1 . Beijing will provide COVID-19 vaccinations (接种疫苗) for certain groups in nursing homes, including the elderly and caregivers, on a voluntary basis to prevent a renewed outbreak at nursing homes during autumn and winter, the local government said.

Those who will receive the vaccines include nursing home kitchen workers, security guards and cleaners, Beijing Daily reported on Friday.

Xing Yinli, director of Jingkangyuan, a nursing home in Fengtai district with about 290 elderly residents (居民), said they have received the document (文件) recently and will strictly follow its guidance.

“It’s our top duty to strengthen prevention and control,” Xing said, adding they have been using methods such as keeping detailed records of resident contacts outside the nursing home, and encouraging online visits for family members.

As to vaccinations, she said they will ask for permission from residents, their family members and workers before giving vaccines.

In late October, Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province carried out an emergency COVID-19 vaccine program, allowing the public to ask for injections (注射) in advance, with key groups first. A similar program was also organized in Jiaxing, Ningbo and Yiwu in Zhejiang.

Nationwide, emergency use of home-grown COVID-19 vaccines was approved in June and launched in late July. China now has four coronavirus candidate vaccines in the third stage clinical trials (临床试验).

The document from Beijing also said nursing homes should conduct nucleic acid testing (核酸检测) every month among kitchen workers and residents who leave the nursing homes to see a doctor. Tests will cover all people in nursing homes considered at high risk if new infections are reported in the city. Besides, routine disinfections (消毒) should be strengthened in kitchens, storerooms and restrooms, it said. The document also recommended non-contact visits from family members.

1. Where can you probably find this article?

A．In a newspaper.	B．In a fashion magazine.
C．In a book review.	D．In a travel journal.

2. How can we understand the underlined sentence in Paragraph 7?

A．China is providing vaccinations nationwide.

B．The four candidate vaccines have finished clinical trails.

C．China has taken the lead in coronavirus vaccines worldwide.

D．China has made great progress in coronavirus vaccines.

3. What’s the main idea of this passage?

A．Nursing homes should conduct nucleic acid testing.

B．Beijing nursing homes are to be provided vaccines.

C．Certain groups will have vaccines first in late June.

D．Routine disinfections should be strengthened in kitchens.

4. What’s Xing Yinli’s attitude towards vaccinations?

A．Supportive.

B．Curious.

C．Doubtful.

D．Dissatisfied.

3 . Make the world your classroom!

Travel fuels curiosity, offers fresh perspectives, and gives students the opportunity to discover life beyond their backyards. Our educational tours keep students aged 11-15 interested and actively learning with specially-designed, hands-on activities in exciting destinations.

Explore Italy

Duration: 9 or 11 days

Destination: Venice, Florence, Rome

Italy has always been an icon of rich culture and traditions. This interactive tour includes Italy's top hits. Discover the country's ancient past in sites such as the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, stare up at Michelangelo's masterpiece on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel(小教堂), walk across Florence's famous medieval bridge, and take a ride down Venice's winding canals.

Total cost: $3, 519

Hello London

Duration: 7 days

Destination, London

Royal traditions? Check. Picturesque landmarks? Check. World-class museums? Check. Mysterious ring of heavy rocks that's puzzled historians for ages? Check. London has it all. Discover the complex history of this international city at sites such as the Tower of London, which also houses the famous Crown Jewels. Take a day trip to Wiltshire to get a glimpse of Stonehenge, and try to guess how the giant monument first appeared.   

Total cost: $3, 085

New York City: The Big Apple

Duration: 5-7 days

Destination: New York

Bursting with an energy all its own, New York City provides a unique look into American life and culture. Explore the very best of the Big Apple, from the bustle of Times Square to the skyline view from the Empire State Building. Get to know one of the most exciting cities even better!

Total cost: $2,746

Click here for more information about: Language &culture in Spain, Rome and Pompeii, Washington D. C.: The Capital Tour...

1. What can you do on the tour in Italy?

A．Visit ancient museums.	B．Appreciate artistic works.
C．Experience royal traditions.	D．Enjoy bike riding.

2. Which tour will you choose if you have 7 days off with a budget up to $3,000?

A．Explore Italy.	B．Hello London.
C．New York City: The Big Apple.	D．Rome and Pompeii.

3. This passage is most probably from ______________.

A．a travel magazine

B．a geography textbook

C．an education report

D．an agency's website

4 . Every week in China, millions of people will sit in front of their TVs watching teenagers compete for the title Character Hero, which is a Chinese-style spelling bee. In this challenge, young competitors must write Chinese characters by hand. To prepare for the competition, the competitors usually spend months studying dictionaries.

Perhaps the show’s popularity should not be a surprise. Along with gunpowder and paper, many Chinese people consider the creation of Chinese calligraphy(书法) to be one of their primary contributions to civilization. Unfortunately, all over the country, Chinese people are forgetting how to write their own language without computerized help. Software on smart phones and computers allows users to type in the basic sound of the word using the Latin alphabet. The correct character is chosen from a list. The result? It’s possible to recognize characters without remembering how to write them.

But there’s still hope for the paint brush. China’s Education Ministry wants children to spend more time learning how to write.

In one Beijing primary school we visited, students practice calligraphy every day inside a specially decorated classroom with traditional Chinese paintings hanging on the walls. Soft music plays as a group of six-year-olds dip brush pens into black ink. They look up at the blackboard often to study their teacher’s examples before carefully attempting to reproduce those characters on thin rice paper. “If adults can survive without using handwriting, why bother to teach it now?” we ask the calligraphy teacher, Shen Bin. “The ability to write characters is part of Chinese tradition and culture,” she reasons. “Students must learn now so they don’t forget when they grow up.” says the teacher.

1. What can we learn about the Character Hero?

A．It’s open to people of all ages and all walks.

B．It’s the most-viewed TV programs in China.

C．It aims to spread Chinese culture to the world.

D．It draws great public attention across the country.

2. Why are Chinese people forgetting how to write the characters?

A．Chinese people don’t refer to dictionaries very often.

B．Chinese people no longer use brush pens or practice calligraphy.

C．Chinese people are using the Latin alphabet instead of the characters.

D．Chinese people needn’t write by hand as often with the help of technology.

3. .According to Shen Bin, being able to write characters by hand is_________.

A．necessary for adults to survive in China

B．a requirement made by the Education Ministry

C．helpful to keep Chinese tradition and culture alive

D．an ability to be developed only when you are students

4. Where does this text probably come from?

A．A news report.	B．A science report.
C．An advertisement.	D．Children’s literature.

5 . It'll be Easter soon, and time to think of how to spend a few days' holiday. Let's look at three of the best.

Budapest

Budapest is the capital of Hungary. It's actually made up of the twin cities of Buda and Pest, which are separated by the mighty River Danube. The city is famous for its cafes. There are several good ones to choose from, but you must try either Gerbeaud, or the famous New York Cafe. Order a “somloi galuska", a very rich chocolate dessert. Finally, you can' t leave the city without visiting one of its amazing Turkish baths. Some of them date back to the 16th century.

Bucharest

A fourteen hours train ride east will take you through Transylvania to Bucharest, capital of Romania. Once there, you should visit Mamie's Inn, which is a 19th century caravanserai (an inn built around a large courtyard, which is big enough for caravans). It's located in the Lipscani district (the heart of the city), and it's also a great place to have lunch and a drink.

Sofia

From Bucharest it's only 300 kilometres to Sofia, the Bulgarian capital. The city sits below the massive Vitosha Mountain. Sofia is an ancient place, and parts of the city walls date back to the 7th century BC and can still be seen. It' s also a holy city, and two of its major tourist attractions are churches. The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is well worth a visit, but you should find time for the Boyana Church, a small medieval Bulgarian Orthodox chapel. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and has incredible wall paintings dating back to 1259.

So, we hope we've given you a few ideas of places to spend your Easter. Wherever you go, have fun and send us a postcard!

1. If you want to enjoy a chocolate dessert, you can go              .

A．Sofia

B．Bucharest

C．Vitosha

D．Budapest

2. What is special for Sofia?

A．It is located in the heart of the city.	B．It is an ancient place and a holy city.
C．It is famous for its cafes.	D．It is made up of the twin cities.

3. Where can you find this passage in a newspaper?

A．Travel.

B．Sports.

C．Health.

D．Business.

6 . If you don't use it, you lose it. At least, that's how the old saying goes. It refers to the idea that something which does not get used regularly quickly falls into a state of decline. Muscles, for example, will waste away without use. In order to resist this, people take regular exercise to keep their skills sharp.

Well, what about the brain? As we age, our brains can naturally begin to decline. In some cases, this can lead to certain mental conditions such as dementia(痴呆)，which I'm sure you will agree, no one wants. However, all is not lost because these days it's relatively easy to train your brain. Smart phones and apps have put programmes into our hands that can test, maintain and even improve our memories, mathematical skills and a lot of other mental abilities. With a little practice every day, we can keep our brains nice and sharp, right?

Well, no, actually. According to a report from the Global Council on Brain Health, even though many people thought it was important to play online games, such as puzzles and mind games, which are designed to improve brain health, the evidence of the benefits was “weak to non-existent”.

There are other ways to promote the old grey matter. It recommends seeking out new activities that challenge the way you think and are socially engaging，while leading to a healthy lifestyle. Among their suggestions are practising tai chi, taking photography classes, learning new technologies, gardening, art projects or volunteering.

There's more good news, too, James Goodwin, chief scientist at Age UK has said that brain decline is not inevitable (不可避免的）. As long as the activities are “new to you and require your concentrated attention”, they can provide benefits for brain health. So, hurry up, get out there and try something new. Maybe it's time to try that hobby you've always wanted to do. And as for me? I'm off to learn the piano.

1. From which is the text probably taken?

A．A biology textbook.	B．A healthy magazine.
C．A travel brochure.	D．A research paper.

2. Which has the closest meaning of the underlined words “socially engaging”？

A．Making more shopping.	B．Avoid brain decline.
C．Doing exercises alone.	D．Going out with friends.

3. Which of the following can better keep your brain healthy according to the author?

A．Trying something new.	B．Using smart phone regularly.
C．Playing games online.	D．Doing what you are good at.

4. What does the passage mainly tell us?

A．Advantages of trying something new.

B．Disadvantages of using smart phones.

C．Ways to keep our brain as sharp as possible.

D．How to spend time meaningfully at an old age.

7 . 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.

8 . If Confucius(孔子)were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake, there would be a lot of candles. He'd need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out.

While many people in China will remember Confucius on his special day, few people in the United States will give him a passing thought. It's nothing personal. Most Americans don't even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes.

But this doesn't mean that Americans don't care about Confucius. In many ways he has become a bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China.

In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities. More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries. These schools teach both Chinese language and culture. The main courses of Chinese culture usually include Chinese art, history and

philosophy(哲学). Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantage of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up for the drawbacks(缺陷)of Western philosophy. Students in the United States, at the same time, are racing to learn Chinese. So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States. Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers.

So the old thinker's ideas are still alive and well.

Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West.

As for the old thinker, he will not soon be forgotten by people in the West, even if his birthday is.

1. The opening paragraph is mainly intended to______________.

A．provide some key facts about Confucius

B．attract the readers' interest in the subject

C．show great respect for the ancient thinker

D．prove the popularity of modern birthday celebrations

2. We can learn from Paragraph 4 that American students___________.

A．have a great interest in studying Chinese

B．take an active part in Chinese competitions

C．try to get high scores in Chinese exams

D．fight for a chance to learn Chinese

3. What is the best title for the passage?

A．Forgotten Wisdom in America

B．Huge Fans of the Chinese Language

C．Chinese Culture for Westerners

D．Old Thinker with a Big Future

4. The passage is likely to appear in__________.

A．a personal biography	B．a history paper
C．a cultural newspaper	D．a philosophy textbook

9 . China Science Daily announced Thursday that it has used software to automatically generate news stories about the latest discoveries from the world’s leading science journals. The robot science reporter, called “Xiaoke”, was co-created by the newspaper and researchers from Peking University in about half a year.

It is the latest case of Chinese news organizations using computer technology to create content. According to its inventors, Xiaoke has generated over 200 stories based on the English abstract of papers published in journals such as Science, Nature, Cell and the New England Journal of Medicine.

Before publication, the automatically generated articles will go through a review process. A group of scientists and the newspaper’s editors will check the content or give supplementary (补充的) information.

Zhang Mingwei, head of the program and vice editor-in-chief of the newspaper, said inventors would make Xiaoke a “cross-linguistic (跨语言的) academic secretary” to help Chinese scientists overcome language barriers and have easy and quick access to the latest scientific advances in English-language publication. Lead researcher Wan Xiaojun, of Peking University in charge of the system’s design and technology, stressed that the content generation tool could do far more than translation. According to Wan, Xiaoke is good at selecting complex words and sentences, which can help turn articles full of confusing technical terms into easy and readable news reports.

The readers of the robot reporter is not limited to professionals but also includes the general public. Science reporting is important in spreading information about discoveries and in popularizing knowledge to people.

1. What can we learn about “Xiaoke”?

A．It is a professional translator.

B．It has the most advanced AI.

C．It can make up fiction stories.

D．It generates science news reports.

2. What do people need to do to improve Xiaoke’s work?

A．Upgrade the artificial intelligence.

B．Select complex words and sentences.

C．Check the content and add information.

D．Help it get the latest scientific advances.

3. In which section of a newspaper may this text appear?

A．Science.

B．Education.

C．Entertainment.

D．Health.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．The robot writer of science news.

B．The readers of the science reports.

C．The editor-in-chief of the newspaper.

D．The latest case of news organizations.

10 . It's now time to get dressed for the Central Missouri Renaissance Festival 10 a. m. to 6 p.m., October 19-20, in Kingdom City.

The festival is in its 15th year and its footprint at its location at 4274 County Road 220 has grown in the past six years, said Kevin Briscoe, festival casting director and board of directors member.

"When I first started at the fair years ago it was just tiny,” Briscoe said. “The acts were more localized and now we see some nationally recognized acts, and we have probably three times the size of the original grounds. We're starting to see permanent shopping structures. It has been unbelievable.”

The fair has around 60 shops and craftspeople(匠人) making products from medieval(中世纪的) renaissance and other time periods, said Briscoe. It gives people a chance to experience life from these periods. There are also musical acts, comedy acts, magicians, food trucks and stands. The festival also takes food donations,which are then given out to area food kitchens. A board of seven directors work year-in-year-out to prepare for the three festival weekends, one in April, May and October. The final weekend in October is the big weekend.

"We volunteer, we go out and cut grass, we build, and we do all of the work out there because we are a nonprofit fair, so everything we do is done through volunteers and it works," Briscoe said. People can expect a lot of fun, laughter, music entertainment, shopping, good food and drinks. "We try to offer something for everybody. We have a fairyland for all the kids. We want you to be entertained." he said.

Briscoe lives and breathes renaissance festivals. If there is such a fair happening somewhere and it's his weekend off from work, he's likely going there. "I go to St. Louis Renaissance Festival on my weekends off, when I'm not in Kansas City Renaissance Festival working at its fair and just go hang out, " he said. "That's how much I love what I'm doing.”

1. What did Briscoe say about the fair in Paragraph 3?

A．It faces challenges.	B．It needs more support.
C．It should be made local.	D．It has developed quickly.

2. What is special about the fair?

A．It provides visitors with free food.	B．It is based on volunteers' efforts.
C．It lasts for the whole of October.	D．It is held mainly for children.

3. What can we learn about Briscoe from the last paragraph?

A．He is very confident about the fair.

B．He has little time to work at the fair.

C．He is enthusiastic about renaissance festivals.

D．He works for two renaissance fairs in St. Louis

4. Who most probably wrote the text?

A．A fair manager.	B．A news reporter.
C．A casting director.	D．A skilled craftsman.