1 . The London Eye remains temporarily closed but in line with the Government's roadmap out of lockdown we plan to reopen from 17th May.You can pre-book now. Further information can be found here.
What to Expect
The London Eye soars 443 fee into the sky and views stretching25 miles every direction.Since opening in 2000,it has been used as a backdrop in countless films and is loved by Britons and visitors alike.This is the UK's most popular visitor attraction,visited by over 3.5 million people a year.
Each London Eye capsule holds up to 25 passengers comfortably. All capsules are fully air-conditioned and rotate (旋转)on a special device designed to keep everyone upright as the wheel makes a slow but progressive rotation.The full rotation lasts 30 minutes of an ever changing view of this dynamic city.
Opening Times
■September to May 10:00am—8:00pm daily
■June 10:00am—9:00pm daily
■July 10:00am—9:30pm daily
■August 10:00am—-8:30pm daily
■Not open on Christmas Day or during maintenance period.
Ticket Prices
| Adult: January to March ₤15.00 April to December ₤15.50 |
| Child (5-15 years): January to March ₤7.50 April to December ₤7.75 |
| Child under 5 years: free |
| Senior (60 plus): ₤12.00 |
Booking line
■9:00am to 5:00pm Monday to Sunday
■Telephone: 0870 5000 600
1. Which of the following does the London Eye ride offer?| A．A 30-minute fast rotation. |
| B．An insight into its long history. |
| C．A 360°moving view of the city. |
| D．A non-chargeable admission. |
| A．10:00am—-8:00pm. |
| B．100am-9:00pm. |
| C．10:00am-—9:30pm. |
| D．10:00am—8:30pm. |
| A．₤30 | B．₤31 | C．₤37.5 | D．₤38.75 |
2 . Warm weather gets thousands of people to gather outdoors and celebrate for various events. Here are a few fun festivals that you should travel to see this summer.
Naadam (Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia)
Naadam,also known as “the three games of men”,is the biggest traditional festival held in Ulaanbaatar,the Mongolian capital.Each July,men compete in Mongolian wrestling,horse racing and archery (射箭).Today,women also take art in the archery and girls in the horse racing.
Elvis Week (Memphis)
If moving your body to Blue Suede Shoes this summer sounds good to you,then head to Memphis for Elvis Week,usually held in August.Movies,special performances and the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest are just a few activities to keep fans busy. The week of events is held to mark the anniversary (周年纪念日) of the death of Elvis Presley,the “King of Rock and Roll”.
Glastonbury Festival (Somerset, England)
Around 175,000 people gather on a dairy farm in Somerset,England every year for the Glastonbury Festival.Famous bands and singers appear at the 5-day music celebration.The ticket for the festival was £1 when the festival started in 1970,but today,full-weekend general tickets go for about £248.
World Bodypainting Festival (Klagenfurt, Austria)
During the annual World Bodypainting Festival in Austria, artists from as many as 50 countries compete using a variety of techniques, including brushes, sponges and airbrushes. Alex Barendregt organized the first festival in 1998, when he was tasked with organizing a new summer event.
1. Where can we watch exciting games when attending the festival?| A．Peru. | B．Austria. |
| C．England. | D．Mongolia. |
| A．Naadam. |
| B．Elvis Week. |
| C．Glastonbury Festival. |
| D．World Bodypainting Festival. |
| A．It is held to celebrate the harvest. |
| B．It is held in the downtown area of a city. |
| C．Its ticket price has greatly increased since it started. |
| D．It offers actors a good chance to show their talents. |
3 . Most of our everyday plastic items end up in landfill, left to rot away for many years. But some of it blows away, spoiling the countryside and causing damage to the natural environment and harming wildlife. The problem is most severe in our oceans. Research has found a deserted island in the South Pacific is littered with the highest density (密度) of plastic waste anywhere in the world.
The study described how remote islands act as a ‘sink’ for the world’s rubbish. They become collecting points for fishing items and everyday things including toothbrushes, cigarette lighters and razors-things that we throw away. Dr Jennifer Lavers from the University of Tasmania says “Almost every island in the world and almost every species in the ocean is now being impacted one way or another by our waste.”
This highlights the potentially deadly effect of our disposable (用后即丢弃) culture. When we throw something away, it doesn’t just disappear, it goes somewhere and because of the nature of plastic, it takes a long time to rot away and stays there causing great damage to the ocean’s ecology (生态). And worse still, plastic is broken down into tiny particles over a long period by the wind and the waves, then sea creatures at the bottom of the food chain swallow them. These creatures are eaten by the fish that we eventually consume.
The solution to this problem would be to use less plastic. Several countries now charge for using plastic carrier bags which reduces the amount used and some products now use natural and recyclable materials.
1. What does the author really want to tell us in the first parapraph?| A．It is a good idea to end plastic items in a landfill. |
| B．Plastic items blow away easily in the strong wind. |
| C．It is a bad habit to throw away plastics everywhere. |
| D．Plastic pollution in oceans is a most serious issue. |
| A．The islands begin to sink with much rubbish on them. |
| B．The islands have become gathering places for rubbish. |
| C．The islands are ideal places to hide the plastic products. |
| D．The islands are inaccessible due to the white pollution. |
| A．Impact on sea species. | B．Thrown-away rubbish. |
| C．The nature of plastic. | D．The ocean’s ecology. |
| A．Breaking the balance of ocean ecology. | B．Causing many sea creatures to die out. |
| C．Presenting potential risks to our health. | D．Cutting off the food chain of sea creatures. |
4 . In recent years, Ethiopia has become a regional leader in solid waste management. Last year, the country transformed the landfill (垃圾填埋场) in Addis Ababa into a new waste-to-energy plant, the first such project on the continent. The plant incinerates up to 1, 400 tonnes of waste every day, about 80 percent of the city's rubbish, supplying the capital with 25 percent of its household electricity needs.
However, despite these important steps, challenges remain in Ethiopia. Although the country has permitted the Basel, Stockholm and Rotterdam conventions, laws and policies for environmentally sound management of hazardous (有害的) wastes are still not effective in pre- venting littering waste illegally.
To help Ethiopia meet these challenges, the Chemicals and Waste Management Program is supporting the country with a three-year project to enhance its capacity for sound management of hazardous wastes.
In the initial stages, a project management unit will be formed, made up of many representatives from government departments and private organizations. This unit will be responsible for reviewing and assessing Ethiopia's current legal system, which, despite numerous advances in recent years, does not specifically target the recycling of hazardous waste. Once legal gaps are identified, the project will seek to update existing policies and strategies.
Many people in Ethiopia are not aware of the possible effect of environmental damage and the need to report such crimes to the police. To resolve this pressing issue, Ethiopia will be conducting a series of capacity-building activities, including creating awareness-raising programs, training trainers and providing equipment.
Ethiopia will also work to establish a national mechanism for chemicals and waste management by engaging government departments and civil society groups. Authorities will also make budgetary provisions (预算拨款) in national, regional and institutional planning to ensure funding for these activities is sustainable even after the project's completion.
1. Which can replace the underlined word “incinerates” in paragraph 1?| A．Produces. | B．Burns. | C．Gathers. | D．Absorbs. |
| A．The relevant laws are not sound. | B．The shortage of workers is severe. |
| C．The pollution level is too high. | D．The funds are not sufficient. |
| A．Restrict their environmental movement. | B．Call on them to start some programs. |
| C．Reward them with budgetary provisions. | D．Raise their environmental awareness. |
| A．Ethiopia is facing serious environmental problems. |
| B．Ethiopia has achieved success in waste management. |
| C．Ethiopia is putting efforts into waste management. |
| D．Ethiopia has reduced environmental pollution levels. |
5 . Slowing down was the last thing on Elaine Schaefer's mind when she turned 70 last year. She'd enjoyed an ambitious travel schedule for the previous decade. She didn't feel too old to travel.
Yet many people are asking that slightly embarrassing question: Can you be too old to travel? The travel industry has already responded. Try renting a car in Europe, for example. In Croatia, Schaefer wouldn't be able to this year, because the maximum age is 70. Insurance companies require higher rates; tour operators limit certain activities. That feels like a " no" for many travelers.
Definitely some folks should think twice before traveling, but not only based on their age. It's their level of fitness, says Kirsten Veldman, a former tour guide who now edits a retirement blog. She recalls a 93-year-old who was disabled and traveling alone on a Caribbean tour. "You can't expect to ask a tour leader to be there for you 24/7 for medical care. " she says. "Tour guides don't have the time, skills, and knowledge for it. So, in this case, my advice is: he shouldn't have traveled with us in this situation. "
But some tour operators serve older travelers. For example, Grand Circle Travel started in 1958 to serve senior members. “We have travelers into their 80s and even 90s. Some travel as a couple and some alone,” says company spokeswoman Ann Shannon. “We have no age limit.”
If you ask travel experts, they'll tell you that age is just a number. It's a question of physical, and to a certain extent, mental ability. "Many of our travelers are retired, focused on keeping their good health, and are experienced travelers who have a good idea of what to expect, "says Sara Baer-Sinnott, president of Oldways, a food and nutrition nonprofit that operates tours. "Someone in their 40's may struggle more than someone in their 80s. "
1. What is expected if Schaefer travels in Croatia this year?| A．She can rent a car to go around. |
| B．She has to pay more insurance fees. |
| C．She can join in all kinds of activities. |
| D．She will receive 24/7 medical care. |
| A．His old age. | B．His lack of money. |
| C．His poor health. | D．His in sociable personality. |
| A．It is a non-profit traveling organization. |
| B．It offers service to a wide range of travelers. |
| C．It has a history of more than seven decades. |
| D．Its main customers are senior travelers. |
| A．Opposed. | B．Supportive. | C．Tolerant. | D．Objective. |
6 . 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. |
7 . Ian McKenna was in third grade when he learned that many kids at his Austin school weren't getting enough to eat at home. He wanted to help, but local volunteer organizations turned him away, saying he was too young. So he decided to find his own solution. For years, he had been gardening with his mother, and they often distributed their extra vegetables to the neighbors. “Why not give the produce to a soup kitchen? Then I thought, I'm good at gardening," says McKenna, now 16. “Why not plant a garden at school, so that kids in need could take food home?"
McKenna persuaded his school to set aside space for a garden; then he asked the community for donations of seeds and equipment. Other students donated their time. Within months, McKenna's garden was producing lettuces, tomatoes, cucumbers and squash for students and their families. Now, seven years later, McKenna's Giving Garden project has expanded to five area schools in addition to his own backyard garden, and he has provided organic produce, enough for 25,000 meals, to Austin families.
For most of his gardening activities, McKenna wears the same T-shirt in different colors, with his personal motto on it: BE A GOOD HUMAN. To him, that means helping in any way you can, no matter what your age. "Even a smile might change someone's life," he says. “It lets them know that they are important. It can make their day."
When COVID-19 hit the U.S., McKenna redoubled his efforts, cooking up to 100 meals to distribute to the hungry on the weekends. When social distancing meant that volunteers couldn't work on community garden plots, he started offering online classes and a gardening hotline so families could grow at home. While gardening is his core focus, McKenna says he is always looking for new ways to help the hungry.
1. What caused Ian's decision to help the kids in his own way?| A．Being rejected by volunteer groups. | B．Being good at gardening. |
| C．A soup kitchen's support. | D．His mother's suggestions. |
| A．It helps students only. | B．It was started with joint efforts. |
| C．It is funded by schools. | D．It earns great profits every year. |
| A．Where there is a will, there is a way. | B．A small gesture makes a difference. |
| C．One good turn deserves another. | D．Love can break all the barriers. |
| A．Ian McKenna, Growing a Food Bank |
| B．Ian Mckenna, an Experienced Gardener |
| C．Giving Garden Project, an Impossible Mission |
| D．Giving Garden Project, a Universal Solution |
8 . Trucker Gerlock traveled hundreds of thousands of miles with his dog, Holly, who came with him on every route—including his last one. While driving near Dallas, Texas, on the job, the 59-year-old Marylander crashed into a concrete column. Gerlock was killed instantly. Looking in the back of the truck, though, rescue drivers found one survivor.
Rescue workers cut the Chesapeake Bay retriever(切萨皮克海湾寻回犬)—practically untouched—out of the back of the truck, where she’d been sleeping. “It’s amazing that anything survived, ”Sandy Nordhoff, friend of Gerlock, told The Kent County News.
Unsure what happened to Holly, Gerlock’s friends from his town of Rock Hall, Maryland, made numerous calls and emails to agencies in order to find out where the dog was. Eventually, they found out she had been staying in Dallas Animal Services shelter and a foster family had taken her in for Thanksgiving. The Rock Hall locals hatched a plan to get her home.
Joe Creighton and Sandy’s husband, Russell Nordhoff, both lifelong friends of Gerlock, volunteered to make the 2, 800-mile trip from Rock Hall to Dallas and back, which took two days each way. The friends borrowed Gerlock’s pickup truck for the road, so Holly would feel more comfortable on the journey home, according to The Kent County News.
Back in Rock Hall, some of Gerlock’s friends adopted Holly. Ever since, the dog has been a town icon(偶像), making an appearance in almost every town parade.
“The outpouring of love shown towards Gerlock and Holly was heartwarming, ”Rock Hall resident Jamie Elburn tells Reader's Digest. “It shows how the companionship of‘man’s best friend’and simple kindness can overcome even the most difficult situation!”
1. What does the underlined part in Paragraph 2 indicate?| A．The trip was extremely tiring. | B．The result was quite satisfying. |
| C．The survivor was very smart. | D．The accident was too serious. |
| A．She was nowhere to be found. | B．She was put in an animal shelter. |
| C．She was sent back home immediately. | D．She was adopted by a foster family. |
| A．It was painstaking. | B．It was full of danger. |
| C．It tumed out to be interesting. | D．It required much experience. |
| A．Sympathetic. | B．Grateful. | C．Shocked. | D．Touched. |
9 . Traffic jams are the horrible dreams of motorists’ lives. If you think your journey is bad, spare a thought for drivers in Sao Paolo, Brazil — one evening in May last year, the traffic jams during the rush hour added up to a 344km queue, according to the city's traffic management agency.
This isn't a new problem, of course. During the car boom of the 1960s, city planners had one seemingly obvious solution: build more and wider roads. But the more roads created, the more cars they attracted. So what's the solution? Some cities have adopted easy methods, like banning cars from driving on certain days.
However, ending this horrible dream may need more of a complete rethink. A company, Urban Engines, has a slightly fresher method. "We're providing an online game that offers trip suggestions and prizes to encourage commuter behaviour changes, including changing travel from peak to off-peak times,“ says Shiva Shivakumar, Urban Engines' co-founder and GEO. For the past two-and-a-half years, the company has conducted pilot studies in major cities, including Bangalore and Singapore. In Bangalore, one-in-six people who took part in the trial started travelling off-peak, and in Singapore one-in-eight.
But others think this solution doesn't go far enough—and that we should provide more reasons for putting fewer cars on the road. “The only effective long-term solution is to improve alternative methods—walking, cycling and particularly high-quality public transport,” says Todd Litman of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute in Canada. Road pricing that charges motorists extra if they drive during the rush hour could also be an option. Cities like Singapore, London and Stockholm have successfully used road pricing to control the steel river.
The solution to beating traffic jams in cities, if it comes, will probably take a long time to gain prizes. But if at least some of these new ideas are a success, the days of Sao Paolo's heavy traffic jams may finally become history.
1. What can we learn about the method of building wider roads?| A．It results in the car boom. | B．It is far from satisfactory. |
| C．It needs to be further tested. | D．It is unlikely to be widely used. |
| A．It charges commuters for travelling at peak times. |
| B．It changes its working time to avoid peak times. |
| C．It bans commuters from driving on certain days. |
| D．It offers prizes to those travelling at off-peak times. |
| A．The traffic flow. | B．The traffic light. |
| C．The public transport. | D．The crowd of people. |
| A．How Do Traffic Jams Form | B．Can We Ever End Traffic Jams |
| C．Do Traffic Jams Affect Our Life | D．Where Is the Most Jammed City |
10 . Here on Earth where most of us live, we spend about a third of everyday lying down sleeping and two-thirds standing or sitting in an upright position.
That's not really how it goes in space when people are weightless and the zero gravity environment causes more liquid to shift to the head. Faces get swollen, legs lose volume and appear to be smaller. Many astronauts have complained of eye and back problems after coming back down to Earth and its gravity.
And now scientists say they have discovered some new risks with long-term space flight. A study published recently in JAMA Network Open, a medical journal, examined 11 healthy astronauts who had been on the International Space Station for six months. Eight of them had unusual characteristics observed in their blood. For instance, six of the astronauts had reverse （反向的）blood flow from their heads.
The lead author of the study says he doesn't know if that's actually harmful. The blood is still leaving the head from other pathways, so flowing backwards through a jugular vein（颈静脉） may not be dangerous. But he says it does show a change in how blood moves through the body while in space.
Another issue the study found was blood clots （凝块）. One astronaut had one. Another showed signs of a partial blood clot. That is potentially harmful as the clots can block the flow of blood to the lungs. The astronaut who had one was treated for the rest of the spaceflight and made it home safely.
What does all this mean? Well, one researcher says these issues have probably been oc- curring since humans first went into space and that they would likely resolve themselves when astronauts came back down to Earth. Knowing about them now gives doctors something else to monitor when people leave our atmosphere.
1. What causes the physical problems for astronauts?| A．Sleeping for a long time. | B．The zero gravity environment. |
| C．Staying in the spaceship. | D．The shift in their bodies. |
| A．Four. | B．Three. | C．Two. | D．One. |
| A．It is a common problem. | B．It is a new kind of disease. |
| C．It is a threat to people's health. | D．It was first found by astronauts. |
| A．Doctors have a new task for astronauts |
| B．Zero gravity stops astronauts flying in space |
| C．It's dangerous for astronauts to fly into space |
| D．New risks are found in long-term space flight |
