1 . In summer 2007, I joined the British Red Cross at 15. After several days of training. I was attending my first event as a fully qualified Red Cross volunteer. Our team was providing medical cover for a large martial arts grading event.
Although I'd passed my first aid course with flying colours, I was nervous before the event began. There's quite a difference between the classroom and the real thing! Two experienced adult volunteers would be working with me for the day.
Rosie was taking part in the under-16s event. This was supposed to be non-contact, and she was wearing full protective clothing just in case. All these precautions didn't help, however, when her competitor misjudged a move and delivered a violent blow to her head.
“Guys, we need some help over here!” Over we went, all three of us carrying various bits of kit. Rosie was lying on the ground. As we approached we could see she was conscious. Brian, my colleague took the lead.
“Hey there, stay nice and still for me. Chris here is just going to hold your head. Don't worry; it's just a precaution.”
I helped, painfully aware that hundreds of sets of eyes were following our every move. However I soon forgot all about this as I focused on the task at hand.
Rosie was complaining of pain in her neck. These are all classic signs of a possible spinal injury. Quickly, Brian found there were no other injuries and an ambulance was called. I was still holding her head and doing my best to comfort her.
The doctors arrived and we put Rosie carefully into the ambulance for a trip to hospital. Then we went back to the first aid post quickly.
Ten years on I've met many more people like Rosie—in need of help. I've moved on from being a trainee to a trainer, from an inexperienced first aider to being part of an emergency ambulance team.
When a call comes in, that slight feeling of nervousness is still there. However, so is the feeling of making a difference, being there during a painful moment in someone's life.
1. What does the underlined part “with flying colours” probably mean?| A．Slowly. | B．Successfully. | C．Poorly. | D．Carefully. |
| A．She was hit by mistake. | B．She made a wrong move. |
| C．She didn't take precautions. | D．She was not herself and fell. |
| A．She took her to hospital. | B．She held her head and calmed her. |
| C．She checked her injuries. | D．She did something for her pain. |
| A．She often receives first aid training. |
| B．She's working as a professional doctor. |
| C．She feels a sense of achievement about her work. |
| D．She's no longer nervous when performing first aid. |
2 . The public nowadays has a misunderstanding of forest fires, believing that fires should be kept out of every type of forest. Many of us can recall Smoky the Bear's famous warning: “Remember, only YOU can prevent forest fires”. However, that's not always the case. Under the right conditions, and when conducted safely, fire can create many environmental benefits as well as help prevent larger, uncontrollable wildfires.
After a forest fire, many wildlife species will move into recently burned areas to feed on these newly available foods. Some reptiles and amphibians such as the pine (松树） snake prefer forests frequently burned by fire. As Herbert Stoddard put it, “One of the most harmful things modern man has done to birds has been his attempt to exclude fire from fire-type pine forests. Within a few years most forests choke up with bushes, lose their prairie-like vegetation (草原般植被） and can no longer support birds dependent on periodic burning for their food supply and proper cover.”
If you are asked to picture the forest floor, what do you see? Pine needles, cones, leaves, branches might come to mind-all sources of fuel. If these fuel sources build up without any type of removal, the 'fuel load' can lead to fires catastrophic to forests and people alike. In contrast, prescribed fire can be used by forest professionals every couple of years to keep forest fuels at an appropriate and manageable level. They can also minimize the spread of pest insects and disease and remove unwanted tree and plant species. Plus, they can create and maintain important wildlife habitats rich in grasses and promote the growth of trees, wildflowers and other various plants.
Many organizations and agencies work to promote fire on the landscape when and where appropriate. Smokey Bear even has an updated warning: “Only You can Prevent Wildfires,” as the Forest Service has over the last few decades developed policies and procedures to include prescribed fire as a management tool, as well as continuing their work to prevent and fight wildfires.
1. Why did the author mention Smoky the Bear's warning?| A．To introduce the topic of the passage. |
| B．To clarify a misunderstood concept. |
| C．To show the significance of fire prevention. |
| D．To raise people's awareness of forest protection. |
| A．Forest bushes. |
| B．Fuel sources. |
| C．Pine forests. |
| D．Periodic burning. |
| A．To put out wildfires. |
| B．To keep the forest balance. |
| C．To remove tree and plant species. |
| D．To keep the fuel rich in the forest. |
| A．One Match Can Start A Forest Fire |
| B．Where There Is Smoke There Is A Fire |
| C．Not All Forest Fires Are Created Equal |
| D．Why Not Keep The Forest Fire Burning |
3 . A facial recognition app, recently developed by scientists, will make it easier to identify pandas.
Wan Yongqing, a Beijing photographer, visits Sichuan Province to take photos of pandas every other year. He has watched them for more than a decade. “My friends say I’m a big panda fan. It is a shame that I find all pandas look the same, with black eyes and white fur. It does not matter as all the pandas are cute to me,” he said.
Yet, identifying one panda from another does matter to researchers, according to Zhang Zhihe, chief of the Chengdu panda research base.
“Identifying individual pandas is important for conservation management and research. For captive pandas, it is important for their daily feeding schedules, family background and data management. For wild pandas, it helps researchers study their population structure and provides scientific support for their protection and management,” he said.
China has carried out four scientific surveys on wild pandas, and now has a big databank about them. The number of wild pandas in China is mostly known. However, it is still difficult to determine the age, sex, health and other specific information about the population.
“It’s difficult to track and watch the structure because wild pandas tend to live alone, deep in the mountains, and their living environment is vast,” Zhang added.
In 2017, the Chengdu base began researching individual panda identification technology by analyzing images. Over the past two years, they have built a databank of more than 120,000 images, over 1,000 video clips, and completed organizing nearly 10,000 images.
Using the databank, researchers have started a facial recognition app that can accurately recognize captive pandas by analyzing ana comparing the unique features of panda faces.
Panda researchers hope the data and AI technology will help them analyze data for both captive and wild pandas.
1. Why is it important to identify individual captive pandas?| A．It is useful for studying their population structure. |
| B．It helps researchers build up their living environment. |
| C．It provides proof that they need protection in the wild. |
| D．It is helpful for further research and data management. |
| A．They live alone. | B．They don’t leave enough tracks. |
| C．They live in deep mountains. | D．Their living environment is vast. |
| A．Their living environment. |
| B．Their age, sex, health and population information. |
| C．Their feeding schedules, family background and management. |
| D．The reason and research upon their black eyes and white fur. |
| A．The databank of pandas. | B．The structure of pandas. |
| C．The invention of Al technology. | D．The unique features of panda faces. |
4 . Individuals who learn two languages at an early age seem to switch back and forth between separate "sound systems" for each language, according to a new study.
The study looked at 32 Spanish-English early bilingual (双语的) speakers, who had earned their second language before age 8. They were presented with words beginning with a 'pa' or a 'ba' sound.
While 'pa' and 'ba' sounds exist in both English and Spanish, how those sounds are produced and perceived in the two languages varies slightly. For example, Spanish speakers produce 'pa' in a manner similar to English 'ba'. As a result, English-only speakers might. in some cases, confuse the 'ba' and 'pa' sounds they hear in Spanish, explains Kalim Gonzales, lead author on the study.
For the study, the bilingual participants were divided into two groups. One group was told they would be hearing rare words in Spanish, while the other was told they would be hearing rare words in English. Both groups heard audio recordings of variations of the same two words-bafri and pafri-which are not real words in either language. Participants were then asked to identify whether the words they heard began with a 'ba' or a 'pa' sound.
The findings: Participants perceived 'ba' and 'pa' sounds differently depending on whether they were told they were hearing Spanish words. or whether they were told they were hearing English words.
"What this showed is that when you put them in English mode. they actually would act like English speakers. and then if you put them in Spanish mode. they would switch to acting like Spanish speakers. "Gonzales said. " This shows bilinguals do have two different sounds systems and that they can switch between one language and the other and then use that sound system. "
"But if you learn a second language later in life. you usually have a dominant language and then you try to use that sound system for the other language. which is why you end up having an accent." he said.
"The general view is that bilinguals will never be able to perceive a second language beyond what a late learner is capable of. So even if you learn two languages from birth. you're always going to perceive one of them like a late learner. " Gonzales said. "Our findings cast doubt on that. "
1. In what way were the English "pafri" and the Spanish "pafri" different?| A．In grammar. | B．In meanings. |
| C．In spelling. | D．In pronunciation. |
| A．How well they understood the two languages. |
| B．How they perceived sounds for each language. |
| C．Whether they could identify unreal words in both languages. |
| D．Whether they could tell the difference between bafri and pafri. |
| A．English mode. | B．Spanish mode. |
| C．A second language. | D．A dominant language. |
| A．They perceive both languages like a native speaker. |
| B．They can use two sound systems at the same time. |
| C．They have two sound systems for each language. |
| D．They perceive a second language like a late learner. |
5 . What if you could give your child a special gift? A gift that was never the same, always changing? Now what if this gift was free, readily available and lasted forever?
Where do you find such a gift? It's easy: Just open your eyes and look up at the sky with your child, and you'll discover "the theatre over your heads which presents all kinds of shows," or "the art gallery above." says Jack Borden, former Boston television reporter who founded "For Spacious Skies (FSS)", a non-profit educational organization with the purpose of "stimulating and sustaining public awareness of the appearance of the sky".
Borden's big vision is to bring about "new eyes" in young children in terms of how they see the sky. But the most effective teachers and influencers of children — their parents — need to become "sky aware" themselves in order to pass the gift along.
And there's the rub.
"Could you describe the sky right now, without looking out of your window? Are there clouds? If so, what do they look like? Nine chances out of 10, you don't have a clue about the sky's appearance," says Borden. "We know that people are not looking at the sky. If they perceive the sky at all, it's in the context of the weather or astronomy."
"Sky awareness means expanding your horizons so that you begin to see that the sky is the province, not just of the weather reporter, but of the photographer, the artist, the poet, the dreamer. of the physical scientist." says Borden.
And it's the province of parents and their children.
What parent doesn't want to foster observation ability, imagination, creativity, curiosity and environmental responsibility in their children? "There's a lot to this. There's more to it than I ever dreamed," says Borden.
1. What is the special gift for children actually about?| A．A new view of the sky. | B．A new relationship to nature. |
| C．A good relationship with parents. | D．More knowledge about the weather. |
| A．It is almost impossible. | B．It is still unpopular with them. |
| C．It is unimportant for them. | D．It is quite unthinkable. |
| A．The sky has a great effect on people's daily life. |
| B．Many other people also show interest in the weather. |
| C．Many other people also play a role in weather report. |
| D．The sky also produces various effects for many others. |
| A．Borden's dream. | B．Advice to parents. |
| C．Benefits of sky awareness. | D．Requirements for cloud watching. |
6 . With a quick movement, the little creature vanishes in the air like it never existed and somehow appears dramatically-this is a part of the film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. But in reality, “disappeared” fantastic creatures can also reappear.
The Global Wildlife Conservation(GWC) announced on Oct 30 they have rediscovered the Voeltzkow's chameleon(变色龙)in Madagascar. The last time that the animal was seen was in 1913.
This discovery excited the researeh team, but the finding was not easy. The GWC organized an expedition as part of its Seareh for Lost Species program, an attempt to rediscover species that have not been observed by scientists for at least a decade. They headed into the forests of northwestern Madagascar in April 2018. But they didn't have much luck for a long time. Just days before the trip was to end. the tour guides spotted one of the chameleons. Ultimately, the team discovered three males and 13 females.
Male Voeltzkow's chameleons are up to 164 millimeters long and are light green with dark stripes, which get darker when they are angry or stressed. Females are smaller than males, growing to about 150 millimeters long. They can change their skin to a pattern of red dots and a stripe of purple against a background of black and white.
“The Voeltzkow's chameleon adds color and beauty to the planet, and reminds us that even when all seems lost, a great adventure can reawaken hope." said Don Church, president of the GWC. "Now we have so much to learn about this extraordinary reptile(爬行动物)・including how we can best save it from extinction.”
This isn't the only time a species thought to be extinct has been rediscovered. In fact, this year scientists discovered a frog that has been missing for more than 50 years in a Brazilian jungle. Another example is the Albany adder snake, which was rediscovered in 2016. The species had disappeared for over a decade and was generally believed to be extinct.
So how are these "lost" species able to make a comeback? If the environment changes in favor of certain species that have been considered extinct, the population size of those species may recover again. As they reach greater numbers, the chance of humans discovering them increases.
1. Why is the part of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them mentioned?| A．To lead to a discussion about animal extinction. |
| B．To warn of the difference between reality and fiction. |
| C．To demonstrate that magic can be found in real life. |
| D．To further discuss the reappearance of creatures. |
| A．How luck determined the fate of a lost species. |
| B．How the GWC rediscovered the Voeltzkow's chameleon. |
| C．An introduction to the Seareh for Lost Species program. |
| D．The solutions to make “lost" species come back. |
| A．They can change their colors to green and yellow. |
| B．Female chameleons are much longer than male ones. |
| C．The color of the males' skin can reflect their mood. |
| D．Male chameleons outnumber female ones by a lot. |
| A．The rediscoveries may be due to environmental changes. |
| B．The habitats of frogs and snakes are quite similar. |
| C．Human beings are to blame for species extinction. |
| D．Extinct reptiles would be the first group to be rediscovered. |
7 . A man sits on the couch, his dog asleep in the next room. He thinks, "I should take Daisy for a walk." and suddenly his dog comes bounding in the room. leash (牵狗皮带) in mouth.
A cat curls up next to the phone just before a family member calls, but never when anyone else is about to call.
There are so many stories of pets seeming to know more than their natural senses would allow that it has been the subject of study and debate for years. Are their natural senses even greater than we ever imagined? Or do they have a sixth sense?
Biologist Rupert Sheldrake believes that animals have an ability of telepathy (心灵感应). Pets whom we feel especially close to seem to understand our needs. read our moods. and even communicate with us on a level that goes beyond words or body language.
Physician and author Dr. Larry Dossey says there is a connection between all species, which is not limited by locality. He refers to it as a "nonlocal mind". Consciousness is no restricted to the brain or the body, or time or place. Therefore. people and animals can have an effect on each other, even when miles apart.
Traditional scientists remain sceptical about the ability of telepathy among people-let alone pets. They say much of the phenomenon can be explained in other ways, through pets' acute senses of hearing and smell, reading human body language, or noting other cues.
Dogs and cats live mostly in a scent (气味) and sound world. It may be that when an owner thinks about taking her dog for a walk, this happy thought causes a change in her body chemistry, which the dog can smell and associate with walks.
A simpler explanation is that owners notice their pets' mysterious behaviors only when related events happen by coincidence. The cat may curl up by the phone now and then, but the owner doesn't notice. If the cat happens to sit by the phone when "dad" calls. the owner is more likely to take note.
There is no doubt that our pets live on a sensory level that's different from our own. Though we share the same five known senses, dogs and cats take in their world mostly through scent and sound. We take in our world mostly through sight. So it's not surprising that our pets are able to do things that we can't imagine could be possible.
1. The underlined part "nonlocal mind" in Paragraph 5 indicates that pets and their owners can communicate thoughts _________.| A．wherever they are | B．wherever they like |
| C．only when they stay together | D．even when they are separated |
| A．By coincidence | B．Through body language. |
| C．Through sense of smell | D．Through sense of hearing. |
| A．Their five natural senses are greater than ours. |
| B．Their sensory system works differently from ours. |
| C．They can understand our mind without words. |
| D．They can communicate without the five senses. |
| A．Why Does Your Pet Have a Sixth Sense? |
| B．Your Pet Can Sense What Is in Your Mind |
| C．Can You Communicate with Your Pet Mentally? |
| D．Pets Need Mind-to-mind Communication with Us |
8 . Researchers at CU Boulder have developed a wearable device that changes the human body into a biological battery. The device is stretchy(弹性的) enough that you can wear it like a ring, sport band or any other thing that touches your skin. It also taps into a person's natural heat-employing thermoelectric generators to change the body's internal temperature into electricity. "In the future, we want to be able to power your wearable electronics without having to include a battery," said Jianliang Xiao, an associate professor at CU Boulder.
The concept may sound like something out of The Matrix film series, in which a race of robots have enslaved humans to harvest their precious organic energy. Xiao and his colleagues aren't that ambitious: Their devices can generate about 1 volt (伏特) of energy for every square centimeter of skin space-less volt per area than what most existing batteries provide but still enough to power electronics like watches or fitness trackers.
Scientists have previously experimented with similar wearable devices, but Xiao's is stretchy, can heal itself when damaged and is fully recyclable-making it a cleaner alternative to traditional electronics. "Whenever you use a battery, you're depleting(消耗) that battery and will, eventually, need to replace it," Xiao said. "The nice thing about our device is that you can wear it, and it provides you with constant power."
Just pretend that you're out for a jog. As you exercise, your body heats up, and that heat will radiate out to the cool air around you. Xiao's device captures that flow of energy rather than let it go to waste. "The thermoelectric generators are in close contact with the human body, and they can use the heat that would normally be sent into the environment," Xiao said.
1. What does Xiao expect of his device at present?| A．It will be used for medical purposes. |
| B．It will be made smaller and wearable. |
| C．It will change natural power into electricity. |
| D．It will supply constant power to wearable devices. |
| A．To give an explanation. | B．To make a comparison. |
| C．To introduce a topic. | D．To analyze the cause. |
| A．The strengths of Xiao's device. |
| B．The convenience of using a battery. |
| C．The replacement of wearable devices. |
| D．The development of traditional electronics. |
| A．It operates with plenty of power. |
| B．It is designed for practical use. |
| C．It benefits people's health in a way. |
| D．It's based on traditional electronics. |
9 . One of Britain' s most outstanding scientists says the growth in the use of electronic tablets and smart phones is causing people to spend so much time indoors that they need to take regular vitamin D supplements to make up for the lack of sunlight they receive naturally.
Geneticist Steve Jones said he himself was a follower to the cause and urged others to follow. “I never thought I would be a person who would take vitamin supplements；I always thought it was absolute nonsense. But now I take vitamin D every day. Today, because I knew the sun wasn't going to shine, I took an extra one,” he said.
Exposure to the sun is the major source of vitamin D. However, people are spending less and less time outdoors in many areas. The problem is particularly serious in Scotland. "The Scots are the whitest people in the world because their entire body systems are crying out for vitamin D," he said, adding that life expectancy in Scotland is two years shorter than in England or Wales. Multiple sclerosis (多发性硬化症), a medical condition which is often seen in northern Europe, is also higher in Scotland than in England.
Vitamin D helps with the absorption of Ca, which helps keep bones strong. And Jones said the fact that rickets (佝偻病) was making a comeback in Britain after nearly 50 years was another sign of how changing behavior patterns were bringing physical harm.
Jones admitted that concerns over the damaging effects on skin of long-time exposure to the sun were reasonable, but said sunlight was healthy and necessary for the human body, and could help in lowering blood pressure. "If you lie on the beach for an hour, you will drop your blood pressure by about 10 points, because it relaxes your blood vessels (血管). So, get out in the sun while we still can," he said.
1. How are people affected by the rise of technology according to the text?| A．They are more sensitive to sunlight |
| B．They take more vitamin D supplements. |
| C．They get less vitamin D than before. |
| D．They become addicted to electronic games. |
| A．Skeptical. | B．Cautious. |
| C．Worried. | D．Supportive. |
| A．Because they are in great need of sunlight. |
| B．Because their blood pressure is very low. |
| C．Because they enjoy a short period of sunshine. |
| D．Because they are easy to get multiple sclerosis. |
| A．Get out and gain more Vitamin D |
| B．Keep away from tablets and phones |
| C．Pay attention to the importance of sunlight |
| D．Take vitamin D supplements to keep healthy |
10 . Video calls are a common occurrence, but have you imagined being able to touch the person on the other end of the line? Scientists are making this a reality.
Researchers at the University of New South Wales, Australia, have invented a soft skin stretch device (SSD), a haptic (触觉的) device that can recreate the sense of touch. Haptic technology mimics (模仿) the experience of touch by stimulating small areas of the skin in ways that are similar to what is felt in the real world, through force, vibration (震动) or motion.
Vibration is the most common haptic technology today and has been built into many electronic devices, such as one attached to the back of a trackpad (触控板) in laptops, which mimics a button clicking. However, haptic feedback with vibration becomes less sensitive when used continuously. The existing technology also has great difficulty recreating the sense of touch with objects in virtual environments or located remotely, according to Mai Thanh Thai, lead author of the study.
The new technology overcomes issues with existing haptic devices. The research team introduced a novel method to recreate the sense of touch through soft, artificial “muscles”.
“Our three-way directional skin stretch device, built into the fingertips of the wearable haptic glove we also created, is like wearing a second skin — it’s soft, stretchable and mimics the sense of touch — and will enable new forms of haptic communication to enhance everyday activities,” said Thanh Nho Do, senior author of the study.
It works like this: Imagine you are at home and you call your friend who is in Australia. You wear a haptic glove with the SSDs and your friend also wears a glove with integrated (集成的) 3D force sensors. If your friend picks up an object, it will physically press against your friend’s fingers. And his/her glove with 3D force sensors will measure these interactions. The force signals can be sent to your glove so your device will generate the same 3D forces, making you experience the same sense of touch as your friend.
The haptic devices could be applied in various scenarios, allowing users to feel objects inside a virtual world or at a distance. This could be especially beneficial during such times like the COVID-19 pandemic when people rely on video calls to stay connected with loved ones. Or it could be used in medical practices. Doctors can feel a patient’s organ tissues with surgical tools without touching them.
1. What’s the main purpose of the text?| A．To encourage the use of a new product. |
| B．To inform readers of a new invention. |
| C．To compare different haptic devices. |
| D．To introduce the development of haptic technology. |
| A．It mimics the sense of touch through a trackpad. |
| B．It mainly uses vibration technology. |
| C．It takes the shape of a glove. |
| D．It makes virtual haptic communication possible. |
| A．The advantages of the new haptic glove. |
| B．The applications of the new haptic technology. |
| C．An explanation of how the haptic device works. |
| D．A personal experience of using SSDs during a video call. |
| A．It could replace video calls as a way to communicate. |
| B．it could be used for recreating organ tissues. |
| C．Doctors could perform surgeries at once. |
| D．Users could feel remote objects in a realistic way. |
