1 . Winter in Syria can be cold. With over 11 million people made homeless since the beginning of the war in 2011, many people are without enough heating or shelter during the cold winter months. A group of MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) students has set out to change that.
The team of six, led by MIT Sloan School of Management undergraduate Vick Liu, created TravlerPack, a light sleeping bag that can stand up to temperatures as cold as -10℃, with the goal of sending the bags to Syrian refugees (难民).
During a freshman exercise last year, Liu was among a group of students discussing startup ideas when he realized he was interested in creating something that would help people. He wrote the idea for TravlerPack on a piece of paper and put it in his pocket so he wouldn’t forget it.
With fuel (燃料) and shelter hard to come by, refugees have few ways to keep warm during the Syrian winters. But a sleeping bag doesn’t require fuel. “It’s a simple solution to a big problem,” said Liu.
Liu and his team spoke directly with refugees to find out what additions to the bag they might need. They found that refugees had no way to store valuables, especially at night, so each TravlerPack contains one outside storage pocket and five inside storage pockets. When not being used, TravlerPack can be pressed down into a small bag, which can be worn as a backpack, allowing refugees to keep both hands free.
After reaching out to around 80 producers, the team officially partnered with one in April to make the sleeping bags.
The team reached out to many non-profits (非盈利性机构) and, luckily, NuDay Syria, a non-profit with experience of sending goods to Syrian refugees, signed on to send the packs to Northwestern Syria.
In September, the group started a GoFundMe movement to raise $15,000 to send TravlerPacks to Syrian refugees, and quickly reached their goal. Now the team is raising more money to send 1,000 bags overseas.
“We’ve been really lucky the whole way through,” Liu said. “This has been a journey of luck and a lot of planning.”
1. Why did Vick Liu create TravlerPack?| A．To sell sleeping bags to travelers. |
| B．To solve a big problem at his school. |
| C．To meet the needs of Syrian refugees. |
| D．To complete a task given by his team. |
| A．To check if they were receiving TravlerPacks. |
| B．To see how many sleeping bags they needed. |
| C．To try their best to improve TravlerPacks. |
| D．To deal with their money problems. |
| A．They have received great support. |
| B．They will put TravlerPacks to the test soon |
| C．They plan to advertise TravlerPacks worldwide |
| D．They found it easy to send sleeping bags to refugees. |
| A．Kind and strict. |
| B．Intelligent and sensitive. |
| C．Creative and thoughtful. |
| D．Humorous and talkative. |
By Sandra Markle. Ages 8 to 10.
Woolly Monkeys spend most of their time high up in 150-foot-tall trees. That makes them difficult animals to count and to study. But cameras have provided valuable information and taken, as this book shows, amazing pictures. Experts now believe that Peru's lowland monkeys and the waste they produce are necessary to the survival of the rain forest.
Camp Panda: Helping Cubs Return to the Wild
By Catherine Thimmesh. Ages 10 to 12.
The giant panda is much-beloved in China, but in the past 40 years, at least half of its habitat has been destroyed. Camp Panda tells about efforts to reintroduce the giant pandas into the wild so that they might have a future. As part of the efforts, people wear panda costumes that smell like pandas while weighing and measuring the young pandas. They aren't supposed to get used to seeing and being around people, because people could pose a threat to them in the wild.
Beyond Words: What Elephants and Whales Think and Feel
By Carl Safina. Ages 10 and older.
Carl Safina studied elephants in an African national park and killer whales off the coast of Washington state. He learned about their strong family bonds, the surprising ways they communicate and how they play and hang out with one another. This book makes a strong case for protecting the ability of these animals to live freely.
Back from the Brink: Saving Animals from Extinction
By Nancy F. Castaldo. Ages 10 and older.
This book focuses on seven groups of animals — including whooping cranes, California condors and American alligators — that were brought back to healthy numbers by a lot of efforts. As she celebrates these successes, Nancy F. Castaldo also makes clear that dangers, such as the effects of climate change, still cloud the future of these creatures.
1. Which is the most suitable book for readers below 10?| A．The Woolly Monkey Mysteries: The Quest to Save a Rain Forest Species. |
| B．Beyond Words: What Elephants and Whales Think and Feel. |
| C．Back from the Brink: Saving Animals from Extinction. |
| D．Camp Panda: Helping Cubs Return to the Wild. |
| A．To attract visitors. |
| B．To make pandas feel safe. |
| C．To take photos of pandas in the wild. |
| D．To celebrate the increasing numbers of pandas. |
| A．Animal protection. |
| B．Climate change. |
| C．Animal rights. |
| D．Rain forests. |
3 . Online eating shows, or Mukbang(直播吃饭), originated in South Korea and have gained popularity globally.
Many hosts of such shows have become popular for their ability to eat large amounts of food. But these shows have also received criticism for their waste of food. While some hosts actually do consume the amount of food shown, others may be faking it.
On Aug 12, CCTV exposed several Chinese hosts who were pretending to eat large amounts of food while on camera, but actually later threw it away.
To discourage this practice, many video and livestreaming platforms, including Douyin, Kuaishow and Bilibili, have removed videos that show food waste, and have promoted messages to “stop food waste and eat reasonably.”
In June 2020, the United Nations warned that the world is on the verge of the worst food crisis in 50 years.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, about a third of the world’s food-1.3 billion tons- is wasted every year. In China alone, 50 million tons of food ends up in landfills every year, according to Beijing News.
Recently, campaigns against food waste have been further promoted. In August, President Xi Jinping stressed the need for safeguarding food security and stopping food waste.
According to China Daily, restaurants and catering associations in more than 18 provinces and all 4 municipal cities have issued guidelines to control food waste.
In Shanxi province, local restaurants have been asked to serve half portions to avoid waste. The Wuhan Catering Association proposed that restaurants adopt the “N-1 mode”. For example, a group of 10 diners should only order enough for nine people first. More food is only brought to the table if required.
In addition, a nationwide “Clear Your Plate” campaign has been launched online. Users of Sina Weibo are encouraged to share photos or videos of empty plates after finishing their meals.
Meanwhile, new laws are also being considered, according to China daily. “We will make new laws that give clear instructions on avoiding food waste,” said Zhang Guilong from the legislative Affairs Committee of the National People’s Congress. The instructions will be detailed in every year of food production, purchasing storage, transportation, processing and consumption, according to Zhang.
1. What is CCTV’s attitude toward online eating shows?| A．Supportive. | B．Critical. | C．Objective. | D．Unclear. |
| A．Most video media are contributing to stopping food waste. |
| B．We should eat up all the food on the table. |
| C．It’s hard to carry out "Clear Your Plate campaign. |
| D．All the videos that show food waste have been removed. |
| A．We can adopt the “N+1 mode”. |
| B．We can eat more food than we need. |
| C．We can choose not to watch online eating shows. |
| D．We can ask the restaurants to serve us half portions. |
| A．Online eating shows should be banned. |
| B．New laws should be made to avoid food waste. |
| C．Measures are being taken to stop food waste. |
| D．We should share photos or videos of empty plates. |
4 . You know that squeak(吱吱声)you hear from your pet mouse or the pest mouse? It turns out that it is 'not really a squeak, but a sweet song by male mice to attract females. This is the conclusion reached by biologist Dustin Penn and his team at the Veterinary University of Vienna.
The scientists who have been conducting a series of studies on house mice for a number of years, began by recording the high-pitched(声调高的)sounds male mice made the moment they sensed a female mouse around. What they discovered when they played them back to females was that the ladies could tell between those made by their brothers and the ones made by unrelated males. Just like human, they tended to ignore the ones made by their brothers.
The researchers then took the experiment one step further and analyzed the squeaks. To their surprise they discovered that while the squeaks sounded similar, they each had a different "tune". The biggest surprise of all was that the mice could even learn tunes from each other.
However, not all scientists agree with this finding. Some like Kurt Hammer, a scientist at the German Primate Center believe that the test sample was too small to make such a conclusion.
The researcher's next plan to test if the females care about the quality of the “song”. In some bird species, males that can sing the most complex tunes seem to get the most attention.
So why do we care whether mice can sing or not? Clearly, since they are being used as laboratory testers, it will help us make advances in human speech disorders like the ones found in people suffering from autism(自闭症).
1. What does Dustin Pen describe the squeak made by a male mouse as?| A．A hungry signal. | B．A sad cry. |
| C．A terrible noise. | D．A pleasant sound. |
| A．The male mice. | B．The female mice. |
| C．The squeaks made by the male mice. | D．The squeaks made by the female mice. |
| A．More studies should be made. | B．Mice are intelligent animals. |
| C．The conclusion is reasonable. | D．Mice shouldn't be studied. |
| A．It can find ways to kill mice. |
| B．It can inspire musicians with their work. |
| C．It can help treat human speech disorders. |
| D．It can find ways to select intelligent mice. |
5 . My grandson Jason was no where to be seen-normal behavior for a ten-year-old. I sat down on a chair and noticed the ladder(梯子)lying on the ground under the big tree beside the driveway. It didn't take Sherlock Holmes to figure out Jason was up in that tree and had accidentally kicked the ladder away. He wasn't about to come down, and he wouldn't let me know he was trapped. I could put up the ladder and rescue him, but then I recalled an event in my youth that I now, more than 50 years later, suddenly understood.
Raymond Cutting was a white haired gentleman, who entered my life when I was Jason's age. My parents said I was free to wander around the village except for the abandoned quarry(采石场)at the foot of a local mountain, but it was an interesting place: full of milky green water and rusty machinery hiding in the bushes. One afternoon I went there with some older boys, who later abandoned me when the sun was low. I tried for an hour to find my way, climbing over fallen trees but got caught in the bushes. Panicked, I cried.
Stopping to catch my breath, I heard someone whistle(吹口哨). "Hello,"said Cutting. "Out for a walk?" I nodded, "I've just been out exploring the old quarry, but I've got to get home now." "If you'd wait a minute, I'll walk back to town with you after I finish this willow whistle."
So we walked back down the path together, and the willow whistle was mine, sounding loud and clear. It suddenly dawned on me what an unusual act of kindness that was-Mr. Cutting had heard me crying, but he didn't play the role of a rescuer. Instead, he whistled so that I could find him.
I got up from the chair and drove my truck right under the big tree, where Jason was. I picked up the ladder and carried it around to the back of the house. When I returned, Jason was sitting in my chair.
"Where have you been?" I asked.
"Exploring, "Jason said. "I am a Cub Scout, you know.”
"Yes, "I smiled and said, "I know.”
1. What do we know about the ten-year-old author and Jason?| A．Neither of them admitted being trapped. | B．Neither of them were fond of exploring. |
| C．They both got stuck in the woods. | D．They both cried out for help. |
| A．He offered to walk the author home. |
| B．He helped the author without hurting his pride. |
| C．He punished the boys who left the author behind. |
| D．He gave the author his handmade willow whistle. |
| A．He placed his chair by the tree. | B．He parked the truck under the tree. |
| C．He put the ladder up against the tree. | D．He climbed onto the tree to catch him. |
| A．Like father, like son. |
| B．Once bitten, twice shy. |
| C．God helps those who help themselves. |
| D．Have considerations for others while offering help. |
6 . Travel information
Places of interest名胜 | the Water Cube 水立方 | the West Lake | Disneyland | the Dragon Tower龙塔 |
Location | Beijing | Hangzhou | Hong Kong | Harbin |
Phone number | 01028135589 | 057168345579 | 0085228029822 | 045181187899 |
Price of the ticket | ￥60 | ￥50 | ￥300 | ￥150 |
Feature特点 | Special bubbly(充满气泡的) design | The Broken Bridge | Cartoon characters | Skywalk(人行天桥) |
1. If a person in Hangzhou feels like visiting the Water Cube, he should call to get information.
| A．0451－81187899 | B．00852－28029822 |
| C．0571－68345579 | D．010－28135589 |
| A．￥120 | B．￥100 | C．￥300 | D．￥600 |
| A．The Water Cube is special in design. |
| B．The price of a ticket for the West Lake is the highest. |
| C．In Disneyland, you can't see any cartoon characters. |
| D．The price of a ticket for the Dragon Tower is the lowest. |
7 . Although social media allow us to become more connected to other people than at any time in history, a new study suggests that many Americans feel lonelier than ever before, which is weakening the nation’s mental and physical health.
The study conducted by the health insurer Cigna, found widespread loneliness, with nearly half of Americans reporting they feel alone, or left out at least some of the time. The nation’s 75 million millennials (ages 23 — 37) and Generation Z adults (ages 18 — 22) are lonelier than older generations. Besides, 54% of people surveyed said they feel no one knows them well, and four in ten reported they “lack companionship”, their “relationships aren’t meaningful” and they “are isolated (孤立的) from others”.
Douglas Nemecek, MD, Cigna’s chief medical officer for Behavioral Health, said the findings of the study suggest that the problem has become common, equaling the risks caused by tobacco and the nation’s ever-expanding waistline. “Loneliness has the same influence on health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, while obesity (肥胖) less than 10 cigarettes a day,” he said in releasing the report.
Nemeceks commentstallied withthose of other leading public health specialists, including former Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy, MD, who said loneliness should be targeted in public health campaigns like those designed to fight against smoking and obesity. “During my years caring for patients, the worst disease I saw was not heart disease diabetes; it was loneliness,” Murthy said in a recent cover story in the Harvard Business Review.
The new report, produced in Cigna’s partnership with the polling company Ipsos, is based on an online survey of more than 20,000 US adults using the well-regarded UCLA Loneliness Scale to see how widespread loneliness is in America.
1. What does the study conducted by Cigna find?| A．Older Americans feel much lonelier. |
| B．Social media do people more harm than good. |
| C．People become more connected to each other. |
| D．Social media increase levels of Americans’ loneliness. |
| A．Loneliness is not so harmful as smoking. |
| B．Loneliness is taken seriously by the public. |
| C．Loneliness is more dangerous than obesity. |
| D．Loneliness is targeted in public health campaigns. |
| A．Agreed with. | B．Varied with. | C．Contradicted. | D．Inspired. |
| A．To discuss health problems. | B．To present findings of a recent study. |
| C．To warn people about social media use. | D．To show threats to Americans’ health. |
8 . Falls are common in young children and older people.Although most result in mild bumps and bruises，some falls can cause serious injuries that require immediate medical attention.
What to do：
Do not move the person and call for emergency help if the person：
•may have seriously injured the head，neck，back，hip bones or thighs
•is unconscious or was briefly unconscious
•is having difficulty breathing
•isn’t breathing(starts CPR)
•has a seizure(癫痫突然发作)
•has clear fluid or blood coming from the nose，ears or mouth
Call a doctor or seek medical attention if the person：
•becomes very sleepy and is very difficult to wake up
•brings up more than two or three times
•complains of neck or back pains
•complains of increasing pain anywhere on the body
•isn’t walking normally
•doesn’t seem to be focusing his or her eyes normally
•has any behavior or symptoms that worry you
If you think it’s safe to move the person：
•place a cold compress(敷布)or ice pack on any bumps or bruises
•give acetaminophen(解热镇痛药)for pain
•let the person rest，as needed，for the next few hours
•watch the person closely for the next 24 hours for any unusual symptoms or behavior
Never leave young children on any bed or other furniture unsupervised(未监督)．Always strap(用带捆住)children into high chairs，changing tables，shopping carts，and strollers.Always buckle(扣住)kids into ageappropriate safety seats when riding in motor vehicles，and make sure they always wear helmets when biking or skating or when using skateboards or scooters(踏板车)．
1. What is the text mainly about?| A．Falls can’t cause serious injuries. | B．Ways to deal with falls. |
| C．Ways to prevent falls. | D．Falls happen to kids. |
| A．Shake him forth and back. | B．Move him to another place. |
| C．Give him some medicine to have. | D．Let him stay where he is. |
| A．Prevent Your Kids | B．Place Furniture Well |
| C．Wear Helmets | D．Prevent Falls |
9 . Ancient China produced many types of beautiful works of art. Among them, calligraphy (书法), poetry (诗歌) and painting are the most famous. Often they would be put together in art.These became important starting with the Song dynasty.
Calligraphy is the art of handwriting. In the old times the Chinese considered writing as an important form of art. Calligraphers would practice for years to learn to write perfectly, but with style. Each of the over 40,000 characters (汉字) needed to be written correctly. And each stroke (笔画) in a character had to be written in a certain order.
Poetry is also an important form of art. Great poets were famous all over the country, and all educated people were expected to write poetry. During the Tang dynasty poetry was so important that writing poetry was part of the examinations to become a civil servant (文官)and work for the government.
Chinese painting is often connected with calligraphy. It is one of the oldest artistic traditions in the world. The most traditional way of Chinese painting is known as “national painting” or “native painting” which is quite different from Western painting. People can draw mountains, buildings, birds, trees and water.
1. Calligraphers needed to write over _____ characters correctly in the old times.| A．10,000 | B．20,000 | C．30,000 | D．40,000 |
| A．Painting. | B．Calligraphy. | C．Writing poetry. | D．Playing music. |
| A．Calligraphy, poetry, and painting are the most famous works of art in ancient China. |
| B．The strokes of each character can be written in any order. |
| C．Poetry is an important form of art like calligraphy. |
| D．Chinese painting is often connected with calligraphy. |
| A．Chinese art. | B．Chinese examinations. |
| C．Chinese history. | D．Chinese dynasties. |
One day when I was 12, my mother gave me an order: I was to walk to the public library, and borrow at least one book for the summer. This was one more weapon for her to defeat my strange problem— inability to read.
In the library, I found my way into the “Children’s Room.” I sat down on the floor and pulled a few books off the shelf at random. The cover of a book caught my eye. It presented a picture of a beagle. I had recently had a beagle, the first and only animal companion I ever had as a child. He was my secret sharer, but one morning, he was gone, given away to someone who had the space and the money to care for him. I never forgot my beagle. Without opening the book titled Amos, the Beagle with a Plan, I borrowed it from the library for the summer.
Under the shade of a bush, I started to read about Amos. I read very, very slowly with difficulty. Though pages were turned slowly, I got the main idea of the story about a dog who, like mine, had been separated from his family and who finally found his way back home. That dog was my dog, and I was the little boy in the book.
My mother’s call returned me to the real world. I suddenly realized something: I had read a book, and I had loved reading that book. Everyone knew I could not read. But I had read it. Books could be incredibly wonderful and I was going to read them.
I never told my mother about my “miraculous” (奇迹般地) experience that summer, but she saw a slow but remarkable improvement in my classroom performance during the next year. And years later, she was proud that her son had read thousands of books, was awarded a PhD in literature, and authored his own books, articles, poetry and fiction. The power of the words has held.
1. The author’s mother told him to borrow a book in order to_____.
| A．encourage him to do more walking |
| B．help cure him of his reading problem |
| C．let him spend a meaningful summer |
| D．make him learn more about weapons |
| A．it contained pretty pictures of animals |
| B．he found its title easy to understand |
| C．he was reminded of his own dog |
| D．he liked children’s stories very much |
| A．The author’s mother rewarded him with books. |
| B．The author’s mother read the same book. |
| C．The author has become a successful writer. |
| D．The author has had happy summers ever since. |
| A．My Passion for Reading |
| B．Mum’s Strict Order |
| C．Reunion with My Beagle |
| D．The Charm of a Book |
