1 .
RD Talks: Jan’s Journey to Peace This is an inspiring podcast ( 播 客 ) from RD Talks. In this quick yet heartfelt story, a young nurse gains inspiration from the courage of her patients. Despite living with her own cancer, she helps her patients make themost out of every single day.  |
You Must Remember This Love the Golden Age of Hollywood? You Must Remember This is the podcast exploring the secret and/or forgotten histories of Hollywood’s first century. It is one of the top film podcasts around. This podcast is a heavily-researched work of creative nonfiction.  |
Slow Burn If you’re interested in political scandals ( 丑闻), you can listen to the first season of this podcast by Leon Neyfakh, which covers the infamous 1970s Woodward and Bernstein’s “Watergate” investigation.  |
Effortless English The Effortless English Show with AJ Hoge teaches how to speak English powerfully. AJ is the author of “Effortless English: Learn To Speak English Like A Native” and is known as “The World’s English Teacher”. Learn English. Learn English vocabulary. Learn about American culture.  |
HOW TO GET PODCASTS TO LISTEN ON THE WEB: Google the website for “Slow Burn”, for example, and click on the play button. TO DOWNLOAD: Download an app such as Podcatchers or iTunes on your phone or tablet and simply search by title. |
1. What can we listen to on You Must Remember This?
| A．Inspiring stories. | B．Histories of Hollywood. |
| C．Political scandals. | D．English Shows. |
| A．Leon Neyfakh. | B．Woodward. | C．Bernstein. | D．AJ Hoge. |
| A．Science. | B．Travelling. | C．Business review. | D．Reader’s digest. |
2 . I am a mother of three children and have recently completed my college degree. The last class I had to take was social study. The last class was asked to go out and smile at three people and document their reactions.
Soon after we were given the project, my husband, my youngest son, and I went out to McDonald’s one cold March morning. It was just our way of sharing special playtime with our son.
We were standing in line, waiting to be served, when all of a sudden everyone around us began to back way. I turned around and found there standing behind me were two poor homeless men with a horrible “dirty body” smell. The short gentleman, close to me, was “smiling”. His beautiful sky-blue eyes were full of light as he searched for acceptance. The second man played with his hands uneasily as he stood behind his friend. I realized the second man was mentally challenged and the blue-eyed gentleman was his salvation(救赎). The short man just asked for a coffee because that was all they could afford.
I smiled and asked the young lady behind the counter to give me two more breakfast meals on a separate tray(餐盘).I then walked around the corner to the men’s table. I put the tray on the table and laid my hand on the blue-eyed gentleman’s cold hand. He looked up at me with tears in his eyes and said “Thank you”.
I started to cry as I walked away to join my husband and son. When I sat down, my husband smiled at me and said, “That’s why God gave you to me, Honey. To give me hope.”
On the last evening of class, I turned in “my project” and the instructor read it. Then she looked up at me and said, “Can I share this?” I slowly nodded as she got the attention of the class. She began to read and we all knew that we need to heal people and to be healed.
I graduated with one of the biggest lessons I would ever learn: UNCONDITIONAL ACCEPTANCE. “LOVE PEOPLE AND USE THINGS--NOT LOVE THINGS AND USE PEOPLE.”
1. Why did the people around the author back away?| A．Because the second man stood playing with his hands. |
| B．Because the two homeless men were also waiting in line, with a bad smell. |
| C．Because the short gentleman was smiling to everyone around. |
| D．Because both men were poorly dressed and mentally ill. |
| A．regretted and cried | B．turned in her project |
| C．went back to her husband and son | D．talked with them for a while |
| A．Lovely. | B．Mature. |
| C．Over-curious. | D．Caring. |
| A．Poor as the homeless men were, they had their dignity. |
| B．The author felt we should know how to heal people. |
| C．The author’s husband was very proud of her. |
| D．What the author did to the men touched many people. |
3 . A Book Review—The Snake-Stone by Berlie Doherty
The setting: Urban England (the cities), but also rural England (the countryside) including remote English villages.
The theme: The main theme is a teenage search of self-discovery, in this case the search for a mother from whom the hero was separated at an early age. Its other concerns are love, getting on with others, being persistent and courageous and trying to deal with doubts, troubles and worries. As the book moves to a close, James’ swimming coach says to him: “You are not like a kid obeying instructions any more. You are diving like a young man who knows where he is going.”
The characters: James is the hero of the story. He is a championship diver, and has a comfortable life with his foster parents (养父母). Yet he also has the qualities to take him on a long journey to find his birth mother. The other characters in The Snake-Stone, James’ parents, his diving instructor, best friend, the villagers, people he meets on his journey, are pictured realistically.
The turning point: The turning point in the story comes while James’ foster parents are away in London, and he wonders about the identity of his birth mother. The only clue he has is a fossil, “the snake stone” which she left behind along with a note on which she had written: “Take good care of Sammie.” It was written on a torn envelope with parts of an address still there.
The journey: Instead of going to London, James decides to find his birth mother. With help from his geography teacher, James sets out for the remote country village where his mother might be found. James has painful, challenging, but also humorous and happy travels. The mother he finally meets, Anne, has a minor yet powerful voice in the novel. He comes to understand why she left him at a stranger’s door fifteen years before. Although the meeting is not long, it leaves him with a feeling of completeness. As a journey of self-discovery, The Snake-Stone also provides its readers with a happy ending. Its hero says, on returning to his foster parents, “I was home.”
1. What is the main theme of the novel?| A．Life with foster parents. | B．Life in the world of diving. |
| C．A journey of self-discovery. | D．A travel around the country. |
| A．James is a successful diver. | B．James is an independent young man. |
| C．James is an outgoing young man. | D．James is a hopeful swimmer. |
| A．a stone with an address on it | B．a fossil left by the foster parents |
| C．a gift from the swimming coach | D．a clue left by the birth mother |
4 . A new study shows that air pollution can cause a huge reduction in our intelligence. The study was a project involving researchers at Peking University in China and Yale University in the United States.
The researchers reported that long-term exposure to air pollution can affect a person's mental abilities in two areas: Language and math.
The researchers studied about 25,000 people from across China. Between 2010 and 2014, these Chinese men, women and children were given language and math tests. Then researchers compared the test results with measurements of pollution in the air, namely nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide （二氧化硫）.
Xi Chen of the Yale School of Public Health led the study. He and his team found that breathing polluted air can reduce a person's education level by about one year.
Chen said that the effect generally is worse for those over 64 years of age, for men and for those with little or no education.
“The older persons—they are more affected. And we find, quite amazingly, males are more affected than females. And people working outdoors are more affected than people working indoors.
He noted that the youngest people in the study were 10 years old, while the oldest was 90 years old. They came from China's 33 provinces. In his words, the data and facts are convincing and this range of ages and locations across the country provided a real, objective and representative sample.
The researchers noted that the effect of air pollution on verbal ability is even more serious as people age, especially among men and the less educated. The researchers also stressed that every country, whether developed, developing or poor, should focus on air pollution or humans will face a bad situation.
1. What is the result of the study?| A．Air pollution has a bad effect on people's intelligence. |
| B．Females are more affected by air pollution than males. |
| C．Americans are more affected by air pollution than Chinese. |
| D．People working indoors are actually not affected by air pollution. |
| A．It is doubtful. |
| B．It is extremely unfair. |
| C．It is common and not representative. |
| D．It is relatively objective and persuasive. |
| A．The data from the 33 provinces is convincing. |
| B．The whole world should pay attention to air pollution. |
| C．The less educated take more responsibility for air pollution. |
| D．Air pollution's influence on verbal ability is less serious as people age. |
| A．A life diary. | B．A guidebook. |
| C．A science magazine. | D．A biography. |
5 . If you are a movie fan, here are the latest movies highly recommended by viewers and critics.
The Irishman (2019) Rate: 8.7/10 14,071
R | 3h 29min | Biography, Crime, Drama | 27 November 2019 (USA)
Legendary director Martin Scorsese spent a long time developing crime epic The Irishman; talk of the director reuniting with his old muse Robert De Niro for the project was happening as far back as 2010.
Director: Martin Scorsese
Writers: Charles Brandt (book), Steven Zaillian (screenplay)
Stars: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci | See full cast & crew »
Frozen II (2019) Rate: 7.3/10 13,162
PG | 1h 43min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy | 22 November 2019 (China)
Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Olaf and Sven leave Arendelle to travel to an ancient, autumn-bound forest of an enchanted land. They set out to find the origin of Elsa’s powers in order to save their kingdom.
Directors: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee
Writers: Jennifer Lee (screenplay by), Jennifer Lee (story by) | 4 more credits »
Stars: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Josh Gad | See full cast & crew »
Ford v Ferrari (2019) Rate: 8.3/10 35,096
PG-13 | 2h 32min | Action, Biography, Drama | 13 November 2019 (France)
American car designer Carroll Shelby and driver Ken Miles battle corporate interference, the laws of physics and their own personal demons to build a revolutionary race car for Ford and challenge Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966.
Director: James Mangold
Writers: Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth | 1 more credit »
Stars: Matt Damon, Christian Bale, Jon Bernthal | See full cast & crew »
Joker (2019) Rate: 8.8/10 488,619
R | 2h 2min | Crime, Drama, Thriller | 4 October 2019 (USA)
In Gotham City, mentally troubled comedian Arthur Fleck is disregarded and mistreated by society. He then embarks on a downward spiral of revolution and bloody crime. This path brings him face-to-face with his alter-ego: the Joker.
Director: Todd Phillips
Writers: Todd Phillips, Scott Silver | 3 more credits »
Stars: Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz | See full cast & crew »
1. Which of the movies lasts the shortest time?| A．The Irishman. | B．Joker. |
| C．Frozen II. | D．Ford v Ferrari. |
| A．they are both tragedies | B．they are both about crime |
| C．they are produced in the USA | D．they are released in the same month |
| A．Frozen II has got the highest rating. |
| B．Arthur Fleck is ill-treated by some revolutionaries. |
| C．Carroll Shelby and Ken Miles are very determined. |
| D．Martin Scorsese wrote the stories for the movie himself. |
6 . Royal Dutch Shell is launching a $ 300 million and forestry program, at a time when an increasing number of oil companies are putting money in carbon offset (碳补偿)plans to meet climate goals. The company will spend the money over the next three years on projects to store carbon, including large forests in the Netherlands and Spain, and will start offering motorists the option of purchasing carbon offsets when they buy petrol at the pump.
The executives of the company explained that these carbon offset projects were a new business opportunity for Shell, as well as a way to meet its climate targets. “We believe that over time we will be building a business, because these carbon credits will become more valuable as carbon becomes more limited," they said. Shell recently decided to cut its net carbon footprint (碳排放)by 2-3 percent in five years, which includes emissions (排放)from the products it sells. The company plans to produce carbon credits from the forestry projects, then sell these credits on to customers buying its oil and gas products, or apply the credits to its own operations to lower its carbon footprint.
Plants absorb carbon dioxide as they grow and restoring forests and other natural areas is considered one of the simplest ways to store carbon. However, the voluntary market for carbon credits based on forestry projects has its critics, as projects in developing countries can be hard to monitor. Shell's move has also been criticized by some environmentalists. They worried that there was a risk of " greenwash when companies invested in forestry projects. "There is an entire debate about whether forestry projects truly reduce emissions or not," they said, pointing out that planting in one area could cause deforestation (滥伐森林)to another.
Shell said it would rely on the third party to ensure its forest program to meet the Voluntary Carbon Standard and strict biodiversity requirements. Mark Lewis, head of climate change investment research at BNP Paribas, said, " Planting trees to offset emissions, as far as it goes, is a step in the right direction."
1. What is popular among oil companies these days?| A．Studying climate changes. |
| B．Launching forestry programs. |
| C．Working out carbon offset plans. |
| D．Attracting motorists to buy their petrol. |
| A．By quitting the emissions of its products. |
| B．By reducing its carbon footprint by a quarter. |
| C．By limiting the oil used by its own operations. |
| D．By putting carbon credits it produces on the market. |
| A．The projects can't really stop carbon emissions. |
| B．The projects are hard to monitor in poor countries. |
| C．The projects may lead to deforestation in other forests. |
| D．The projects haven't met strict biodiversity requirements. |
| A．Discount. | B．Cheat. |
| C．Decline. | D．Change. |
7 . What is an accent (口音)? An accent is a flavoring to you that influences the sounds of words and sentences. In Birmingham you might hear ''lake'' sounding close to ''like'', and in Ireland you might hear ''this'' sounding close to ''diss''.
Accents are related to social group. Everyone has an accent, and for every accent there are groups of people who react badly to it. These reactions are the result of prejudice (偏见)-an unreasoned jumping to conclusions.
Everybody has prejudices about accents. I certainly do. I have held prejudices about other people's accents. But over the years, my experience of working with people from all kinds of backgrounds has led me to give up these prejudices. However, I still have prejudices that I find difficult to control.
Studies tell us that no accent is better than any other. But the reality is that many people judge others according to accents.
Jacob, Member of Parliament (议会), remembers when he first stood unsuccessfully for election in Fife, Scotland, ''I gradually realized that whatever I happened to be speaking about, the number of voters in my favor dropped as soon as I opened my mouth. ''
And some people change their accents to sound more refined (文雅的) when talking to people outside their circle of family and friends.
Sky News ran a report recently in which an 18-year-old woman was trying to sound less posh (上等人的), that is speaking non-standard English, because she didn't like the strangers telling her that she must be rich and from a famous family.
Lastly, it's worth being reminded that people can have an accent and still be recognized.
1. What does the author think of accent prejudice?| A．It is reasonable. | B．It should be banned(禁止). |
| C．It is hard to avoid. | D．It causes serious social issues. |
| A．What he said was unwise. |
| B．He spoke with an accent. |
| C．He broke the election rules. |
| D．He was unable to make himself understood. |
| A．To keep her ways of speaking. |
| B．To change her accent. |
| C．To pretend to be a well-educated person. |
| D．To learn the upper-class British accent. |
| A．The accent tells what kind of people you are. |
| B．It is easy to recognize people with accent. |
| C．People with accent can also be successful. |
| D．It is important to recognize one’s accent. |
8 . Every year, millions of people make the same New Year’s resolution(决心): to lose weight. But there’s a problem that requires as much resolution to change as weight: the societal prejudice surrounding weight and obesity.
For decades, researchers have documented negative attitudes toward overweight people - a form of prejudice known as “weight bias (偏见).” People with obesity are commonly viewed as lazy, unintelligent, unattractive, and lacking willpower and self-control. Weight – based discrimination is found in educational, employment and health care settings, yet minimal legal protection exists for those who are targeted. In addition to experiencing weight bias from others, people with obesity tend to accept weight-biased beliefs, leading to lower self-worth.
Some people argue that bitter messages about weight are necessary to motivate those with obesity to take responsibility for their health and lose weight. After all, critics say, it’s their own fault that they are “fat,” and, if they really wanted to, they could control their weight. In this view, promoting body acceptance would only weaken behavior change and encourage obesity.
The problem with this argument is that it flies in the face of hundreds of scientific studies showing the negative health effects associated with experiencing and accepting weight-biased beliefs. The psychological effect of being undervalued due to one’s weight may not seem surprising: increased risk for depression, anxiety, and even self-harming thoughts and attempts in youth.
Also worth noting are the effects of weight bias on weight gain and obesity-related health. Studies show that weight bias is stressful, and when people are under stress, they tend to eat more. Further, when people worry about being judged due to their weight, they avoid fitness and health care setting.
In the coming year, whether or not weight loss is a goal, we can all make efforts to get rid of weight bias and be a little kinder to ourselves and others.
1. What do we know about obese people?| A．They are fond of making resolutions. |
| B．They are lacking in self-control. |
| C．They care little about others’ opinions. |
| D．They tend to undervalue themselves. |
| A．They can encourage obese people to lose weight. |
| B．They can improve self-worth in obese people. |
| C．They can promote body acceptance. |
| D．They can relieve depression. |
| A．Confirms. | B．Copies. | C．Splits up. | D．Goes against. |
| A．A healthy diet: good for your mind and body |
| B．New Year’s resolution: lose weight bias instead of weight |
| C．Control your weight by accepting the bitter messages readily |
| D．Eat your own way regardless of others’ thoughts |
9 . Before you throw your trash into the nearest can, think for a moment. Not all your garbage can be dumped into one trashcan. It needs to be sorted out with different things going into different bins. Waste classification, a practice that has long been normal in developed countries like Japan, is the new challenge for many Chinese urban residents. However, though initially you might need to rack your brains to figure out which trash goes into which can, in the long run, the result is well worth the effort.
Landfills, sites where waste is buried and covered over with soil, are a major method of disposing of residential waste in China. However, considering the environmental disaster associated with burying waste, there is a pressing need to reduce the amount of waste that goes into a landfill. Classification, sorting waste into different categories such as harmful waste, recyclables and kitchen waste, is a key solution.
Currently, 46 cities across China, are carrying out a program that aims to put in place a classification-based garbage disposal system by the end of 2020. It is hoped that this will reduce the quantity of waste that ends up in landfills by a large degree. Shanghai came into the media focus in early July after it carried out compulsory garbage sorting rules that those who fail to dispose of garbage properly should be fined. Beijing is reviewing its regulations to follow in Shanghai's footsteps. The new rules may cause short-term inconvenience but they are meant to help residents follow the concept of garbage classification for the common good.
As the programs show, residents can gradually develop this habit with their growing awareness and the help of advanced technology. In future, this practice should be adopted across China, in urban cities and rural areas alike. With public involvement, China's garbage sorting program will contribute not only to the nation's sustainable (可持续的) development but also to making the planet a better place to live in.
1. What is the most probable reason for classifying waste?| A．No site for burying waste. | B．People's habit. |
| C．Economic cost. | D．Environmental pollution. |
| A．To practise waste classification. |
| B．To protect environment. |
| C．To save oil for farming. |
| D．To reduce the quantity of waste. |
| A．A program adopted across China. |
| B．Shanghai carried out new disposal rules. |
| C．Doing the best with waste. |
| D．Protecting environment is necessary. |
| A．China will become the leading country of the program. |
| B．The program will be spread nationwide. |
| C．Development in rural areas will make great progress. |
| D．People will help develop modern technology. |
10 . Wonderful Museums in Cyprus.
The Leventis Municipal Museum
It shows the history of the city of Nicosia from prehistory to the present time and covers several traditional buildings on Hippocrates Street No.15-17. The idea of creating a museum memorizing the history of Nicosia was that of the former city leader, Lellos Demetriades. The museum was planned in 1984 and finished in 1989. Two years later, the Leventis Museum was honored with the European Museum of the Year Award. The museum aims to contribute to the protection of Nicosia's history.
Opening hours：Tuesday—Sunday (10:00 a.m.—4:30 p.m.）
Closed：Monday and public holidays
Entrance：Free. The Museum provides equipment for visitors with disabilities.
The Stemi Museum of Village Life
The museum shows the history of Stemi Museum from its foundation to the end of World WarⅡ. Sewing tools and equipment, handkerchief, kitchenware, pots and jars，traditional clothing are some of the exhibitions of this amazing museum.
Open: All year round
Monday to Sunday—October 1 to March 31 (10 a.m.—4 p.m.）
Monday to Sunday—April 1 to September 30 (10 a.m.—6 p.m.）
Free entrance
Marion-Arsinoe Archaeoloigical Museum
The Museum of Marion-Arsinoe is located in Polis Chrysochous. The exhibits are from the ancient city of Marion, renamed Arsinoe in the 3rd century BC.
Address: 26 MakariosⅢ Avenue, Polis, Paphos.
Opening hours:
Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday (8 a.m.—3 p.m.), Thursday (8 a.m.—5 p.m.), Saturday (9 a.m.—3 p.m.)
Monday and Sunday closed.
Entrance Fee：￡1.75；half price on national holidays.
Maa-Palaeokastro Museum
The small museum is located within the Maa-Palaeokastro site. Built in 1989，the museum's unusual design is the work of architect Andrea Bruno. The museum houses a small collection of objects，mainly copies, as well as some educational information on the site.
Open daily: 8:30 a.m.—5 p.m. (November—March), 8:30 a.m.—6 p.m. (April—October). All year round.
Entrance Fee：￡1.75
1. Which museum takes disabled visitors into consideration?| A．Maa-Palaeokastro Museum. |
| B．The Stem Museum of Village Life. |
| C．Marion-Arsinoe Archaeological Museum. |
| D．The Leventis Municipal Museum. |
| A．Famous paintings. |
| B．Things used in daily life. |
| C．The education of the villagers. |
| D．The story of the village leader. |
| A．The Leventis Municipal Museum. |
| B．The Stem Museum of Village Life. |
| C．Maa-Palaeokastro Museum. |
| D．Marion-Arsinoe Archaeological Museum. |
