1 . Successful wildlife conservation goes hand in hand with community education and engagement. Volunteers work with community leaders and schools to share their passion for conservation and the environment.
Rhino Conservation in Zimbabwe
The project is home to an internationally renowned Black Rhino Breeding and Release Programme which has supported Zimbabwe’s rhino population since the mid 1980s. To date, 20 rhinos have been born at the conservancy, with 12 rhinos successfully released back into the wild. Volunteers play a role in securing the future of this once-again endangered animal, working alongside anti-poaching rangers (反偷猎护林员), working on rhino research projects and getting involved in the daily care of both black and white rhino.
Our Rhino Conservation Programme is a unique hands-on opportunity to get behind the scenes and experience day-to-day life on a private conservancy, and be involved with the protection and conservation of Zimbabwe’s endangered black rhino.
The aim of the programme is to assist the reserve’s established Black Rhino Breeding and Release Programme, collect meaningful data and information relating to rhino and wildlife conservation and animal behaviour, and engage with the local community about wildlife conservation.
Cheetah (猎豹) Conservation
In 2021, two captive-born male cheetah were introduced to the conservancy as part of an international rewilding programme. The cheetah are now free-wandering in the reserve, and volunteers play an important role in monitoring and observing their behaviour, tracking their movements and recording their hunting rate.
Volunteer Work
Volunteers contribute to a long-term conservation project and get involved with a variety of conservation activities:
·Work alongside rhinos, cheetah and elephants
·Conservancy management
·Wildlife monitoring
·Anti-poaching patrols and snare sweeps
·Educate school-children about conservation, wildlife and the environment
·Learn about what is involved in running a conservancy
1. What can we say about Black Rhino Breeding and Release Programme?| A．Its work pays off. | B．It is limited to Zimbabwe. |
| C．It is home to two cheetah. | D．It has a history of 50 years. |
| A．Their birth rate. | B．Their hunting rate. |
| C．Their area of activity. | D．Their sleep schedule. |
| A．Those who live outside Zimbabwe. |
| B．Those who prefer to work at home. |
| C．Those who like engaging with animals. |
| D．Those who would like to make a fortune. |
2 . The Longtaitou Festivl, which means “dragon-raises head” in Chinese, is a traditional Chinese festival held on the second day of the second month in the Chinese lunar calendar. So, it’s also called Eryueer Festival. In Chinese culture, the dragon is an auspicious (吉利的) animal that dominates clouds and rains. The 2nd day of the 2nd lunar month is thought to be the day when dragon awakes and raises its head according to the Chinese folk legend. So the day is called Dragon Heads-raising Day. After the day, spring is coming and there will be more and more rain. People think these credits (功劳) go to the dragon. So the day is also called Spring Dragon Festival. Since the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), Chinese people have had the custom of spending the Spring Dragon Festival.
The most popular custom on the Dragon Heads-raising Day is cutting hair. Dragon is highly honored for its dignity (尊贵) and power for good. It is thought to be auspicious to cut hair on the Dragon Heads-raising Day. Luck and opportunities will always knock you in the year. So, on that day, barbershops’ (理发店的) businesses are growing and full of customers.
The most common foods for celebrating the festival are popcorns, pancakes, noodles, dumplings, fired soy beans and pig’s head. People in different areas have different traditions about the food on the day. In Beijing, people eat Lvdagunr (Glutinous Rice Rolls with Sweet Bean Flour) and spring pancakes on the day. In Shanxi, people like to eat fried dough twists (油条) and pancakes. In Shandong, fried soy beans, noodles and dumplings are the festival food. In Fuzhou, the salted porridge made of glutinous rice, celery, scallion, garlic, fry dried shrimps and shredded meat is eaten. These show people’s hope to be blessed (保佑) with favorable weather and plentiful grain harvest by the dragon.
1. Which of the following is true about the Longtaitou Festival?| A．It dates back to Song Dynasty. |
| B．It is celebrated for two days. |
| C．It attracts fewer people than other festivals. |
| D．It suggests the return of spring. |
| A．It is the most popular custom. |
| B．It is in honor of dragon’s dignity and power. |
| C．It is people’s wish for luck and opportunities. |
| D．It is a sign of barbershops’ prospering businesses. |
| A．People in China share the similar traditional foods on he day. |
| B．Foods for celebrating the festival usually bear people’s best wishes. |
| C．Salted foods are used to celebrate the festival throughout China. |
| D．Traditional foods on the day are prepared for the dragon to eat. |
| A．The Dragon Heads-raising Day. |
| B．The celebrations of the Longtaitou Festival. |
| C．The origin of the Longtaitou Festival. |
| D．The purpose of the Dragon Heads-raising Day. |
3 . A three-year nationwide action plan to better protect ancient covered bridges (廊桥) started on Monday in Taishun county, Wenzhou city in East China’s Zhejiang province.
Covered bridges not only serve as means of transportation and communication. They are also acting as places to rest and for leisurely gatherings, sites for making offerings and even market areas for trading.
“Covered bridges are an important part of traditional Chinese culture, with a long history and rich diversity,” said Huang Zi, a lead expert at the Zhejiang Ancient Architecture Design and Research Institute.
But their largely wooden structures and the variety of roles they play make them easier to be damaged. In 2016, three ancient covered bridges in Taishun were destroyed by heavy rains during a typhoon. In 2020, a covered bridge first built during the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and most recently rebuilt in the 18th century in Wuyuan county, Jiangxi province, was destroyed by floodwaters. Not long ago, a 900-year-old covered bridge in Pingnan county, Fujian province, one of the longest in China, fell down in a fire at night in early August.
Protective measures have already been put in place in areas with ancient covered bridges. It will be a long-term process, said Huang, and greater efforts should be made to keep that sustainable (可持续的). One key, according to Huang, is to involve people’s concerns, needs and values in protecting the covered bridges.
“More preservation knowledge should be communicated to people through related projects,” he said.
More relevantly, the protection of covered bridges should be combined with tourism. “When people come to visit, walk and have fun there, those old covered bridges can truly show their energy and liveliness,” he said.
1. What is paragraph 2 mainly about?| A．Different means of transportation. | B．The roles of covered bridges. |
| C．Places to communicate and rest. | D．Trading areas of covered bridges. |
| A．By making comparisons. | B．By listing numbers. |
| C．By giving examples. | D．By telling stories. |
| A．Projects to build different bridges. |
| B．Knowledge about the bridge history. |
| C．Public attention and participation. |
| D．Communication about different values. |
| A．They were largely made of hard stones. |
| B．The protective measures were not enough. |
| C．The covered bridges in Taishun fell down in a fire. |
| D．Tourism will do harm to their energy and liveliness. |
4 . These new releases sit at the top of “want-to-read” shelves. While not all of these books are available right now, most are available for pre-order until their expected release date, so you can have your monthly read planned ahead of time.
Small World
By Jonathan Evison
$28.00
This book won’t be released until January 11, but you can pre-order it now. It records 170 years of American nation-building and asks whether the United States has fulfilled its promises by highlighting big and small injustices,
All That She Carried
By Tiya Miles
$30.00
In the book, historian Tiya Miles uncovers the stories of an enslaved black woman, Rose, her daughter, Ashley，who was separated from her and sold at nine years old, and her granddaughter, Ruth. By unearthing (挖掘) their stories, Tiya Miles tries to write a singular and revelatory history of the experience of slavery and the uncertain freedom afterward in the United States.
Last Night at the Telegraph Club
By Malinda Lo
$18.99
This novel won the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature in 2021. It centers around 17-year-old Lily Hu, who can’t quite remember when a certain feeling appeared inside of her, but she knows it only keeps growing.
Meditations: The Annotated Edition
By Marcus Aurelius $28.00
Meditations is a series of personal writings from the former Roman Emperor, Marcus Aurelius. These writings, which consist of private notes to himself and his ideas on Stoicism, acted as a means for his self-improvement.
1. What do Small World and Meditations: The Annotated Edition have in common?| A．They have the same price. | B．They both tell American history. |
| C．They have won national awards. | D．They go on sale on the same date. |
| A．It is popular among teenagers. | B．It will be released on January 9. |
| C．It focuses on slavery in America. | D．It is the cheapest of the four books. |
| A．Small World | B．All That She Carried |
| C．Last Night as the Telegraph Club | D．Meditations: The Annotated Edition |
5 . Family dynamics in the animal kingdom are as different as the animals themselves. In the animal world, there are advantages to be gained from being part of an extended family.
Chimpanzees
Chimpanzees are the world’s largest living primates. These creatures are peace-loving and may live together for a lifetime. The dominant male has many wives who may stay with him for most of their lives, which can cause everyday conflicts. It is the male who settles the conflicts by a warning stare or hitting the back of the offenders’ heads.
Elephants
Females stick together in the elephant world, living in herds under a stateswoman. The experience and knowledge of this elder one, who may be 60-years-old, are of great benefit. She will remember, for example,the location of water holes and seasonal food supplies. In times of danger, the group bunches around the young and it is the stateswoman who decides whether to flee or confront the threat.
Lions
Lions are the only cats to live in a large family group, guarded by a pair of powerful males. Family life is relatively harmonious and baby lions may be fed by any mother with milk, so orphaned babies do not starve. Males live in the wilderness for some years before seeking their own pride by challenging resident males in a bloody battle. The male lion protects his pride from other males and enemies.
Ostriches (鸵鸟)
Ostriches travel in bands of 10-50 individuals, the most remarkable birds being the eight-foot-tall males. The largest birds in the world, ostriches cannot fly, but run fast. The wives of the male ostrich all put their eggs in the same nest. A primary female will then join the male to hatch (孵化) the eggs and she will push away other eggs on the outside to ensure her own are in the middle.
1. How is an elephant herd different from other three animal groups?| A．The leader should be the oldest and experienced. |
| B．The number of the animals in a herd must be large. |
| C．An experienced female elephant dominates the herd. |
| D．They will protect their young when they are in danger. |
| A．Baby lions often go hungry as they can’t hunt. |
| B．A female and a male ostriches hatch eggs jointly. |
| C．Elephants remember every place they have been to. |
| D．The female chimpanzee leader settles daily conflicts. |
| A．A text book. | B．A science fiction. |
| C．A course plan. | D．A wildlife journal. |
6 . Four Future Technologies to Change the World in the Next Decade
Underwater gloves
Researchers have developed “octa gloves” that copy the suction (吸力) properties of an octopus (章鱼). Using a network of microsensors, the suction cups on the gloves can tighten and relax to grab underwater items without breaking them.
This technology could potentially be employed by underwater archaeologists, rescue divers, bridge architects, and other similar professionals.
Health-monitoring “Digital Twins”
A scanner has been developed, which can test hundreds of indicators within an hour. The information about these indicators can be used to create a 3D digital twin of a patient’s body, which can be monitored over time and changed with each new examination.
It is predicted that with this new technology, we will enter a new era of preventative and individualized medicine.
3D-printed bones
One of the most interesting applications of 3D printing technology is the creation of 3D-printed bones. A substance similar to human bones’ can be used to create a 3D model of the required patient-specific implantation (移植) according to the images and be used in an operation.
Due to the use of the special substance, the muscle will change these 3D-printed implants into real bones, allowing for the complete healing of bones’ functions.
Hydrogen planes
A team has put forward a proposal for a mid-sized plane powered by liquid hydrogen. It would be capable of carrying about 279 persons around the globe nonstop.
If this innovation could occur, a nonstop , zero-carbon flight connecting any two places in the world would be possible.
1. Which innovation is inspired by the feature of an animal?| A．Digital Twins. | B．3D-printed bones. |
| C．Octa gloves. | D．Hydrogen planes. |
| A．A frogman in search of sunken treasures. |
| B．An athlete in need of ankle replacement. |
| C．A student majoring in preventative medicine. |
| D．A navigator promoting environmental protection. |
| A．They will improve our life and work. |
| B．They will better our environment. |
| C．They will boost our work efficiency. |
| D．They will help prolong our life. |
7 . Cheap volunteer programs abroad for high school students
Volunteer in Peru
Many kinds of popular Peru volunteer programs are provided, including Teaching, Animal Care. Medical and Amazon Jungle Conservation (保护). Volunteer work in Peru is based in the capital, Lima.
• Program fees are $275 for 1 week.
• Volunteers are accommodated in a volunteer house or homestay.
Volunteer in Bali
Bali volunteer programs include Teaching, Childcare, Environmental Education and Health Education. Volunteer work in Bali is based in the cultural center of Ubud. the northern coastal town of Lovina and the island of Nusa Penida.
• Program fees are $385 for 1 week.
• Volunteers are accommodated in a volunteer house within a traditional Balinese village.
Volunteer in Belize
The special Marine (海洋的) Conservation volunteer program is based on a private island 16 miles off the coast of Placencia in Southern Belize. Help preserve an easily-broken marine ecosystem by diving (潜水) and collecting data on amazing marine life.
• Program fees are $1,050 for 1 week.
• Volunteers are accommodated on a private island off the coast of mainland Belize.
Volunteer in Croatia
Choose from a wide range of trusted Croatia volunteer programs, including Youth Support, Special Needs Support (for people with mental or physical problems), Animal Care and Marine Conservation. Volunteer work in Croatia is based in the coastal center of Split.
• Program fees are $975 for 1 week.
• Volunteers are accommodated in a comfortable and modern dormitory-style hotel.
1. What do Volunteer in Peru and Volunteer in Bali have in common?| A．They need volunteers with medical skills. | B．Teaching and care programs are included. |
| C．Volunteer work is based on a private island. | D．They offer several different accommodation choices. |
| A．Teaching English. | B．Organizing events. | C．Diving in the sea. | D．Nursing patients. |
| A．Volunteer in Peru. | B．Volunteer in Bali. | C．Volunteer in Belize. | D．Volunteer in Croatia. |
8 . On Sunday, Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia shocked the running world by breaking the women’s world record for the marathon by over two minutes. Assefa finished the Berlin Marathon in just 2 hours, 11 minutes, and 53 seconds.
But Assefa’s record was far beyond what most people expected. After all, it was only her third time running a marathon.
“I wanted to break the marathon world record,” she said, “But I couldn’t imagine that it would result in a time under 2:12.”
When Assefa was younger, she started by running short races, called sprints. Then she became a middle-distance runner, running the 800 meters (half mile) race. Her best time in the 800 meters was 1 minute and 59 seconds.
Last March, she ran her first marathon. Then last September, she entered the Berlin Marathon. She won, and set a new women’s record for the course, finishing in 2:15:37.
This year, she ran almost four minutes faster than she did last year. In both races, Assefa ran faster in the second half of the race than she did in the first half.
Her time of 2:11:53 was over two minutes faster than the old women’s record (2:14:04), which was set in Chicago in 2019 by Brigid Kosgei of Kenya.
When she finished the race, Assefa kneeled down and kissed the pavement before raising her arms in victory.
Though Assefa made it look easy, she said winning the race “…was the result of hard work.” Assefa was coached by Gemedu Dedefo, who has helped train many Ethiopian star runners.
1. What is Assefa’s latest record for the marathon?| A．2:11:53. | B．2:14:04. | C．2:15:37. | D．1:59:00. |
| A．It is what she expected. | B．It is a piece of cake for her. |
| C．It is due to great effort. | D．It is because of her coach. |
| A．Talented. | B．Friendly. | C．Humorous. | D．Warm-hearted. |
| A．Dedefo Helps to Train Many Star Runners |
| B．Kosgei Holds the Women’s Marathon Record |
| C．Assefa Sets a Good Example to Other Runners |
| D．Assefa Breaks the Women’s Marathon Record |
9 . How to Visit the Louvre in 2024
People line up at more than one entrance to get into the largest museum on the planet, the Louvre. In this guide, we’ll walk you right through something you need to know to visit the Louvre. This way, you’ll be prepared to visit one of the greatest collections of art in the world.
Opening HoursMonday: 9 a.m. — 6 p.m.
Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday: 9 a.m. — 6 p.m.
Thursday: 9 a.m. — 6 p.m.
Friday: 9 a.m. — 9:45 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m. —6 p.m.
Sunday: 9 a.m. —6 p.m.
Lucky for you, the museum also has a night opening on Fridays where the museum stays open until 9:45 p.m.
TicketsTickets can be bought at the museum for €15 or online for €17. Admission is free for anyone under 18 with an official ID card and residents of the European Economic Area under 26 with an official certificate of residence or valid ID card.
How Long to Spend at the LouvreShort Answer: 3 hours inside. The museum is massive—the largest on Earth, so that should be something to take into consideration. It also has a rich collection of artwork, sculpture, and even medieval ruins.
Click on the link for more information. hutps://thetourguy.com/.
1. When is the Louvre not open?| A．Monday. | B．Tuesday. | C．Wednesday. | D．Sunday. |
| A．€15. | B．€17. | C．€30. | D．€34. |
| A．A website. | B．A novel. | C．A magazine. | D．A newspaper. |
10 . While sorting out my son’s bedroom, I caught sight of his exercise books calling up mixed memories. Josh, when in his junior year of middle school, had to receive
At first, I was quite
The schedule of home-schooling was not
Encouragingly, with his health condition
| A．construction | B．cure | C．fund | D．instruction |
| A．resisted | B．resigned | C．collapsed | D．created |
| A．discouraged | B．promised | C．enabled | D．forbade |
| A．courageous | B．annoyed | C．curious | D．anxious |
| A．possess | B．value | C．lack | D．facilitate |
| A．resources | B．target | C．patience | D．confidence |
| A．contracted | B．consulted | C．admired | D．envied |
| A．flexible | B．unique | C．strict | D．appropriate |
| A．initial | B．instant | C．conservative | D．constant |
| A．expected | B．assigned | C．requested | D．convinced |
| A．teach | B．tend | C．save | D．observe |
| A．convenience | B．promotion | C．pressure | D．capacity |
| A．application | B．postponement | C．search | D．creation |
| A．rising up | B．bringing up | C．picking up | D．taking up |
| A．hopeless | B．desperate | C．invisible | D．invaluable |
