1 . Ultimate Ears HYPERBOOM Speaker ($399.99)
With its long battery life, and incredible sound quality, this is currently my favorite Bluetooth speaker. The HYPERBOOM also boasts a 24-hour battery life. I use this speaker in place of a home stereo (立体声音响) for music. Ifs loud enough to fill a large room and mobile enough to take from room to room. The app allows you to switch sources, adjust the volume (音量), and even power the speaker on or off without having to get up!
Urbanista Brisbane Wireless Speaker ($99)
I love the way this portable Bluetooth speaker looks in our kitchen. The sound quality is incredible. One function allows you to pair two Urbanistas in stereo, doubling the volume capability and delivering a surround sound. Unfortunately, you have to repair the speakers together each time you use them in stereo. This is a smart, stylish Bluetooth speaker that’ll look and sound great on your shelf.
Audio Pro Addon CIO Speaker ($349)
With its easy setup and incredible sound quality, this is one of the best Wi-Fi-enabled speakers on the market. It has nearly every possible connection port, allowing you to broadcast to other Wi-Fi enabled speakers in your house.
Naim Mu-so 2 Wireless Speaker ($1,690)
This beautiful Wi-Fi connected sound system is perfect for music. The stylish design will fit neatly in any living room and fill the space with impressively loud sound. One unique feature is that you can set your favorite internet radio station and turn it on with a single button.
1. What can we learn about the HYPERBOOM?| A．It resists oil and water. | B．It can be controlled by an app. |
| C．It needs charging frequently. | D．It's not suitable for a large room. |
| A．It's immovable. | B．It breaks easily. |
| C．It's not easy to use. | D．It's not loud enough. |
| A．Ultimate Ears HYPERBOOM Speaker. |
| B．Urbanista Brisbane Wireless Speaker. |
| C．Audio Pro Addon CIO Speaker. |
| D．Naim Mu-so 2 Wireless Speaker. |
2 . In November 2019, Luke Summerscales and Jessica Jacobs were in a remote mountain range of New South Wales, fighting some of the worst bush-fires on record in Australia, when another disaster struck: a fellow firefighter collapsed from a heart attack. The nearest ambulance was more than an hour away and the terrain（地形）was too steep for a rescue helicopter to land, so the pair started doing CPR on 53-year-old John Kennedy until he was able to breathe on his own.
In November 2020, the Country Fire Authority recognized their actions by giving them both Chief Officer Commendation awards. But they're volunteers. Summerscales builds houses for a living; Jacobs works as a university lab technician. Starting in late 2019, as record fires spread fast across their nation during its summer season, they joined tens of thousands of Australians who set aside their usual lives to help stop the spread of the fires.
As climate change heightens both the frequency and intensity（强度）of bushfires, firefighters are being tested to new extremes. Australia unusually relies on volunteer labor in the state of New South Wales, which suffered some of the country's most severe fires during the 2019-2020 bushfire season, close to 90% of the men and women fighting fires were volunteers. It's been this way for more than a century in Australia, with ordinary citizens working together to protect the land.
2019 was Australia's hottest and driest on record, and the resulting fires all but exhausted the men and women constantly called to battle them. Peter Holding, 66, who has been a volunteer firefighter for 43 years, says he's never seen anything as severe as last summer's bushfire season. Still, as Australia's fire season intensifies in late 2020, its volunteer firefighters are preparing to do battle again.
1. What can we know from Paragraph 1?| A．Australia keeps a world record of the worst bush fire. |
| B．Kennedy has been a volunteer firefighter for a long time. |
| C．Australia can't provide search and rescue for remote areas. |
| D．Summerscales and Jacobs know how to perform first aid. |
| A．They used to work in a hospital. |
| B．They once suffered from heart attack. |
| C．They are not professional firefighters. |
| D．They don't deserve to get the award. |
| A．Volunteers are the main force in fighting fires in New South Wales. |
| B．Ordinary citizens are unwilling to be professional firefighters. |
| C．New South Wales always suffers the most severe bush-fire. |
| D．Firefighters in New South Wales bear great pressure in summer. |
| A．Australia's forest fires. | B．Fire management in Australia. |
| C．Australia's volunteer firefighters. | D．The climate change in Australia. |
3 . Amanda had just come home from school. Exhausted but looking forward to receiving an email from her friend in New Zealand, she turned on her computer and waited impatiently for it to start up. As she waited, she began thinking about the times she spent with Bridget, her best friend, since primary one. Just then, an envelop popped out on her screen. Amanda sat up and clicked on the “Inbox” bar, expecting to see her friend's usual email.
Amanda was surprised to see the email address belonging to Bridget's brother in bold at the top of a row of emails in her inbox. He seldom wrote to her because he was much older and they had nothing in common. A feeling of dread passed through her but she ignored it.
“It was probably nothing,” she said as she clicked on the email. What she saw was totally unexpected. It was a short email. He simply said that Bridget had been in a serious car accident and was hospitalized in the intensive care unit. He would write again later. Amanda's jaw dropped and her fingers that had been so busy clicking the mouse buttons earlier slid off the computer table.
At a loss as to what to do, Amanda hurriedly typed an email in response. She asked Bridget's brother for more information about the accident and Bridget's condition. Amanda's eyes brimmed with tears that threatened to flow down her cheeks. She could not help remembering that Bridget had told her of her plans to return to Singapore to visit her. She wanted to call Bridget’s brother immediately but it was only then that she realized she did not have his number.
Sitting up, she clicked on the 'Inbox' bar to check her incoming message again. However, the sign 'No New Message' flashed at the bottom of her screen.
1. What can we know about Amanda from Paragraph 1&2?| A．She missed her best friend Bridget very much. |
| B．She was happy to hear from Bridget’s brother. |
| C．She hasn't contacted her friend Bridget for long. |
| D．She has never heard from Bridget’s brother before. |
| A．Loneliness. | B．Fear. | C．Regret. | D．Relief. |
| A．Excited. | B．Disappointed. | C．Surprised. | D．Concerned. |
| A．A Shocking Email | B．A Car Accident |
| C．A Terrible Day | D．A True Friend |
4 . Nicci Wright, a specialist in animal recovery and Karin Lourens, a doctor trained to care for animals set up a hospital outside the city of Johannesburg South Africa two years ago. However, the patients they treat are not human beings but wildlife. So far, they have treated about 4,000 creatures.
This veterinary hospital mainly treats small mammals and large hunting birds that are injured. The hospital now has about 160 patients, among which are six leopard tortoises, a toothless 12-foot python and an otter that was taken far from its natural surroundings when someone tried to keep it as a pet.
Many animals coming to the hospital have not only physical injuries. They show signs of stress from being hurt by people. Some creatures, like the endangered pangolin become fearful when they hear a male human voice or smell cigarette smoke. The pangolin ,which feed mainly on ants, have become endangered because of great demand for their scales (鳞片) in Asia.
Both Johannesburg and Pretoria, the South Africa capital, are expanding. The growth of the two cities is squeezing out animals that are native to the area, which also accounts for the increase of the injury of the animals
Along with five full-time employees, the hospital gets help from volunteers like Lauren Beckley, who lives nearby. Beckley cares for young monkeys, who hug her. Their own mothers have been shot or killed in auto accidents.
When the animals are ready to return to the wild, Wright and her team work with nature centers around the country to take the animals to a new, safer home.
1. Why did Nicci Wright set up a hospital outside the city of Johannesburg?| A．To help the injured creature. |
| B．To provide medicine to the people. |
| C．To do a research about wildlife. |
| D．To enjoy a rural way of life. |
| A．Many animals suffered only physical injuries. |
| B．Some animals are more afraid to see a woman. |
| C．Cigarette smoke would scared an animal away. |
| D．The animals remember the people hunting them. |
| A．The expanding of city benefits the animals around. |
| B．Beckley has a good relationship with the monkeys. |
| C．There are five people working in the hospital. |
| D．The python used to be kept as a pet. |
| A．Wildlife research in Johannesburg. |
| B．An veterinary hospital in South Africa. |
| C．The conflict between human and wildlife. |
| D．The reintroduction of animals to the wild. |
5 . Clara Daly was seated with her mother on an Alaska Airlines flight from Boston to Los Angeles when a flight attendant asked an urgent question over the loudspeaker: “Does anyone on board know American Sign Language?”
Clara, 15 at the time, pressed the call button. The flight attendant came by and explained the situation. “We have a passenger on the plane who’s blind and deaf,” she said. The passenger seemed to want something, but he was traveling alone and the flight attendants couldn’t understand what he needed.
Clara ,who was dyslexic, had started learning sign language over the past year to help her communicate without reading or writing She walked toward the front of the plane, and knelt by the aisle seat of Tim Cook, then 64. Gently taking his hand, she signed, “How are you? Are you OK?” Cook asked for some water.
When it arrived, Clara returned to her seat. She came by again a bit later because he wanted to know the time. On her third visit, she stopped and stayed for the rest of the flight..
“He didn’t need anything. He was lonely and wanted to talk,” Clara says.
So for the next hour, she talked about her family and her plans for the future. Cook told Clara how he had gradually become blind over time and shared stories of his days as a traveling salesman. Even though he couldn’t see her, she looked attentively at his face with such kindness.
Clara's generosity didn't go unnoticed. The passengers around him were all taken by Clara. A passenger named Lynette Scribner took a photo of one of the moments Clara was communicating with Cook and shared it on Facebook. The post has received more than 1100,000 likes, 500,000 shares .
1. What do we know about Clara Daly?| A．She had learned ASL for many years |
| B．She was good at reading and writing |
| C．She had shot to internet fame . |
| D．She was feeling lonely on board. |
| A．Some company | B．a watch . | C．a photo | D．Some water |
| A．She was generous and impatient. | B．She was optimistic and serious |
| C．She was traditional and helpless | D．She was considerate and selfless |
| A．No passengers noticed Clara’s kindness except Lynette Scribner. |
| B．The passengers around were all taken good care of by Clara. |
| C．Clara’s act of kindness was spread through internet. |
| D．Lynette Scribner took a photo of Clara and her mother. |
6 . From dancing in the woods to watching sword swallowing, these UK festivals will entertain adults and children alike.
Eden, Dumfries and Galloway
Once a part of the Wickerman festival (which ended in 2016), this event now has 18 areas (including stages, discos and kids tents) in Raehills Meadows, near Moffat. There are lots of free creative activities, workshops, crafts and games for children, plus healing fields, and a drive-in cinema for a comfortable family night.
• 6-9 June, adult £131, 13-17s £96, 5-12s £22, under 5s free (ticket required)
Tropical Pressure, Cornwall
This festival takes place in the grassy grounds of Mount Pleasant Eco Park, overlooking the north Cornish coast. By day, live music comes from around the globe, with African and Latin American beats, plus a children’s programme of creative workshops. As an all-ages event, there’s fun after dark too, with tropical costumes and cocktails at Fandangos, a secret dance tent and a silent disco.
• 12-14 July, adult £102, 5-15s £46, under 5s free (ticket required)
The Great Estate, Cornwall
In the grounds of a country house in the village of Scorrier, there’s a garden celebration. Traditional fairground rides, skate ramps, craft workshops, face-painting and hula-hooping are billed alongside more unusual entertainment such as Mexican wrestling, a Victorian sports day, sword swallowing at Madame Wong’s House of Wrong James.
• 31 May-2 June, adult £90, 10-17s £28, under 10s £12
Larmer Tree, West Country
This summer marks 29 years since the Larmer Tree festival first took place in the Victorian pleasure gardens of Cranborne Chase. On the bill of this noted music, comedy and arts festival, so far, are The Cat Empire, Kate Tempest, Gomez and comedians Josie Long and Nish Kumar. Theatre, talks, hula disco, carnival crafts, and other creative and wellness activities run alongside the acts
• 18-21 July, adult £192, 11-17s £121, under 11s free (ticket required)
1. What do these festivals have in common?| A．They focus on music and art | B．they will last for 4 days and nights. |
| C．They are of the same price. | D．they are family-friendly festivals |
| A．£l02.00. | B．£114.0 | C．£180.00. | D．£204.0 |
| A．Eden, Dumfries and Galloway. | B．The Great Estate. |
| C．Larmer Tree. | D．Tropical Pressure, Cornwall. |
7 . Having worked for more than a decade in finance in the oil industry in Canada, Tori Fahey found herself wanting more from life. But it wasn't through desperation that her circumstances changed: “I didn't get fed up and storm off, nothing like that; it was curiosity about other interests and wanting to experience something new.”
Fahey left her job and completed an MBA before setting up a move to New York to begin a degree. However, the opportunity of an open year between the MBA and the degree came up, and as a keen touring cyclist, Fahey realised that a much dreamed-about adventure was now becoming a possibility: "The ride in Africa had been on my fantasy list. It was a moment when I realised that I could do anything, so I should."
Fahey rode across Africa, a 7,500-mile trip that took four months. The whole experience had a life-changing impact. Fahey said: “Bicycles provide a literal freedom. You don't allow yourself to feel like that in everyday life because there are so many distractions. But when you' re out on the bike and there's nothing else, you' re really free to experience what life is.”
Post-degree, Fahey worked on projects with the UNDP(United Nations Development Project) in Montenegro with the aim of bringing investment to rural communities.
It was while working on these projects that the seeds were sown for the next new investment. “It was through my trip across Africa that I discovered pannier and rack systems inconvenient and I was never going to use them again.” Little did she know this would lead her to start up her own company.
In 2013, Apidura was born, producing storage solutions for people looking to travel the world by bike, race across continents and carry all they need to do so. It's now a successful global brand, but Fahey remains reflective about what else the company can do for people.
1. Why did Fahey leave her job in Canada?| A．She was bored with the job. | B．She was disappointed with life. |
| C．She wanted to add new dimensions to her life. | D．She found it hard to adjust to the circumstances. |
| A．Demanding. | B．Liberating. | C．Eventful. | D．Dangerous. |
| A．To encourage bicycle traveling. | B．To make her investment profitable. |
| C．To help cyclists carry traveling stuff. | D．To increase the pleasure of riding bikes. |
| A．A tough path to fame. | B．An adventure across Africa. |
| C．The benefits of green travelling. | D．The story behind the birth of Apidura. |
8 . While Charlotte Uhlenbroek loves the adventure, she is also glad to be back in civilization, at least for the moment.
She's just finished filming a TV series called jungle-a 19-week job that involved her exploring the dense jungles of the Congo, the Amazon and Borneo. She says that it was fascinating, but daunting as well. So what was her most challenging experience? “Definitely climbing an 80-metre-high tree in Borneo, when I'm scared of heights! I had to keep going up and up, when a voice inside me was saying, ‘Down! Down!’ I kept thinking the ropes were going to break and send me down below.”
And “down below” was where the bugs were — clinging, stinging, sucking beasts. Apart from the usual mosquitoes, in the Amazon rainforest she was troubled by sand-fly bites. “I've had some horrible bites but these really are the itchiest bites I've ever had. At one stage, I counted 70 bites on one arm,” she says. “Just as annoying were the sweat bees in the Congo. They try to drink the sweat on your face and even the tears from your eyes. The most disgusting thing, though, was try to pull the leeches off your skin. The more I pulled, the more they stretched and the tighter their jaws clung to my leg. I kept shouting, ‘Get them off!’ and the film crew kept saying, ‘Just one minute...this makes a really good shot!’”
Back in London, what has she been enjoying since her return to “civilization”? “I've been having lots of nice, long showers,” she says. “In the Congo, the possibility of using up our water supplies was always a worrying thought. And I find that when I've been in hot, uncomfortable conditions for a while, the things I look forward to more than anything else are being with my family and enjoying my favourite meal.”
1. Why does Charlotte explore the jungles?| A．She enjoys taking adventures. |
| B．She takes part in shooting a TV series. |
| C．She wants to challenge herself. |
| D．She is interested in the jungle bugs. |
| A．Inspiring | B．Frightening |
| C．Exhausting | D．Rewarding |
| A．She climbed tall trees with the help of ropes. |
| B．The film crew helped her to get the leeches from her leg. |
| C．The mosquito bites she had were the worst bites she'd ever had. |
| D．when she gets home, she loves doing the cooking for her family. |
| A．Bitten By The Jungle Bug |
| B．Exploring The Amazon Jungle |
| C．Return To “Civilization” |
| D．What A Jungle Journey! |
9 . We all know a picky eater (挑食者) or two, or maybe you're the picky eater, avoiding food adventures at all costs, because you're convinced you'll hate whatever new and bad-looking food is put on your plate. But why is it that some people are picky eaters while others are willing to try pretty much anything that can be eaten?
There's no single explanation for the picky eating habit. Picky eaters are typically unwilling to try new foods, which can be the result of your DNA and the way you are treated and educated when you are young. Marcia Pelchat, Ph.D., a researcher at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia who specializes in food preferences in humans, tells China Daily, “A group in Finland looked at what we call food neophobia, which literally means 'fear of the new', and they found that there is some genetic basis for this.”
“Also, if you have parents who don't really like to try anything new, you will also be exposed to fewer new foods,” Pelchat says. The opposite is also true: Those who try new foods and have positive experiences are then more likely to try unfamiliar foods in the future.
People who are less adventurous may be more hesitant to try new foods. Trying anything new, food included, requires you to step outside of your comfort zone. If you're not very adventurous, you may have a tough time with this. People who seek new adventures or thrills might be more likely to experiment with food. “There is a thrill-seeking personality trait,” Pelchat says. “It's been shown, especially with spicy food, that there is some connection between trying new foods and thrill seeking,” she explains.
Most adult picky eaters start as child picky eaters. “It's normal for children to go through a picky stage when they're toddlers, maybe two or three years old, and that makes sense evolutionarily,” Pelchat says. But as we get older, if we continue to avoid new foods, pickiness can persist.
1. What do we know about people with food neophobia?| A．They eat only a few kinds of food. |
| B．They avoid new or unfamiliar foods. |
| C．They are addicted to some kind of food. |
| D．They have preference for vegetable food. |
| A．Food neophobia can be influenced by surroundings. |
| B．Those who try new foods have a positive life attitude. |
| C．Parents should set a good example for their children. |
| D．Food neophobia is linked to poorer dietary quality. |
| A．Less optimistic. | B．Less creative. |
| C．Less independent. | D．Less adventurous. |
A． | B． |
C． | D． |
10 . If you really love Elvis, you won't want to miss our special Hound Dog Tour in August. It's a fun musical tour exploring the places that Elvis lived, worked, and played, and has become an Elvis Week tradition.
But no matter what time of year, no visit to Memphis is complete without a tour of Elvis' beloved home, Graceland. Since the recent remodeling and expansion of the Visitor's Center, there's more to do and see than ever before!
See exciting Elvis sites such as ：
Sun Studio
The Presley's Lauderdale Courts apartment
Elvis' high school
The Overton Park Shell, the theater where he performed his first big show in 1954
The original Lansky Bros, clothing store
The former Memphian Theater
Elvis Week Schedule ：
Sunday Aug. 11 1 ：00 pm
Wednesday Aug. 14 1 ：00 pm
Friday Aug. 16 1 ：00 pm
The following is included with the price of each ticket ：
Round-trip transportation to Graceland from downtown Memphis Graceland mansion audio tour and orientation film Full access to the Visitor Entertainment Complex
Elvis Presley Automobile Museum
Join us today for this unforgettable adventure into the world of Elvis! Please be aware that, due to exhibit construction and restoration, Graceland may close an exhibit or attraction, remove or exchange handicraft works on display, or change operating hours without prior notice and without refund or compensation (补偿).
1. What can be learned about Hound Dog Tour?| A．It is now part of Elvis Week. | B．It usually lasts about a month. |
| C．It covers adventures in Graceland. | D．It attracts more attention than before. |
| A．Attend live theatre shows. | B．Visit Elvis5 former primary school. |
| C．Enjoy morning performances. | D．Enter the Entertainment Complex. |
| A．They must be aware of prior notices. |
| B．They should follow the original timetable. |
| C．They can have compensation for any loss. |
| D．They may miss originally owned contents. |
