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 . An artist in Oakland, California is using his skills to help the homeless. Greg Kloehn builds very small shelters that make life on the streets a little more comfortable. The structures offer the homeless some safety and protection from bad weather. Each little house also has wheels on the bottom so it can go wherever its owner goes.
Greg Kloehn has given away at least 20 tiny houses. Several are on the roadside near an active railroad. On a recent day, Mr. Kloehn stops at one to visit Oscar Young. The two men hug. Inside his little shelter Mr. Young gets relief from cold nights on the streets. Mr. Kloehn also visits Sweet-Pea, another friend who also lives in one of the little homes the artist built. She says it keeps her safe and protects her belongings.
In the mornings, Mr. Kloehn searches the streets for building materials. He gathers what he can and takes it to his studio. There, he puts the houses together. Empty coffee bags become roof material. A washing machine door and refrigerator part become windows. Nails, screws（螺丝钉） and the sticky glue hold all the pieces together. The artist also attaches a small electrical device to the house. The device is powered by the sun.
Some of the people living on the streets once had normal houses of their own. But some of the people say they have learned to live with less and they are thankful to that man.
Mr. Kloehn says his work is not a social project. He says he is just someone using his skills to help his homeless neighbors.
1. The following are the advantages of the small shelters except ________.| A．saving power and energy |
| B．decorating the streets where they are |
| C．protecting possessions of the homeless |
| D．keeping the homeless safe and comfortable |
| A．An act of kindness has made people simple and grateful |
| B．Greg Kloehn has sold at least 20 tiny houses |
| C．The shelters are immovable |
| D．The government has got involved in the action |
| A．An official report | B．A news report |
| C．An art review | D．A science magazine |
| A．A more comfortable shelter on the streets. |
| B．An artist creates homes for the homeless. |
| C．A successful social project in Oakland. |
| D．An artist makes a living by designing small shelters. |
3 . The cultures of the East and the West are really different from each other a lot. This is because the culture systems are two separate ones on the whole.
The origin (起源) of the Eastern culture is mainly from two countries: China and India. Both of the two cultures are developed by rivers — the Yellow River in China and the Hindu River in India. They helped the two cultures develop for centuries and form their own styles.
When the two mother rivers gave birth to the Eastern culture, another famous culture was up on the Mesopotamian Plain — the Mesopotamian Civilization. This civilization later on developed into the cultures of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. And these two are well-known as the base of the European culture. Like the Chinese culture, the European culture also crossed waters. When the British settled down in America, their culture went with them over the Atlantic Ocean. So the American culture doesn’t have much difference from the European culture.
At the same time, some other differences add to the cultural differences. Take the language system for example. In the East, most languages belong to the pictographic (象形) language while the western languages are mostly based on the Latin system. Other causes like human race differences count as well. But what’s more, due to the far distance and the steep areas between the East and the west, the two cultures seldom communicate until recent centuries. So they grew up totally in their own ways with almost no interference from the other.
The differences are everywhere. They are obvious and make people’s ways of thinking and their views of the world different. But different cultures make the world of 21st century more colorful. The cultural difference should not be the obstacle (障碍) to the civilization of human being. It ought to be the driving force of our going farther.
1. What is the text mainly about?| A．The origin of cultures. | B．Culture differences. |
| C．Language systems. | D．Colorful world. |
| A．Both of the two cultures have a very long history. |
| B．They have the same mother rivers as the Chinese culture. |
| C．The early settlers from Britain brought their culture to America. |
| D．Both the British and the American live along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. |
| A．difference | B．influence |
| C．confidence | D．environment |
| A．A diary. | B．A magazine. |
| C．A novel. | D．A guidebook. |
4 . It was 3:21 a.m. when nine-year-old Glenn Kreamer awoke to the smell of burning. Except for the cracking(爆裂声) of flames somewhere below there was not a sound in the two-storey house at Baldwin Long Island.
With his father away on night duty at a local factory, Glenn was worried about the safety of his mother, his sister Karen, 14 and his 12-year-old brother Todd. He ran downstairs through the smoke-filled house to push and pull at Karen and Todd until they sat up. Then he helped each one through the house to the safety of the garden. There, his sister and brother, taking short and quick breaths and coughing, fell down onto the lawn.
The nine-year-old boy raced back into the house and upstairs to his mother's room. He found it impossible to wake her up. Mrs. Kreamer, a victim of the smoke, was unconscious(昏厥的), and there was nobody to help Glenn carry her to the garden. But the boy remained calm and, as a fireman said later, "acted with all the self-control of a trained adult."
On the bedroom telephone, luckily still working, Glenn called his father and, leaving Mr. Kreamer to telephone the fire brigade and ambulance service, got on with the task of saving his mother.
First he filled a bucket with water from the bathroom and threw water over his mother and her bed. Then, with a wet cloth around his head he went back to the garden.
He could hear the fire engine coming up, but how would the firemen find his mother in the smoke-filled house where flames had almost swallowed up the ground floor?
Grasping firmly a ball of string(线) from the garage, Glenn raced back into the house and dashed upstairs to his mother's room. Tying one end of the string to her hand, he ran back, laying out the string as he went, through the hall and back out into the garden.
Minutes later he was telling fire chief John Coughlan, "The string will lead you to mother." Mrs. Kreamer was carried to safety as the flames were breaking through her bedroom floor.
1. Why did Glenn run downstairs first?| A．He wanted to find out what was happening. |
| B．He was worried about his mother's safety. |
| C．He wanted to save his sister and brother. |
| D．He went to see if his father had come back from work. |
| A．Glenn. | B．Glenn's father. |
| C．Glenn's sister. | D．Glenn's neighbor. |
| A．his father had taught him to do so on the phone |
| B．he had learned something about first aid |
| C．he had dealt with the emergency (突发事件) calmly and wisely |
| D．he had followed his mother's instruction |
| A．a native newspaper | B．a scientific report |
| C．a travel journal | D．a fashion magazine |
5 . An international team of researchers from the University of Oxford have found that the way people use the Internet is closely tied to the seasonal movements in the natural world. Their online species searches follow the patterns of seasonal animal migrations (迁徙).
Migratory birds ( 候 鸟 ) flood back to where they reproduce every spring. That migratory behavior is accompanied by some human behavior. “In English-language Wikipedia ( 维基百科), the online searches for migratory species tend to increase in spring when those birds arrive in the United States,” said the lead author John Mittermeier.
And not just birds. Mittermeier and his team surveyed nearly 2.5 billion Wikipedia search records, for 32,000 species, across 245 languages. They also saw variable search rates for insects, horsetails and flowering plants. Seasonal trends seemed to be widespread in Wikipedia behavior for many species of plants and animals.
This finding suggests new ways to monitor changes in the world’s biological diversity. It also shows new ways to see how much people care about nature, and which species and areas might be the most effective targets for conservation.
Mittermeier is encouraged by the search results. He commented, “I think there’s a concern among conservationists (生态环境保护者) that people are losing touch with the natural world and that they’re not interacting with native species anymore. And so in that sense, it was really exciting and quite unexpected for me to see people’s Wikipedia interest closely related to changes in nature.” Richard Grenyer, Associate Professor from the University of Oxford, says search data is useful to conservation biologists, “By using these big data approaches, we can direct our attention towards the difficult questions in modern conservation: which species and areas are changing, and where are the people who care the most and can do the most to help.”
1. What have researchers found about species searches?| A．They strengthen ties among people. | B．They affect the animal movements. |
| C．They reflect animal migration seasons. | D．They differ in language backgrounds. |
| A．To further support the research findings. |
| B．To show the variety of species searches. |
| C．To summarize the research process. |
| D．To present researchers’ heavy work load. |
| A．Sad about people’s not getting close to nature. |
| B．Worried about Wikipedia behavior. |
| C．Amazed at people’s care about nature. |
| D．Satisfied with Wikipedia’s service. |
| A．A scientific magazine. | B．A biology textbook. |
| C．A biography. | D．A travel brochure . |
6 . Although onions taste delicious, watering eyes come with the process when you cut them up. Thankfully, Good Housekeeping has suggested some tips to prevent yourself from crying while trying to cut up an onion．
According to the findings from the Institute, putting onions in a fridge 30 minutes before cutting can prevent the annoying hurt, as the cold stops tear-jerking (催泪的) gas from being produced.
Another way to reduce the gas released by the onion is to put it in water for a while. Good Housekeeping recommends:“ Cut the end off the onion and then put it straight into a bowl of water. The water will draw out the acid making you tear up less when you cut it.”
When an onion grows, it mixes with sulfur (硫) in the soil to create a special mineral acid. When the onion is cut into pieces, it reacts and creates a gas. As it reaches your face, this annoying gas causes the eyes to produce tears．
The root is where the gases are most concentrated, so it is recommended that this part of the onion be left on as you cut it to avoid uncomfortable eyes. Do this by cutting the vegetable in half down the middle to create a flat surface. Then, place the onion with its flat surface down and cut it towards the root．
Also, to reduce the gas’s effect on your eyes, cut it next to a window or near a fan so the gas is blown away from your face. And take care to use a sharp knife; this will make it easier to move through the vegetable, causing fewer cells to be broken and less gas to be released as a result．
1. Refrigerating the onion before cutting can ．| A．change its taste |
| B．make it easier to cut up |
| C．avoid the appearing of the gas |
| D．help the gases mix more quickly |
| A．Some acid mineral is lost． |
| B．The tear mixture is created． |
| C．The sulfur inside it pours out． |
| D．A chemical reaction produces a gas． |
| A．Health Column． |
| B．Science Journal. |
| C．Fashion Magazine． |
| D．Food Guidebook． |
| A．advise and explain |
| B．examine and analyze(分析) |
| C．argue and discuss |
| D．present and compare |
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| ☆ A — adult, C — children (3-12), T — toddler (2 & below) |
1. Which way is most suitable for Mary, who has one day to travel around Singapore?
| A．Night Safari. | B．Coaster. |
| C．City Sightseeing. | D．Flyer. |
| A．6338-6826 | B．6338-6859 |
| C．6338-3311 | D．6338-6877 |
| A．$131 | B．$90 |
| C．$159 | D．$143 |
| A．Health magazine | B．Scientific report |
| C．Education journal | D．Travel guide |
8 . Tips for Cycle Trips
Cycling has many advantages as a form of travel, as it is the fastest way to travel by human power, and slow enough to allow the type of local involvement that is impossible with powered travel. Cycle travel is a cheap form of transportation.
Distance
On level terrain（地形）, without a headwind, a cyclist of average fitness on a touring bike can comfortably cover 60-120km a day. Distances of up to 250km a day are possible, but anything much beyond 120km will require considerable physical tension and not allow many stops to enjoy the places you visit. For many, 80-100km a day will be the most suitable distance to aim for, as it will give a sense of achievement and also leave plenty of time for meals and activities.
Geography
The gradient（坡度）of the trip will reduce your range. A basic rule is that for every 100 metres of altitude you climb, you should add an extra 15 minutes to your journey time. In hilly or mountainous areas, the easiest routes for cycling are downstream along major rivers, as overall they will be downhill. A long, roundabout route along a river will usually be easier than a short, direct route over a hill or mountain pass. However, it is worth bearing in mind that the most scenic routes often come from hilly terrain.
Eat
Food choice depends largely on where you are, so see the respective sections for more information about foods. As you will be working hard, it’s important to get enough energy in your food. On long trips away from major towns, there may be little quality food available, so be prepared to live on candy bars, prepared meat products and the like if the need arises.
Sleep
While you can take a tent with you, many hotels and especially campsites can accommodate cyclists. However, there are also some hotels that may be less used to accommodating cyclists. If you are exploring an unfamiliar place, asking about the accommodation spares you the search for a new place to stay after a long exhausting day of travel.
1. Which of the following distance does the author suggest to ordinary cyclists a day?| A．90km. | B．50km. |
| C．130km. | D．250km. |
| A．Cycling over a mountain is challenging but worthy. |
| B．Hotels seldom provide accommodation for cyclists. |
| C．High quality food is easy to get on long trips. |
| D．It takes cyclists 15 minutes to climb 10m of altitude. |
| A．In a geography book. | B．In a research report. |
| C．In a travel magazine. | D．In a science fiction. |
