1 . What is a family? Why does it matter? What does it teach us that we can’t learn on our own? These questions seem especially relevant in the holiday season when it is often our tradition to gather as families and celebrate together.
My mother was one of twelve children. As they grew up, married and had children of their own, most of them lived near enough to gather for holidays at my grandparents’ home in a small town in the mountains of North Carolina.
I don’t recall getting many gifts from them .I remember the sense of belonging, of being part of something that assured me I was loved and not alone.
I delighted in the laughing, playing and fighting with my crazy cousins. I watched my granddad and uncles sit on the porch, rain or shine, smoking and joking, arguing about politics and trying to solve the problems of the world. I listened to my grandmother, mother and aunts stir (搅拌) pots on the stove and talk about their lives, hopes, dreams and disappointments, and gossip about any sister who failed to show up.
The food was always plentiful and delicious-country ham, sweet potatoes, green beans, biscuits and my grandmother’s banana pudding. But for me, the food was never the highlight. The highlight was simply being together. A family.
However, they’re all gone now. My parents and grandparents, my aunts and uncles have left this world for the next. My cousins are scattered here and there. And yet the memories linger, along with the love that we shared.
I treasure those memories and the things they taught me. They told me that families aren’t perfect, but they prepare us to find our way in an imperfect world. They made me realize that all families are crazy in their own particular ways.
My husband and I are growing a new family, while keeping close to the surviving members of the families. It’s a beautiful blend (混合) of kindness, traditions, nurturing (养育) and friendships, which grows year after year.
I hope this holiday season will fill you with lovely memories of the family that raised you, and surround you with all the people who mean “family” to you now.
1. What do we know about the author’s family according to the article?| A．She didn’t get on well with her cousins. |
| B．Her grandpa and uncles were politicians. |
| C．Her family delighted in their gatherings. |
| D．The female members liked to show off. |
| A．there was a lot of inviting food |
| B．special gifts were selected thoughtfully |
| C．they brought the family closer together |
| D．she got to see relatives who seldom visited |
| A．Disappear. | B．Remain. |
| C．Increase. | D．Fade. |
| A．Good families should live together. |
| B．Imperfect families may help us adjust to the world. |
| C．Memories of perfect families deserve treasuring. |
| D．It’s necessary to create crazy family traditions. |
2 . New York Walking Tour
♦Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Walking Tour
Start this exciting guided 4-hour tour by getting early Reserve Line Access boarding on the ferry to Liberty Island. Once there, go inside the base of the statue and head to the observation decks for an awesome view of New York City and its surroundings. Then come back on the ferry to Ellis Island to learn about the history of immigration to America that took place here between 1892 and 1954.
♦Central Park Walking Tour
Walk through Central Park’s most picturesque highlights on a 2-hour tour with a professional photographer. Remember your New York City adventure with unforgettable images of you with family or friends as you circle the towers at Belvedere Castle, walk through paths with flowers in the Conservatory Garden, or feed the swans by the Loeb Boathouse.
♦New York City Architecture Walking Tour
Learn about the history of the buildings that define the New York City skyline on a 3-hour walking architecture tour. Walk down the famous 42nd Street corridor with a longtime New York resident and architectural expert, stopping along the way to learn about Midtown Manhattan’s most iconic structures like the Chrysler Building, Ford Foundation, Grand Central Station and the New York Public Library.
♦Greenwich Village Walking Tour
Greenwich Village is one of New York City’s most beautiful and famous neighborhoods. Take a guided 3-hour walking tour of this legendary Lower Manhattan space. Hear about the famous artists who once lived here, from Edgar Allan Poe to Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix and countless others. Walk the winding streets and visit popular Washington Square Park, reliving more than 200 years of history.
1. Why do tourists visit Ellis Island?| A．To know about American immigration history. | B．To explore the surroundings of the island. |
| C．To get a whole view of New York City. | D．To observe Statue of Liberty closely. |
| A．Central Park Walking Tour. | B．Greenwich Village Walking Tour. |
| C．New York City Architecture Walking Tour. | D．Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Walking Tour. |
| A．Take unforgettable pictures. | B．Come across Bob Dylan. |
| C．Visit New York Public Library. | D．Learn about well-known artists. |
3 . Santo Domingo City—Full Day Tour
Santo Domingo is a magical city, full of history, culture and amazing buildings. It is the first city founded in America. At the beginning of the day we will pick you up at your hotel. On the way to Santo Domingo you will have a tour guide who will explain incredible details about the history of the Dominican Republic. Upon arrival in Santo Domingo you will make a beautiful tour of the most important monuments. You will also be on a romantic street, the first in America, “The Ladies”.
Duration: 6 hours
Hotel Pickup
Hotel pick-up is offered for this tour. Note: if you are booking within 24 hours of the tour/activity departure time, we cannot guarantee hotel pick-up. Once your purchase is complete, we will send you complete contact information (phone number, email address, etc.) for our local operator to organize pick-up arrangements.
Additional Info
Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Baby carriage accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Babies must sit on laps
Baby seats available
Most travelers can participate
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund（退款）
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 150 travelers
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.
1. What do we know about Santo Domingo City—Full Day Tour?| A．Santo Domingo is the oldest city. |
| B．Someone collects you at any time. |
| C．It is expected to last for six hours. |
| D．It will be a self-guided tour. |
| A．Wheelchairs. | B．Free cars. |
| C．Service babies. | D．Baby seats. |
| A．When the start date is postponed. |
| B．If the tour is canceled for some reason. |
| C．When the service is pretty terrible. |
| D．If there are less than 150 travelers. |
4 . Every Bachelor of Arts major faces the dilemma about the language they have to take to meet the foreign language requirement. JMU offers a variety of languages, from French to Ancient Greek and Italian. Any of them would be great, but Spanish is the most beneficial language to learn.
Spanish is the second most spoken language in the world, with around 460 million native speakers. It’s the official language of over 20 countries, and in the United States, there are 41 million speakers. These statistics give you the perfect reason to learn Spanish as an international language.
One of the best reasons to learn Spanish is that it makes one more employable. There’s a place for Spanish in every career field. Doctors will have patients that speak Spanish, financial traders will buy stocks from Latin American companies and journalists will provide content written in Spanish.
Spanish is known as the starting block for learning other Romance languages. Many of the words and phrases used in Italian, French and Latin are similar to each other. For example, the Italian word for "thank you" is "grazie". and the Spanish word for "thank you" is“gracias". The Portuguese word for "hello" is "ola "，and the Spanish word for "hello" is “hola”.
There are so many amazing resources available for learning Spanish. A popular method that most people use is the app Duolingo because it’s convenient and great. A similar method is listening to a podcast (播客)，like Coffee Break Spanish that tailors podcasts for different Spanish levels. Both of these options don't break the bank either because they' re free.
JMU also offers opportunities to practice Spanish speaking. The Spanish Club meets every week to discuss culture, practice speaking Spanish and plan events. The Foreign Language Department organizes language tables where students can practice conversational Spanish with other students. Sigma Delta Pi is a Spanish honor society for students who study Spanish.
1. What 's the difficulty for the Bachelor of Arts students?| A．Meeting all the requirements of their school. |
| B．Choosing the foreign language they should take. |
| C．Knowing about the benefits of learning Spanish. |
| D．Finding the best ways to learn a foreign language. |
| A．good Spanish speakers can get better jobs |
| B．every career has strict rules for its workers |
| C．Spanish has wide applications in different fields |
| D．employable people are often multi-language speakers |
| A．Romance languages are some ancient languages |
| B．a word has many different meanings in Spanish |
| C．there is quite much polite speech in Spanish |
| D．Italian speakers can learn Spanish easily |
| A．Popular customs in Spain. |
| B．Some online Spanish resources. |
| C．Some ways of learning Spanish. |
| D．The advantages of learning Spanish. |
5 . Next-generation fitness equipment and robots help you cook dinner. Those are a few of the countless new products expected to be shown next week at CES, the annual tech conference that typically sets the tone for the biggest trends of the year. Home automation, health and 5G will once again be hot topics, but many companies will also introduce pandemic-specific features to reflect our increased time at home.
Each year, reporters, exhibitors and investors typically explore Las Vegas showrooms filled with giant TVs, smart cars and robots, but CES will be online only for the first time in its 54-year history due to Covid-19.
The Consumer Technology Association, the nonprofit behind the four-day event starting Monday, said 1,800 exhibitors from around the world will fill its "digital venue" this year—a number that's down significantly from 4,000 in-person exhibitors last year. The move will allow tech companies from countries which have never attended before to take part in the online exhibition, but could also make it harder for smaller companies to get noticed without a physical showroom.
Registered attendees will be able to stream and re-watch keynotes from companies such as Verizon (VZ) and General Motors (GM), tune in to breakout sessions — about how, for example, technology is playing a role in vaccine deployment—and search through a registry of exhibitors to watch new product presentations.
It'll lack some of the signature ingredients of the trade show, such as hands-on time with the latest small machines and networking. But the technology that makes our lives more connected and convenient will still gain popularity.
1. What are the new products mainly connected with?| A．People’s daily life. | B．Everyday busy work. |
| C．The popularity of 5G. | D．Countless housework. |
| A．It takes place every two years. | B．It attracts fewer exhibitors this year. |
| C．It is held mainly on the Internet. | D．It prohibits small companies to attend. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Disappointed. | C．Doubtful. | D．Casual. |
| A．A brochure. | B．A textbook. | C．A newspaper. | D．A guidebook. |
6 . Researchers at the DogStudies lab at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History have shown that dogs may possess some metacognitive (元认知) abilities. Specifically, when they do not have enough information to solve a problem, they will actively look for more information, similarly to primates (灵长类).
In a recent study, project leader Julia Belger explored whether dogs have metacognitive abilities. To test this, the researchers designed a device involving two V-shaped fences. A reward, either food or a toy, would be placed by one researcher behind one of the two fences while another researcher held the dogs. In some cases, the dogs could see where the reward was placed, while in others, the dogs could not. The researchers then analyzed how frequently the dogs looked through the gap in the fence before choosing an option.
The researchers found that the dogs did check significantly more often for the reward when they had not seen where it was placed. These results show that dogs do tend to actively seek extra information when they have not seen where the reward is concealed.
The results did not allow the researchers to say definitively whether dogs possess meta-cognition, though they displayed some evidence for it. Julia said, “For humans, vision is an important information gathering sense. In this case, our experiment was based on a checking action relying on sight, but the dogs probably also used their sense of smell when checking through the gap. We know that smell is very important to dogs and we could see that they were using it.”
Julia added, “In future, we would like to develop an experiment to investigate under what circumstances dogs decide to use their sense of smell versus sight. This may give us additional insights into their information seeking abilities.”
1. What ability may dogs have according to the study?| A．To offer information like primates. | B．To use their skills to find more food. |
| C．To seek information to solve a problem. | D．To ask for help before choosing an option. |
| A．Decorated. | B．Hidden. | C．Produced. | D．Purchased. |
| A．Uncertain. | B．Friendly. | C．Negative. | D．Critical. |
| A．Environment and technology. | B．Humans and nature. |
| C．Literature and culture. | D．Society and life. |
7 . Do you look down when you speak? Play with your hair? Lean to one side? Every last gesture tells a story. What you are saying to others is not only reflected in the words coming from your mouth, but also through the gestures and motions you make with your body. Kristin Appenbrink, Associate Editor for RealSimple. com, shows what your body language is saying about you.
Standing with your legs together is considered more of a conservative stance (站姿). It looks like a solider facing his officer. This way of standing usually indicates respect.
This way you move your body reflects your attitude. And shifting your weight from side to side or front to back indicates that you are anxious or disappointed. Basically, this is a physical representation of what is going on in your head: you are having so many unsettling thoughts that you can’t stop moving from one to the other.
Crossing your arms and legs is a defensive position. Take note of the surroundings. More often than not, this just means a person is cold. Many people also find this position to be comfortable.
Pointing toes (脚趾) in, big toe to big toe, indicates you are closing yourself off because you feel awkward or insecure. But, if you’re sitting up straight with your shoulders aligned (对齐的) and your head up — signs of an open body position — your feet may be betraying you.
Opening up your hands by spreading your hands means you are open to new ideas being offered. Facing your palms down or grasping your fists firmly shows you have a strong position — one that may not be so flexible.
1. Which of the following does Kristin Appenbrink probably agree with?| A．Body language will replace spoken language. |
| B．Standing with arms crossing indicates respect. |
| C．Body language can express what we want to say. |
| D．Our bodies’ motions are different from our gestures. |
| A．Making comparisons. | B．Analysing causes. |
| C．Raising questions. | D．Giving examples. |
| A．Satisfying. | B．Upsetting. |
| C．Doubtful. | D．Unconscious. |
| A．He feels embarrassed and unsafe. |
| B．He thinks someone has betrayed him. |
| C．He feels like hiding something from others. |
| D．He’s willing to accept new ideas from others. |
8 . “Are personal sad stories a must to win talent shows?” “Shouldn’t talent be judged on the basis of itself without needing a sad story of struggle to win?” These are questions Sanya Malhotra posed on a recent Facebook post.
This morning I came across this interesting post by Sanya Malhotra. She revealed that she loved dancing and dreamt of becoming an actress, but got defeated in “Dance India Dance” because her background story wasn’t sad and inspiring enough. That’s when she started doubting her artistic gift.
This really set me thinking. Why are people attracted to sob stories? Why do we always appreciate only those people who have achieved something after going through a lot of hardships? Why does the headline of a newspaper “Taxi-driver’s Son Stands First In UPSC Exam” find more readers? I think it is because most people, who are in a similar situation, find it comforting that someone has succeeded with so many hardships. I know it is really very difficult for people with financial, health, or family problems to overcome obstacles and succeed. I really feel proud of them and I am often touched and inspired by their stories.
Now come back to what Sanya has said. I think this is a talent show rather than a story-telling competition. When it comes to a competition of singing or dancing or any fine arts, all the competitors should be judged without any bias (偏见). No one should lose because they don’t have a sad story of struggle to tell. It’s very unfair. They can be given opportunities otherwise, but should not be judged because of their stories.
Maybe, the TV channels do it to attract more viewers, because the most important element of any reality show is these touching stories. But as Sanya has said, it’s unfair to those who haven't such a story and are equally talented.
1. What do we know about Sanya Malhotra?| A．She entered a talent show. | B．She won “Dance India Dance”. |
| C．She had a sad story to tell. | D．She was rejected in a film. |
| A．experienced many hardships | B．is a famous actress in Indian |
| C．has a great gift for gymnastics | D．used to be confident in her artistic talent |
| A．A Millionaire Donated Money To Harvard University. |
| B．A Gifted Indian Teenager Won “Dance India Dance”. |
| C．An Armless Girl Was Admitted To Harvard University. |
| D．A Freshman Paid Off Loans By Getting A Part-time Job. |
| A．Winners Should Be Determined By Public Judges |
| B．Sanya Malhotra Displayed A Great Artistic Gift |
| C．Competitors Should Not Be Judged By Sob Stories |
| D．Talent Shows Competitors Can Tell Their Stories |
9 . Why do we like drinking water form plastic bottles? Some people think it is healthy and clean. Others drink bottled water because it’s easy — you can carry it around with you. In hot countries, like Greece, they often buy bottles of cold water in summer.
However, making lots of plastic is not a good idea for many reasons. First of all, we need a lot of oil for plastic products. We usually use oil as a source (资源) of energy. If we reduced the number of bottles we made, we wouldn’t need so much oil. Plastic bottles also pollute the environment. If we recycled all our plastic bottles, we wouldn’t need so much space for rubbish dumps. But in Greece, they don't recycle much of the plastic they use. In 2006, Greeks recycled only about 10% of plastic waste. The rest became rubbish on land and in rivers and seas.
So next time you want to throw away a plastic bottle in the litter bin, stop and think. If you recycled it, you would help the environment. But what can you do when there isn’t a recycling bin near you? Well, there are lots of useful ways that you can use your bottles again. For example, an empty bottle makes a great piggy bank for your pocket money, and if you cut a bottle in halves, you will have a plant pot. Go green! You can make a difference.
1. What is not mentioned about bottled water in this passage? It’s ______.| A．expensive | B．healthy | C．clean | D．easy |
| A．energy | B．oil | C．soil | D．plants |
| A．10% | B．50% | C．80% | D．90% |
| A．To drop them into the river. | B．To make a plant pot. |
| C．To make a piggy bank. | D．To recycle them. |
10 . A roadside system that detects if a mobile phone is in use in a passing vehicle is being tested in the UK first. Despite being unable to tell whether the driver is using the phone, it is hoped that it will act as a warning to people who make calls behind the wheel. The technology picks up the phone signal in the vehicle and activates(激活) a roadside warning sign of a mobile phone with a red line through it.
The system can’t tell the difference between a driver and a passenger on a bus, but to some degree it can warn drivers that they can be detected using their phones. Using a directional antenna(天线)，the detector picks up radio waves produced by a phone handset , and measures the signal strength and length of them. When a signal is detected of duration(持续时间) long enough and signal strength strong enough to set off the system， the detector activates the warning sign. The detector is able to distinguish Bluetooth connections or hands- free devices which, when picked up，will prevent the activation.
While this new system is no replacement for a police officer catching someone in the act， it could be enough to make some drivers think twice- and that has to be a positive step forward. However, just as technology has enabled the problem of drivers using mobile phones illegally, it can also be a big part of the solution in getting people to stop. Statistics from the devices will be shared with Norfolk Police， the county council said. The council said that enabling the system to record specific number plates could be a“future development”.
Using a mobile phone at the wheel is one of the four road crimes which can have horrible consequences if it causes a deadly or serious car crash. Law enforcement(执行) technology has been falling behind for a decade and not made any easier by motor producers that encourage users to plug in their phones even before driving.
1. What is the function of the roadside system according to Paragraph 1?| A．To collect information for future use. |
| B．To send out cellphone signals to drivers. |
| C．To detect passengers' wrong use of phones. |
| D．To warn people against using pones while driving. |
| A．It measures the length of the phone. |
| B．It warns drivers with a phone in hand. |
| C．It picks up radio waves from handsets. |
| D．It activates the vehicle's Bluetooth system. |
| A．Swift to Bluetooth while driving. |
| B．Have a close watch of road signs. |
| C．Avoid being picked up by detectors. |
| D．Stop using a hands- free mobile phone. |
| A．Share the devices with the police. |
| B．Make the system more advanced. |
| C．Replace the police with the new system. |
| D．Take steps to settle road safety problems. |
