1 . Italy is a country that cannot be missed on your travel bucket list.

Things to Do in Italy

Owning 50 UNESCO approved World Cultural Heritage Sites, Italy is honored around the world for its ancient civilization and art. Being the epitome (典范) of the western art and culture, this remarkable land gave birth to the Renaissance, which affected the whole Europe, and obviously every corner of Italy bears a long history. Men are crazy about Italian football, while ladies can’t move their eyes away from Italian fashion. Moreover, the world famous Italian cuisine will also delight you. Our Italy vacation packages could cover all these absorbing aspects.

Best Time to Go

Italy has a diverse climate, with continental climate in the north and Mediterranean climate in the south.

In summer, most areas in Italy are extremely hot, with the highest temperature over 35℃. Usually, the high temperature starts from the end of June and lasts till August. August is the national holiday month. Many Italian families will spend their holidays in coastal cities.

During the winter time, the northern Italy is relatively cold and accompanied by heavy snows. Many people will stay indoors. But it is highly recommended to go skiing and enjoy the snow-covered landscape of the mountains. The southern and island areas are relatively warm, with an average temperature of about 15℃.

Generally speaking, the best time to take Italy tours is spring from April to June and autumn from September to October.

Visa for Italy Tours

Italy is a Schengen country (申根国家), and international travelers can enter Italy with an available Schengen visa issued by any Schengen country. Travelers holding American, Canadian, Australian passports, and citizens of European Union (EU) countries are allowed to stay up to 90 days without a visa.

Currency & Payment in Italy

Italy uses the European Union’s common currency Euro (€). Visa, MasterCard, JCB, etc. are widely accepted. But for tobacco purchases, only cash is accepted. Some supermarkets do not support credit card payment.

1. What greatly appeals to female visitors in Italy?

A．History.

B．Football.

C．Fashion.

D．Cuisine.

2. What is advised to do in the winter of Italy?

A．Go skiing in the north.

B．Join in some indoor activities.

C．Enjoy family holidays in coastal cities.

D．Climb snow covered mountains on islands.

3. Who can stay in Italy for three months?

A．A traveler with a Chinese passport.

B．Any international traveler with a visa.

C．Any person living in Canada for many years.

D．A citizen from an EU country without a visa.

2 . After limiting the screen time, the minors in China are prohibited against getting tattooed (文身) now.

According to the guideline, which came out on June 6th, 2022, any enterprise, organization and individuals should be stopped from providing inking services. The guideline also prohibits “encouraging or forcing” children into getting tattoos, while encouraging parents to advise their children against getting tattooed.

“All agencies that provide tattooing services should clearly display signs refusing minors, and ask customers to show their IDs if it’s hard to judge their age based on their appearance,” the guideline said.

Tattoo culture has gained popularity especially among the country’s youth in recent years. They regard it as a form of fashion and self expression. However, tattoos haven’t been widely accepted in the society and they might have a bad influence on people in some situations.

Amanla, a tattoo artist in the southwestern Yunnan Province, said he agreed with the ban. He said, “Protection is necessary. But more deeply, it’s also disrespectful for people to do something merely to be cool without knowing what they really want or understanding the pattern being drawn on their body.”

In recent years, several regions have issued local regulations banning tattoo services for children. In June of last year, a court in the eastern Jiangsu Province ordered a tattoo shop to stop tattooing minors after being accused of using ink containing harmful pigments (色素).

Yuan Ningning, a legal advisor specializing in family education law, said that the working guideline has cleared up the responsibilities between different regulators and called for more education and specific punishments.

“The central government has already formed a consensus (共识),” Yuan said. “But it takes a learning process among the local authorities for the guideline to be effective. That’s the first and a very crucial step.”

1. What should the tattoo shops do according to the regulation?

A．Refuse to serve the minors.	B．Offer quality service for teenagers.
C．Ask the minors’ parents for advice.	D．Keep the minors safe while tattooing.

2. What does paragraph 4 tell us about tattoo?

A．Tattooing has a long history in China.

B．The society has been influenced by tattooing.

C．Young people are more interested in tattooing.

D．Tattooing helps people do their work better.

3. Which of the following might Amanla agree with?

A．Tattoos are not for everyone.

B．Tattooing for minors must be punished.

C．We should learn about tattoos before getting one.

D．It is not easy for the regulation to be put into practice.

4. What can be inferred about the guideline?

A．Those who break the rules will be punished.

B．It has got wide recognition among the public.

C．Educators play a key role in carrying out the rules.

D．It is a long way for the guideline to make a difference.

3 . For breeding (繁殖) birds, timing is everything. Most species have just a narrow window to get the food they need to feed chicks. Now, after analyzing data that span from 1975 to 2017, a science team suggests that as the climate warms, birds are not only breeding earlier, but their breeding windows are also narrowed—some by as many as 4 to 5 days.

On average, the beginnings and ends of the breeding periods are occurring earlier in the year. However, the ends are shifting back faster than the beginnings, resulting in an average breeding window that is 1.7 days shorter in 2017 than it was in 1975. During that same period, Finland’s average temperature rose by 0.8℃, suggesting many bird species are actively responding to changing temperatures, Hällfors, who led the team, says.

“It’s good for the species if it’s able to follow the optimum conditions as the climate changes,” she says. However, the shorter breeding windows mean more birds are breeding earlier in the season—a risky time for chicks’ survival, especially if the weather turns suddenly cold. In addition, because many late-season species are shifting their breeding windows up, that could mean more competition for food and nesting sites early on, leaving some chicks to go hungry.

Lucyna Halupka, an ecologist at the University of Wroclaw, calls the study “a very important paper” because it’s one of the few ways to measure the breeding period duration. For 2 decades, she says, many scientists studying birds and climate change have looked only at the earliest, median (中间的), or mean laying dates for specific groups of birds. However, she reminds that because the study is limited to Finland, the findings may not apply universally; future studies should examine how breeding seasons move in other regions where the effect of climate change is different. They should also try to determine how shifting breeding windows affect population sizes, she says.

1. What did the scientists find?

A．The weather in Finland becomes warmer.

B．It is becoming more difficult for birds to breed.

C．The birds in Finland spend fewer days breeding.

D．There isn’t enough food for some chicks in Finland.

2. What does the underlined word “optimum” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Exact.

B．Proper.

C．Changeable.

D．Dangerous.

3. What is the significance of the study according to Lucyna?

A．It is carried out in a different way.

B．It is helpful for people to protect the birds.

C．It opens a window for people to learn about these birds.

D．It demonstrates the living situation of the birds on earth.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Scientists Revealed the Secrets of Birds’ Breeding

B．Scientists Take Steps to Protect the Birds in the Wild

C．Birds Play a Role in Fighting Against Global Warming

D．Birds’ Breeding Windows Are Affected by Global Warming

4 . Never Let Me Go is a novel by British author Sir Kazuo Ishiguro. It combines science fiction, horror, and coming-of-age elements in a beautiful but cruel story, which deals with the power of friendship, the pains of growing up, and self-sacrifice in the face of a cruel situation.

The book centers on Tommy, Ruth, and Kathy, who tells the story. It describes their childhood at a strange boarding school called Hailsham House, where the children all have excellent medical care but a very low quality of life. The students and teachers also act very strangely. A frightening reality is revealed: The students are all “donors”—clones of other people—who were created to donate their organs once they grow up.

The novel Never Let Me Go is not the only one by Sir Kazuo Ishiguro. He has also written six other novels, a number of short stories, four screenplays, and a handful of song lyrics. His moving words are highly regarded by both readers and critics. He has been nominated (提名) for the well-known Man Booker Prize four times, and he won in 1989 with his novel, The Remains of the Day. In 2017, he won the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Though Ishiguro has written screenplays, he was not the one who adapted Never Let Me Go into a film. The film version was released in 2010 and still stayed true to the novel. Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley, and Andrew Garfield played Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy. I was on the whole a success with critics and was well-liked at film festivals around the world. The movie version, however, could not live up to the book in the end. Although audiences generally praised the movie and the actors’ performances, the film version did not reach the same level of success as the novel.

1. What makes the boarding school strange?

A．It is at a non-profit.	B．It serves an immoral purpose.
C．The students have physical problems.	D．The students are all from poor families.

2. What can we know about the film version of Never Let Me Go?

A．It differed from the novel.	B．It was a screenplay adapted by Ishiguro.
C．It got much praise from the audience.	D．It was more successful than the novel itself.

3. Which of the following best describes Ishiguro as a writer?

A．Humorous.

B．Ambitious.

C．Active.

D．Productive.

4. What style is the text?

A．A news report.

B．A book review.

C．A children’s story.

D．A diary entry.

5 . Learn How Design Thinking Can Improve Your Problem-solving Skills

Join Cat, Jess and Matt to learn how Canva (网页在线) can help you run a design thinking workshop! Design thinking is taking the business world by storm, and for good reason. Teams that regularly engage in design thinking are more cooperative, curious and motivated to create positive change.

Our design experts, Cat, Jess and Matt, will show you how easy it is to use Canva as your end to end tool for design thinking workshops.

In this lecture you’ll learn:

● How to use Canva’s features to run effective design thinking workshops for your remote team

● How Canva’s tools can be used for team ideation (构思能力)

● How to incorporate Canva into your current work process

This lecture is suitable for educators and creatives who want to run effective design thinking workshops. Anyone is welcome to attend. No prior experience with Canva is necessary and unique Canva Pro features will be demonstrated during this session.

Register here: https://bit.ly/36pjkD2

Time:

● 12 May, 11:00 a. m. BST (UK)

● 12 May, 6:00 p. m. SGT (Singapore)

● 12 May, 8:00 p. m. AEST (Australia)

● 12 May, 3:30 p. m. IST (India)

(Please check the time in your local time zone)

We are also running this event for those in APAC (亚太地区) time zones.

Register for that event here: https://bit.ly/3KOTXty

1. What is the right time for people in Singapore to attend the lecture?

A．12 May, 11:00 a m.	B．12 May, 6:00 p. m.
C．12 May, 3:30 p. m.	D．12 May, 8:00 p. m.

2. Which of the following is necessary for people to attend the lecture?

A．You must be an educator.	B．You must have some creative ideas.
C．You must register online.	D．You must have some prior experience.

3. Where can you read this text?

A．In a story book.	B．On a celebrity newspaper.
C．In a sports magazine.	D．On a top website.

6 . More than two billion people worldwide, including 340 million children suffer micronutrient deficiencies (缺乏). But diagnosing (诊断) them early for effective treatment requires expensive, time consuming blood draws and laboratory tests.

New research provides a more efficient approach. Computer scientist Elizabeth Bondi and her colleagues at Harvard University used publicly available satellite data and artificial intelligence to locate areas where populations are at high risk of micronutrient deficiencies. This analysis could potentially help public health agencies to intervene early, thus benefiting the local people.

Existing AI systems can use satellite data to predict regional food security issues, but they typically rely on directly observable features. Yet Bondi and her colleagues have found that combining data such as vegetation cover, weather and water presence can suggest where populations will lack iron, vitamin B12 or vitamin A.

The team examined original satellite measurements and consulted with local public health officials, then used AI to examine the data and point out key features. For instance, a food market based on roads and buildings, was vital for predicting a community’s risk level. The researchers then linked these features to specific micronutrient deficiencies in four regions’ populations across Madagascar. They used real-world blood samples tested in labs to train and test their AI program.

Predictions of regional-level micronutrient deficiency in populations met, and sometimes went beyond, the accuracy of estimates based on surveys administered by local public health officials. “Our work shows a method that allows for identification and targeting of populations for nutritional support.” Bondi says.

“This is a novel contribution that highlights AI’s potential to advance public health,” says Emory University epidemiologist Christine Ekenga, who was not involved with the study, “the authors have proved a method that can overcome these challenges.”

The researchers aim to develop an App that extends this analysis to other countries that have public satellite data. “We hope that this application could allow public health officials to interact with the insights our system can provide and help to inform involvement.” Bondi says.

1. What does the underlined word “intervene” in paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Take action.

B．Set examples.

C．Improve service.

D．Express concerns.

2. What contributes largely to Bondi’s research?

A．Positive lab test results.	B．The cut cost of satellites.
C．The data collected by AI.	D．Widespread AI in space.

3. What is paragraph 4 mainly about?

A．The value of the research.	B．The process of the research.
C．The analysis of the research.	D．The objective of the research.

4. What will the researchers do next?

A．Provide international help.	B．Improve the analysis system.
C．Announce their achievements.	D．Cooperate with public health companies.

7 . Researchers have discovered a unique group of polar bears who’ve survived in the absence of sea ice: by hunting from the ice that breaks off glaciers (冰川). The bears live in southeast Greenland and are a genetically(基因地) distinct subpopulation, which suggests they’ve been separated from other polar bears for around 200 years, according to a paper published this week in Science.

“The findings show us how some polar bears might survive under climate change. but I don’t think glacier habitat is going to support huge numbers of polar bears,” said Kristin Laidre, a polar research scientist at the University of Washington. “There’s just not enough of it. We still expect to see large declines in polar bears across the Arctic under climate change.”

When temporary ice sheets form on the ocean during each fall’s freeze, the bears walk across it in search of food, often by sitting next to gaps in the ice and waiting for seals to come up for air. When the ice melts (融化) in spring, polar bears typically survive between 100 and 180 days without food until the ice forms again. As temperatures rise, however, that period is becoming longer, which is harming the bears and pushing them toward starvation. The bears living in southeast Greenland go even longer without sea ice—around 250 days. But they’ve been able to continue bunting during that period by using large pieces of ice that break off from glaciers into the water.

There are roughly 26, 000 polar bears remaining across the globe. Though the southeast Greenland bears have adapted to surviving in their surroundings, rising temperatures may ultimately cause their glacial ice to shrink, too. As Steve Armstrup, a scientist with Polar Bears International says, the study “is not some kind of effective rescue for polar bears”. While the southeast Greenland bears are able to hunt through glacial ice today, he says, “In the future, that will change unless we arrest the rise of global greenhouse gases.”

1. What do we know about the newly- found polar bears?

A．They exist in large numbers.	B．They have genetically changed.
C．They do better in hunting seals.	D．They survive longer without food.

2. What is Steve Armstrup’s advice?

A．Keeping global warming under control.

B．Moving many polar bears south.

C．Preventing glacial ice breaking.

D．Finding new habitats for polar bears.

3. What is the best title of the text?

A．Polar Bears Find New Opportunities

B．Polar Bears Suffer From Lack of Ice

C．Polar Bears Survive in Iceless Regions

D．Polar Bears Decline With Climate Change

4. In which section of a website can you read this text?

A．Lifestyle.

B．Health.

C．Travel.

D．Environment.

8 . Eleven years ago, Ms. Liivand moved to Miami, Florida, where she continued swimming in the ocean. In one training session, she nearly wound up swallowing (吞) some plastic that was floating in the sea.

That experience made her think of all the sea animals facing similar pollution every day. She decided she wanted to work to make people more aware of plastic pollution.

She began swimming with a special single swimming fin attached to both of her feet. This rubbery “monofin” (单鱼鳍) allows her to swim by kicking both of her legs together. “Swimming without using my arms is similar to how dolphins swim,” says Ms. Liivand. She believes that swimming with a monofin “sends a bigger message”.

Ms. Liivand first set the world record for swimming with a monofin in 2019 off the coast of California. In 2020, she broke the record again in Miami, Florida. A year later, she set a new Guinness World Record again in Florida. For the last year, Ms. Livand has been getting up at 4 every day, putting on her monofin, and going swimming. To help improve her strength, she sometimes even pulled other people in the water.

On May 7, Ms. Liivand broke the record once more, this time swimming the length of a full marathon. It took her 11 hours and 54 seconds to swim 26. 2 miles. The water was rough, and she ran into a few problems, but she didn’t stop. “I got hurt by jellyfish,” she said, “And kept telling myself that it was not the time to cry.”

To keep her energy up, a friend followed her in a kayak (皮艇) and gave her food and water from time to time. Along the way, Ms. Liivand picked up all the trash she found and put it in the kayak. By the end of her marathon, the kayak held three bags full of trash.

1. What inspired Ms. Liivand to swim with a monofin?

A．Her own experience.	B．Her love for dolphins.
C．The increasing water pollution.	D．The sight of painful sea animals.

2. Which word best describes Ms. Liivand?

A．Generous.

B．Determined.

C．Intelligent.

D．Tolerant.

3. What can we infer about Ms. Liivand from the text?

A．She intended to be a top swimmer.

B．She committed herself to protecting the sea.

C．She got world recognition for sea protection.

D．She proved to be an absolute perfectionist.

4. What did Ms. Liivand do in the swim on May 7?

A．She got some treatment.	B．She had a break in the kayak.
C．She pulled others in the water.	D．She picked up rubbish in the sea.

9 . Global Gap Year Abroad

On this organized group gap year, you’ll get the chance to volunteer in different countries. See below for more details about what you’ll do in each country.

Peru

For the first two weeks, you’ll have daily Spanish lessons. At the same time, you’ll join community events to teach and care for disadvantaged families. After two weeks, visit the splendid lost city of Machu Picchu! After several days of hiking and exploring ruins, you will experience the Amazon Rainforest.

Ecuador

Support the Giant Tortoise and Sea Lion Conservation project here for 5 days. The Galapagos National Park gives us access to the wilderness Darwin once studied. The work is hands-on, with the added benefit of learning from expert conservationists. During your final two weeks, you’ll help local children learn through play and teach English.

Cambodia

During your first two weeks, you can choose between joining the Childcare or Microfinance Projects. Both support disadvantaged communities in and around the capital city, Phnom Penh. The following week will be spent in Siem Reap visiting historic and cultural sites. Your final two weeks will be back in Phnom Penh with Public Health Project. Learn basic health techniques and visit different areas of the city each day!

Nepal

Explore temples and markets, taste new cuisine, and discover a unique culture. You will spend 10 days at a local school assisting with classes, and then 10 days supporting our building project. During your stay, you will also have a weekend trip to Chitwan National Park, where you will experience an unforgettable safari adventure!

1. What do the programs in Peru and Cambodia have in common?

A．You’ll learn health techniques.

B．You’ll pay a visit to local forests.

C．You’ll teach local people English.

D．You’ll help disadvantaged residents.

2. What can you do in the program in Ecuador?

A．Support a local building project.

B．Learn about wildlife conservation.

C．Explore a totally different culture.

D．Hike in the ruins of cultural sites.

3. How long is the program in Nepal?

A．5 days.

B．10 days.

C．14 days.

D．20 days.