1 . Half of the world's beaches could disappear by 2100, a study published in the journal Nature Climate Change suggests.
Michalis Vousdoukas, of the European Union's Joint Research Center in Ispra, Italy, was the lead researchist. "Tourist areas which have sandy beaches as their main selling point will probably face strong consequences," he said. Aside from economic value, beaches play an important environmental role. "Sandy beaches are important habitats supporting a wide range of species. They also protect the coast from the effects of storms, so without sandy beaches other inland environments can be affected by the effects of waves and saltwater entering," Vousdoukas added.
The main causes are rising sea-level and erosion (侵蚀)from storms, the study says, which warned of the near-disappearance of almost half of the world's sandy beaches by the end of the century. Beaches in the United States will be “greatly affected”，as will shorelines in Canada, Mexico, China and Chile. In the U. S. , beaches along the East Coast and the Gulf Coast will experience the most erosion.
Michalis Vousdoukas and other researchers used satellite images to track the way beaches have changed over the past 30 years and patterned how global warming might affect them in the future. They found that West Africa will see some of the worst losses, where more than 60% of sandy coastline may be lost in countries such as The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau. Australia will also take a hit:when the total length of sandy beach projected to be lost is analyzed, Australia would be hit the hardest, with more than 7,000 miles at risk.
1. What mainly caused the disappearance of half of the world's beaches?| A．Over population and more tourism. | B．Severe erosion and coastline losses. |
| C．Global warming and climate change. | D．Sea-level rise and storm destruction. |
| A．Chile. | B．The Gambia. | C．Australia. | D．The United States. |
| A．They can provide habitats for species. |
| B．They can block out waves and storms. |
| C．They can be popular tourist attractions. |
| D．They can stop erosion from happening. |
| A．To introduce beaches. | B．To make a comparison. |
| C．To protect environment. | D．To explain a study. |
2 . An advance in electronic publishing could make the e-book you are reading seem as dated as a silent film. Publishers hope to explore the growing success of e-books by releasing versions with added soundtracks（电影配音）and musical accompaniments.
The noises in the first multimedia books — released in Britain on Friday - include rain hitting a window in a Sherlock Holmes tale. When the plot of a book reaches the most exciting part, background scores will create tension.
Supporters argue that sound effects are the next logical development for e-books and will add excitement for younger readers. Critics, however, will argue that the noise will ruin the simple pleasure of having the imagination stimulated by reading.
Caroline Michel, chief executive of the literary agency, said the new generation of computer- literate readers was used to multiple sensory input. She said, “Young people have split computer screens where they may be watching television and replying to an email at the same time. If that's what the market wants then we should respond to the market.”
Book track's sound effects work by estimating the user's reading speed. Each lime you turn a page, the software reassesses where you have reached in the text and times the sounds to switch on accordingly. If the soundtrack becomes out of synch （同步），a click on any word will reset it.
Some authors fear that a soundtrack could destroy the peace and quiet of libraries and ruin the pleasure, of reading. David Nicholls, author of Our Day, the bestseller now released as a film, said, “This sounds like the opposite of reading. I have enough trouble reading an e-book because I'm constantly distracted by emails.
Stuart MacBride, the crime writer whose novel Shatter the Bones was an e-book bestseller, sells 18% of his books as electronic downloads. He said, “If I'm reading, I will do the noise in my head. I don’t need someone to tell me what lea cups clinking sounds like. That would irritate （激怒）me.”
1. What do publishers expect an e-book soundtrack to do?| A．Help to release an e-book as a film. | B．Help readers improve reading speed. |
| C．Add tension at a book's exciting point. | D．Get readers familiar with the background. |
| A．Mr. Darcy. | B．Caroline Michel. |
| C．David Nicholls. | D．Stuart MacBride. |
| A．He was a person who was easy to get angry. |
| B．He knew a great deal about tea and tea culture. |
| C．Eighty-two percent of his books described crime. |
| D．He imagined sounds related to the story when reading. |
| A．Opinions about e-books with soundtracks. |
| B．Response to the need of the book market. |
| C．Reasons for traditional e-books becoming outdated. |
| D．Suggestions on encouraging readers’ imagination. |
3 . What limits you from hiking more often? If not having a suitable hiking partner is keeping you out of the woods, why not take a look at the great hiking clubs across Canada?
● Yukon Outdoors Club
Membership cost:$10 for a single membership
Description: The club organizes day hikes, backpacking trips, canoe trips, mountain biking, and cross-country skiing trips for members to gain new skills and valuable information. The trips are open to everyone and range from easy to moderate to difficult.
● UBC Varsity Outdoor Club
Membership cost: Students $40; non-UBC students $60
Description: The UBC Varsity Outdoor Club is a social group that hikes and rock climbs. Members lead trips, run skills workshops, and host presentations. Members can borrow equipment from the club. The UBC VOC has also constructed a few huts in the Coast Mountains.
● Pender Harbor Hiking Group
Membership cost: Free
Description: The Pender Harbour Hiking Group offers a way for members to meet like-minded individuals and get fit. Hikes are scheduled two months in advance, so check the website regularly to find a hike that's right for you! Hikes are usually one and a half to two hours long every Monday and Wednesday morning, but some full-day hikes are scheduled, depending on member interest.
●Vernon Outdoors Club
Membership cost:A single membership is $25, and students pay $10. Children are free when they come with a registered family member.
Description: The Vermon Outdoors Club is an active group that enjoys hiking and cycling. Members are encouraged to share their activity ideas and interests. The group organizes a Tuesday Activity each week.
1. Which club organizes its trips based on their members’ hiking skills?| A．The Yukon Outdoors Club. | B．The UBC Varsity Outdoor Club. |
| C．The Pender Harbor Hiking Group. | D．The Vernon Outdoors Club. |
| A．They are mostly held on weekends. |
| B．They are arranged two months ahead of time. |
| C．Their schedule is always emailed to the members. |
| D．More full-day hikes are offered than half-day hikes. |
| A．$70. | B．$50. |
| C．$45. | D．$35. |
4 . We talk a lot about air pollution. Here in Hong Kong we always complain about light pollution as well. Then, there is noise pollution. It's the same in many cities around the world, and in Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal, people have been complaining about the noise made by drivers who continually sound their car horns (喇叭). That is until recently, when something was finally done about it.
The Chief District Officer of Kathmandu had received many complaints about horn pollution. He said that everyone felt the use of the car horn in recent years had become excessive. Researchers in Kathmandu found that for about 80 percent of the time, it really was not necessary for drivers to use their car horns. Sounding the horn to make a noise had become more of a habit. It was no longer being used as it was supposed to be used: to warn people of danger.
At the beginning of the Nepali New Year in 2017, the local government passed a law to ban the use of car horns unless used correctly. Within six months, 11,000 fines had been collected by the local traffic police. The fine was about HK $360. A taxi driver in Kathmandu can make about HK $1,000 per day, so he could lose about one-third of his money if he broke the law.
As usual, there were many complaints from drivers. They said that cows and dogs were free to walk on the roads. They always caused danger. Sounding a car horn was the only way to get them to move out of the way. And while there were quite a few traffic lights in the streets of Kathmandu, very few of them worked. This meant there was often a traffic mess.
The ban on using a car horn went ahead, and within a few weeks the streets of Nepal's capital were quieter — even though they were still just as busy. Because of the ban, drivers are a little more careful when they drive. Fewer accidents have been reported. The local government says the horn ban will now be copied in other areas of Nepal.
1. What do Hong Kong and Kathmandu have in common?| A．Both have been troubled by light pollution. |
| B．Both have succeeded in fighting air pollution. |
| C．Both have been faced with the problem of noise pollution. |
| D．Both have received many complaints about horn pollution. |
| A．Too much. | B．Quite simple. | C．Very correct. | D．More dangerous. |
| A．No traffic lights in the streets can work. |
| B．The traffic on the roads is usually very heavy. |
| C．Animals are not allowed to walk on the streets. |
| D．Drivers are required to drive on one-way streets. |
| A．It is unfair. | B．It is worrying. | C．It is interesting. | D．It is successful. |
5 . Do you want something different for dinner? Try some space food. Many scientists are living for months aboard the International Space Station high above the earth. It's too expensive to carry food to feed people living in space. Therefore, people in space will need to grow food for themselves. But how can they grow food without soil and sunlight?
Today, we already have hydroponic vegetables. The science of hydroponics is not new. Many writers believe that the Hanging Gardens of Babylon were actually a large hydroponic system. This system could have used fresh water that was rich in oxygen and minerals for the plants. Hydroponic systems need light. In addition to sunlight, hydroponic farms can use artificial lights. Instead of soil, hydroponic farms use mixtures of chemicals to feed the plants. And in addition to a natural climate, most hydroponic farms often use greenhouses. One advantage of hydroponics is that diseases and insects that travel through the soil are avoided. Another advantage is there are no weeds to pull out.
Farmers know how to grow a few kinds of hydroponic vegetables, such as lettuces, tomatoes, and cucumbers. But in space, people will need to eat more than salad. So scientists are learning how to grow hydroponic rice, beans and potatoes. As they do these experiments, they are analyzing their results and examining how to apply these results to a real life situation providing tasty meals for space travelers.
The scientists make imitation meat dishes, such as carrot drumsticks, made from carrots, garlic, and bread, instead of chicken. How do these unusual foods taste? The scientists have been inviting a group of taste testers into their laboratories. So far, they have tested 200 different recipes. The carrot drumstick dish was a hit. Perhaps soon, people will eat meals made from hydroponic vegetables that are truly out of this world.
1. Why do scientists grow space food?| A．To reduce food costs. | B．To support space travelers. |
| C．To find new varieties of food. | D．To increase agricultural production. |
| A．Sunlight. | B．Warm weather. |
| C．Soil to grow the plants in. | D．Chemicals to feed the plants. |
| A．They don't get diseases. | B．They aren't affected by weeds. |
| C．They can grow in a lightless place. | D．They are bigger than common ones. |
| A．Uninterested. | B．Doubtful. | C．Optimistic. | D．Cautious. |
6 . HearClear GO ᵀᴹ Rechargeable Digital Hearing Aids
The new HearClear GO Rechargeable Digital Hearing Aids feature advanced digital technology at an unbelievably affordable price! The GO has the same key elements that all high-end digital hearing aids share while leaving out fancy bells and whistles that increase cost and require expensive adjustments. You'll be happier saving much money!
Your lightweight GO hearing aids are amazingly convenient! With the GO’s charging station, you won't have to keep replacing tiny hearing aid batteries, and the GO is pre-programmed for most mild to moderate hearing loss—no costly professional adjustments needed.
You can spend thousands on an expensive hearing aid, or you can spend just $ 239 on a hearing aid that's great for most mild to moderate hearing loss (only $199 each when you buy a pair). We're so sure you'll be happy with your new hearing aids.
The Rechargeable Go!
√The digital sound processing chip(芯片) provides clear sound and makes speech easier to understand with less whistling sound
√Never replace batteries again!
Full Charge Gives 16 Hours of Use! (Free Charging Station Included)
√Easy On/Off Button
√Automatic Noise Reduction and Feedback
Canceler
√100% Money Back Guarantee
5 Star Reviews ★★★★★
Amazing!
“My sisters had all given up hope that our elderly mother would hear us clearly again. And then we took a chance. We're so glad we did. They've been amazing for her, and for our entire family.”
— Karen M.
1. Which is the feature of the GO?| A．It removes noises. | B．It has separate on/off buttons. |
| C．It includes small batteries. | D．It focuses on practical functions. |
| A．To prove the GO’s popularity. | B．To explain the GO's function. |
| C．To convey the family's amazement. | D．To show the GO's high performance |
| A．$ 199. | B．$ 239. | C．$ 398. | D．$ 478. |
7 . For most people, life is never easy. That's especially true for high school students.
Not only do you have the stress and worry of schoolwork to deal with, you also have many problems of daily life to face. Take the relationship you have with your parents for example.
When you were at primary school, your parents were probably your heroes. Whatever they did and whatever they said were always so interesting and funny, but as you grew older it's likely that you and your parents began to grow apart from each other. Their jokes began to sound awkward, and the last thing you'd want to do is to walk in the park holding hands with them. This is just one of the natural parts of growing older.
Life has many difficult stages, but the teenage years are probably the ones that are filled with the most problems. As this is the time of life when we begin to turn into adults, lots of new issues arise.
Now, you can't just rely on your parents to do everything for you——you must be responsible for yourself and your own actions. At the same time, as your body begins to develop, problems arise that you never knew existed. Things like being worried about how you look in front of others soon become daily concerns.
While all this is happening, you have to plan for your future. As you come to the end of your school years, you have to make some really big decisions.
So yes——being a teenager is really challenging, and you probably have varieties of questions that need answers to. How do you decide whether you should follow the wishes of your parents, or your own? Which career is the most suitable to you and your background?
1. Who is the passage written for?| A．parents． | B．teachers． |
| C．high school students． | D．graduates from university． |
| A．You and your parents begin to grow apart． |
| B．Your parents couldn't tell interesting stories any more. |
| C．You only want to walk in the park with your friends. |
| D．You are having many difficulties of daily life to deal with． |
| A．More questions for teenagers． |
| B．The ways to deal with common questions． |
| C．The relationship between you and your parents. |
| D．Other questions in your new life． |
| A．Life isn't easy for most people. |
| B．A new chapter of your life． |
| C．Many difficulties make your life harder. |
| D．Parents are not the ones that you can depend on． |
8 . At thirteen, I was diagnosed (诊断) with kind of attention disorder. It made school difficult for me. When everyone else in the class was focusing on tasks, I could not.
In my first literature class, Mrs. Smith asked us to read a story and then write on it, all within 45 minutes. I raised my hand right away and said, “Mrs. Smith, you see, the doctor said I have attention problems. I might not be able to do it.”
She glanced down at me through her glasses, “You are not different from your classmates, young man.” I tried, but I didn’t finish the reading when the bell rang. I had to take it home.
In the quietness of my bedroom, the story suddenly all became clear to me. It was about a blind person, Louis Braile. He lived in a time when the blind couldn’t get much education. But Louis didn’t give up. Instead, he invented a reading system of raised dots (点), which opened up a whole new world of knowledge to the blind.
Wasn’t I the “blind” in my class, being made to learn like the “sighted” students? My thoughts spilled out and my pen started to dance. I completed the task within 40 minutes. Indeed, I was not different from others; I just needed a quieter place. If Louis could find his way out of his problem, why should I ever give up?
I didn’t expect anything when I handed in my paper to Mrs. Smith, so it was quite a surprise when it came back to me the next day — with an “A” on it. At the bottom of the paper were these words, “See what you can do when you keep trying?”
1. What problem did the author meet when he was in class?| A．He didn’t like the teacher. | B．He was not fond of literature. |
| C．The classroom was too noisy. | D．He couldn’t focus his attention in class. |
| A．He managed to cure his blindness. |
| B．He got a good education at school. |
| C．He made an invention which helped the blind. |
| D．He couldn’t see and read for the whole life. |
| A．She encouraged him. | B．She looked down on him. |
| C．She sympathized (同情) him. | D．She was angry with him. |
| A．How to be a great teacher. | B．Keep trying, and you can do it. |
| C．What should you do as a blind. | D．Ways to overcome attention disorder. |
9 . It's the last dream for many to move to a big city and make a shining new life.
But as we all know, metropolitan living comes at a cost, especially if you pick Hong Kong, Paris or London, which are the world's most expensive cities according to a new research.
The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)－which rates 133 global cities, and compares the price of a basket of 138 everyday items in each－has ranked them as joint top of the table.
The European cities have passed Singapore and Osaka, which tied with Hong Kong in the previous Worldwide Cost of Living Survey, carried out in March.
The changes are especially marked this time around, with the report doubling as an assessment of the influence of the Covid-19 pandemic on prices around the world.
Singapore and Osaka are now down to fourth and fifth respective, with Tel Aviv tying with Osaka in fifth place. An exodus of foreign workers during the pandemic is behind Singapore's drop, which saw its population fall for the first time in 17 years, according to the EIU.
The top 10 is completed by Geneva, New York City, Copenhagen and Los Angeles.
The biggest rise is Tehran, which has climbed up the ladder from 106th to 79th, due to US sanctions impacting supplies. Reykjavik, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo show the biggest price drops. The EU owes the Brazilian cities' rankings to “weak currency and rising poverty levels”. Brazil, of course, has suffered hugely during the pandemic.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has caused the US dollar to weaken while western European and north Asian currencies have strengthened against it, which in turn has shifted prices for goods and services " said Upasana Dutt, head of worldwide cost of living at the EIU.
“The pandemic has changed consumer behaviour, as lockdowns such as working from home have increased the prices of consumer electronics and at-home-meals have taken the place of restaurant dining for middle-class families ."
As for the future, things don't look wonderful. The EIU predicts that the trends will continue, with people cautious about spending and sure to struggle to make ends meet during 2021.
1. According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?| A．Living in Hong Kong means living a happy life. |
| B．The pandemic forces people to work at the office and eat meals at home. |
| C．People in Brazilian cities enjoy rising living standards because of the biggest price drop. |
| D．Singapore and Osaka used to tie with Hong Kong in the Worldwide Cost of Living Survey. |
| A．dramatic increase | B．sudden arrival |
| C．leave in mass | D．journey out of Egypt. |
| A．Population fall. | B．The weaken US dollar. |
| C．Transformed consumer behavior. | D．Impact of the pandemic. |
| A．Optimistic. | B．Pessimistic. | C．Indifferent. | D．Positive. |
10 . Are you looking for a magazine for your kids? Here are some that you may like.
Anorak
6 issues (期) per year
This magazine is designed for boys and girls between the ages of 5 and 8. In every edition of Anorak, you will find fun stories to read and plenty of colorful pages to keep you happy.
Ask
9 issues per year
The magazine Ask (Arts and Sciences for Kids) challenges bright young minds and satisfies their curiosity. Each issue of this magazine helps kids in the 2nd-4th grade explore the world along with the past and present great inventors, artists and scientists.
Appleseeds
9 issues per year
Appleseeds is an award-winning magazine of adventure and exploration for kids aged 7-9. This magazine has amazing stories and interviews. Kids will receive activities, maps, puzzles, and games that are related to the theme.
Babybug
9 issues per year
This magazine begins a lifelong love of reading books for babies and toddlers (初学走路的孩子).
American Girls
5 issues per year
This is an ad-free, award-winning magazine.
It provides attractive features like original (原创的) stories, party plans and projects, advice and quizzes. It is designed for girls aged 8-12.
1. Who is Ask most probably suitable for?| A．Children who love playing fun games. |
| B．Children who love reading fun stories. |
| C．Children who love reading about great scientists. |
| D．Children who love experiencing adventure and exploration. |
| A．It has no advertisement. |
| B．It comes out every other month. |
| C．It isn’t easy for kids under ten to read. |
| D．It often organizes different activities for its readers. |
| A．To stress the importance of reading. | B．To introduce some magazines for kids. |
| C．To advertise some new magazines on art. | D．To explain why these magazines are popular. |
