1 . The Global Food Donation Policy Atlas has issued a recent report in order to recommend ways to increase food donations, reduce food waste, and fight hunger, which may help Kenyan leaders meet 2030 food waste reduction goals.
Food donation can reroute eatable food — that would otherwise give off greenhouse gasses in a landfill — to those experiencing hunger. According to the Famine Early Warning Systems Network, 3.5 million Kenyans, roughly 37 percent of the population, face severe hunger. At the same time, the Policy Atlas reports roughly 40 percent of food produced within Kenya goes to waste. But Broad Leib, Deputy Director of Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic (FLPC), sees some promising changes. “While progress is not happening as quickly as needed, Kenya’s food loss index has been steadily reduced from 1,744 metric tons in 2017, to 1,531 in 2018, to 1,446 metric tons in 2019, indicating a steady improvement and national commitment to food loss reduction,” reports Broad Leib.
According to the Policy Atlas, motivating food donation with rewards is particularly important, which helps food donors and food recovery organizations make up for costs necessary for recovery, storing, processing, and transporting food for donation.
“A major driver of food waste is inconsistent or unclear date labels that cause confusion among all actors along the value chain and limit the ability of businesses to donate food. This increases the likelihood that much safe food will go to waste,” Broad Leib tells Food Tank. However, he acknowledges Kenya’s current dual (双的) date labeling laws. While food may lose its freshness over time, it is still edible before expiration (到期). Dual date labeling on packaged foods reduces confusion by defining dates for both safety and quality. This helps reduce considerable waste and responsibility for donors.
Broad Leib believes that the private sector can also play a significant role in decreasing food waste in Kenya. It is vital for consumer education campaigns. FLPC’s research shows that public-private initiatives can help raise awareness among consumers and donors around issues of food waste and food donation.
1. What changes does Broad Leib see?| A．Kenya is not committed to reducing food loss. |
| B．Progress in reducing food waste is happening quickly. |
| C．People in Kenya no longer suffer hunger. |
| D．Kenya has gradually reduced its food waste. |
| A．Eatable. | B．Affordable. | C．Delicious. | D．Convenient. |
| A．By reducing food produced within the country. |
| B．By using double date labeling on packaged food. |
| C．By increasing storehouses. |
| D．By fighting hunger with rewards. |
| A．Only the private sector is helpful in reducing food waste. |
| B．Bro ad Leib doesn’t agree with FLPC on food waste reduction. |
| C．Private and public joint efforts matter around food issues. |
| D．Consumer education campaigns are the most important. |
2 . Valencia lives, for the time being, in a mobile home park.
He greeted me when I arrived and poured me a cup of coffee. He told me that his dad had worked at a brick-manufacturing plant. His mother worked at home. Most of his seven brothers and sisters didn’t go to college.
Valencia was determined to be the first, despite his late start. He said he was an average student struggling with math and went to community college a year after graduating from high school but decided quickly it was not for him.
He got into construction and then the insurance industry, but he’d always liked to write and do crossword puzzles. “And I loved to read. A lot,” he said. And he joked with his mother that if he won the lottery, he’d use the winnings for college.
It was around 2007. Valencia got tired of telling himself he was going to go back to school. He told his mother it was finally for real. She said, “I hope you make it, Jerry.” And I told her, “I’m going to make it, Mom. Surely!”
The plan was to capitalize on his former construction experience to study civil engineering—the design, building and repair of roads, bridges, etc. But he discovered other interests.
“He was not the youngest student,” says Grant Tovmasian, coach of the forensics debate team Valencia joined. “But he was the most motivated and dedicated, encouraging fellow students and inspiring them to live a more satisfying life?”
Valencia’s sister Sindi Majors says her brother was always bright, but he went through a couple of rough experiences in his life.
Because Valencia has nearly always been homeless, she bought him a motor home, where he lived from 2009 to 2018.
There is something splendidly irrational about Valencia’s determination to get a four-year degree and then a master’s. At his current pace, he’ll be 90 when he finally achieves his goals.
But that doesn’t influence him. He’s found all the youthful energy and academic opportunity stimulating.
“Valencia’s grade in my class this semester will not show up on his transcripts (大学生的成绩单). But I’m giving him an A and in the most important ways, it counts.” says Tovmasian.
1. What does the underlined phrase “capitalize on” in paragraph 6 probably mean?| A．Make use of. | B．Get rid of. | C．Break down. | D．Appeal to. |
a. Valencia joined the debate team.
b. He went to a community college.
c. He got into construction industry.
d. He planned to study civil engineering.
| A．b-d-c-a | B．b-c-d-a. | C．c-a-d-b | D．d-c-b-a |
| A．Caring and ambitious. | B．Devoted and modest. |
| C．Positive and generous. | D．Determined and motivated. |
| A．Because he hopes to see Valencia graduate as soon as possible. |
| B．Because he admires Valencia for his good quality and performance. |
| C． Because Valencia has done extra work to perform the best in the class. |
| D．Because Valencia has reached his goals earlier inspired by Tovmasian |
3 . After more than 40 years of service to the Sunset Hills Community, Ricky Woods, a beloved bus driver, said goodbye to his role.
Two days before his
Woods’ impact on the community was
One neighbor
Woods’
To show their
| A．travel | B．mission | C．retirement | D．graduation |
| A．surprise | B．wedding | C．chance | D．routine |
| A．waited for | B．fell off | C．changed into | D．came from |
| A．functional | B．freezing | C．full | D．broken |
| A．temporary | B．avoidable | C．slight | D．significant |
| A．impossible | B．irreplaceable | C．insensitive | D．uncontrollable |
| A．jokingly | B．regretfully | C．hesitantly | D．fondly |
| A．apologized | B．helped | C．talked | D．trained |
| A．managed | B．declined | C．wished | D．pretended |
| A．education | B．information | C．treatment | D．advice |
| A．modest | B．creative | C．adventurous | D．caring |
| A．signs | B．pets | C．neighbors | D．teachers |
| A．wealth | B．honesty | C．gratitude | D．generosity |
| A．loaned | B．returned | C．distributed | D．pooled |
| A．devotion | B．guidance | C．ambition | D．tolerance |
4 . As humans, we might believe that we are the smartest and perhaps the only creatures in the world capable of having feelings and subjective experience, but is this really the case? A new study finds that bumblebees (大黄蜂) like to play. They like to roll around small wooden balls with no apparent motivation — it likely makes them feel good.
Previous evidence suggests that bees have positive and negative emotion-like states usually when they are given food rewards to test their abilities. However, in an experiment of the new study, some researchers had trained bumblebees to roll balls into a target in exchange for a sweet treat. They noticed that sometimes bumblebees would roll the balls outside of the experiment area for no reward.
This observation gave rise to new questions: What are they doing? Why? Is this random or intentional?
To answer these questions, the researchers set up more experiments. In the latest experiment, they watched 45 bumblebees in an enclosed area where they could walk through a clear path to reach a feeding area, or they could go off the path into areas with wooden balls. They found the bumblebees went out of their way to sit on the balls or push them. Each rolled the balls between one and 117 times during the experiment.
The researchers say that because they did it repeatedly with no food payoff, it suggests that the ball rolling was rewarding.
“The behavior was voluntary,” says study first-author Samadi Galpayage. “Bees have a reputation for being hard workers, but the prospect of bees engaging in something like play is really novel and exciting because it shows that bees may experience pleasure and don’t only carry out duties that are strictly essential for immediate survival.”
Galpayage adds, “Personally, I find this behavior fascinating because it tells us that bumblebees, like many other animals, are more than little robotic beings, but have a richer behavior and life than we would have previously thought.”
1. What is probably humans’ typical view on bumblebees according to paragraph 1?| A．They have no subjective feelings. | B．They are friendly to human beings. |
| C．They like rolling balls for pleasure. | D．They are smarter than other creatures. |
| A．They rolled their food around. | B．They played with the balls. |
| C．They stayed in the feeding area. | D．They shared food with each other. |
| A．Calm. | B．Regretful. | C．Unconcerned. | D．Amazed. |
| A．Bumblebees Are Hard Workers | B．Bumblebees Roll Balls for Food |
| C．Bumblebees Are Selfless Insects | D．Bumblebees Probably Enjoy Playing |
5 . Four Best Classic Books for You to Read
If you’ve always wanted to tackle the classics but never known where to begin, we’ve got you covered. We’ve selected four best classic books for you to read.
The Man Who Would Be King by Rudyard Kipling
This short novel tells the story of two British men visiting India under Britain’s control. The men trick their way to a remote region where one of them comes to be respected as King. A tale warning against letting things go to your head, this funny story has been made into a classic film starring Michael Caine and Sean Connery.
Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie
Born in the first hour of India’s independence, Saleem Sinai is gifted with the power of an extraordinary sense of smell. He soon discovers that there are 1, 001 others with similar abilities, who can help him build a new India. The winner of the Booker prize in 1981, Salman Rushdie’s groundbreaking novel is a great achievement of magical realism. This great success was followed by his another novel Shame (1983).
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
If you’re not familiar with Dickens, his evergreen Christmastime classic is the perfect introduction. It’s a slim 104-page book — a true Christmas surprise from an author with a tendency towards the tome (大部头书) like his Great Expectations, which is another classic! It’s the perfect book for you to read in winter just when you want to feel that warm holiday atmosphere.
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
Meet John Singer, a deaf and mute (哑的) man who sits in the same café every day. Here, in the deep American South of the 1930s, John meets various kinds of people and acts as the silent and kind keeper of their stories — right up until an unforgettable ending that will blow you away. It’s hard to believe McCullers was only 23 when she wrote this classic.
1. Which book won a prize in 1981?| A．Shame. | B．Midnight’s Children. |
| C．The Man Who Would Be King. | D．The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter. |
| A．It’s more popular. | B．It’s Dickens’ first tome. |
| C．It’s shorter in length. | D．It’s written in Indian. |
| A．Work as a waiter. | B．Help the disabled. |
| C．Read stories to others. | D．Observe different people. |
6 . Australian bioacoustics (生物声学) expert Brian Miller’s work focuses on identifying and understanding the behaviours of Antarctic marine mammals by listening to underwater audio recordings. However, sorting through it is a massive task. “We’ve now amassed a collection of more than 100,000 hours of recordings from the Antarctic, but we’ve always been constrained by our ability to process these data efficiently,” he says. Listening to all these recordings would take decades. As well as being boring to do, that’s simply too slow for the conservation action needed to save threatened species.
But with new technologies doing the “thinking” for us, that could be about to change. A time-saving solution has been for Brian’s team to apply AI algorithms to the task.
Using computers to process data isn’t new to conservation research, but in the past, they’ve been limited in what they can accomplish. They start to struggle when the data gets more complicated. In comparison, AI programs can learn and improve their ability to interpret data. They can process data that would take a research team months to finish, in a matter of hours. In some cases, they are more accurate than their human counterparts, and the algorithms only improve with time as they gather more and more training data.
Of course, the human element can never be entirely removed from research. “It’s people who can work closely with people who have AI experience, and have the ability to make the algorithm smarter…I think that’s a pretty good recipe for success,” Brian says.
Perhaps the best thing about the use of AI in conservation is that it lets researchers focus on what’s important. “This frees us up to think about the bigger picture problems. It frees us up to think about designing better studies to focus on the analysis, to focus on the gaps… it really is a revolution,” Brian says. “My prediction would be that this is going to become much more widespread across science in general.”
1. Why does the author mention Brian Miller in the first paragraph?| A．To explain the importance of protecting endangered species. |
| B．To introduce the new technologies applied in his research team. |
| C．To emphasize the inefficiency of the current data processing ability. |
| D．To show the difficulty in identifying the behaviors of marine mammals. |
| A．They were totally inaccurate. |
| B．They failed to interact with people. |
| C．They were unable to interpret data. |
| D．They failed to process complex data efficiently. |
| A．Guide. | B．Chance. | C．Moment. | D．Strategy. |
| A．AI programs are to gain more popularity in science. |
| B．Researchers focus on unimportant problems currently. |
| C．Better studies need to be designed to ensure efficiency. |
| D．Human elements will be entirely removed from research. |
7 . The first model of Apple’s iPhone was launched 15 years ago. Since then, many different smartphones have been introduced. The devices now influence our daily lives in many ways.
One thing that has changed is that many people now use their phones to easily take pictures anywhere, anytime, without the need for a camera. Not surprisingly, this change has caused major business problems for camera manufacturers.
Today, many smartphones have high-quality cameras designed to produce better pictures than the ones most people used in the past for personal photographs. And some news photographers, for example, have found advantages in using them in their work. The Associated Press recently asked some of its photographers who use iPhones to describe how they use the devices.
Brynn Anderson is based in the AP in Atlanta, Georgia. She said: “Sometimes being a photographer with a larger camera can be intimidating to the person being photographed. Using a phone makes it easier for me to get intimate (亲密的) moments that might not happen.”
Dita Alangkara covers Jakarta, Indonesia for the AP. He said shooting with a smartphone opens up more possibilities on the streets of Jakarta. “People are so used to seeing others taking photos with their gadgets that they just ignore me. This gives me a whole new perspective to explore ...”
Khalil Hamra is an AP photographer in Istanbul, Turkey. He said: “Truth be told, every time I take a nice picture with my phone, I feel that something is missing and could have been better if I took it with my professional camera.”
Oded Balilty is based in Tel Aviv, Israel. “It is a different tool that definitely has changed what we do,” he said of the iPhone. But, he added: “It’s the photographer, not the device, that determines the quality of a photo.”
1. What has caused major business problems for camera industry?| A．Higher production cost. | B．Lack of technical progress. |
| C．Fewer news photographers. | D．Decrease in market demand. |
| A．Brynn Anderson. | B．Dita Alangkara. |
| C．Khalil Hamra. | D．Oded Balilty. |
| A．By offering some reasons. | B．By giving some examples. |
| C．By analyzing some facts. | D．By making some comparisons. |
| A．A New “Camera” Has Come | B．Smartphone: The Best Choice for You |
| C．Smartphone: To Use or to Drop | D．Camera: The Last Choice for You |
8 . One evening, a man was injured in an accident and rushed to a hospital. Already in shock, he was found with multiple injuries,
At 9:00 pm, the operation started and was supposed to be
The nurse watching the monitor sensed the
Everything in the operation room was
“Calm down! Calm down!” the medical staff
Many people are
| A．seemingly | B．especially | C．actually | D．extremely |
| A．surgery | B．relief | C．explanation | D．delivery |
| A．arranged | B．reported | C．completed | D．improved |
| A．irreplaceable | B．familiar | C．confusing | D．unexpected |
| A．mistake | B．abnormality | C．behavior | D．failure |
| A．scared | B．tired | C．concentrated | D．curious |
| A．repeated | B．recalled | C．returned | D．withdrew |
| A．shaking | B．piling | C．sinking | D．disappearing |
| A．lifted | B．open | C．covered | D．bare |
| A．believed | B．comforted | C．respected | D．promised |
| A．updating | B．obtaining | C．checking | D．tracking |
| A．assess | B．repair | C．equip | D．stabilize |
| A．confidence | B．friendliness | C．calmness | D．independence |
| A．on purpose | B．by luck | C．for sure | D．in time |
| A．touched | B．amused | C．reminded | D．accompanied |
9 . Before age thirty-four, I was a stay-at-home mom. Then, things changed and I had to find a job. I stumbled along with low-paying jobs, stress and self-doubt.
Three years later, while working at a community college, I became friends with the president’s secretary. She encouraged me to take classes and get a teaching degree. I wrestled with the idea for several months and finally enrolled in one class that fall. To my amazement, I loved school. I loved learning. So, in the spring, I enrolled in two classes while working full-time. I doubled up on classes, even going in the summer months. I won’t say it was easy. I still had all the responsibility for two teenage daughters, making my house a home, preparing meals, planning social events, making sure their homework was done, and finding time to do my own homework.
In one of my low moments, as I questioned whether to continue with my education, my fifteen-year-old daughter strolled into the room. “Whatcha doin’?” she asked casually. “Trying to decide if I want to pursue my education and get a degree or not,” I replied despondently (苦恼地). “Why are you wondering?” she asked. “Well, I’ll be forty by the time I finally get my degree.” “You’ll be forty anyway,” she said matter-of-factly. “Do you wanna be forty with a degree or forty without a degree?” And then she walked out of the room. I stared after her incredulously (表示怀疑地). Out of the mouth of babes! In that moment, my life changed. I wanted to be forty with a college degree!
I don’t know what got me to the finish line, but four months after my fortieth birthday, I walked proudly across the stage to receive my Bachelor’s in Education. Three years later, I received my Master’s in English. At the age of sixty-five, I retired from teaching high-school English. That one decision I made so many years ago opened doors to new worlds that I had never dreamed of before. It changed my life in the most beautiful way, filling it with joy, happiness, laughter and fun. And that made all the difference.
1. What inspired the author to pursue her education and get a teaching degree?| A．Advice from a friend at work. | B．A desire to change her career path. |
| C．A conversation with the college’s president. | D．Encouragement from her teenage daughters. |
| A．Lack of her daughters’ support. | B．Overwhelming household chores. |
| C．Financial crisis caused by low-paying jobs. | D．Strict requirements from teachers. |
| A．Promotion at work. | B．A new realization about her age. |
| C．A new-found love for learning. | D．A conversation with her friend. |
| A．Ambitious and curious. | B．Honest and adventurous. |
| C．Diligent and determined. | D．Courageous and considerate. |
10 . Tutors Wanted
Teach a kindergartner to read onlineBecome a volunteer tutor with Learn To Be! LTB tutors are dedicated volunteers who believe deeply in educational equity. Our tutors volunteer their time to make the lives of under-served K-12 kids and their families easier, their opportunities greater, and their dreams bigger. Commit to tutoring at least 2 times per week for 3 months or longer. Support your students with homework help or use the resources provided by LTB to create your own lesson plans for your students.
Visit our website to apply: https://www.learntobe.org
Tutor adults in EnglishThe South Bay Literacy Council is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization dedicated to teaching adults to read, write and speak English in the South Bay, Los Angeles area. You’d commit to meeting weekly with your students online or in-person. We ask volunteers to make a 9-month commitment due to the time it takes to train and match tutors with students.
Visit our website to apply: http://www.southbayliteracy.org
Tutor for Remove the BordersBeing a tutor for Remove the Borders is a great opportunity to gain volunteer hours while learning about how socioeconomic status and learning disabilities can hold students back. Dates on when you tutor will be worked out between you and the person you are tutoring. The minimum amount of time you have to tutor is three sessions.
Visit our website to apply: https://www.formstutor.org
Teach online STEM classesAcross the country, millions of students lack the resources to learn about STEM and computer science. Our non-profit organization strives to provide this vital area of education to underprivileged students through engaging in online classes. As a volunteer teacher, you will earn volunteer hours while developing critical communication, teaching, and leadership skills. These class sessions will run for eight weeks, and have a time commitment of three hours per week.
Visit our website to apply: https://www.roboticsforall.net/overview-of-positions.html
1. Who is Learn To Be intended for?| A．Disadvantaged K-12 students. | B．Students with learning disabilities. |
| C．Grown-ups interested in English. | D．Information technology majors. |
| A．Teach a kindergartner to read online. | B．Tutor adults in English. |
| C．Tutor for Remove the Borders. | D．Teach online STEM classes. |
| A．Only online service is offered. | B．They offer free classes to anyone. |
| C．All participants will acquire volunteer hours. | D．Applicants need to sign up online. |
