2 . Ms. Blake wanted to leave the San Francisco Bay Area. Her parents had bought a house on a large plot of land near a gateway to Yosemite National Park. Benjamin could stay with them while she worked at a supermarket in town. He could run around in the hills. What she hadn’t quite accounted for, though, is how the hills are becoming hotter, drier and more dangerous.

A year after they moved came the first of an annual series of wildfires, and an asthma diagnosis (哮喘诊断) for Benjamin. One year, they had to leave from their home for a few days. Another year, they bought air-conditioners so they could keep the windows shut when the air got thick and smoky. This year, just as it seemed like Benjamin’s asthma was relieving, came the Creek Fire in the hills nearby. The air turned white with smoke. The boy had what appeared to be a mild asthma attack.

Ms. Blake struggles to explain to him why he can't be outside exploring. She worries when he goes to school. She wonders how much longer the family will be able to insure their home if rates climb higher — and what they’ll do if insurance becomes unavailable at any price. “It seems every year there’s some major fire,” Ms. Blake said. “We're smoked out. It's hard to breathe. It's always a worry that you' re going to have to flee or you1 re going to lose your home.” She said she had spent in the neighborhood of $1,000 this year to equip her home. “To protect my son of course I’m going to do that,” she said. “But it' s fundamentally unfair.”

1. What can be learned from Paragraph 1-2?

A．Benjamin likes living in San Francisco Bay Area

B．Benjamin didn’t have an asthma before moving.

C．Ms. Blake stayed with her son while working.

D．Ms. Blake could explain how the hills are becoming drier.

2. Why did Ms. Blake buy air-conditioners?

A．To help cure Benjamin’s asthma.

B．To keep the air cool in hot summer.

C．To keep the air drier in the house.

D．To keep the windows shut when necessary.

3. What is the direct factor to Benjamin’s asthma?

A．Some dry brush and dead trees caused fire.

B．Series of wildfires attacked his living area.

C．The weather became hotter and drier.

D．The air got thick and smoky in the San Francisco Bay Area.

4. How did Ms. Blake feel about the series of wildfires?

A．Anxious and angry.

B．Concerned and confused.

C．Unconcerned and uninterested.

D．Positive and hopeful.

3 . That morning, I dropped our eldest at kindergarten and returned home to let our two younger children play while I worked on my medical report. It was a wonderful chance to work from home, but it hit me that my career in hospital wasn't making a difference in anyone's life. I needed something that would stretch my limits and push me to grow. My career enabled me to work from home. I could work from home, and become a foster mother, providing safety for a child who needed it desperately.

On Monday morning. I picked up the phone and dialed the number I had Googled for the nearest Department of Children's Services. The man on the other end was receptive to my questions and explained the next step of training, involving eight weeks of classes designed to prepare and educate foster parents. We continued through all the classes, the home visits, background checks, and seemingly endless steps.

Five long months after we were approved, the phone rang. In the middle of the night, I woke my husband and rushed to East Tennessee Children's Hospital. Our placement was waiting for us in the emergency room, sick and lack of nutrition. It didn't take long for us to realize the full depth of her suffering. Six months later, her half-brother came to us by our request. We now had five children under our care.

On August 12, 2016, our family of seven walked into a small courtroom. The children's lawyer and social worker were there. With just a few words, our adoption was finalized. These two amazing children weren't going home, because they were already home. We are their forever family, and they are our forever children. We may not be able to change the entire world, but we have changed the world entirely for our new children.

1. How did the author feel about her hospital work?

A．Lacking of motivation.	B．Filled with challenge.
C．Highly motivating.	D．Unusually Demanding.

2. What led the author to decide to adopt children?

A．She felt sympathetic for abused children she knew.

B．She wanted to make a difference in other people.

C．She felt confident about her ability to raise children.

D．She experienced training to raise children properly.

3. What does the underlined word "placement" in Para 3 refer to?

A．The child to be adopted.	B．The need to get trained.
C．The approval of adoption.	D．The official at the hospital.

4. Why did the author appear at the courtroom?

A．To put the adopted kids elsewhere.	B．To receive another adopted child.
C．To make the adoption officially legal.	D．To begin the kids' adoption in her home.

4 . For children, communication with older adults is important when visits with grandparents are called off because of the pandemic(流行病).

Even before COVID-19 sent older adults into hiding, grandparents and great-grandparents could often seem like strangers to kids. Contact might include gifts of toys meant for someone a little younger, forced piano performances by parents, and really bad jokes. So, coming up with what to say to those out -of-touch people through a camera can be hard. It can be a lot of pressure for kids.

Yet keeping up with older relatives has mental and physical health benefits for everyone. According to studies, older adults who participate in programming between generations show more happiness, better self-care. And a strong relationship between grandparents and grandchildren can lessen depressive tendencies(抑郁倾向) in both adults and kids.

Having an actual relationship with a grandparent can also help children develop qualities that make all-around great citizens. “Children are born to be me, me, me,” says Tina-Anne Praas of SKIP, an Ontario-based organization. “But seeing a person who has experienced life stages pulls them away from that thinking. They can gain some worldly points of view.”

Being close with a grandparent can also help children develop communication skills, especially when they’re able to learn about and compare their experiences with a grandparent’s. And it doesn’t carry the pressure of talking to a parent.

Tina-Anne Praas adds that students who were worried about life after graduation eagerly listen to older adults sharing their own experiences from the same time of life, 50-plus years ago. One student says, “My interactions(互动) with my grandparents encouraged me to become a physician.”

1. What causes much stress for kids?

A．Playing the piano in public.

B．Communicating with grandparents online.

C．Buying gifts for other younger children.

D．Being out of touch with parents for a long time.

2. What does the underlined phrase “that thinking” refer to in paragraph 4?

A．Seeing an experienced person.

B．Kids’ own ideas about the world.

C．Children’s care of themselves only.

D．Keeping contact with grandparents.

3. What is Tina-Anne Praas’ attitude towards communication between generations?

A．Supportive.	B．Doubtful.
C．Uncertain.	D．Worried.

4. Grandchildren benefit from older relatives by____.

A．listening to stories online

B．watching what they do daily

C．forming new ideas about themselves

D．communicating and interacting with them

5 . Nowadays technologies benefit us a lot in our daily life, but if not properly used, they can affect our health．The bed is supposed to be reserved as a place for sleep, but people tend to read an iPad a lot in bed before they go to sleep．

Charles Czeisler, a professor at Harvard Medical School, and his colleagues got a small group of people for an experiment．For five days in a row, the people read either a paper book or an iPad for four hours before sleep．Their sleep patterns were monitored all night．Before and after each trial period, the people took hourly blood tests to paint a day-long picture of just how much melatonin（褪黑激素） was in their blood at any given time．

When subjects read on the iPad as compared to the paper books, they reported feeling less sleepy at night and less active the following morning．People also took longer to fall asleep on the iPad nights, and the blood tests showed that their melatonin secretion（分泌） was delayed by an hour and a half．

The researchers conclude in today's journal article that given the rise of e-readers and the increasingly widespread use of e-things among children and adolescents, more research into the long-term consequences of these devices on health and safety is urgently needed．Czeisler and colleagues go on, in the research paper, to note "Reading an iPad in bed may increase cancer risk"．

However, software has been developed that can reduce some of the blue light from the screens of phones and computers according to time of day, and there are also glasses that are made to filter（过滤） short wavelengths．While they seem like a logical solution for the nighttime tech users, it needs more research．

1. In Charles Czeisler's experiment, what were all the subjects asked to do?

A．Sit in a row and receive the strict tests．

B．Have their sleep patterns observed all night．

C．Read a paper book and an iPad at the same time．

D．Have their blood tested per hour during the trial．

2. What were the iPad readers likely to do according to the third paragraph?

A．They felt less sleepy and tired in the day．

B．They fell asleep more easily after reading．

C．They became less energetic the next morning．

D．They had a lot more melatonin secretions．

3. What can the special software recently developed do for e-readers?

A．It can remove the blue light from your devices completely．

B．It can help prevent eyes being harmed by short wavelengths．

C．It can weaken the harm done by doing nighttime e-reading．

D．It can be used in all the e-things widely and safely．

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．Wrong behaviors before bedtime．	B．New software for night e-readers．
C．No games on the iPad in bed．	D．No e-reading in bed before sleep．

6 . Our house was directly across a popular hospital. We rented the upstairs rooms to outpatients at the clinic. One summer evening, there was a knock at the door. I opened it to see a truly awful looking man, his face lopsided from swelling, red and raw. He told me he’d been hunting for a room since noon but he had no success. “I guess it’s my face. I know it looks terrible, but my doctor says with a few more treatments…”

For a moment I hesitated, but his next words convinced me: “I could sleep in this rocking chair on the porch. My bus leaves early in the morning.” I told him we would find him a bed, but to rest on the porch. It didn’t take a long time to see that this old man had an oversized heart crowded into that tiny body. He told me he fished for a living to support his daughter, her five children, and her husband, who was hopelessly crippled from a back injury. He didn’t tell it by way of complaint. He was grateful that no pain accompanied his disease.

At bedtime, we put a camp cot in the children’s room for him. When I got up in the morning, the bed linens were neatly folded and the little man was out on the porch. Before he left for his bus, haltingly, he said, “Could I please come back and stay the next time I have a treatment? I can sleep fine in a chair.” He paused a moment and then added, “Your children made me feel at home. Grownups are bothered by my face, but children don’t seem to mind.” I told him he was welcome to come again.

In the years he came to stay overnight with us. There was never a time that he did not bring us fish or oysters or vegetables from his garden. When I received these little remembrances, I often thought of a comment our next-door neighbor made after he left that first morning. “You can lose roomers by putting up such people!”

Maybe we did lose roomers once or twice. But oh! If only they could have known him, perhaps their illnesses would have been easier to bear. I know our family always will be grateful to have known him; from him we learned what it was to accept the bad without complaint and the good with gratitude.

1. When the author’s children saw the old fisherman, how did they react to him？

A．They felt at home.	B．They were bothered.
C．They were terrified.	D．They felt normal.

2. What can we learn about the fisherman from the passage?

A．He suffered from a back injury.	B．He had a small body but a strong mind.
C．He was cured of his disease.	D．He felt hopeless about life.

3. Why did the old fisherman give the author vegetables and seafood?

A．Because he wanted to sell them to the author

B．Because he wanted to pay the rent with them

C．Because his garden had a good harvest

D．Because he wanted to thank the author

4. According to the story, what did the author want to tell us?

A．God helps those who help themselves.	B．Misfortune can be a blessing in disguise.
C．Never judge a book by its cover.	D．Honesty is the best policy.

7 . Twenty-five years ago, most young Britons wanted a career in law, to be a doctor, or, if they were creative enough, to take up singing. But today, things stand differently.

According to a survey by Tesco Mobile, a UK company, the “dream job” of young people aged between 16 and 25 in the UK is a video blogger, or “vlogger” (视频博主). The survey, carried out among 1,002 people, found that as much as 40 percent of them put vlogger as their number one choice on a list of ideal careers.

This change is undoubtedly as a result of the Internet and social media. They have made it so much easier to reach audience of the world, without having to enter a career in show business in the traditional way.

In the past, the biggest stars were trained by the Hollywood studios; now, anyone with a computer camera can become a star. Vloggers are the big stars of today because they are normal people interacting with their fans about everyday life.

However, what people see is only the bright side of being a vlogger and they fail to notice the fact that only those who are successful earn fame and fortune. For every success there are hundreds of others who never get off the starting line. There are the dreams that come true and the dreams that remain dreams forever.

Although being vloggers is popular, some young people choose to follow careers that don’t necessarily earn them fame, but allow them to make good use of the Internet to share their hobbies. Young Israeli David Leshaw, for example, runs a business called the Finishers Club. It’s an online platform for runners to keep a record of their races. His job allows him to express his enthusiasm, and is always a learning experience. And that's enough for him.

1. What is the passage mainly about?

A．Most young Britons choose to be vloggers as their job.

B．The Internet is influencing young Britons’career choice.

C．The Internet is taking the place of traditional studios.

D．Young Britons can not find jobs without the Internet.

2. Why do more and more young Britons choose to be vloggers?

A．Vloggers can earn greater fame and more money on the Internet.

B．There is too much competition in the traditional show business.

C．The Internet makes it convenient to enter show business.

D．Anyone with a computer will surely become a star.

3. What can we infer from Paragraph 5?

A．Only a few vloggers can be famous and wealthy.

B．A vlogger can not earn fame and fortune.

C．People often see the bright side of being a vlogger.

D．Dreams will always remain dreams.

4. What do young people like David do on the Internet?

A．Learn from others.	B．Become an online hit.
C．Hold running races.	D．Combine jobs with hobbies.

8 . Most people hate change, which is sad since We often go through intense changes in life. And for some of us, even the smallest changes can upset our day. So the question is: Why do most of us find making adjustments to our lives so hard?

Fear of change is nothing new. Over a century ago, the Parisians were unhappy over a particular addition to their city: the Eiffel Tower. In fact, the citizens were so angry about the plans for the tower that they protested its construction. As strange as it may seem, their anger was completely natural. They were given no choice about the huge change that was going to be made, so they became angry.

But we get upset over changes even when we do have a say in the matter and think about them carefully. Changes are brought about every day by the decisions we make: which school to attend, which job to take, whom to marry. Voluntary changes also make most of us uneasy because we don't know how those changes will affect our future.

People have discovered that the key to overcoming the fear and anger associated with change is to be flexible. When they are flexible, people can adapt to new situations more easily. Being flexible is especially important in the 21st century as technology makes change occur faster than ever before. Those who oppose change, especially with technology in the workplace, may find themselves out of a job.

When change comes, and you have no choice but to face it, embrace it. A positive attitude helps a lot. In fact, the change may turn out to be the best thing for you. That new job you got may end up being much better than your old one. You may make the best friends of your life in the new city you moved to. Don't merely focus on how you feel about change; instead decide to accept the change. The change is the reality, and it's up to you whether the change will be a success or a failure. You never know—your next change may be your life's Eiffel Tower!

1. Why did the building of the Eiffel Tower make the Parisians unhappy?

A．Because they didn't like the design of the Eiffel Tower.

B．Because they couldn't avoid accepting the Eiffel Tower.

C．Because it was no use building the Eiffel Tower.

D．Because the Eiffel Tower seemed strange.

2. How should we overcome negative emotions that the changes bring?

A．We are not supposed to face the changes and let them alone.

B．We should actively accustom ourselves to the new circumstance.

C．We should not take the changes seriously and avoid them as much as possible.

D．We should know that the changes merely bring us bad influence.

3. What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph mean?

A．The change will probably make you fail like the Eiffel Tower.

B．The change is like the Eiffel Tower which is not good for our future life.

C．Your future life is never known just like the Eiffel Tower unknown to the Parisians.

D．Your future life is likely to be a great achievement due to the change.

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．The Psychology of Change

B．The ways to Overcome the Fear

C．Changes That Disturb Us

D．The Bad Effect of Changes

9 . Do dogs understand us?
Be careful what you say around your dog．It might understand more than you think．
A border collie named Rico recognizes the names of about 200 objects, say researchers in Germany．The dog also appears to be able to learn new words as easily as a 3-year-old child．Its word-learning skills are as good as those of a parrot or chimpanzee．
In one experiment, the researchers took all 200 items that Rico is supposed to know and divided them into 20 groups of 10 objects．Then the owner told the dog to go and fetch one of the items and bring it back．In four tests, Rico got 37 out of 40 commands right．As the dog couldn't see anyone to get clues, the scientists believe Rico must understand the meanings of certain words．
In another experiment, the scientists took one toy that Rico had never seen before and put it in a room with seven toys whose names the dog already knew．The owner then told Rico to fetch the object, using a word the dog had never heard before．
The correct object was chosen in seven out of ten tests, suggesting that the dog had worked
out the answer by process of elimination（排除法）．A month later, Rico remembered half of the new names, which is even more impressive．
Rico is thought to be smarter than the average dog．For one thing, Rico is a border collie, a breed （品种）known for its mental abilities．In addition, the 9-year-old dog has been trained to fetch toys by their names since the age of nine months．
It's hard to know if all dogs understand at least some of the words we say．Even if they do, they can't talk back．Still, it wouldn't hurt to sweet-talk your dog every now and then．You might just get a big, wet kiss in return!
1. From paragraph 2 we know that __________．

A．animals are as clever as human beings

B．chimpanzees have very good word-learning skills

C．dogs are smarter than parrots and chimpanzees

D．dogs have similar learning abilities as 3-year-old children

2. Both experiments show that_____________．

A．Rico is smart enough to get all commands right

B．Rico can recognize different things including toys

C．Rico has developed the ability of learning mathematics

D．Rico won't forget the names of objects once recognizing them

3. Which of the following statements is true?

A．Rico has a better memory partly because of its proper early training．

B．The purpose of the experiments is to show the border collie's mental abilities．

C．The border collie is world-famous for recognizing objects．

D．Rico is born to understand its owner's commands．

4. What does the writer want to tell us?

A．To train your dog．	B．To talk to your dog．
C．To be careful with your dog．	D．To be friendly to your dog．

10 . Become a Volunteer and Make a Difference

The First Tee, as an outstanding youth development organization, is always searching for good people that want to volunteer at one of our many Pittsburgh area locations.

We’re Looking for You!

Developed with input from leading experts in the field of positive youth development, our program focuses on making participants stronger and more confident through decision-making and exploring options, inspiring the golfers of tomorrow to look to the future, set goals, and unlock their potential. Opportunities include:

Assistant Coach: assist in our weekly golf clinics. All that we request is that you make a 7-week commitment (one day per week), for 2 hours each week. Each clinic is led by one of our trained staff members who creates a written lesson plan for our volunteers to follow.

Database Manager: input data entry of participants, volunteers, and community relation records and update chapter information for Home Office and community relations.

Equipment Manager: organize and sort donated equipment, get rid of unfit equipment, and arrange equipment for distribution to participants at least every other week.

Greeter: register participants, hand information to parents, greet visitors, answer phone and provide general program information.

Process of Becoming a Volunteer

Begin by filling out the application below. Once Alison Boyle, our Director, receives your completed application, she will contact you for an in-person interview.

CLICK HERE to fill out a Volunteer Application via Google Forms

For more information, please contact Alison Boyle, at aboyle@thefirstteepittsburgh.org.

1. What does The First Tee Coach Program center on?

A．Helping participants get stronger and more confident	B．Training professional coaches.
C．Attracting more visitors.	D．Looking for golf stars.

2. If you are good at using computers, which one may you choose to be?

A．Greeter.	B．Database manager
C．Assistant coach.	D．Equipment manager.

3. What must one do to become a volunteer at The First Tee?

A．Be a good golfer.	B．Consult Alison Boyle
C．Have an interview.	D．Promise to work 7 weeks.