1 . Top Four Marathons

Portland Marathon

The marathon welcomes 8, 000 people every fall. It’s a great event for first-timers because everyone is cheered on with enthusiasm no matter how long it takes to cross the finish line. The time limit for the full marathon is now at a pace of minutes per mile, or 6 hours and 33 minutes, but in the past it had an open time limit. They promise you’ll still receive your medal if you fall behind the pace, but you have to finish using the sidewalks.

TCS New York City Marathon

As the world’s biggest marathon, the TCS New York City Marathon attracts over 50,000 people to the Big Apple each November. The time limit is generous eight and a half hours, but participants must move to the sidewalk if they drop below 15-minute mile. The famous course snakes through five boroughs (行政区) of the city and crosses five bridges to end in Central Park.

Honolulo Marathon

The marathon attracts over 30,000 participants each December. The race starts on Ala Moana Boulevard in downtown Honolulu and snakes its way along the breathtaking Hawaiian coastline to the finish line in Kapiolani Park. The start time is at 5: 00 am with finish line services officially open until 2: 00 pm. However, the organizers allow everyone to finish and have waiters on hand until 4: 00 pm.

Boston Marathon

The marathon is held in May every year. For this event running isn’t allowed as the city streets aren’t closed off. Participants must instead make their way along sidewalks under the guidance of event organizers and city police. The event attracts over 8,000 people who can choose anything from three-mile walk to the full 26.2-mile Boston Marathon route.

1. Where is a new marathon runner most likely to receive enthusiastic cheers?

A．In Portland.	B．In New York.
C．In Honolulu.	D．In Boston.

2. What can we know about TCS New York City Marathon?

A．It is extremely popular.	B．It has an open time limit.
C．It starts and ends in a park.	D．It forbids using the sidewalk.

3. Which marathon is held the earliest in a year?

A．Portland Marathon.	B．TCS New York City Marathon.
C．Boston Marathon.	D．Honolulu Marathon.

2 . Species of all types have evolved over the centuries to be just the right height for their need.

So whether it's a giraffe or an elephant, these land animals stand just as tall as they need to.

No other land mammal (哺乳动物) has quite the view like the giraffe. Standing between 14 and 19 feet, giraffes are the tallest land mammal in the world. Their height is an advantage.

Because of the height, their good eyesight and strong kicks, giraffes aren't often brought down, even by lions. Still, giraffes face threats from humans for their skin and meat.

The ostrich (鸵鸟), a large flightless bird, is among the most recognizable of birds. Their long necks are matched by their long legs, and this gives them an average height of 6.6 feet. With their legs, they can reach up to 64km per hour. These birds have a reputation for sticking their heads in the sand, but in fact, they're digging holes to bury their eggs. From far away, it looks as if they're putting their heads in the sand. Now, most of their living areas have been taken up by man, which has greatly reduced their number.

Coming up behind the giraffe in the height competition is the African bush elephant. They weigh about 6,100 kilograms — they're even more difficult to be caught than giraffes. Lions try their best to catch younger elephants, but often with little success. Still, the species is considered endangered due to the loss of their homes.

Arabian camels are the tallest of the camel species. Males can reach about 6.6 feet. Despite their impressive size, Arabian camels disappear in the wild due to man's illegal hunting.

1. Why do ostriches dig holes in the sand?

A．To build homes.	B．To cover their eggs.
C．To hide themselves.	D．To bury their heads.

2. Which land animals are the second highest?

A．Giraffes.

B．Ostriches.

C．African bush elephants.

D．Arabian camels.

3. What might be a common threat to these animals?

A．Human activities.	B．Natural enemies.
C．Agricultural development.	D．Lack of living areas.

4. What is mainly talked about in the text?

A．The right height for wild animals.	B．Reasons for the height of animals.
C．The strongest mammals in the world.	D．The tallest land animals on the earth.

3 . The Day My Father Almost Drowned Me

Dad used to be a devoted fisherman. He tried to get me interested as well, but it never seemed much fun to me. The line always seemed to tangle（缠结），the worms（虫）would not hold still, the hooks （挂钩）were sharp, and Dad always seemed to want to go someplace far away, so that you had to get up in the middle of the night.

One time when I was about ten years old, my dad took me fishing to the American Falls reservoir （I think that's where it was. Our neighbor Wayne Booth had built a kayak （皮船），which was painted bright blue, and Dad thought we could row out onto the reservoir（划到水库）and catch some fish. I don’t remember whether we caught any fish or not. I think I was having more fun rowing the kayak, which is rowed facing forward with a double-ended oar（船桨）,unlike an ordinary row-boat, which I never liked because you couldn't see where you were going. But mid-afternoon the wind came up a little. We were maybe a hundred feet from shore, when the wind caught my hat and blew it into the water just a few feet away. Dad said, “Don't worry. I'll get it!" and reached out for the hat.

Now, a kayak is a very skillfully balanced thing, and Dad's reaching for the hat was just enough to upset the balance and tip us over. I didn't know how to swim yet, and thought I was a goner. Dad did, too, I think, because he was grabbing for me madly until we realized that the water was only about four feet deep.

Mother was not too pleased when we got home, soaking wet, and I think she thought Dad was creating the story a little so that it wouldn't sound like he had really almost drowned（溺死）me.

1. How many people are mentioned in the passage?

A．Two.	B．Three.
C．Four.	D．Five.

2. Which of the following can describe my father?

A．He was good at swimming.

B．He was hard on the writer.

C．He was into making up a story.

D．He was a man fond of fishing.

3. What's the correct order according to the passage?
a. Dad grabbed for me madly. b. Our neighbor built a kayak.
c. Dad and I fell into water. d. My hat was blown into the water.

A．a, b, c, d

B．b, d, c, a

C．c, d, a, b

D．b, a, d, c

4. What does the writer want to express by saying "I was a goner" ?

A．He was going to be saved.	B．He was going to be drowned.
C．He was going to be beaten.	D．He was lucky to leave.

4 . Jean is a bright young woman who comes from a rich and famous family. She goes to a good university and has everything that money can buy. Well, almost everything. The problem is that the people in Jean's family are so busy that they can hardly find time to be with her. In fact, Jean is quite lonely.

So Jean spends a lot of time on her QQ. She likes being anonymous(匿名), talking to people who do not know about her famous family and her rich life. She uses the name Linda on QQ and has made a lot of friends who she keeps in touch with quite often.

Last year Jean made a very special friend on QQ. His name was David and lived in San Francisco. David was full of stories and jokes. He and Jean had a common(共同的) interest in rock music and modern dance. So it always took them hours to talk happily on QQ and sometimes they even forgot their time. Of course, they wanted to know more about each other. David sent a picture of himself: He was a tall, good-looking young man with a big, happy smile. As time went by, they became good friends and often sent cards and small things to each other. When Jean's father told her that he was going on a business trip to San Francisco, she asked him to let her go with him so that she could give David a surprise for his birthday. She would take him the latest DVD of their favorite rock singer. But when she knocked on David's door in San Francisco, she found that her special friend was a twelve-year-old boy named Jim!

1. Jean spends a lot of her time on QQ because she is _______.

A．rich	B．famous
C．young	D．lonely

2. Jean thought “David” was special because he _______.

A．made her quite happy on QQ	B．was from San Francisco
C．sent her a picture of himself	D．was tall and good-looking

3. When Jean and “David” met and introduced themselves to each other, who felt surprised?

A．“David”	B．Both“David” and Jean.
C．Jean.	D．Neither“David”nor Jean.

4. What's the main idea of the passage?

A．Don't believe those you get to know on QQ so easily.

B．People don't use their real names on QQ so often.

C．Don't go to meet those you get to know on QQ.

D．People should tell their real names to others on QQ.

5 . Do you still remember Jurassic Park, an amazing movie where science brings dinosaurs back from extinction? Now some very smart scientists are working on a way to revive, not dinosaurs, but other extinct species like the woolly mammoth （长毛象）using the gene editing technology known as CRISPR.

As an evolutionary biologist, obviously, it would be amazing to bring back extinct creatures. But even if we can bring them back, we are not going to be able to control how they evolve in the future. No man is an island and neither is any other creature. We need an ecosystem in order to survive. So we can think a lot about the examples of reintroducing species into the environment, like the gray wolves into Yellowstone. Ecology is very complicated and it certainly wasn't important when we first introduce rabbits into Australia, which was a total disaster eventually.

All animals like birds and mammals have to learn from their parents. If we bring them back to life, who are going to be around to teach them? We have examples where in California we've had the reproduction of the condors （秃鹰）.What scientists tried to do is to feed the babies using a mother condor puppet. When these poor creatures were released into the wild, they had an unnatural liking for humans. They didn't behave the way they should have, for condors.

According to Performing Animal Welfare Society, a healthy elephant costs about $70,000 per year to care for and an elderly elephant costs a good deal more. Of course, we are not talking about one. We're talking about many creatures. I don't think these creatures will have a future.

1. Why does the author mention the film in the first paragraph?

A．To recall an amazing movie.

B．To promote some extinct species.

C．To introduce the topic to be discussed.

D．To get to know some intelligent scientists.

2. What does the author want to tell us by the examples in paragraph 2?

A．Humans need a balanced ecosystem to survive.

B．To bring back extinct creatures was an unwise idea.

C．Helping endangered species proves to be beneficial for humans.

D．There were all sorts of positive effects about reintroducing species.

3. Which animal didn't act in its own way?

A．Condor.

B．Gray wolf.

C．Rabbit.

D．Elephant.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Is Jurassic Park an Amazing Movie?

B．What do Creatures Need to Survive?

C．Should We Bring Extinct Animals Back to Life?

D．How does an Evolutionary Biologist Protect Animals?

6 . 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.

2. What can we know about the author's help for those families in Kenya?

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.

3. How did the author feel when many people turned to him?

A．Heartbroken.

B．Confused.

C．Delighted.

D．Content.

4. Which of the following can best describe the author?

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.

7 . From the moment you open your eyes in the morning,     you can feel sweat (汗水)running down your body,     even if you’re barely moving at all. That’s what most people in China felt like this summer. In fact, the entire northern hemisphere(半球 )saw high temperatures in July. The Arctic Circle(北极圈) was no exception(例外). Temperatures in the city of Norilsk, which is in the Arctic Circle, reached a record high of 32 ℃,   The Atlantic reported. Temperatures there are usually just 10 ℃ at this time of the year.

The heat wave in the Arctic is mainly a long-term result of global warming, according to the Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences. In fact, while the whole world is getting warmer, the Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet. This is called the polar amplification effect(极地放大效应).

The most direct impact(影响) of Arctic warming is the melting of Arctic ice. According to NASA,     Arctic sea ice is now disappearing at a rate of 13. 2 percent every 10 years. NASA said that if this continues,     the Arctic will have no ice by the year 2040.   This has put some Arctic animals, like polar bears, in danger. The ice that the bears live on has shrunk(缩小), the Toronto Star reported.

Melting ice can also cause sea levels to rise in the long term. Since 1993, sea levels have risen at a rate of 3. 2 cm every 10 years, the Guardian reported. Some countries, such as Tuvalu(图瓦卢) in the South Pacific Ocean and Maldives(马尔代夫) in the Indian Ocean, are at risk of disappearing into the sea.

1. Which of the following is true?

A．Some countries in the ocean will disappear in 10 years.

B．China is the hottest in the northern hemisphere this summer.

C．The temperatures in Norilsk used to be lower than this summer.

D．The world gets warmer because of the heat wave in the Arctic.

2. What does the underlined word “this” in the third paragraph refer to?

A．The heat wave in the Arctic.

B．The result of global warming.

C．Getting warmer in the world.

D．The Arctic getting warm faster.

3. What may be the result of the melting of Arctic ice?

A．The polar will become dangerous.

B．Sea levels rise in the long term.

C．There will be an end of water shortage.

D．There will be no ice in the world by 2040.

4. What is the main idea of this passage?

A．Heat hits Arctic.

B．Arctic animals are in danger.

C．The world became hotter than before.

D．Some countries may disappear into the sea.

8 . YMCA (also called the Y for short) is now offering free summer membership for high school students. If you’re starting grade 9-12 in the fall, you can take advantage of free membership at some YMCA locations this summer with the Get Summer program.

What you get

Y membership from June 1 through August 31, including access to:

* 26 Y locations in the Twin Cities. Rochester and Hudson, WI—with just a single registration(注册)

* Gyms, where you can play basketball, volleyball and more

* Indoor and outdoor pools

* Fitness Centers featuring weights and other workout equipment

* Group Exercise classes that help you build strength, speed and flexibility

* Nutritious meals

* Leadership development, service learning opportunities, and career readiness Check out where to find and how to use all these benefits in the Member Guide.

Getting started

Before you can start using the Y, you need to attend an orientation(定向) meeting.

* Give a tour of your Y

* Review the Membership Code of Conduct

* Learn about schedules and programs available for the summer

The fine print

There are 400 free membership cards max per branch available this summer, so be sure to sign up early. If you’re currently a Y member, or have been a Y member within the last 60 days, you’re not qualified to get free Get Summer membership. Visit our online join center or your local branch to purchase youth membership.

Thank you

The Y would like to thank the Schulze Family Foundation for their generous contribution to help us provide a safe environment for young people to engage in programs that promote healthy living, and build character and leadership.

1. What can we know about the Get Summer program?

A．It is only provided in Rochester.	B．It provides telephone registration.
C．It is free for everyone.	D．It lasts for three months.

2. What can you get as a member of the Y?

A．Access to meet celebrities(名人).	B．Opportunities to swim indoors.
C．Enjoyment from playing football.	D．Personal classes to develop leadership.

3. If Charlie is a Y member now, she ________.

A．needs to buy youth membership to attend the summer program

B．may take part in the summer program for free

C．can share a youth membership with another Y member

D．can join the summer program at a discount

9 . Volunteering abroad is a great way to help others，improve your skills and become a more confident，independent person. If you are interested in volunteering abroad，here are some places to go.

Australia

If you seek a life on the beach，in a great climate with friendly people，Australia might be your best bet. With thousands of volunteers already signing up to leave for Australia during the holidays，it will be a very popular option.

Brazil

This vast country has some great opportunities on offer and is especially popular this year. A lot of volunteer work is available in Brazil centers on conservation and ecological projects. With the world's largest rainforest in Brazil，of which huge part is in danger，there are lots of different jobs you can do.

Kenya

Kenya is the destination for those seeking an African experience. Generally volunteers in Kenya work in orphanages (孤儿院) or with local children living in slums. There is a great demand for volunteers in Africa because many people live in poverty，so if you truly feel like making a difference to a community，Kenya should be at the top of your list.

Costa Rica

Golden sandy beaches，clear coastlines and beautiful cities are what Costa Rica is all about. Because of its small size，you can see a lot of the country in just a short time. You can really make the most of your time as a volunteer. A lot of work is needed with wildlife and ecological work，so if you want to look after turtles on the beach，Costa Rica could be just the place for you.

1. If you are interested in protecting the environment，you will probably go to        .

A．Australia

B．Brazil

C．Kenya

D．Costa Rica

2. It can be inferred from the passage that volunteers in Kenya mainly work with        .

A．animals

B．plants

C．the elderly

D．children

3. If you choose to go to Costa Rica，you are supposed to        .

A．take care of trees in the forests	B．surf with children in the water
C．work with animals on the beach	D．look after children who have lost their parents

10 . Daban town is famous for girls and windmills, while Loulan is a mystery in the desert. Two thousand years ago, beside the beautiful Luobu Lake, there lay Loulan ancient city of the Silk Road. Businessmen from every country gathered there with lots of dancing parties. Everything shows that people in Loulan lived a rich life at that moment.

However, two thousand years later, this rich land suddenly disappeared from the map of China. It became an area covered with sand and dead tree trunks (树干).

Loulan was first “discovered” by a Swedish man named Sven Hedin in 1900, and people from America, Britain, Japan and Sweden all set foot here. Then in the 1930s, a Chinese named Huang Wenbi came to Loulan for the first time. He visited and studied this area and found many relics that were beautifully and carefully made.

It is recorded that the ancient city of Loulan was the capital of the Loulan Kingdom during the Han and Jin Dynasties, and covered an area of some 10, 000 square kilometres. Inside the city, there are the ruins of government offices, temples and other old buildings. Outside the city there are some dried-up rivers and much farmland. In the past century many things have been dug up there including Han Dynasty coins, mirrors and many others of Greek and Roman times. All these things show that a lot of business between the East and the West once took place there.

Lying on the northwest of the Lop Nur area, the Loulan Kingdom is now a lifeless area with endless “forests” of mounds which aren‘t easily seen in other parts of the world. Its mystery has been attracting many people from many countries all over the world.

1. Who was the first person to set foot in Loulan in the 20th century?

A．A European.	B．An American.
C．A Chinese.	D．A Japanese.

2. While Loulan still sat there, _____________.

A．there was no government or officials living in that area

B．people from America, Japan and even Oceania had been there

C．many businessmen from the East and the West went through there

D．a lifeless area with sand and dead tree trunks could be easily seen there

3. What can be inferred from the text?

A．Loulan was destroyed by the terrible weather there.

B．Wars between the countries made Loulan disappear.

C．Too many people gathered in Loulan and destroyed it.

D．How Loulan ancient city disappeared is still unknown to us.