1 . Sora observed in amazement as Weilun picked up two large metal cans. She followed Weilun with a pail (桶) of clothes, watching him carry the two cans effortlessly. They were large and were covering Weilun’s small frame.
Sora’s father had sent her to the village to learn about rural life. Sora had never once done any household chores back home. She did not understand why her father would always chant “Where is your willingness to learn?” whenever she asked him if she could stay home for the holidays. Her father had given her a checklist on the life skills that she needed to learn, one of which was to wash clothes. She recalled washing a table cloth after an art lesson in school. That was a piece of cake, she thought. So Sora refused Weilun’s offer to help. Weilun then went to fill the large cans with water at the far end of the river.
Suddenly, a big bird dived from the sky when Sora placed the last piece of clothing back in the pail. Sora released her grasp of the pail in shock. Then she was relaxed to find it was aiming for a worm near her. But the clothes were drifting in the river. Weilun immediately came to help and Sora shifted the blame to the bird.
He pointed at the detergent foam (洗涤剂泡沫) on the surface of the river. “Don’t tell me you rinsed (漂洗) the detergent from the clothes in the river. Don’t you know that it may kill the river creatures? You caused the problem, not the bird!” Sora looked down in shame. “You think that you know everything, but you actually don’t.”
Sora closed her eyes to let Weilun’s words sink in for a moment. She finally understood the meaning behind her father’s chants. She walked towards Weilun and whispered, “Could you teach me all the life skills that my father had planned for me to learn?”
1. Why was Sora amazed?| A．Weilun was too small in size for the two large cans. |
| B．Weilun was willing to help his parents do some chores. |
| C．Weilun managed to carry the two large cans easily. |
| D．Weilun was willing to accompany her to the riverside. |
| A．She thought it was an easy task. |
| B．She had learned how to do it. |
| C．She wanted her father to be proud of her. |
| D．She wanted to learn new things by herself. |
| A．The bird was diving for food. |
| B．The bird was attacking her. |
| C．Sora was rinsing the detergent in the pail. |
| D．Sora was shocked to find a worm in the pail. |
| A．She wasn’t capable of living on her own. |
| B．She really lacked the willingness to learn. |
| C．Life skills could be learned in the country. |
| D．Her father wanted her to learn from Weilun. |
2 . After beating bone cancer, Hayley Arceneaux thinks rocketing into orbit on SpaceX’s first private flight should be no problem at all. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital announced the 29-year-old doctor’s assistant will rocket into space later this year.
Arceneaux, a former patient at St. Jude, will become the youngest American in space, beating NASA record-holder Sally Ride by over two years. She will travel with businessman Jared Isaacman, who is using the spaceflight he bought to raise money for charity. Two other yet-to-be-chosen space flyers will join them. Arceneaux will be the first person to launch with a prosthesis an artificial device that replaces a missing or injured part of the body. When she was 10, Arceneaux had an operation at St. Jude to replace her knee and a piece of metal was put in her left leg. She still limps and has occasional leg pain.
“My battle with cancer really prepared me for space travel,” she recently told The Associated Press. “It made me tough, and then also I think it really taught me to expect the unexpected and go along for the ride.” Arceneaux wants to show her young patients and other cancer survivors that “the sky is not even the limit anymore.” “It’s going to mean so much to these kids to see a survivor in space.” she said.
Isaacman announced his space flight on February 1, promising to raise $200 million for St. Jude. As the flight’s self-appointed commander, he offered one of the four seats aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft to St. Jude. The hospital chose Arceneaux from among its many workers who had once been patients. The idea was that one of them could represent the new generation, noted Rick Shadyac, president of St. Jude’s financing organization.
Arceneaux was at home in Memphis, Tennessee, when she got a surprising call in January. She was asked if she would represent St. Jude in space. As a lifelong space fan who loves adventures, Arceneaux has traveled widely and loves roller coasters. Isaacman, who flies fighter airplanes for fun, considers her a perfect fit. The launch is planned for this fall at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, with the spacecraft orbiting Earth for two to four days.
1. Which statement is true about Hayley Arceneaux?| A．She works where she used to be a patient. |
| B．She is an adventure hater. |
| C．She is the youngest American in space. |
| D．She is the first woman space flyer. |
a. She received a surprising call. b. She was diagnosed with a serious disease.
c. She was chosen to rocket into space. d. She was operated on at St.Jude.
| A．a c d b | B．b c d a | C．b d a c | D．c a b d |
| A．To carry out medical research. |
| B．To explore space. |
| C．To expect the unexpected. |
| D．To collect money. |
| A．Generous and strong. |
| B．Caring and optimistic. |
| C．Brave and honest. |
| D．Patient and representative. |
3 . You can pay a fortune to travel around the world. Or you can pay nothing at all. Here are some places you'll never regret visiting. They won't cost you a dime.
The British Museum, London(U.K.)
You need to go here to see the Egyptian mummies, the ancient Greek Marbles and so many other treasures. It's open every day, and unlike most other attractions in England that cost much money, it's completely free.
National Mall, Washington D.C.(U.S.A.)
You can walk a pathway from the Lincoln Memorial to the severe Vietnam Veterans Memorial and to the Washington Monument with other sights in between. Do you know you can go up in the elevator to the top of the Washington Monument? Tickets are free, but pay a small fee to reserve them in advance to avoid being disappointed.
Notre-Dame Cathedral, Paris(France) .
This great treasure of the world simply can't be missed. The great stained-glass rose window alone is worth the visit. The Sunday Mass with the Gregorian chant was like stepping back in time. Admission is free every day, but you're welcome to leave a donation. There are also free tours a few times each week. You'll pay extra for tours of the bell tower or the crypt.
National Museum of Ireland , Dublin and Mayo (Ireland)
Want to see bog bodies, gold ornaments, Viking artifacts and learn about rural Irish life? All four branches of this museum are free to visit, including museums devoted to archaeology, natural history, decorative arts and history and country life. The museum of country life in Tur lough Park, Mayo, is devoted to Irish rural traditions, while the natural history museum is especially famous for its collection of insects.
1. Where can you visit the ancient Greek marbles from the passage?| A．National Mall, Washington D.C. | B．The British Museum, London. |
| C．Notre-Dame Cathedral, Paris. | D．National Museum of Ireland, Dublin and Mayo. |
| A．Lincoln Memorial. | B．Vietnam Veterans Memorial. |
| C．Notre-Dame Cathedral. | D．The top of the Washington Monument. |
| A．National Museum of Ireland, Dublin and Mayo. | B．The British Museum, London. |
| C．Notre-Dame Cathedral, Paris. | D．National Mall, Washington D.C. |
4 . A new product from Google may help people solve their sleep problems, but some privacy rights groups are concerned.
Google showed off its newest Nest Hub home assistant device on Tuesday. In addition to recognizing your voice, showing pictures, videos, news and weather, it can also track your sleep. The basic model costs about $100 and the sleep-tracking technology will be available for free for the rest of 2021. The sleep tracker makes Google’s product different from a similar home assistant from Amazon. If you put the Nest Hub beside your bed, it can follow how you sleep. That is because of a new computer chip called Soli, which can sense motion. Some people may like the new technology because they would not have to wear another device to bed. Some companies make products people can wear on their wrist to track their sleep.
Google says the new Nest Hub will create reports each week that show how long and how well a person sleeps. It will also show if they snore, cough or wake up often. The company said it studied 15,000 people over the course of 110,000 nights to develop the technology.
For people who want to know more about their sleep, the device sounds like a good idea. But, people who pay attention to privacy are worried what Google might do with the information it is gathering. Jeff Chester is one of those people. He is the director of the Center for Digital Democracy. “Google’s goal is to monetize every cell of your body,” he said.
Google recently bought FitBit, a company that makes a health tracker people can wear on their wrist. Some technology experts think Google may find a way for the Nest Hub to work with the FitBit.
Google says the sleep tracker has a lot of privacy protections. For example, it will only work if the user turns it on. The company said it will not use a person’s sleep information to try to sell advertising. But Chester said he is not so sure that promise will be kept.
1. Which is true about the Google’s new Nest Hub?| A．It’s the first device to track people’s sleep. |
| B．It has some functions as a home assistant. |
| C．It can be available for free for the rest of 2021. |
| D．It is the same as a health tracker produced by FitBit. |
| A．Because private information may be let out. |
| B．Because the sleeping problems can’t be solved. |
| C．Because sleep may be interrupted. |
| D．Because sleeping reports may be created each week. |
| A．Make money on. | B．Keep track of. | C．Take care of. | D．Give away. |
| A．Google’s New Soli |
| B．Google’s sleep problem solver |
| C．Google’s Newest Nest Hub |
| D．A Sleep Tracker |
5 . Scientists say baby sharks are at risk of being born smaller and without the energy they need to survive because of warming oceans from climate change.
Scientists working with the New England Aquarium in Boston, Massachusetts studied epaulette sharks. They found that warmer conditions sped up the sharks’ growing process. That meant the sharks were born earlier and very tired.
John Mandelman is vice president and chief scientist of the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life at the New England Aquarium. He said it is widely believed that epaulette sharks are “hardy,” or able to survive difficult conditions. “What it means is this very resilient species is more vulnerable than we thought, and this could be true of other sharks,” he added.
The scientists studied 27 sharks using the New England Aquarium’s reproduction program. Some were raised in average summer water temperatures, about 27 degrees Celsius. Others were raised in higher temperatures around 29 degrees Celsius and 31 degrees Celsius. They found that the sharks raised in the warmest temperatures weighed much less than those raised in average temperatures. They also showed reduced energy levels.
Epaulette sharks can grow to a length of about one meter. Their name comes from large spots on their bodies that look like decorations on some military clothing. The sharks are listed as stable and a species of “least concern” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species.
One study this year found that worldwide numbers of oceanic sharks and rays dropped more than 70 percent between 1970 and 2018. Overfishing is a main concern, while climate change and pollution also threaten sharks. Mariah Pfleger is an ocean scientist at the protection group Oceana. She said the study should serve as a warning to ocean governing agencies that careful supervision is needed to prevent the loss of more sharks. “This study further exemplifies that sharks will not be immune to a warming ocean,” Pfleger added.
1. The new study shows us that warming oceans may lead to baby sharks’ .| A．later birth and less weight. |
| B．later birth and more weight. |
| C．earlier birth and less weight. |
| D．earlier birth and more weight. |
| A．Climate change. | B．Pollution. | C．Overfishing. | D．Supervision. |
| A．They can grow to about one centimeter in length. |
| B．They are named after their body characteristics. |
| C．They are least endangered species. |
| D．They are able to survive all kinds of conditions. |
| A．Positive. | B．Negative. | C．Indifferent. | D．Arbitrary. |
6 . In previous recessions (经济衰退), billionaires were hit along with the rest of us; it took almost three years for Forbes’s 400 richest people to recover from losses caused in 2008’s Great Recession. But in the coronavirus recession of 2020, most billionaires have gotten richer than ever before.
Billionaires increased their new billions just as millions of other Americans ran into terrible financial problems. More than 20 million people lost their jobs at the start of the pandemic. Food banks across the country are preparing for another great increase in demand. Why are American billionaires doing so well while so many other Americans suffer? People may find part of the reasons from the following fact. Stocks (股票) are overwhelmingly owned by the wealthy, and the stock market has recovered from its early-pandemic depths much more quickly than other parts of the economy.
But some billionaires are also benefiting from economic and technological trends that were accelerated by the pandemic. Among these are the owners and investors of retail giants like Amazon, Walmart, Target, Dollar Tree and Dollar General, which have reported huge profits this year while many of their smaller competitors were defeated completely as the coronavirus spread.
Then there are companies that have bet on the rapid digitization of everything Eric Yuan, the chief executive of Zoom, became a billionaire in 2019. Now he is worth almost $20 billion. Dan Gilbert, the chairman of Quicken Loans, was worth less than $7 billion in March, now he commands more than $43 billion. But there is a great deal of stratification (层化) even among billionaires—richer billionaires got even richer in 2020 than the poorer ones did. Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s funder, was worth about $113 billion at the start of the pandemic. Now he is worth $182 billion. Two years ago, Bezos was the only “centibillionaire” on earth—the trendy neologism (a new word) for people whose wealth exceeds (超过) ￥100 billion.
1. What does the author mainly tell us in the passage?| A．Food banks are not enough in the United States. |
| B．The richest kept getting richer even in the pandemic. |
| C．The stock market recovered before the pandemic started. |
| D．400 richest people recovered from losses in the pandemic. |
| A．The American inequality. |
| B．The recovery of stock market. |
| C．The effect of the pandemic. |
| D．The food shortage across the country. |
| A．The decline of digital games. |
| B．More money lent to people by banks. |
| C．The trend of technology acceleration. |
| D．High profit earned by smaller companies. |
| A．It is a new title in the stock market after the recession. |
| B．It is a new way of solution to poverty through the world. |
| C．It is a newly established company during the pandemic. |
| D．It is a new term for people whose wealth exceeds $100 billion. |
7 . Morgan’s Wonderland, located in San Antonio, Texas, is a theme park mainly intended for mentally or physically disabled children. The park was built by Gordon Hartman, a former real estate (房地产) developer. The creation of the park was inspired by his daughter, Morgan, who suffers from severe cognitive delay and physical challenges.
The world’s first ultra-accessible family fun park, Morgan’s Wonderland opened in the spring of 2010. Admission for guests with special needs is free, and fees for the general public are set at a much discounted price so that people of all ages and abilities can come together and play in a fun and safe environment.
Completely wheelchair-accessible, the park features 25 acres of attractions including rides, playgrounds, a catch-and-release fishing lake, and picnic areas throughout the park. The rides are custom-designed to accommodate wheelchair riders so that every family member can enjoy the fun. The adapted rides include the Off-Road Adventure, where guests can test their driving skills in sporty vehicles. Moreover, each visitor is offered the option to wear a GPS Adventure Band, which allows them to keep track of each other while in the park. The band also enables them to take part in electronic activities. For example, when the riders scan the band at the Off-Road Adventure, a photo will be taken and sent to their email.
In June 2017, Morgan’s Wonderland celebrated the opening of Morgan’s Inspiration Island. The new expansion is composed of five themed splash pads and a River Boat Adventure Ride. The wheelchair guests can be moved out of their chairs into unique, waterproof chairs and enjoy the splash park without risking damage to their personal wheelchairs.
“Morgan taught me that there’s more to life in many ways than what I saw before,” said Hartman. “The blessing that Morgan has brought is beyond anything that I ever could have imagined and could explain.”
1. What is the passage mainly about?| A．The new addition to Morgan’s Wonderland. |
| B．The establishment and features of a special theme park. |
| C．The advanced technological devices in Morgan’s Wonderland |
| D．The needs of people who suffer from physical and mental disabilities. |
| A．It’s easy for all visitors to use the facilities. |
| B．Admission is free for people young and old. |
| C．Wheelchairs are provided for every featured attraction. |
| D．Morgan’s Wonderland is situated in a convenient location. |
| A．Safe Boats. | B．Water-resistant cloth. | C．GPS bands. | D．Special chairs. |
| A．Waterproof chairs enable visitors to wonder all over the park. |
| B．Morgan’s Inspiration Island includes 25 acres of attractions. |
| C．The success of the park is exactly what Morgan intended to achieve. |
| D．GPS bands allow visitors to enjoy the convenience of the electronic devices. |
8 . My 12-year-old daughter, Lauren, came home from school yesterday, proudly waving her grade book to me. She had been awarded A-1 in most subjects such as mathematics, language arts and science—a great achievement! Then she sadly pointed out that her perfect score was damaged by a B-1 in French and a C-1 in Physical Education.
I asked her what the scores meant. She said that the letter showed the achievement(成绩) and the number showed the effort. That moment I realized that the grades were misleading. I reached out my hands and gave her a big hug and told her in my mind she had a perfect score. It didn’t matter that her grade in French was a “B”—the “l” showed that she had tried her best. That is something to make any parent proud.
Everybody is different. Everybody has different potential(潜能). Not all of us will become linguists(语言学家) or sports stars. But without 100％effort no potential can be achieved. If I see a salesperson fail at sales, the first thing I want to examine is the effort being put in. If there is a problem with effort, the salesperson has no future. But if I see a salesperson isn’t successful with l00％effort, he or she is worth my effort in helping. Maybe a bit of training or some advice from a more successful person will help. I know that 100％effort, focus in the right direction, will always bring a result whether that is an “A” or a “C”. As long as you make 100％effort, you are great.
1. The author’s daughter was weak in _______.| A．maths. | B．science. | C．chemistry. | D．physical education. |
| A．High grades make parents proud. |
| B．Grades are important to children. |
| C．People hold a wrong idea of grades. |
| D．High grades show great achievements. |
| A．will give him training. |
| B．is willing to offer help. |
| C．will find an easy way for him. |
| D．may think he has no future. |
| A．trying his or her best. |
| B．achieving good grades. |
| C．having different potential. |
| D．giving other people useful advice. |
9 . In November 2020, Hurricane Eta made landfall in Central America. The storm caused huge damage from Panama to Florida. Two weeks later, Hurricane lota arrived. It was even more powerful. Heavy rain fell on places that were already flooded. President Juan Orlando Hernandez, of Honduras, said lota would leave the area in tatters.
Scientists say climate change is to blame. They don't know if it' s causing more storms, but data seems to show it's causing storms to be stronger and more harmful. James P. Kossin is a climate scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(NOAA).He says the increase in greenhouse gas emissions (排放) is changing how storms behave. “These storms have a human fingerprint on them," he told TIME for Kids.
As the planet warms, so do its oceans. That' s where hurricanes begin. A storm draws its energy from ocean air. Warmer water provides more energy, which means higher winds. It also means heavier rain. Increased energy is also causing hurricanes to get stronger and faster. In August, Laura changed from a tropical storm to a strong hurricane in about a day. It hit Texas and Louisiana with winds of up to 150 miles per hour. Laura's storm surge ---- a wall of ocean water mainly caused by a strong wind --- reached 17 feet in places. It was among the highest ever recorded in Louisiana.
Hurricanes are also sticking around longer to do more damage. Rising temperatures are slowing down westerly winds, which blow around the planet. That makes storms move more slowly. In 2017, Hurricane Harvey hung around for days, flooding parts of Texas. “That storm was damaging because it didn't move.” Kossin says. “It just sat there. And it rained and rained."
Reducing greenhouse gases is the first step. Kossin says. "we can stop making it worse. Then we can try our best to adapt to the new climate we' re in."
1. What do the underlined words “in tatters” in the first paragraph mean?| A．Quiet. | B．Ruined. | C．Crowded. | D．Dangerous. |
| A．It's led to storms destroying more. |
| B．It' s made storms difficult to read. |
| C．It' s increased the number of storms. |
| D．It's made storms happen in more places. |
| A．To prove that increased energy is causing storms to get stronger. |
| B．To show that storms are causing more and more damage. |
| C．To introduce different types of storms. |
| D．To explain how storms form. |
| A．A wall of ocean water broke the record in history. |
| B．A girl named Laura was lost in a storm. |
| C．Greenhouse gases increased rapidly. |
| D．Floods hit some places there. |
10 . The door of a small cage opens up and a bird flies into a large enclosure (围场). The bird lands on a tree and moves its red head to the side, as if it is surprised. “That’s what it feels like to be free,” said Juan Camilo Panqueba, who works at a wildlife center in the Colombian city of Bogota, far from the Caribbean coast, where the bird usually lives.
Birdsong contests have taken place all over the Caribbean for hundreds of years. Although catching any wildlife is not permitted by the law, wildlife trafficking (非法交易) still happens a lot in Colombia, as the officials were too busy fighting with the drug trade, nongovernment fighters and other dangerous groups. Until recently, they did not enforce (强制实施) the law. Now, as dangerous groups have fallen and with the drug trade mostly destroyed, officials are taking another look.
Three weeks ago, Colombian officials saved birds from a group. The group was mostly people who had recently moved to Bogota from the Caribbean and Venezuela. Officials accuse (控告) the group of setting up a songbird competition on social media. In a closed Facebook group, crowds cheered and recorded the loudness and the number of calls from each bird. The owner of the winning bird received＄100, and people who correctly predicted the winner could also win money. Environmental officials say the birds were badly hurt, because they were kept in the small cages and forced to listen to loud music all day long to make sure they can sing. In the wild, the birds sing to protect themselves or find a mate. “For them, it was like cruel harm,” noted Juan Camilo Panqueba, who works at Bogota’s wildlife center. There, he and others care for birds and more than 1, 000 animals.
Colombians have grown to understand the importance of wildlife, and officials are working to end animal trafficking.
1. Colombia has lots of wildlife trafficking because ________.| A．there was no law to protect wildlife |
| B．people from other countries kept coming |
| C．Colombians are people that like birds very much |
| D．the government didn’t have enough time to carry out the law strictly |
| A．It’s a new form of entertainment. |
| B．The birds were badly treated during the contest. |
| C．Finding their mates was what birds sang for. |
| D．All the owners of the birds can win a prize. |
| A．There will be less and less harm to wildlife. |
| B．Government officials will keep the wild animals. |
| C．Birdsong contests will be more and more popular. |
| D．Many wild animals will die out because of the trafficking. |
| A．The bird training methods are important. |
| B．There are many kinds of wildlife in Colombia. |
| C．Colombia has introduced laws to stop the harm to wildlife. |
| D．Birdsong contests did a lot of harm to birds and Colombia is trying to stop it. |
