1 . Mundi, a 41-year-old female elephant, was orphaned (使……成为孤儿) at a young age, captured, and sold to the Mayaguez Zoo in Puerto Rico. The animals housed at the zoo were in such bad shape that they were being moved to various shelters under an order from the US Department of Justice.
Mundi was the zoo’s major attraction. Her departure caused so much argument that armed guards came to see her off the island. She was so popular that people lined the streets to say goodbye.
Mundi’s new home is certainly beautiful. After living in the zoo for 35 years with no other elephants, Mundi met Bo and Tarra, with whom she’s now sharing 850 acres. She was first housed in a separate place, but she and the other elephants could see each other, and they started getting along quickly. Soon, Mundi was no longer separated from the others. Tarra immediately acted as a big sister and mentor to Mundi, while Bo became her playmate. Now, they spend a lot of time together and the public can watch their interaction and learn about their behaviors on the shelter’s official website.
Carol Buckley, the founder of Elephant Aid International, first imagined setting up the Georgia shelter after meeting Tarra in 1974, when the elephant was less than a year old. At the time, Tarra belonged to the owner of a tire store, who used her to advertise the place.
Buckley ultimately became an advocate for elephants worldwide and designed the retirement home in Attapulgus to address their needs. Attapulgus was selected as the location for the shelter because its climate allows the elephants to be outdoors most of the time, almost year-round.
1. What can be inferred about the animals in Mayaguez Zoo?| A．They lived a normal life. | B．They were not welcome. |
| C．They were not well treated. | D．They were living happily. |
| A．To prevent possible accidents. | B．To protect the animals around. |
| C．To say goodbye to Mundi. | D．To show their respect for Mundi. |
| A．Taking care of Mundi. | B．Buying tires for her owner. |
| C．Working as a store keeper. | D．Advertising a tire store. |
| A．Its small space. | B．Its weather pattern. |
| C．Its special design. | D．Its convenient transportation. |
2 . Live classes
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All the courses are recommended for participants with: A1 Elementary to C1 Advanced English levels
Contact us at britishcouncil@learnenglish.com
1. What do we know about live classes?| A．Their timetables are flexible. | B．Their group lessons are unpopular. |
| C．They fail to provide private lessons. | D．They are only available in the UK. |
| A．Time-wasting. | B．Traditional. | C．Cheap. | D．Inefficient. |
| A．A research article. | B．A guidebook. | C．A diary entry. | D．An advertisement. |
3 . In an inspiring series of events over six years, a remarkable woman has turned up as the guardian angel for one family. She
Six years ago, Kristi Hadfield was a nurse who saved John Cunningham’s life when he was
Hadfield stayed in
“And when I posted it, I got a(n)
| A．knew | B．caught | C．rescued | D．employed |
| A．having | B．avoiding | C．escaping | D．curing |
| A．enjoy | B．remember | C．regret | D．imagine |
| A．came across | B．worked on | C．turned to | D．got to |
| A．Fortunately | B．Gradually | C．Disappointedly | D．Basically |
| A．agreement | B．touch | C．comparison | D．competition |
| A．female | B．strange | C．serious | D．former |
| A．order | B．gift | C．request | D．suggestion |
| A．identified | B．recommended | C．shared | D．heard |
| A．quit | B．appreciate | C．allow | D．consider |
| A．invitation | B．message | C．argument | D．description |
| A．provider | B．waiter | C．user | D．protector |
| A．set out | B．took place | C．shut up | D．came back |
| A．remarkable | B．unique | C．successful | D．significant |
| A．life | B．luck | C．money | D．thanks |
4 . Scientists have mapped out oceanic “dead zones” from the Pliocene, about 5. 3 to 2. 6 million years ago, when Earth’s temperature was two to three degrees higher than today. This could offer insight into the future locations and effects of low oxygen areas in a warmer Earth’s oceans.
Oxygen minimum zones, or OMZs, are regions in the ocean with lower oxygen levels in the mid-waters to support marine (海洋的) life. These dead zones play an important role in the ocean’s overall health. “Their locations show where carbon and nitrogen (氮) are available in the ocean —so they’re important drivers of nutrient cycles,” says Catherine Davis, assistant professor at North Carolina State University.
Being able to predict the location of OMZs is important not only for understanding nutrient cycling but also because of their effects on marine life. Oceanic dead zones restrict the range of animals to the shallow surface ocean where oxygen is more plentiful. Davis and her colleagues wanted to figure out how a warmer climate might impact future OMZs. So they looked to the Pliocene, when the Earth’s atmospheric CO2 levels were close to what they are now.
“This is the first global spatial reconstruction of oxygen minimum zones in the past,” Davis says. “And it’s in line with what we’re already seeing in the Atlantic in terms of lower oxygen levels. Warmer water holds less oxygen. This dead zone map from the Pliocene could give us insight into what the Atlantic might look like 100 years from now.”
What would a future with much less oxygen in the Atlantic mean? According to Davis, it could have a big impact on everything from carbon storage and nutrient cycling in the ocean to how fisheries and marine species are managed. “OMZs act as a ‘floor’ for marine —animals they are pushed to the surface,” Davis says. “So fishermen may suddenly see a lot of fish, but it doesn’t mean that there are actually more than normal —they’re just being forced into a smaller space.” Fisheries will need to take the effects of OMZs into account when managing populations.
1. What does Catherine Davis say about OMZs?| A．They have lower carbon levels. | B．They may affect the ocean’s health. |
| C．They make Earth’s temperature higher. | D．They have the highest oxygen levels. |
| A．They offer more oxygen. |
| B．They make the climate more pleasant. |
| C．They drive animals to areas with more oxygen. |
| D．They attract more scientists to research the ocean. |
| A．Fishing. | B．Farming. |
| C．Education. | D．Travel. |
| A．Scientists Have Mapped Future Oceans |
| B．Animals in the Ocean Will Benefit from OMZs |
| C．“Dead Zones” in the Old Times Will Appear Again |
| D．Map of Ancient Ocean “Dead Zones” Could Predict Future Ocean |
5 . Scientists are confused about two newly discovered stars. The two stars, one of which was announced this month in the journal Nature, send out long pulses (脉冲) of radio waves about every 20 minutes. This means they move much more slowly, and they have other characteristics that astronomers can’t explain. “We are all still quite amazed,” says astronomer Natasha Hurley-Walker, who led the discovery of both of these surprising sources.
The mystery began in 2021, when Hurley-Walker and her colleagues discovered a slowly repeating radio pulse. It shone for three months. But by the time they discovered it in the records, its activity had died down, and it had become invisible in the skies. In a January 2022 paper, the scientists suggested the object could be a kind of star called a magnetar (磁陀星). But the object, with the name GLEAM-X J162759.5-523504.3, sent out a pulse every 18 minutes instead of every few seconds like known magnetars.
It also had no X-ray signal associated with the radio emission (发射), which doesn’t fit with magnetar theories. And strangely, the object’s magnetic field was likely much stronger than previously seen. So the scientists began looking for other similar objects. In June 2022, Hurley-Walker and her colleagues began observing the entire visible sky every three nights. Almost immediately, they found something that sent out a radio flash every 21 minutes.
At first glance, it looked similar to the previously discovered object. But once the team began to dig through data for additional pulses from this source, named GPM J1839-10, the object only seemed more perplexing. Unlike the first star, the signal of J1839-10 was detected over decades.
For now, researchers assume both objects are the same. But why would one flash for three months and the other for 33 years and counting? “I don’t know,” says Hurley-Walker. “That’s the problem.”
1. What can be learned about the two newly discovered stars?| A．They were made public in Nature this month. |
| B．They send out short radio waves every 20 minutes. |
| C．They move at the slowest speed of all known stars. |
| D．They are unlike the stars astronomers have seen before. |
| A．Every few seconds. | B．Every 18 minutes. |
| C．Every 20 minutes. | D．Every 21 minutes. |
| A．Radio waves research project. | B．Strange features of the first star. |
| C．The government’s guidance program. | D．The assumption of the magnetar theories. |
| A．Appealing. | B．Challenging. |
| C．Unaccountable. | D．Unacceptable. |
6 . While many parents worry their children spend too much time playing computer games, Kelcey is happy to see her son Owain turn on his computer. Since Owain had ADHD, the family have taken him to see doctors to help him deal with everyday life tasks. Owain also tried the medicine, but had to stop after the drugs worsened his pain. With ADHD continuing to influence Owain’s school performance, Kelcey was hoping for any other choice. Help came in the end from what seemed very strange — a computer game called EndeavorRx.
EndeavorRx was the first such game to be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the treatment of ADHD in children. Now it’s only available on prescription (处方) from doctors. When doctors prescribe it, the child’s parents are sent a link that is needed before the game can be played. Though EndeavorRx looks very similar to other games, it’s been developed to improve areas of the brain that play a key role in attention function.
EndeavorRx trains a child with ADHD to do several things together and take no notice of things that take their attention away. It also measures their performance and changes the difficulty of the game in real time according to the user’s needs. Eddie Martucci, CEO of Akili, says, “These can be very difficult to get through traditional means like taking a pill. But it turns out that playing EndeavorRx can directly make parts of the brain function active.”
Fellow UK scientist Lee Chambers says while the use of such video games in the treatment of mental health conditions is still in the early stages, it appears to have potential (潜力). “Playing a game can avoid the feeling like we are being tested,” he says. “These types of mental health games can follow changes in the information that they collect over time. Given this, they have the potential to improve people’s health in a new way.”
1. What makes Owain’s mother pleased?| A．Her son’s good school performance. |
| B．A helpful way to fight her son’s disease. |
| C．The improvement in her son’s computer skills. |
| D．The great effect of medicine on her son’s disease. |
| A．It includes very simple game tasks. |
| B．It should be played by parents first. |
| C．It can only be used with the doctor’s agreement. |
| D．It is popular among people with mental problems. |
| A．Traditional treatment fails to hold kids’ attention. |
| B．EndeavorRx has advantages over traditional treatment. |
| C．Video games are less harmful to kids than parents have imagined. |
| D．EndeavorRx will attract people wishing to improve productivity at work. |
| A．They have a bright future. |
| B．They should go through more tests. |
| C．They will replace normal treatment soon. |
| D．They should be played with fewer limitations. |
7 . When Nicole Thompson teaches a math word problem to her fourth-grade class in Pajaro Valley Unified School District (PVUSD), she has the class read it over three times. After the first read, students discuss what the situation described in the word problem is. The second time, they discuss what numbers they see and what those numbers mean. The third time, they talk about the question and what they need to solve. Thompson said the method really helps her students, especially those for whom English is a second language.
Thompson learned this method during a series of training courses on improving math instruction for multilingual (说多种语言的) learners, a term that refers to all students who speak a language other than English at home. The training was organized by The New Teacher Project (TNTP). “We wanted to show teachers that all students, including multilingual learners, could deal with grade-level learning tasks with the right support,” said Jeanine Harvey, director of multilingual learner academics at TNTP.
In addition to teaching methods for supporting more student discussion in the classroom, TNTP staff worked with teachers to analyze word problems from their area’s math courses and identify what vocabulary students would need to know in order to tackle the problems.
According to surveys made by TNTP, the training program improved teachers confidence. Before the training, only 40% of teachers in PVUSD said they felt confident about supporting English learners in their classrooms. Afterward, more than 75% felt confident. Many teachers also said the training helped them see that their students were capable (有能力的) of hard work.
“Sometimes we forget that students are more capable than we see. The training kind of opened my eyes to that,” said Juan Gonzalez, who teaches the fifth grade. He said he enjoys seeing his students having conversations about math and using more difficult vocabulary. “They love being challenged. We have to let go of their hand and let them struggle a bit.”
1. What’s the purpose of Thompson’s method of teaching students a math problem?| A．To develop their writing skills. | B．To deepen their understanding. |
| C．To test their pronunciation. | D．To add fun to boring lessons. |
| A．Help math teachers teach multilingual students properly. |
| B．Advise teachers to care about students’ personal growth. |
| C．Support math teachers with high- tech teaching aids. |
| D．Improve students’ math scores through group work. |
| A．Search for. | B．Work out. | C．Avoid. | D．Raise. |
| A．TNTP has changed many students’ daily life. |
| B．Teachers need to be patient with their students. |
| C．A wide vocabulary is the key to language learning. |
| D．Students should be inspired to use their abilities. |
8 . Looking for a great day camp program close to home for summer? Here are some of the best day camps for your little ones.
* City Kid Explorers
This camp is for design lovers aged 6- 13 years old. It offers plenty of fun and creative activities over the course of nine weeks. Campers can explore various things like art, museums, food, parks, and so much more. Plus, every child will leave with a photo album (相册) to remember the experience.
Neighborhood: Noho
Learn more: citykidexplorers.com
* Columbia Grammar (CGPS)
Join CGPS for summer fun for children 4-8 years of age. Located on the campus of Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School, the camp is state- of-the-art and air-conditioned, with indoor facilities (设施), three playgrounds, and a 60-foot indoor, heated swimming pool. Activities include daily swimming classes, water play, team games, theme week celebrations, and more.
Neighborhood: Upper West Side
Learn more: cgps.org
* Cooper Hewitt
It gives students the tools and knowledge to work and think creatively in the design space. There is a four-step process that every camper must master. The four steps are finding problems, creating ideas, making designs, and then evaluating (评估) them.
Neighborhood: Upper East Side
Learn more: cooperhewitt.org
* Cumbe Dance
Cumbe Dance’s goal is to open up a world of imagination and creativity; besides, it shows the importance of African dance and music through its Dance, Drum, and Imagination Summer Camp. The groups are all very small, limited to 13 students, so teachers can pay attention to every group member when teaching new things. It gives campers the knowledge and confidence to create a show that they will perform at the end of camp.
Neighborhood: Stuyvesant Heights
Learn more: cumbedance.org
1. What do we know about the City Kid Explorers camp?| A．It records each camper’s experience with photos. |
| B．It provides campers with art- designing classes. |
| C．It ends with a photography competition. |
| D．It organizes trips to the countryside. |
| A．Cumbe Dance. | B．Cooper Hewitt. | C．City Kid Explorers. | D．Columbia Grammar. |
| A．Limiting the number of group members strictly. |
| B．Allowing campers to perform in the theatre. |
| C．Encouraging campers to write their songs. |
| D．Having different outdoor activities. |
9 . Michael Jordan is a former professional American basketball player, Olympic athlete, businessperson, and actor. Considered one of the best basketball players ever, he dominated (主宰) the sport from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s.
Michael began his professional basketball career when he was chosen by the Chicago Bulls in 1984. Then, there was a time when the Bulls kept adding new players and changing coaches, but they didn’t win. Seeing that, Michael felt like he needed to do all the scoring as he couldn’t trust the other players’ skills. Many people thought that Michael Jordan might never win a championship (冠军) if he kept trying to do it all by himself.
To improve their performance on the court, Coach Tex Winter taught the Bulls his triangle offense. It included sharing the ball and moving around the court in a specific way. Michael was unsure. He thought he was the only one that could make the big shots. Tex Winter told him he should learn to trust his teammates to make the triangle offense work best. But that was difficult for Michael.
The Bulls faced the Utah Jazz in the 1997 National Basketball Association Finals. After four games, the series was tied 2-2. Finally, Michael scored thirty-eight points and the Bulls won. Then, they had a chance to win the series in Game Six. Michael had the ball near the end of the game with Jazz players swarming (拥上) around him. Instead of trying a difficult shot, he passed the ball to a teammate, Steve Kerr, who made the winning basket. Michael finally trusted his teammates and he didn’t always have to take the big shot.
From then on, Michael Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA Championships and earned the NBA’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award five times. With five regular-season MVPs and three All-Star MVPs, Michael Jordan became the greatest basketball player of all time.
1. How did many people feel about Michael Jordan’s “one-man show”?| A．Interested. | B．Uncertain. | C．Negative. | D．Hopeful. |
| A．Fast speed. | B．Great strength. | C．Good teamwork. | D．Strong confidence. |
| A．Steve Kerr’s unexpected long shot. |
| B．Michael Jordan’s passing the ball. |
| C．Jazz players’ serious mistakes. |
| D．Some new players’ efforts. |
| A．One flower doesn’t make a spring. |
| B．A hobby can become a successful job. |
| C．God helps those who help themselves. |
| D．Treat others as you want to be treated. |
10 . In the summer of 2020, I was leading eight junior high kids through the Appalachian Mountains. For a young teacher, that was a lot of
When I was a teenager, time in the woods meant
We were having a(n)
I kept my face calm, but condemning voices had already
| A．comparison | B．satisfaction | C．responsibility | D．failure |
| A．freedom | B．tiredness | C．safety | D．suffering |
| A．caused | B．organized | C．raised | D．quieted |
| A．think of | B．search for | C．get over | D．believe in |
| A．smooth | B．confusing | C．terrible | D．unfair |
| A．refuse | B．inspire | C．describe | D．separate |
| A．proudly | B．thankfully | C．excitedly | D．anxiously |
| A．checked | B．exchanged | C．planned | D．translated |
| A．careful | B．unprofessional | C．impolite | D．dishonest |
| A．disappeared | B．hidden | C．rested | D．started |
| A．similar | B．bored | C．helpless | D．suitable |
| A．loser | B．actor | C．winner | D．expert |
| A．warned | B．introduced | C．admired | D．comforted |
| A．health | B．confidence | C．regret | D．kindness |
| A．honor | B．imagination | C．judgment | D．pleasure |
