1 . A bicycle may be seen by most people as just another vehicle(交通工具), but for many Londoners, cycling is a way of life. According to a UK government survey in 2020, about 570,000 bike journeys were made every day in London. In fact, almost half of the vehicles that pass over London Bridge each day are bikes.
London introduced a public bike-sharing system in 2010. “There can be no doubt that our trusty bicycles have changed that way people get around our great city,” Johnson told The Guardian.
In London, bikes are used for more than just taking short trips to and from the subway. NO matter where you want to go in the city, riding a bike is usually the quickest and easiest choice.
And it’s not just shared bikes that the government is encouraging people to ride. In many companies across the UK, the UK government’s Cycle to Work scheme(计划) allows workers to buy a brand new bike without having to pay any tax (税). This means that it’s common to see many people cycling to and from work, and some employers even provide showers and lockers in the workplaces for their workers. More importantly, a cycle-friendly boss may let you off for being late if you ride a bike to work.
Not only is it great for the environment and our body, cycling is also good for the mind. According to National Geographic, “Bike riding can improve people’s happiness.”
1. How does the author show the popularity of cycling in London?| A．By using numbers. | B．By giving examples. |
| C．By making comparisons. | D．By using famous sayings. |
| A．Disappointed. | B．Concerned. | C．Supportive. | D．Uninterested. |
| A．Free bike-sharing services. | B．Showers and lockers in workplaces. |
| C．Shorter working hours. | D．Tax-free bikes. |
| A．Cycling, a healthy way of life. |
| B．How cycling has become popular in London. |
| C．Why Londoners are encouraged to ride bikes. |
| D．London’s public bike-sharing system. |
2 . A few years ago, I took a sightseeing trip to Washington D. C.. I saw many of our nation’s treasures, and I also saw a lot of unfortunate people like beggars and homeless folks in the streets.
Standing outside the Ronald Reagan Center, I heard a voice say, "Can you help me?" When I turned around, I saw an elderly blind woman with her hand extended. In a natural reaction, I reached into my pocket, pulled out all of my loose change and placed it in her hand. I didn’t even look at her. I was annoyed at being bothered by a beggar.
But the blind woman smiled and said, "I don’t want your money. I just need help finding the post office."
Immediately, I realized what I had done. I acted with prejudice—I judged a person simply for what I thought she was.
The thing I had forgotten about myself is that I am an immigrant. I left Honduras and arrived in America at the age of 15. Through the years, I have been a dishwasher, cashier, mechanic and pizza delivery driver among many other jobs, and finally I became a network engineer.
In my own life, I have experienced many open acts of prejudice. I remember a time, at age 17—I was a busboy, and I heard a father tell his little boy that if he did not do well at school, he would end up like me.
But now, living in my American middle-class lifestyle, it is too easy to forget my past, to forget who I am and where I have been, and to lose sight of where I want to be going. That blind woman on the street of Washington D. C. cured me of my blindness. She reminded me to always keep my eyes and heart open.
1. When the author came to America at first________.| A．he usually did some work with a little payment. | B．he used to beg for some money on the street. |
| C．he lived a comfortable life as a network engineer. | D．he was respected by others all the time. |
| A．That he gave all his change to the blind woman. |
| B．That he came to Washington D. |
| C．That he didn’t tell the woman the way to the post office. |
| D．The way he treated the blind woman. |
| A．to encourage his son to make a living by himself | B．his son to become a busboy in the future |
| C．his son to work harder at school | D．to remind his son to depend on himself at school |
| A．He disliked being bothered by beggars. |
| B．He once suffered a lot. |
| C．The blind woman didn’t beg for money at that time. |
| D．He was happy to give away his money to beggars. |
3 . The Forbidden City is well known for being full of Chinese cultural and historical relics. But Masters in the Forbidden City（《我在故宫修文物》）does not just focus on the stories of the past.
Instead, the documentary movie, which came out in Chinese cinemas on Dec. 16, focuses on ordinary people-the restorers（修复者）of relics and antiquities（古董）.
The stories are told at a slow and relaxed pace, reflecting the restorers’ work. Restoration of cultural relics and antiques can be time-consuming, and sometimes boring. Yet these restorers’ patience and peace of mind are especially precious in a society where everything is changing so fast.
“If you choose this job, you have to stand hours of work sitting on a chair. You need to be quiet and get used to being quiet,” says Wang Jin, an ancient clock repair expert.
A touching part of the documentary is the spirit of craftsmanship（工艺）in the restorers. “Years of humdrum work requires not only skill, but also faith and spirit,” China Daily commented. “Looking for preciseness and perfection, devoting yourself to work, patience, endurance（忍耐）, loneliness…All these qualities come from the craftsman spirit. ”
But unlike the popular idea of serious experts who sit around being serious, the documentary shows off the enthusiasm of the restorers. They play their guitars and make jokes about each other after a long day of restoration work.
One scene that has been very popular with Internet users features a young female restorer riding a bicycle through the empty Forbidden City on a Monday. While she is doing this, a narrator says, “The last person to do this was Puyi, the last emperor of the Oing Dynasty.”
Masters in the Forbidden City has proved wrong many people’s ideas about antique restorers, allowing them to realize that they are not old, dull professors, but people in their 40s, 30s and even 20s who can be quite pleasing to the eye.
1. According to the text, what’s the main purpose of the documentary Masters in the Forbidden City?| A．To show people how antiques are restored |
| B．To display relics seldom seen by ordinary people |
| C．To draw attention to Chinese antique restorers’ lives |
| D．To praise the craftsmanship of Chinese antique restorers |
| A．He often gets tired with his work | B．There is no need to do restoration work fast |
| C．Antique restorers need to be patient and peaceful | D．It takes years of hard work to adapt to antique restoration |
| A．Boring | B．Different | C．Relaxing | D．Unusual |
| A．To remind the audience of the last Qing emperor |
| B．To show the strange hobbies of young antique restorers |
| C．To encourage the young to consider a career in antique restoration in the future |
| D．To show that the documentary breaks from the old, dull image of antique restorers |
4 . Smart Kids is a collection of one hundred events scheduled in October. This year, it is experimenting with Pay What You Decide (PWYD). That is, you can decide to pay what you want to or can afford, after you have attended an event. You can pre-book events without paying for a ticket in advance. Here are some of the director’s picks.
Walk on the Wild Side
Not ticketed, Free
Join storyteller Sarah Law to hear science stories about animals. Along the way you’ll meet all sorts of beautiful creatures and discover life cycles and food chains. Best suited to children aged 5-9. Children under 8 must be accompanied by an adult.
Introduction to Waves
Pre-book, PWYD
Subjects range from sound waves to gravity waves, and from waves of light to crashing waves on the ocean. Mike Goldsmith explores the fundamental features shared by all waves in the natural world.
Science in the Field
Not ticketed, Free
This storytelling night features a scientist sharing his favourite memories of gathering first-hand data on various field trips. Come along for inspiring and informative stories straight from the scientist’s mouth. Join Mark Samuels to find out more in this fun-filled workshop.
Festival Dinner
Pre-book, £25 per person
Whether you want to explore more about food, or just fancy a talk over a meal, join us to mark the first science festival in London. Which foods should you eat to trick your brain into thinking that you are full? Find out more from Tom Crawford.
1. In which event can you decide the payment?| A．Introduction to Waves. | B．Walk on the Wild Side. |
| C．Science in the Field. | D．Festival Dinner. |
| A．Mike Goldsmith. | B．Sarah Law. |
| C．Mark Samuels. | D．Tom Crawford. |
| A．Family-based. | B．Science-related. |
| C．Picked by children. | D．Filled with adventures. |
5 . In all the world's cultures, people sing, play instruments, and celebrate with music. It plays such an important role in our lives that all fields focus on its study, including one looking at the biology of music. Experts find that because of the way our brains process music, learning to play an instrument or just listening to music can have a wide range of benefits.
Music education has received a lot of attention. Learning to play an instrument can help children improve math, science, and language skills. One study in Canada tracked children's IQ scores for nine months, discovering that children who studied music had the biggest test score improvements. The secret may lie in the way reading music and playing notes use several areas of the brain, increasing our ability to learn school subjects. For example, reading notes improves spatial (空间的) reasoning skills, which are helpful in solving math problems like fractions (分数).
Music is also used for medical purposes, such as the treatment of diseases which affect memories. The secret lies in the way the brain processes music. One area near the forehead, the medial prefrontal cortex(脑前额叶外皮), connects music with memories stored in two other areas: the amygdale(杏仁核) and hippocampus(海马体). That's why an old song can remind you of something that happened years ago. For patients suffering from diseases like Alzheimer's, listening to music can help unlock buried memories by strengthening musical pathways to memories.
With the evidence of music's benefits, it's no wonder some countries make music study a part of their education systems. People are recognizing that more than just a form of entertainment, music is also great for the brain.
1. According to the Canadian study, which children increased IQ scores?| A．Those who already had high IQ scores. |
| B．Those who had always played music. |
| C．Those who could not play any instrument. |
| D．Those who studied music for a period of time. |
| A．Spatial reasoning. |
| B．Alzheimer's. |
| C．The amygdale and hippocampus. |
| D．The medial prefrontal cortex. |
| A．Music and health |
| B．Music and education |
| C．Music and the mind |
| D．Music and instruments |
| A．music can be used for medical treatments |
| B．music plays a very important role in our lives |
| C．our brains can process music in different ways |
| D．music education has received a lot of attention |
6 . A popular saying goes, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." However, that's not really true. Words have the power to build us up or tear us down. It doesn't matter if the words come from someone 's else or ourselves- -the positive and negative effects are just as lasting.
We all talk to ourselves sometimes. We 're usually too embarrassed to admit it, though. In fact, we really shouldn't be because more and more experts believe talking to ourselves out loud is a healthy habit.
This“self-talk" helps us motivate (激励) ourselves, remember things, solve problems, and calm ourselves down. Be aware, though, that as much as 77% of self-talk tends to be negative. So in order lo stay positive, we should only speak words of encouragement to ourselves. We should also be quick to give ourselves a pat on the back. The next time you finish a project, do well in a test, or finally clean your room, join me in saying“Good job!"
Often, words come out of our mouths without us thinking about the effect they will have. But we should be aware that our words cause certain responses in others. For example, when returning an item to a store, we might use warm, friendly language during the exchange. And the clerk will probably respond in a similar manner. Or harsh (刻薄的) and critical language will most likely cause the clerk to be defensive.
Words possess power because of their lasting effect. Many of us regret something we once said. And we remember unkind words said to us! Before speaking. we should always ask ourselves: Is it loving? Is it needed? If what we want to say doesn't pass this test, then it's better left unsaid.
Words possess power: both positive and negative. Those around us receive encouragement when we speak positively. We can offer hope, build self-esteem (自尊) and motivate others to do their best. Negative words destroy all those things. Will we use our words to hurt or to heal? The choice is ours.
1. The main idea of the first paragraph is that| A．negative words may let us down |
| B．inspiring words give us confidence |
| C．words have a lasting effect on us |
| D．not sticks and stones but words will hurt us |
| A．we can benefit from talking to ourselves |
| B．talking to ourselves always gives us courage |
| C．almost everybody has the habit of talking to themselves |
| D．it does no harm to have “self-talk" when we are alone |
| A．remind ourselves |
B．give ourselves amusement |
| C．make ourselves relaxed |
| D．praise ourselves |
| A．encouraging words are sure to lead to kind offers |
| B．it is better to think twice before talking to others |
| C．people tend to remember friendly words |
| D．negative words may inspire us to make more progress |
7 . Many college students turn to ADHD（注意缺陷障碍）medicine during the exam week, which is regarded as “smart drugs” that will help their academic（学术的）performance. The thinking is that if the drugs help students with ADHD improve their focus, they should provide the same benefit for people who don’t have the disorder.
But a new study shows that drugs can actually damage brain function of healthy students who take the drug hoping to boost their intelligence. “It’s not a smart drug which will suddenly improve their ability to understand information they read,” said Lisa Weyandt, a professor at the University of Rhode Island.
To test whether this effect is real or not, researchers organized 13 students to take part in two five-hour study sessions（一段时间）in the lab. The students took the standard 30mg ADHD drugs before one session, and a sugar pill before the other. Students on ADHD drugs did experience an increase in their blood pressure and heart rates. “The medicine was having an effect on their brain,” Weyandt said. The students also showed an improvement in their ability to focus, the researchers found.
However, students on ADHD drugs experienced no improvement in reading comprehension, reading fluency or knowledge reviews, compared to when they’d taken a sugar pill. “We read aloud stories to them and asked them to recall information from the stories, ”she said. “That didn’t improve.”
Worse, the ADHD drug actually harms students’ memory. It’s often misused because people pull all-nighters and they’re tired, and they think it’s going to keep them awake. Maybe it does, but it’s certainly not going to help their academic work. The brain is still developing until the mid to late 20s. It’s important to keep it healthy. There’s also a chance that ADHD drugs could endanger a student’s heart health.
1. Why do some college students take ADHD drugs?| A．To improve their sleeping. | B．To get higher marks. |
| C．To make them feel relaxed. | D．To treat brain disorder. |
| A．Analyze. | B．Affect. |
| C．Improve. | D．Understand. |
| A．They became more focused. |
| B．Their blood pressure was reduced. |
| C．Their reading fluency was greatly raised. |
| D．They could remember better and more quickly. |
| A．In a drug instruction. | B．In a biology textbook. |
| C．In a travel magazine. | D．In a news report. |
8 . Short stories for kids can provide them with a lot of fun and entertainment and also teach them the important values of life.
There are some popular short stories around the world, For example, The Ugly Duckling, written by Hans Christian Anderson, which is based on the change of an ugly duckling into a beautiful swan, is one of the most inspiring short stories for children. Then there is The Boy Who Cried Wolf, a classic Aesop’s fable which shows kids the importance of always telling the truth. Little Red Riding Hood, which is written by the Brothers Grimm, tells kids about a strong and brave girl called Little Red Riding Hood and how she fights with an evil wolf to save her grandmother. Here are some examples of different types of short stories.
Ghost stories can be really entertaining and most kids enjoy them. While telling such kinds of stories, you should raise and lower your voice properly and make expressions suitable to what is happening in the story.
Historical stories can help children understand the lives of great leaders and heroes of the past. This will not only help show useful values to children, but also help them perform better in the subject of history.
In stories related to nature, you would be describing famous rivers, mountains and seas. Tell kids what nature has given us and how we should protect it for our own good.
Short stories not only keep kids entertained, but they also help to develop their sense of imagination and creative way of thinking. You can also make up some short stories of your own and spend some quality time with your kids.
1. What can we learn from Para.2?| A．The Ugly Duckling tells us about a strong and brave girl. |
| B．Little Red Riding Hood is the most inspiring short stories. |
| C．The Ugly Duckling is written by the Brothers Grimm. |
| D．The Boy Who Cried Wolf shows the importance of telling the truth. |
| A．Uninterested. | B．Supportive. | C．Doubtful. | D．Disappointed. |
| A．parents | B．teachers | C．children | D．students |
| A．The useful values of historical stories. |
| B．Some famous writers of short stories. |
| C．A brief introduction to short stories. |
| D．The protection of famous rivers. |
9 . A new device works like a solar panel, except that it doesn't harvest energy from the sun. It absorbs energy from the cold night sky.
A prototype(原型)of the device produced enough electricity at night to power a small light bulb. A bigger version might one day light rooms or charge phones. It also could power electronics in remote or low-resource areas that lack electricity.
The device makes use of the temperature difference between Earth and outer space.It then uses that difference to create electricity. As long as one side of it is cooler than the other, the generator can produce electricity.The cooler side faces the sky and is attached to an aluminum plate. That plate is sealed beneath a transparent(透明的)cover and surrounded with insulation(隔热材料)to keep out heat.The bottom of the generator is attached to an exposed aluminum plate. That plate is warmed by the local air. At night, the top plate can get a couple of degrees Celsius cooler than the bottom of the generator.
Researchers tested a 20-centimeter prototype one clear December night in Stanford,California. The generator produced up to about 25 milliwatts of power per square meter of device. That was enough power to light a small light-emitting diode, or LED bulb. Further improvements might increase its production to at least 500 milliwatts per square meter. To do that, the system might need more insulation around the cool top plate.
The device also could help power remote weather stations or other environmental devices,says Aaswath Raman. He is a materials scientist who worked on the device at the University of California, Los Angeles. This may be useful in polar regions that don't see sunlight for months at a time,Raman says. “If you have some low-power load and you need to power it through three months of darkness, this might be a way.”
1. What can we know about the new device?| A．It gains energy from the sun. | B．It 's been widely used in life. |
| C．It is cooler than a solar panel. | D．It'll be popular in special areas. |
| A．Application fields of the device. | B．The developing process of the device. |
| C．The working principle of the device. | D．Significant effects of the device. |
| A．By putting more insulation around the top plate. |
| B．By using it in extremely cold and clear nights. |
| C．By making its bottom cooler than the top plate. |
| D．By powering remote environmental devices. |
| A．A Device Using the Cold Night Sky to Produce Electricity |
| B．A Device Bringing New Hope for Those in the Cold Night |
| C．The Difference Between a Solar Panel and a New Device |
| D．The Temperature Difference Between Earth and Outer Space |
10 . A rainforest is an area covered by tall trees with the total high rainfall spreading（扩大） quite equally through the year and the temperature rarely falling below 16°C. Rainforests have a great influence on the world environment because they can take in heat from the sun and adjust the climate.
Without the forest cover, these areas would reflect（反射）more heat into the atmosphere, warming the rest of the world. Losing the rainforests may also influence wind and rainfall patterns，potentially（潜 在地） causing certain natural disasters all over the world.
In the past hundred years, humans have begun destroying rainforests in search of three major resources ： land for crops, wood for paper and other products, land for raising farm animals. This action affects the environment as a whole. For example, a lot of carbon dioxide in the air comes from burning the rainforests. People obviously have a need for the resources we gain from cutting trees but we will suffer much more than we will benefit.
There are two main reasons for this. Firstly, when people cut down trees, generally they can only use the land for a year or two. Secondly, cutting large sections of rainforests may provide a good supply of wood right now, but in the long run it actually reduces the world’s wood supply. Rainforests are often called the world's drugstore. More than 25% of the medicines we use today come from plants in rainforests. However, fewer than 1% of rainforest plants have been examined for their medical value. It is extremely likely that our best chance to cure diseases lies somewhere in the world’s shrinking（减 少）rainforests.
1. Rainforests can help to adjust the climate because they______.| A．reflect more heat into the atmosphere |
| B．bring about high rainfall throughout the world |
| C．rarely cause the temperature to drop lower than 16°C |
| D．absorb（吸收） the heat from the sun, reducing the effect of heat from the sun on the earth |
| A．We will lose much more than we can gain. | B．Humans have begun destroying rainforests. |
| C．People have a strong desire for resources. | D．Much carbon dioxide （二氧化碳）comes from burning rainforests. |
| A．we can get enough resources without rainforests |
| B．there is great medicine potential in rainforests |
| C．we will grow fewer kinds of crops in the gained land |
| D．the level of annual rainfall affects wind patterns |
| A．How to Save Rainforests? | B．How to Protect Nature? |
| C．Rainforests and the Environment. | D．Rainforests and Medical Development. |
