1 . Jamie Wardley is a special kind of artist—an ice sculptor. He first trained as a sand sculptor. Later,he learnt about ice sculpture. Now he does sand sculpture in the summer. And in the winter, he sculpts ice.
When sculpting ice,Wardley has to work in cold temperatures. If the weather is cold enough, he can work outside. But winter in the United Kingdom is not always very cold. So often he works in a large freezer where the temperature is about -12℃.
Wardley enjoys sculpting ice outside in the winter. When he sculpts in the open air, people can watch. They can be part of the creative process.
Wardley makes ice sculpting sound simple. But the tools Wardley uses are sharp and dangerous. And the ice is very heavy. Each block of ice weighs 120 kilos. And some larger sculptures are made from several combined blocks of ice. Sometimes ice sculptures can be as big as buildings. In Kemi, Finland there is an ice hotel called the Snow Castle. Each year, Wardley helps build the Snow Castle.
Inside the Snow Castle, the temperature is -50℃. Even the dining tables are made of ice. So you have to wear winter clothes when eating and wear a hat when sleeping. “The ice hotel is built every year in January. Then it melts in April. Each year we rebuild it and create a new design,” Wardley said.
The Snow Castle is a large and amazing work of ice, but Wardley's smaller ice sculptures are special too. One winter, in the city of Bradford, the UK,Wardley created several small sculptures. He used the sculptures to tell a story which contained an important message about goodwill and understanding.
Ice sculptures are temporary works of art. When the temperature rises, they will melt. But that does not mean that their beauty is lost. The sculptures from that day in Bradford have now melted away, but their message of goodwill, understanding, and acceptance remains.
1. According to the text, Wardley________.| A．loves sand sculpture more than ice sculpture | B．sculpts ice in a large freezer in the summer |
| C．worked as an ice sculptor in the beginning | D．enjoys carving ice outdoors in the winter |
| A．Easy and amazing. | B．Special but difficult. |
| C．Boring and dangerous. | D．Simple but temporary. |
| A．It lies in the city of Bradford, the UK. | B．It is too cold for people to live in. |
| C．It requires to be built every year. | D．It is built between January and April. |
| A．They never melt in people's hearts. | B．It takes time to understand them. |
| C．Their beauty doesn't last forever. | D．They add more beauty to Bradford. |
2 . Remote technologies will play an increasingly-vital role in driving the education industry, as the COVID-19 pandemic(流行病) forced the world to go remote, according to an industry insider.
“Remote technology is continuing to empower (授权) online education, with large migrations online. With the continuous application of new technology methods such as big data and artificial intelligence, students’ learning outcomes have been significantly improved,” said Wang Yan, chief architecture officer at Zuoyebang(作业帮).
“Technology and outcomes are two major challenges that companies face when they transform from offline to online. The education industry is facing the largest traffic challenge ever,” Wang said.
To upgrade the infrastructure(基础设施), Zuoyebang has continued to upgrade its technology, changing from its original single cloud service to multiple cloud services and from mostly using third-party live broadcast systems to now relying on an independent system.
“For online classes, only live-streaming can achieve a real interacting(交互式的) effect, which can get both students and teachers more involved. It is impossible to achieve such outcomes through recorded and broadcast lessons,” he added.
The Beijing-based company developed a complete set of live-streaming architecture based on the ZRTC agreement. It can fully support classes, including one-on-one tutoring and six-to-six small interactive classes. In the five weeks from February 3 to March 9 last year, Zuoyebang has helped 275 teachers bring 1,832 classes to more than 33 million primary and middle school students across the country.
1. Which technique is most beneficial to students who have online classes?| A．broadcast lessons | B．live-streaming |
| C．face-to-face lessons | D．recorded lessons |
| A．Remote technology is a key driver for education. |
| B．The company has upgraded its technology to overcome its challenge. |
| C．The company that has livestreaming architecture can only support classical big classes teaching. |
| D．Zuoyebang has helped thousands of primary and middle school students to have online classes. |
| A．Worried | B．Negative | C．Opposed | D．Confident |
3 . Alex Palmer says he'll never forget his 13th birthday, not because of a gift or a party, but fire. “It made me realize how valuable life is,” said Alex, a seventh grader at Monroe Demonstration School in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
On April 18, Alex and many other kids from his school were riding home on a school bus when they suddenly saw smoke coming from the bus’ engine. “It was jaw-dropping,” he told reporters.
By the time Alex and some other kids made it out the bus’ back door, the bus was already on fire. And some of their schoolmates were still inside. So he and some of the other older kids took action.
“One little kid was slowing everyone down with his big backpack, ” eighth grader Destiny Fain said, “so I got it off and threw it to the side and helped to make sure all the little kids weren’t fighting or pushing. ”
As that was going on, sixth grader Marketez Doyle-Smith reportedly helped another classmate who had trouble in breathing because of the smoke. “We saw our friend lying on the ground,” he said, “so we took our shirts off and waved them to get him some air to breathe.”
Marketez also reportedly stopped a younger kid trying to get back on the bus to search for something he’d left behind. “We're all a family,” he told reporters. “So I went back to help the little kid.”
Finally everyone made it off safely, thanks to Alex, Destiny, Marketez and several other kids. By later that day, they were already being called heroes. “I really don’t see it as being a hero,” Alex said, according to The World. “I see it as the right thing to do—helping others before you help yourself.”
1. What happened on Alex’ s way home?| A．The school bus was on fire suddenly. | B．There was a party for Alex’s birthday. |
| C．He received a gift from his classmate. | D．Some classmates quarreled with each other. |
| A．We’re brothers in the same family. | B．It’s our duty to help each other. |
| C．We’re classmates in the same class. | D．The thing left on the bus is mine. |
| A．was not a brave student. | B．had the right to do anything. |
| C．had just done what he should do. | D．hated to be called a hero by others. |
4 . Best Mexican Festivals to Attend
The country of Mexico has more to offer besides its beauty and the following festivities prove that well. Take a look at them and save your dates because you definitely can't afford to miss them.
Día de Muertos
Día de Muertos is a celebration of life! November l and 2 are important. While the l st is dedicated(专用的) to children and is called the”Day of the Innocents”, the second is dedicated to the people who have passed away. Graves are decorated with flowers, feasts are prepared, and families come together to remember their loved ones.
Date: 1st- 2nd November
Where: All over Latin America
Día de la Independencia
Día de la Independencia is the day when the entire country celebrates the start of Mexico's war of independence. Today, a couple of weeks are celebrated with artists putting up shows and exhibitions, Mexican music filling the streets, and even some costume parties!
Date: 16th September
Where: Mexico
Guelaguetza Festival
A spectacular vision of art, dance, and music, the annual celebrations of Guelaguetza are . a wonderful cultural experience， especially for tourists. Since the tickets to this festival's cultural program are sold in advance, you can plan a trip around this event.
Date: 22nd-27th July
Where: Oaxaca，Mexico
Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe
As the legend goes, Virgin Mary appeared in front of Juan Diego, one of the most loved patron(守护神) saints of Mexico. The apparition(神秘的现象) occurred in Mexico City and a church has been built at that spot. The religious festival of Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe pays respect to this event. The story goes forward and mentions a few relics too. This also makes it one of the most religiously significant monuments.
Date: 12th- 13th December
Where: Mexico City
1. What does Día de la Independencia celebrate?| A．The start of life. | B．A war of independence. |
| C．The coming of spring. | D．The arrival of Virgin Mary. |
| A．Día de Muertos. | B．Día de la Independencia. |
| C．Guelaguetza Festival. | D．Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe. |
| A．To introduce. | B．To educate. | C．To advertise. | D．To persuade. |
5 . As the world’s climate changes, ocean warming is getting faster and sea levels are rising more quickly, warns a new report. The report also discusses a relatively new problem appearing in the oceans: heat waves.
The unusually hot water affected animals that live off the coast of Maine, which are important to the local fishing economy (经济). What’s more, it quickly became clear that the state wasn’t alone. “Heat wave events have popped up all over the ocean.” says Andrew Pershing, scientific officer at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute. “We’ve actually had three huge heat waves in the Gulf of Maine—2012, 2016 and 2018—and now we’re looking at repeat heat waves in the northern Pacific; Australia’s also had some repeat heat waves.”
That’s a big deal for coastal communities whose economies depend on fish and other seafood. Heat waves in recent years drove a lot of changes in life off the coast of the Pacific Northwest, which in turn led to disastrous seasons for fishermen. Unusually hot water supported the growth of algae that polluted the Dungeness crab (螃蟹) fishery on the West Coast, shutting it down for months. At the same time, the hot water off the coast led to continuous dry weather on land, which killed large numbers of salmon (鲑鱼) and raised the risk of wildfires.
The report suggests actions to slow ocean warming and rising and to adapt to its influences. Most importantly, the authors support what has been known for many years: Greenhouse gas emissions (排放物) are the main driver of changes in the world’s oceans, and the global economy must make a complete change to reduce those emissions.
“Even if we cut carbon emissions right now, we are still looking at 20 to 30 years of change.” Pershing explains. “That means, no matter what we do, we have to work out how we are going to adapt to these changes.”
1. What are the first two paragraphs mainly about?| A．The results of global climate change. |
| B．The increasing frequency of heat waves. |
| C．The cause of heat waves in the oceans. |
| D．The problem ocean animals are facing. |
| A．By presenting research findings. | B．By following the order of time. |
| C．By providing examples. | D．By following the order of importance. |
| A．We should manage to reduce carbon emissions. |
| B．The measures to deal with climate change are useful. |
| C．We have a promising future of the world environment. |
| D．The influences of climate change on oceans are unavoidable. |
6 . When it comes to eating, more and more Americans are ordering online instead of eating out. In some restaurants, cooks make food for other online restaurants at the same time. Online orders are only 5% of all restaurants orders, but they are growing about 20% each year.
The increase in online ordering in the US has created openings for new kinds of businesses. One is called Kitchen United. It builds kitchens for restaurants that want to enter take-out markets. Chick-Fil-A, The Halal Guys and Dog Haus all have opened kitchens through it. Another company, DoorDash, sends food to customers who order online. Fuad Hannon is the head of new business at DoorDash, He says, “The industry is still young. It may be too soon to know how it will grow, but what we know is that people love to get their favorite food sent.”
Two other businesses, Grubhub and Uber Eats, say their virtual (虚拟的) restaurant programs help small businesses compete. Both reach out to restaurant owners with suggestions for online. restaurants based on data from customer searches. This information helps owners. think about everything from how people get their food to what should go on the menu.
Kristen Adamowski heads Uber Eats. She says they have helped start 4,000 virtual restaurants worldwide, about half of them in the US and Canada.
Virtual restaurants have the benefit of testing new ideas without taking on expensive rents or employing more workers like traditional ones. But small restaurants should look at the risks before starting an online restaurant suggested by third-party app businesses. Those businesses offer no training for kitchen' workers to get used to making new foods. Other things to consider: whether their delivery containers are right for new dishes, or whether they want to increase their dependence on outside delivery drivers. Those are not small or easy things.
1. What can we learn about online food orders in the US from paragraph 1?| A．They’ve replaced traditional restaurant orders. |
| B．They take up only 20% of restaurant orders. |
| C．They’ve taken up most of the market, |
| D．They are rapidly increasing yearly. |
| A．Its customers are young. |
| B．It will surely develop well. |
| C．Its future remains to be seen. |
| D．It will help people build more restaurants. |
| A．Uber Eats. | B．Dog Haus. | C．Chick-Fi1-A. | D．DoorDash. |
| A．Better late than never. |
| B．Think carefully before you act. |
| C．Failure is the mother of success. |
| D．Where there is a will, there is a way. |
7 . Claire was set up to get her dream job working as a reporter at a popular news station. She went to visit her father before her interview. Her mother, who had always been her biggest supporter, had died a few years earlier.
As she visited her father, she told him about how nervous she was about the interview. Her father said, “You will do great because you are a lot like your mother, and your mother did great at everything.”
Claire pictured her mother, the most supportive person she had ever met, and had a realization. Was she really like her mother? She didn't think so. She was so focused on herself that she didn't even know about her family's struggles.
Suddenly, she felt ashamed. She left for the airport with a lot more to think about than her job. An hour before boarding, her sister called to wish her luck. She listened to her sister in a way she had never listened before. She asked her about her kids and her life. Her sister admitted that she wasn't doing very well. She was having a hard time.
Claire ended the conversation with her sister just before boarding started. She made a decision to be more like her mom and take care of what really matters in life. She spent the next few months living with her sister and helping her maintain her house and take care of the kids.
Claire found the courage to do what was right because of her mother. She realized that doing what was right brought on a type of happiness that looking out for herself could never bring. She never regretted her decision. Thanks to the decision, she and her sister grew closer than they had ever been. She learned a lot and felt much better when focusing on more than just herself. She easily got her dream job later that year.
1. Why did Claire visit her father before her interview?| A．To show her concern for his health. | B．To comfort him for the loss of love. |
| C．To find herself psychological support. | D．To ask him about her sister's situation. |
| A．She didn't know how to interview others. | B．She expected too much from her new job. |
| C．She failed to get her dream job as a reporter. | D．She didn't care about her family members. |
| A．Claire decided to follow in her mother's footsteps. |
| B．Claire gave up the chance of working as a reporter. |
| C．Claire finally helped her father out of the hard times. |
| D．Claire spent the rest of her life living with her sister. |
| A．Her family support. | B．Looking out for herself. |
| C．Her interview skills. | D．Being a supportive person. |
8 . I remember that it was a hot afternoon. I was asked to have a drug test after I had a quarrel with the airport staff. I missed the flight home later because of bad weather. Now my flight home was full and running late. I felt sorry and unlucky.
At that moment, I noticed a 5-year-old boy standing by his mother watching me. He left his mother and slowly walked towards me. "Great!" I thought sadly, "Now I have to take care of a 5-year-old child. My day is now complete."
As he came closer, I found it was my hat that he was after. I wanted to tell him not to touch my things, but I was curious to know what he would do with my hat. With wide eyes, he gently touched my hat. He looked up at me, smiling, but saying nothing. I asked him if he wanted to wear my hat, he excitedly nodded, still smiling. I placed my hat on his head, but it fell down around his ears. He didn't mind and held it up with both hands. He ran to show his mother, then back to me, still smiling. With much respect, he slowly took off my hat with both hands and gave it to me.
I put my hat on and gave him an airplane card. Holding the card carefully with both hands, he looked up at me and said, "Mister, you sure are lucky." "Yes, I sure am," I said. I admired the wisdom of a 5-year-old boy, as I got the last seat on that flight home.
1. What do we learn about the author from paragraph 1?| A．He was going abroad but his flight was late. |
| B．He had a drug test because he dressed strangely. |
| C．He felt sorry and unlucky because his flight home was full and late. |
| D．He felt unhappy because he quarreled with some other passengers. |
| A．Excited. | B．Unhappy. | C．Surprised. | D．Interested. |
| A．His hat was not expensive at all. |
| B．He was too tired to do anything. |
| C．He thought the little boy was cute. |
| D．He wanted to know what the boy would do with it. |
| A．The author often quarrels with others. |
| B．The little boy didn't like the author's hat. |
| C．The author thought he was very lucky in the end. |
| D．The author later became friends with the boy's mother. |
9 . ECycling refers to the recycling of electronic items, which are becoming a common problem in American home and throughout the world. The EPA, or Environmental Protection Agency, has actually started a program to help and motivate the recycling of electronics.
To get the program to the regional and neighborhood levels, the EPA directed “Plug-In to eCyeling Partners.” These partnerships support electronic reusing programs in individual communities. They provide local governments, retailers and manufacturers with opportunities to reuse and recycle their items. Those who make and offer electronic devices then promote programs and opportunities for consumers to reuse their second-hand electronic products. One of the EPA’s goals is to enlighten customers about why the recycling of electronics is so important. They likewise wish to make eCycling chances easily accessible to specific consumers and their family electronics. According to the EPA, the eCycling program has actually been quite successful. In 2008, the EPA collected 66.5 million pounds of electronic devices through their Plug-In Partners.
Local governments have actually likewise got on board and passed laws intended to handle used electronic devices. Huge corporations have actually introduced eCycling programs at their local retail stores. One seller offers customers small, medium and big boxes for sale, which the customers then load with used electronics and go back to the store. Typically，customers bring their recyclable electronics to a location. When the electronic items are gathered by the EPA(typically this is done byt he Partners), they are reused or recycled.
Reused items are repaired and refurbished, and passed on to others as a contribution. You can repair or recondition your very own electronic devices too, extending the life of the items and conserving the energy of making new materials. Reusing electronic devices includes making use of the products and pats of the items. These materials and parts are then made use of to produce another item. This is more efficient than making items from new materials.
Some items that are commonly eCycled consist of televisions, computer monitors, printers, notebook computer, keyboards and cable televisions. Less usual items include copying machines, CDplayers, voice mail machines, computer hard drives, mobile telephones, remote controls, radios, batteries, telephones, facsimile machines and computer games. Occasionally, electronic items such as microwaves, fans, vacuums, smoke alarms, and toasters are eCycled.
As the eCycling program continues, you or your organization may want to get involved. Check the EPA’s internet site (www.epa.gov) for regional eCycling programs, or for details on how your company can participate. Their website has links to organizations that are taking part in the eCycling program.
1. The EPA brought about “Plug-In to eCycling Partners” to__________.| A．make and offer electronic devices to consumers |
| B．make customers understand the importance of eCycling |
| C．make the program accessible to local regions and communities |
| D．make it possible for consumers to reuse their used e-products |
| A．repairing electronic device | B．gathering recyclable electronics |
| C．reusing second-hand e-products | D．offering customers different boxes for sale. |
| A．People can sell their reused items on the Internet. |
| B．Individuals can’t take part in eCycling programs. |
| C．Devices of computers are well eCycled. |
| D．Not every electronic item can be eCycled. |
| A．To introduce a new way to save costs. |
| B．To teach customers how to recycle electronics. |
| C．To attract people to join in the eCycling programs. |
| D．To call on local governments to support Plug-In Partners. |
10 . Yet although officers will not disappear, it’s hard to imagine that working life will return to before-COVID-19 (新冠肺炎) ways. For more than a century workers have pushed themselves on-to crowded trains and buses, or suffered traffic jams, to get into the office, and back, five days a week. However, for the past one year they have not had to commute (上下班往返), and may enjoy it for a long time.
Employers, for their part, have supported expensive offices in city centers because they need to gather workers in one place. The rent is only part of the cost; there are cleaning, lightning, printers, catering and security on top. Needless to say, in the homeworking era these costs are cut down.
Another part of the homeworking era may be the disappearance of the five-day working week. Even before the COVID-19 many workers became used to taking phone calls or answering emails at the weekend. In the homeworking era, the dividing line between home and working life, a useful way of relieving stress, will be even harder to keep. It may be lost altogether.
What’s more, without the Monday-to-Friday commute, the weekend seems more nebulous, for employees may walk and take breaks freely, with only the company video calls unchanged.
Looking further out, the homeworking era may bring other changes. Some may decide to live in small towns where housing costs are lower, since they have no need to commute. Men will have fewer excuses to skip cleaning or childcare if they are not disappearing to the office.
In a sense, this is a return to normal: until the 19th century most people worked at or close to their homes. But social historians may still regard 2020 as the start of a new age.
1. Which one is the change of the working life after the COVID-19?| A．Living in big cities. | B．More traffic jams. |
| C．Reduced working cost. | D．Less phone calls at the weekend. |
| A．Important. | B．Unclear. | C．Fruitful. | D．Annoying. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Objective. | C．Supportive. | D．Negative. |
| A．2020: the Start of a New Age? |
| B．Working at Home: Are You Ready? |
| C．Who is the Winner: Employer or Employee? |
| D．Home and Working Life: How to Keep Balanced? |
