1 . Bangladesh's floating gardens, built to grow food during flood seasons, could offer a continuous solution for parts of the world which are likely to suffer from flooding because of climate change, a new study has found.
Bangladesh's floating gardens began hundreds of years ago. The gardens are made from native plants that float in the rivers and operate almost like rafts (筏), rising and filling with the waters. Historically, they were used to continue growing food during rainy seasons when rivers were filled with water.
The farmers layer the plants about three feet deep, creating a version of raised-bed gardens that float in the water. Then, they plant vegetables inside those rafts. As the raft-plants rot away, they release nutrients, which help feed the vegetable plants.
But as climate change affected the volume of water in those rivers, the researchers wanted to understand whether Bangladesh's floating gardens could be a continuous farming practice. They interviewed farming families and found strong evidence that floating gardens provide stability, both in the amount of food available to feed rural populations and in a farming family's income.
They found that farmers typically use hybrid (杂交) seeds, which must be repurchased each year, to grow a diverse range of vegetables in the floating gardens. The gardens are also sensitive to pests, so farmers end up spending some money on both pesticides and fertilizers. But even with those expenses, they found, benefits outweighed costs. One farmer told the research team that he earns up to four times as much money from the gardens as from traditional rice fields.
However, before gaining profits, farmers often take out high-interest loans (贷款) to cover the investment costs of filling the beds and stocking them with plants. Luckily; there are also lower-interest loans from responsible government or non-governmental organizations, which could ease that burden.
1. How do vegetable plants grow according to the text?| A．By absorbing nutrition from raft-plants. | B．By taking shelter from climate change. |
| C．By living together with hybrid seeds. | D．By moving up and down with raised beds. |
| A．“Our life becomes tough when rivers flood.” | B．“Fewer vegetables are planted when water rises.” |
| C．“We harvest much more food during rainy seasons.” | D．“Climate change has little influence on our income.” |
| A．Affected. | B．Brought. | C．Beat. | D．Equaled. |
| A．A solution to climate problem has been found. | B．The gardens are built with rotted native plants. |
| C．Farmers earn more from traditional rice fields. | D．Low-interest loans lighten the stress of farmers. |
2 . Yoga originated in ancient India some 5,000 years ago. It has since spread across the world to many cultures. In the last few years, yoga has been offering classes aiming at the hearing impaired(听障者).
Most yoga classes are based on a model in which students learn by listening to their teacher's statements. As many yoga positions limit the ability to see the teacher, hearing-impaired participants who rely on lipreading (唇读) or sign language are left on their own during a class.
Recognizing the hearing -impaired are eager to attend yoga classes, one British yoga studio determined to fill the lack. Bethaney Mouzer, a yoga instructor launched Sign Yoga in 2019, with the goal of bringing yoga to people for whom the practice may have previously been forbidden.
Mouzer, who was born to non-hearing parents, is used to existing two worlds. After becoming a yoga teacher in 2015, she fielded requests from many people who were interested in yoga, but struggled to find teachers to accommodate their needs.
At first Mouzer started out small, holding single-day workshops at local studios in Birmingham and Worcester, where she signed continuously throughout the classes. The sessions were an immediate hit, and Mouzer began posting classes online via a Facebook page called Sign Yoga. Finally, once there was enough demand, Mouzer also started teaching in London.
Today, Sign Yoga is a mostly online company, with live Zoom classes and pre - recorded lessons accessible to students, as well as occasional in-person classes held in local parks. Mouzer ran a Deaf Accessible Yoga Teacher Training workshop in May.
1. How are most yoga classes carried out?| A．By following teachers' instructions. |
| B．By adjusting yoga positions frequently. |
| C．By encouraging students to participate. |
| D．By ignoring the needs of disabled learners. |
| A．To satisfy the needs of sign language. |
| B．To make a fortune by teaching Yoga. |
| C．To compensate for her suffering while learning Yoga. |
| D．To make Yoga accessible to the hearing-impaired. |
| A．Refused. | B．Answered. | C．Presented. | D．Repeated. |
| A．Kind. | B．Romantic. | C．Grateful. | D．Good-tempered. |
3 . Today’s students have a problem. They were born into a world where technology, smartphones, and immediate access to the Internet are hurting their ability to focus and changing the way they think.
Now teachers have a problem too. They find it particularly exhausting to ask students to read complex or long texts without taking regular breaks. Smartphones have clearly affected the younger generation, but how education should evolve for digital-native students?
A common idea among teachers is that short is good. When students can’t seem to pay attention to long lectures, many teachers simply break lessons into smaller patterns. In fact, students need time to engage with a topic once the teacher introduces it before moving on. Switching between small lessons too quickly could rob them of valuable comprehension.
There are also teachers who begin classes with meditation (深思) exercises to help their students focus. However, it turns out that any sort of “tech breaks” could counteract strong desires to multi task.
A 2018 study found that students aged between 10 and 24 tend to stay away from physical books. They prefer video as a source of information second only to teachers. Therefore, some tech-forward teachers choose platforms such as YouTube and Instagram. Asha Choksi, vice-president of global research at Pearson, gives the example of a teacher who films himself performing a science experiment and posts it to YouTube. When it is time for class, he uses the video to illustrate material in the textbook, which can seem boring to students.
Still, while those educators are embracing technology in the classroom to meet student’s needs, they also find value in traditional methods, and so suggest a “blended (混合的) learning” approach. Direct instruction from them will never be replaced in their classes. Technology will be favored only when it improves a lesson in ways that are impossible offline.
Digital natives will continue to eagerly adopt new media. Teachers have no choice but to evolve. They are making an effort not only to ensure that students can take advantage of new technologies, but to teach students valuable skills that can help them think in a world constantly trying to distract them. Think of the Zuckerbergs, the Gates, the Jobs and all those pioneers in the tech world. They became successful not because they could code (编程); it was because they could think.
1. What does the underlined word “counteract” in paragraph 4 probably mean?| A．Motivate. | B．Reduce. | C．Compensate. | D．Influence. |
| A．Teachers adopt short lectures, small lessons, which could be hard to understand sometimes. |
| B．Teachers employ meditation exercises to help students concentrate on class, which is of little effect. |
| C．Students aged between 10 and 24 don’t prefer physical books, so YouTube and Instagram may be a good choice. |
| D．Students aged between 10 and 24 prefer videos to teachers, so using videos to explain textbooks is a popular way. |
(1). the conventional way of teaching remains unchallenged
(2). technology is a useful supplement to textbooks
(3). material in the textbook is too boring to most students
(4). teachers want to change their traditional teaching methods
| A．(1)(2) | B．(2)(3) | C．(3)(4) | D．(1)(4) |
| A．to share as much knowledge with students as possible |
| B．to encourage students to make full use of new technologies |
| C．to help students develop their ability to think critically and creatively |
| D．to instruct students to limit their use of smart phones and social media |
4 . When British musician Paul Barton performs in central Thailand lately, the listeners react wildly. Some pull his hair or jump on his piano. Others steal his music. The behavior is normal, however, because these crowds are truly wild—wild monkeys to be exact.
Barton plays often to the animals in Lopburi, an area known for its populations of wild monkeys. The pianist hopes the music shows bring calm to the animals during the corona virus(COVID-19) crisis.
The disease has caused problems for the monkeys, too. They are hungry. The restrictions on tourism mean fewer people come to see the monkeys and feed them.
The monkeys quickly surround Barton when he plays Greensleeves, Beethoven's Fur Elise and Michael Nyman's Diary of Love. Some of the creatures sit on his chair, while others climb up his body and touch his head. But, Barton keeps his attention on his performance, even as a small monkey runs over his hands on the instrument. Other monkeys take control of his music papers. “I was glad and surprised to find that they were actually eating the music as I was playing it.”
The monkeys are Barton's latest animal fans. Past wildlife audience included elephants living in special protected areas. Barton hopes to raise people's awareness of the monkeys' hunger. At the same time, he hopes to study their behavior as they react to classical music.
“Come together and don't let the pandemic stop the wild monkeys getting good nutritious food. We need to make an effort to make sure that they eat properly. And when they eat properly they will be calmer,” said 59 -year-old Barton.
1. Why does the musician play to the wild monkeys?| A．To see the wild animals just being themselves. | B．To study their behavior as they react to pop music. |
| C．To raise money for the wild monkeys' hunger. | D．To help calm them during COVID -19 crisis. |
| A．Contemporary music. | B．Classical music. |
| C．Country music. | D．Popular music. |
| A．Stealing his music papers. | B．Eating his music papers. |
| C．Disturbing his performance. | D．Enjoying his playing |
| A．Wild monkeys like to play with the musician. | B．People will start to protect the wild monkeys. |
| C．The COVID-19 has damaged much to the world. | D．Music can make the wild animals more active. |
5 . It all started because Lynn and her two teenage children needed to get from Georgia to Alaska, where Lynn’s husband, an American officer, is stationed (驻扎). Lynn packed up all their belongings, bought a 4x4 truck, and started a cross-country family adventure. The first 3,000 miles of the trip went well.
The farther north they traveled, the worse the weather got. Lynn, who was raised in the South, met her first winter white-out conditions. Then she used up windscreen wiping fluid. Slush (雪泥) covered her windows and she couldn’t see to drive. Even scarier — her tires seemed to be sliding on the ground.
After changing the summer tires at a tire store, Lynn decided to give up driving. She phoned her husband and asked if he could just come and get them where they were. Her husband was worried but he wasn’t legally able to get them himself. Then the family had to find a motel and went to bed. That’s when the kind people there put out a request on Facebook for someone to drive them the last 1,056 miles to the border.
Gary Bath was at home when he saw his friend’s post about the trapped family. After watching the post for a while and seeing no one was able to help, he and his wife made the decision that he would drive them the whole way to the border.
Both families met over the Internet, and when they decided they were all comfortable with the plan, the Baths drove to meet the family at the motel. It took Gary two days to drive them to a border checkpoint (边防关卡) where the family was greeted by Lynn’s husband and the new friends parted ways.
1. Why did the American family set off for Alaska?| A．To enjoy the beautiful scenery. |
| B．To visit an old friend. |
| C．To have an adventure. |
| D．To have a family reunion. |
| A．The birth place of Lynn. |
| B．The difficulties Lynn got into. |
| C．The direction of this journey. |
| D．The weather conditions on the way. |
| A．By asking for public help. |
| B．By telephoning the husband. |
| C．By offering them free meals. |
| D．By driving them to the border. |
| A．Serious and careful. |
| B．Smart and honest. |
| C．Kind and caring. |
| D．Brave and determined. |
6 . Fire ants dig tunnels efficiently by only a small percentage of the group doing most of the work. Free-loaders just sit around while their hard-working colleagues get things done. But might freeloaders actually be necessary for society to function efficiently? The answer could be yes.
Fire ants are highly social organisms. So, Goldman, a physicist at Georgia Tech, and his colleagues wanted to know how individual ants knew what to do without a central leader issuing orders. To find out, Goldman's team labeled individual fire ants with paint and then watched them dig their narrow tunnels —barely wide enough for two workers. Turns out, just 30 percent of the ants did 70 percent of the labor. “I was surprised that we ended up with so few workers actually doing the work at any one time. ” A quarter of the ants never even entered the tunnel. Others crawled inside, but left without digging single grain of dirt. These idling behaviors ensured the tunnels did not get clogged with insect traffic, which would make the construction process stop.
And when the scientists removed the five hardest working ants from the colony, others immediately jumped in to compensate (补偿) — with no reduction in the group's productivity. It seems that it doesn’t matter which ants are working or freeloading at a given time, as long as there is some division of labor to keep the tunnels flowing smoothly. The findings are in the journal Science.
The study could have implications for robotics. Imagine groups of robots sent to search rubble (碎石) for disaster survivors. Or nanobots (纳米机器人) coursing through our bodies to diagnose illness and deliver targeted medical treatment. Such robot groups will need to avoid getting jammed up in tight spaces. It might be necessary to program them so some just sit back and watch their comrades work.
1. How do fire ants get the work done when digging tunnels?| A．Only the leaders do most of the work. |
| B．They all work under the order of one leader. |
| C．They all cooperate together to do the work efficiently. |
| D．Individual fire ants know their tasks and work efficiently. |
| A．crowded | B．transported |
| C．organized | D．covered |
| A．The ants will have no idea what to do. |
| B．Other ants will take their place and do the work. |
| C．The tunnels will get blocked and the work will stop. |
| D．The leader will compensate them and give them food as the reward. |
| A．fire ants are the most diligent insects. |
| B．scientists may diagnose illness more easily. |
| C．people may feel happy when they watch their colleagues do nothing. |
| D．scientists can deal with robotics better when coming to specific programs. |
7 . Music is said to be a universal language. But for Chase Burton, a deaf filmmaker from Texas, music has always been a profoundly different experience.
“When I was a kid, I'd lie on the floor above our garage so I could feel the vibrations from my brother’s band rocking out below my body,” the 33-year-old told CNN. “That was one of the first times I began building a relationship with music.”
In 2016, his ability to experience music changed dramatically, thanks to California-based technology company Not Impossible Labs.
It designed a vibrating suit that enables deaf people to “feel” music through their skin. Consisting of a body harness, ankle and wrist straps, the device translates audio into a range of vibrating pulses that are felt at 24 contact points. Burton has been testing the suit for four years.
The sound hits different parts of your body, said Burton. “Maybe it will strike me down in my ankles first. And then I'll start to feel the vibrations in my back. And then I'll feel some pulsations in my wrist.”
The creators want to extend the tactile musical experience beyond the deaf community. In 2018, they gave out 150 of the wearables at a rock concert in Las Vegas where half the audience members were deaf and half were hearing.
Since then, Not Impossible Labs has been working to improve the technology and says it's ready to go to market soon. Eventually, the creators want the device to become a consumer product, accessible to all. The company’s talent and business development director, Jordan Richardson, told CNN that the technology could be incorporated into live sports broadcasts, video games, theme parks or museum installations. The newest digital streaming movie releases could have built in ‘vibe-tracks’ to ‘feel’ the movie. He said. “We truly think that anything that has an audio element can also have a vibrational experience associated with it as well.”
1. How does Chase Burton feel music with the new technology?| A．By lying on the floor above their garage. |
| B．By wearing a wearable device to feel the vibrating pulses. |
| C．By striking different parts of his body. |
| D．By feeling the audio of the music. |
| A．Both deaf and common audience experienced the device in 2018. |
| B．Chase Burton is a deaf music maker. |
| C．Music always strikes Burton’s ankle first. |
| D．The device translates vibrating pulses into a range of audio. |
| A．We can buy a vibrating suit on the market now. | B．The device is only aimed at deaf people. |
| C．The technology will be used in other fields. | D．The technology is mature and perfect. |
| A．Music dramatically changed my life | B．Wearable devices for deaf people |
| C．How to feel the vibrations | D．Vibrating suit allows deaf people to feel music |
8 . China is determined to land its astronauts on the moon and set up a scientific station there,according to a project leader.
Zhou Yanfei,deputy chief designer of China's manned space program,said on Friday that China wishes to use the manned lunar missions to carry out scientific surveys and technology demonstrations,explore ways to develop lunar resources and strengthen the nation's space capabilities.
＂A new wave of lunar explorations has been emerging in the world,with participants aiming to make sustainable missions to deepen knowledge of the moon and exploit resources there,"he said in a report delivered at the 2020 China Space Conference in Fuzhou,Fujian province."Unlike other nations,China must depend on its own science and technology to realize our goals."
The country is independently able to land its astronauts on the moon because it has the technologies,a group of well-trained,innovative professionals and high-efficiency research and management systems,Zhou said."However,our existing carrier rockets can't perform landing missions to the moon because they are not powerful enough.The Shenzhou- series manned spaceships are not suitable for lunar expeditions.We don't have a lunar landing capsule,"he said."Our ground support system was designed for operations in low-Earth orbit rather than on the lunar surface.
To solve the problem, we set out to produce a powerful launch vehicle. Zhou said researchers thought about two approaches-making a new heavy-lift rocket,or adjusting the next-generation rocket designed to carry astronauts,which is under development.Researchers prefer the latter approach because it would be easier to design and make and would become operational earlier.
The new rocket is being designed at the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology.Its main body will be 87 meters tall,with a diameter of 5 meters,which would make it almost twice as tall as the Long March 5,currently the biggest of China's rockets.
1. Which is NOT the goal of the manned lunar mission?| A．To explore lunar resources. |
| B．To perform scientific experiments. |
| C．To set up a scientific station. |
| D．To strengthen the national space power. |
| A．China is not capable of pursuing the manned lunar program. |
| B．There are still difficulties in pursuing the manned lunar program. |
| C．There are a series of steps in the Manned Lunar program. |
| D．It is manageable to carry out the Manned Lunar program. |
| A．Nations must depend on themselves to explore the moon. |
| B．The Long March 5 is the biggest of China's rocket. |
| C．The newly-designed rocket will not carry astronauts. |
| D．Producing a powerful launch vehicle is the most difficult part in the program. |
| A．The new rocket is big enough to perform landing missions. |
| B．The new rocket is being made to launch lunar spaceship. |
| C．China's scientific power has improved. |
| D．The new rocket will be put into use soon. |
9 . Summer Leadership Camp
Each July, Missouri Military Academy’s Summer Leadership Camp welcomes young men from across the country to train, compete and learn. The summer camp experience is a rewarding opportunity for young people to learn leadership skills.
Rein Community Service
Join Rein Community Service and earn up of 80 hours of community service credit this summer. Choose the community service program that is right for you and have a lasting influence on the lives of others. Through their work with various nonprofit agencies and volunteer organizations, our teen community service volunteers will experience the joy of improving the global community while having the adventure of a lifetime.
Green River Preserve
Green River Preserve is a noncompetitive summer camp connecting children to nature. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina, Green River Preserve inspires campers to have a greater understanding of themselves, their environment and their fellow man.
English Language Camp
At the camp, children will build their confidence while also acquiring the basic skills of conversation, vocabulary and grammar. Our class sizes are small, allowing every child to receive the required personal attention from our fully qualified and professional teachers who all have a wealth of experience in coaching children from all around the world.
1. Missouri Military Academy’s Summer Leadership Camp is mainly designed for young people who ________.| A．want to be soldiers | B．like to compete with others |
| C．want to develop leadership skills | D．are not good at expressing themselves |
| A．confident | B．competitive |
| C．loving and caring | D．strong and brave |
| A．Summer Leadership Camp. | B．Rein Community Service. |
| C．Green River Preserve. | D．English Language Camp. |
10 . Kindness
Good friends are not just kind to you; they are kind to others as well. People like being around them because they are positive people. The kindness they spread comes from inner feelings of happiness and self-confidence. In contrast, social aggression, such as meanness, is a quality that shows lack of respect for others and discontent with oneself. These feelings outwardly show and eventually prevent communications and genuine friendships from forming.
Accepting
Good friends are easy to talk to because they accept what you are. They understand the things that are important to you and the values that you hold. Although they may not necessarily agree with all of your beliefs and actions, they will never judge you. People who can accept you also are better able to accept themselves. High self-esteem and self-acceptance are intertwined.
Interest
According to American writer and lecturer, Dale Carnegie, showing genuine interest in others is one way to promote feelings of goodwill. People are more likely to remember how you make them feel. This goes beyond good listening skills. Good friends ask questions about things that matter to you. To do this, they must put aside their own needs and focus on helping others feel important. If you make them feel inferior, they will not enjoy the time you spend together.
Honesty
Although honesty is important to friendships, it may be one of the most difficult qualities to maintain. When you ask a friend for honesty, she may prefer preserving the peace over telling you what she really thinks. But honesty promotes trust. A good friend cares enough to tell you the truth and has sufficient confidence in the relationship to be assured of a positive outcome.
1. What does the kindness of a friend come from according to the passage?| A．Respect. | B．Excitement. | C．Happiness. | D．Belief. |
| A．They will begin to care about their own needs. |
| B．They will take no interest in you. |
| C．They will feel uncomfortable to stay with you. |
| D．They are more likely to question about themselves. |
| A．connected | B．complicated | C．obvious | D．common |
| A．Being kind to friends. | B．Why we need friends. |
| C．How to make friends. | D．Qualities of a good friendship. |
