1 . A mother has taken her celebration（颂扬）of great women in history to the next level—by dressing her baby daughter up as some of the most famous women of all time. Jenelle Wexler, a hair stylist from Chicago, the USA, came up with the idea when she noticed similarities in appearance between her four-month-old baby, Liberty, and a Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.
Wexler took photos of Liberty who was dressed up as the Mexican artist. And after that, Wexler wanted to go on with what she did. "The pictures came out wonderfully, and soon after that, I thought about other women in history that contributed to the benefit of women and people as a whole," she says.
Wexler takes the photos with her iphone. Up until now, she has dressed Liberty up as a series of famous women, including Marie Curie, Coco Chanel, Madonna and Amelia Earhart.
Once she decides which woman she would like Liberty to play, she researches the person and learns about some of the historic achievements this woman has made. Wexler checks photos of each woman, which she then uses to design clothing and setting that will show their character and achievements.
It takes Wexler around 20 minutes to take each photo, and for every dress-up activity, Wexler usually takes nearly 50 pictures in total. "Liberty has acted 34 women of influence," she says. She just wants to draw people's attention to those who should really be admired in our society—there are so many great women who need to be remembered and have their stories told.
1. What made Wexler dress Liberty up as Frida Kahlo?| A．Frida Kahlo is popular among women. |
| B．Wexler admires Frida Kahlo very much. |
| C．Liberty and Frida Kahlo looked like each other. |
| D．Wexler wanted Liberty to be an artist like Frida Kahlo |
| A．Show how the dress-up activity goes on. |
| B．Offer some suggestions on picture-taking. |
| C．Value women's contributions to the world |
| D．Introduce some research on famous women |
| A．She enjoys taking photos to record life. |
| B．She devotes all her time to her daughter. |
| C．She works hard to protect the rights of women |
| D．She puts lots of effort into the dress-up activity. |
| A．To introduce some excellent women. |
| B．To advise people to take pictures of kids. |
| C．To call on people to remember famous women. |
| D．To choose proper role models for young people. |
2 . Best Ski Resorts (胜地)
Stevens Pass—Washington
While American families have different choices when it comes to winter snow sports, many choose Stevens Pass. For some fun after the sun goes down, Stevens Pass offers night skiing under the lights until 10 p. m. If you need to get some work done, you can head to the Visitor Center where free Wii is offered for work from mountain experience.
Good to Know: Buy tickets 7+days earlier for the biggest savings.
Beaver Creek—Colombia
With full childcare choices and the best ski school for beginners, Beaver Creek is a perfect ski resort for families. For kids who aren't quite ready to ski, the Small World Play School is a good place to go to. Add in a Cookie Cabin, and you may never want to go down this mountain!
Good to Know: Every day at 3 p. m. enjoy Cookie Time—where cooks serve warm, delicious chocolate cookies!
Big Sky Resort-Montana
Big Sky is greatly designed for skiing lovers. The Lone Peak Playhouse offers childcare to kids aged six months to eight years old, so you can enjoy skiing while your kids play. Or, head to Chet's for board games and live music.
Good to Know: Kids aged six and under ski free.
Mt. Hood Meadows—Oregon
For beginners, start with Buttercup and Ballroom Carpet. Or, head to the Children's Learning Center, where kids as young as four can sign up for lessons. If you add in the healthy lunches, you can rest easy while your kids have a great full-day lesson.
Good to know： Kids can get a special two-hour beginner lesson for just $ 25, and equipment rental (设备租用)can be added for $10. Tickets can only be bought ahead of time.
1. What can visitors do at Stevens Pass?| A．Take skiing lessons. | B．Play indoor games. |
| C．Do voluntary work | D．Ski at night. |
| A．Both offer snacks. | B．Both offer childcare |
| C．Both offer live music. | D．Both offer board games. |
| A．$ 10. | B．$ 25. |
| C．$ 35 | D．$ 45. |
Popular Article in the Magazine | |
| Relationship between you and food | Do you live to eat or eat to live? What kind of relationship do you have with food? Read this article to find out more about food. |
| Black sheep and Uncle Bob | There are sheep and an English teacher in this article. The teacher works in Russia. He explains why he finds family stories interesting. He also tells us what makes his own family special. |
| Films that aren't really about Canada | You can't see much of Canada in American films like the 1953 movie Niagara. For me, Canada is a place that starts somewhere on the other side of that waterfall. |
| Ice cream and banking | Most people in Britain believe that it's a good idea to save money. This is an important part of the culture, or at least it was in the past |
| A．About waterfall. | B．About culture. | C．About food. | D．About Russia. |
| A．Family stories. | B．Banking. | C．Canada. | D．American films. |
| A．Films that aren't really about Canada. | B．Ice cream and banking. |
| C．Relationship between you and food. | D．Black sheep and Uncle Bob. |
4 . While it's not impossible for birds to fly in the rain, they usually choose not to. You may see birds fly for a few seconds in poor weather, but most of them prefer to stay put on rainy days.
Why does rain make it harder for birds to fly? You might imagine that moving through the air while being pelted by raindrops would be pretty unpleasant. However, it's not the rain itself that makes flying difficult. Instead, birds are influenced by the drop in the air pressure that comes with most rainstorms. When pressure drops, the air is less thick, which makes it harder for birds to fly. Moving through the sky in areas of low air pressure takes a lot of energy.
Most birds need to eat several times a day—rain or no rain. Luckily, most birds' feathers（羽毛）are highly waterproof（防水的）, protecting the skin beneath. Many birds can also make oil that they can spread over their feathers to further protect themselves from the rain. Most birds don't like rain. In fact, in a 2010 study, a team of researchers studied birds living in a Costa Rican rainforest. They found that the birds had higher levels of stress hormone（应激激素）on rainy days. That may not surprise you. After all, many animals feel stressed out during storms. Pet owners often find that rain and thunder make their animals nervous. Some animals are so strongly influenced by nature that they almost seem to forecast the future.
No one really knows how many birds die during a storm or series of storms. But the number is certainly higher than usual. They fly into trees or windows; they get lost over the ocean or a large lake; their food sources are made more difficult to get but, at the same time, they need more food to get warm. However, if rain continues for some time, birds will have to challenge the storm.
1. What makes it harder for birds to fly in the rain?| A．The wet air. | B．Food shortage. |
| C．Raindrops. | D．The low air pressure. |
| A．Cleaned. | B．Hit. |
| C．Frightened. | D．Protected. |
| A．Why birds can fly in the rain |
| B．How birds are influenced by rain. |
| C．How birds survive long rainy days. |
| D．Why birds' feathers are waterproof. |
| A．Birds will develop the ability to fly in the rain |
| B．Birds fly only when necessary on rainy days. |
| C．Birds have nowhere to hide in rainstorms. |
| D．Birds need less food on rainy days. |
5 . I was unbelievably proud of my nine–year–old daughter, Emily. Determined to buy a mountain bike, she’d been saving her pocket money all the year, as well as doing small jobs to earn extra money.
By Thanksgiving Day, she had collected only＄49. I said, “You can have your pick from my bicycle collection.” “Thanks, Daddy. But your bikes are so old.” She was right. All my girls’ bikes were 1980s models, not the kind kids today would likely choose.
As Christmas drew near, Emily and I went bike shopping. As we left one store, she noticed a Salvation(救助) Army volunteer standing next to a big pot. “Can we give something, Daddy?” she asked. “Sorry, Emily. I’m out of change.”
Throughout December, Emily continued to work hard. Then one day, she made a surprising decision. “You know all the money I’ve been saving?” she said hesitantly. “I’m going to give it to the poor people.” So one cold morning before Christmas, Emily gave her total savings of＄58 to a volunteer who was really very thankful.
Affected by Emily’s deed, I decided to contribute one of my old bicycles to a car dealer who was collecting used bikes for poor children. As I selected a shiny model from my collection, however, it seemed as if a second bike took on a glow（发光). Should I contribute two? No, one would be enough. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that I should give a second bike. When I later delivered the bikes, the car dealer said, “You’re making two kids very happy, sir. Here are your tickets. For each bicycle contributed, we’re giving away one chance to win a girls’ mountain bike.”
Why wasn’t I surprised when that second ticket turned out to be the winner? I like to think it was God’s way of rewarding a little girl for a sacrifice（牺牲）beyond her age—while giving her dad a lesson in the process.
1. The father took pride in his daughter probably NOT because_____.| A．she’d been saving her pocket money all the year |
| B．she’d been doing small jobs to earn extra money |
| C．she made up her mind to buy a mountain bike |
| D．she presented her total savings of＄58 to a volunteer |
| A．Emily was angry with her father as he didn’t give his change. |
| B．The volunteer wasn’t moved by Emily’s donation of her savings. |
| C．The car dealer exchanged two tickets for the father’s two bikes. |
| D．The father made his final decision that he should give one more bike. |
| A．The car dealer cheated people of their contributions. |
| B．Two girls really appreciated receiving donated bikes. |
| C．Emily got a mountain bike for her kindness finally. |
| D．The father felt regretful for winning a girl’s mountain bike. |
| A．One good turn deserves another. | B．Two heads are better than one. |
| C．Do as you would be done. | D．Great minds think alike. |
6 . Sometimes life can seem challenging and we usually get the feeling that however happy we are，we never seem to be satisfied .We usually feel upset with the troubles that life throws at us．The best thing to do at that point of time is to close our eyes and start counting of all the blessings in life that God has given us．
If we think deeply, our life is full of blessings that we hardly recognize．Listening to the singing of birds early in the morning，we realize that there are many people who spend their life in a world that is silent while many others spend their lives in a world that is dark and may have never seen a rainbow（彩虹） or the setting sun．
When you go out for a drive，pull down the window and look at the poor beggar standing under the hot sun，begging for filling his hungry stomach．We get three meals a day without realizing its importance．Isn't that a blessing？
Whenever you are sad，look at the eyes of your parents and family filled with love and concern for you. There are many people who have never experienced the love of a family．Isn't that a blessing？
As Mother Teresa once said，"We don't need to do great things．We need to do small things with great love"．
The key to a happy life is when we consider others’ problems to be our own and try to help them．When we love people without any expectations and help them，our heart is filled with a sense of happiness and peace．
So next time whenever life knocks you down，close your eyes and start counting!
1. What does the author intend to tell us？| A．Love gives us courage． |
| B．Don’t be unsatisfied with our life． |
| C．True happiness lies in becoming rich. |
| D．The singing of birds can make us happy． |
| A．Drive outside and beg. |
| B．Close our eyes and cry. |
| C．Look for our parents’ love and concern. |
| D．Remember the happy time we’ve experienced. |
| A．It is a blessing to have three meals a day． |
| B．Mother Teresa calls on us to do great things in life． |
| C．It's natural to see a rainbow or the setting sun in life． |
| D．We have already known that life is filled with blessings． |
| A．Considering our own things. |
| B．Learning to love and help others. |
| C．Letting our hearts fill with peace. |
| D．Helping others with many expectations. |
7 . That warm day was the only day of the week without rain.I opened the door, took a seat and began to enjoy the wonderful sunshine.Suddenly, I noticed that the house near mine had been sold.An elderly lady was in front of the door, with some beautiful flowers beside her. I walked to her. She looked to be in her early eighties and had the prettiest white hair.
“Hi!My name is Karmen,” I said smiling brightly at the old lady. She smiled back and said, “Hello,Karmen.I’m Kitty.” Her voice was very strong for someone at her age. Later, I learned that she was alone and had no family or relatives to help her. From that day on, I often visited her and helped her with her housework and sometimes she gave me some delicious food. A year passed, and I considered her to be one of my best friends.
One day, I walked over for my morning visit and knocked on the door, but there was no answer. I knocked again, and she still didn’t turn up. So I let myself in, using the key she had given me. I checked her living room and then her kitchen. I finally went into her bedroom, and she was lying peacefully on her bed. Beside her there were two notes. One was her will (遗嘱), which said all that she had would be given to me. The other was a thank-you note. I went to her bedside and cried sadly.
Though several years has gone by, I still miss her deeply. Whenever I look at the beautiful flowers in front of her house, I remember the wonderful friendship we had.
1. What did the author learn about the old lady?| A．She preferred to live alone. |
| B．She disliked all her relatives. |
| C．She had no one to look after her. |
| D．She was looking for someone to help her. |
| A．Because he wanted her house. |
| B．Because he felt pity for her. |
| C．Because he liked to do housework. |
| D．Because he’d like to eat delicious food. |
| A．Leave all that she had to the author. |
| B．Give the author a key to her house. |
| C．Give the author her favourite flowers. |
| D．Let the author know she was her best friend. |
| A．Foolish. | B．Clever. | C．Polite. | D．Grateful. |
8 . Covid-19 has brought a great deal of trouble for all of us since March 2020. During this time, mobile phones have been the solution for the boredom and restlessness caused from staying indoors. The most downloaded apps on play store 2020 are;
TikTok
TikTok was the most downloaded app. With over 111.9 million downloads, TikTok has seen a huge growth in 2020, twice more than what it got in 2019. 20% of its total downloads were from India and around 9. 3% of the total downloads were in the US.
Zoom
Zoom was the second most installed app in the overall downloads category. With nearly 94. 6 million installs, Zoom is the most used app for online meetings and virtual classrooms. 17% of its downloads were in the US and India. Offices and educational institutes were shut down and to continue working and studying from home, people relied heavily on Zoom for video conferencing and calling.
WhatsApp ranked third in overall downloads with more than 100 million downloads. It is one of the most popular and widely used chat applications; WhatsApp also supports communication between international phone networks.
It ranked fourth in the overall downloaded list. Facebook is the world’s most popular social networking application. Facebook builds technologies that give people the power to connect with friends and family, find communities and grow businesses.
1. What do we know about TikTok?| A．It is an India-based app. | B．It has most users in America. |
| C．It is used for growing business. | D．It has doubled its download than in 2019. |
| A．TikTok. | B．Zoom. | C．WhatsApp. | D．Facebook. |
| A．Communication. | B．Training. | C．Teaching. | D．Payment |
9 . Beijing is a rather strange city to many western people. One of my foreign friends told me that when he came to Beijing, at first he couldn't understand why most people wear masks when spring comes to Beijing. He thought people wanted to keep their appearance a secret. Well, one of the symbols of spring coming to Beijing is that more and more people start wearing masks. The reason for it is the arrival of so called “sandstorms”.
It is said that each year sandstorms hit Beijing 4 to 5 times. The sand is brought to Beijing by wind from the western part of China. Tons of soil and dust travel hundreds of miles and blanket Beijing's streets, parked cars and apartment buildings. You would be amazed to see the ground has turned yellow overnight. The storm is so violent that you do not want to have a conversation with your friend on the road. If you open your mouth and then you close it, you may have the raw taste of sand in your mouth.
People in Beijing hate those storms. Sandstorms make the traffic jam in rush hours even more unpredictable, because the drivers have to drive slowly in order to have a clear view of the road conditions. Young students also hate sandstorms because whenever there is a sandstorm, they are not allowed to have any activities outside the classroom. It is so boring to sit in the classroom all day and the youngsters are so eager to go out and do some sports.
It is said that the closest desert is only 80 kilometers away from the city center.There is definitely much more to do for the local government to deal with the environmental problem.
1. Why do people in Beijing wear masks in the spring?| A．Because they are rather strange. |
| B．Because there are serious sandstorms. |
| C．Because their appearance are not beautiful. |
| D．Because they want to keep their face a secret. |
| A．Dry. | B．Cross. | C．Destroy. | D．Cover. |
| A．Drivers clean the road. | B．They hold some activities. |
| C．Youngsters go out to do sports. | D．Students stay in the classroom. |
| A．People in Sandstorms | B．How to Prevent Sandstorms |
| C．Sandstorms in Beijing | D．What to Do in a Sandstorm |
10 . Beijing will provide COVID-19 vaccinations(接种疫苗）for certain groups in nursing homes, including the elderly and caregivers, on a voluntary basis to prevent a renewed outbreak at nursing homes during autumn and winter, the local government said.
Those who will receive the vaccines include nursing home kitchen workers, security guards and cleaners. Beijing Daily reported on Friday.
Xing Yinli ,director of Jingkangyuan, a nursing home in Fengtai district with about 290 elderly residents(居民），said they have received the document(文件）recently and will strictly follow its guidance.
It’s our top duty to strengthen prevention and control.,"Xing said,adding they have been using methods such as keeping detailed records of resident contacts outside the nursing home,and encouraging online visits for family members..
As to vaccinations, she said they will ask for permission from residents,their family members and workers before giving vaccines.
In late October,Shaoxing,Zhejiang province carried out an emergencyCOVTD-19 vaccine program,allowing the public to ask for injections(注射）in advance,with key groups first. A similar program was also organized in Jiaxing,Ningbo and Yiwu in Zhejiang.
Nationwide,emergency use of home grown COVID-19 vaccines was approved in June and launched in late July. China now has four coronavirus candidate vaccines in the third stage clinical trials(临床试验）.
The document from Beijing also said nursing homes should conduct nucleic acid testing(核酸检测） every month among kitchen workers and residents who leave the nursing homes to see a doctor. Tests will cover all people in nursing homes considered at high risk if new infections are reported in the city. Besides, routine disinfections (消毒） should be strengthened in kitchens, storerooms and restrooms, it said. The document also recommended noncontact visits from family members.
1. Where can you probably find this article?| A．In a newspaper. | B．In a fashion magazine. |
| C．In a book review. | D．In a travel journal. |
| A．The nursing home kept detailed records of residents, |
| B．All the members will make preparations for injections. |
| C．The nursing home takes prevention and control seriously. |
| D．Jiaxing is the first city to have carried out an emergency program. |
| A．China is providing vaccinations nationwide. |
| B．China has made great progress in coronavirus vaccines. |
| C．Chain has taken the lead in coronavirus vaccines worldwide. |
| D．The four candidate vaccines have finished clinical trails |
| A．Nursing homes should conduct nucleic acid testing. |
| B．Beijing nursing homes are to be provided vaccines. |
| C．Certain groups will have vaccines first in late June. |
| D．Routine disinfections should be strengthened in kitchens. |
