1 . I'm always surprised when I hear the stats (统计数据) about how little time kids spend outside. One study found children are spending less than half the amount of time outdoors than they did just 20 years ago. Meanwhile, the Kaiser Family Foundation found that kids spend an average of seven hours a day using electronic media.
My own childhood was filled with outdoor time. I built forts in the woods, rode my bike with friends, went ice skating in the winter, climbed trees and rocks, and read books on a platform in a tree on hot days.
But my nature time wasn't limited to after-school and weekend activities. I attended a public school in New York's Hudson Valley, and we spent almost all our gym outside. We spent science classes on the acres that surrounded our school, collecting samples from trees and learning about everything from chemistry to physics.
All that outside time isn't just about health and getting kids to exercise more. Several studies also have linked outside time to higher test scores, lower anxiety and aggression, more creativity and improved attention spans.
A public school in Vermont, is taking these results seriously. Eliza Minnucci’s kindergarten class there engages in Forest Mondays, during which the students spend the whole day in the woods, rain or shine.
Minnucci said that playing outdoors involves plenty of learning. It’s fairly easy to weave lessons into nature play. Kids wanted to know the names of birds, plants, rocks and clouds. We followed streams into larger streams into larger streams into a pond and created bridges with logs and stones. We even made up stories about ants and butterfly. For the older kids, we had more defined lesson plans, but we were still outside the whole time, and we would often go off on a tangent(转向)if something interesting was happening, so the learning experience was always fresh and engaging. Besides learning and moving around freely instead of sitting at desks, the kids were having fun while they learned, which made them excited for the next lesson.
1. Why does the author mention little outdoor time kids spend at the beginning of the passage?| A．To make the official data known. |
| B．To focus on children s mind and body. |
| C．To introduce the topic for the passage. |
| D．To explain the reason for little outdoor time. |
| A．Bad for kids, attention. |
| B．Harmful to kids, anxiety. |
| C．Doubtful of kids' test scores. |
| D．Beneficial to kids’ mind and body. |
| A．Physics and teamwork. |
| B．Chemistry and investigation. |
| C．Biology and geology. |
| D．Language and creativity. |
| A．Kids Get Creative in Playing Outdoors |
| B．Why Outdoor Education for Kids Matters |
| C．Learning Outdoors Is the Goal of Education |
| D．Outdoor Lessons Involve Kids' Learning |
2 . Have you wondered how dogs became man's best friends? On October 30, a study published in the online journal Science revealed more information about the history between dogs and humans, dating back thousands of years.
From previous studies, it was known that sometime between 15,000 to 40,000 years ago, humans first encountered a friendly gray wolf, and that forever changed the relationship. The dogs of today are descendants of and were domesticated from gray wolves.
Greger Larson from the University of Oxford, along with an international team, examined the genomes (genetic makeup) of 27 ancient dog species from remains dating back 800 to11,000 years ago. The team discovered that 11,000 years ago, there were five distinct species of dogs from Northern Europe, the Near East, Siberia, New Guinea, and the Americas. It turned out that today's dog species can trace their ancestry to one of these five ancient species. For example, the chihuahuas are descendants of ancient dogs from the Americas, while the huskies are descendants of the Siberian breed. The team also found that most of the modern European dog breeds come from two breeds - Northern Europe and the Near East. And finally, the five species trace their origin to one ancient species of wolf.
The scientists found remains of dog species in Europe are originally from the Near East. This led them to conclude that humans traveled with their dogs as they migrated from one area to another. These dogs were brought as companions or to act as guard dogs or hunting dogs.
Finally, with dogs and humans living together, the two also developed similar characteristics such as the ability to digest high-starch diets. When two species adapt to an environment in similar ways, it is known as “convergent evolution”.
As you can see, this study is already changing what we know about our favorite companion. We cannot wait to hear what else scientists unearth!
1. Where did the huskies originate from?| A．Northern Europe. | B．The Near East. | C．Siberia. | D．New Guinea. |
| A．By tracing the ancestry. | B．By examining the genomes. |
| C．By observing the remains. | D．By referring to previous studies. |
| A．Humans traveled to Europe with their dogs' remains. |
| B．Dog species once migrated from Europe to the Near East. |
| C．Humans migrated from the Near East to Europe in history. |
| D．Humans only migrated with hunting dogs from area to area. |
| A．Five Distinct Species of Ancient Dogs. |
| B．Long Relationship Between Dogs and Humans. |
| C．Convergent Evolution of Dogs and Humans. |
| D．How Dogs Were Domesticated from Gray Wolves. |
3 . In recent years computer scientists have come up with several different ways of creating false videos of people using Artificial Intelligence (AI). These videos are usually called “deepfakes”. Some deepfakes work by putting the face of one person onto a different person in a video. Others work by taking an existing video of a person and changing it so that the person says or does something they didn’t say or do.
At first, creating deepfakes was complex. It required special knowledge, hundreds of pictures of the person who was being faked, and lots of time. Now it’s much simpler. There are websites and apps that allow almost anyone to create deepfakes. An app recently came out which allowed users to put their faces into famous movie scenes. The process takes about eight seconds, requires one picture, and can be done on a mobile phone. One group of computer scientists created a program that allowed them to edit the words coming out of someone’s mouth in a video just like you might edit a document on the computer.
However, the popularity of deepfakes may cause anxieties. It’s one thing to change the faces of famous actors.But what happens if someone puts out a fake video of a politician, for example, making it look like he broke the law? There’s also the problem of the time it takes to figure out that something is fake. Even if a video is proven to be fake, it could be too late.Millions of people might have already seen and believed it.On the other hand, what happens if a video is actually real, but people don’t trust it because they’re told it’s a deepfake?
Many deepfakes are so good that only another AI system can tell that they’re fake. Experts are working hard to create new AI tools that can identify faked videos. Many people are confident that people can defeat deepfakes soon. However, personally, it is very challenging because this technology has always fallen behind the deepfakes.
1. What does the author focus on in the first paragraph?| A．The way deepfakes work. | B．The way to create false videos. |
| C．The way deepfakes are named. | D．The way to use Artificial Intelligence. |
| A．By making comments. | B．By following time order. |
| C．By providing examples. | D．By explaining the difference. |
| A．Positive. | B．Indifferent. | C．Worried. | D．Critical. |
| A．To stress technology development. | B．To introduce deepfakes and the effects. |
| C．To recommend a new application. | D．To explain the importance of deepfakes. |
4 . Today, Mars is a frozen desert with a thin atmosphere, too cold for liquid water to remain on the surface. Overwhelming evidence exists that Mars had liquid water oceans roughly 4 billion years ago. The question that drives our interests isn’t whether there’s life on present-day Mars. We are driven instead by asking whether there was life on Mars billions of years ago, which seems significantly more likely.
But if water existed on the Marian surface before, how was it possible? Mars is further away from the sun than Earth, and billions of years ago, the sun didn’t throw off as much heat as it does now.
The planet’s protective magnetic field mysteriously disappeared around 4.2 billion years ago as Mars cooled after forming. The sun’s solar wind then blew away the Martian atmosphere. leaving behind the thin one the planet has today.
Scientists believe the atmosphere was a key component for a warm, wet Mars that may have once hosted life. To have made the planet warm enough for liquid surface water, its atmosphere would likely have needed a large amount of greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide specifically.
Currently, we don’t know the carbon dioxide content of Mars ancient atmosphere. So the researchers turned to the Nordlinger Ries crater（陨石坑）in southern Germany. It was created by a meteorite（陨石）impact 15 million years ago. That geology and the chemistry of the site act as a good similar for the Martian surface.
Researchers will study the pH and nitrogen that might have been in ancient Martian water, which will show the carbon dioxide content in its ancient atmosphere. That will throw light on whether Mars was once warm enough to support life.
The Mars 2020 rover（探测器）will land in a similar crater next year, collecting samples that will be returned to Earth in a future mission. It could be 10 to 20 years before Mars samples are brought back to Earth. We might know the answer to one of the first questions once these samples are distributed to labs in the US and throughout the world.
1. What are people more interested in about Mars?| A．Whether there was ever life on Mars. | B．Whether there is life on Mars now. |
| C．Whether there was ever water on Mars. | D．Whether it is possible for life on Mars. |
| A．was too cold | B．had no water on it |
| C．lost its magnetic field | D．was too far from the sun |
| A．How this crater was formed. |
| B．Why Mars is not suitable for life. |
| C．Whether there is any life sign on Mars. |
| D．How much carbon dioxide is in Mars’ ancient atmosphere. |
| A．Mars samples will be brought back to earth in 2021. |
| B．Many countries take part in the research of Mars. |
| C．It takes at least ten years for people to reach Mars. |
| D．Mars samples will help discover all the secrets of Mars. |
5 . Yesterday, I went to the bookstore to pick up a present for my mother’s upcoming birthday. I found one of the books I wanted, but not the other one my mother had discussed with me the other day. When I went to pay. I asked the clerk behind the counter if I could order the second book.
A lady was standing in line behind me at the checkout. The clerk said she could order the book. but asked if I would mind letting the lady behind me pay for her purchases first. The lady behind me said no and that it was fine to wait.
It took nearly 15 minutes to put my order through! The lady behind me chatted agreeably with us for the entire time. When it finally came time for me to pay, I placed two $10 off cards on the counter. The clerk informed me the offer was only valid(有效) for the book I was purchasing in-store and wouldn’t work for the book I’d ordered. This meant that I’d have one $ 10 card left.
“You can come back and purchase another book.” the clerk smiled. “The offer is valid until the end of the week.”
I thought about this for a millisecond and then turned around to face the lady behind me who’d been so patient, kind, and charming through the very long wait at the checkout. “Here.” I gave her the $10 off card. She was very surprised and said. “Really?”
The gift didn’t cost me anything. I knew I wouldn’t be back before the end of the week and it rewarded someone whose attitude left a smile in my heart. Most definitely a win-win moment.
1. What can we learn from the first paragraph?| A．The author couldn’t afford anything else but books as a birthday present. |
| B．The book store had no suitable books available as a birthday present. |
| C．Reading was probably appealing to the author and the mother alike. |
| D．The author was a regular customer of the book store. |
| A．Impolite. | B．Considerate. | C．Cold | D．Easy-going. |
| A．The author was always very generous to strangers. |
| B．The $ 10 off card would become invalid next week. |
| C．The author believed the lady would smile at her/him. |
| D．The author wanted to thank the lady for her kindness. |
| A．Win win Moment at the Bookstore | B． Bread, Another |
| C．Lovely Delay at the Bookstore | D．Patience and Friendship Rewarded |
6 . You should see the photo. I'm sitting in red dirt, wearing an ugly purple T-shirt. My hair is wet with sweat. Flies buzz around my head. I'm on a school trip with 20 parents and 20 kids.
It was an odd choice for a holiday. I like sitting by the pool with a cola, not flies and frogs. I like being alone and quiet, not a busload of kids. I like freshly washed sheets, not dry-looking blankets.
But here's the thing about that photo: I am smiling!
The trip sounded good when I signed up. Guides would take us into the heart of the place, and I would see a new part of Australia, learn about local culture and bond with my youngest daughter. I would also bond with 40 strangers.
In Darwin, we got onto a bus. The kids were loud and I hated making small talk. But later, when I looked out at the vast, empty land, I was surprised at and moved by its beauty. At a national park, we enjoyed a natural swimming hole. Kids and parents had a great time. Then we got to the outback. The cabin(小屋) I shared with my daughter was a brick cell, full of geckos and crickets, but too dark to see them. On our last night, a water pipe broke. We awoke to a mess. Usually, I would have complained and asked for a refund, but it just seemed normal to be dirty It didn't matter. Indeed, it was impossible to say clean. We were hiking in red dirt with temperatures of 35 degree. Sill, I felt a kind of energy I hadn't experienced in years.
I love that photo of me in the dirt. I look messy, but also happy. Sometimes, it's another way of traveling .There is beautiful scenery .There is dirt. There is always someone to talk to, someone to laugh with.
1. What were the author's usual trips like according to the article ?| A．Cheap. | B．Adventurous. | C．Comfortable. | D．Crowded. |
| A．Their living conditions were fairly poor during the whole trip. |
| B．Their journey was relaxing without too much sightseeing. |
| C．The scenery on the trip disappointed them to some degree. |
| D．The parents seemed to enjoy themselves more than their children. |
| A．Impatient. | B．Delighted. | C．. Disappointed. | D．Exhausted. |
| A．It's important to choose your trip wisely. | B．It's beneficial to travel with your children. |
| C．It's worthwhile to step out of your usual experience. | D．It's advantageous to travel different places. |
7 . Some time ago, in my class I was about to fail a student for his answer to a physics question when the student claimed he deserved a better score. The examination question sounded “safe”.
“Show how it is possible to determine the height of a tall building with the aid of a barometer（压表）.” The student had answered: “Take the barometer to the top of the building, attach a long rope to it, lower the barometer to the street, and then bring it up, measuring the length of the rope. The length of the rope is the height of the building.”
I argued that a high grade should prove his competence in physics, but the answer did not confirm this. I suggested that the student have another try. Immediately, he worked out his answer: A second best way is to take the barometer to the top of the building. Drop the barometer, timing its fall with a stopwatch. Then, using the formula to calculate the height of the building.
I was shocked by his answer. His method gave me not only a broken barometer but a U-turn in my teaching philosophy. I gave him full marks.
On his leaving my office, I recalled that he suggested there could be a better answer. So I asked him what it was. “Oh, yes,” said the student, “There are many ways. Probably the best,” he said, “is to take the barometer to the basement and ask the superintendent （楼管）. You speak to him as follows: Mr.Superintendent, here I have a fine barometer. If you tell me the height of this building, I will give it to you.
At this point, I asked the student if he really did not know the conventional answer to this question. He admitted that he did, but said that he was fed up with high school instructors’ trying to teach him how to think, and to use the so-called “scientific method”. He just wanted to solve the problem in a practical manner, not just answer the question in an expected way. Hearing this, I really had nothing to do but give the boy a firm handshake, feeling thankful that I hadn’t failed him in the first place and even more thankful, neither had he.
1. Why did the author want to fail the student in the first place?| A．The student challenged his authority. |
| B．The student’s answer was not practical. |
| C．The student didn’t show his academic ability. |
| D．The student had a poor performance in physics class. |
| A．Without love, there is no education. |
| B．A man becomes learned by asking questions. |
| C．Teaching is to make two ideas grow where only one grew before. |
| D．You can lead your horse to the river, but you can’t make it drink. |
| A．Lack of physics-related knowledge. |
| B．Ignorance of the teacher’s expectation. |
| C．Intention to deeply impress his teacher. |
| D．Disapproval of existing teaching concepts. |
| A．The superintendent was a greedy person. |
| B．School education restricted this student’s thinking. |
| C．The teacher appreciated the student’s answers finally. |
| D．The examination question is a lough physics problem. |
8 . Nothing succeeds like success, as every parent of a straight-A student knows, but trying to stress academic excellence by telling your child, “You’re so smart!” may be counterproductive. Why? According to a 2017 study, children who think their intelligence is fixed are less likely to pay attention to and bounce back (重新振作) from mistakes than children who think intelligence can grow and change.
In the study, researchers looked at 123 children. The team assessed the children to determine whether they had a “growth mindset” (believing that you can work harder to get smarter), or a “fixed mindset” (believing that your intelligence is unable to change). They then asked the children to complete a fast-paced computer accuracy task while their brain activity was recorded. During the recording, researchers noted that brain activity stopped within a half-second after making a mistake, as children became aware of their mistake and paid closer attention to what went wrong. The larger the brain response was, the more the child focused on the mistake. Based on the data, they concluded that children with a “growth mindset” were much more likely to have a larger brain response after making a mistake. While children with a “fixed mindset” were able to "bounce back”, only if they gave their full attention to the mistake.
For parents, the lessons are clear: Don’t pay your children compliments that suggest that intelligence is fixed. If your child hands you an A⁺ score, don’t say, “You’re so smart!” Instead, say, “Wow, that studying really paid off!” or “You clearly mastered this material-way to go!” Note the effort, not the intelligence.
Besides, many parents shy away from addressing a child’s mistakes, telling them “It’s OK. You’ll get it the next time.” without offering them the chances to figure out what goes wrong. Instead, it’s better to reassure your children that mistakes happen, and work to figure out where and how they make the mistake.
1. Which of the following best explains “counterproductive” underlined in paragraph 1?| A．Opposite. | B．Competitive. |
| C．Successful. | D．Unknown. |
| A．They made fewer mistakes. |
| B．They tried to avoid mistakes. |
| C．They had smaller brain response. |
| D．They focused more on the mistake. |
| A．You are so careless. |
| B．Your studying paid off. |
| C．You’ll get it the next time. |
| D．Let’s find out how you made it. |
| A．Overstressing the intelligence. |
| B．Paying compliments to children. |
| C．Addressing children’s mistakes. |
| D．Offering chances to find mistakes. |
9 . During one of the earliest performances of “Peter Pan,” the much-loved fantasy play for children, a small boy was invited to watch the production from the balcony. Afterwards he was asked what he liked best about the play. The pirates? The crocodile? Peter Pan flying through the air? The child’s response was surprising: “What I think I liked best was tearing up the program and dropping the bits on people’s heads”.
The audience who left the theater with bits of paper in their hair probably wouldn’t agree with the boy on the best part of the play. Neither would the caretakers in charge of cleaning the theater afterward. But when J. M. Barrie, the creator of “Peter Pan,” heard the boy’s comment, he was delighted. He wasn’t offended that the boy hadn’t paid closer attention to the play. Instead, he considered it one of his favorite reactions to his work.
All of us have to deal with decisions made by others – their words, actions and attitudes – that could be considered offensive. This can be particularly difficult when we feel that the values and traditions we hold dear are being rejected or even laughed at.
But just as someone might choose whether or not to do something offensive, we can choose whether or not to be insulted（侮辱）. We can choose to give others the benefit of the doubt and not assume mean intent behind their actions. We can love people even if we do not love their choices. After all, isn’t it more important – though perhaps more challenging – to love a person than to love words or actions?
Accepting people does not mean approving of or forgiving their decisions. It does not mean giving up our own rights to think and act differently. Nor does it mean we will never feel sad or hurt or disappointed. But at a deeper level, we can be at peace if we focus on love – for love has the power to overcome our disappointment, frustration and pain. And who knows? Our love may even soften a heart. But even if it doesn’t, the best approach is still to let love, peace, patience and kindness rule the day.
1. Why does the author mention the play “Peter Pan”?| A．To support an argument. | B．To make a comparison. |
| C．To introduce the topic. | D．To provide an example. |
| A．He ignored it. | B．He loved it. |
| C．He felt offended. | D．He couldn’t agree more. |
| A．Nurse unkind thoughts. |
| B．Love people’s words and actions. |
| C．Love people with a tolerant attitude. |
| D．Do something to prevent being insulted. |
| A．Let love rule the day |
| B．How to overcome pain |
| C．Love is sometimes challenging |
| D．“Peter Pan” – a play for children |
10 . From the very beginning of school we make books and reading a constant source of possible failure and public humiliation. When children are little we make them read aloud, before the teacher and other children, so that we can be sure they “know” all the words they are reading. This means that when they don't know a word, they are going to make a mistake, right in front of everyone. After having taught fifth-grade classes for four years, I decided to try at all costs to rid them of their fear and dislike of books, and to get them to read oftener and more adventurously.
One day soon after school had started, I said to them, “Now I’m going to say something about reading that you have probably never heard a teacher say before. I would like you to read a lot of books this year, but I want you to read them only for pleasure. I am not going to ask you questions to find out whether you understand the books or not. If you understand enough of a book to enjoy it and want to go on reading it, that’s enough for me. Also I’m not going to ask you what words mean.”
The children sat stunned and silent. Was this a teacher talking? One girl, who had just come to us from a school where she had had a very hard time, looked at me steadily for a long time after I had finished. Then, still looking at me, she said slowly and seriously, “Mr Holt, do you really mean that?” I said just as seriously, “I mean every word of it.”
During the spring she really astonished me. One day, she was reading at her desk. From a glimpse of the illustrations I thought I knew what the book was. I said to myself, “It can’t be.” and went to take a closer look. Sure enough, she was reading Moby Dick, in edition with woodcuts. I said, “Don’t you find parts of it rather heavy going?” She answered, “Oh, sure, but I just skip over those parts and go on to the next good part.”
This is exactly what reading should be and in school so seldom is, an exciting, joyous adventure. Find something, dive into it, take the good parts, skip the bad parts, get what you can out of it, go on to something else. How different is our mean-spirited, picky insistence that every child get every last little scrap of “understanding” that can be dug out of a book!
1. According to the passage, children’s fear and dislike of books may result from________.| A．reading little and thinking little | B．reading often and adventurously |
| C．being made to read too much | D．being made to read aloud before others |
| A．it sounded stupid | B．it was not surprising at all |
| C．it sounded too good to be true | D．it was no different from other teachers' talk |
| A．She skipped over those easy parts while reading. |
| B．She had a hard time finishing the required reading tasks. |
| C．She learned to appreciate some parts of the difficult books. |
| D．She turned out to be a top student after coming to this school. |
| A．children cannot tell good parts from bad parts while reading |
| B．children should be left to decide what to read and how to read |
| C．reading is never a pleasant and inspiring experience in school |
| D．reading involves understanding every little piece of information |
