1 . A mother has taken her celebration（颂扬）of great women in history to the next level—by dressing her baby daughter up as some of the most famous women of all time. Jenelle Wexler, a hair stylist from Chicago, the USA, came up with the idea when she noticed similarities in appearance between her four-month-old baby, Liberty, and a Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.
Wexler took photos of Liberty who was dressed up as the Mexican artist. And after that, Wexler wanted to go on with what she did. "The pictures came out wonderfully, and soon after that, I thought about other women in history that contributed to the benefit of women and people as a whole," she says.
Wexler takes the photos with her iphone. Up until now, she has dressed Liberty up as a series of famous women, including Marie Curie, Coco Chanel, Madonna and Amelia Earhart.
Once she decides which woman she would like Liberty to play, she researches the person and learns about some of the historic achievements this woman has made. Wexler checks photos of each woman, which she then uses to design clothing and setting that will show their character and achievements.
It takes Wexler around 20 minutes to take each photo, and for every dress-up activity, Wexler usually takes nearly 50 pictures in total. "Liberty has acted 34 women of influence," she says. She just wants to draw people's attention to those who should really be admired in our society—there are so many great women who need to be remembered and have their stories told.
1. What made Wexler dress Liberty up as Frida Kahlo?| A．Frida Kahlo is popular among women. |
| B．Wexler admires Frida Kahlo very much. |
| C．Liberty and Frida Kahlo looked like each other. |
| D．Wexler wanted Liberty to be an artist like Frida Kahlo |
| A．Show how the dress-up activity goes on. |
| B．Offer some suggestions on picture-taking. |
| C．Value women's contributions to the world |
| D．Introduce some research on famous women |
| A．She enjoys taking photos to record life. |
| B．She devotes all her time to her daughter. |
| C．She works hard to protect the rights of women |
| D．She puts lots of effort into the dress-up activity. |
| A．To introduce some excellent women. |
| B．To advise people to take pictures of kids. |
| C．To call on people to remember famous women. |
| D．To choose proper role models for young people. |
2 . Best Ski Resorts (胜地)
Stevens Pass—Washington
While American families have different choices when it comes to winter snow sports, many choose Stevens Pass. For some fun after the sun goes down, Stevens Pass offers night skiing under the lights until 10 p. m. If you need to get some work done, you can head to the Visitor Center where free Wii is offered for work from mountain experience.
Good to Know: Buy tickets 7+days earlier for the biggest savings.
Beaver Creek—Colombia
With full childcare choices and the best ski school for beginners, Beaver Creek is a perfect ski resort for families. For kids who aren't quite ready to ski, the Small World Play School is a good place to go to. Add in a Cookie Cabin, and you may never want to go down this mountain!
Good to Know: Every day at 3 p. m. enjoy Cookie Time—where cooks serve warm, delicious chocolate cookies!
Big Sky Resort-Montana
Big Sky is greatly designed for skiing lovers. The Lone Peak Playhouse offers childcare to kids aged six months to eight years old, so you can enjoy skiing while your kids play. Or, head to Chet's for board games and live music.
Good to Know: Kids aged six and under ski free.
Mt. Hood Meadows—Oregon
For beginners, start with Buttercup and Ballroom Carpet. Or, head to the Children's Learning Center, where kids as young as four can sign up for lessons. If you add in the healthy lunches, you can rest easy while your kids have a great full-day lesson.
Good to know： Kids can get a special two-hour beginner lesson for just $ 25, and equipment rental (设备租用)can be added for $10. Tickets can only be bought ahead of time.
1. What can visitors do at Stevens Pass?| A．Take skiing lessons. | B．Play indoor games. |
| C．Do voluntary work | D．Ski at night. |
| A．Both offer snacks. | B．Both offer childcare |
| C．Both offer live music. | D．Both offer board games. |
| A．$ 10. | B．$ 25. |
| C．$ 35 | D．$ 45. |
3 . While it's not impossible for birds to fly in the rain, they usually choose not to. You may see birds fly for a few seconds in poor weather, but most of them prefer to stay put on rainy days.
Why does rain make it harder for birds to fly? You might imagine that moving through the air while being pelted by raindrops would be pretty unpleasant. However, it's not the rain itself that makes flying difficult. Instead, birds are influenced by the drop in the air pressure that comes with most rainstorms. When pressure drops, the air is less thick, which makes it harder for birds to fly. Moving through the sky in areas of low air pressure takes a lot of energy.
Most birds need to eat several times a day—rain or no rain. Luckily, most birds' feathers（羽毛）are highly waterproof（防水的）, protecting the skin beneath. Many birds can also make oil that they can spread over their feathers to further protect themselves from the rain. Most birds don't like rain. In fact, in a 2010 study, a team of researchers studied birds living in a Costa Rican rainforest. They found that the birds had higher levels of stress hormone（应激激素）on rainy days. That may not surprise you. After all, many animals feel stressed out during storms. Pet owners often find that rain and thunder make their animals nervous. Some animals are so strongly influenced by nature that they almost seem to forecast the future.
No one really knows how many birds die during a storm or series of storms. But the number is certainly higher than usual. They fly into trees or windows; they get lost over the ocean or a large lake; their food sources are made more difficult to get but, at the same time, they need more food to get warm. However, if rain continues for some time, birds will have to challenge the storm.
1. What makes it harder for birds to fly in the rain?| A．The wet air. | B．Food shortage. |
| C．Raindrops. | D．The low air pressure. |
| A．Cleaned. | B．Hit. |
| C．Frightened. | D．Protected. |
| A．Why birds can fly in the rain |
| B．How birds are influenced by rain. |
| C．How birds survive long rainy days. |
| D．Why birds' feathers are waterproof. |
| A．Birds will develop the ability to fly in the rain |
| B．Birds fly only when necessary on rainy days. |
| C．Birds have nowhere to hide in rainstorms. |
| D．Birds need less food on rainy days. |
4 . Covid-19 has brought a great deal of trouble for all of us since March 2020. During this time, mobile phones have been the solution for the boredom and restlessness caused from staying indoors. The most downloaded apps on play store 2020 are;
TikTok
TikTok was the most downloaded app. With over 111.9 million downloads, TikTok has seen a huge growth in 2020, twice more than what it got in 2019. 20% of its total downloads were from India and around 9. 3% of the total downloads were in the US.
Zoom
Zoom was the second most installed app in the overall downloads category. With nearly 94. 6 million installs, Zoom is the most used app for online meetings and virtual classrooms. 17% of its downloads were in the US and India. Offices and educational institutes were shut down and to continue working and studying from home, people relied heavily on Zoom for video conferencing and calling.
WhatsApp ranked third in overall downloads with more than 100 million downloads. It is one of the most popular and widely used chat applications; WhatsApp also supports communication between international phone networks.
It ranked fourth in the overall downloaded list. Facebook is the world’s most popular social networking application. Facebook builds technologies that give people the power to connect with friends and family, find communities and grow businesses.
1. What do we know about TikTok?| A．It is an India-based app. | B．It has most users in America. |
| C．It is used for growing business. | D．It has doubled its download than in 2019. |
| A．TikTok. | B．Zoom. | C．WhatsApp. | D．Facebook. |
| A．Communication. | B．Training. | C．Teaching. | D．Payment |
5 . Men hunted. Women gathered. That has long been the common view of our prehistoric ancestors. But the discovery of a woman buried 9000 years ago in the Andes Mountains with weapons and hunting tools, and an analysis of other burial sites in the Americas challenges this widely accepted division of labor in hunter-gatherer society.
“Labor practices among recent hunter-gatherer societies are highly gendered, which might lead some to believe that sexist inequalities in things like pay or rank are somehow 'natural' , ”said lead study author Randy Haas, an assistant professor of anthropology (人类学) at University of California, Davis, in a news release. "But it's now clear that sexual division of labor was fundamentally different-likely more equal and reasonable-in our species deep hunter-gatherer past."
The burial site was discovered in 2018 during excavations (发掘) at a high-altitude site called Wilamaya Patjxa in what is now Peru. The woman, thought to be between 17 and 19 years old when she died, was buried with items that suggested she hunted big-game animals.
Although some scholars have suggested a role for women in ancient hunting, others have dismissed this idea even when hunting tools were uncovered in female burials. To examine whether this woman found at this site was an outlier, the researchers examined 429 skeletons (骷髅) at 107 burials sites in North and South America around 8000 to 14000 years ago. Of those, 27 individuals were buried with hunting tools—11 were female and 15 were male. The sample was sufficient to "support the conclusion that female participation in early big-game hunting was likely not unusual".
The findings add to doubts about man — the hunter assumption that informed much thinking about early humans since the mid-20th century. “They suggest hunting was very much a community-based activity, needing the participation of all able-bodied individuals to drive large animals”, the paper said. The weapon of choice at that time had low accuracy, encouraging broad participation, and using it was a skill learned from childhood.
1. What does the recent burial site at Andes Mountains show?| A．The origin of sexual inequality. |
| B．Hunting skills of ancient times. |
| C．The social system of prehistoric hunters. |
| D．Job division of hunter-gatherer society. |
| A．Gender plays no part in recent hunter-gatherer society. |
| B．Sexist inequality is a natural result of prehistoric society. |
| C．Ancient division of labor might be fairer than we'd thought. |
| D．Public ideas of women's role will be changed abruptly. |
| A．Exception. | B．Failure. |
| C．Role model. | D．Easy target. |
| A．Lack of able-bodied individuals. |
| B．Imperfection in hunting weapons. |
| C．Better accuracy of females in hunting. |
| D．Need for large animals as food source. |
6 . When I was a boy there were no smart phones, and our television only got one channel clearly. Still, I was never bored. The fields, hills, and woodlands around my home were the perfect playground. I can remember once hiking to a nearby lake. At the backside of it I was amazed to find an old dirt road that I had never seen before. It was full of muddy tracks and deep woods bordered it on both sides, but exploring it still seemed like a fine adventure.
I walked on and on for hours. I was sure my guardian angel was whispering in my ear “Turn around and head back home”, but I was stubborn, so I walked on. There was still neither a car nor a house in sight. I noticed that the sun was starting to go down and I grew scared. I didn’t want to end up trapped on this road, and I was worried that it would be dark before I could make my way back to the lake again.
I continued to walk on with something growing inside of me. My heart was pounding and my legs were aching. I was almost in tears when I turned one last curve and saw something in the distance. It was a house that I recognized. I jumped up and down and laughed out loud. It was still over a mile away, but my legs felt like feathers and I hurried back to my house in no time. I walked in with a big smile on my face just in time for dinner.
I remembered this recently when I saw a sign that said “All roads lead home”. It is true. In life, all roads, no matter how they twist and turn, can lead us home again. What is important, though, is how we travel them. Are we going to go forth in fear or are we going to go forth in faith? Are we going to make this life a terrible trip or are we going to make this life a joyful journey? The choice is ours.
1. Why did the author hardly feel bored when he was young?| A．Because he could have fun in nature. |
| B．Because he could watch TV all day. |
| C．Because he had many friends. |
| D．Because he used to explore the old dirt road. |
| A．He thought he would be scolded by his parents. |
| B．He felt contradictory in mind. |
| C．He thought he would be trapped in the woods. |
| D．He was unconscious. |
| A．The dirt road. | B．His house. |
| C．The lake. | D．A passing car. |
| A．Always make choices on our own. |
| B．All roads lead home. |
| C．It’s our attitude that matters in our life. |
| D．Every effort is worthwhile. |
7 . Whether it's studying for exams, working on a project or struggling with an essay, we've all been under huge stress at some point. When it gets hard for us to bear, we can reach a level of exhaustion — the terrible burnout (倦怠). However, that feeling of exhaustion is not just physical; it can be mental as well.
According to Psychology Today, burnout isn't just caused by working long hours; it is more about prolonged or repeated exposure to a stressful situation.
Its result can be feelings of cynicism, depression and lethargy (嗜睡). Suffering from burnout can stifle (扼杀) our creativity and productivity. Ironically, this means that striving to be more efficient can result in a reduction in our productivity. But what can we do to avoid the evils of burnout? Well, there are some tips that may help you.
Psychologist Albert Bandura's idea of self-efficacy — which is the theory that you should believe in your ability to complete a task at hand — may assist you. A feeling that the task is achievable and that you are capable of succeeding might make a difficult task less tiresome.
Finding ways to express your creative side may help. Not everyone has creative aspects to their jobs, therefore, they need to find other outlets. They could paint, write or take part in local theatre. All of this may help to free them from the stress that may exist in their working life.
Looking after yourself and your surroundings can also be beneficial. The consequence is that you are surrounded by a cleaner and more positive environment. This, in turn, leads to another tip, which is to have healthy and positive thoughts. Being negative can be incredibly draining (心力交瘁的). Having a positive mental attitude towards everything you do means that you may feel more capable as well.
Burnout is a common condition associated with the pressures of the modern world. It's not just a physical condition; it has psychological effects that can impact heavily on your work and life in general. Taking steps to avoid burning out can benefit not just us, but our bosses and families.
1. What is the main reason for burnout?| A．Lack of sleep. |
| B．Working long hours. |
| C．Struggling with an essay. |
| D．Being under stressful situations. |
| A．Making a task easier. |
| B．Being less creative. |
| C．Working more efficiently. |
| D．Completing work quickly. |
| A．Focus on your work anyway. |
| B．Doubt your ability in working. |
| C．Expose yourself to positive surroundings. |
| D．Find your creative aspects in the job. |
| A．Burnout: A mental condition that deserves attention |
| B．Burnout: A physical condition that can be ignored |
| C．Why are people under huge stress in modern life |
| D．Why can stress affect your work and life |
8 . There have been fires in every Australian state, but New South Wales has been hardest hit. Fires have torn through bushland (丛林地), wooded areas, and national parks. Some start and are controlled in a few days, but the biggest fires have been burning for months.
Each year there is a fire season during the Australian summer, with hot, dry weather making it easy for fires to start and spread. Natural causes are responsible for fires most of the time, like lightning hits in drought-affected forests. Dry lightning was to blame for starting a number of fires in late December, which then traveled more than 20 kilometers in just five hours. Humans can also be responsible. Police have charged at least 24 people with starting bushfires on purpose, and have taken action against 183 people for setting fire since November.
Fire season in Australia is always dangerous -- the 2009 Black Saturday fires killed 173 people in Victoria, making it the deadliest bushfire disaster on record. But conditions have been unusually bad this year, making fires burn more strongly and making firefighting conditions particularly difficult. Australia is experiencing one of its worst droughts over the years. Meanwhile, a heatwave in December broke the record for highest nationwide average temperature, with some places under temperatures well above 40 degrees Celsius. Strong winds have also made the fires and smoke spread more rapidly, and have led to deaths.
About half a billion animals have been affected by the fires across NSW, with millions likely dead -- and that's lower than what is probably the real number. That number of total animals influenced could be as high as one billion nationwide. Almost a third of koalas in NSW may have been killed in the fires, and a third of the places where they live have been destroyed.
Some species, like koalas, aren't in any immediate danger of extinction because they are spread out across the country. But others that live in more suitable environments with lower populations, including certain types of frogs and birds, could be destroyed entirely if their home is hit by the fires.
1. Fires in Australia _________.| A．may last a long time | B．often happen in spring |
| C．mainly happened in some states | D．are easily controlled in a few hours |
| A．spread rapidly | B．caused by humans |
| C．were put out by police | D．were due to wet weather |
| A．big fire | B．strong wind |
| C．serious drought | D．period of hot weather |
| A．Because they can run fast. |
| B．Because they live far and wide. |
| C．Because their home is well protected. |
| D．Because they have a lower population. |
9 . It can be hard to keep kids busy sometimes, especially when school is out. That's why you usually reach for tablets, phones, or other electronic devices for your kids to play with when they're bored. Whether your kid is in pre-school or high school, there are fun, educational, and even some free apps on this list for them.
ABCmouse.com
ABCmouse.com is available both as an app and a website. It uses fun storyline-based videos, quizzes, and activities — there's even a virtual map outlining your child’s learning path to keep kids engaged.
Ages: 4-8
Cost: One-month free trial, then $10/month subscription (订阅)
EPIC!
Epic! is an app for kids with an e-book library that contains over 35,000 children's books. This app is a perfect way to take reading wherever your device goes, and it's great for families with kids of various ages.
Ages: 2-12
Cost: one-month free trial, then $8/month.
QUICK MATH
Kids know that math can be boring, but this app transforms numbers into something more creative and interactive. Quick Math Jr. is an app for kids with 12 different math games that feature fundamental math skills and concepts. It has unique pictures and buildable characters to keep kids engaged, and all answers are handwritten or drawn on the screen so kids can also practice handwriting.
Ages: 4-8
Cost: free
Brainpop Jr. Movie of the Week
For 20 years, Brainpop has been providing kids all over the world with in-depth, yet easy to understand educational videos on everything ranging from Mozart to food allergies. Brainpop Jr. Movie of the Week is an app that helps younger kids get these videos, plus short quizzes on them.
You’ll need a subscription to get the full library of videos, but the free version still gets you the movie of the week, plus more free videos on internet safety, and other subjects.
Ages: 6-9
Cost: free, optional subscription (订阅) is $6.99/month
1. How much is it if you want to use ABCmouse.com for the first year?| A．$120 | B．$96 | C．$110 | D．88 |
| A．ABCmouse.com | B．EPIC! |
| C．QUICK MATH | D．Brainpop Jr. Movie of the Week |
| A．read e-books | B．get all the videos for free |
| C．learn from educational videos | D．practice his or her handwriting |
10 . YOUR LIST OF "MUST READ."
Of Human Nature and Good Habits: Baby Steps to Follow Mother Nature
Prabhash Karan
Hardback·▏Paperback ▏E-book
$26.99 ▏$18.99 ▏$3. 99
Research claims that keeping only 5 good habits—eat healthy, exercise, drinking moderately, not smoking and keeping a healthy body weight—can not only keep the life thriving through golden years but also make a man's life longer at age 50 by 12 years, and a woman's by 14.
Loving Memories: A collection by B. J. Barkley
B. J. Barkley
Hardback ▏Paperback ▏E-book
$29. 99▏$19. 99▏$3. 99
Author and poet В. J. Barkley invites readers to go on a journey in Loving Memories. This is a collection of mother's experiences expressed through poetry.
It's In The Bible!; A Practical Historical and Sociopolitical Perspective of Scripture Arthur Padilla
Hardback▏Paperback▏E-book
$29.99▏$19.99▏$3.99
It's In The Bible! Takes a practical, approach in describing the significant historical, social, and political influence The Bible has had and is having on human society today.
S413
Saniyah Chisti
Hardback▏Paperback▏E-book
$34.99▏$23.99▏$5.99
After breaking up, Elizabeth falls in love with Sean, the billion law student. In the process of her spiritual awakening, she ends up discovering the secret of the world.
1. Which book may help you live a longer life?| A．Of Human Nature and Good Habits | B．Loving Memories |
| C．It's In The Bible! | D．S413 |
| A．Saniyah Chisti. | B．B. J. Barkley | C．Prabhash Karan | D．Arthur Padilla |
| A．$26.99. | B．$23.99. | C．$29.99. | D．$34.99. |
