1 . On the banks of the beautiful Macquarie River, Bathurst is a town of pretty tree-lined streets, beautiful parks and wonderful heritage buildings. Many activities are held there year-round. Here are some for you.
The Lazy Sunday Afternoon
January 1
Join us for the Lazy Sunday Afternoon as we show you local award-winning wine from Three Views Vineyard. Please call in advance to book. Enjoy cheap wine tastings and a selection of cheeses. For those who do not want to drive, a pick-up is available.
International Museum Photograph Day
January 15
Celebrate International Museum Photograph Day with a selfie at Bathurst Regional Council Museums with free entrance. To win a prize for the most imaginative photographs, just use the marking Museum Photograph Day Bathurst when you post on Facebook.
Bathurst Miniature Railway
From February 1 to February 16
Bathurst Miniature Railway operates every third Sunday of the month. It is located next to the Tennis Centre in Durham Street. The club started in 1977 and today operates nearly 600 meters of race track in Durham Street Bathurst. Over the years more tracks for your enjoyment of sports have been added.
Challenge Bathurst
From November 28 to December 1
Challenge Bathurst is a great opportunity to drive your own street car or track racing car on the famous Mount Panorama Racing Circuit. With the most exciting 6.2 kilometers of bitumen (沥青) on the planet open for your speeding enjoyment, you won’t want to miss your chance to gain an unforgettable experience.
1. What do we know about the Lazy Sunday Afternoon?| A．It is held monthly. | B．It is free of charge. |
| C．It refuses to offer pick-up service. | D．It requires booking ahead of time. |
| A．A man loving food and wine. | B．A girl fond of taking pictures. |
| C．A kid expecting free car rides. | D．A teenager wanting to play tennis. |
| A．To introduce some events in Bathurst. | B．To advertise some summer activities. |
| C．To show races on the Bathurst streets. | D．To provide opportunities for indoor sports. |
2 . What is the greatest threat to mankind? Maybe different people come up with different answers. However, there is no denying the fact that the only threat to humankind, apart from humankind itself, is, without any doubt, the nature. Natural disasters are the result of natural environmental processes that have a damaging effect on people. Natural disasters can come in many forms: such as geological events like earthquakes, tsunamis or mud-rock flows, climatic events like storms, hurricanes or tornadoes and fire events like forest fires and wildfires.
The damage done by natural disasters is mainly as a result of our inability to predict exactly when they will happen. Although great progress has been made in designing and developing forecasting models for some natural disaster, complete certainty is still impossible. Even to be pessimistic there is a possibility that human beings will never achieve accurate prediction of the happening of all natural disasters.
What's more, even though we were able to predict these disasters from nature, preventing them is equally impossible. So we only have two ways to both prevent injuries or deaths and reduce economic losses to the least. These two methods are to prepare before a natural disaster comes to hit, and to manage the necessary resources and public services after a natural disaster strikes.
These two things have always been at the leading position of the projects of both national governments and international organizations. In the United States, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is responsible for the "preparedness, response and recovery planning" of both man-made and natural disasters.
Most natural disasters cannot be prevented, and both emergency preparation and good disaster management are the best ways to deal with them. Although natural events may appear to serve no purpose but simply to punish and destroy, natural disasters, a perfect symbol of the great power of the nature, are display of our planet's evolution and its state of change.
1. Which can't be regarded as a similarity between tornadoes and earthquakes?| A．They can not be prevented. |
| B．They are both geological events. |
| C．They cause damage to people. |
| D．They are both the result of natural environmental processes. |
| A．it is very difficult to predict when exactly they will happen |
| B．our forecasting equipment is too old for many natural disasters |
| C．we don't do enough preparation before natural disasters strike |
| D．we don't have the necessary public services to use after natural disasters strike |
| A．natural disasters can not be predicted at all |
| B．human beings are pessimistic to the future |
| C．being well-prepared can avoid economic losses |
| D．good preparation and disaster management are advisable. |
| A．a symbol of the power of nature | B．the greatest threat to mankind |
| C．Natural disasters and mankind | D．reduce losses to the least |
3 . This year, new technologies will enable more drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel （方向盘）while on the road. But that doesn’t mean their cars will be fully self-driving --- that day still remains far in the future.
Automakers like General Motors （GM）, Ford and Stellantis are introducing, or upgrading existing technologies. But in the words of Kay Stepper, an automated driving expert, these systems are "feet off’ and "hands off’, but they will not be "eyes off" or “mind off’.
For the time being, these systems will only be used on limited-access highways, where there are no pedestrians or bicyclists. Vehicles with this technology will be able to drive at relatively high speeds, but only in simple traffic situations.
Bryan Reimer, a researcher with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s AgeLab, said it will be decades before people can buy truly self-driving cars in which humans ride as passengers.
Still, the technology that will be rolled out by the major automakers this year will do more than most so-called Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, or ADAS, do now.
GM’s Super Cruise system allows drivers to completely let go of the steering wheel while driving on selected highways. It was introduced in 2017 on the Cadillac CT6 sedan, which was discontinued last year. An improved version is coming this year on the Cadillac Escalade SUV and the Cadillac CT4 and CT5 sedans.
Super Cruise only works on highways that have been previously laser-mapped in three dimensions. GPS positioning and the vehicles, radar sensors （传感器）and cameras are used to enable drivers to unhand -- and unfoot — all the controls.
Drivers still need to pay attention, however. A camera in the car makes sure the driver is looking at the road at all times. If the driver looks away from the road for more than a few seconds, the system will stop working.
1. At present, what can the self-driving cars do?| A．They can drive freely on city streets. |
| B．They can run without human drivers. |
| C．They handle complex road conditions on their own. |
| D．They allow drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel. |
| A．GM’s Super Cruise system. | B．GM’s latest car models. |
| C．GM’s development plan. | D．GM’s close competitors. |
| A．People need to trust new technology. |
| B．People still need to pay attention. |
| C．People can look away from the road. |
| D．People can’t unhand all the controls. |
| A．It’s High Time to Get a New Car |
| B．The Industrial Revolution Is Underway |
| C．Super Cruise Does More than Most ADAS |
| D．The Real Self-driving Remains Far Away |
4 . The weather is getting hotter. You are thirsty playing basketball or riding home from school. A cold drink may be just the thing. But be careful what you are drinking. Something that looks cool may not be good for your health. There are plenty of “energy drinks” on the market. Most of them have beautiful colors and cool names. The lists on them tell you they are helpful to your health. Sounds great!
But after a careful check you may find that most energy drinks have lots of caffeine(咖啡因) in them. These drinks are especially aimed at young people, students, busy people and sports players. Makers sometimes say their drinks make you better at sports and can keep you awake.But be careful not to drink too much. Caffeine makes your heart beat fast. Because of this, the International Olympic Committee(OC) has limited(限制) its use. Caffeine in most energy drinks is at least as strong as that in a cup of coffee or tea. Possible health dangers have something to do with energy drinks. Just one box of energy drink can make you nervous, have difficulty sleeping and can even cause heart problems.Scientists say that teenagers should be discouraged from taking drinks with a lot of caffeine in them.
1. Many people like drinking energy drinks because of the following EXCEPT that______.| A．they have beautiful colors and cool names |
| B．they have lots of caffeine |
| C．they can keep them awake and better at sports |
| D．they are said to be helpful to health |
| A．Encouraged. |
| B．Stopped. |
| C．Helped. |
| D．Disliked. |
| A．Advertisements are important in getting people to buy energy drinks. |
| B．Energy drinks are helpful to teenagers' study. |
| C．Sports players need to drink a lot of energy drinks. |
| D．Energy drinks are especially aimed at teenagers. |
| A．What's the Use of Energy Drinks? |
| B．Who Can Drink Energy Drinks? |
| C．What's That in Energy Drinks? |
| D．Why Can't We Buy Energy Drinks? |
5 . Tropical rainforests (热带雨林) are home to native peoples who rely on their surroundings for food, shelter, and medicines. Today very few forest people in many areas like the Philippines, Papua New Guinea live in traditional ways; most have been displaced by outside settlers or have been forced to give up their lifestyles by governments.
Of the remaining forest people, the Amazon supports the largest native or native populations, although these people, too, have been affected by the modern world. While they still depend on the forest for traditional hunting and gathering, most Amerindians, as American native people are called, grow crops, use western goods, and make regular trips to towns and cities to bring foods and products to market. In Africa there are native forest people sometimes known as pygmies. The tallest of these people, also called the Mbuti, are not more than 5 feet in height. Their small size enables them to move about the forest more quickly than taller people.
Tropical rainforests have supported humans since ancient times. Although forest life cannot be described as easy, these peoples have built their lives around the surrounding forest and its systems. Still, these forest people can teach us a lot about the rainforest. Their knowledge of medicinal plants used for treating illness is valuable, and they have a great understanding of the ecology (生态学) of the Amazon rainforest. As a result, they are a great storehouse of the knowledge about the forest. They know the medicinal functions of plants and understand the value of the forest as an undamaged ecosystem. As forests fall, these native peoples lose their homes and culture, resulting in the drop of the native population.
1. Where do the greatest number of native rainforest peoples live today?| A．In the Philippines . | B．In Africa. |
| C．In the Amazon. | D．In Papua New Guinea. |
| A．They know little about growing some crops. |
| B．They make trips to towns and cities for trade. |
| C．They would like to use eastern goods in daily life. |
| D．They seldom know traditional hunting and gathering. |
| A．Forest people can get benefits from rainforests. |
| B．We can learn how to build storehouses from forest people . |
| C．Forest people live an easy and comfortable life as we imagine. |
| D．The knowledge of medicinal plants for treating illness can be ignored. |
| A．To make an advertisement for tropical rainforests. |
| B．To introduce the lifestyles of the native forest people. |
| C．To spread the knowledge and value of the forest plants. |
| D．To raise the awareness of protecting tropical rainforests. |
6 . Time flies. Youth fades. Treasure each moment of your accompanied by guitar and drums, the Band for One, made up of five people, sang the lyrics soulfully during a performance in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, on November 7, 2020.
Behind the band, there was a picture of a young man named Philip Hancock shown on the screen. And he is the reason why they were all there. Hancock was a 27-year-old Australian who taught English in Chongqing. When he died in 2018 due to a disease, his parents followed his wishes and donated his organs.
The five people introduced themselves onstage. They are the ones who received Philip's organs. "Last November, the Red Cross officials told me Philip's parents mentioned during an earlier memorial service that he loved music and dreamed of having his own band one day," said Chen Xianjun, a recipient. Chen was instantly on board to form a band in memory of Philip, and so were the other four recipients.
Since they had no music experience, they had to start from scratch. From learning the guitar, to mastering the maracas and taking on the drums, they took time out of their busy lives to practice over the past year. Peter Hancock, Philip's father, said after watching the band's performance, his biggest wish is for the five to enjoy their lives more.
Organ donation is not only the best way to honor a loved one, but also a remarkable way to save the lives of others. China faces a serious shortage of organs, with about 300,000 people waiting for organ transplant surgeries each year. But the good news is, more and more people have been signing up to be organ donors, showing the spirit of selflessness that Philip and so many others have shown.
1. Why did the five people form the band?| A．To compete in a singing performance. | B．To show their respect for Peter Hancock. |
| C．To raise money for the local Red Cross. | D．To express their appreciation to Philip. |
| A．One year. | B．Two years. | C．Three years. | D．Five years. |
| A．lose interest in music. | B．practice from the very beginning. |
| C．take part in training courses. | D．turn to some musicians for help. |
| A．Citizens are encouraged to donate organs. | B．Organ donation is the best way to save lives. |
| C．The author thinks highly of organ donations. | D．Few people are willing to donate their organs. |
7 . The traditional Chinese lunar calendar(农历）divides the year into 24 solar terms(节气）．Start of Winter, the 19th solar term of the year,begins this year on Nov 7 and ends on Nov 21.
Start of Winter is the first solar term of winter,which means winter is coming and crops harvested in autumn should he stored up.
In ancient times, the Start of Winter was regarded as the beginning of winter, however,due to geographical factors, the actual winter time varies from place to place.
In fact,the Start of Winter is not the beginning of winter in terms of meteorology(气象学）。The weather every year is different, so the beginning of winter could be quite different.And as China is very large, it starts at different times in different areas.
The beginnings of the four seasons were important festivals in ancient times. Before the Start of Winter,the ancient emperor would take a shower and have no more meat.On that day,the emperor would lead his officials to the countryside and"welcome the winter".
People eat dumplings on the beginning of winter. Legend has it that in the late Eastern Han Dynasty,Zhang Zhongjing invented "Jiao Ear"(娇耳）to treat typhoid(伤寒） patients with ear frostbite(冻疮）.He cooked mutton,hot peppers and herbs to drive out the cold and warm up the body.He put these materials into a dough skin and made them into an ear shape.Since then,people have learned to make the food which became known as "dumpling" or jiaozi. Today there is still a saying that goes "Eat dumplings on Start of Winter Day, or your ears will be frostbitten.”
1. Which of the following is right about Start of Winter?| A．It is one of the solar terns in Chinese calendar. |
| B．People begin to harvest crops on this day. |
| C．Winter begins on November 7 this year. |
| D．It begins in different months in different places. |
| A．the Start of Winter |
| B．the change of weather |
| C．the important festival |
| D．the beginning of winter |
| A．Importance of Start of Winter. |
| B．Customs of Start of Winter. |
| C．Origin(起源）of Start of Winter. |
| D．Food eaten on Start of Winter. |
| A．Because dumplings can drive away typhoid. |
| B．Because they wish for good luck for themselves. |
| C．Because eating dumplings can warm up their ears. |
| D．Because they want to prevent the coming of winter. |
8 . After an earthquake most survivors can be expected to recover over time, particularly with the support of family and friends. Some families will be able to return to their normal life quickly, while others will have to contend with the destruction of their homes, medical problems, and injury to family members. Children especially will need time to recover from the loss of a loved one or a pet or from the closing down of their school.
Children often turn to adults for information, comfort and help. Parents should try to remain calm, answer children’s questions honestly and remain understanding when they see changes in their children’s behavior.
Children react differently to an earthquake depending on their ages, developmental levels and former experiences. Some will respond by withdrawing (不与人交往), while others will have angry outbursts (爆发). Parents should remain sensitive to each child’s reactions. Parents should spend time talking to their children，letting them know that it’s OK to ask questions and to share their worries. Although it may be hard to find time to have these talks, parents can use regular family mealtimes or bedtimes for them. They should answer questions briefly and honestly and be sure to ask their children for their opinions and ideas. Issues may come up more than once and parents should remain patient when you answer the questions again. For young children, parents, after talking about the earthquake, might read a favorite story or have a relaxing family activity to help them calm down. Parents should also tell children they are safe and spend extra time with them. They could play games outside or read together indoors. Most importantly, be sure to tell them you love them.
1. The underlined phrase “contend with” in Paragraph 1 can be replaced by “________”.| A．deal with | B．make up | C．put off | D．turn back |
| A．read a favorite story to comfort them |
| B．ask them to help do some housework |
| C．be patient and answer the question again |
| D．take them out to play games |
| A．Keep a close watch on children’s behavior. |
| B．Tell the children they are safe. |
| C．Tell the children you love them. |
| D．Ask educational experts for help. |
| A．All people will recover from an earthquake quickly. |
| B．Children may need a longer time to recover after an earthquake. |
| C．Children should turn to their classmates for help after an earthquake. |
| D．Children react in the same way as adults do to an earthquake. |
9 . The year 2020 is stormy, but rainbows are everywhere. Across the COVID-19 stricken world, bright and happy rainbows have become window colors and choices on store shelves.
The rainbows started appearing all over Italy within a few days of schools closing for the first lockdown, back in March. Crayon drawings were taped to the inside of windows; poster-painted banners hung from balconies.
When the pandemic came to Britain, the rainbows came too, with the Italian message of positivity morphing into thanks to the NHS. Then, during the months of lockdown, the rainbows moved inside our homes, with a craze for arranging books by colour in pursuit of an aesthetically pleasant Zoom background.
In April this year, the largest cabin hospital in the Philippines was completed, divided into six wards of different colors. The colors of the rainbow were not only pleasing to the eye, but also conveying a positive and optimistic spirit to patients.
The rainbow is to 2020 what “keep calm and carry on” was to 1939. And just as “keep calm and carry on” began as a public information campaign but became a tea towel industry, what began as a gesture of hope is now a big business. John Lewis reports that a rainbow baubles nearly festive bestseller. Tracksuit enthusiasts are sitting out the second lockdown in Olivia Rubin’s £150 rainbow stripe tracksuits.
Optimism is the hottest commodity of 2020. But some people are irritated by the way consumer culture commodifies the human experience, packaging our hopes and dreams as if they were just another product in the warehouse. But the fashion editor-turned-designer JJ Martin says, “It’s great to have the colourful dress, but the magic of a rainbow isn’t really about the pot of gold. What actually counts is the flame you turn on inside yourself. ”
1. Where might people see the rainbow?| A．In the Italian message of thanks to the NHS. | B．On the banners of the schools under lockdown. |
| C．In the study with the books sorted by color. | D．On the outside of Britain’s largest cabin hospital. |
| A．Fascinated. | B．Angered. | C．Challenged. | D．Embarrassed. |
| A．They helped people out of the lockdown. | B．They conveyed thanks to the medical staff. |
| C．They came to the same end | D．They displayed a feature of the towel industry. |
| A．The relaxation of mind is equal to wealth. |
| B．The tracksuits of Olivia Rubin are to be mass-produced. |
| C．The commercialization of feelings is somewhat reasonable. |
| D．The significance of the rainbow is to lift people up. |
10 . It is not easy to excite New Yorkers. This is one reason why actors and other famous people move to the city. They can live quieter lives and escape the paparazzi(狗仔队)photographers who would follow then in Hollywood.
But New York has a new media star. And this star is not living so quietly.
The star is a colorful Mandarin duck. The bird first appeared this month in a small body of water in Manhattan's Central Park.
Large crowds have gathered to see the duck. Reporters have been following its every move. The media attention on the duck has earned the name "quackarazzi"-a word combination of paparazzi and the sound a duck makes!
The duck has chosen to live in a costly pan of New York-just off Fifth Avenue, near the historic Plaza Hotel. There, hundreds of people turn up every day, hoping to see the bird show off its extremely colorful feathers.
Many people like the duck because its colors are like "sunsets," says New Yorker Joe Amato. He comes to the park nearly every day with his camera equipment.
Bird expert Paul Sweet heads a large collection of bird species at the New York-based American Museum of Natural History. He says there is nothing special about a Mandarin duck in Central Park. Central Park Zoo has its own Mandarin duck, he says. These ducks are often imported to the United States from Asia for use on private property.
Sometimes they escape, he said. Sweet said he believes this duck is an escapee. If it were wild, he added, traditional bird watchers-often called birders-would be "very excited." And they are not. "A lot of non-birders tend to see colorful birds as more beautiful," Sweet said. "But to me, it's no more beautiful than, say, a sparrow."
In this case, though, common New Yorkers get to decide what is beautiful. And they have clearly chosen this Mandarin duck.
1. What does paragraph 1 want to tell us?| A．Nothing can excite New Yorkers. |
| B．New Yorkers are hard to be attracted. |
| C．There are no actors or stars in New York. |
| D．Paparazzi photographers are popular in New York. |
| A．All New Yorkers. | B．Paparazzi photographers. |
| C．Reporters following the duck. | D．The bird experts. |
| A．This Mandarin duck is very special. |
| B．The birdwatchers are very excited. |
| C．The Mandarin duck got away from somewhere in U.S. |
| D．Paul Sweet believes the Mandarin duck is more beautiful than a sparrow. |
| A．Welcoming. | B．Indifferent. |
| C．Resistant. | D．Unclear. |
