1 . When something on your fruit or vegetable looks strange, it isn't unusual to throw it to the side. without any hesitation. But some “unusual" parts of fruits and vegetables actually contain abundant amounts of health benefits or they may offer other little known uses. Those stings in your banana are no different.

Often thrown away with its skin, banana strings, which are scientifically called phloem bundles, are just as nutritious as the rest( inner pat) of the fruit. They are packed full of fibre, vitamin A, and vitamin B6 and other nutritional content, Phloem can be found in all plants, which is responsible for the transport of nutrients.“ Phloem bundles are made up of living cells that send food products and sugar to all the different parts of the plant," says Rebecca Lee, a registered nurse and the founder of remediesforme. com. And that is exactly what those strings do in the banana, transporting necessary nutrients throughout the delicious fruit so that it can grow up properly.

“They are not disgusting, and they just help the banana grow and become delicious," Dr. Elizabeth Trattner A. P. DOM, Doctor of Chinese and Integrative Medicine, told Reader's Digest. “It is fine to eat and although is structure is a little different from the inside.

Those phloem bundles can also be used to determine if your banana is ready to eat. If all of the nutrients haven't been transported completely in a balanced way throughout the fruit yet, then the phloem bundles stay on more tightly, meaning the banana is under ripe. Then the opposite occurs with ripe and over ripe bananas, as the strings can be removed more easily. But if your bananas do end up bring over-ripe. throw them away? Absolutely not!

1. What are the strings of a banana?

A．It’s nutrition producers.	B．It’s transporting cells.
C．It’s fleshy inner parts.	D．It’s protective skins.

2. What does the underlined phrase “the opposite" in the last paragraph refer to?

A．The banana is not ripe enough.	B．The phloem's structure is tight.
C．The nutrients are distributed fully.	D．The phloem bundles become longer.

3. What does the author seem to discuss in the next paragraph?

A．The ways to deal with over -ripe bananas.	B．The reasons for bananas being over -ripe.
C．The steps of stopping bananas being ripe.	D．The links between phloem and ripe bananas.

4. Where is the text probably taken from?

A．A biology textbook.

B．A research paper.

C．A medical brochure.

D．A health magazine.

2 . The morning after an evening struggle to care for my three-year-old daughter, I couldn’t wait to get her to school. I, as a mother, was tired from the hopelessness and her inability to communicate because of her slowed language development.

As I accompanied her into the car, I felt desperate. Nothing was right with our world. She’d been born around the same time when the nation was witnessing the birth of another Great Recession. My job and my house had been victims. Then this happened. My child’s language delay was identified, but doctors struggled to properly help her, I felt like we both needed to be rescued.

I returned that afternoon as disenchanted as when I left. Walking slowly toward the school’s playground gate, I found her preschool teacher racing to greet me.

“You should have seen her today!” His breathy words were supported by excitement. I didn’t interrupt. “See that climber.” He pointed to a wooden piece of playground equipment that looked like a rock wall. I nodded. “Well, every day since she started school, she’s tried and failed to make it to the top.” He took a breath. “And today she did it!”

He expressed his joy just as he’d witnessed her conquering Mount Everest! “She cheered and celebrated! I wish I’d recorded it!” His words comforted me. My daughter had conquered her mountain.

As she ran toward me, I recognized something I hadn’t before. I saw her perseverance. I saw her strength. I saw a hero.

Everyday greatness celebrates ordinary people who do unusual things in big and small ways, showing courage, kindness, love and selflessness. We encourage you to click these brief accounts and invite you to share your own story.

1. Why did the author rush her daughter to school that morning?

A．She was in bad mood since they had a fight last night.

B．She was too tired from her own work and desired for a good rest.

C．She couldn’t control her anger because her daughter didn’t behave well.

D．She broke down because she was exhausted caring for her daughter last nigh

2. What does the underlined word “disenchanted” mean in Paragraph3?

A．hopeless	B．relieved
C．satisfied	D．worried

3. Why did the author feel so proud of her daughter?

A．Because she began to communicate with others normally.

B．Because she was so determined and ambitious to be a good climber.

C．Because she overcame the difficulty and managed to do what she wanted.

D．Because she was the only student succeeding in standing on Mount Everest.

4. Where can the text most probably appear?

A．In a radio program	B．On the Internet
C．In a newspaper	D．On a magazine

3 . Disney will release a second “Frozen” movie on November 22. Now, we know a bit more about how it will look. On September 23, a brand-new, two-minute trailer (预告片) was released. The love between sisters is going to be tested again in “Frozen 2.” Queen Elsa and Princess Anna will take a journey. Together, they hope to save the kingdom of Arendelle. We also get to meet some new characters.

The clip (片段) opens with a narrator (讲述者) speaking. “Far away, as north as we can go, once stood an enchanted forest,” he says. The scene flashes back to a young Elsa and Anna. They are talking with their parents. In the first movie, the parents died in a terrible accident. “You see an enchanted forest?” Anna asks her dad, King Agnarr. “Yes. It was a magical place, but something went wrong. Since then, no one can get in or out,” the narrator continues. Scenes show characters battling with swords and shields. The forest soon gets covered in purple flames and smoke.

Next, you see the sisters talking in a caring moment. “What would I do without you?” Elsa asks her sister. “You’ll always have me,” Anna promises. Then the adventure begins. The people of Arendelle are shown running out of the kingdom. Of course, Anna is not going to let her sister go into the forest alone. “Excuse me? I climbed the north mountain, survived a frozen heart and saved you from my ex-boyfriend, so you know I’m coming,” Anna says.

The final clips show the whole group going into the enchanted forest. The crew is led by Elsa, Anna and Kristoff. Olaf the snowman is there, too. Sven, Kristoff’s pet reindeer, joins them. During their journey, there are some new faces. One is the fierce female leader of the roaming Northuldra group, Yelana. Another is the free-spirited member of the Northuldra, Honeymaren. She is joined by her cheery brother, Ryder, and the curious and cute salamander, Bruni.

It looks like we will finally learn why Elsa was born with magical powers. We will also continue to see that Anna will do anything for her sister. “You can’t just follow me into fire!” Elsa shouts at Anna. “Then don’t run into fire!” Anna fires back. At the end, we learn that Arendelle must be protected at all costs.

1. In the trailer we can learn that Anna is a/an ______ girl.

A．patient

B．amusing

C．intelligent

D．strong-willed

2. How many new characters are there in Frozen 2 ?

A．Two

B．Three

C．Four

D．Five

3. From the passage we know ______.

A．King Agnarr comes back to life in Frozen 2

B．Elsa and Anna try their best to protect Arendelle

C．the secret of Elsa’s magical powers is revealed at the end of Frozen 1

D．Anna is successful in keeping Elsa from going into the enchanted forest

4. In which category on the website can you find this passage?

A．Community	B．Science
C．Entertainment	D．Health

4 . Due to climate changes, Arctic ice is breaking up earlier in the spring, and its area is decreasing. This is creating problems for polar bears that make their homes off northern Alaska and in Hudson Bay.

Polar bears off Alaska normally hunt and raise their young on ice sheets that float on the ocean. But as the ice has melted, the polar bears have been forced to spend more time on land. There, they have begun to frequent beaches, feeding on the remains of whales caught by native hunters. For polar bears, this food is less nutritious than seals that they normally catch on ice sheets. The shrinking (减少) ice has also forced more polar bears into the ocean. In the past, they only had to swim short distances between ice sheets. But as the ice has shrunk, polar bears have been forced to swim longer and longer distances in the open ocean. This poses a severe danger during rough weather, and an increasing number of drowned polar bears have been observed.

In Hudson Bay, the ice breaks up three weeks earlier in the spring now than it did 20 years ago. Polar bears on Hudson Bay fast (绝食) during the summer, waiting for ice to form in the fall to hunt. Every year, the summer gets longer, and the bears get skinnier. Over the past 25 years, the average weight of the female bears has dropped 68 kg. This loss affects their ability to reproduce, and already the number of births has dropped by 15 percent. Unless the bears can learn to survive these climate changes, these giants of the ice may one day disappear.

1. What is Arctic ice doing earlier each year?

A．It's freezing.	B．It's hardening.
C．It's melting.	D．It's expanding.

2. What is true of polar bears that are spending more time on land in Alaska?

A．Their young are dying.	B．Their diet is changing.
C．Their health is improving.	D．Their families are growing.

3. What does the writer imply about female polar bears in Hudson Bay?

A．They are having fewer young now.	B．They suffer from various sicknesses.
C．They don't need stronger protection.	D．They can't find enough good males.

4. In which publication would you most likely find this passage?

A．Medical News.	B．Society Today.
C．Wildlife Journal	D．Design Magazine.

5 . American and Canadian ocean scientists are taking an unexpected opportunity presented by the coronavirus pandemic（冠状病毒大流行）. They are trying to discover whether Pacific Northwest whales benefit from the drop in boat traffic and underwater noise.

Stay-home laws have greatly reduced entertaining boat trips and ferry crossings this spring. Commercial（商业的）whale watching tours remain on hold. Large ships carrying goods continue to come and go less often. Noise and boat disturbance are considered main reasons for the decrease of the Northwest’s endangered killer whales besides reducing food supply and pollution.

“From a killer whale’s point of view, not having fast moving boats around might be quite beneficial,” said oceanographer Scott Veirs of Seattle, who is in charge of an underwater microphone network called Oreasound.

However, the decrease in sea traffic by the coronavirus pandemic may be short-lived, meaning archers have to act fast to document if the quieter seas make happier, healthier whales.

“We are all trying to remain ready,” Veirs said. “If the pandemic continues to affect boat traffic for the next couple of months, we’ll have a very rare activity when noise levels are reduced. I hope that happens, opportunity to observe killer whale activity when noise levels are reduced. I hope that happens.”

The population of killer whales in the waters of the U. S. Pacific Northwest and southwestern British Columbia has reduced to around 73. They use sound to hunt. locate and communicate, and noise from boat engines can affect the sound waves they make for echolocation（回声定位）. Other larger whales that live in Northwest waters communicate over longer distances in a frequency band（波段）that is almost the same with the low frequency noise made by large container ships.

Viers believes if we continue to not have any commercial whale watching and limit our entertaining boating, the killer whales would certainly experience less of noise disturbance with the boats.

1. What do killer whales benefit from the coronavirus pandemic?

A．Stricter laws on ocean pollution.

B．More whale watching tourists.

C．Reduced noise and boat disturbance.

D．Increased food supply.

2. What is the concern of Scott Veirs?

A．The ocean traffic may increase before long.

B．The echolocation function of whales is damaged.

C．The frequency band whales use is similar to boats.

D．The population of killer whales drops too quickly.

3. What is paragraph 6 mainly about?

A．The population of killer whales.

B．The frequency band killer whales use.

C．How killer whales use sound waves.

D．Why noise from boats affects the life of whales.

4. Where does the passage come from?

A．A brochure.

B．A news report.

C．A science fiction.

D．A travel diary.

6 . One of the best things you can do for your health is to drop a few pounds. Or maybe more than a few pounds.

Being overweight increases your danger of heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, and the list seems almost endless. You'd better find several simple things you can do on a daily basis — such as making rules of eating more vegetables and less fat and getting more physical activities.

After breakfast, make water your primary drink. At breakfast, go ahead and drink orange juice. But throughout the rest of the day, focus on water instead of juice or soda. The average American consumes (消耗) an extra 245 calories a day from soft drinks. That's nearly 90,000 calories a year — or 25 pounds! An research shows that neither the calories nor sugary drinks give you a sense of fullness the way that food does.

People take only 2,000 to 3,000 steps a day. Adding 2,000 steps will help you keep your present weight and stop gaining weight. Adding more than that will help you lose weight.

Eat five or six small meals or snacks a day instead of three large meals. A 1999 South African study found that when men ate parts of their morning meal at intervals over five hours, they consumed almost 20 percent fewer calories at lunch than when they ate a single breakfast.

1. Where is the passage probably taken from?

A．A travelling diary.	B．A story book.
C．A science magazine.	D．An English dictionary.

2. Which of the following should be avoided if you want to lose weight?

A．Eating more vegetables.

B．Getting more exercise.

C．Having less sugary drinks.

D．Having three large meals.

3. What is the best title of the passage?

A．Healthy Eating Habits	B．Tips on Losing Weight
C．Daily Diet and Calories	D．Exercise Stops Diseases

4. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Lots of diseases are related to being overweight.

B．Those who have a single breakfast eat less at lunch time.

C．Taking 4,000 to 5,000 steps a day can help you lose weight.

D．An average American consumes 25 pounds of soft drinks a year.

7 . Monster Zoo

Monster Zoo is one of the largest zoos in the world, covering more than 15 km squares. It is home to more than 50 species of rare and native animals. The zoo is located 70 km from the city New South Australia.

Monster zoo was founded in 1983 as a breeding area (繁殖区). Officially open to the public in October 1993, Monster Zoo is now home to more than 500 animals.

Opening Hours

Monster zoo is open daily from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm with last entry at 3:00 pm. The zoo is open every day of the year, including Christmas Day and all public holidays. The exception to this is if the forecast temperature for Monster Zoo is 40 degrees or above, it will be closed.

To get the most out of your visit we recommend setting aside a minimum of four to five hours to fully enjoy the Monster zoo.

Tickets

Child (4-14 years old) : AU $28.50

Adult (15 years old and over) : AU $ 51.75

Family / Mini Group: AU $132.75

Meet the Keeper

Monster zoo offers various daily zoo keeper talks and animal feeds that give guests the chance to interact (互动) with our friendly workers and learn about the zoo’s unique residents.

Looking for a more unique animal experience? Consider booking a Behind the Scenes Animal Experience to come face to face with some of our special animal residents.

Café

Ketabi Café is open from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm daily and offers a variety of tasty treats, small snacks and hot meals.

Picnics

For those who prefer to bring their own meals, special picnic areas are available close to the Visitor Center. Please note that due to fire risk, the zoo does not allow for the use of BBQs.

1. What can we learn about the zoo from the text?

A．It is the largest zoo in the world.

B．It is open daily all year except Christmas Day.

C．It is open to the public ten years after it was founded.

D．It is home to 500 species of animals.

2. If three young men aged 12, 14 and 19 visit the zoo, how much will they pay?

A．AU $155.25.	B．AU $108.75.
C．AU $85.25.	D．AU $132.75.

3. Where does this text most probably come from?

A．A health newspaper.	B．An animal book.
C．A travel website.	D．A fashion magazine.