1 . The popularity of niche（小众的）sports has increased, thanks in large part to pop culture interest. From the traditional Japanese martial arts to ancient Greek combat sports. Here are some trendy options you won't want to miss.
Kendo
This Japanese martial art is gaining popularity in China, partly because of Japanese sports manga（日本漫画）series such as One Piece（海贼王）. In many major cities, it's not uncommon to see young athletes carrying the bamboo swords used for Kendo.
Kendo is a form of swordsmanship（剑术）that requires concentration, discipline and constant repetition, but the benefit goes beyond physical fitness. According to the South China Morning Post, practicing kendo can effectively relieve stress and relax one's mind.
Boxing
Some of the greatest English-language writers, like Ernest Hemingway, Jack London and TS Eliot, were hardcore boxers. After reading their portrayals of tough boxers, some readers have been inspired to pick up their own pair of boxing gloves and enter the ring.
Boxing is more than just a workout. Sure, it can give you a lean and strong body. But according to boxing expert Hollywood Hino, it's a kind of addiction as well. Boxing gives you "the challenge of learning technique, as well as the general empowering feeling of hitting something", he told Yahoo Sports.
Parkour
The James Bond blockbuster Casino Royale (2006) introduced parkour to the mainstream, with an intense action scene that shows Bond using skills to go through an urban landscape. That's parkour in a nutshell: the art of moving quickly and creatively through unconventional obstacle courses. Parkour gives young people a way to improve themselves, both physically and psychologically.
1. Which of the following is the benefit of practicing kendo?| A．Popularity. | B．Concentration |
| C．Easiness. | D．Constant repetition. |
| A．Hemingway was a hardcore boxer. |
| B．boxing could give them a lean and strong body. |
| C．boxing gave them the challenge of learning technique. |
| D．they were encouraged by the spirits of tough boxers created by Hemingway |
| A．ancient Greek combat sports | B．parkour |
| C．boxing | D．kendo |
2 . Issued to those who intend to go to China for commercial and trade activities.
Application:
1. Basic Documents
（1） Passport
Original passport with at least six months of remaining validity and blank visa pages, and a photocopy of the passport’s data page and the photo page if it is separate.
（2） Visa Application Form and photo
One completed Visa Application Form with a recently -taken color passport photo （ bare-head, full face ） against a white background attached （ Photo Requirements for Chinese Visa Application ）
（3） Proof of legal stay or residence status （ applicable to those not applying for the visa in their country of citizenship ）
If you are not applying for the visa in the country of your citizenship, you must provide the original and photocopy of your valid visa or certificate of stay，residence, employment or student status of the country where you are currently staying.
（4） Photocopy of previous Chinese passports or previous Chinese visas （ applicable to those who were Chinese citizens and have obtained foreign citizenship ）
2. Supporting Documents
Documents on the commercial activity issued by a trade partner in China, or trade fair invitation relevant entity（实体） or individual. The invitation letter should contain :
a） Information on the applicant （ full name, gender, date of birth, etc. ）
b） Information on the planned visit （ purpose of visit, arrival and departure dates, place（s） to be visited, relations between the applicant and the inviting entity or individual, financial source for expenditures）
c） Information on the inviting entity or individual （ name, contact telephone number, address, official stamp, signature of the legal representative or the inviting individual ）
3. Application Procedure, Processing Time and Fees
Please visit Chinese Embassy/ Consulate General’s websites for more details based on your State of residence.
1. Who is this article intended for?| A．Those who want to visit China for personal issues. |
| B．Those who apply for Chinese passport recently. |
| C．Those who want to go sightseeing in China recently. |
| D．Those coming to China for commerce and trade. |
| A．Any black and white photo is OK. |
| B．The photo must be taken in color recently. |
| C．The photo must be taken on the ground. |
| D．The photo must show your full body. |
| A．An invitation letter with necessary information. |
| B．The applicant’s passport and photocopy. |
| C．The permission from the Chinese Embassy. |
| D．The financial condition of the applicant. |
3 . Hazel Mayfield usually cooks the Thanksgiving meal for her extended family in Houston, Texas. She usually welcomes friends and neighbors eager to sample her fried turkey, green bean casserole , candied yams, homemade cornbread dressing, and dirty rice -just a few of her signature dishes. Known as Suga Mama, because her grandchildren think she’s so sweet, the 91 -year-old typically likes to do her own shopping for the ingredients to make her special dishes.
“My mother is the head cook of the family,” said Paulette Mouton, Mayfield’s daughter.“Because of her reputation, you know, there’re people in and out all day, everybody’s family comes through. They want to get some of Suga Mama’s cooking. We’re from Louisiana and we cook all that.”（ One in six Americans could go hungry in 2020 as pandemic persists. ）
But Mayfield hasn’t been to the grocery store since March. And there is little about Thanksgiving 2020 that’s usual. Hundreds of thousands of American families have re-imagined the holiday with virtual celebrations, canceled or delayed travel plans , or for small gatherings with people in their households in response to COVID-19, the deadly virus that has killed more than 250,000 in the U.S. and spoiled life around the world.
This year, Mayfield’s family members are lamenting（ 悲叹） the absence of a big gathering. They’ve explained to their young children and grandchildren why this year’s Thanksgiving is different. Mayfield’ s youngest daughter, Michelle Sanders, says it’s tough helping her grandchildren understand why they can’ t see some of their other family members.
“It’s really hard, trying to explain to them,”Sanders said. “When you’ re talking to them and they want to come over, you have to tell them no. They really don’t know how to be careful.”
Sanders added,“And, they don’ t understand that, being three, four, and six, you know they don’t really understand that.So, it’s ... it’s really, really hard, and heartbreaking. ”
1. What kind of person is Hazel Mayfield?| A．Helpful and kind-hearted. | B．Stubborn and enthusiastic. |
| C．Talented and instructive. | D．Grateful and sensitive. |
| A．They like to talk to Suga Mama warmly. |
| B．They come to help cook meals as they like. |
| C．They come to satisfy their stomaches. |
| D．They come to cook various meals. |
| A．They try to get together with their family members in the open. |
| B．They have to avoid big gatherings even with family members. |
| C．They feel difficult to persuade their children to get together. |
| D．They are pleased with the absence of Thankgiving celebration. |
| A．Children are delighted to celebrate their Thanksgiving Day. |
| B．Adults feel it difficult to get together with their children. |
| C．Children are still too young to understand the situation. |
| D．It’s tough helping children overcome their problems. |
4 . The Tibet autonomous region has placed nearly half its land area under the strictest ecological supervision (监督).It was announced at an annual meeting of the regional People's Congress, which kicked off on Wednesday.
The ecological protection area, which covers more than 539,000 square kilometers, makes up 45 percent of the region's area, and 22 ecological reserves have been built and are operational.
According to the government work report, the rate of days with good air quality in Tibet's cities has reached 99.4 percent, and all the region's drinking water sources have met applicable standards.
The report also said that the number of Tibetan antelope (羚)in the region has risen to more than 200,000, wildlife species to 1,072 and black-necked cranes to more than 8,000. Five rare new species have been discovered in recent years. The region has spent 12.2 billion yuan ($1.9 billion) on ecological protection projects in recent years. Five cities and three counties have been named as national-level ecologically civilized model cities and counties, and more rural residents have benefited financially by undertaking part-time ecological protection work.
More advanced monitoring facilities have been in place in the reserve, with more ecological protection inspectors employed to undertake protection work. The professional ecological inspectors are provided with basic tools such as motorcycles, telescopes and paging receivers, and they provide feedback regularly. Professional inspectors also receive one week of training every year from professors at Tibet University.
Kunsang Darje, a railway maintenance worker in Nagchu, said that apart from maintaining the railway and highway, he also collects trash along the section with his colleagues. “The place I work is in a no-man's land, and I think it's very important to protect the animals there without affecting them with human activities, and we are also bound to take responsibility there," he said.
1. What is the main idea of the text?| A．The ecological situation in Tibet has been totally improved. |
| B．Almost half Tibetan land has been ecologically supervised. |
| C．Many more operational ecological reserves have been built. |
| D．More Tibetan protection inspectors have been employed. |
| A．Larger protection areas. | B．Numerous rare new species. |
| C．More days with quality air. | D．Global capital investments. |
| A．protection inspectors can employ other people |
| B．protection inspectors are supplied with cars |
| C．Tibet's rural residents can get annual training |
| D．Tibet's rural residents can earn extra money |
| A．He asks his colleagues not to litter everywhere. |
| B．He attaches importance to raise animals there. |
| C．He keeps railway and highway in good condition. |
| D．He has a sense of duty to protect animals there. |
| Position: Home>Book A Trip> Tips for Arriving by Air: 1.According to the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the French Republic, starting from December 1, 2020, all Chinese and foreign passengers flying from France to China are required to conduct the sampling and testing of a nucleic acid test and an IgM anti-body test at testing institutions in France within 2 days before boarding. They must obtain the certificates of negative results of both tests issued by the organizations to apply for the green health declaration code with the “HS" mark or “HDC" mark from the local Embassy of China in France. Please visit the official Embassy website at http://www.amb-chine.fr/chn/zgzfg/zgsg/lsb/t1835249.htm for further details. To avoid any delay on your trip, please be sure to keep a close eye on the local requirements prior to your flight departure. Thank you for your understanding and support! 2. Starting from November 16,2020,China Eastern Airlines and Shanghai Airlines will suspend transit services of passengers originating from Africa, Argentina, and India passing by a third country to China. 3.Passengers transiting by way of a third country please pay particular attention to the specific visa requirements of the transiting country. Select A Flight  |
| A．Take two nucleic acid tests. |
| B．Visit the official Embassy website. |
| C．Pay attention to the local requirements upon arriving. |
| D．Have the green health declaration code with the "HS" or "HDC" mark. |
| A．They are not allowed to fly to Shanghai. |
| B．They must hold a specific visa to enter China. |
| C．They must first fly to France and then go on flying to Shanghai. |
| D．Shanghai Airline won't fly them if they are not taking a direct flight. |
| A．The one on Sunday. | B．The one on Monday. |
| C．The one on Wednesday. | D．The one on Friday |
6 . One of the fundamental things we really love in cities is order. Order means balance, symmetry （对称）and repetition: the same thing happening again and again, and the left side matching the right side.
Order is one of the reasons why so many people love Paris. But most cities are a complete mess. When it's a mess, it seems like no one is in charge. And that's worrying. It's horrible when everything is jumbled up: a pitched roof next to a flat roof; 3 simple bare box next to a messy car park; high-rise towers that look as if they've been placed at random, like teeth in a yawning mouth.
We generally have a desire to straighten things out. And when we can't, it's frustrating. The same urge is there when we look at cities. Often, it's not skyscrapers that we mind in the city. It's skyscrapers that have been planted there without planning, like they are increasingly appearing in London, while New York or Chicago shows the ordered way that we love.
However, you have to keep something else in mind. Unreasonable order can be just as much of a problem. Too much regularity can be soul-destroying. Too much order feels rigid and alien. It can be indifferent, cold, severe, unkind, or even cruel. So the ideal we're seeking is variety and order.
This is the idea in a square in Tele in the Czech Republic, where every house is the same width and height. But within that ordered partem, every house has been allowed freedom at the level of form and color. We're perfectly in the middle between chaos and boringness here. And that's what humans adore.
So as a general rule: too much mess, and it's off-putting; but too much simple order, and it’s boring.
1. What does the underlined phrase "jumbled up” in Paragraph 2 mean?| A．Out of order. | B．Causing worries. | C．In good order. | D．At random. |
| A．New York. | B．London. | C．Paris. | D．Tele. |
| A．They should be made lower. | B．They should have plants on top. |
| C．They should be well planned. | D．Their numbers should be limited. |
| A．balance and repetition | B．free forms and rich colors |
| C．the same height and width | D．both order and variety |
7 . Bricks are one of the oldest known building materials, dating back thousands of years. But researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have found a new use for bricks: as energy storage units. A team of engineers and chemists have found a way to transform an ordinary house brick into a “battery”—allowing it to conduct and store electricity. The bricks are powerful enough to light up an LED bulb, and cost only about 3 dollars to make.
“I love the idea of adding value to things that are inexpensive, things that are affordable, things that we kind of take for granted,” says Julio D'Arcy, who is an assistant professor of chemistry at Washington University and one of the researchers on this project.
The brick-battery relies on the reddish pigment known as iron oxide, or rust, which gives red bricks their color. The scientists pumped the bricks with several gases that react with iron oxide to produce a network of plastic fibers. These small fibers coat the empty spaces inside the bricks — and conduct electricity.
What the researchers are trying to do is to make specialized plastics that are only used on the nanoscale where they use very little of the plastic and they can actually fix that plastic firmly inside construction materials.
In the future, D'Arcy says, a brick wall could potentially serve a dual purpose: providing structural support and storing electricity generated from renewable energy sources, such as solar panels.
The technology is still at least a few years away from being ready for the commercial market. And right now, the energy storage capacity of the bricks is still pretty low—about 1 percent of a lithium ion battery. But the team is now testing ways to improve brick performance. hoping to make a breakthrough and practical application to better the seemingly ordinary construction materials as soon as possible.
1. What new function has been found in house bricks?| A．They can serve as a power plant. | B．They can take the place of plastics. |
| C．They can save a lot of energy. | D．They can reserve electricity. |
| A．They are pumped into bricks. | B．They must be tiny in size. |
| C．They cover the surface of bricks. | D．They react with iron oxide. |
| A．their capacity is still low | B．their cost is very high |
| C．they make no profits | D．they are not safe enough |
| A．Construction Turns Smart | B．High Tech Develops Fast |
| C．Old Bricks Play New Tricks | D．Buildings Become Greener |
8 . The World Health Organization（WHO）declared on Dec 29 that Guinea was Ebola—free, which means the Ebola outbreak has officially ended in West Africa.
"The fatal disease broke out in Guinea in December 2013, and then spread to neighboring Sierra Leone and Liberia," salon. com writer Ben Norton wrote. "A handful of Ebola cases were subsequently reported in Nigeria, Mali, the US and some European countries, yet were all contained.
The WHO declared the end of the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone in November, just after Liberia was declared Ebola - free in September. However, Liberia has had new cases since the declaration, reported the BBC.
The disease killed more than 2,500 people in Guinea, and a further 9,000 in Liberia and Sierra Leone. It is the largest Ebola epidemic（流行病）in history, according to the WHO.
Children were especially vulnerable（脆弱的）to the disease. During the outbreak, more than 22,000 kids lost one or both parents in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, according to UNICEF. In Guinea alone, 6,220 children lost a parent or both, and 519 more were killed.
A salon. com article says when a few cases of Ebola were found in the US, the media went hysterical（歇斯底里的）, But since the disease was contained in the West Africa in 2014, Western governments and media outlets have devoted little attention to it.
"This reaction", says the article, has "led critics and activists to accuse the Western media of prejudice and racism. When white people were threatened by the disease, there was more concern and interest. When they were no longer threatened, there was silence.”
1. The Ebola outbreak has officially ended in West Africa because__________ has no Ebola.| A．Guinea | B．Sierra Leone | C．Liberia | D．Nigeria |
| A．6,220 | B．9,000 | C．22,000 | D．15,780 |
| A．Critical | B．Neutral | C．Supportive | D．Unclear |
| A．fight against prejudice and racism. |
| B．stop ignoring the survivors. |
| C．care for the children who have lost their parents. |
| D．look for a cure for Ebola |
9 . Across Europe, many castles have been changed into hotels. Check out five of the best and most beautiful places to stay.
Hotel Schools Thannegg
Hotel Schools Thannegg lies in the middle of the Austrian Alps, a fairy-tale sight in the snow and the perfect winter break getaway. The ceilings date back to 1150, and the hotel has its own free bus that will take you away on a skiing adventure in winter.
Swinton Estate
The English may not be hugely romantic. But their country castles certainly are. Swinton Estate is the home of the Cunliffe-Lister family, and has been turned into a 30-bedroom hotel. It comes complete with small towers, long passages, grand staircases, and wide balconies.
Hotel de la Cite
There are few better places to base yourself when you explore the city of Carcassonne than Hotel de la Cite. It’s the only hotel that sets inside the walls of the UNESCO World Heritage Site （世界遗产地）. Enjoy a glass of wine on the balcony as the sun sets over France, taking in the impressive views.
Castel Porrona
Deep in the rolling Tuscan hills of Italy—in a delightful village dating back to the 1lth century and surrounded by vineyards （葡萄园）, sunflower fields and olive groves. Bach of its 25 rooms offers wonderful views of the village, the castle grounds and the whole landscape.
Pousada de Óbidos
There are only nine rooms —so plan your booking in advance. Within the city walls of Obidos lies the Pousada di Óbidos, which has been turned into one of the country’s finest hotels, and one of the first to become a pousada, a traditional or historical Portuguese hotel. The hotel is charming and intimate （温馨的）, particularly popular in the summer months.
1. What can guests enjoy at Hotel Schools Thannegg?| A．Fairy tales. | B．Hotel bus service. |
| C．Modern ceilings. | D．English castles. |
| A．It has balconies. | B．It provides wine. |
| C．It’s in a conservation area. | D．It’s in the city center. |
| A．Hotel Schools and Swinton Estate. | B．Swinton Estate and Hotel de la Cite. |
| C．Hotel de la Cite and Castel Porrona. | D．Castel Porrona and Pousada de Óbidos. |
10 . While children are dogs—loyal and affectionate (情深的)—teenagers are cats. It′s so easy to be a dog owner. You feed it, train it, and boss it around. It puts its head on your knee and gazes at you as if you were a Rembrandt painting. It bounds indoors with enthusiasm when you call it.
Then around age 13, your adoring little puppy turns into a big old cat. When you tell it to come inside, it looks amazed, as if wondering who died and made you emperor. Instead of dogging your doorsteps, it disappears. You won′t see it again until it gets hungry―then it pauses on its sprint through the kitchen long enough to turn its nose up at whatever you′re serving. When you reach out to ruffle its head, in that old affectionate gesture, it turns away from you, then gives you a blank stare, as if trying to remember where it has seen you before.
You, not realizing that the dog is now a cat, think something must be desperately wrong with it. It seems so antisocial, so distant, sort of depressed. It won′t go on family outings.
Since you are the one who raised it, taught it to fetch and stay and sit on command, you assume that you did something wrong. Flooded with guilt and fear, you redouble your efforts to make your pet behave.
Only now you′re dealing with a cat, so everything that worked before now produces the opposite of the desired result. Call it, and it runs away. Tell it to sit, and it jumps on the counter. The more you go toward it, wringing your hands, the more it moves away.
Put a dish of food near the door, and let it come to you. But remember that a cat needs your help and your affection too. Sit still, and it will come, seeking that warm, comforting lap it has not entirely forgotten. Be there to open the door for it.
One day your grown-up child will walk into the kitchen, give you a big kiss and say, “You′ve been on your feet all day. Let me get those dishes for you.”
Then you′ll realize your cat is a dog again.
1. What does the word “It” refer to in the third paragraph?| A．A dog |
| B．A parent |
| C．A teenager |
| D．A situation |
| A．Excitedly |
| B．Indifferently |
| C．Angrily |
| D．Calmly |
| A．Children like cats can not easily follow parents′ directions. |
| B．Parents should try their best to leave their children alone. |
| C．You can′t expect children to be considerate toward their parents. |
| D．Parents should consider what they do wrong to educate their kids. |
| A．To tell us how a dog changes into a cat. |
| B．To tell us how to raise pets like cats and dogs. |
| C．To tell us the similarities between pets and children. |
| D．To tell us how to deal with teenagers aged 13 or so. |
