1 . With 60 miles of canals and nearly 7,000 buildings dating from the 18th century or earlier, Amsterdam is one of Europe’s best preserved cities. Here are some of our favorites.
The Concertgebouw
A free classical concert in one of the world’s greatest concert halls? Sounds too good to be true, but every Wednesday at lunchtime that’s exactly what’s on offer at the Concertgebouw. The latest series just started up again this month and will run through June. You can pick up a free ticket (one per person) on the day of the show starting at 11:30 a.m.; the concert takes place from 12:30 p.m. to 1 p.m.
Rijksmuseum Gardens
Take a walk in the beautiful formal gardens of the Rijksmuseum, which are dotted with fascinating artworks. There’s a life-size chessboard, a fountain by contemporary Danish artist Jeppe Hein, and post-war climbing frames by architect Aldo van Eyck. The gardens also host sculpture exhibitions — currently there are 21 sculptures on show by the Spanish artist Joan Miró until October 11.
The Muziektheater
This important opera, dance and music venue has free weekly lunchtime concerts by top performers on Tuesdays from 12:30 p.m. to 1 p.m. in the entrance hall, from September to May. Once or twice a month, the concert is followed by a free tour of the theatre — check the website for details.
Central Library
At the Netherlands’ biggest library, the Centrale Bibliotheek, you can read the international papers for free, and while Wi-Fi isn’t completely free, you can purchase 30 minutes for little more than a dollar by using one of the ticket machines. Upstairs on the 7th floor there is a café with a balcony that boasts wonderful city views.
1. Which one would you prefer if you have a taste for artworks?| A．The Concertgebouw. | B．The Muziektheater. |
| C．Rijksmuseum Gardens. | D．Central Library. |
| A．Enjoy classical music at Concertgebouw. |
| B．Attend the free weekly lunchtime concert. |
| C．Visit sculpture exhibitions of Joan Miró. |
| D．Take a walk in the Rijksmuseum Gardens. |
| A．Wi-Fi in it is free to use. |
| B．You can get a fantastic view of the city. |
| C．It is the biggest library in the world. |
| D．Newspapers at home and abroad are free to read. |
2 . Have you wondered how dogs became man's best friends? On October 30, a study published in the online journal Science revealed more information about the history between dogs and humans, dating back thousands of years.
From previous studies, it was known that sometime between 15,000 to 40,000 years ago, humans first encountered a friendly gray wolf, and that forever changed the relationship. The dogs of today are descendants of and were domesticated from gray wolves.
Greger Larson from the University of Oxford, along with an international team, examined the genomes (genetic makeup) of 27 ancient dog species from remains dating back 800 to11,000 years ago. The team discovered that 11,000 years ago, there were five distinct species of dogs from Northern Europe, the Near East, Siberia, New Guinea, and the Americas. It turned out that today's dog species can trace their ancestry to one of these five ancient species. For example, the chihuahuas are descendants of ancient dogs from the Americas, while the huskies are descendants of the Siberian breed. The team also found that most of the modern European dog breeds come from two breeds - Northern Europe and the Near East. And finally, the five species trace their origin to one ancient species of wolf.
The scientists found remains of dog species in Europe are originally from the Near East. This led them to conclude that humans traveled with their dogs as they migrated from one area to another. These dogs were brought as companions or to act as guard dogs or hunting dogs.
Finally, with dogs and humans living together, the two also developed similar characteristics such as the ability to digest high-starch diets. When two species adapt to an environment in similar ways, it is known as “convergent evolution”.
As you can see, this study is already changing what we know about our favorite companion. We cannot wait to hear what else scientists unearth!
1. Where did the huskies originate from?| A．Northern Europe. | B．The Near East. | C．Siberia. | D．New Guinea. |
| A．By tracing the ancestry. | B．By examining the genomes. |
| C．By observing the remains. | D．By referring to previous studies. |
| A．Humans traveled to Europe with their dogs' remains. |
| B．Dog species once migrated from Europe to the Near East. |
| C．Humans migrated from the Near East to Europe in history. |
| D．Humans only migrated with hunting dogs from area to area. |
| A．Five Distinct Species of Ancient Dogs. |
| B．Long Relationship Between Dogs and Humans. |
| C．Convergent Evolution of Dogs and Humans. |
| D．How Dogs Were Domesticated from Gray Wolves. |
3 . Twelve-year-old Lydia Denton was recently named the winner of CITGO's Fueling Education Student Challenge, where she earned $20,000 after creating the Beat the Heat Car Seat, which is a portable device placed in the car seat that not only senses weight over five pounds but monitors temperature when the baby is in the seat.
The soon-to-be seventh grader says she became inspired to make the invention after watching the news that babies were being left in hot cars, often by accident.“At first, I thought about raising money for the families, but that wouldn't fix the problem: I wanted to invent something that could prevent the deaths from happening.”
Lydia's device is started when it senses the weight of the child and the temperature setting reaches over 100 F (38℃). At that point, an alarm goes off and a warning is sent via SMS to the parents. If the parents don't reset the device within 60 seconds, a built-in GPS chip sends a message to local authorities with the vehicle's location. After many rounds of testing with her local 911, Lydia is proud to say that Beat the Heat Car Seat is a success.
Though many newer vehicles come with warning systems and smart seat systems, Lydia's goal was to create a device that would reach more people and that could also transfer from car seat to car seat as the child grew. She decided to use her prize money to continue making improvements on the device, which would sell for only about $40.
Lydia is now working with an instructor who is helping her with production and teaching her about business. Lydia hopes that her work will inspire more kids of her age to make their ideas come true. “Don't think that you have to accept things in the world. If there is something that bothers you, think of ways to make it better!”
1. Why did Lydia make the invention?| A．To win 20,000-dollar prize. |
| B．To raise money for unlucky families. |
| C．To help stop babies dying in hot cars. |
| D．To guarantee babies' safety in a car crash. |
| A．How it works. | B．What it consists of. |
| C．Why it raises the alarm. | D．How parents respond to it. |
| A．It will be much stronger. | B．It will be more affordable. |
| C．It will be less problematic. | D．It will be more effective on older kids. |
| A．No competition, no progress. |
| B．It's never too late to go into business. |
| C．One should be open to any suggestion. |
| D．Creative thinking is the key to success. |
4 . With the infection being brought under control, more and more galleries and museums are reopening. While many museums have been putting exhibitions online, visitors still prefer to enjoy works of art in person. Here are four major art exhibitions that are held offline.
The Palace Museum (Dec. 10—Feb. 15)
The exhibition, Everlasting Splendor which is being held in the Meridian Gate Galleries, marks the 600th anniversary of China’s imperial palace. Over 400 cultural relics are displayed at the exhibition, reflecting the history of the Forbidden City’s construction, the development of its layout, and how it has been protected and restored in the past decades.
The National Museum of China (Jan. 4—Mar. 29)
The exhibition, A Sail Over Miles, offers a brief review of the ancient Silk Road in ceramics (陶瓷). It guides visitors through the manufacturing, export and shipping routes from the Tang Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty with over 300 ceramic relies, including a pot dug from Nanhai No 1, a Chinese cargo ship dating back more than 800 years. The exhibition also shows Japanese, Korean and British ceramics, reflecting the influence of China’s porcelain-making techniques in local industries.
The Capital Museum (Jan. 1—Mar. 30)
The Capital Museum is to host Man of Infinite Refinement: Special Exhibition on the Paintings and Calligraphy of Su Shi, a calligraphy and painting exhibition on the legacy of Su Shi, an iconic figure of ancient Chinese literature and fine arts. The 78 exhibits on display spans from the Northern Song Dynasty through recent history and cover a range of media, including calligraphy, paintings, documents and rarely seen books.
The National Art Museum of China (Nov. 30—Feb. 10)
On show are nearly 300 objects, including paintings, calligraphy works, carved seals, manuscripts, letters and books. Donation of Rong Geng not only reflects his academic accumulation over the years, but forms the basis for his becoming such a well-rounded scholar in the area of Chinese cultural traditions.
Rong Geng (1894—1983), a scholar of Chinese paleography, educator and connoisseur of antiquities, is little known to the general public. However, his extensive studies of ancient Chinese writings and his former collection of archaic oracle bones and bronzes continue to enrich people’s cultural life. In his lifetime, Rong donated to the State nearly 200 bronze objects, all of which are now housed at numerous public museums and universities.
1. Which offline exhibition lasts the shortest period of showtime?| A．Everlasting Splendor. | B．A Sail Over Miles. |
| C．Man of Infinite Refinement. | D．Donation of Rong Geng. |
| A．The National Museum of China. | B．The Palace Museum. |
| C．The National Art Museum of China. | D．The Capital Museum. |
| A．Visitors can only appreciate Ancient Chinese ceramic relics at the National Museum of China. |
| B．Donation of Rong Geng exhibits nearly 300 objects which were once donated by Rong Geng. |
| C．All the exhibits on display at the Capital Museum were created by Su Shi himself. |
| D．Everlasting Splendor displays over 400 cultural relics that have a history of 600 years. |
5 . These days there is so much tempting technology to look at: smart phones, tablets, computer games and TV screens. Much of children's entertainment and education comes from using them, so it's no wonder they spend so much time staring at them. But even if the saying that looking at a screen for too long gives you square eyes isn't true, there is still some concern. So, should we be worried?
Certainly for children who spend hours glued to a screen, there is a concern that their health might be at risk. Also there is a fear that their eyesight is declining too. Although there's not much evidence to prove this yet, recent findings have brought the problem into light.
Chris Hammond, consultant at St Thomas' Hospital, says “We find short-sightedness is becoming more common It has greatly spread in East Asia, Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea where approaching 90 of 18-year-olds are now short-sighted.”
But can this be linked to children's obsession with using electronic gadgets? Annegret Dahlmann, expert at Moorfields Eve Hospital in London. says lack of natural light seems to be the key issue. She's suggested that children in East Asia study a lot, using computers, smart phones or tablets, and they go outside less. Wearing glasses is one solution, but it's not ideal.
This leads to a dilemma: achieving short-term academic success or protecting your long-term eyesight. It's always going to be a challenge to drag children away from their screens and it's likely that more and more studying will be done online. But despite that, Professor Hammond says. “In countries like urban China, where 10% of children in each class per year are becoming short-sighted from about the age of six. there's an argument for saying we should be trying to prevent it.” It's evidence we can't turn a blind eye to. So, maybe it's time to hit the “off” button and get our children outside?
1. What can we infer from the first two paragraphs?| A．Recent findings have opened our eyes to the issue of eyesight. |
| B．Looking at a screen for too long will get you square eyes. |
| C．It has been confirmed that children's eyesight is failing. |
| D．Using electronic gadgets affects children's education. |
| A．Wearing glasses. | B．Heavy school work. |
| C．Lack of natural light. | D．Booming technology. |
| A．Learning online or offline. |
| B．Reading for pleasure or exams. |
| C．Focusing on study or protecting eyesight. |
| D．Protecting eyesight or promoting technology. |
| A．Study hard. | B．Head outdoors. | C．Quit computer. | D．Challenge more. |
6 . Most of us get our earliest life lessons from fairy tales, like “True love can overcome anything”, and “Even a frog can turn into a prince”. However, at a certain age, we start to learn new things about life, particularly that love doesn't always win, and that a frog is just a frog. But somehow, our love for fairy tales never dies. Just look at animated films like The Lion King and Frozen, which have millions of fans, young and old.
“Fairy tales stay here because they are the stories of our lives in the simplest form,” wrote US author Laura Packer on the National Storytelling Network website. “They are stories of love and loss, desire and death, riches and ruin.” Fairy tales are all about reality. But if children only see just one side of reality, adults usually see the other.
For example, in the 2014 film Maleficent, we’re told the tale of Sleeping Beauty from the perspective (视角) of the evil queen. Unlike the children's version of the story, we see that the queen wasn’t born evil. Instead, she suffers great losses growing up, leading to the creation of her “evil” side.
It looks as if fairy tales aren’t just stories our parents read us at bedtime. They may usually start with “Once upon a time…”, but as we grow older, we learn that every story doesn’t always need a “Happily ever after” to be a good one.
1. Why do young children like fairy tales?| A．Because it is their parents that tell them. | B．Because tales involve love and wonder. |
| C．Because children are affected by them. | D．Because tales will become life lessons. |
| A．Fairy tales just tell us the wonderful side of the reality. |
| B．The tales about love and loss can attract more children. |
| C．Fairy tales exist forever because of their simplest style. |
| D．Different from kids, adults read tales from other angles. |
| A．To remind that parents should tell the fairy tales from the perspective of children. |
| B．To support the idea that adults are likely to associate the fairy tales with the reality. |
| C．To tell us the danger of the fairy tales if they are told from the perspective of adults. |
| D．To correct the impression that the queen is evil. |
| A．Objective | B．Critical | C．Disagreeable | D．Indifferent |
7 . When our Scottish puppy, Annie, reached adolescence, she suddenly stopped following my commands. Previously, if I called “come”, she would fly across our yard to my arms. Now, the 8-month-old gave me a look and ran the other way. Our dog trainer advised us to stop worrying. “She's a teenager,” she said. “She'll grow out of it.”
Now, a new study is backing that up: Dogs experience a period that makes them act out, just like human teenagers. Puppies bond with humans much as children do. “But owners often feel like they're failing when their puppies reach adolescence,” said Lucy Asher, lead author of the new study.
Asher and her team monitored 70 female dogs being raised as guide dogs. They asked caregivers to score them on their attention-seeking behaviors like sitting close to their owners and separation-related behaviors like trembling when left behind. Both types of behaviors show general anxiety and fearfulness. Dogs with high scores entered adolescence earlier — at about 5 months, compared with 8 months for those with lower scores. Further, adolescent dogs that were stressed by separation from their caregivers were also increasingly disobedient to that person, but not others.
To test obedience, the scientists assessed a separate group of 69 guide dogs, first at 5 months and later at 8 months. They asked the dog's caregiver and a stranger to give the command to “sit”. All of the preadolescent puppies quickly sat for both people, but when the same puppies reached adolescence, they refused to follow the order from their caregivers. However, they readily obeyed the stranger. Dogs that weren't securely attached to their caregivers were even more willing to follow the stranger's commands.
Because of the similarity between adolescent puppies and humans, dogs could serve as a model species for studying adolescence in humans. And on a more practical note, the temporary nature of dog disobedience might make us worry less when our puppies suddenly get minds of their own. Just ask Annie — she's now happy to come, sit, and stay a while.
1. What can we infer about Annie's disobedience according to Asher?| A．It is natural. | B．It is foolish. |
| C．It is unique. | D．It is impolite. |
| A．They became very fierce. |
| B．They were barely attached to anyone. |
| C．They became a little exhausted. |
| D．They were obedient in front of the stranger. |
| A．The author feels grateful for the trainer's advice. |
| B．The author is learning how to get on with his dog. |
| C．The author's dog has been out of its adolescence. |
| D．The author's dog has become a model for other dogs. |
| A．Adolescent Dogs Act like Human Teenagers |
| B．Humans Should Care about Their Puppies More |
| C．Puppies Are Closely Related to Human Teenagers |
| D．Dogs Tend to Obey Their Owners' Orders |
8 . I stood behind the curtain, my hands shaking. As I listened to the crowd laugh at the host's jokes, I thought about why I believed I could do that. Two months earlier, I had signed up for improv（即兴表演）classes at a local theater, along with four other graduate students.
When I first heard about the improv classes, I was torn. I feared getting on stage and performing in front of strangers. However, I knew I wanted to work as a science communicator after finishing my Ph.D., so it seemed like a perfect opportunity to improve my communication ability and gain confidence thinking on my feet.
During our first class, we learned the key concept of improv: “yes, and”. If someone says that rhinos are librarians, for example, then rhinos are librarians. We don't question the logic; we say “yes” and continue with the scene as if nothing is wrong. To do this effectively, we have to avoid second-guessing ourselves. Sometimes scenes go in unexpected directions. The best improv happens when performers stay open to different possibilities. Over time, I started to enjoy our classes. I also became better at listening and communicating clearly in the moment.
That training came in handy 6 months ago, when I was giving a seminar about my science research. An audience member surprised me with a question that didn't grow out of the information I had presented. Instead of getting perplexed, I used that approach, and it helped me find an appropriate answer.
Last year, I used that approach when dealing with confusing data. Instead of getting discouraged, I kept exploring the data and ended up identifying a new type of cell — one that wasn't behaving as expected. If I hadn't stayed open to the possibility that the results were real, I would have missed out on the most exciting finding of my Ph.D. program so far.
1. The author expected that the improv classes could help him ________.| A．gain better skills in communicating |
| B．rid his fear of appearing on the stage |
| C．recover from a mental illness |
| D．learn how to think independently |
| A．Pretending to be clever. |
| B．Understanding different scenes. |
| C．Accepting unexpected possibilities. |
| D．Asking others some questions. |
| A．Amused. | B．Confused. |
| C．Surprised. | D．Disappointed. |
| A．He failed in exploring the new cell. |
| B．He got stuck after finding unexpected data. |
| C．Science research made him more confident. |
| D．The improve skill helped him a lot in his Ph.D. studies. |
9 . Today, Mars is a frozen desert with a thin atmosphere, too cold for liquid water to remain on the surface. Overwhelming evidence exists that Mars had liquid water oceans roughly 4 billion years ago. The question that drives our interests isn’t whether there’s life on present-day Mars. We are driven instead by asking whether there was life on Mars billions of years ago, which seems significantly more likely.
But if water existed on the Marian surface before, how was it possible? Mars is further away from the sun than Earth, and billions of years ago, the sun didn’t throw off as much heat as it does now.
The planet’s protective magnetic field mysteriously disappeared around 4.2 billion years ago as Mars cooled after forming. The sun’s solar wind then blew away the Martian atmosphere. leaving behind the thin one the planet has today.
Scientists believe the atmosphere was a key component for a warm, wet Mars that may have once hosted life. To have made the planet warm enough for liquid surface water, its atmosphere would likely have needed a large amount of greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide specifically.
Currently, we don’t know the carbon dioxide content of Mars ancient atmosphere. So the researchers turned to the Nordlinger Ries crater（陨石坑）in southern Germany. It was created by a meteorite（陨石）impact 15 million years ago. That geology and the chemistry of the site act as a good similar for the Martian surface.
Researchers will study the pH and nitrogen that might have been in ancient Martian water, which will show the carbon dioxide content in its ancient atmosphere. That will throw light on whether Mars was once warm enough to support life.
The Mars 2020 rover（探测器）will land in a similar crater next year, collecting samples that will be returned to Earth in a future mission. It could be 10 to 20 years before Mars samples are brought back to Earth. We might know the answer to one of the first questions once these samples are distributed to labs in the US and throughout the world.
1. What are people more interested in about Mars?| A．Whether there was ever life on Mars. | B．Whether there is life on Mars now. |
| C．Whether there was ever water on Mars. | D．Whether it is possible for life on Mars. |
| A．was too cold | B．had no water on it |
| C．lost its magnetic field | D．was too far from the sun |
| A．How this crater was formed. |
| B．Why Mars is not suitable for life. |
| C．Whether there is any life sign on Mars. |
| D．How much carbon dioxide is in Mars’ ancient atmosphere. |
| A．Mars samples will be brought back to earth in 2021. |
| B．Many countries take part in the research of Mars. |
| C．It takes at least ten years for people to reach Mars. |
| D．Mars samples will help discover all the secrets of Mars. |
10 . Jack Andraka was 15 when he came up with an idea for a new way to test for pancreatic (胰腺) cancer. When Andraka was 14, a family friend died of the disease, and this affected him deeply. This kind of cancer is particularly serious because there is no test you can have done to find it in the early stages. By the time standard tests determine you have the disease, it is often too late. Realizing that this was the case, Andraka decided to try to develop a test that might catch problems at the earliest stages.
The road ahead looked difficult for Andraka. He was still a high school student, and he wanted to create something that no one else had done. But Andraka read endlessly about the disease, wrote a proposal for his idea, and sent it out to 200 cancer researchers. Only one professor, Dr.Anirban Maitra, responded positively. Dr.Maitra agreed to work with Andraka on his idea, giving him guidance and access to a laboratory.
The next big reward for Andraka’s perseverance was winning the grand prize at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. This great award is given to young innovators who have developed a world-changing idea. Developing the test is likely to take many years, but Andraka hopes the test will eventually improve people’s lives and maybe save them.
Jack Andraka is not alone as a young innovator. After all, there were 1,499 other contestants for the Intel award, and all of them had ground-breaking ideas. For Andraka, having a family that loves science and encourages creative thinking gave him an advantage. But the key for Andraka is that reading, research, and discovery are just plain fun, and the chance to improve the world around him in the process makes it even better.
1. Why did Andraka decide to develop a test for pancreatic cancer?| A．His friend’s encouragement. | B．An upsetting experience. |
| C．His extensive reading. | D．An important test. |
| A．Lack of positive replies from experts. | B．Heavy pressure from his schoolwork. |
| C．Little access to research equipment. | D．Great need of money to develop a test. |
| A．The competition with other contestants. | B．His determination to improve the world. |
| C．The support from his family. | D．His passion for discovery. |
| A．Practice makes perfect. | B．Hard work leads to success. |
| C．One good turn deserves another. | D．Failure is the mother of success. |
