1 . Dogs have a kind of sensor at the end of their nose that helps them recognize small changes in temperature when other animals are nearby. The scientists say the discovery can help researchers better understand how some animals identify their prey (猎物).
The scientists reported that the wet skin surface at the end of a dog’s nose is full of nerve endings. “Dogs are able to sense the thermal radiation (热辐射) coming from warm bodies or weak thermal radiation and they can also direct their behavior according to this signal”, wrote the researchers. “We tested whether we can find an area in the brain that shows higher activity if they are exposed to a warmer object.” Brain imaging tests showed increased brain activity when dogs were shown objects that were warmer than their environment.
The study had two sets of experiments. In one, researchers used weak thermal radiation to train three dogs. In the other, 13 dogs were given brain imaging tests to see how the brain reacted if they recognized weak thermal radiation. Researchers were careful to note that all the animals were privately owned. The owners gave “informed permission for their dogs to be used in the study”.
Researchers noted, “It is possible that other animals own a similar sense and that adds a new chapter to the story of prey-predator (捕食者) relationships.” They wrote that in the gray wolf, the closest wild relative of dogs, “the ability to sense the radiation from warm bodies would be advantageous for such predators”.
1. What helps dogs sense other animals nearby?| A．The small change in temperature. |
| B．The higher activity in their brain. |
| C．The nerve endings at the end of their noses. |
| D．The close relations with gray wolves. |
| A．To find out if dogs have thermal radiation. |
| B．To find out how dogs get away from danger. |
| C．To find out the relations between dogs and wolves. |
| D．To measure the dogs’ reaction to other warmer objects. |
| A．In a travel magazine. | B．In a science report. |
| C．In an advertisement. | D．In a health report. |
2 . As I walked with my tour group along the city wall, we approached the open gate slowly Peering through the gate we saw in the distance one of the most iconic buildings of Italy: the Leaning Tower. Finally, we were in Pisa.
The first interesting piece of information our tour guide told us was that the Leaning Tower was simply a bell tower. For such a world-famous building to have such a common function was quite surprising. Yet the building does have one remarkable claim to fame: it is where Galileo performed his experiments about falling bodies.
Our next stop was the Cathedral. It looked almost Middle Eastern in its outward appearance. Inside it was unlike any other cathedral I’d ever seen. After we walked around and explored every corner of the building, our guide pointed out one of the most impressive parts of it — the ceiling. A series of carved wooden squares overlain with gold made the ceiling a spectacular accent to an already amazing structure.
After a quick bite in a cafe, we headed back towards the buses and returned to Florence where the choir students whom I was traveling with had an evening performance in a local church. The church was filled and the performance went off without a hitch, making for a nice end to an overall pleasant day in Italy.
1. What surprised the author about the Leaning Tower?| A．It was a famous building. | B．It was located in Pisa. |
| C．It was used as a bell tower. | D．It was where Galileo worked. |
| A．Its history. | B．Its ceiling. | C．Its function. | D．Its comer. |
| A．It was a big failure. | B．It went out of control. |
| C．It ended in success. | D．It started behind schedule. |
| A．A diary. | B．A brochure. | C．A report. | D．A novel. |
3 . Trust me, you don’t want to get caught under a tsunami! Tsunamis are one of the world’s most powerful natural forces. They can cause huge amounts of damage.
But do you know exactly what a tsunami is? They are huge, powerful waves in the ocean that grow as they reach the shore. Most tsunamis are actually caused by earthquakes. An earthquake happens when a big piece of the Earth’s crust( 地 壳 ) suddenly moves. When the piece of ocean floor moves, it creates big holes. The water floods in to fill these holes. When the water moves that quickly, it creates a huge wave. This is how tsunamis are born!
Other natural disasters like landslides, volcanic eruptions, and glaciers breaking off can also cause tsunamis. Once the water starts moving because of the force of the disaster, large waves begin to spread. These waves can move very fast. They have been recorded at speeds from 400 up to 500 miles per hour! They can also move across very long distances.
At first, the waves of the tsunami may not seem that tall. That’s because when the waves travel through the deep parts of the ocean, the top of each wave is very short. But as that wave comes near to the coast, it grows in height. Remember, the tsunami travels quickly. If you are sitting on a beach, you may not see the wave coming at first. But when the wave arrives, it will be like a towering wall of water. Some waves are as tall as 100 feet high. The biggest tsunami ever recorded happened in 1958 in Lituya Bay, Alaska. The wave was over 1,720 feet tall, and it wiped out trees, vegetation, and everything else in its way.
As frightening as tsunamis can be, you don’t need to worry too much about them. They don’t happen that often. Only about two tsunamis happen every year. And it is said that serious, really damaging tsunamis only happen about every fifteen years. So don’t worry.
1. Based on the information in the article, which natural disaster is not responsible for causing a tsunami?| A．tornado | B．volcanic eruption | C．earthquake | D．landslides |
| A．2 hours | B．3 hours | C．4 hours | D．5 hours |
| A．The waves of the tsunami always move slowly over a long distance. |
| B．People on a ship in the deep ocean will notice a tsunami at once as soon as it forms. |
| C．When people on the beach first notice a tsunami, the waves are not tall. |
| D．People will not notice a tsunami until it gets close to the coast. |
| A．in a newspaper | B．in a science magazine | C．in a textbook | D．in a story book |
4 . Japanese businessman Katsuo Inoue chose Italy for his summer vacation this year. He enjoyed the views of Florence and Rome—without ever leaving Tokyo.
Inoue and his wife “flew” to Italy on First Airlines, a company known for entertainment, not transportation. The Tokyo-based company entered the growing virtual reality (虚拟现实) market, as people face travel restrictions (限制) because of COVID-19.
“I often go overseas on business, but I haven’t been to Italy,” Inoue told the Reuters News. “My impression was rather good because I got a sense of actually seeing things there.”
The “passengers” on First Airlines sit in the first or business-class areas of an “airplane”. They are even given a life vest and oxygen mask. Workers serve meals and drinks as large screens show passing clouds and other views outside the airplane. The “travelers” then receive virtual reality eyewear that provides true-to-life tours of places like Paris, New York, Hawaii and Rome and other Italian cities.
Japan has recorded over 50,000 infections (感染) and just over 1,000 deaths. A second wave of infections starting in July has stopped most travel in and out the country. The country’s biggest airline, ANA Holdings, said the numbers of passengers flying to foreign countries fell by 96 percent in June. And the International Air Transport Association (IATA) predicted last month that it would take until the year 2024 for international travel to recover.
But Hiroaki Abe, president of First Airlines says, “Our business has increased by 50 percent since the start of the travel restrictions. We get some customers who normally travel to Hawaii every year and they can experience some of that here.”
1. What do we know about Inoue’s trip to Italy?| A．It was a trip on business. | B．It was a virtual visit. |
| C．It was his first trip by plane. | D．It was against the travel restrictions. |
| A．Customers’ comments on the trip. |
| B．Safety rules to follow during the trip. |
| C．Business advantages of virtual vacations. |
| D．The company’s services to make the trip real. |
| A．It may disappear by 2024. |
| B．Its customers are hard to please. |
| C．Its market will surely become bigger. |
| D．It meets customers’ need in the special time. |
| A．A news report. | B．A blog post. |
| C．A travel brochure. | D．A business advertisement. |
5 . For much of the 20th century, milk was a simple part of daily life in the U.S, as farmers raised cows, milkmen delivered bottles and children drank it at school. But those days are fading.
America has fallen out of love with drinking milk, as lower-calorie options have increased and people are replacing water bottles with milk cartons. Americans each drink an estimated 146 lb. of fluid milk in 2018, according to the USDA’s Economic Research Service. That may sound like a lot, but it’s down by 26% just since 2000.
The downturn has been tough on dairy processors like Borden and Dean, which buy fresh milk from farms and use techniques like pasteurization (巴氏杀菌) to create a consumer-safe drink with a longer shelf life. For the past five years, thanks to technology that increased milk production, fresh-milk prices were relatively low, which meant processors could still earn some money even despite the decreasing demand. But prices began going up again last year, squeezing the processors’ already tight profits. “Declining sales in a thin-profit business is not a good recipe for success,” says Mark Stephenson, director of dairy policy analysis at the University of Wisconsin.
Milk processors are also facing competition from big retailers, which have set up their own processing plants. In 2018, Walmart opened a milk-processing plant in Indiana to serve hundreds of stores in the Midwest, taking away approximately 95 million gal of milk-processing business from Dean Foods.
On the other end of the supply chain, dairy farms are facing trouble of their own. The low prices left small farmers struggling across the industry. The number of farm bankruptcies (破产) in 2019 was up by 4% from the previous year. “We’re trying our best to hang on,” says Mary Rieckmann, a dairy farmer in Wisconsin whose family has turned to GoFundMe to keep their century-old farm running.
1. What’s the main idea of the passage?| A．Why some dairy farmers turn to GoFundMe. |
| B．Why America’s milk industry get into much trouble. |
| C．Why Americans consume less milk than before. |
| D．Why big retailers set up their own processing plants. |
| A．An American consumes 146 lb fluid milk every year |
| B．Technology in milk industry improves the production |
| C．Walmart is probably not a target customer of Dean Foods now |
| D．2019 witnessed 4% more farm bankruptcies than the previous year |
| A．Health | B．Technology | C．Life | D．Economy |
6 . International Volunteering in New Zealand
If you’re visiting New Zealand and would like to volunteer, DOC (Department of Concentration) welcomes you to get involved.
Before you come to New Zealand
You do not need a work visa to volunteer with DOC. You can volunteer on entry to New Zealand as long as you do not receive payment or benefits.
You may need a police certificate
Depending on the volunteer work you do with us, you may be required to provide a police certificate to DOC. Your police certificate would need to be written and certified in English. It’s easier for you if you get a police certificate before you leave your country.
How to get a new police certificate if you’re already in New Zealand. (Click here)
International students
Volunteering with DOC is an option to gain experience. However, DOC does not offer opportunities to students who study at universities outside New Zealand, or other education providers outside New Zealand.
Insurance
For all volunteers with DOC, we strongly advise you gel comprehensive (综合的) travel insurance and unlimited medical cover. DOC does not accept responsibility for any:
● personal medical or accident events.
● loss or damage to personal items of equipment, or other associated costs while you're volunteering with DOC.
1. What may you offer to DOC if you want to volunteer as a foreigner in New Zealand?| A．A police certificate | B．A work visa. |
| C．A university diploma. | D．A driver license. |
| A．An American official who is travelling in New Zealand. |
| B．An English college student who has just been visiting his uncle in New Zealand. |
| C．A Chinese exchange student in the University of Auckland in New Zealand. |
| D．A Chinese businessman with some volunteering experiences. |
| A．A story book. | B．A newspaper. |
| C．A travel guide book. | D．A website. |
7 . Chopsticks, or kuaizi in Chinese, are used to eat Asian food. The earliest evidence of a pair of chopsticks made out of bronze was found in the Ruins of Yin near Anyang, Henan province, dating back to roughly 1, 200 BC.
Chopsticks are round on the eating end which symbolizes heaven, and the other end is square which symbolizes earth. This is because maintaining an adequate food supply is the greatest concern between heaven and earth in Chinese culture.
There is no single standard for the use of chopsticks, but better bear some rules in mind eating with them. Playing with chopsticks is considered bad manners and rude, just as playing with a fork in a Western environment would be considered impolite. Besides, chopsticks are not used to move bowls or plates or to toy with one’s food. Chopsticks are not supposed to stab food, either. Exceptions include tearing larger items apart such as vegetables. Also, chopsticks should not be left standing up in a bowl of food. Any stick-like object pointing upward resembles(像) the incense sticks that some Asians use as offerings to family members who have passed away. In addition, avoid tapping chopsticks on the edge of one’s bowl, as beggars are believed to make this noise to attract attention. Furthermore, chopsticks should not be chewed on, or linger in one’s mouth for too long.
Today, chopsticks serve many functions besides as tableware. For example, you can buy a pair of chopsticks as a gift for a newly-married couple as their wedding gift. In Chinese, ‘chopsticks’ reads ‘kuaizi’, which means to have sons soon. Skillful craftsmen paint beautiful scenery on chopsticks to make them like fine artwork. Additionally, it has been said that using chopsticks improves one’s memory, increases finger flexibility and can be useful in learning and improving skills such as Chinese character printing and brush painting.
1. We probably find this passage in _________.| A．a science fiction | B．a magazine |
| C．a travel guide | D．an advertisement |
| A．Traditional rules for using chopsticks. |
| B．Different standards to use chopsticks. |
| C．Some exceptions to use chopsticks. |
| D．Cultural backgrounds for using chopsticks. |
| A．chopsticks can help maintain an adequate food supply |
| B．stabbing food with chopsticks is strictly forbidden in China |
| C．standing chopsticks up in a bowl of food is traditionally accepted |
| D．Chinese brush painting learners may benefit from using chopsticks |
