1 . A four-year-old girl stunned paleontologists after she found a perfectly-preserved dinosaur footprint that dates back 220 million years.
Lily Wilder made the discovery on January 23 while walking along a beach in South Wales with her father and their dog.The family was on their way to the supermarket when Wilder saw the footprint imprinted on a rock.
“It was on a low rock, shoulder height for Lily, and she just spotted it and said, ‘Look, Daddy,’” her mother, Sally Wilder, said.“She is really excited but doesn't quite grasp how amazing it is.”
At first, the family thought the print, which is just over 10 cm (4 inches) long, was scratched out on the rock by an artist.But mother Sally was aware that similar footprints had been found along that piece of the coast before, so she posted about their discovery on social media.“I found this fossil identification page on Facebook and I posted it on there and people went a bit crazy,” she told Wales Online.
Shortly after, the National Museum of Wales got in touch with the Wilder family, and officials have since retrieved the print and put it in the museum.
Experts believe the footprint was most likely left by a dinosaur that stood about 75 centimeters (29.5 inches) tall and 2.5 meters (about 8 feet) long and walked on its two hind feet.It is impossible to identify exactly what type of dinosaur left it, although experts typically classify the print as a Grallator.
Welsh scientists are calling the girl's discovery “the finest impression of a 215 million-year-old dinosaur print found in Britain in a decade,” according to Wales Online.
The family says their daughter's interest in dinosaurs has been inspired since the discovery and that she's been playing with a collection of dino toys and models.“If her name goes down as the finder in the museum, it could be her grandchildren going to visit that in the museum one day, and for years and years and generations to come, which is quite amazing,” mother Sally told Wales Online.
1. Why did Sally choose to post the print on Facebook?A.To honor an artist. | B.To test her popularity. |
C.To make people crazy. | D.To identify their discovery. |
A.Divided. | B.Repaired. | C.Improved. | D.Gained. |
A.It was left by a young dinosaur. | B.Its true maker is still unclear. |
C.Its finder will soon be forgotten. | D.It was the finest ever found in a decade. |
A.She likes walking along the beach. | B.She often asks for toys and models. |
C.She has been attracted by dinosaurs. | D.She likes drawing dinosaur footprints. |
2 . YMCA Camp Widjiwagan
3788 North Arm Rd
Ely, MN 55731, USA
Phone: 651-645-6605
High quality canoes and backpacking adventures and wilderness trips in the BWCAW, Quetico Provincial Park and in the finest wilderness areas throughout North America, “Widji” wilderness trips focus on respect and values that build skills for life as they develop an unparalleled relationship with the environment. Camp is open for all abilities and ages 10-17.
Revolution Camp at St.Olaf College
1520 St Olaf Ave
Northfield, MN 55057, USA
Phone: 800-944-7112
St.Olaf is one of the top liberal arts colleges in the United States and is located just south of Minneapolis. Campers will train in softball on Mabel Shirley Field, home of St.Olaf softball. The field sits in short walking distance of the Tostrud and Skoglund Centers and will also have access to St.Olaf's swimming pool. Camp is open for all abilities and ages 7-16.
Discovery Day Camp
8 Different Locations, Across Minnesota
Fort Snelling, MN 55111, USA
Phone: 612-261-2300
Discovery Day Camp is a week-long program (5 days) that is open to youth aged 8-17. Each day will be filled with activities such as swimming, hiking, climbing, archery, STEM activities, outdoor skills, crafts and more! All of the activities will be age-appropriate and guided by our well trained and enthusiastic staff. With multiple sessions offered at a variety of locations, you are sure to find something that will fit your busy schedule!
PGA Junior Golf Camp at GolfTrack Academy at Hyland Greens
10100 Normandale Blvd
Bloomington, MN 55437, USA
Phone: 916-476-8132
PGA Junior Golf Camp—Full and half-day camps provide an excellent opportunity for youth of ages 12-19 and abilities to improve their technical skills, develop strong course management and learn golf in a fun, supportive and positive environment. Overnight camps for advanced players are held at nationally-acclaimed facilities and provide opportunities for serious game improvement. Every camp is designed to help your child become a leader on and off the course.
1. Which phone number can you dial if you want to learn softball skills?A.651-645-6605. | B.800-944-7112. | C.612-261-2300. | D.916-476-8132. |
A.It provides outdoor activities. | B.It has enthusiastic workers. |
C.It runs in different places. | D.It offers the longest programs. |
A.YMCA Camp Widjiwagan. | B.Revolution Camp. |
C.Discovery Day Camp. | D.PGA Junior Golf Camp. |
3 . Each week Visit Indy publishes some events for the upcoming weekend. Here are some of them.
Fan Powered World Tour
Harlem Globetrotters, the world-famous basketball stars celebrate their fans on this tour with more interactive experiences than ever before. You have two opportunities to catch the show as the Globetrotters face the Washington Generals on both Friday and Monday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Tickets are $26 and up.
Basketball Day of Indiana
Indiana's love of basketball is famous, and Saturday's celebration will please fans from high school to college. Bankers Life Fieldhouse hosts high school girls and boys playing during the afternoon. You will watch the game between Pacers and the Dallas Mavericks there that evening. Tickets start at $ 22.
MLK Day Celebration
Honor the memory of Dr. King as local artists present poetry, music, and dance that show the theme of love. Dr. King felt it was important to communicate with each other in order to break down barriers. Visitors to the Sunday's free program in Newfields are advised to do that via social activities and by participating in a donation drive.
Jingle Rails
Get your pleasure on Route 66 for one final weekend this season. See Mt. Rushmore, Old Faithful and the Grand Canyon, as well as local treasures like Monument Circle, Hilbert Circle Theatre, and the Indiana State Fair. Tickets start at $33.
1. Where can you watch basketball games?A.On Mt. Rushmore. | B.In Newfields. |
C.At Bankers Life Fieldhouse. | D.In the Grand Canyon. |
A.MLK Day Celebration. | B.Fan Powered World Tour. |
C.Basketball Day of Indiana. | D.Jingle Rails. |
A.Volunteer for a charity. | B.Visit places of interest. |
C.Have a talk with stars. | D.Live with local people. |
4 . Citisport in Newport
We at Citisport aim to improve sports training and facilities in Newport, giving you more opportunities to try both new and traditional sports.
Golf
We are pleased to be able to offer lessons at Kingsway Golf Centre just outside Newport. These are run by experienced golf professionals, and are held on an all-weather practice area. The adult lessons are open to anyone aged 13 and over, and are suitable for all levels from beginners upwards. These take place on Wednesdays from 3:00 to 4:00 pm over a period of six weeks. Children’s lessons for 7-12 year old are held from 2:00 to 3:00 pm on Saturdays during term time.
Tennis
The Citisport tennis courses provide an opportunity for local people to develop their skills on the brand-new indoor tennis court at Newport Leisure Centre. All equipment can be provided, but please feel free to use your own racket (球拍) if you prefer. Our Starter course is held on Mondays from 7:00 to 8:00 pm, and is for beginners of 12 years and over. Our Improver course, which takes place on Tuesdays from 8:00 to 9:00 pm, is for players with some experience.
Football for girls
By popular request, Citisport is holding another one-day girls-only football course. This aims to give local girls the chance to learn essential skills and develop more advanced ones. The course will take place on Saturday, 9th November from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, and is open to all girls aged 10-14 years living in the Newport area.
Gymnastics
This course is for beginners aged 8-14 and will provide an introduction to basic skills. There is a maximum of six pupils per coach in each class. At the end of the course there is a demonstration for friends and family of all the skills learnt there. The course will take place on Thursdays from 6:00 to 7:00 pm.
1. What can we know about the Citisport golf lessons?A.You can take lessons at Kingsway Golf Centre inside Newport. |
B.The golf lessons can take place only in good weather. |
C.Teenagers can attend golf lessons on Wednesday afternoons. |
D.Children’s lessons usually last 2 or 3 hours on Saturday afternoons. |
A.You can get the skills in an open-air court. |
B.You must take your own racket during the course. |
C.You can take the Monday course if you are a green hand. |
D.You can become an experienced player after the courses. |
A.Golf. | B.Tennis. | C.Football for girls. | D.Gymnastics. |
5 . Humans have little difficulty recognizing one another. And we know that no two faces are exactly alike. Even identical twins have slightly different faces. Each human face is truly unique, and now we've invented machines that are able to recognize faces for numerous purposes.
Governments, employers and security and police services are increasingly using facial recognition technology. This allows them to quickly confirm an individual's identity. Systems are becoming so advanced that a wanted criminal can instantly be picked out of a crowd of thousands of people. All that's required is an image in a database to compare with the image of any number of people in a crowd. Ordinary people, too, are using facial recognition to unlock their phones, their computers and other devices.
Personal facial recognition protection has several benefits. It is instantaneous, and it relieves us of the need to memorize passwords. However, a device will require a password in the rare event that it doesn't, for whatever reason, recognize the user's face.
There are numerous concerns about the use of facial recognition. Primarily, the concern is that it threatens privacy. The installation of more and more cameras in public and private places is now part of everyday life. This means people can be observed and recognized wherever they go. Cameras may make public spaces safer, but keeping law-abiding(守法的) citizens under constant watch is disturbing to many.
In the age of the coronavirus and the widespread wearing of masks, facial recognition systems are having some difficulty. A mask covers many of the facial data points used by recognition software to confirm a person's identity. In response, facial recognition systems are being trained to use less facial data. That could affect how dependable it is as a method of identity detection.
1. What's the author's purpose of writing Paragraph 2?A.To further explain the importance of facial recognition. |
B.To describe the powerful functions of facial recognition. |
C.To list in detail various advantages of facial recognition. |
D.To state the unique advanced features of facial recognition. |
A.The cameras may be occasionally out of order. |
B.Too many cameras disturb people's daily life. |
C.People's personal life might be exposed to others. |
D.The cameras make law-abiding citizens feel stressful. |
A.Getting more accurate with less information. |
B.Becoming faster with more facial data. |
C.Protecting personal information if necessary. |
D.Responding more quickly to unexpected events. |
A.The wide popularity of facial recognition. |
B.The rapid development of facial recognition. |
C.The benefits of facial recognition. |
D.The introduction to facial recognition. |
6 . Not long ago, Linda Khan was sitting by a hospital bed in Houston, feeling ill at ease. Beside her lay her father who needed a heart surgery. The two of them had engaged in nothing but depressing small talk. Then, her eye fell on a pile of books. She picked up one, and started to read it out loud. "Right away it changed the mood and atmosphere," she says. Reading gave the daughter a way to connect with her father. Listening allowed the father travel on the sound of his daughter's voice into a place where he felt himself again. “From then on," Khan says, “I always read to him."
In a 2010 survey in the United Kingdom, elderly adults who joined weekly read-aloud groups reported better concentration, less anxiety, and an improved ability to socialize. The survey authors owed these improvements in large part to the “rich, varied diet of serious literature" that group members consumed, with fiction encouraging feelings of relaxation and calm, poetry fostering focused concentration, and narratives giving rise to cognitive (认知的) thoughts, feelings, and memories. In truth, almost any kind of reading to another person can be beneficial.
Readers get rewards too. For Neil Bush, the late-life hospitalizations of his famous parents, George H. W. and Barbara Bush, became opportunities to repay a debt of gratitude. “When I was a kid, they would read to me," he said. With his parents in and out of care, “We've been reading books about Dad's foreign policy and, more recently, Mom's autobiography." Bush went on, his voice thick with emotion, “And to read their amazing life to them has been a remarkable blessing to me, personally, as their son."
To many people, reading to parents may seem so far outside the normal range of regular activities, and it may even feel odd and improper. However, there are still a lot many who brave the momentary strangeness of reading to elderly adults and both reader and listeners are, to borrow a phrase from Wordsworth, surprised by the joy of it.
1. What did reading offer to Linda and her father?A.A way to establish a bond. | B.A way to travel together in reality. |
C.A way to treat the disease. | D.A way to engage in learning. |
A.Improvements in mental health. | B.Benefits of reading to others. |
C.Changes in cognitive process. | D.Development of social skills. |
A.Reading benefits more than the listener |
B.Parents should red more to their kids. |
C.Children should show their gratitude. |
D.Reading to parents is children's duty |
A.Improper and odd. | B.Abnormal but worthy. |
C.Rewarding and joyful. | D.Interesting but unnecessary. |
7 . Who're happier, men or women?Research shows it's a complex question and that asking whether males or females are happier isn't really that helpful, because basically, happiness is different for women and men.
Women's happiness has been declining for the past 30 years, according to recent statistics.And research shows that women are twice as likely to experience depression compared with men.Gender(性别) differences in depression are well confirmed and studies have found that biological, psychological and social factors contribute to the difference.
Early studies on gender and happiness found men and women were socialized to express different feelings.Women are more likely to express happiness, warmth and fear, which help with social bonding and appear more consistent with the traditional role as a primary caregiver, while men display more anger, pride and disrespect, which are more consistent with a protector and provider role.
Recent research suggests that these differences are not just socially, but also genetically related.Studies have looked into these findings further and discovered that females use more areas of the brain containing mirror neurons(镜像神经元)than males when they process feelings.Mirror neurons allow us to experience the world from other people's view, to understand their actions and intentions.This may explain why women can experience deeper sadness.Women tend to experience more negative feelings, such as more guilt, shame and to a lesser degree, embarrassment.
Psychologically it seems men and women differ in the way they process and express feelings.With the exception of anger, women experience feelings more strongly and share their feelings more openly with others.Studies have found in particular that women express more appreciation﹣which has been linked to greater happiness.This supports the theory that women's happiness is more dependent on relationships than men's.
1. Which feeling are men more likely to show compared with women?A.Warmth. |
B.Depression. |
C.Happiness. |
D.Disrespect. |
A.Psychological factors. |
B.Biological factors. |
C.Educational factors. |
D.Social factors. |
A.a science fiction |
B.a culture brochure |
C.a nursery guide |
D.a health magazine |
A.Men and women differ in biology and psychology. |
B.Men and women experience happiness differently. |
C.Social roles have a great effect on men and women. |
D.Women's happiness has declined in the past years. |
8 . Why humans make and appreciate music is an evolutionary (进化的) mystery. Recently David Schruth and his colleagues have a new explanation. They say the roots of human music can date back to the branches of trees more than 50 million years ago, when the first primates (灵长类) appeared. Early primates moved around forest by leaping (跳跃) from branch to branch, a very dangerous way to travel that relies on hand and eye working together and control over muscles.
Schruth argues that a primate that calls in a musical way is advertising that it has fine control over its vocal (声音的) muscles. This might have convinced other primates that the caller also had fine control over its body. His another research shows the species that leap the most tend to have more complicated calls, which the team jokingly named as ‘protomusical’.
Hagen, a worldwide famous scientist in this field, commented on the research: “Some people would not include what we see in primates and songbirds as music. But I do see a continuity between human music and primate vocalizations”.
Hagen doesn’t think human music has a single, simple explanation. He argues that human ancestors originally used music-like vocalizations in two ways: groups vocalized together to send
a signal of strength and unity to scare outsiders away, and mothers used vocalisations to communicate with babies. Also another idea: humans used music to strengthen social bonds.
All these ideas might be compatible, says Hagen. Protomusic could have evolved in primates both to attract companions and for territorial signaling. Later, as early humans began cooperating in large numbers, protomusic might have been repurposed so it could attract rather than frighten outsiders, while also strengthening social bonds within groups.
1. What is Schruth’s finding?A.Primates have the most complex calls. |
B.Human ancestors leap around trees skillfully. |
C.Frequent movements sharpen early human calls. |
D.Complicated vocalizations result from more leaps. |
A.Negative. | B.Skeptical. | C.Supportive. | D.Cautious. |
A.Clever. | B.Reasonable. | C.Misleading. | D.Contradictory. |
A.Repurposed functions of music |
B.Arguments on primates’ evolution |
C.Origins of music linked to leaping |
D.Discoveries about the human origins |
9 . “Sunday Morning”honored the creative, inspiring and newsworthy men and women who passed away in 2020, who'd touched our lives in unforgettable ways.
Pain and sorrow - the calling cards of 2020. “Lean on Me” by Bill Withers provided us reassurance(保证) that tomorrow may be better. Although Withers left us at 81, his notes of comfort helped during a year that wasn't even a month old before grief was already setting in.
The death of 41-year-old Kobe Bryant, along with his 13-year-old daughter and seven others because of an air crash, astonished everyone-basketball fans or not.
“My momma always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get". COVID was certainly the box we all wished we never got. But Winston Groom, who created Forrest Gump, reminded us through that character that challenges exist, to be overcome.
Dignity for Black Americans remained an unfinished struggle in 2020. The deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor-just to name a few-restarted a movement for equality and justice not seen since the 1960s.
Gender equality lost some of its superheroes, too. Helen Reddy, who was inspired to retire after “I Am Woman” became her most popular song in 1974, offered the soundtrack for the fight that she herself engaged in. But there were few champions for women as influential as Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. In her 27 years on the Supreme Court,she expanded rights for women as well as men. Small in stature(个子),a giant for us all. The only thing tougher than Justice Ginsburg was the cancer that took her at age 87.
While the sun isn't out just yet, the hope is that it's just over the horizon.
1. What did Winston Groom want to tell us through Forrest Gump?A.Forrest Gump had a box of chocolates. | B.A person's character determines his fate. |
C.We didn't expect to get Covid-19 in 2020. | D.We are living through difficulties in our life. |
A.Kobe Bryant. | B.Forest Gump. | C.George Floyd. | D.Ruth Bader Ginsburg. |
A.She was a racist. | B.She died from an accident. |
C.She was a musician. | D.She didn't retire until her death. |
10 .
A group of researchers led by Patrick Yu-Wai-Man. an ophthalmologist (眼科医师) at Cambridge University, investigated a new genetic therapy for a form of blindness. Officially, their study was a failure. But it was also a great success, for 29 of the 37 participants reported big improvements in their vision.
The disease in question is Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON)(遗传性视神经病变) .A defective gene leads to sudden and rapid loss of sight, with many sufferers becoming legally blind within a year. It affects between one in 30,000 and one in 50,000 people. Men in their 20s and 30s are particularly at high risk. Since most cases are caused by a mutation (突变) in a single gene, LHON is a good candidate for gene therapy, a form of genetic engineering which aims to replace the defective gene with a working one.
With that in mind. Dr Yu-Wai-Man and his colleagues loaded up a changed virus with a corrected copy of the gene and injected it into their patients' eyes. The researchers controlled the experiment by injecting only one of each patient's eyes--chosen at random--with the virus. The other eye was given a fake injection. Using two eyes in the same patient makes for a perfect control.
The surprise came several months later. The researchers had hoped to see a big improvement in the treated eyes, compared with the untreated ones. They did not, for which the study failed in its primary objective. Instead, in more than three quarters of their patients, they saw significant improvements in both eyes.
On the face of it, that was odd. Only one eye had received the treatment, after all. Follow-up studies in monkeys confirmed what the researchers had suspected. The virus, it seemed, had found a way to travel from one eye to the other, probably via the optic nerve. Tissues and fluids samples from monkeys given the same treatment as the human patients showed viral DNA in both eyes, not just one.
Although it had a happy outcome in this case, the prospect of a gene-therapy virus travelling to places it is not intended to go to might worry regulators. Fortunately, the researchers found no trace of the virus elsewhere in the monkeys’ bodies. And. though the study was technically a failure, its practical success means that an effective treatment for LHON may at last be in reach.
1. LHON is chosen in this study because it________A.can be easily cured |
B.affects young males mostly |
C.is a common disease among people |
D.results from a mutation in a single gene |
A.Some participants suffered loss of sight |
B.The vision of both eyes improved greatly |
C.All the participants gave positive feedback |
D.The virus didn’t replace the damaged gene |
A.confirm the virus travels across eyes |
B.prove the virus can affect other body parts |
C.show the effect of the treatment on animals |
D.highlight regulators' worry about gene-therapy |
A.The Future of Gene Therapy |
B.The Blessing for Eye Patients |
C.Gene Therapy: Eyeball to Eyeball |
D.Virus Treatment: From Humans to Monkeys |