1 . Feel like a family day trip outside London? Here are some of the best choices.
Harry Potter Studio
The Harry Potter Studio tour is one of the easiest day trips from London. Just read the directions on the website where you buy tickets and follow the crowds from the train to the bus. It is a unique experience. A walk through the studio allows families to appreciate every little detail that was put into the production of the Harry Potter movies from the costumes to the sets. Visitors can view the Potions Classroom, board the Hogwarts’ Express, and walk through the Dursley’s house.
Leeds Castle
Leeds Castle is one of the most beautiful castles in the UK. It is surrounded by a river and gardens, making it a relaxing and peaceful place. Leeds Castle is open for self-guided tours, and there are kid-friendly shows. Leeds Castle has a wonderfully-designed maze (迷宫), which has a surprise at the center that will appeal to all ages, not just children looking for a place to play. Leeds Castle also has a big playground, one part of which is set aside for small kids while the other inspires teenagers in an old game of hide-and-seek.
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is used by the current British royal family. This makes it the longest-occupied palace in Europe. Afraid that your young children might feel dull? Don’t worry. There is a kids’ audio tour available as well as an activity that features crafts (手工艺), coloring and dress-up for little ones. And in the summer months, parents will be happy to know that there is a place to get an ice cream for their kids centrally located in the castle complex (建筑群).
1. What can visitors do on the Harry Potter Studio tour?| A．Buy some costumes. |
| B．Ride on a special train. |
| C．See Harry Potter movies. |
| D．Study in the Potions Classroom. |
| A．Visitors must go on a tour with a guide. |
| B．The gardens are meant for hide-and-seek. |
| C．Kids can have a fun time on the playground. |
| D．The maze is especially popular among grown-ups. |
| A．Tiresome. | B．Comfortable. |
| C．Adventurous. | D．Interesting. |
2 . A simple mosquito bite can mean serious illness or death. So we spray large areas with chemicals to wipe out mosquitoes. But this has a bad influence on the whole ecosystem and your health. Now there’s a new device (装置), which claims to keep you and your loved ones mosquitofree：
What are we talking about?
Mosquitron, a brand new type of bug (虫子) catcher, designed by two German engineers, is perfect for clearing your home of all annoying and dangerous flying pests!
How does it work?
◆It is easy to set up; plug it in — and away you go!
◆It lures (引诱) the flying pests near using a safe, completely harmless UV light.
◆A reverse fan sucks the insects through a oneway trapdoor.
◆Once trapped in the drying basket, they are dried to death by the fan within 2 minutes.
◆You can simply empty the dead bugs into the trash, without even touching them.
◆No need for batteries or any chemicals.
How much does it cost?
It’s now ＄179.99. It may seem expensive at first, but when you consider most devices need regular, expensive refills and don’t work for more than 10 minutes, this is a pretty good deal. In fact, competitor products using the same UV technology are priced at over ＄250! Now you can buy it from the supplier’s website with 50% off and with free shipping for a limited time by clicking here. Note: The device can only be returned or exchanged if it arrives damaged, and you must pay in advance.
1. What is the characteristic of a Mosquitron?| A．It is easily recharged. |
| B．It is batterypowered. |
| C．It is almost silent when operating. |
| D．It kills mosquitoes with UV light. |
| A．A high discount. | B．A cheap delivery. |
| C．Return without reasons. | D．Cash on delivery. |
| A．A review. | B．An advertisement. |
| C．An instruction. | D．A report. |
3 . Our house was across the street from a hospital. We rented the upstairs rooms to outpatients at the clinic. One summer evening as I was preparing supper, there was a knock at the door. I opened it to see a truly awful looking man hardly taller than my eight-year-old daughter.
But the frightening thing was his swollen face. He told me he’d been hunting for a room since noon but no one seemed to have a room. For a moment I hesitated, but his next words convinced me: “I could sleep on the porch（门廊）. My bus leaves early in the morning.”
I went inside and finished getting supper. When we were ready, I asked him to join us. “No thank you. I have plenty.” And he held up a brown paper bag. When I had finished the dishes, I went out to talk with him a few minutes.
He told me he fished for a living to support his daughter, who was hopelessly disabled, and her five children. He didn’t tell it by way of complaint; in fact, he was grateful that no pain accompanied his disease. He thanked life for giving him the strength to keep going.
At bedtime, we put a camp small bed in the children’s room for him. When I got up in the morning, the bed linens were neatly folded and the little man was out on the porch. He refused breakfast, but just before he left, he smiled, “Your children made me feel at home. Grownups are bothered by my face, but children don’t seem to mind.” I told him he was welcome to come again.
In the years he came to stay overnight with us there was never a time that he did not bring us fish or vegetables. Other times we received packages. Knowing that he must walk three miles to mail these, and knowing how little money he had made the gifts more precious. I know our family always will be grateful to have known him; from him we learned what it was to accept the bad without complaint and the good with gratitude.
1. What actually led to the old man’s failure to get a room before?| A．His fishing job. | B．His ugly appearance. |
| C．His disabled daughter. | D．His lack of money. |
| A．He was in very bad condition. |
| B．He might attack her unless accepted. |
| C．He wouldn’t bother them too much. |
| D．The author had a big family to support. |
| A．The old man often came to ask for help ever since. |
| B．The old man actually didn’t eat anything for supper. |
| C．It was not easy for the old man to send the author gifts. |
| D．The author’s help taught the old man to live independently. |
| A．A precious gift! |
| B．A silent complaint! |
| C．A stubborn fisherman! |
| D．An incredible meeting! |
4 . When Simon Cane was in the second grade, he began learning about all the ways humans have an impact on the environment and really took those classroom lessons to heart in a way that set him apart from his schoolmates at his elementary school, P. S. 81, in the Bronx. “He told me we drove too much and made too much pollution,” his dad, Jonathan Cane, told Runner’s World. So Simon convinced his parents to start hanging their clothes to dry, taking the stairs instead of elevators, and other “green” measures.
“For much of kindergarten and first grade I rode my bike to Simon’s school with him on the back,” Jonathan said. “We had a lot of fun being outdoors. We’d stop to give our dog treats and generally enjoyed it.” As Simon got bigger, though, it wasn’t practical for him to ride on his father’s back, but it also didn’t make sense to ride together — both because of safety concerns and because there was no place to put away Simon’s bike. So, most of the time they drove the 1. 5 miles to school.
But in 2019, when Simon was going into third grade, the 8-year-old came up with a new way to help the planet: running the 1. 5 miles to P. S. 81. And Jonathan promised his son he’d join him for as long as he wanted.
“We did a test run one day in August, and decided to give it a go. To be honest, I thought he’d blink (眨眼)after it got really cold or rainy, but he never did,” Jonathan said. He recalled one day when the weather was particularly bad. “It’s really raining out there today,” he told Simon. “And Simon said, ‘Well then we’re going to get wet!’ He took pride in toughing it out, and it became a really fun family routine.”
Since the start, Simon has run with his dad and their black dog, Lola, and has even inspired his mom, Nicole Sin Quee, to join in. They soon became known as “the family that runs to school”.
1. What makes Simon different from his classmates?| A．Washing his clothes by himself. | B．Taking many classes after school. |
| C．Raising strange questions in class. | D．Taking green measures to protect the environment. |
| A．By car. | B．By cycling. | C．By running. | D．By school bus. |
| A．Simon has trouble with his eyesight. | B．Simon is really stubborn and inflexible. |
| C．Simon is much tougher than expected. | D．Simon didn’t get support from his father. |
| A．The Best Way to Go to School |
| B．Father and Son Run for the Environment |
| C．A Teenager Keeps Running to Inspire Father |
| D．Three Inspiring Running Athletes to Protect the Environment |
5 . Inventors are always at work, dreaming up new technologies. Some inventions help us solve problems. Others make life easier, or more fun. Here, TFK(Time for Kids) presents 3 of our favorite inventions. See how they make us live a better life.
Stopping Sickness
Christine Schindler is an engineer. She wanted to help stop the spread of foodborne illnesses. So she created PATHSPOT. It uses light to scan a person’s hands for harmful germs. Restaurant employees hold their hands beneath the scanner. Then the scanner judges whether they must be rewashed. About 100 locations have started using the product since it launched in May.
Talking Eyes
For people who are blind or have other visual problems, the ORCAM MYEYE 2 could be a game changer. It might also prove useful for people with reading difficulties. Described as “talking glasses,” this AI device can be attached to any eyeglass frame. It can identify faces. It can also read text aloud. Fitting all this power into such a small device is like “putting an elephant in a small closet,” says Amnon Shashua, the inventor of the technology. Now the device can be bought online.
Sport-safe
Research shows that playing football increases the risk of brain injury. Still, about a million kids under the age of 13 play football, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association. That’s where the VICIS ZERO1 YOUTH football helmet comes in. It has thick, force-absorbing support on the front and sides, where kids are likely to take the hardest hits on the field. Players on 1,500 youth teams have worn the helmet.
1. What is the function of Pathspot?| A．Killing the germs on hands. | B．Checking if hands are clean. |
| C．Rewashing employees’ hands. | D．Stopping the reproduction of germs. |
| A．Low-noise. | B．Portable. |
| C．Single-function | D．Power-saving. |
| A．It is available to the public now. | B．It improves kids’ football skills. |
| C．It is designed for kids under 13 only. | D．Its front and sides are the hardest. |
6 . On a trip to the forests of southern India, amateur photographer Kaushik Vijayan was shocked to see some massive rodents（啮齿动物），who are maroon（紫褐色），leaping from treetop to treetop.
Vijayan uploaded the images of the four-pound rodents to Instagram, and the Internet went crazy immediately. Some had a difficult time believing that the squirrels, photographed in the Pathanamthitta District of Kerala, actually exist, thanks to the animals' bright spots of black and maroon.
But the Indian giant（巨大的）squirrel, also known as the Malabar giant squirrel, is the real deal. Believe it or not, it is not alone. There are three other giants in the squirrel family, Sciuridae-each of which weighs in at two to three times the size of the gray squirrels native to the eastern United States.
＂The four species that make up this group are fascinating in their large size, brilliant coloration, and tendency for feeding on some of the massive tropical fruits on the trees, "says Koprowski.
Even among its relatives, the Indian giant squirrel stands out with its bright colors, which makes one wonder why its evolution would select fur. That would call so much attention to itself. After all, these forests are also home to predators such as lion-tailed macaques, leopards, and crested serpent eagles-all of which have been known to hunt rodents.
No one knows for sure, says Koprowski, but the squirrel's purple patterns may serve as a way to hide the animal itself. This is because the broadleaf forests these squirrels inhabit create a pattern of sun spots and shaded areas-not unlike the rodents' markings.
In other words, what looks flashy and fun to us in an Instagram post may make the squirrels disappear when hungry mouths come to hunt. Now that's a common trick.
1. How did people feel after seeing the Malabar giant squirrel's images?| A．Nervous. | B．Incredible. | C．Embarrassed. | D．Sorrowful. |
| A．Its size. | B．Its habitat. | C．Its color. | D．Its lifestyle. |
| A．To show itself off. |
| B．To protect itself. |
| C．To drive other animals away. |
| D．To compete with its companions. |
| A．Human beings. |
| B．Rodents' hunting. |
| C．The Instagram post. |
| D．The broadleaf forests. |
7 . The Chinese word "Shanzhai" means a small mountain village, but it becomes an accepted name for fakes (假货), after "Shanzhai Cell-phones" produced by small workshops in southern China became popular in the mainland market over the past two years. Now besides "Shanzhai" electronic products, there are "Shanzhai" movies, "Shanzhai" stars and even a "Shanzhai" Sprin Festival Gala, a copy of the 25-year-old traditional show presented by CCTV on Chinese Lunar New Year's Eve.
"Shanzhai" has become a culture of its own, meaning anything that imitates something famous. In Chongqing, "Shanzhai" version "Bird's Nest（鸟巢）" and "Water Cube（水立方）" woven by farmers with bamboo attract(吸引) wide attention from tourists. Both are copies of the famous Olympic buildings in Beijing.
A literature critic said that taking the "Shanzhai" Gala as an example, when the traditional CCTV program becomes less and less attractive to the audience, the "Shanzhai" version appears timely to attract people. "Although it is often connected with poor techniques and operation, 'Shanzhai' culture meets the psychological needs of common people and could be a comfort to their minds," he said.
To the mainstream（主流） culture, the rise of "Shanzhai" culture is a challenge and a motivation（推动）. People believe different kinds of cultures developing together is a perfect way and it is for the public to choose.
1. The Chinese word "Shanzhai" may have started with_______.| A．electronic products | B．fake(假的) cell-phones |
| C．Spring Festival Gala | D．Olympic buildings |
| A．anything that are copies of something famous |
| B．products with poor techniques and quality |
| C．the action that a person imitates famous people |
| D．those similar names to famous brands |
| A．is stopped by "Shanzhai" culture |
| B．is the challenge of"Shanzhai" culture |
| C．may develop faster because of the challenge of "Shanzhai" culture |
| D．will be replaced by "Shanzhai" culture |
| A．偷窃 | B．做广告 |
| C．仿造 | D．欺骗 |
8 . Israeli researchers say they have invented a reusable face mask that can kill the coronavirus with heat by drawing power from a mobile phone charger.
The disinfecting(消毒)process takes about half an hour-and users should not wear the mask while it is plugged in, said Professor Yair Ein-Eli, who led the research team at Technion University in Haifa. TI new mask has a USB port that connects to a power source such as a standard cellphone charger that heats an inner layer of carbon fibres to 70 degrees Celsius, high enough to kill viruses.
Ein-Eli said disposable masks, in high demand globally during the health crisis, were not economically or environmentally friendly. “This is our solution,” he said.
Professor Allon Moses, an infectious diseases expert at Jerusalem’s Hadassah Medical Center, said there was “no question” that a half hour’s exposure to 70-degree heat would kill the coronavirus. But he cautioned that repeated heating could “damage the masks paper or fabric and spoil its ability to protect from diseases in the future.”
During testing, the prototype was exposed to 20 heating cycles, each for half an hour, with no damage on durability, Ein-Eli said. “We can guarantee it up to a few dozen cycles, without any risk,” he added.
The prototype looks like a standard N95 face mask, with a valve(阀) at the front and bands to hold it in place around the head. The researchers submitted a patent for the mask in the United States in late March and say they are discussing commercializing the product with the private sector. It will likely sell at a $ l premium over the price of a typical disposable face mask, the researchers say.
1. How long does the disinfecting process usually take?| A．Around 20 minutes. | B．around 30 minutes. |
| C．Around 60 minutes. | D．Around 70 minutes. |
| A．To kill viruses thoroughly. | B．To spread a novel idea. |
| C．To replace the traditional ones. | D．To make reusable and friendly ones. |
| A．The reusable face masks were unhealthy. |
| B．70-degree heat would hurt people in a way. |
| C．The cost of reusable face masks may be high. |
| D．The function of mask to prevent diseases was ruined. |
| A．Fine. | B．Extra. | C．Currency. | D．Face value. |
9 . The very wealthy English Baron Fitzgerald had only one child, a son, who understandably was the apple of his eye. His wife died when the child was in his early teens. So Fitzgerald devoted himself to fathering the kid. Unluckily the son died in his late teens.
Meanwhile, Fitzgerald’s wealth greatly increased. He spent a lot on art works of the masters.
Later Fitzgerald himself became seriously ill. Before his death, he had carefully prepared his will as to how his wealth would be settled—to sell his entire collection at an auction.
Because of the large quantity and high quality of his collection, a huge crowd of possible buyers gathered for the auction. Many of them were museum directors and private collectors eager to bid. Before the auction, the art works were shown, among which was a painting of Fitzgerald’s son by an unknown artist. Because of its poor quality, it received little attention.
When it was time for the auction, the auctioneer gaveled the crowd to attention. First the lawyer read from Fitzgerald’s will that the first art work to be auctioned was the painting of his son.
The poor-quality painting didn’t receive any bidders... except one — the old servant who had served the son and loved him, and who for emotional reasons offered the only bid.
As soon as the servant bought the painting for less than one English pound, the auctioneer stopped the bidding and asked the lawyer to read again from the will. The crowd became quiet, and the lawyer read from the will, “Whoever buys the painting of my son gets all my collection.” Then the auction was over.
1. The English Baron Fitzgerald was________.| A．a museum director | B．a master of art |
| C．an art collector | D．an artist |
| A．He served Fitzgerald’s son and loved him. | B．He saw that no one bid for it. |
| C．He knew the content of the will. | D．He found it cheap for him to buy |
| A．Proud. | B．Kind. | C．Foolish. | D．Clever. |
| A．The Auction | B．The Painting of the Son |
| C．The Servant at the Auction | D．One Painting for All |
10 . It was dinner time for the Rangers, a group of mostly Indigenous (本地的) Australians who had spent a long day cleaning up the polluted beaches of the continent’s northern coast. Soon they would be eating freshly caught fish and seafood cooked under the stars on an open fire, as their ancestors did.
The Rangers are of more than 100 Indigenous groups spread across Australia who have taken on the job of protecting the land of their forefathers. In Arnhem Land, they are the protectors of 3,300 square miles of land and sea. They comb the beaches by hand, picking up as much rubbish as possible. The task is very difficult as each day it delivers waves of new rubbish.
For the Rangers, cleaning the beaches is more than a vacation. For a people whose culture is strongly tied to the land, protecting the environment is equal to preserving their history.
However, colonization forcefully broke their connection to the land generations ago. Indigenous people were displaced and their cultural practices outlawed. Tens of thousands of years of traditional land management ended, and as a result many parts of the country now face serious disasters from invasive plant and animal species, bush fires and land mismanagement.
In recent years, the government has restored more than 20 percent of Australia’s land to Indigenous owners. Since 2007, the Indigenous Rangers Organizations have been at work protecting this land.
Luck, one of the few non-Indigenous employees working with the Rangers, said the combination of old and new techniques and an appreciation for the culture of Indigenous workers has been critical to the program’s success.
“You are working with staff who see the world different to you, so there is a much higher focus on the cultural aspects of work and life,” he said.
“Being a ranger is a source of confidence. You feel strong,” said Terence, a senior ranger. “Here we still live on the land. The culture is still alive.”
1. What did Indigenous Australians live on in the past?| A．Rubbish picked up by hand. | B．Catching the fish and seafood. |
| C．Protecting the land. | D．Invasive plants and animals. |
| A．The polluted land needs better management. |
| B．Their cultural practices were outlawed. |
| C．The people were too strong. |
| D．The land belongs to them. |
| A．It’s a job of their ancestors’. | B．It’s just a vacation. |
| C．It’s a difficult task. | D．It’s their culture. |
| A．Not many employees are the Indigenous Australians. |
| B．Culture is important to the Indigenous Australians. |
| C．Their new techniques are successful. |
| D．Both Luck and Terence are rangers. |
