factors into account before making a final analysis. |
B.You will overestimate the failure rate so you may quit your project. |
C.You will only have partial data and reach an incorrect conclusion. |
D.You will be more likely to survive in unfavorable circumstances. |
A.People tend to lose sight of the overall statistics. |
B.People are unwilling to read unsuccessful stories. |
C.Doctors don’t have enough expense to collect abundant samples. |
D.The media should be responsible for kids’ dropping out of school. |
A.Leave out the famous historic cases. |
B.Collect a wide enough range of samples. |
C.Focus on those most mentioned examples. |
D.Select some successful and inspiring tales. |
8 . The most beloved bird in history may very well have been a 29-year-old pigeon by the name of Martha. It was the early 1900s, and Martha was at the height of her fame. Perched on her humble roost at the Cincinnati Zoo, she was an object of fascination to the thousands of visitors who lined up just to catch a glimpse. Martha may not have looked the part of an animal celebrity, but she was hardly average—in fact, she was the very definition of one of a kind. After the death of her companion George in 1910, Martha had become the world’s last-living passenger pigeon.
There was a time not long before when her kind accounted for more than a quarter of the birds in North America and may have been the most abundant bird species on the planet. Passenger pigeons used to travel at 60 miles an hour in flocks a mile wide and 300 miles long. Witnesses compared them to a train rumbling through a tunnel.
Ironically, the passenger pigeons’ very abundance may have spelled their doom. An agricultural pest and reliable source of protein, they became easy targets for hunters who killed them in the tens of thousands. In a matter of decades, a bird that once numbered in the billions was reduced to a few, and then, eventually, to one.
Martha, who’d grown up in captivity, had no offspring of her own. At 1 p.m. on September 1, 1914, Martha fell from her perch, never to rise again—one of the rare occasions in which historians could identify the exact moment of a species’ extinction.
Of course, the real tragedy was that the loss of the passenger pigeon was neither surprising nor unique. For as long as the Earth has sustained life, it has also seen the permanent disappearance of life forms, the dinosaurs being a particularly extreme example. But Martha’s high-profile death trained national attention on an alarming new trend. Close to a thousand animal species alone have died off in the last 500 years, and the trend is only getting worse.
1. What caused the extinction of passenger pigeons?A.The loss of their habitats. | B.The worsening of global warming. |
C.The burning of fossil fuels. | D.Their nutritional value and threat to farming. |
A.To illustrate we can do nothing to stop species extinction. |
B.To show the extinction of a certain species is not a rare case. |
C.To explain human activities are to blame for species extinction. |
D.To stress immediate measures should be taken before it is too late. |
A.Optimistic. | B.Confused. | C.Relieved. | D.Concerned. |
A.The most beloved bird George died. |
B.Birds are the best friends of human beings. |
C.The tragic loss of the last passenger pigeon. |
D.The most abundant bird species are endangered. |
9 . A brilliant theoretical physicist, J. Robert Oppenheimer was tapped to head up a laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico, as part of U.S. efforts to develop nuclear weapons. He succeeded — but would go on to advocate against developing even more powerful bombs.
Born in New York City in 1904, Oppenheimer studied theoretical physics at both Cambridge University and the University of Göttingen in Germany, where he gained his doctorate at age 23. Soon the young physicist “Oppie” rubbed shoulders with the greatest scientific figures of his age, and his academic work advanced quantum theory and predicted everything from the neutron to the black hole.
After the United States joined the Allies in 1941, Oppenheimer was asked to participate in the top-secret Manhattan Project, whose aim was to develop an atomic weapon.
On July 16, 1945, Oppenheimer and others gathered at the Trinity test site south of Los Alamos for the world’s first attempted nuclear blast. Conducted in secret, the test worked. On August 6 and August 9, 1945, the U.S. dropped two of the bombs Oppenheimer had helped develop over Hiroshima and Nagasaki. On the night of the Hiroshima bombing, Oppenheimer was cheered by a crowd of fellow scientists at Los Alamos, and declared that his only regret was that the bomb hadn’t been finished in time to use against Germany.
Twenty years after the attacks on both cities in Japan, Oppenheimer appeared in a 1965 NBC News documentary called The Decision to Drop the Bomb. “We knew the world would not be the same,” he said onscreen. “A few people laughed; a few people cried. Most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture (印度梵经), ‘Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.’ I suppose we all thought that, one way or another.”
However, Oppenheimer opposed America’s attempts to develop a more powerful hydrogen bomb. Did he really live to regret helping develop the atomic bomb? No one knows. He doesn’t come into easy categories of pro-nuclear, anti-nuclear or anything like that. He’s a complicated figure.
1. What does the underlined phrase “rubbed shoulders with” in Paragraph 2 mean?A.Thought highly of. | B.Spent time with. |
C.Taken the place of. | D.Made trouble with. |
A.He got his doctor’s degree in the year 1930. |
B.The atomic bomb he developed first struck Nagasaki. |
C.He felt guilty when the bomb caused numerous deaths. |
D.He was firmly against developing the hydrogen bomb. |
A.News. | B.Fiction. |
C.Biography. | D.Journal. |
A.The Controversial Man behind the Atomic Bomb |
B.The Most Brilliant Physicist in the 20th Century |
C.How Oppenheimer Rewrote the History of WWII |
D.How Oppenheimer Developed the Atomic Bomb |
10 . The time invested in kids learning how to cook is time well spent! From mixing and baking cookies to making and cooking fresh pasta, kids will be led by a professional chef throughout the entire class. With safety at the forefront, your chef will turn the kitchen into the classroom as kids learn valuable life skills, such as critical thinking, creativity and cooperation.
Classic Pasta for Kids $119 PER PERSONIn this interactive cooking class designed for kids, Chef Jordan will teach fundamental kitchen skills, including the art of pasta making, while creating a classic spaghetti dinner. This class is recommended for ages 5-15.
Kids’ Pasta-Making 101 $99 PER PERSONExplore the art of pasta-making in this hands-on cooking class for kids. Chef ShaSha will guide you by using fresh ingredients and authentic techniques to make a handful of kids’ favorite dishes. This class is recommended for ages 8-18.
Sushi Making for Kids $85 PER PERSONIn this hands-on cooking class intended for kids, Chef Christmas will guide you in making non-traditional sushi. The rolls you make will have the authentic taste and texture of traditional sushi, but with a unique shape! This class is recommended for ages 5-15.
Kids’ Baking Party $75 PER PERSONIn this hands-on baking class with Chef Adolf, your kids will be on their way to feeling like the finest of chefs. Chef Adolf will show them how to mix, beat and fold ingredients into eats that everyone will love at a kid’s birthday party. This class is recommended for ages 8-15.
1. Which class is suitable for a 17-year-old kid?A.Classic Pasta for Kids. | B.Kids’ Baking Party. |
C.Sushi Making for Kids. | D.Kids’ Pasta-Making 101. |
A.Sushi made in this class has different shapes from traditional sushi. |
B.Students can create personalized tastes from traditional sushi. |
C.The class is offered for free if you sign for it with a friend. |
D.The chef who teaches this class is just a kid of 15. |
A.To educate kids to learn some basic cooking skills. |
B.To inspire cooks to develop innovative cuisines for kids. |
C.To advertise some fun cooking classes tailored for kids. |
D.To inform readers of the arrangements of cooking classes. |