1 . By now, most of us have picked up at least one pandemic hobby. And there's a seemingly common pandemic hobby trend: People who haven't been able to go anywhere are making imaginary travel plans. Maybe you're among those who have spent hours researching locations-even though you're not actually planning to travel.
It turns out that you aren't alone. People who seem to be sticking to public safety recommendations are still planning trips they don't intend to book. And, when I suddenly found myself addicted to an imaginary girls' trip to Joshua Tree, I wondered whether this was a healthy distraction.
"It's an escapist imagination," said Regine Galanti, a psychologist, adding that there's nothing wrong with escapism during a global pandemic.
On the one hand, distractions are often beneficial right now. We are a full year into living with COVID-19 as a pandemic, and that means you've probably had to navigate a range of emotions like discomfort, sadness, or even boredom. So any hobby that doesn't harm anyone or endanger your well-being is probably a worthy attempt.
Even if vacation planning is your happy place, Dr. Galanti suggests you "actually think about what you're trying to achieve." Why? "Maybe what you're saying is, I need a vacation from work," Dr. Galanti explains. "Then take three days off even if you are not going anywhere. "When you figure out what you're looking for, you might be able to find a small socially distanced adventure in your backyard or a quiet place. Vacation planning is a good way to spend some time, but there might be an even better way to get what you're desiring.
Anyway, when uncertainty is all around us, creating things to look forward to isn't a terrible idea. And when things are safer, you'll have all your plans in place.
1. Why do people make imaginary travel plans during the pandemic?| A．To develop a new hobby. | B．To stay safe and sound. |
| C．To be distracted from reality. | D．To get ready for future travel. |
| A．Express. | B．Balance. | C．Adapt to. | D．Deal with. |
| A．Objective. | B．Negative. | C．Supportive. | D．Unclear. |
| A．Figures. | B．Lifestyle. |
| C．Food and recipe. | D．Science and technology. |
2 . Jobs Week: Find Your Next Job Here
▲ A Registered Nurse
Average salary: $ 65,470 per year
Top cities for hiring: San Antonio, Texas；Chicago, Illinois；Dallas, Texas
In the United States, registered nurses （RNs）are clinicians who have completed at least an associated degree in nursing. The Bureau of Labor Statistics（BLS）has identified it as one of the top ten occupations for career growth. RNs can either practice independently or as part of a healthcare team.
▲ A Retail Associate
Average salary：$ 21,410 per year
Top cities for hiring：Atlanta, Georgia；Houston, Texas；Chicago, Illinois
Retail workers sell products and help customers find the products they want. According to the BLS, nearly 14. 8 million people were employed as retail workers in 2014. Top places to find retail positions include Walmart, Target and Macy’s.
▲ A Truck Driver
Average salary：$ 46,000 per year
Top cities for hiring：Atlanta, Georgia；Houston, Texas；Indianapolis, Indiana
Truck driving doesn’t require a college degree and can pay well even at the entry-level stage. It takes a certain kind of person to work the long weeks away from home— but with a high level of demand, it can be a great career choice for someone who wants job security without the cubicle（工作间）.
▲ A Web Developer
Average salary：$ 62,500 per year
Top cities for hiring：Chicago, Illinois；New York；Atlanta, Georgia
Tech jobs like Web Developer frequently top lists of the best jobs for pay, worklife balance, and career welfare. The wide use of the Internet means that web developers are in continuous demand, and there are no education barriers preventing job seekers from learning programming languages like Java or Python.
1. According to the text, a registered nurse| A．can be paid at least US$ 70,000 every year. |
| B．must have an associate's degree in nursing. |
| C．is considered one of the top ten occupations with the most employees. |
| D．is a popular position in Atlanta, Georgia. |
| A．a registered nurse. | B．a retail associate. |
| C．a truck driver. | D．a web developer. |
| A．In a newspaper. | B．In a health magazine. |
| C．In a travel leaflet. | D．In a science report. |
3 . The Palace Museum is limiting the daily number of visitors to 80,000 and recommending both individual visitors and tourist groups to book tickets in, advance online (booking address: https://gugong ktmtech.cn). foreign visitors are required to provide passport numbers during the online booking
ADMISSION
April 1st-October 31st 60 yuan
November 1st-March 31st. 140 yuan
●Free admission(入场费) for children under.2 meters in height.
●Free admission for disabled visitors.
●20 yuan for elementary, middle school, and undergraduate students with student I.D. (not including graduate and adult or continuing education students).
●50% discount for people over 60 years with valid certificate or proof of age (passport, etc.)'
●Women's Day (March 8): Half-price admission for female visitors.
●Children's Day (June 1): Free admission for children 14 years old and younger. 50% discount on admission for one accompanying parent. legal guardian, or adult,
For detailed information and instruction, please click here.
1. How many people can visit the Palace Museum daily at most?| A．Eight hundred | B．Eighty thousand. | C．Eight million | D．Eighty million. |
| A．A middle-aged woman visiting it on 13,Mar. | B．A middle-aged parent visiting it alone on lst, June. |
| C．A 65-year-old man visiting it on 7th,May. | D．A middle school student visiting it on 6th,Jan. |
| A．A website. | B．A magazine | C．A book. | D．A newspaper. |
4 . Record fires sweeping across the Amazon this month have been grabbing global headlines as scientists and environmental groups are worried that they will make climate change crisis worse and threaten biodiversity (生物多样性).
As the largest rainforest in the world, the Amazon is often called “the lungs of the world.” It is also home to about 3 million species of plants and animals and 1 million local people. The vast swaths (大片土地) of rainforest play an important role in the world’s ecosystem because they absorb heat instead of it being reflected back into the atmosphere. They also store carbon dioxide and produce oxygen, ensuring that less carbon is released, easing the effects of climate change.
“Any rainforest destroyed by fire is a threat to biodiversity and the people who use that biodiversity,” Thomas Lovejoy, an ecologist at George Mason University told National Geographic. “The most serious threat is that a lot of carbon goes into the atmosphere.” he stressed. “In the midst of the global climate crisis, we cannot afford more damage to a major source of oxygen and biodiversity. The Amazon must be protected.” UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said.
Data from the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) show that the number of forest fires in Brazil increased by 82 percent from January to August this year compared to the same period the year before. “A total of 71,497 forest fires were registered in the country in the first eight months of 2019, up from 39,194 in the same period in 2018,” INPE said. “We estimate that the forest areas in the Brazilian Amazon have decreased between 20 and 30 percent compared to the last 12 months.” Carlos Nobre, a researcher at the University of Sao Paulo, told German broadcaster Deutsche Welle.
Brazil owns about 60 percent of the Amazon rainforest, whose degradation could have severe consequences for global climate and rainfall The extent of the area ruined by fires has yet to be determined, but the emergency has transcended (超出) Brazil’s borders, reaching Peruvian, Paraguayan and Bolivian regions.
1. What is the second paragraph mainly talking about?| A．The effects of climate change. | B．The role of the Amazon rainforest. |
| C．The results of the Amazon rainforest fires. | D．The causes of the decreasing biodiversity. |
| A．The dry weather leads to the rainforest fires. |
| B．The biodiversity makes the rainforests unique. |
| C．The rainforest fires result in serious consequences. |
| D．The global climate crisis brings more rainforest fires. |
| A．To prove the importance of rainforest. | B．To show the influence of climate change. |
| C．To explain the process of the research. | D．To stress the reduction of rainforest areas. |
| A．Sports and music. | B．Science and technology. |
| C．Nature and geography. | D．Business and culture. |
5 . Barcelona’s opera house has celebrated its reopening to the public since the coronavirus pandemic (新冠疫情) put the world into a huge horror, but their opening night had an unusual audience. For its first concert, the theater refused the usual crowd of people and instead packed the house with plants. Yes, that’s correct. All 2,292 seats at the Gran Teatre Liceu were occupied by leafy green plants.
The idea was put forward by conceptual artist Eugeno Ampudia and was broadcast live on the theater’s website. These lucky ficus trees, palms, and Swiss cheese plants—which were brought in by local nurseries (苗圃) — got the pleasure of hearing Puccini’s Crisantemi performed by the UceLi Quartet string musical group.
Ampudia hopes that his idea and the work will inspire people to think more deeply about their relationship with nature and the concept of sustainability (持续性). “We are at the end of an era and that means that we have to change certain patterns,” he shares. “We don’t live in the same world as 90 days ago, and this means we have to reflect on everything that we do.”
As plants can respond to different vibrations (震动) caused by music, they certainly weren’t a passive audience—even if they weren’t able to give applause. Now that the concert is over, each plant will be given to a different frontline healthcare worker who helped guide the country through its battle with the coronavirus.
The moving concert is a continuation of the Liceu’s mission to create a dialogue between music and the visual arts. Pictures and a video of the performance taken by Ampudia will now become part of La Caixa contemporary (当代的) art collection.
1. What was the special part of the concert?| A．It had only 2,292 seats. |
| B．It made the world fall in horror. |
| C．It gave plants opportunities to enjoy music. |
| D．It welcomed audience with plants to come. |
| A．Barcelona | B．Eugeno Ampudia |
| C．the Gran TeatreLiceu | D．the Uceli Quartet |
| A．We didn’t do very well in dealing with nature. |
| B．The healthcare workers were more important. |
| C．The plants should have the equal rights. |
| D．We did everything in a wrong way. |
| A．Daily Hero. | B．Teens’ Life. |
| C．Art Around the World. | D．Animals and Plants. |
6 . Edinburgh is the world’s festival city. There are 12 festivals throughout the year, half of which are celebrated during the months of July and August.
Hundreds of thousands of people visit the Scottish capital during the summer. Here are some of the events they can enjoy:
The Edinburgh International Festival
This is the original Edinburgh festival, which began in 1947. actors, musicians, dancers and opera singers from all over the world perform to huge audiences. You need tickets for most events which take place in theaters around the city.
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe
This is the largest arts festival in the world with thousands of show taking place across the city. More than 20,000 artists take part, as the festival is open to anyone. Visitors can choose from a huge variety of acts. Join thousands of visitors and locals at the Royal Mile, Edinburgh’s main street, to watch all kinds of performers and shows.
The Edinburgh International Book Festival
The largest book festival in the world began in 1983 and take place every year in Charlotte Square Gardens, in the centre of Edinburgh. There are more than 700 events for children and adults who love books. You can meet many authors, talk to them, ask them to sign a book or listen to them talk about their stories. Children can listen to stories and watch painters draw pictures.
The Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival
Music lovers come to this festival to enjoy music shows around the city. One of the highlights of this musical event is the street carnival, which is free to all. Artists perform street theatre, dance and circus shows in amazing costumes, and everyone can join in the dancing.
1. Which of the festivals is the most attractive to the bookworms around the world?| A．The Edinburgh International Festival | B．The Edinburgh Festival Fringe |
| C．The Edinburgh International Book Festival | D．The Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival |
| A．They can take part in a street carnival. |
| B．They can enjoy the performances of a great many performers. |
| C．They communicate with some famous authors from all over the world. |
| D．They can join the locals at Charlotte Square Gardens to watch all kinds of shows. |
| A．In a history book. | B．In a tourist brochure |
| C．In an encyclopedia | D．In an art magazine. |
7 . If Confucius(孔子)were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake, there would be a lot of candles. He'd need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out.
While many people in China will remember Confucius on his special day, few people in the United States will give him a passing thought. It's nothing personal. Most Americans don't even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes.
But this doesn't mean that Americans don't care about Confucius. In many ways he has become a bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China.
In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities. More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries. These schools teach both Chinese language and culture. The main courses of Chinese culture usually include Chinese art, history and
philosophy(哲学). Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantage of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up for the drawbacks(缺陷)of Western philosophy. Students in the United States, at the same time, are racing to learn Chinese. So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States. Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers.
So the old thinker's ideas are still alive and well.
Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West.
As for the old thinker, he will not soon be forgotten by people in the West, even if his birthday is.
1. The opening paragraph is mainly intended to______________.| A．provide some key facts about Confucius |
| B．attract the readers' interest in the subject |
| C．show great respect for the ancient thinker |
| D．prove the popularity of modern birthday celebrations |
| A．have a great interest in studying Chinese |
| B．take an active part in Chinese competitions |
| C．try to get high scores in Chinese exams |
| D．fight for a chance to learn Chinese |
| A．Forgotten Wisdom in America |
| B．Huge Fans of the Chinese Language |
| C．Chinese Culture for Westerners |
| D．Old Thinker with a Big Future |
| A．a personal biography | B．a history paper |
| C．a cultural newspaper | D．a philosophy textbook |
8 . It took Sheperd Doeleman nearly a decade to pull off the impossible. As the director of the Event Horizon Telescope(EHT), a project involving hundreds of international researchers, he spent years flying suitcases full of hard drives around the globe to coordinate(协调) observations between radio telescopes on four continents(大洲). On April 9, 2019, the coordination at last released the fruits of their labors and the world got the first image of a black hole.
The feat-which pioneering black hole theorist James Bardeen called hopeless in 1973-represented a towering achievement of astronomical technology. “It took everyone a little by surprise that they got such a good image so fast,” says Andrew Strominger, a theoretical physicist at Harvard University.
Now Strominger and other researchers are back with a wild answer, which appeared last week in Science Advances. With a distance enough telescope, the EHT coordination could see multiple reflections(反射) of light streaming from around the black hole. By sorting through the precise pattern in these rays, astronomers could study black holes and test Einstein’s theory of gravity like never before. Basically, they hope black holes will become more like stars and planets: not just objects to think about, but to directly observe.
The team did pencil-and-paper calculations using Einstein’s theory of General Relativity and some simulations(模拟) to analyze what black holes do to light. “Black holes, they’re just kind of the best at everything they do,” Lupsasca says. “And that includes bending light rays into loops(圈、环).”
1. What did Sheperd Doeleman achieve according to paragraph 1?| A．An international project. |
| B．An image of a black hole. |
| C．Suitcases full of hard drives. |
| D．Radio telescopes on four continents. |
| A．James Bardeen. | B．Albert Einstein. |
| C．Sheperd Doeleman. | D．Andrew Strominger. |
| A．To bend light rays into loops. |
| B．To observe black holes directly. |
| C．To design a distance enough telescope. |
| D．To analyze black holes’ impact on light. |
| A．A diary. | B．A novel. | C．A guidebook. | D．A magazine. |
9 . From the tropical paradise of United States’Miami to South China’s innovative city Shenzhen, The Lonely Planet released a list of top 10 cities which are worth visiting in 2019.It covers a mix of well-known and less-known destinations.Those places include second place Shenzhen,China;Novi Sad,Serbia in third place;Miami,Florida in fourth place,and Kathmandu,Nepal rounding out the top five.Let’s have a brief look at some of these attractive places.
Copenhagen,Denmark
With its modern design,15 Michellin-starred restaurants and highly bike-friendly culture,it is not surprising that Denmark’s capital has topped The Lonely Planet’s top 10 cities list.
Copenhagen’s street food scene is developing fast in Refshaleon, a former industrial area with a food and craft market,Reffen.
Novi Sad Serbia
While Novi Sad is not a noted as the capital of Belgrade,it’s much more fashionable.It’s home to the country’s annual EXIT! Festival,which is held each July at the 18th century-era Petrovaradin Fortress.
The festival contributes to a vibrant music and arts scene and a youthful atmosphere.2019 European Youth Capital was held in Novi Sad.It may be a practice run for 2021,when the city will observe the important title of European Capital of Culture.
Kathmandu,Nepal
Three years after it was struck by a destructive earthquake,Kathmandu is welcoming visitors to a city which is much quieter,by design.
With cars banned from the historic center and motor horns banned across the Kathmandu Valley,it’s much quieter than it used to be in the past.
1. In which city can you enjoy riding bikes?| A．Shenzhen,China | B．Kathmandu,Nepal |
| C．Novi Sad,Serbia | D．Copenhagen,Denmark |
| A．experience a quieter life style |
| B．visit the food and craft market,Reffen |
| C．try delicious food in Michellin-starred restaurant |
| D．appreciate energetic music and art with the young people. |
| A．A science report | B．A book review | C．A magazine | D．A realistic novel |
10 . Our ships boast a sea of vacation possibilities for every guest. Like the chance to learn Italian, salsa dancing (萨尔萨舞), or the recipe (食谱) for a perfect martini (马提尼酒). To conquer the rock climbing wall and ice skate on the equator. Or slow things down with a hot stone massage (按摩) and duty-free designer shopping. See, do and learn more at sea than you ever thought possible.
North Star
The exclusive North Star promises to heighten your worldview. Simply step into the North Star’s closed, jewel-shaped capsule and gently climb over 300 feet above sea level. Take in breathtaking views of the ocean, the ship, and the exciting destinations that we visit.
Royal Caribbean
Royal Caribbean is teaming up with World Wildlife Fund to save our oceans and protect sea life. Join us in making a difference by symbolically adopting a sea turtle or get involved with numerous other activities both on board and ashore, like the Walk for Sea Turtles. Together we can turn the tide.
SeaPlex
SeaPlex is not only the largest indoor active space at sea, but also the most modern and creative. By day, experience a circus school and flying trapeze (高空秋千), as well as a full-size regulation (正规的) basketball court. By night, the first-ever bumper car (碰碰车) and roller skating offerings at sea will deliver thrills, with music provided by a floating DJ booth that hovers above the activity happening below.
Rock Climbing
Rise to the occasion and take on our signature rock climbing wall. From beginners to speed climbers, everyone can enjoy an unparalleled view from 40 feet above deck. Included in your fare, no reservation required.
1. If you are willing to have a good view of the ocean or sea from above, what should you try?| A．North Star. | B．Royal Caribbean. |
| C．SeaPlex. | D．Rock Climbing. |
| A．People who are fond of eating delicious food. |
| B．People who want to have a turtle as a pet. |
| C．People who want to save some money. |
| D．People who want to listen to music while playing. |
| A．A letter. | B．An advertisement. |
| C．A personal diary. | D．A newspaper article. |
