1 . 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. |
2 . Deciding to get her money's worth out of the wedding dress on which she spent over $1,000, an Australian woman has been wearing her wedding dress, a year after her wedding.
43-year-old Tammy Hall adopted a new lifestyle-anti-consumerism (反消费主义) lifestyle in 2016, after a trip to India opened her eyes to how much we as a society consumed. She decided not to buy any new clothes or footwear for a whole year after she returned home to Adelaide, in Southern Australia, and she managed to make it.
But last year, as her wedding day approached, she faced a dilemma. She wanted to look good on the most important day of her life, but how could she spend a small fortune on the wedding dress she would only wear on that day?
"In the end I decided that if I was going to get a wedding dress, I'd make sure I could get my money's worth," Hall tells PA Real Life.
"The first time I wore it after the wedding was to vote in the Australian election in early 2019," the 43-year-old adds. "Since then, it's been to all sorts of places. Wearing it on a crowded train was especially funny, but I've worn it to do housework, to football games and to the gym."
Hall says that she has gotten some strange looks from people, but no irritating comments. It may have something to do with the fact that the dress is not the fanciest, but she believes people are just too reserved to say anything. Anyway, she doesn't really care, because she knows she has to hit the goal she has set and wearing the dress multiple times is the most reasonable way she could think of to make the most of her wedding dress.
Hall now plans to wear her wedding dress on a trip to Iceland that she and her partner will take next summer.
1. Why did Tammy Hall adopt a new lifestyle?| A．To adapt herself to Indian life. | B．To cut down her consumption. |
| C．To save money for her next trip. | D．To get prepared for her wedding. |
| A．She brought fun to people with it. | B．She tried to wear it to earn money. |
| C．She wore it repeatedly in daily life. | D．She got it exchanged again and again. |
| A．Thrilling. | B．Annoying. |
| C．Amusing. | D．Confusing. |
| A．She is determined to turn her ideas into practice. |
| B．She values her wedding dress less than her trips. |
| C．She has been struggling to make the ends meet. |
| D．She has influenced people's lifestyle widely. |
3 . A joint research team recently have developed a new electronic skin that is similar to human skin in strength, durability(耐久性) and sensitivity. The skin or e-skin may play an important role in next-generation personalized medicine, soft robotics and artificial intelligence.
“The ideal e-skin will mimic(模仿) the many natural functions of human skin, such as sensing temperature and touch, accurately and in real time,” says leading researcher Yichen Cai. However, making suitably flexible electronics that can perform such delicate tasks while also used repeatedly is challenging, and each material involved must be carefully engineered.
Most e-skins are made by putting an active sensor on the surface that attaches to human skin. However, the connection between them is often too weak, which reduces the durability and sensitivity of the material; otherwise, if it is too strong, it won’t be flexible enough, making it more likely to break the circuit.
“The landscape of skin electronics keeps shifting at a remarkable pace,” says Cai. “The discovery of 2D sensors has accelerated efforts to turn these quite thin but strong materials into functional, durable artificial skins.”
The new man-made skin built by the researchers could sense objects from 20 centimeters away. It could further make a quick response when touched in less than one tenth of a second. “ It is a striking achievement for an e-skin to maintain toughness after repeated use,” said Shen, “which mimics the softness and rapid recovery of human skin.”
This type of e-skin could monitor a range of biological information, such as changes in blood pressure, which can be detected from movements of arms and legs. This data can then be shared and stored on the cloud via Wi-Fi.
“One remaining problem to the widespread use of e-skins lies in mass production of high-resolution sensors,” adds group leader Vincent Tung “ however, the latest technology offers new promise. ”
1. What’s the feature of the new e-skin?| A．It can store information. | B．It’s quite hard and tough. |
| C．It’s flexible and sensitive. | D．It can replace human skin. |
| A．To stress the challenges of making e-skins. |
| B．To introduce the popularity of e-skins. |
| C．To show the process of making e-skins. |
| D．To compare the similarity between e-skins. |
| A．Adjust the blood pressure. | B．Recover the wounded skin. |
| C．Work as a remote controller. | D．Sense the outside temperature. |
| A．A Breakthrough in Hi-tech | B．Man-made Skin, Improved |
| C．E-skin, A Promising Business | D．The Widespread Use of E-skin |
4 . Check out some fun weekend activities from our friends at Arizona Parenting.
Walk in the Wild: Walk or run for wildlife at the Phoenix Zoo's Walk in the Wild 2016. Put on your favorite animal dress and take part in the one mile or 5K, enjoying the sights and sounds of the Zoo. Walk in the Wild includes a morning full of unique activities you won't find at any other valley walk, including all day zoo admission and a lakeside after party .
Register online. 6－10 am. Phoenix Zoo, 455 North Galvin Parkway, Phoenix. 602－286－3800.
Free Museum Day: It is hosted by Sesame Street and HBO at the Children's Museum of Phoenix. Kids can participate in activities, enjoy a performance by the Sesame Street Muppets and get to join the Everyday Heroes Club. An act of kindness is all it takes to become a member. Performances and activities will take place at 10：30－11：30 am and 1：30－2：30 pm.
9 am－4 pm. Children's Museum of Phoenix, 215 N. 7th Street, Phoenix. 602－253－0501.
Sunday A'Fair: Sunday A'Fair features free outdoor concerts in Scottsdale Civic Center Park by top Arizona musicians, along with an artsandcrafts market, fun activities for children and families, guided tours of the sculptures in the park and free admission to Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA). Guests are invited to bring blankets, lawn chairs or picnic baskets, and enjoy a relaxing afternoon of great entertainment. Delicious foods, snacks, beer, wine and soft drinks are also available for purchase.
12－4 pm. Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, 7380 E. 2nd St., Scottsdale. 480－994－ARTS (2787)．
1. What can children do at Walk in the Wild?| A．Join in the 5mile walk. | B．Attend courses for free. |
| C．Wear animal shaped clothes. | D．Enjoy good company of wild animals. |
| A．Do a good deed. | B．Donate money to the club. |
| C．Be active in school activities. | D．Be ready to help protect wildlife. |
| A．The Phoenix Zoo. |
| B．Scottsdale Civic Center Park. |
| C．The Children's Museum of Phoenix. |
| D．Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. |
5 . There are many oceans and lakes in the United States where you can gain unexpected experiences. Here are some of most stunning ones found throughout the United States.
Ocracoke Beach, North Carolina
Ocracoke Island has 16 miles of undeveloped sandy shoreline. It is a barrier island of the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and it is a part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Ocracoke is fairly remote and can only be reached by public ferry, private boat or private plane. The beach is perfect for swimming, fishing, surfing, sunbathing, fishing and even camping. Certain portions of the beautiful sandy beach can be enjoyed by off-road vehicles.
Sand Beach, Maine
Located on Mt. Desert Island, Sand Beach offers visitors to Maine an amazing beach destination. Visitors to Acadia National Park have the opportunity to enjoy all of the beauty and excitement of this park. This beach is wonderfully sandy and is even a safe place to enjoy swimming. Bordered on both sides by rocky headlands, visitors can also appreciate the tide pools as well as some unique wildlife living in the headlines.
Poipu Beach, Kauai, Hawaii
Widely considered to be one of the most beautiful beaches in the United States if not the world, Poipu Beach is located on the south shore of Kauai and is part of Poipu Beach Park. The beach is composed of a string of golden sandy crescent shaped beaches. Visitors to Poipu can have hours of fun snorkeling, boogie- boarding, swimming, and surfing. The best surfing spots are located slightly offshore, the reef establishes wavebreaks which make good surfing for surfers of all experience levels.
South Ocean Beach, Mary land
Located on the fascinating Assateague Island, South Ocean Beach is a beautiful Atlantic coast beach. This shoreline is drivable, giving visitors the opportunities to enjoy all the miles of the beach and all of the activities of the beach, South Ocean Beach even offers some fantastic surfing conditions in the region as well.
1. What can visitors do when they’re in Sand Beach, Maine?| A．Enjoy rare species. | B．Go camping. |
| C．Take a walk. | D．Watch a game. |
| A．On foot. | B．Hiring a ferry. |
| C．By car. | D．Riding a bike. |
| A．Bird watchers. | B．Beach lovers. |
| C．Fashion designers. | D．Landscape architects. |
6 . Every man dreams of having a good car. With luxury cars, like Bentley, Lamborghini and Rolls-Royce, going into the world of SUVs, if you have deep pockets, you will be spoilt for choice.
◆Lamborghini Aventador SVJ
Using a new aerodynamic system allows it to set a car lap record of 6: 44 97 at Nurburgring, one of the longest and most challenging circuits in the world. Plus, carbon fiber can be seen everywhere, which makes the car strong and lightweight. There’re only 900 being built and you’11need to cough up $517, 770 to buy one.
◆Aston Martin DBX
The DBX is Aston Martin’s maiden SUV product. It features a choice of two gas engines—a 4.0-liter V8 from Mercedes and a 5.2-liter V12 from its own. The price is predicted to be around $250, 000.
◆Audi E-tron
Being an eco-friendly motoring. it is an all-electric SUV that makes up for its rather ordinary appearance with design, luxury and technology. At the front and back are electric motors which insure progress is rapid. In addition to plenty of storage space, the Audi E-tron provides side cameras instead of side mirrors and air suspension that adapts to the terrain (地 形). Hand over $74, 800 and it’s yours.
◆Tesla Roadster
Tesla Roadster will turn most heads, Zero to 60 in 1.9 seconds means it will leave most cars for dust. The top speed is 250 mph, which is also unheard of for most cars—let alone an a11-electric one. Having advanced autonomous driving systems and a huge touchscreen for surfing the Internet, it won’t make you regret for paying $200, 000.
1. What’s special about Lamborghini Aventador SVJ?| A．It offers two gas engines. | B．It is an all-electric SUV. |
| C．It uses lightweight materials. | D．It has the most challenging circuit. |
| A．Lamborghini Aventador SVJ. | B．Aston Martin DBX. |
| C．Audi E-tron. | D．Tesla Roadster |
| A．Self-driving systems. | B．A gas-saving engine. |
| C．Side cameras. | D．Much storage space. |
7 . Galapagos Giant tortoises (巨型陆龟), sometimes called Gardeners of the Galapagos, are creatures of habit. In the cold dry season, the highlands of the volcanoes are covered in cloud which allows plants to grow despite the absence of rain. In the lower areas, however, plants are not available all year round. Adult tortoises thus spend the dry season in the higher areas, and go back to the lower, relatively warmer areas where there are plentiful eatable plants when the rainy season begins. The tortoises often take the same migration routes over many years in order to find perfect plants and temperatures. The timing of this migration is important for keeping their energy levels high.
Researchers used GPS to track the timing and patterns of tortoise migration over many years. They expected the migration to be timed with current environmental conditions because many other migratory animals do it that way. However, tortoise migration is weakly related to current conditions such as rain and temperature. It is unclear at this point whether they are basing their migration decisions on memories of past conditions or if they are simply incorrectly assessing current local conditions.
Luckily, probably because of their long lives of up to 100 years and large body size, bad timing of migration has smaller effects on giant tortoises compared to small, short-lived animals. Giant tortoises can go up to a year without eating and survive, while other migratory animals might eat more often to keep their energy levels high.
Giant tortoises are important ecosystem engineers in the Galapagos, and their migration is key to the survival of many plants. How the difference in tortoises' migration time will affect the rest of the ecosystem is still unclear. It is quite possible that the mistiming of migration will keep increasing in the future. "One concern is that at some point in the future," says Bastille-Rousseau, lead author of the study, "migration may not be a perfect strategy for tortoises. There may be a reduction in the number of tortoises doing these long travels. This would likely have great effects on the whole ecosystem."
1. What do we know about Galapagos giant tortoises?| A．They prefer low temperatures. |
| B．They like living in the highlands. |
| C．They always hate the rainy season. |
| D．They seldom change migration routes. |
| A．The weather has much to do with it. |
| B．It disagrees with current conditions. |
| C．The research has strong effects on it. |
| D．It is decided by the tortoises' memories. |
| A．Their restless energy. | B．Their different body shape. |
| C．Their habit of eating healthily. | D．Their ability to go without food. |
| A．Migration is the only choice for giant tortoises in the future. |
| B．Damage to the ecosystem will reduce the number of giant tortoises. |
| C．Giant tortoise migration plays a major role in Galapagos’ ecosystem. |
| D．Giant tortoises protect the ecosystem by their different migration time. |
8 . Voters in Colorado narrowly approved an initiative (计划), setting the stage for the return of gray wolves, which were wiped out in this area by the 1940s. This is the first time that a state has reintroduced an animal like this.
The Colorado Parks and Wildlife department will lead the effort to establish a sustainable population of gray wolves in the western part of the state, beginning in 2022 or 2023. The Southern Rocky Mountains, where there used to be a lot of them, contain millions of acres of suitable habitat that could support several hundred wolves or more, biologists say.
However, some say it’s unwise to leave the question to voters. “State biologists have previously declined to introduce wolves. There's a reason it's never been done before.” says Shawn Martini, spokesperson for Coloradans for Protecting Wildlife, noting that most supporters are from urban areas and they don't have to live alongside the animal, unlike people living in the countryside. Farmers and hunters don't favor the initiative, either. Farmers worry wolves will kill their cattle while hunters worry they will lose elk (驼鹿) to the predators.
On the other hand, according to Jonathan Proctor, a conservationist with the Defenders of Wildlife, reintroducing wolves will restore Colorado's natural balance. They help thin out sick animals, maintaining healthy populations of deer and elk. The remains of wolf kills also provide food for “eaters of the dead”, including wolverines, eagles, and bears. He also emphasizes the experience of living with wolves in other places, like the Northern Rockies, has shown that wolves are not the threat people sometimes make them out to be. Reintroduction program biologists promise to make it a priority to work with people living alongside wolves, providing training and resources to keep the wolves out of the farms in the first place. And a program will be funded to pay farmers for their lost cattle.
1. What can we learn about the Southern Rocky Mountains from the text?| A．They are heavily populated. | B．They were inhabited by wolves. |
| C．They are in the east of Colorado. | D．They are home to small animals. |
| A．It's unfair to make it happen by voting. |
| B．It's welcomed by urban and rural people. |
| C．State biologists shouldn't have opposed it. |
| D．The wolves should be put somewhere else. |
| A．Buy more cattle. | B．Reach out to the locals. |
| C．Relocate the wolves. | D．Clear the site for wolves. |
| A．Wolves are Coming Home. | B．No Worries about Wolves. |
| C．Always Vote for What is Right. | D．Wolves Help Local Ecosystem. |
9 . Do you know an outstanding junior high or senior high school teacher, coach, guidance counselor (辅导员), librarian, or headmaster? Nominate (提名) that special teacher you’ll always remember and give him/her the chance to be recognized in a famous national magazine through “Educator of the Year Contest”!
Prizes
Cash awards will be given to those from across the country who are given the honor of Educator of the Year. Besides, your winning essays will also be published in our magazine.
Guidelines
We will only consider essays written by teens. Nominations must be for junior high or senior high school educators only. Elementary school educators are not suitable.
Convince us your educator is special. Tell us about his or her style of teaching, his or her role in school activities, and community service. What has your educator done for the entire school, for your class, for you or for other students? Tell us some stories about your teacher with specific details. Keep your essay between 200 and 1,000 words. Remember to include the first and last name, position, and school of your educator in your essay.
Don’t forget to submit your essays through our website. You can also read our submission guidelines for more information on this website.
Deadline
The deadline for submitting your essays is December 30. If your essays are accepted, they will appear in our magazine all over the year. Winners will be made public after the January issue is published.
1. What is the purpose of the contest?| A．To make the magazine popular. |
| B．To choose “Educator of the Year”. |
| C．To stress the importance of teachers. |
| D．To encourage people to be teachers. |
| A．Librarians in senior high school. |
| B．Teachers in junior high school. |
| C．Students in junior high school. |
| D．Guidance counselors in senior high school. |
| A．Your teacher’s previous honors. |
| B．The basic information of your school. |
| C．Some examples of your special teacher. |
| D．Your appreciation of your teacher’s hard work. |
10 . Gitanjali Rao, a teenager who invented a mobile device to test for lead(铅)in drinking water, is Time's Kid of the Year for 2020. The magazine announced the award Thursday, indicating Rao's ability to apply scientific ideas to real-world problems and her desire to motivate other kids to take up their own causes.
It's just the latest recognition for Rao, 15, who was named last year to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list(福布斯30岁以下青年才俊榜).She won praise in 2017 after she created a device named Tehys, using carbon nanotube sensors to detect lead in water. She was named America's Top Young Scientist when she was in the seventh grade. She went on to collaborate with scientists in the water industry to try to get the device on the market.
More recently , Rao has developed a phone and Web tool named Kindly, which uses artificial intelligence technology to detect possible early signs of cyberbullying(网络欺凌).
Rao was chosen in part because of the way she has followed up her technical work with efforts to get other young people to work on solving the problems they see. "I don't look like the typical scientist. Everything I see on TV is that it's an older, usually white man as a scientist,” she said. “My goal has really shifted not only from creating my own devices to solve the world's problems, but inspiring others to do the same as well. Because, from personal experience, it's not easy when you don't see anyone else like you. So I really want to put out that message: If I can do it, you can do it. and anyone can do it.”
1. What made Rao win Time's Kid of die Year?| A．Her invention and inspiration to others. |
| B．Her ability to ensure kids' drinking water. |
| C．Her motivation to solve practical problems. |
| D．Her way of influencing other young people. |
| A．She developed a tool called Kindly. |
| B．She created a device called Tehys. |
| C．She won America's Top Young Scientists. |
| D．She became one of the Forbes 30 Under 30. |
| A．Compete. | B．Exchange. | C．Cooperate. | D．Bargain. |
| A．She wants to be a typical scientist. | B．She once suffered cyberbullying. |
| C．She lived a hard life when young. | D．She encourages others to do like her. |
