1 . As she removes the fish from the oven, smells of garlic, pepper, and lemon fill the community kitchen. For Glenda Andrew, the smells bring back memories of family meals, community events and religious get-togethers.
She brings the hot meals for free to people in an area called Preston, as well as surrounding communities in northwestern England. The area has recorded some of the highest numbers of coronavirus cases in Britain.
She uses the best food she can find. "They're worth it," she said. "They’ve taught us so many things when we firstly moved here." In addition to food, the volunteers offer a bit of human contact.
The loneliness of the past year has been painful for many of the seniors. When the hot meals arrive, they get to talk with the volunteers and share stories. Sylius Toussaint is 81 and came from the island nation of Dominica in 1960, who said talking with the volunteers helps him as much as the food does."They say 'hello' and give you a meal, and maybe for just a few seconds at least you see someone new; someone you haven't seen all week," Toussaint says, smiling at his wife. "If you are on your own, it is so nice to see a fresh face — especially bringing gifts."
Britain's COVID-19 vaccination program may soon mean the quarantine will be eased. But Andrew wants to keep making and sharing her island meals. In the future, she said, she hopes to find a place where the community can meet and spend time together. But for now, the volunteers plan to continue to connect with the community through food.
1. Why does Glenda Andrew provide free meals for people in that area?| A．To comfort those virus-attacked seniors. |
| B．To promote her business in lockdown areas. |
| C．To help them live a normal life. |
| D．To show her gratitude to them. |
| A．The loneliness of the seniors. |
| B．The benefits from the volunteer activity. |
| C．The tough situation of immigrants. |
| D．The relationship between volunteers and the seniors. |
| A．Loneliness. | B．Disease. | C．Suffering. | D．Isolation. |
| A．Andrew will continue her good deeds. |
| B．Andrew will build a new community. |
| C．Andrew will stop providing meals. |
| D．Andrew will help the community out. |
2 . Beijing is a rather strange city to many western people. One of my foreign friends told me that when he came to Beijing, at first he couldn't understand why most people wear masks when spring comes to Beijing. He thought people wanted to keep their appearance a secret. Well, one of the symbols of spring coming to Beijing is that more and more people start wearing masks. The reason for it is the arrival of so called “sandstorms”.
It is said that each year sandstorms hit Beijing 4 to 5 times. The sand is brought to Beijing by wind from the western part of China. Tons of soil and dust travel hundreds of miles and blanket Beijing's streets, parked cars and apartment buildings. You would be amazed to see the ground has turned yellow overnight. The storm is so violent that you do not want to have a conversation with your friend on the road. If you open your mouth and then you close it, you may have the raw taste of sand in your mouth.
People in Beijing hate those storms. Sandstorms make the traffic jam in rush hours even more unpredictable, because the drivers have to drive slowly in order to have a clear view of the road conditions. Young students also hate sandstorms because whenever there is a sandstorm, they are not allowed to have any activities outside the classroom. It is so boring to sit in the classroom all day and the youngsters are so eager to go out and do some sports.
It is said that the closest desert is only 80 kilometers away from the city center.There is definitely much more to do for the local government to deal with the environmental problem.
1. Why do people in Beijing wear masks in the spring?| A．Because they are rather strange. |
| B．Because there are serious sandstorms. |
| C．Because their appearance are not beautiful. |
| D．Because they want to keep their face a secret. |
| A．Dry. | B．Cross. | C．Destroy. | D．Cover. |
| A．Drivers clean the road. | B．They hold some activities. |
| C．Youngsters go out to do sports. | D．Students stay in the classroom. |
| A．People in Sandstorms | B．How to Prevent Sandstorms |
| C．Sandstorms in Beijing | D．What to Do in a Sandstorm |
3 . Do you like running enough to make it a habit? Tierney Wolfgram does; she has made running a lifelong career and isn't stopping.
In February, the 16-year-old from a high school, US, competed at the 2020 US Olympic Trials. She finished the marathon(42.195 km)with a time of 2:42:47 as the youngest competitor in the race and ranked 76th out of 390 runners. However, the cross-country(越野的)season was postponed to winter because of the COVID-19. So she jumped at the opportunity to train for another race-the Parkway Marathon in California. In November, Wolfgram broke the Women's American Junior marathon record with her time of 2:31:49. The old record was 2:34:32, which had stood since 1984.
“I'm completely stunned, ”said Wolfgram's coach. “I knew she was going to break it, but she really showed out！”
During the run, Wolfgram once hit a wall pretty hard, but she overcame it to finish. “I guess I can say I gave it my all, ”she told Runner's World. “When I finished, all I was thinking was I felt super happy,” Wolfgram said This was only her third marathon. In 2018, when Wolfgram was 15 years old, she ran her first marathon just because she wanted to see if she had the ability to do it. “I believed that I would get faster as the distances got longer. . . I'm still glad that I did it. ”
When preparing for that first marathon, she ran up to 120 miles per week. Although her parents didn't have any background in running, they helped Wolfgram train. At first, her dad would take her out in the morning and run about 13 miles. The distance would gradually increase each day. On top of her runs in the morning, she would do cross-country practice after school.
Now Wolfgram will consider attending the Olympics Games in 2024 after it's scheduled.
1. What can we learn about Wolfgram from Paragraph 2?| A．She was the champion at the 2020 US Olympic Trials. |
| B．She put off the cross-country season for the COVID-19. |
| C．She broke an Olympic marathon record in November. |
| D．She prepared for the Parkway Marathon in California. |
| A．Doubtful | B．Worried. | C．Shocked. | D．Interested |
| A．Her parents' encouragement. | B．Her desire to prove she could do it. |
| C．Her coach's support and help. | D．Her hope to break the national record |
| A．Sports. | B．Lifestyle | C．Culture. | D．Opinion |
4 . It's good to share, right? Growing up as kids we are told to share our toys and not be selfish. We also live in an age where discussing our feelings is encouraged. But when does it all become too much? With new fashion trending all the time, such as dance challenges and wearing a pillow as a dress, the question is: when can sharing become oversharing on social media?
What is oversharing? The term has become associated with social media, but it doesn't only belong to this platform. Imagine you head to a party and you meet someone. Within five minutes they have given away details about their personal life. While some of us may try to escape these people, according to marriage therapist Carolyn Cole, this form of oversharing could come from a strong desire to connect with someone. But how does this translate to social media?
Dr. Christopher Hand, a lecturer in internet psychology, says the more details people disclose, the less sympathy we express when things go wrong. This could be due to a belief that we attract our own negative experiences the more we share them. It seems that the idea of searching for sympathy by oversharing, is generally viewed as negative rather than the cry for help it could actually be.
However, Dr Hand's research also seems to suggest that the more positive posts we share on a platform, the more socially attractive we become. Even back in 2015, Gwendolyn Seidman PhD, said that we should avoid complaining and being negative online. We are supposed not to show off, as it's now known—especially about our love lives. It makes sense—if your date is going 'that well', would you really have time to share a photo with text?
So, how can you know if you are oversharing? Well, why not ask your friends in real life. They would probably be more than happy to tell you if your posts about your breakfast or your complaint about your lack of money really are too much.
1. Why do some people try to overshare at parties?| A．Because they want to catch others' attention. |
| B．Because they just want to show off something. |
| C．Because they have a strong desire to pour out their emotions. |
| D．Because they may expect to make a connection with someone. |
| A．explore | B．expose | C．display | D．discuss |
| A．We will become more socially attractive if we post more on a platform. |
| B．We tend to show sympathy when things go wrong. |
| C．We may be considered negative when seeking for sympathy by oversharing. |
| D．We can show off something positive especially about our love lives. |
| A．To inform. | B．To inspire. | C．To advertise. | D．To condemn. |
5 . Wearing a hearing aid can slow the progress of dementia (痴呆) by up to 75 percent, according to a new study. Scientists believe that keeping older people active by adopting the devices can significantly reduce age-related cognitive (认知的) decline.
They followed the progress of 2,040 people between 1996 and 2014, asking them to complete word memory tests at various stages and monitoring the rate of decline before and after getting a hearing aid. The research team found that while the aids did not halt cognitive decline, they slowed it down by three-quarters. Meanwhile, in a separate group of 2,068 who underwent cataract surgery (白内障手术), decline slowed by around half.
The team at the University of Manchester said the strength of the connection between hearing aids, cataract surgery and mental decline meant policy makers should consider hearing and sight loss screening for all older adults. Dr. Piers Dawes said, “These studies underline just how important it is to overcome the barriers which stop people from accessing hearing and visual aids. It’s not really certain why hearing and visual problems have an effect on cognitive decline, but I’d guess that separation, shame and the resultant lack of physical activity that are linked to hearing and vision problems might have something to do with it.” “And there are barriers to overcome —people might not want to wear hearing aids because of embarrassment attached to wearing them, or they feel the amplification (放大) is not good enough or they’re not comfortable.”
The number of people in Britain suffering hearing problems will rise by 40 percent by 2035, a charity has forecast. The charity Action on Hearing Loss believes the number of people suffering such difficulties will rise from one in six to one in five, so it calls for more investment in treatment and research into hearing loss.
1. How does wearing hearing aids benefit old people?| A．It improves their cognitive ability. |
| B．It slows down their cognitive decline. |
| C．It enables them to make more friends. |
| D．It helps them overcome life barriers easily. |
| A．The result of the research. |
| B．The principle of the research. |
| C．The importance of the research. |
| D．The participants of the research. |
| A．Increase. | B．Stop. |
| C．Change. | D．Help. |
| A．Provide hearing aids for people freely. |
| B．Spend more on research into hearing loss. |
| C．Screen all old people for hearing and sight loss. |
| D．Encourage factories to produce good hearing aids. |
6 . A new Japanese research has suggested that regularly eating mushrooms could help lower the risk of cancer. The researchers found that the men who consumed mushrooms once or twice a week had an 8 percent lower risk of developing cancer, regardless of how much fruit and vegetables, or meat and dairy products they ate—compared to those who ate mushrooms less than once per week. Eating mushrooms more often appeared to bring even bigger benefits, with those who consumed mushrooms three or more times per week showing a 17 percent lower risk than those who ate mushrooms less than once a week.
Eating mushrooms also appeared to be particularly beneficial among those who ate a large amount of meat and dairy products, little fruit and few vegetables. The findings, published in the International Journal of Cancer, are the first to suggest that there may be an association between eating mushrooms and a lower risk of cancer.
“Test-tube studies and studies conducted on living organisms have shown that mushrooms have the potential to prevent cancer” said lead researcher Shu Zhang. “To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study indicating the cancer-preventive potential of mushrooms at a population level.” Zhang added that, “mushrooms are a good source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, especially L-ergothioneine,” which is believed to help fight against stress, and that is cell imbalance caused by lifestyle choices such as poor diets and exposure to environmental poisons. This imbalance can lead to chronic inflammation, resulting in chronic diseases such as cancer.
“Considering the average American consumes less than 5 grams of mushrooms per day, which is lower than that consumed by the participants in this study (7.6 g/day), one would expect that even a small increase in mushroom consumption can offer potential health benefits,” said Zhang. However, Zhang added that, “Although our study suggests regular consumption of mushrooms may reduce the risk of cancer, we also want to emphasize that eating a healthy and balanced diet is much more important than filling your shopping basket with mushrooms.”
1. What is the new Japanese research about?| A．Healthy lifestyle reduces the risk of cancer. |
| B．Often eating mushrooms reduces the risk of cancer. |
| C．Drinking dairy products is good for our health. |
| D．Eating fruit and vegetables makes us healthier. |
| A．People who are over fat and having a poor diet. |
| B．People who are feeling over stressed. |
| C．People who consume much meat but few vegetables and little fruit. |
| D．People who consume many dairy products and suffer cancer. |
| A．It avoids the stress from a disease. |
| B．It reduces environmental poisons. |
| C．It hell helps reduce weight. |
| D．It has a source of cancer-preventive. |
| A．A state of being physically healthy. |
| B．A state of keeping body balance. |
| C．A physical condition that someone needs to be on a diet. |
| D．A condition that a part of the body becomes red, sore and swollen. |
7 . Southern Texas is a wonderful spring time destination. The weather is warm and beautiful. During the month of May, visitors will be able to choose from a variety of wonderful festivals and events held throughout the region. Here are some great options for May festivals in southern Texas.
Dragonfly Days, Weslaco
Insect enthusiasts should stop in Weslaco during the month of May. This time of the year is great for sitting dragonflies and damselflies. There are over 100 species in the region. Visitors can learn all about the different species while getting to see them as well
Songwriter’s Showcase Art Festival, Port Aransas
One way to enjoy some of the unique art and culture of Texas is to attend this festival. Visitors can enjoy a grand variety of music. It will be held in the evening at the Tarpon Inn Courtyard and visitors can enjoy the beautiful scenery and the music. Music genres range from Folk to Cajun to Rock.
Blues on the Hill, Harlingen
Blues fans should be sure to visit Harlingen on May 12, 2020. It will be the first event in the summer series held in McKelvey Park. This event offers a variety of Blues artists. Visitors can attend the event for free, and get to enjoy the music while sitting on a blanket of lawn chair in the grass.
Beach to Bay Relay Marathon, Corpus Christi
This event will be held on May 19, 2020. Running enthusiasts visiting Corpus Christi will have a wonderful time. It is a full marathon, 26 miles, but it is a relay event. Six people run the marathon as a group. The route starts on North Pare Island and travels through Corpus Christi.
1. Which festival will you probably choose as a sports lover?| A．Dragonfly Days, Weslaco |
| B．Songwriter’s Showcase Art Festival, Port Aransas |
| C．Blues on the Hill, Harlingen |
| D．Beach to Bay Relay Marathon, Corpus Christi |
| A．Types. | B．Characters. |
| C．Visitors. | D．Artists. |
| A．A diary. | B．A guidebook. |
| C．A novel. | D．A magazine. |
8 . Scientists, psychologists and English academics at Liverpool University have found that reading the works of the classical writers like Shakespeare and Wordsworth has a great effect on the mind, catches the reader’s attention and triggers moments of self-examination.
Using a special machine, they monitored the brain activity of 30 volunteers as they read works by William Shakespeare, William Wordsworth, T.S. Eliot and others.
In the first part of the research, the brain activity of 30 volunteers was monitored as they read passages from Shakespeare’s plays, including King Lear, Othello, Coriolanus and Macbeth, and again as they read the text rewritten in a simpler form or modern language.
While reading the common texts, normal levels of electrical activity were shown in their brains. When they read the works of Shakespeare, however, the levels of activity jumped because of his use of words which were unfamiliar to them. The result of the test showed that the more challenging passages cause a greater degree of electrical activity in the brain than the common ones.
Scientists went on to study the brain activity as it responded to each word and recorded how it lit up as the readers came across unusual words, surprising phrases or difficult sentences in the classical works. As a result, this lightening up process of the mind lasted longer than that when volunteers read common texts, encouraging further reading.
The research also found that reading poetry especially increases activity in the right hemisphere(半球) of the brain, an area connected with “autobiographical memory”, driving the readers to think carefully about their own experiences based on what they have read. The academics said this meant the classical works of literature are more useful than self-help books.
Philip Davis, an English professor who has worked on the study in the university’s magnetic resonance center, announced this week: “Classical literature acts like a rocket-booster（火箭加速器） to the brain, which provides extra power for the brain. You may never imagine how powerful it is. The research shows such kind of literature can create new thoughts and connections in the young and the old.”
1. The underlined word “trigger” in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to “______”.| A．depends on | B．picks up |
| C．sets off | D．changes into |
| A．It makes readers’ brain more active than reading common texts. |
| B．It makes readers’ electrical activity of brain return to normal. |
| C．It’s helpful for readers to come up with new ideas. |
| D．It’s an activity that is suitable for people of all ages. |
| A．the readers prefer Shakespeare’s works to the other writers’ works |
| B．the words of classical works make it hard for volunteers to read further |
| C．reading classical works produces a good and long-lasting effect on the mind |
| D．poetry increases left-brain activity more than other literary forms |
| A．Shakespeare’s plays deserve to be read. |
| B．Common books are unpopular anymore. |
| C．Poetry is best for developing people’s brain. |
| D．Classical works help the brain develop better. |
9 . Hello，everyone!Welcome to the Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes．Of course，many people also call it Mogao Caves，which is the nation key cultural relic protection，I am your tour guide，Now，listen to me slowly．
Mogao Grottoes is known as"Thousand﹣Buddha Grottoes，located in 25km southeast of Dunhuang city，Gansu province in western China，a total of five layers from top to bottom，the existing four hundred and ninety﹣two caves，murals of more than forty﹣five thousand square meters，Mogao grottoes murals are always painted on the walls of caves，mainly include the figure of Buddha，Buddhist stories，historic，JingBian，two thousand four hundred and fifteen body painted sculpture，the largest of which is 33meters high，and the minimum of which is only 10centimeters high．statue of flying more than four thousand．The Mogao Grottoes which has a long history，and Yungang Grottoes in Shanxi，Henan Longmen Grottoes are called"Three Grotto Art Treasure"in China．
Mogao Grottoes was originally carved in 366AD，and ended in Yuan dynasty．Constant digging，makes the Mogao Grottoes set the period of the world's largest，most abundant content，the oldest Buddhist art treasure．At the same time，Mogao Grottoes also shows the outstanding wisdom and remarkable achievements of the working people．In 1987，the Mogao Grottoes is listed in the world cultural heritage by UNESCO．
Well，dear visitors，now，the Mogao Grottoes is really beautiful，wish you all a happy journey，to be in a good mood．Please be sure to pay attention to safety and protect our attractions．
1. How many caves does exist in Mogao Grottoes at present？| A．492 |
| B．45000 |
| C．2415 |
| D．366 |
| A．联合国经济开发署 |
| B．联合国教科文组织 |
| C．世界粮农组织 |
| D．英国教育科学文化部 |
| A．A kind of color． |
| B．A kind of paper． |
| C．An interesting story． |
| D．A picture painted on a wall． |
10 . Most adults find it hard to recall events from their first few years of life and now scientists have found exactly when these childhood memories fade(消失).
A new study has found that most three-year-olds can recall a lot of what happened to them over a year earlier, and these memories persist while they are five and six, but by the time they are over seven, these memories decline(衰退) rapidly.
Most children by the age of eight or nine can only recall 35% of their experiences from under the age of three, according to the new findings.
The scientists behind the research say this is because at around this age the way we form memories begins to change. They say that before the age of seven children do not have a sense of time and place in their memories. In older children, however, the early events they can recall tend to be more adult-like in the way they are formed. Children also have a far faster rate of forgetting than adults. The findings also help to explain why children can often have clear memories of events but then forget them just a couple of years later.
The youngsters first visited the laboratory at the age of three and discussed six unique events from their past, such as family outings, trips to the zoo, and the first day of school. The children then returned for a second session between the ages of five and nine to discuss the same events. The researchers found that between the ages of five and seven, the amount of memories the children could recall remained between 63 -72 percent. However, the amount of information eight-to nine-year-old children could recall dropped to 35 and 36 percent.
1. What does the new study tell us?| A．Childhood memories decline with years. |
| B．Three-year-old kids are the cleverest. |
| C．Childhood memories can fade easily. |
| D．Some adults cannot recall past events. |
| A．Change. | B．Remain. |
| C．Appear. | D．Return. |
| A．Adults cannot have clear memories of past events. |
| B．Children can think like adults when they get older. |
| C．Children under 7 years old have different ways of forming memories. |
| D．Children often forget things because they have no idea of time or place. |
| A．refused to discuss the same events |
| B．remembered all their family outings |
| C．could recall 72 percent of their past events |
| D．only remembered a small part of their past events |
