1 . Many students of the past and present would agree that their favorite thing on campus is the vending machine. Whether it’s serving up snacks or drinks, beholding the grand machine full of popular options with the luxury of money in your pocket and the power to choose whatever suits you most in that moment is a cherished feeling. If only, so many people wonder, it was this easy and affordable for kids to get their hands on new books? Well...it could be, in fact.
And that's why this school just opened its first scholastic vending machine. In a bid to get kids reading more, this school is taking a new approach: present the best-selling page-turners of the world in a kid-friendly package. With racing imaginations that never turn off and a hunger for any excuse to do anything except their homework, it's more often than not that kids just need to open up a book in order to get sucked in and start flipping through pages left and right. And pretty much no kid can resist the temptations of a vending machine.
But this vending machine gets even better: the books inside are available through the purchase of tokens—not money. And these tokens are earned through a system that rewards kids from visiting and finishing other books. Through a partnership with the local library, students can check out and return books there for free to qualify themselves for the book vending program, which prevents difficulties affording books independently from becoming an issue for these students.
Once the students have earned a token, they've earned a free book—from a machine stocked with $1,000 worth of books inside. The vending machine even features books from every genre to ensure that there's something for everyone.
1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?| A．How a vending machine functions. | B．What makes students excited on campus. |
| C．What inspires the vending machine program | D．How a vending machine brings convenience. |
| A．It provides a limited category of books. | B．Students earn its tokens by reading books. |
| C．Children can borrow books from it for free. | D．About 1000 books are available in each machine. |
| A．Advanced but complex. | B．Traditional and effective. |
| C．Pioneering but impractical. | D．Creative and considerate. |
| A．To advertise a vending machine that serves books. |
| B．To introduce a new way to encourage children to read. |
| C．To promote a system designed to improve reading ability. |
| D．To suggest a new approach to dealing with learning difficulty. |
2 . Standing outside the enclosure (围场) at Polar Park, somewhere behind the wire are five Norwegian grey wolves. These are just big dogs, I keep thinking to myself. And they've probably had breakfast already.
Stig Sletten, Polar Park's animal manager, says, "Once you're in with the wolves, lie down and don't stare them in the eve. Let them approach you. Don't stick your hands out. And absolutely don't stick your tongue out." That we're about to enter a cage full of "socialized" wolves is all down to Stig and his devoted team. It was Stig who founded Polar Park—way back in 1994. And it was Stig and his team who raised the park's wolves from birth.
"These wolves have all been brought up to be comfortable among humans," he explains. “Allowing them to meet visitors is actually a good way to reduce boredom and stress." Confident that we understand the strict rules of engagement, Stig opens the enclosure and we all follow him. Within seconds the pack is running toward us, eyes forward, long noses down. For an exposed human, the first approach of five grey wolves, socialised or not, is a slight unrest, heart-quickening experience.
But any sense of trepidation (惶恐) is quickly replaced by delight. The five wolves turn out to be fun and curious, as eager to check us out as we are them, Soon humans and wolves are bonding well, and I can't believe I'm touching the stomach of a fully grown female wolf.
"There are a lot of negative impressions about wolves. both in Norway and across the world," says Stig, as we sit around the table. "One of our main aims here is to educate both locals and visitors about Arctic animals and the value of preserving Norway's natural heritage. Once they've got touch with the wolves of Polar Park, many of our visitors will leave with a different view.”
That night one wolf of the pack from our morning encounter approaches our base camp and stares into the tent, but none of us are afraid.
1. How does the author feel before approaching wolves?| A．Desperate. | B．Nervous. |
| C．Peaceful | D．Puzzled. |
| A．Lie down without panic | B．Reach out hands quickly. |
| C．Look wolves in their eyes. | D．Stick out tongues occasionally. |
| A．Grey wolves are endangered |
| B．Wolves bring people more hurt |
| C．Stig's aim has changed completely. |
| D．Stig has changed people's opinion on wolves. |
| A．Stig: A wolf enthusiast |
| B．Norway: A wolf at the door |
| C．Norway: A wolf's final destination |
| D．Wolves: A kind of endangered species |
3 . It was just the three of us—my parents and me. My dad is a truck driver, and when I was a little kid, he was gone most of the time, delivering supplies around the Mid-west. Then we moved to a small house in Brighton. Colorado on my third birthday. There weren't any kids my age in the neighborhood, so I mostly played in the yard with the dogs. I had a lot of imaginary friends—a whole family, actually, with a husband, children, a best friend...no joke.
My first memory is our neighbor Arlene handing me strawberries from her garden. One day, my parents asked Arlene and her husband Bill whether they'd watch me when they went out. This worked well, so it became a weekly occurrence.
When I was about five, I had an idea: “What if I adopted Bill and Arlene as my grandparents?” I knocked on their door and said, “Will you guys be my grandparents?” They started crying and enthusiastically accepted it. Soon after, they printed out an adoption certificate and it hung on their living room wall from then on.
I remember being surprised that they took my offer so seriously. Thinking of that moment still brings tears to my eyes. There's something truly remarkable about a child offering her love and adults being so ecstatic to accept it. From the day I adopted them, I called Bill and Arlene grandpa and grandma. Pretty soon, my parents were calling them Dad and Mom. Even our animals would often sneak out of our yard to visit them. Over the years, Bill and Arlene supported me in all my dreams. And when I got accepted to a university, they presented me with a fund. They told me they'd been putting away money since the day I adopted them.
After Arlene passed away, Bill gave me the ring he'd gifted to Arlene. It's a simple gold band that I wear on my ring finger as a reminder of the kind of love I wish to put into this world.
1. Before meeting Bill and Arlene, the author probably felt ______.| A．worried | B．scared | C．lonely | D．desperate |
| A．They were unfriendly to her animals. |
| B．They influenced her to reward the world. |
| C．They ignored her offer to adopt them at first. |
| D．They gave all their savings to help her with study. |
| A．Parents should keep their kids company | B．Love goes beyond blood relationship |
| C．A friend in need is a friend indeed | D．There is no place like home |
| A．To recall her childhood. |
| B．To encourage herself to pursue dreams. |
| C．To treasure the memory of her “grandparents”. |
| D．To thank her “grandparents” for their instructions. |
4 . Virtual reality isn’t just for video games anymore. The technology is changing industries that many people had never thought it would, such as dairy farming.
Russian dairy farmers gave cows VR goggles (眼镜) with hope that they would be happier and make better milk. A farm just outside of Moscow is testing VR glasses for its cows, it says, in an effort to increase the quantity and quality of the milk produced.
That’s according to a news release published Monday from the Ministry of Agriculture of the Moscow region. It came accompanied by photos of a cow trying out its fancy new goggles. The ministry explains it like this:Studies have shown that cows, environmental conditions can impact the milk produced, specifically improving its quality or increasing its quantity. So, a team of developers, with the help of vets and consultants for dairy production, made some oversized VR glasses for cows. They adapted the human versions to account for cows’ different head shapes and eyesight, the news release says. And then voila! Cow VR glasses. And what were these cows experiencing with their new VR glasses? A wild, expansive field beneath the summer sun. A cow’s (virtual) paradise (天堂).
So far, it’s unclear if the glasses have helped milk production-further study will be needed for that. But a first test did reveal a decrease in anxiety and an increase in the emotional mood of the herd, the release said. To be fair, if we were transported to a vast field in the summertime, our anxiety and emotional mood would be better, too. Russian dairy farmers aren’t the only ones going the extra mile to keep their cows happy and improve product, though. Some Wagyu farmers set mood lighting, among other tricks, to keep their cows calm and producing the best beef possible. Others play them music, which one Missouri farmer says leads to better milk.
1. Why were VR glasses used in the farm?| A．To avoid cows’ fighting. | B．To cure the cows’ diseases. |
| C．To test the cows’ eyesight. | D．To get more and better milk. |
| A．Exciting movies. | B．Video games. |
| C．A vast field in the sun. | D．More cows in the distance. |
| A．Playing beautiful music. | B．Telling animal stories. |
| C．Choosing better meal time. | D．Photos of many cows. |
| A．Nature. | B．Science. | C．Education. | D．Entertainment. |
5 . What is the most recognizable object in the world? Could it be a football or a big computer? No, the answer is a Coca-Cola bottle. Hundreds of millions of people can recognize a Coke bottle by its shape. Unlike any other famous commercial logo, the famous Coca-Cola logo has not changed in 100 years!
In 1886, John Pemberton, a druggist in Atlanta, Georgia, invented a new type of syrup (糖浆), using coca leaves, sugar and cola nuts, plus a few other secret ingredients. Pemberton sold it as a medicine; and with coca (the source of cocaine), it must have made people feel good! Nevertheless, Pemberton's medicine was not very successful, so he sold his secret formula (配方) to another druggist, Asa Candler, Candler was interested, because he had another idea; he thought that Pemberton's "medicine" would be much better if it was mixed with soda. Candler was thus the man who really invented the drink Coca-Cola. At first he sold it in his drugstore; then he began selling the syrup to other drugstores, where it was used with their soda fountains. Candler also advertised his new drink, and soon people were going to drugstores just to get a drink of Coca-Cola. Before long. other people became interested in the product, including a couple of businessmen who wanted to sell it in bottles. Candler sold them a license to bottle the drink, and very quickly the men became millionaires. Then in 1916 the famous bottle, with its very distinctive shape, was designed.
During the First World War (1914-1918), American soldiers in Europe began asking for Coca-Cola, so the Coca-Cola company began to export it to Europe. It was so popular with soldiers that they then had to start bottling the drink in Europe. Today. Coca-Cola is made all over the world, including Russia and China; it is the world's most popular drink.
As for the famous formula, it is probably the world's most valuable secret! The exact ingredients for making Coca-Cola are only known to a handful of people. And as for the coca that was in the original drink, it was removed in 1903, for it was a dangerous drug. Today's Coca-Cola contains caffeine, not cocaine!
1. What is the second paragraph mainly about?| A．The key ingredient of Coca-Cola. |
| B．The distinctive shape of Coca-Cola bottle. |
| C．The ever-changing logo of Coca-Cola. |
| D．The development of Coca-Cola. |
| A．John Pemberton. | B．Asa Candler. |
| C．An American soldier. | D．A couple of businessmen. |
| A．The formula of Coca-Cola is still a well-kept secret. |
| B．The ingredients for making Coca-Cola is of great value. |
| C．Coca wasn't removed from the drink until the First World War. |
| D．Caffeine has the same effect on patients as cocaine. |
| A．A biology textbook. | B．A life magazine. |
| C．A research paper. | D．A travel brochure. |
6 . Thanks to Arizona's tax credit program, taxpayers can make a big difference with their dollars. Learn how these four organizations are making a difference and how you, too, can be part of the solution to help the underserved through donations.
Catholic Charities Community Services
Catholic Charities Community Services provides adoption for foster（领养）children as well as education and certification for foster families throughout central and northern Arizona. But they can't do it without your help. You can change the life of a child.
Visit Catholic Charities at www. catholiccharitiesaz. org to learn the impact your gift makes.
Catholic Community Foundation（CCF）
Established in 1983. CCF aims to build the future of faith by providing sustainable support for those who serve the community. Since 1995, CCF has given more than $ 27 million back into the community through donor-advised funds, savings and growth funds, etc.
You can learn more by visiting ccfphx. Org.
Catholic Education Arizona
Catholic Education Arizona has been creating future leaders for 23 years. And it has raised 268 million and awarded underserved youth 138,000 scholarships to change lives, strengthen families and transform culture. With more than $9 million remaining to claim, interested corporations are encouraged to contact our office for more information.
You can learn more by visiting catholiceducationarisona. Org.
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul
The staff and volunteers at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul packaged more than 4,000 meals for individuals and families to pick up on a daily basis. St. Vincent de Paul's family dining room, food boxes, medical and dental care, shelter and other services are nearly 100% funded by private donations. Donors can claim up to $800 in Arizona charitable tax credits.
Learn more at svdptaxcredit. info.
1. Taxpayers can learn more about their charitable gifts to foster children by visiting _________.| A．cefphx. org | B．www. catholiccharitiesaz. org |
| C．svdptaxcredit. info | D．catholiceducationarizona. org |
| A．Serving the community. | B．Supplying food to those in need. |
| C．Aiding foster children or families. | D．Financially supporting underserved youth. |
| A．They only offer service to families. | B．They provide help for patients. |
| C．They bring hope to the underserved. | D．They are profitable organizations. |
7 . How do we model gratitude when we might be struggling with our own frustrations? For adults, Fehr suggests a "gratitude boot camp." This seven-day program can help adults figure out what works best for them.
Day 1: The Three Blessings: Write down three good things that happened to you that day for which you can give another person credit.
Day 2: To Whom for What: Think of three people for whom you are grateful in your life and write about the reasons.
…
Day 5: Absence of Blessing: Think about an aspect of your life for which you are grateful and spend a few minutes writing about what your life would be like without it.
Day 6: Pay It Forward: Show appreciation for another person through quality time spent together or an act of service.
Day 7: Day of Reflection: Spend a few minutes writing about your experiences over the past few days.
Fehr suggests thinking of gratitude as an everyday practice, for both the little and the big things in life, by which we express gratitude in our commonplace interactions with others. Documenting your blessings by using a journal is a good start for developing a gratitude practice, but don't keep it to yourself. "I would encourage people to take the next step in expressing it. It's really when we bring our gratitude into the world with our words and with our actions that its power can be felt. It can impact our relationships and other people's lives — that's where it really matters. "
Gratitude doesn't just encourage us to thank those who have helped us directly; it encourages helping others, in general. "Experiencing gratitude has a spillover effect, making you want to pay it forward," says Fehr.
If we all did that, what a wonderful world it would be.
1. What can we learn about the program?| A．It is designed for teenagers. |
| B．It aims to train adults to be grateful. |
| C．It will last more than seven days. |
| D．It costs less than other camps. |
| A．Think of one person to whom you should thank. |
| B．Imagine losing blessing of something in your life. |
| C．Reflecting your experience in the camp. |
| D．Make three wishes for those you love. |
| A．Write down your blessings in the diary. |
| B．Never give your blessings away. |
| C．Express your blessing freely. |
| D．Pay it forward for love or money. |
8 . There is evidence that just counting money can produce valuable psychological benefits. According to a new study published in the journal Psychological Science, thumbing through your cash can reduce emotional and physical pain as well as increase feelings of internal strength, fearlessness and confidence. The study also finds that when people are reminded of their recent spending, they report higher levels of both psychological and physical distress.
Focusing on the symbolic power of money, researchers started with a simple hypothesis (假设): reminders of money can alter how people experience social interactions — especially so-cial acceptance and rejection.
To test the idea, the researchers took the following approach: 84 students at a Chinese university were divided into two groups. One group counted 80 large-denomination bills: the other group parceled out 80 pieces of plain paper. All participants then played an online video game in which, using game controls, they could throw a ball and play catch with other Internet players. But the game was rigged so that after 10 throws, half the students would no longer get the ball thrown to them, while the rest of the students continued to play catch. When the game ended, participants who had been excluded from the second round of catch rated their level of social distress and how strong they felt. Those who had counted money before being socially excluded reported lower levels of social distress than those who had counted only paper. Additionally, the participants who had counted money also reported greater feelings of inner strength and self-sufficiency.
To see if counting money also reduces physical pain, the researchers repeated the earlier social-exclusion (社会排斥) test, but this time they replaced the ball game with a pain-sensitivity task, in which half the participants were put in a moderate-pain condition(their hands were put in warm water), while the other half were subjected to a high-pain condition (hands were put in very hot water). Again, those who had counted money reported lower levels of pain.
1. According to the text, which of the following behaviors can bring psychological benefits?| A．Throwing coins. | B．Making money. |
| C．Counting money. | D．Checking the bank account. |
| A．Those who counted 80 large-denomination bills. |
| B．Those who counted 80 pieces of plain paper. |
| C．Those whose hands were put in warm water. |
| D．Those whose hands were put in very hot water. |
| A．Playing ball games. | B．Counting plain paper. |
| C．Putting hands in water. | D．Thinking of recent spending. |
| A．A travel guide. | B．A story book. |
| C．A science journal. | D．A fashion magazine. |
9 . After exactly a year of staying at home, we have adapted to socializing digitally, in short bursts of time.Remember in Before Times you could head to the gym after work and then get dressed for dinner and a night out? The pandemic(疫情) has changed this. Our social batteries have run out of charge. It's been a long time since we had to perform our social role for an extended period.
For 23-year-old Hafsa, the excitement of her friends and family to restart their social lives has left her astonished. “ At the minute my parents are planning a trip abroad and I keep postponing getting back to them with a date,” she explains. “They don't know it's because of all of this. Just the thought of being in a room full of people is scary, it's like going back to school.”
Heather Garbutt, psychotherapist of the Counselling & Psychotherapy Centre says communication is key to recharging your unused social battery. “Take it slowly and don't immediately organize a large get-together,” she advises. “Go for a walk with somebody for no more than half an hour and gently get used to being with people again. It may actually be a shock to our system which has been shut down to some degree to cope with absence. We may have that longing to be with others, but that doesn't mean we are free from anxiety. It would be good to start off with a conversation about what it's going to be like when you are all together again.”
She says finding some causal topics to discuss also works. Acknowledge that many of you may feel a bit awkward after being physically apart for so long. It's a bit like learning to walk again after you've broken a limb. It may all be off-balance to begin with but you will find a new steadiness with practice. Whatever happens post-pandemic, your loved ones can't judge if you want to take it easy and not engage in the festivities immediately. We are recovering from a post-pandemic stress disorder, after all.
1. What has become of us after a year of staying at home?| A．We are addicted to chatting with people online' |
| B．We may feel it impossible to go back to normal |
| C．We are quite looking forward to being with people. |
| D．We may find it hard to socialize with others like before. |
| A．Anxious. | B．Excited. |
| C．Astonished. | D．Guilty. |
| A．Pay a visit to a close friend and stay over. |
| B．Hang out with your friends for several hours. |
| C．Have a brief chat about your future get-together. |
| D．Ignore those who are anxious about connecting with others. |
| A．What Can Help Repair Our Social Networks? |
| B．How Can We Restore Our Social Batteries? |
| C．When Can We Speed Up Our Reunion Plan? |
| D．Why Did the Pandemic Mess Up Our Social Life? |
10 . According to a survey conducted by The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, the monarch butterfly is facing a sharp population decline that could soon lead to its extinction.
The monarch butterfly is considered the "king of all butterflies due to its extreme beauty, hence the name "monarch". The most popular among the North American butterflies, the grand black-and-orange in vertebrate（无脊椎动物） is known for its yearly mass migration of up to 3,000 miles from the Baja California Peninsula to California's Central Coast every winter, beautifully covering all the trees along their path.
In 1980, its population was recorded to be about 4. 5 million and by the mid-2000's, there were barely 100,000 remaining. In 2018, the number of monarch butterflies fell down to only 28,260, which makes a 99. 4 percent decline in 39 years.
"It's mind-boggling. We're now down below 1 percent of the historic population," Says Emma Pelton, a Xerces Society Conservation biologist.
A variety of factors could be involved to cause the monarch butterflies' near extinction. One could have a co-relation to the lessening of other insects such as bees and other bird species. Another factor could be due to a number of human economic activities such as urbanization and illegal logging which lessens the butterflies' habitat, and pesticides widely used on corn and soybean crops.
Because of these chains of events, an "extinction vortex（旋风）” has occurred where the process of extinction would be near unstoppable since the species won't be able to reproduce and raise their numbers the natural way.
The mass disappearance of the monarch butterfly and other endangered species is a wake up call of our little time remaining to positively shift the direction of the ecological environment for a massive improvement in the near future, in order to help mother nature and all the other living species in this earth.
1. What is the monarch butterfly noted for?| A．Its extreme beauty as king. |
| B．Its special name with monarch. |
| C．Its manner of reproduction. |
| D．Its regular large-scale migration. |
| A．About 20,000. | B．About 150,000. |
| C．About 114,660. | D．About 44,550. |
| A．The growth of cities. |
| B．The popularity of other insects. |
| C．The cleaning of lakes. |
| D．Less crops such as soybean. |
| A．To inform us of something about butterflies. |
| B．To appeal to us to protect the ecological environment. |
| C．To analyze why monarch butterflies have gone extinct. |
| D．To attract visitors to California's Central Coast. |
