1 . VATNAJÖKULL NATIONAL PARK, ICELAND
Vatnajökull National Park is home to one of the largest glaciers in the world and two active volcanoes. A popular place to explore ice caves, you can experience here the breath-taking views of waterfalls, frozen rivers and herds of reindeer through cave tours, glacial hikes and jeep safaris.
Best time to visit: May to September.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL RUINS OF LIANGZHU CITY, CHINA
Dating back to 5,300 years ago, the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City is considered as an important representation of early urban civilization based on rice plantation. The city ruins show the contributions made by the Yangtze River Basin to the origins of Chinese civilization.
Best time to visit: March to May & October to mid December.
BAGAN, MYANMAR
Located on the banks of the Ayeyarwady River, Bagan is the capital of the ancient Burmese empire and features a stunning range of Buddhist art and architecture. Visitors can get the best views at sunrise by taking a hot air balloon ride and witness hundreds of architectural treasures as far as the eye can reach.
Best time to visit: November to February.
JAIPUR CITY, INDIA
The walled city of Jaipur is one of the most colourful cities in the world and part of India's famous Golden Triangle. The city is not only famous for its pink coloured buildings, but also the houses, shops, restaurants and hotels which give you a feast for colors. Besides, you can enjoy the city's layout, busy streets and large public squares.
Best time to visit: November to March.
1. Which of the following is best recommended in April?A.Bagan. | B.Jaipur City. |
C.Vatnajökull National Park. | D.Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City. |
A.It features views of volcanoes. |
B.It is heavy with religious culture. |
C.It has a history of over 5000 years. |
D.It's known for colorful architecture. |
A.Geography. | B.Culture. | C.Science. | D.Environment. |
2 . Black Valley, 63 kilometers from downtown Chongqing, is one of the best preserved natural wonders around the municipality. The national 5A-level scenic spot is a popular summer resort for sightseeing, forest adventures, outdoor camping, hunting and angling.
Located in Heishan town, Wansheng Economic Development Zone, the scenic spot spans over 103 square kilometers, 97 percent of which are covered by primitive forests. With over 110,000 negative oxygen ions in each cubic centimeter of air, it is dubbed as a natural oxygen bar and “the most beautiful healthcare-themed valley.”
Black Valley is also known as “the natural gene bank of Chongqing and Guizhou regions” for the diversity of its rare plants and wildlife, including Cathaya argyrophylla, Davidia involucrata, Trachypithecus francoisi and clouded leopards.
Scenic spot level: AAAAA
Address: Heishan town, Wansheng Economic Development Zone, 63 kilometers from downtown Chongqing Opening hours: 8:30 am - 3:30 pm (peak season from November to February), 9:00 am-3:00 pm (off season from March to October)
Ideal sightseeing season: from May to September
Ticket price: 60 yuan ($8.72) during off season and 100 yuan during peak season, sightseeing bus and cable not included.
Notes:
1. It is recommended that tourists start from the higher southern area for a downward journey.
2. The average temperature is 18.1 degrees.
3. It’s a good idea to experience the local folk culture of the Miao ethnic group, especially when you choose to visit in May when the traditional Caishan Festival of Miao ethnic group is celebrated.
1. What can we know about Black Valley?A.It lies in downtown Chongqing. |
B.Plants and wildlife are rarely seen there. |
C.A visit there costs at most 100 yuan. |
D.The air is very high in negative oxygen ions there. |
A.January. | B.March. | C.May. | D.July. |
A.Culture. | B.Travel. | C.Nature. | D.Wildlife. |
3 . Who're happier, men or women?Research shows it's a complex question and that asking whether males or females are happier isn't really that helpful, because basically, happiness is different for women and men.
Women's happiness has been declining for the past 30 years, according to recent statistics.And research shows that women are twice as likely to experience depression compared with men.Gender(性别) differences in depression are well confirmed and studies have found that biological, psychological and social factors contribute to the difference.
Early studies on gender and happiness found men and women were socialized to express different feelings.Women are more likely to express happiness, warmth and fear, which help with social bonding and appear more consistent with the traditional role as a primary caregiver, while men display more anger, pride and disrespect, which are more consistent with a protector and provider role.
Recent research suggests that these differences are not just socially, but also genetically related.Studies have looked into these findings further and discovered that females use more areas of the brain containing mirror neurons(镜像神经元)than males when they process feelings.Mirror neurons allow us to experience the world from other people's view, to understand their actions and intentions.This may explain why women can experience deeper sadness.Women tend to experience more negative feelings, such as more guilt, shame and to a lesser degree, embarrassment.
Psychologically it seems men and women differ in the way they process and express feelings.With the exception of anger, women experience feelings more strongly and share their feelings more openly with others.Studies have found in particular that women express more appreciation﹣which has been linked to greater happiness.This supports the theory that women's happiness is more dependent on relationships than men's.
1. Which feeling are men more likely to show compared with women?A.Warmth. |
B.Depression. |
C.Happiness. |
D.Disrespect. |
A.Psychological factors. |
B.Biological factors. |
C.Educational factors. |
D.Social factors. |
A.a science fiction |
B.a culture brochure |
C.a nursery guide |
D.a health magazine |
A.Men and women differ in biology and psychology. |
B.Men and women experience happiness differently. |
C.Social roles have a great effect on men and women. |
D.Women's happiness has declined in the past years. |
4 . Here are the newly published books. Have a look and meet your new love.
The Legend of the Crimson Criket, the Golden Scorpion,and the Emerald Beetle
Mary Montalvo
www. xlibris. com
Hardback | Paperback | E - book
$28.99 | $16.99 | $3.99
Three remarkable brothers born with me unique abilities save village by fighting a terrible and powerful warlord and his mad son.
Miguel Jesus Corte
Geald Skow
www. authorhouse. com
Hardback | Paperback | E-book
$ 23.99 | $13.99 | $3.99
This is the self-telling story of the author, a poor Ecuadorian who moves from Gualaceo to the Orient as well as his dreams and struggles to make his life a little better.
Remembering a Great American Hero Marian Anderson “The Lady from Philadelphia”
Emile Henwood
www.xlibris.com
Hardback | Paperback | E-book
$28.99 | $16.99 | $3.99
It is a collection of shortened life stories in time order, fully illustrated by engaging photos,which shares the teachable lessons of Anderson’s well-lived long life — especially important today.
Connie Gets More Than Her Backyard
Patti Whitehead-Gill
www. xlibris. com
Hardback | Paperback | E-book
$34.99 | $ 26.99 | $3.99
This tale centers on six-year-old Connie who has recently moved to a town from the city. She learns she’s adopted,meets her best friend and falls in love with an orphan(孤儿) dog.
1. Which book can help you know about its writer?A.The Legend of the Crimson Cricket,the Golden Scorpion, and the Emerald Beetle |
B.Miguel Jesus Corte |
C.Remembering a Great American Hero Marian Anderson “The Lady from Philadelpia” |
D.Connie Gets More Than Her Backyard |
A.$28.99. | B.$26.99. | C.$16.99. | D.$13.99. |
A.Advertisement. | B.Reader & Editor. |
C.Entertainment. | D.Book Review. |
5 . Online Bachelor's Degrees and Programs
The overview
Colleges offer online degrees in a range of fields. Click on a degree program to explore what courses you take, how long the program takes to complete, career options and average salary. For example, to earn an online health science bachelor's degree, you would take courses in public health, health communications and epidemiology(流行病学).
The benefits
Pursuing an accredited(官方认可的)online bachelor's degree can help you take the next step in your career. Through your program, you'll attend online lectures, study from home manage a busy schedule and interact virtually with professors and classmates.
The applicants
An online college degree may appeal to those who want more flexibility in completing their education, or who want to take classes while working full time or parenting. Choosing where to register online will likely be challenging, but below you'll find tools, advice and other resources to make your search easier.
Best online bachelor's programs
U. S. News evaluated several factors to rank the best online bachelor's degree programs, including graduation rates and support services available remotely.
School name | Tuition per credit | Application deadline | Financial aid available |
University of Georgia | $ 326 | May 1 | Yes |
Georgia Washington University | $ 615 | June 10 | No |
University of Arizona | $ 525 | July 12 | Yes |
North Carolina University | $ 900 | February 15 | Yes |
To see the full ranking list, please click here.
1. What will you do after attending online degree programs?A.Get a degree for free. | B.Attend lectures in a hall. |
C.Take some related courses | D.Talk with teachers face to face. |
A.Georgia Washington University. | B.University of Georgia. |
C.North Carolina University. | D.University of Arizona. |
A.On the Internet. | B.In a magazine. |
C.In a textbook. | D.In a newspaper. |
6 .
The Paint Creek Recreation Trail is the flagship pathway of a planned trail network in the Ohio counties of Fayette, Ross and Highland. Nearly 35 miles of paved trail are currently open linking the communities of Washington Court House, Frankfort and Chillicothe.
The vast majority of the trail occupies a former railroad corridor acquired by the local nonprofit trails group in 1994. However, the trail does leave the original corridor where the right-of-way could not be acquired from its current owners. The diversions are usually short, with the longest stretch being a 2.5 mile stretch of highway cast of the Washington courthouse.
Because most of the trails through rural Ohio are dominated by seemingly endless fields, trail users are exposed to the sun for long periods of time. Fortunately, the path occasionally winds through a more wooded corridor near local waterways, such as Paint Creek and the Scioto River.
The Paint Creek Recreation Trail also passes through the downtown areas of the three towns along the way, offering many opportunities for rest and energy. Just before Chillicothe, trail users will want to stop at Hopewell Culture National Historical Park. The Hopewell Mound Group, a part of the park visible from the trail along Sulphur Lick Road, features earthworks and tombs built by the local people nearly 2,000 years ago.
The existing Paint Creek Recreation Trail will one day make a significant contribution to local leisure and transportation. There are plans nowadays to develop new trails along former railroad corridors from Washington courthouse northwest to the existing Xenia-Jamestown Connector, southwest to Wilmington and cast to Circleville in Pickaway County.
1. Which of the following is true about the trail?A.Most of the trail is not well remodeled. |
B.Most of the trail used to be a railway passage. |
C.Most of the trail goes through the centers of 13 towns. |
D.Most of the trail is close to the local railway lines. |
A.It will take on a new look. |
B.It will be part of a national historic park. |
C.It will be bought by a nonprofit company. |
D.It will play an important role in leisure and transportation. |
A.An American website on travel. | B.An English scientific magazine. |
C.A lecture by a professor of geography. | D.A travelers' notebook. |
7 . Vegan leather(纯素皮), a cruelty-free and environment-friendly substitute for animal leather has long been the ultimate goal of sustainable fashion. Now, an alternative may be making the jump from the lab to cupboards, and its source may surprise many people: the forest floor.
Mycelium(菌体丝), the fibrous roots of fungi(真菌), is being made into durable clothes and bags with a lower carbon cost than animal's skin or plastic, and it's a material that won't pile up in landfills. While products made from it aren't available to buy yet, industry experts say the material has great potential to influence the market for animal and synthetic(合成的)leathers. And it has a unique look and feel.
Leather production relies on skin from cattle and sheep, whose raising is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. Leather processing also uses dangerous chemicals and generates large mounts of waste from treating raw skin. By contrast, fungi's growth is effectively carbon neutral since they catch and store carbon that would otherwise be emitted or remain in the atmosphere, according to Nature. Pure and untreated fungi-leather also breaks down easily.
A number of companies are relying on consumer's interest in a true fungi leather. Some 66% US respondents to a survey by the consulting firm Mckinsey & Company said they consider sustainability when making a luxury purchase. California-based Mckino is perhaps closest to producing a commercially available product called Reishi. "It has the same quality and artistic value as animal leather and it will be launched in partnership with top brands in the coming months," said Sophia Wang, the company's co-founder.
One of the challenges with fungi-leather is making a uniform "mat" with consistent thickness, appearance and color, according to Nature. It's also necessary to balance durability with biodegradability(降解).
1. What do we know about Mycelium?A.Its products are available now. |
B.It is likely to gain some market share. |
C.It has a high carbon emission. |
D.It accounts for a large part of waste. |
A.By making a comparison. |
B.By reasoning and arguing. |
C.By analyzing the research process. |
D.By providing background information. |
A.Most people like animal leather. |
B.Consumers are indifferent to Reishi. |
C.Sophia has confidence in Reishi. |
D.Mckino ranks among top brands |
A.Opinion. | B.Agriculture | C.Fashion. | D.Lifestyle. |
8 . On a scale of 0 to 10, I’d say my happiness ranks at about 6. I’m glad to know I’m a 6, because, as a famous management saying puts it, “You can't manage what you don’t measure.” If you want to improve an aspect of your life, you need to be able to assess progress toward your goal-and that means measuring it.
The goal of this column is to help you manage and improve your happiness. A number of people have asked me whether quantitative happiness measures are really accurate and reliable-and it’s a reasonable question. So let’s take a look behind the curtain. But not just for intellectual curiosity; as you will see, understanding the measurement of happiness can itself make you better at improving your own well-being-and avoid some critical errors.
The best method scientists have to understand with confidence how something affects something else is a randomized, controlled trial. Think of the tests currently under way to find a vaccine for COvID-19. They take a long time because the drug companies with trial vaccines are conducting experiments that randomly assign people to a treatment group they get the vaccine and a control group (they get a placebo), and then waiting to seif the drug is effective and safe by comparing the two groups after enough time has passed.
In the research on happiness, this usually isn’t possible. Want to know if people are truly happiest in Denmark, as some studies suggest, and test it with a randomized experiment? You would need to randomly take two groups out of their homes, move one group to Copenhagen, and the other to, say, Dayton, Ohio- but make sure they think it might be Copenhagen and never get the truth. Follow up a few years later to see who is happiest. Obviously, that’s ridiculous. So with randomized controlled trials largely not available to them, happiness researchers instead rely on self-reported happiness surveys, where large groups of people anonymously report their levels of life satisfaction. Then, the researchers use fairly complex statistical techniques to mimic(模拟)a controlled experiment in order to show how different aspects of people’s lives affect-or at least are associated with-their happiness.
1. What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 1 probably refer to?A.An aspect of life. | B.One's goal. | C.Happiness. | D.Progress. |
A.To introduce a latest medical breakthrough. |
B.To show the difficulty in finding the vaccine. |
C.To illustrate the process of randomized experiments. |
D.To prove the impossibility of randomized researches on happiness. |
A.The experiment takes a long time. |
B.It is difficult to analyze the data collected. |
C.It is impossible to carry out the process strictly. |
D.The subjects are unwilling to share their feelings. |
A.A magazine. | B.A diary. | C.A science report. | D.A textbook. |
9 . It’s easy to assume that a vacation to Bali will cost a small fortune. There are plenty of accommodations, food and local transportation, and even the spas offer massages and treatments at value prices. However, you can easily spend a week or two in Bali for under $2,000, without having to sleep on the beach. Here are a few things to consider when planning Bali on a budget.
What is the best time to visit Bali on a budget?
If you’re on a budget, consider visiting Bali during the lower, wetter season, which runs from October through March. The crowds will be fewer, and both hotel rates and flights from abroad are often cheaper, except during the holiday period between mid-December and early January, when crowds swell. The only trade-off for the lower prices is the wet season. This time of year isn’t always ideal for sunbathing, and serious rainfall can make outdoor activities, such as whitewater rafting and visiting waterfalls and rice terraces, less than appealing. That said, even during rainy season, it doesn’t usually rain all day long. Expect bursts of sunshine between the storms.
What is the cheapest way to get around Bali?
The absolute cheapest way to get around Bali is by local bus, but it can take a long time. There are also tourist buses, including hop-on, hop-off options, that travel between different hubs across the island. Bali is well-served by taxis, both of the car and motorbike variety, and the prices tend to be affordable by international standards. Most drivers will offer you a fixed rate for full-day hires or to get from point A to point B, rather than using a meter.
Remember to bargain; doing so is particularly easy when a driver is on his own rather than at a taxi stand.
How much does food cost in Bali?
If you’re into fine dining, you can end up spending a large chunk of your budget on food. Eating at the average restaurant geared towards tourists is the best way to have a meal in Bali on a budget. A good meal should cost you around 100,000 rupiah (around $7), but if you’re willing to subsist mostly off of local specialties such as nasi goreng (fried rice) and eat at local restaurants, you can expect to pay around 30,000 rupiah ($2) to get fed. Best of all, most hotels and guesthouses in Bali come with free breakfast, and many offer heavier options of noodles and meat that may keep you full until lunch.
1. Which of the following situation can be best described by the underlined word trade-off in paragraph 2?A.Jack got a reward after he returned the lost bag to its owner. |
B.Lily spent much money buying some handicrafts at the local fair. |
C.Wendy cancelled her trip in order to prevent the spread of the virus. |
D.Sam was scolded by his parents for what he did in school last night. |
A.It’s better for outdoor enthusiasts to visit Bali during the off season. |
B.Passengers had better fix the price with drivers before the taxi pulls out from the station. |
C.If on a tight budget, one is advised to visit Bali at the end of December every year. |
D.It’s relatively economical to eat merely at average restaurants tailored to visitors. |
A.City and Transport. | B.Travel and Recreation. |
C.Nature and Environment. | D.Food and Health. |
10 . TRAVEL ADVISORY
Here are a few things you should know before you take off on your next trip.
Frontier Airlines Face Covering Requirement
As required by federal law, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Order and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Security Directive, all passengers and employees must wear a face covering over nose and mouth throughout the Frontier travel experience including at ticket counters, gate areas, baggage claim and onboard all flights. Face coverings are not required for children under the age of 2. Face coverings must fit snugly(紧密地) over your nose and mouth and be secured under the chin. Not wearing an approved face covering is a violation of federal law and you may lose future travel privileges on Frontier.
* Persons with a disability who cannot wear a mask, or cannot safely wear a mask, because of that disability as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act can apply for a face mask exemption(豁免). To learn about pre-travel exemption requirements, click here.
Temperature Screening Requirement
Anyone with a temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher will not be able to board the plane. If time allows, we will give customers the opportunity to rest before receiving a second check. If the second temperature screening is 100.4 degrees or higher, our team will help the customer to rebook travel on a later date when they are feeling better.
Know Your Travel Policy
CDC issued an Order on January 12, 2021(effective since January, 26, 2021) requiring proof of a negative COVID-19 test or documentation of having recovered from COVID-19 for all air passengers arriving from a foreign country to the US.
1. Who can legally board a Frontier Airlines flight without wearing a face covering?A.A senior manager of Frontier Airlines. | B.A blind man in a wheelchair. |
C.A one-year-old baby. | D.A high school student. |
A.Passengers without proper face coverings may be banned from flying with Frontier Airlines in the future. |
B.Passengers can take off their face coverings when they pick up their checked baggage. |
C.Passengers with a high fever will have their flights rescheduled. |
D.Passengers without proof of a negative COVID-19 test can’t enter the US on January 20, 2021. |
A.A website. | B.A brochure. |
C.A guidebook. | D.A newspaper. |