1 . Virtual reality isn’t just for video games anymore. The technology is changing industries that many people had never thought it would, such as dairy farming.
Russian dairy farmers gave cows VR goggles (眼镜) with hope that they would be happier and make better milk. A farm just outside of Moscow is testing VR glasses for its cows, it says, in an effort to increase the quantity and quality of the milk produced.
That’s according to a news release published Monday from the Ministry of Agriculture of the Moscow region. It came accompanied by photos of a cow trying out its fancy new goggles. The ministry explains it like this:Studies have shown that cows, environmental conditions can impact the milk produced, specifically improving its quality or increasing its quantity. So, a team of developers, with the help of vets and consultants for dairy production, made some oversized VR glasses for cows. They adapted the human versions to account for cows’ different head shapes and eyesight, the news release says. And then voila! Cow VR glasses. And what were these cows experiencing with their new VR glasses? A wild, expansive field beneath the summer sun. A cow’s (virtual) paradise (天堂).
So far, it’s unclear if the glasses have helped milk production-further study will be needed for that. But a first test did reveal a decrease in anxiety and an increase in the emotional mood of the herd, the release said. To be fair, if we were transported to a vast field in the summertime, our anxiety and emotional mood would be better, too. Russian dairy farmers aren’t the only ones going the extra mile to keep their cows happy and improve product, though. Some Wagyu farmers set mood lighting, among other tricks, to keep their cows calm and producing the best beef possible. Others play them music, which one Missouri farmer says leads to better milk.
1. Why were VR glasses used in the farm?| A．To avoid cows’ fighting. | B．To cure the cows’ diseases. |
| C．To test the cows’ eyesight. | D．To get more and better milk. |
| A．Exciting movies. | B．Video games. |
| C．A vast field in the sun. | D．More cows in the distance. |
| A．Playing beautiful music. | B．Telling animal stories. |
| C．Choosing better meal time. | D．Photos of many cows. |
| A．Nature. | B．Science. | C．Education. | D．Entertainment. |
2 . Wine and beaches, fireworks and music... our readers recommend some fantastic festivals.
Festa delTUva e del Vino, Italy
Set on the beautiful shores of Lake Garda, this grapes and wine festival takes over the small town of Bardolino for four days every October. With local wines, food, art projections, fireworks and live music. people come from miles around to celebrate. First and foremost，it’s about great wine，but it’s worth visiting to soak up the great atmosphere.
Free，1-5 October
Quest festival, Vietnam
This is a weekend camping festival held just a 40-minute drive from Hanoi, bringing together locals and visitors in a celebration of underground live and electronic music culture. Held in the beautiful Son Tinh campsite, there are usually about 30 local and international DJs and 10 bands. There are also workshops, pop-up cafes, fire performances, dancing and much more.
Weekend tickets about £25, 6-8 November
Estiv al Switzerland
This is a free festival of jazz which takes place in the first weekend in July in the pretty squares and lakeside beaches and parks around the southern Swiss town of Lugano. The palm trees and summer air to see some of Europe’s up and coming jazz bands and enjoy Swiss
Free, every July
Irish Redhead Convention, County Cork
A friendly gathering for all red-haired people is held in the small seaside village of Crosshaven where redheads from all over the world take part in light hearted events. There’s live music, art exhibitions, lectures and of course the traditional Parade of Redheads through the village led by the newly crowned Redhead King and Queen.
Free, Every August
1. Jennifer, a girl with red hair, may be interested in ________.| A．Estival. | B．Quest festival. |
| C．Festa deirtlva e del Vino. | D．Irish Redhead Convention. |
| A．They offer local food. |
| B．They have fireworks. |
| C．They are free of charge. |
| D．They have music activities. |
| A．In a textbook. |
| B．In a magazine. |
| C．In a news report. |
| D．In a research paper. |
3 . Getting paid to stay in bed all day sounds pretty good, but what if someone pays you $ 23, 000 to stay in bed for two months? That’s the deal that a medical research team in France is offering to 24 volunteers.
The researchers are looking for volunteers to help them study the effects of weightlessness (失重状态) on the human body and find ways to stop problems. Lying in bed isn’t exactly the same as being weightless, but the effects are alike.
When astronauts spend a long time in an environment with no gravity, their bodies change in many ways. After several months, their hearts don’t beat as hard. Their muscles become smaller and weaker. Their bones may be broken more easily. There may also be changes in the astronauts’ immune systems (免疫系统) and sleep habits.
The study will take 88 days. During the first two weeks, the volunteers will be tested to make sure of their levels of fitness. Then they will spend 60 days lying in bed with their heads lower than their bodies. They will have to do everything while lying down, including eating, brushing their teeth, and going to the bathroom. The rule is that they must have at least one shoulder touching the bed at all times. The last two weeks of the study will be spent trying to build up the volunteers’ fitness again.
Volunteers must be men between the ages of 20 and 45 who are in perfect health. The researchers completed one study in April. A second study will take place from September to December.
1. What’s the third paragraph mainly about?| A．How astronauts work in an environment without gravity. |
| B．Astronauts’ sleep habits in an environment without gravity. |
| C．Why astronauts’ bodies change in an environment without gravity. |
| D．The effects of an environment without gravity on astronauts’ bodies. |
| A．be women | B．come from France |
| C．be in excellent condition | D．be under twenty years old |
| A．How to build up astronauts’ fitness. |
| B．Researchers pay volunteers to stay in bed. |
| C．Effects of weightlessness on the human body. |
| D．Disadvantages of lying in bed for two months. |
| A．A medical magazine. | B．A short novel. |
| C．A grammar book. | D．A travel guidebook. |
4 . The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 will now be held on July 2021 With less than three months to go. questions surrounding the safety have grown intense. How to do this safely with thousands of athletes and staff involved coming to Japan in the middle of the pandemic?
A "playbook" released by the IOC and Tokyo organizers provided some insight. Besides masking up, avoiding crowds and washing hands frequently, travelers will have to produce a test negative upon arrival. They will not have to quarantine, but aren't allowed to go to public areas during their first 14 days. All travelers must submit a detailed route to Japanese authorities. They must submit details of their health and any symptoms they are experiencing into a mandatory（强制性的）mobile app. Anyone who breaks these rules could be sent back home.
The IOC encourages athletes to get the vaccine if available, though not mandatory. Japan began vaccinating its citizens in mid — February, so it's likely many Japanese won’t have received dosage by the start of the Games. Dr. Angela Rasmussen, a virologist in Georgetown University, believed the best action the IOC could take to safely stage the Games would be a vaccination requirement. "Many attendees from countries with out-of- control coronavirus transmission are a threat to the public health," she said. “It might be challenging as the access and availability of vaccines varies in different countries, but that might be the safest option for Japan."
Despite many potential restrictions, nothing seems to stop the Olympics from taking place. First and foremost. money. Hosting the Olympics is quite costly and Japan has already spent over S 25 billion of mostly public finances. Even if fans aren't allowed and athletes are heavily restricted in traveling outside of the grounds, this would still be an incredibly profitable event. Global broadcast rights make up roughly 73% of income generated from the Games, and sponsorships make up almost another 20%. Plus, Japan would still get major publicity.
“The government is keen to hold the Olympics for the reputation and to celebrate Japan's virtues and strengths." said Jeff Kingston, a professor at Temple University. "It wants to reprise the glory of the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games and lift national and global spirits that have plummeted during the pandemic. It also hopes to stimulate a depressed economy."
1. Attendees of the Olympics are required to do the following EXCEPT .| A．get a negative test result upon arrival |
| B．be quarantined during their first 14 days |
| C．report their travelling routes in detail |
| D．input any symptoms through an app |
| A．All the athletes are supposed to get the vaccine before the Games. |
| B．Rasmussen disapproved of the vaccinating requirements by the IOC. |
| C．The IOC's action to stage the Games will help local citizens get vaccinated. |
| D．Attendees from some countries might have difficulty in getting vaccinated. |
| A．Preventing the pandemic, | B．Regaining the previous glory. |
| C．Enhancing people's spirits. | D．Boosting falling economy. |
| A．Business. | B．Education. |
| C．Sports. | D．Tourism. |
5 . When Kirk Alexander went missing for 11 days, an unlikely savior came to his rescue： his neighborhood pizza store.
Almost every night for more than ten years. Kirk Alexander, 48, of Salem, Oregon ordered a late dinner from his local Domino's pizza store. He had no signature order. Sometimes he would call for a salad, sometimes a pie, sometimes chicken wings. The only sure thing for the staff of the Silverton Road Domino's was that they would see Alexander's name show up on their online ordering site sometime between 11 p. m. and midnight several times a week.
Until suddenly, for nearly two weeks at the end of April 2016, they didn't.
It was a slow Saturday night on May 7th when Domino's general manager Sarah Fuller felt she could no longer ignore Alexander's recent absence.
“I went and looked up to see how long it had been since he last ordered,” Fuller told KATU. com. “It was 11 days, which was not like him at all.”
Fuller knew Alexander worked from home, and neighbors said he rarely left. She also knew that he had suffered some health issues in the past. Something, Fuller worried, was wrong.
Around 1 a. m. on Sunday. May 8, Fuller sent longtime delivery driver Tracey Hamblen to stop in at Alexander's home. Hamblen approached Alexander's door as he had countless times before and knocked. He could plainly see that Alexander's TV set was on, as were his lights; but after several minutes, Alexander still didn't answer the door.
Hamblen rushed back to the store to relay the upsetting developments to Fuller. She encouraged Hamblen to dial 911. Soon, officers were on their way.
When deputies from the Marion County Sheriff's office arrived at Alexander's house, they heard a man “calling for help from inside the residence, deputies said. They broke the door down, and found Alexander on the floor in need of immediate medical attention. One day later, and they might have been too late.
Alexander was rushed to Salem Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition shortly after the dramatic rescue. In the following weeks, Fuller, Hamblen, and other store employees went to visit him with flowers and cards, noting that Alexander greeted them with knowing smiles.
1. How did Fuller sense that something was wrong?| A．She knew Alexander had serious health problems. |
| B．Alexander hadn't ordered chicken wings for nearly 2 weeks. |
| C．Alexander had never before broken his routine in the store for 10 years. |
| D．Alexander had disappeared from the store's ordering system for about 2 weeks. |
| A．Hamblen was fond of knocking at Alexander's door. |
| B．Hamblen was more than an acquaintance to Alexander. |
| C．Every time Hamblen arrived at Alexander's house, he would knock first. |
| D．When Hamblen had enough time in the past, he would go to Alexander's house. |
| A．Life. | B．Technology. | C．Healthy. | D．Entertainment. |
| A．Born in distress, die in peace | B．Details determine success or failure |
| C．Even the wise are not always free from error | D．Better late than never |
6 . When was the last time you thought about breathing? Most people usually do not. When we are healthy, breathing happens naturally and easily. Without much effect on our part, the human respiratory system（呼吸系统）works hard. Experts say we take about 20,000 breaths every day.
One such expert is James Hoyt, a doctor at the University of Colorado’s Health Pulmonology Clinic. He notes our “respiratory muscles are working every minute of the day, every day of our lives.” A muscle called the diaphragm（横膈膜）separates the chest and abdominal cavities（腹腔）. As we breathe in, the diaphragm tightens. The chest cavity opens, and the lungs expand. When we breathe out, the diaphragm relaxes and moves upward, pushing air out.
When you breathe deeply, the air coming in through your nose fully fills your lungs, and the lower belly（腹部）rises. On its website, Harvard Medical School notes that deep breathing may slow the heartbeat, lower blood pressure and lower stress. Deep breaths help your body fully exchange incoming oxygen with outgoing carbon dioxide. However, many people do the opposite of deep breathing. They take short breaths and have shallow breathing. Shallow breathing makes you feel short of breath and worried, or anxious.
The American Lung Association notes that shallow breathing, over time, leaves old, stale air in the lungs. This leaves less room for the diaphragm to bring in fresh oxygen. And that means lower oxygen levels and less oxygen for exercise and activity.
Several health websites explain an easy deep breathing exercise. Find a place to sit or lie down Place one hand just below your ribs（肋骨）. Take a slow, deep breath-or inhale-through your nose. Feel your hand go up. Your stomach should rise and expand. Now breathe out slowly through your mouth. Make sure to breathe out-or exhale-all the way. Feel your hand and stomach go down.
1. How can we breathe air out?| A．By the diaphragm’s tightening. | B．By the chest cavity’s opening. |
| C．By the lungs’expanding. | D．By the diaphragm’s moving upward. |
| A．It’s harmful. | B．It can cause anxiety. |
| C．It can reduce stress. | D．It’s bad for the heart. |
| A．No longer new. | B．Not beneficial. | C．Poisonous. | D．Available. |
| A．Special News. | B．Health Report. |
| C．The Making of a Nation. | D．People in America. |
7 . It has always been thought that alcohol causes people to put on weight because it contains a lot of sugar, but new research suggests a glass a day could form part of a diet. Looking at past studies they found that, while heavy drinkers do put on weight, those who drink in moderation can actually lose weight.
A spokesman for the research team at Navarro University in Spain says, “Light to moderate alcohol intake, especially of wine, may be more likely to protect against, rather than promote, weight gain.” The International Scientific Forum on Alcohol Research reviewed the findings and agreed with most of the conclusions, particularly that data do not clearly indicate if moderate drinking increases weight.
Boston University’s Dr. Harvey Finkel found that the biologic mechanisms(生物学机制) relating alcohol to changes in body weight are not properly understood. His team pointed out the strong protective effects of moderate drinking on the risk of getting conditions like diabetes (糖尿病), which relate to increasing obesity. Some studies suggest that even very obese people may be at lower risk of diabetes if they are moderate drinkers.
The group says alcohol provides calories that are quickly absorbed into the body and are not stored in fat, and that this process could explain the differences in its effects from those of other foods. They agree that future research should be directed towards assessing the roles of different types of alcoholic drinks, taking into consideration drinking patterns and including the past tendency of participants to gain weight.
For now there is little evidence that consuming small to moderate amounts of alcohol on a regular basis increases one’s risk of becoming obese. What’s more, a study three years ago suggested that resveratrol (白藜芦醇), a compound present in grapes and red wine destroys fat cells.
1. The underlined phrase “in moderation” in the first paragraph means “________”.| A．excitedly | B．carefully |
| C．frequently | D．properly |
| A．The research found moderate drinking has a strong protective effect. |
| B．Resveratrol is proved to increase the risk of becoming fat. |
| C．Current data clearly show that moderate drinking increases weight. |
| D．The specific roles of different types of alcoholic drinks are very clear. |
| A．How to do some easy experiments. |
| B．How to reduce the calories contained in wine. |
| C．How to prove the finding mentioned above. |
| D．How to make wine in a healthy way. |
| A．A chemistry textbook. | B．A TV advertisement. |
| C．A science magazine. | D．A supermarket website. |
8 . 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. |
9 . Recently, an unhappy event has happened in a kindergarten in Chongqing. Most primary schools suggest that parents should come along with their children to school and guard the school gates from 7:40 to 8:00 in the morning. Opinions on this problem are different from person to person.
Sun Zhenyao, 13, Jiangbei
Safety comes first. I don’t think it’s a big problem for parents. They just have to stay at the school gate for a little longer. Also, it’s very crowded around school gates in the morning. Traffic accidents can happen. Depending only on school guards is not enough. If parents can help, there will be fewer accidents.
Li Minyi, 14, Yubei
On weekdays, guarding schools and keeping students safe should be the schools’ responsibility – not the parents’. Also, the time during which they have to stand guard is usually about 7:40 to 8:00 am, the morning rush hour. Some parents might get caught in a traffic jam and be late for their work. I don’t think this task should fall on the parents.
Sun Run, 14, Beibei
This request is not just about children’s safety, but also supporting the school. It is a good way to improve relations between parents and schools. Secondly, parents can set a good example for their kids by working selflessly for their society.
Huang Xi, 15, Jiulongpo
Most of these parents are office workers. They have their own things to do. They hurry to go to work every morning. To meet this new request, some may have to ask for time off. This will affect their work performance.
1. The students who agree with the suggestion are_______.| A．Li Minyi, Sun Run |
| B．Huang Xi, Sun Zhenyao |
| C．Huang Xi, Li Minyi |
| D．Sun Zhenyao, Sun Run |
| A．Guarding schools and keeping students safe should be the schools’ job. |
| B．It is a good example for kids to have a sense of responsibility. |
| C．Some parents can ask for time off to guard the school gates. |
| D．There are not enough school guards in the primary schools. |
| A．a newspaper interview |
| B．a police report |
| C．a short story |
| D．a textbook passage |
10 . When tragedy strikes, some people fall into deep depression (抑郁) sometimes losing hope and even the will to carry on. They may worry continuously about the disaster and suffer nightmares. Other people, however, react differently. Instead of becoming depressed and unable to cope, they are able to deal with painful experiences and move on.
Boris Cyrulnik is interested in this difference of reaction. To find out why some people are so deeply affected, while others are seemingly able to recover, he has devoted his career to the study of psychological resilience (复原力).
Cyrulnik found resilience is a quality that builds through a natural process. He says that alone, a child has no resilience. We build resilience from developing relationships.
Positive emotions and humour are key factors in resilience. Cyrulnik's research has shown that people who are better able to deal with life's difficulties or traumas (创伤)are able to find meaning in hardship, seeing it as a useful and inspiring experience, and even to find ways to laugh. Resilient people always remain able to see how things may turn out for the better in the future, even if the present is painful.
It had previously been thought that people who show more resilience are less emotional in general, but Cyrulnik believed that the pain is no less for resilient people than it is for others; it is a matter of how they choose to use it. The pain may continue, even over a whole lifetime, but for these people it raises a challenge that they decide to meet. The challenge is to overcome what has happened, to find strength in the experience instead of letting it defeat them, and to use the strength to move forward. Given the right support, children are especially able to complete recovery from trauma. Cyrulnik has shown that the human brain is easily influenced and will recover if allowed. If a child is well supported and loved after the trauma, his brain is able to return to normal within a year.
Cyrulnik thinks it important not to label (贴标) children who have suffered a trauma, misleading them to a hopeless future. Trauma consists of two things: the injury and the repeated description of that injury. Often the most damaging post-traumatic experience for children is experiencing embarrassing adult descriptions of events. Labels, he says, can be more damaging than the experience.
1. According to Cyrulnik's research, resilient people are________| A．patient and forgiving. | B．sensitive and controlling. |
| C．optimistic and humorous. | D．considerate and committed. |
| A．They should be treated differently. | B．They should be labeled as poor little ones. |
| C．They should be given the right support. | D．They should be helped to accept the reality. |
| A．Resilience is a person's ability to grow in the face of terrible problems. |
| B．Resilience is found in less emotional people in general. |
| C．Resilience is built either by being alone or communicating with others. |
| D．Resilience is a person's power to avoid painful experiences. |
| A．A biology textbook. | B．A travel guidebook. |
| C．A psychology book. | D．A sports magazine. |
