1 . A Cappella Competition
Do you love to sing?
Come and show off your talents at the Chilton Youth A Cappella Competition！
＞October 20th, 11: 00-17: 00
＞Edward Greatcoat Theater, Sealey Road, Chilton
＞Rules
Please remember that this is an a cappella competition!
No instruments or recorded music will be allowed.
Competitors may sing published or original songs in any style.
Competitors must be between eight and 15 years old.
There are four categories (类):
(1) Solo (8-11 years old) (2) Solo (12-15 years old)
(3) Group (8-11 years old) (4) Group (12-15 years old)
※Competitors under 12 years old must stay with a parent or other adult at all times.
※Each competitor must pay an entry fee of $10.
※Winners will receive $500 and a course of 20 lessons with famous voice coach Vickie Leonard.
※Winners will be decided by three judges from the Chilton School of Music. Their decision is final.
＞Additional information
※Please arrive at the Edward Greatcoat Theater between 09: 00 and 10: 00 to register (登记), as the competition will start at 11: 00. The parking lot has limited spaces so you are advised to come as early as possible.
※Shared dressing rooms with showers will be provided for all competitors.
※Tickets for the competition are available at the theater from October 1st. There is no charge for these, but again, spaces are limited.
1. What is the purpose of this text?| A．To invite people to a concert. | B．To encourage more visitors. |
| C．To offer free singing lessons. | D．To introduce a singing competition. |
| A．8:30 a.m. | B．9:30 a.m. | C．11:30 a.m. | D．17:30 p.m. |
| A．You shouldn’t try to argue with the judges. |
| B．You can’t park your car at the theater. |
| C．A competitor can sing a song while playing the guitar. |
| D．A sixteen-year-old girl can take part in this competition. |
2 . A ten-year-old from Howell, Michigan is being praised as a hero thanks to his persistence (坚持) that led to saving the life of an elderly neighbor. The event happened late in an evening when Danny DiPietro was being driven home from hockey practice by his mom.
That’s when the young boy noticed an open garage (车库) and a figure (身影) that he believed was a dog outside an apartment building near his house. Given the freezing cold weather, the young boy got a feeling that something was not right. But instead of dismissing it like most kids his age would have, he insisted that his mother, Dawn, find out what was going on.Dawn tried to make Danny believe that no one would leave a dog out in such cold weather, but he refused to take no for an answer.
Dawn finally gave in and decided to drive to the area with the family dog and see if there was any truth to Danny’s hunch (直觉). Sure enough, as she got closer to the apartment building she noticed a garage that was wide open and someone waving madly for help. Upon getting there, she realized that it was not a dog the young boy had seen, but Kathleen St. Onge. The 80-year-old had fallen down on some ice in her garage and had been lying there for two hours, unable to get up.
Dawn rushed home to get her husband to help and called 911. The two then returned with some blankets to cover Ms. St. Onge, while they waited for the ambulance (救护车) to arrive. Though still in hospital, the elderly woman is recovering well and forever grateful to Danny, for following up on his hunch!
1. When seeing a figure in an open garage, Danny ________.| A．recognized it was an old man | B．thought it was a homeless dog |
| C．realized something was wrong | D．believed it was nothing important |
| A．Brave and patient. | B．Friendly and honest. |
| C．Considerate and optimistic. | D．Persistent and warm-hearted. |
| A．Always follow your hunch. |
| B．Be ready to help save the elderly. |
| C．Unknown hero brings love and hope. |
| D．10-year-old saves elderly neighbor’s life. |
3 . The British—-and especially the English—-are bad at complaining. Because of British politeness rules, according to which conflict should be avoided, people either just do not complain, or sometimes bottle it up and then outpour it in another way in other unimportant situations. In fact, there is a TV programme which shows the British in typical situations where they would be perfectly reasonable in complaining, but they don’t. In one scene, a woman reads a newspaper over people’s shoulders and the people say nothing or look embarrassed.
The British are also well-known for putting up with bad service everywhere from restaurants to airports and railway stations because the standard rules of behaviour say that it is bad to draw attention to yourself. This is why, when you travel on the tube in London and there is yet another delay, the passengers will look at each other, sigh, smile wearily and raise their eyes to heaven. They might even say, “Huh! Typical!” in a resigned (顺从的) tone of voice that says that there’s nothing that can be done about it. When complaints are made, they are made in an apologetic or a humorous tone of voice. In France, on the other hand, angry passengers might riot (闹事) and burn down the subway station if they had to put up with the poor service that the London underground provides.
Americans and other Europeans who are much more direct and in-your-face than the British, often wonder why British people always say “sorry” or “excuse me” when they complain. It’s like they’re apologizing for something that isn’t their fault, they say. They are missing the point. British people are not really sorry—it is because the word “sorry” actually works as a distancing skill. This is important in terms of negative politeness and not drawing attention to yourself. If you do not say “sorry” or use other distancing words like “could”, “would”, “might”, “possibly”' and so on, you will be seen as rude.
1. What does the underlined part “bottle it up” in Paragraph 1 mean?| A．Put something into bottles. | B．Not do anything dangerous. |
| C．Not allow emotions to be seen. | D．Cause problems by hesitating. |
| A．tolerate bad service | B．enjoy taking the subway |
| C．make a complaint humorously | D．express their dissatisfaction directly |
| A．How to Complain | B．Complaining Politely |
| C．Poor Service in Britain | D．Politeness Rules across the World |
4 . Hybrid cars are cars that run on both petrol and electricity. They have a small standard petrol engine and a battery and electric motor to provide electric power.
There are some differences between different models of hybrid cars, but the general principle is that the car runs on petrol, and the electric motor kicks in when additional power is required, for example when going uphill or speeding up. In some hybrid cars the petrol engine turns itself off when not needed, for example when the car has stopped at traffic lights, keeping only the electric engine running.
Traditional cars have large engines to cope with driving uphill and speeding up.Most of the time, this high engine capacity is not needed, but the engine continues burning up fuel. Hybrid cars have much smaller petrol engines, powered by electric motors when needed, so they use less petrol.
Hybrid cars are also lighter and aerodynamically(空气动力学的)designed for greater fuel efficiency.
Another way that fuel consumption is cut is by a system of“regenerative braking”(刹车). The electric motor is used to slow down the car, rather than traditional brakes. The energy produced by the slowing car is transformed into electrical power, which is automatically stored in the battery. In effect, the battery recharges when you brake. In traditional cars the energy produced when braking is wasted.
Car producers and engineers have been experimenting with electric and hybrid cars since the late 19th century. In 1928 Ferdinand Porsche built an experimental hybrid car that used both an internal burning engine and electric motors.The first mass-produced hybrid car, the Toyota Prius, came out in Japan at the end of 1997.However, Hybrid cars became available in the USA only in 1999, when the Honda Insight went on sale.
As they use less fuel, hybrid cars are cheaper to run. There are also many advantages in place to encourage people to buy them. In some countries, hybrid car owners pay a lower rate of tax, and don’t have to pay on certain toll roads(收费公路). In some cities around the world, hybrid cars are allowed to park for free.
1. What can we learn from paragraph 2?| A．Hybrid cars don’t need petrol any more. |
| B．Petrol engine and electric motor work all the way. |
| C．Hybrid cars mainly depend on electric power to run. |
| D．Some hybrid car petrol engines will quit when unnecessary. |
| A．Smaller petrol engines. | B．Scientific design. |
| C．Traditional brakes. | D．Energy storage. |
| A．Hybrid cars are cheaper to buy. |
| B．Hybrid car owners don’t have to pay tax. |
| C．Hybrid car owners don’t need to pay parking fee. |
| D．Hybrid cars will have a bright future. |
| A．To advertise hybrid cars. |
| B．To introduce hybrid cars. |
| C．To compare traditional cars and hybrid cars. |
| D．To inform the development of hybrid cars. |
5 . In our twenties, we find it funny when we can't remember our neighbor's cat's name or a handsome actor who starred in a famous movie. In our thirties, we jokingly call it "brain freeze". In our forties, we laugh it off as a "senior moment" and follow up with one of these old-age jokes. But the reality is that there comes a point when being forgetful stops being funny and starts to seem a bit dreadful. You think, "Am I losing it?" Or worse, "Is this a sign of Alzheimer's disease (老年痴呆症)?"
Well, don't worry. The fact that you recognize your own forgetfulness may be a very good sign, at least in terms of the possibility of your developing Alzheimer's disease (AD). The researchers in a new study show that it's not forgetfulness but not being aware that we're forgetful that we should fear.
The researchers began with the assumption that one common feature of Alzheimer's disease is a damaged awareness of illness. And they wanted to prove their theory that the lack of awareness can be used to predict whether someone with "mild cognitive (认知的) damage" will progress to full-on AD. For the study, "mild cognitive damage" was defined as someone whose mental state was considered healthy but who had either complained of memory loss or had suffered objective memory loss.
The researchers used existing data for 1,062 people between the ages of 55 and 90 that had been recorded over a 12-year period. The data included brain scans, which the researchers used to look for visual signs of reduced glucose uptake (葡萄糖吸收). It is an objective marker of the sort of reduced brain function that goes along with AD. As expected, glucose uptake was reduced in those with AD. What the researchers also discovered was that glucose uptake was reduced in those with mild cognitive damage who also showed evidence of reduced illness awareness. Finally, the researchers found that those who had reduced illness awareness were more likely to develop AD than those without.
1. What can be implied from paragraph 1?| A．Old people are most afraid of getting Alzheimer's disease. |
| B．The memory of the young is better than the old. |
| C．People can be forgetful at different ages. |
| D．It's a rare phenomenon when young people forget something. |
| A．Recognizing forgetfulness doesn't mean developing Alzheimer's disease. |
| B．Illness awareness has nothing to do with Alzheimer's disease. |
| C．Being aware all the time is a fearful thing. |
| D．Realizing forgetfulness must be a sign of developing Alzheimer's disease. |
| A．Reduced uptake of glucose. | B．Realizing others' forgetfulness. |
| C．Having higher intake of glucose. | D．Expected increase in brain function. |
| A．Science fiction. | B．A chemistry book. |
| C．A health brochure. | D．A science research. |
6 . If you make list of the world’s top ten most challenging jobs, chances are that being a teacher will not make the cut. But think about the discouraging task millions of educators face each day as they try to shape group of often bad-tempered, wild kids into intelligent, well-rounded individuals. That surely has to be the toughest job in the world, especially given that there is no promotion or bonus awaiting them even if they are wildly successful!
What if these all-important individuals that we often take for granted disappear from our lives? That was what Project Ed and Participant Media’s Teach campaign asked filmmakers of all ages to imagine in their recently-held competition Entitled “A World Without Teachers”, its purpose was to inspire more young people to become teachers. However, the 62 amazing video submissions also serve as a reminder of how horrible things would be if we didn’t have these selfless individuals guiding us through life. What was interesting is that even the youngest participants did not appear to be happy at the idea of not having anybody telling them what to do.
High-school student Savannah Wakefield reflected if art as we know it today would have been different without teachers. Would Monet have discovered his talent for impressionism? Los Angeles-based Miles Horst, who won the 1000 USD prize for the best adult submission imagines a world where teachers are replaced by a “brain box” in his fun lively entry.
Youth category winner Marina Barham’s video represents a fact we all know but often forget. Teachers don’t just teach, they inspire-something that no electronic device, no matter how smart, can do! So the next time you think your teacher is being “mean” for trying to channel you in the right direction, imagine life without him/her. We have feeling it will not appear as rosy!
1. From the passage we can learn that ________.| A．teaching naughty kids is a very discouraging task |
| B．teachers have little influence on kids’ individual development |
| C．a successful teacher has the greatest chance to be promoted |
| D．being a teacher is one of the most challenging jobs in the world |
| A．To attract kids to submit more videos of their teachers. |
| B．To remind students to appreciate teachers’ hard work. |
| C．To expect teachers to devote themselves to their jobs. |
| D．To encourage more people to go into teaching career. |
| A．A world without teachers will be unimaginable. |
| B．The future of teachers’ work appears inspiring. |
| C．Teaching is quite different from other jobs. |
| D．Many people attach more importance to teaching |
| A．A survey of people’s views about teachers. |
| B．The campaign to promote teachers’ status. |
| C．The significance of teachers. |
| D．A competition to win the prize for the best teacher. |
7 . He is regarded as having one of the brightest minds on the planet.But outstanding astrophysicist（天体物理学家）Stephen Hawking admitted that he did not learn to read until he was eight years old.In a public lecture at the Royal Albert Hall,Professor Hawking also admitted that he was not active in studying while at Oxford University,where he studied physics,and that only the diagnosis that he might die young from motor neurone（神经元）disease made him concentrate on his work.
Professor Hawking said,"My sister Philippa could read by the age of 4 and then she was definitely brighter than me."He said that he was unexceptional at school and was never further than halfway up his class."My classwork was very untidy,and my handwriting was the despair of my teachers,"he said."But my classmates gave me the nickname Einstein,so presumably they saw signs of something better."
But he said that it was when doctors told him that he probably only had a few years to live at the age of 21 that he was galvanized into focusing on his work and a period of productivity that resulted in some of his early breakthroughs.He said,"When you are faced with the possibility of an early death,it makes you realize that life is worth living and there are lots of things you want to do."
1. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?| A．Stephen Hawking is the second Einstein in the world. |
| B．Stephen Hawking couldn't read at the age of 7. |
| C．Stephen Hawking's handwriting was once terribly bad. |
| D．Stephen Hawking's sister once performed much better than him. |
| A．Patience. | B．Knowledge. | C．Disease. | D．Laziness. |
| A．Stephen Hawking didn't realize his dreams in physics. |
| B．It was possible for Hawking to face the early death. |
| C．The purpose of the doctor's diagnosis was to encourage him to work hard. |
| D．His life might be taken away by long hard work. |
| A．His sister. | B．His classmates. | C．His teachers. | D．His parents. |
8 . I am connected to many people working as volunteers all over the world, even after COVID-19 broke out.
Twelve days ago, I was contacted by someone I know, a person from Kenya. He shared a story about his work for kindness and joy. In his sharing, I discovered his family and other families had no food since March 23 because of lockdown(禁闭）.
For one day I was grief-stricken for them. I mean, how could I, in North Carolina, possibly do anything to help feed a man and 50 people on the other side of the world? After a sleepless night I awoke with clarity to give money to these families. It was not a lot of money, but all that I had and I was determined to find a way to get the funds to Kenya from the US. Luckily, I succeeded in the end. My friend has been able to make the money go far buying corn, oil, fruit, and vegetables to feed 20 adults and 30 children. And now they have food.
Each day presents a new problem. Many more people in other countries in Africa have reached out to me asking for help. It is heartbreaking. I cannot help everyone with money but I am determined to help everyone I can with telling their stories through our column Global Storytellers for Kindness on our website. I asked my friend for a list of the children in his family. So now I sit with a list of 30 names, ages, and school years, wondering what on earth we can do for these children. Each night I sleep with a question and hope my dreams will give me guidance during my awake time.
Each day is filled with problems and difficulties I could never have imagined, and also thoughts, actions, and ideas that are blossoming to extend love and mercy between many humans.
1. What caused the families from Kenya to suffer starvation?| A．The large population. | B．Lack of enough fund. |
| C．The lockdown in Kenya. | D．The poor production of crops. |
| A．He raised a large amount of money. |
| B．He bought the necessities for them. |
| C．He helped them through an organization. |
| D．He overcame great trouble helping them. |
| A．Heartbroken. | B．Confused. | C．Delighted. | D．Content. |
| A．He can't have a sound sleep every night. |
| B．He is a man full of love and sympathy. |
| C．He has funded 30 persons in Africa so far. |
| D．He is a man skilled in setting up websites. |
9 . As I walked into the primary school, I looked down at my new black shoes. I stood at Mrs. Blackstone’s door. Before I tried the great escape, the door opened. “We’ve been waiting for you!” Mrs. Blackstone, my new fifth grade teacher, said loudly. With a smile my mom walked away and I was left taking center stage in front of a group of students.
Over the next few days, Mrs. Blackstone made it her job to find me a new best friend. During history lessons, when I didn’t want to speak in front of the class, she’d not only call on me but have me stand up to address my classmates.
One spring afternoon, Mrs. Blackstone asked me to stay after class. “I’d like to speak with you, Amanda.” My mind raced. Had I got a bad grade? Had I hurt anyone’s feelings? “Are you enjoying your new school?” She sat comfortably behind her desk. “I want to tell you something, between you and me, not to be shared with anyone else.” She continued, “I see something special in you. The way you communicate with others , and the kindness you show－I think you have great potential (潜力) to be something important.” I listened carefully to every word. “I have been a teacher for over twenty-five years; I can see it. But you must believe in yourself. That’s very important. Remember that and you’ll go far,” she said.
Her voice was music to my ears that day. I walked out of her office, not staring at my shoes, but looking straight ahead with my head high. My teacher saw something special in me! Years later, her words still remain inside of me.
1. The author went to school unwillingly most probably because she______.| A．didn’t like the school at all |
| B．often got low grades at school |
| C．was treated badly by her classmates |
| D．wasn’t used to the new environment |
| A．annoyed | B．embarrassed | C．tired | D．nervous |
| A．energetic | B．happy | C．confident | D．thankful |
| A．The author came from a poor family. |
| B．The teacher sang a song to the author. |
| C．The author never forgets what the teacher said. |
| D．The author no longer cared for anybody but herself. |
10 . Earlier research had suggested we're best at learning grammar in early childhood. Then we hit a dead end around age 5. It's supposed to be much harder for older kids. The time when people can learn the rules and structure of a language well appears to last until around age 17 or 18. “But that's not so, ”says psychologist（心理学家）Joshua Hartshorne.
Hartshorne asked friends to take an online English grammar test. After completing the test, volunteers answered questions about where they had lived, the languages they had spoken from birth and the age at which they first started learning English. Hartshorne also asked how long they had lived in an English-speaking country. As he had hoped, people shared the test widely online. This let Hartshorne's group study the answers from 669, 498 native and non-native speakers of English. The researchers used statistics to find out when people with different English-speaking experiences reached their top grammar ability.
If people moved to a new country and began speaking English by age 10 to 12, they finally spoke it as well as folks who had learned both English and another language from birth. But both groups scored a little worse than people who spoke English only, the researchers found. The test results showed that around age 17, people's ability to learn grammar took a sharp drop. And those who started learning English after age 10 or 12 never reached the same level of English skillfulness as people who started younger. Why？The researchers think it's because they had fewer years to practice before their skills dropped off at surprise：Language learning did not end at 17. People's English skills kept improving a little until around age 30, the new study found. And this was true among both native speakers and those who learned English as a second language. Still, most language learning happened by age 20, the new study decided.
1. What age period is best for grammar learning according to earlier research？| A．From 17 to 20. | B．From 5 to 12. |
| C．Before age 5. | D．From 20 to 30. |
| A．By experimenting in the lab. | B．By making an online survey. |
| C．By studying historical records. | D．By collecting earlier study results. |
| A．Language learning needs much practice. |
| B．Language learning ends at the age of 17. |
| C．The more languages you learn, the better. |
| D．It is best to learn language after 20 years old. |
| A．How native speakers learn English？ |
| B．What's the best age to learn a language？ |
| C．What's the best way to learn a foreign language？ |
| D．Why non-native speakers can never master a second language？ |
