1 . Is a picture worth a thousand words? We think so! Take a digital (数码的) photograph that answers this question: Why is Earth Day important to our planet?
The winning photographer will receive a digital camera, and the photo will be published in TIME for Kids magazine. Get details below.
●The competition is open to students from 8 to 13 years of age.
●Judges will look for originality (原创性), creativity, photo composition (构图) and relation to the Earth Day theme.
●Students must include their first name only; their e-mail address; a parent’s or a teacher’s e-mail address(very important), a caption (说明文字); the location in the photo; and the date when it was taken (must be between June 1, 2018, and December 20, 2019).
●Competition begins: October 9, 2019
●Competition closes: December 20, 2019
●To enter, students should visit timeforkids.com/2019earthdaycontest and follow instructions to provide an original digital photo.
●The winner will receive a digital camera.
●All entries must follow the official rules for consideration.
1. Who can take part in the Earth Day Photo Competition?| A．Students aged from 8 to 13. | B．Professional photographers. |
| C．Students and their teachers. | D．Students and their parents. |
| A．include their full name | B．post the photo on the Internet |
| C．provide information about the photo | D．provide parents’ email address |
| A．An exhibition guide. | B．An announcement. |
| C．An environment review. | D．An official report. |
2 . Do you always agree to do things that you are unwilling to do? Are you the type of person who always says "yes"? I've come to learn that it is very important to learn to say NO! It's okay. People are still going to like you. They may even respect you more because they know you are honest.
I'm not saying to say "no" to someone who really needs your help. I'm talking about refusing that meeting that you really do not want to attend or that birthday party that you don't want to be a guest at.
Think for a moment how you feel when you say YES to something that you really don't want to do. If you're like I once was，you can't sleep at night and you think about it too much. It weighs on your mind. You try to find ways out. Whatever you're saying to yourself，if you really wanted to go，you wouldn't have all of these thoughts.
So，why not just say NO from the beginning? Maybe you feel like if you don't show up at the meeting (by the way，it is not the one you must attend) your boss isn't going to like you or your co-workers won't respect you. Maybe you feel as if your mom，dad or sisters won't love you as much if you don't do everything for them that they ask every occasion.
If these people are your true friends，family members，or a good boss，they will like or love you the same no matter what. People treat you the way you teach them to, and if you're someone who always says "yes", then that's what they're expecting.
You need to do what is right for you. Of course we do have real obligations in life to fulfill，but we do not have to do everything others want us to do.
1. Which of the following statements would the writer agree with?| A．We should try to do what our friends ask us to do. |
| B．We should help others in need. |
| C．Always saying "no" means you are brave. |
| D．Always saying "yes" means you are dishonest. |
| A．Saying "yes". |
| B．A friend's birthday party. |
| C．Something you're unwilling to do. |
| D．Something you think difficult to do. |
| A．upset them |
| B．disappoint them |
| C．have a loose relationship with them |
| D．have the same relationship with them as before |
| A．Learn to Make a Right Choice |
| B．To Be Yourself |
| C．Learn to Say No |
| D．Do What You Want to Do |
3 . Writing Competition for Kids 2020
Our website, Kids-World-Travel-Guide.com, holds a writing competition every year. This year, we invite you to share with us your favorite places. Write short essays (文章), and let us know about your hometown, a wonderful city that you cannot forget, or a place of your dreams.
Groups:
Group A: kids aged 8 - 11 years old Words: 300 - 400
Group B: kids aged 12 - 15 years old Words: 500 - 600
The essay may be about:
☆ My hometown
☆ The city that I once visited
☆ My favorite city in the world
☆ The city where I lived as an exchange student
☆ A perfect city in my mind: If I was King/Queen…
Tip: The essay has to be written in English, but may include words in a foreign language.
Other important information:
● The competition is free for students to enter.
● The competition is open to students all over the world.
● The essays must be finished by the students themselves.
● The essays must have been received by 1 November 2020.
● The essays can only be received through e-mail.
● The essays must not have been published elsewhere, or have won a prize in any other competition.
● The winning essays will be published on Kids-World-Travel-Guide.com on 15 November 2020.
● The winners will receive prizes. Prizes must be accepted within 60 days since 15 November 2020.
Good luck and enjoy the journey!
1. What can you write in your essay?| A．A great dream. | B．An unforgettable trip. |
| C．A place you imagine. | D．A city you want to change. |
| A．Before 1 November 2020. | B．Before 15 November 2020. |
| C．Before 1 January 2021. | D．Before 15 January 2021. |
| A．Take a trip for free. | B．See their essays online. |
| C．Be a writer of the website. | D．Accept their prizes in three months. |
4 . Dragon Head Raising Day: time for a haircut
China is a country with many colorful days and festivals. The Dragon Head Raising Day (Longtaitou) is one of them.
This special day is on the second day of the second month in the Chinese lunar calendar (阴历). It stands for (代表) the start of spring and farming. This year, the day fell on March 10.
The dragon is important in Chinese culture. We Chinese people call ourselves the “descendants (传人) of the dragon”. Therefore, people celebrate theDragon Head Raising Day with many customs about dragons.
On the day in ancient times, people put ashes (灰) in the kitchen. This was to “lead the dragon into the house”. People believed that with the help of the dragon, they could have a good harvest (收成) in autumn.
Also, people eat special foods on that day. The foods are usually named after dragons. For example, people eat “dragon whisker (细须)” noodles and dumplings called “dragon teeth”.
Today, many customs have faded away (消退). But one that has remained is the cutting of hair. It was said that a haircut during the first lunar month may bring bad luck to the mother’s brothers. So many people have their hair cut on the Dragon Head Raising Day.
1. The Dragon Head Raising Day is one of the ______ festivals.| A．English | B．French | C．American | D．Chinese |
| A．March 10 | B．February 2 | C．March 4 | D．March 8 |
| A．Because the dragon liked the ashes. |
| B．Because the ashes led the dragon into the house. |
| C．Because the ashes stood for the harvest. |
| D．Because the ashes could bring good luck. |
| A．the dragon boating | B．to eat Zongzi |
| C．the cutting of hair | D．to eat mooncakes |
5 . We are living in a consumer society. What’s great about shopping is that it relaxes us. If you are curious about what we buy the most, then take a look at our list of some best-selling consumer products in the world.
Coconut oil
Have you already started using coconut oil? If you haven’t, you will probably find a way that suits you because the beauty of coconut oil is that it is very useful. You can use it for your skin, as a lip-balm (润唇膏), makeup remover, body cream, etc. You can use it for cooking, too. This natural organic product is certainly one of the most popular products this year.
Bluetooth speakers
Bluetooth speakers are quite popular lately, and this is due to the fact that they are easy to carry and allow you to enjoy songs from your phone or another device. You can take them anywhere you go, and that’s why they are one of the hottest selling products this year.
Phone power banks
What can we do when there’s so much to see on the Internet and so many people to talk to? In fact, we use our smartphones so much that we hardly have the time to charge them at home. That’s why we need phone power banks, which have proven to be one of the hottest selling items. This trending product will charge your phone anywhere anytime.
E-cigarettes
E-cigarettes are the best replacement for regular cigarettes because they are supposed to be less dangerous than old-fashioned smoking. They are sometimes referred to as vaporizers (蒸发器), and they are getting more popular among people who wish to lessen the damaging effects of tobacco.
1. What do we know about coconut oil?| A．It has no side effects. | B．It is used to cure diseases.. |
| C．It has many functions. | D．It is not popular among women. |
| A．travel a lot | B．have no cash |
| C．have no cellphones | D．want to be fashionable |
| A．Green. | B．Practical. | C．Advanced. | D．Healthy. |
6 . Welcome to your future life!
You get up in the morning and look into the mirror. Your face is firm and young-looking.
In 2035, medical technology is better than ever. Many people at your age could live to be 150, so at 40, you’re not old at all. And your parents just had an anti-aging (抗衰老的) treatment. Now, all three of you look the same age!
You say to your shirt, “Turn red.” It changes from blue to red. In 2035，“smart clothes” contain particles (粒子) much smaller than the cells in your body. The particles can be programmed to change your clothes’ color or pattern.
You walk into the kitchen. You pick up the milk, but a voice says, “You shouldn’t drink that!” Your fridge has read the chip (芯片) that contains information about the milk, and it knows the milk is old. In 2035，every article of food in grocery stores has such a chip.
It’s time to go to work. In 2035，cars drive themselves. Just tell your “smart car” where to go. On the way, you can call a friend using your jacket sleeve. Such “smart technology” is all around you.
So will all these things come true? “For new technology to succeed,”says scientist Andrew Zolli，”it has to be so much better that it replaces what we have already.”The Internet is one example —What will be the next?
1. We can learn from the text that in the future .| A．people will never get old |
| B．everyone will look the same |
| C．red will be the most popular color |
| D．clothes will be able to change their pattern |
| A．Milk will be harmful to health. |
| B．More drinks will be available for sale. |
| C．Food in grocery stores will carry electronic information. |
| D．Milk in grocery stores will stay fresh much longer. |
| A．Nothing can replace the Internet. |
| B．Fridges will know what people need. |
| C．Jacket sleeves can be used as a guide. |
| D．Cars will be able to drive automatically. |
7 . The bed should be reserved as a place for sleep，but people tend to read an iPad a lot in bed before they go to sleep．
Charles Czeisler，a professor at Harvard Medical School，and his colleagues got a small group of people for an experiment．For five days in a row，the people read either a paper book or an iPad for four hours before sleep．Their sleep patterns were monitored all night．Before and after each trial period，the people took hourly blood tests to paint a day-long picture of just how much melatonin（褪黑激素）was in their blood at any given time．
When subjects read on the iPad as compared to the paper books，they reported feeling less sleepy at night and less active the following morning．People also took longer to fall asleep on the iPad nights，and the blood tests showed that their melatonin secretion（分泌）was delayed by an hour and a half．
The researchers conclude in today's journal article that gives the rise of e-readers and the increasingly widespread use of e-things among children and adolescents，more research into the"long-term consequences of these devices on health and safety is urgently needed．"Czeisler and colleagues go on，in the research paper，to note"Reading an iPad in bed may increase cancer risk．"
However，software has been developed that can reduce some of the blue light from the screens of phones and computers according to time of day，and there are also glasses that are made to filter（过滤）short wavelengths．While they seem like a logical solution for the nighttime tech users，it needs more research．
1. In Charles Czeisler's experiment，all the subjects were asked to ______ ．| A．sit in a row and receive the strict tests |
| B．have their sleep patterns observed all night |
| C．read a paper book and an iPad at the same time |
| D．have their blood tested per hour during the trial |
| A．feel less sleepy and tired in the day |
| B．fall asleep more easily after reading |
| C．have a lot more melatonin secretion |
| D．become less energetic the next morning |
| A．remove the blue light from your devices completely |
| B．help prevent eyes being harmed by short wavelength |
| C．weaken the harm done by doing nighttime e-reading |
| D．be used in all the e-things widely and safely |
| A．No e-reading in bed before sleep |
| B．New software for night e-readers |
| C．Wrong behaviors before bedtime |
| D．No games on iPad in bed． |
8 . It has been four years since the Flashfood App was set to hit Canadian grocery stores and make it easier for shoppers to buy soon-to-expiry (保质期) food at a discount. Much to my delight, I heard it advertised recently on a radio station and figured it’s time for an update, especially since people became more aware of food waste’s role in the climate crisis.
The first thing I did was download the App. I hadn’t done it before because it was limited to a few locations, but now it’s all over Canada. I could see immediately that many brands of yogurt are all marked down 50 percent. Users pay for the food using the App, and then pick it up at a marked location in the store. There is no need for you to worry about them actually being bad.
It makes sense for retailers to get behind this App because it offers a win-win situation for everyone involved. Flashfood sells 75% of the products made available through its App while saving consumers an average of 50% on those grocery items, and it has 300,000 active users right now. That number is expected to grow naturally as Flashfood partners with more grocers.
“As a food retailer, we are in the business of providing food, not wasting it. The Flashfood program allows us to provide our customers with a convenient and environmentally sustainable (可持续的) way to purchase food. Loblaw sells 77% of the items it puts on Flashfood, moving an average of ＄800 to ＄1,000 worth of goods weekly at each of its largest stores,” said Gord Chem, senior VP with Loblaw’s Real Canadian Superstores.
I love looking for discount deals at the grocery store and always keep an eye out for the hot pink clearance stickers. But it’s always random, and I never know what I’m going to get from week to week. The appeal of Flashfood is that I can see what’s available, pre-purchase it, and leave it off my shopping list.
1. What can we know about the food on the Flashfood?| A．It’s delivered directly to the customers. | B．Much of it is charged at half the price. |
| C．Users can pay for it in the marked store. | D．It’ll be a month away before it goes bad. |
| A．beneficial | B．popular | C．creative | D．reliable |
| A．By listing some examples. | B．By making a comparison. |
| C．By explaining the cause. | D．By introducing the result. |
| A．Customers can buy much cheaper food on a recent app. |
| B．A win-win situation has been set for Canadians involved. |
| C．Canadians have a smart approach to reducing food waste. |
| D．Canadians adopt a new way of protecting the environment. |
9 . My challenge for you is this: to read a book for 15 minutes every single day for a month.
Let me explain a bit, by telling you where the challenge came from. I have many things in common with my dad, like music taste and sense of humor, but sadly reading isn’t one of them. I can happily spend a whole day with a book, but my dad can’t read a book for longer than about 5 minutes. He reads emails, websites and papers for work, but not books. He’s busy, so I think sitting down to read for just 15 minutes a day is a good way to relax and to introduce him to reading.
My dad is not the only person who avoids books. I know lots of people would rather relax on their computers or in front of the TV. Everyone is different and has their own interests, but I think there are lots of benefits to reading, which screen-based activities don’t have.
Firstly, it’s better for your eyes. Looking at screens can be very stressful for your eye muscles, and clearly you should avoid looking at screens for an hour before bed, to get a good night’s sleep.
One thing I personally love reading, is being transported to another world—I often forget the time or things around me! Reading is a great way to switch off before you go to bed, because you think more about the world of the book, rather than the real world, so you can truly relax. I know you can be transported to a different world in a film or a TV show, but I think books do it better.
I also enjoy hearing what people are doing and finding out what they think. Reading gives me the chance to get to know hundreds of new people! It also teaches you to see things from other people’s point of view, and understand other people’s decisions or opinions. With a book, you can hear everything a character is thinking or feeling—you really can be inside someone else’s head!
So give it a go! Take 15 minutes when you are waking up, going to bed, eating lunch, or having a coffee. If you read a lot, why not try 15 minutes of an English book, or pass the challenge on to someone else? Good luck, and happy reading!
1. The author writes the text mainly basing on .| A．his personal experience | B．some scientific experiments |
| C．his father’s personal advice | D．knowledge from books |
| A．helping readers sleep well | B．making readers feel relaxed |
| C．transporting readers to a different world | D．reminding readers of the real world |
| A．Negative. | B．Uncertain. | C．Supportive. | D．Doubtful. |
10 . Life can sometimes go_haywire rather like the feeling you get when you've lost control of your moving car. It's a feeling of complete helplessness and panic that makes us feel overwhelmed (被压垮的).
In most cases, there is a difference between our expectations and reality. The greater the difference, the greater the feeling is of being overwhelmed. This difference is often created when our expectations are too demanding or when reality changes in a way we did not expect. Think of the weather ruining your carefully made travel plans to get across the state. Think of that illness that made you stay in bed. While we may be feeling overwhelmed with everything going on in our lives right now, there are some steps we can take to regain a sense of control of our lives.
We all know we should control our emotion properly and we can be affected greatly when we are overwhelmed, but feeling overwhelmed is part of life. When we're feeling overwhelmed, it only means we are living, breathing human beings. For life is like a roller coaster ride with its ups, downs and turns. It's also like the season with its alternating periods of relative calm and periods of varying degrees of stress and anxiety. Sometimes we forget this.
No matter how much we try, we may not be able to control reality. But we can adjust our expectations to match reality. This may mean revising our goals and tasks or quitting projects. It may feel like failure in the moment, like giving up, but this ability is an opportunity to create success in the long term. Working with reality rather than against it can give us hope.
When we're feeling overwhelmed, we can easily fall into an allornothing (孤注一掷). We may overlook the things we manage to accomplish when we feel overwhelmed. But celebrating our small wins creates space for gratitude to take hold in our hearts. Trade our expectations for appreciation and our whole world changes in an instant. Celebrating wins (whatever size！) allows us to clearly see the progress we are making. Acknowledging our small bites and celebrating our wins however small makes us have a more accepting attitude toward the opportunities, the gifts and the joys in our lives.
1. The underlined phrase “go haywire” can be replaced by ________.| A．be in a mess | B．become dull | C．bring surprises | D．change quickly |
| A．We fail to control our emotion sometimes. |
| B．We must learn to control our emotion well. |
| C．It is natural for everyone to feel overwhelmed. |
| D．Feeling overwhelmed is a big barrier to our life. |
| A．Accept our failure and quit. | B．Change our goal based on reality. |
| C．Try our best to change reality. | D．Find a better way to realize our goal. |
| A．Small bites are better than big wins. |
| B．We should show gratitude to others. |
| C．Celebrating small wins helps us make progress. |
| D．We should appreciate even small achievements of ours. |
