1 . 
UPS (联合包裹) driver Ryan Arens was making his rounds near a pond in Bozeman, Montana, when he heard an unearthly sound. “Like a cry for help,” he told the Dodo. It was December 2019, and about 15 feet from the frozen banks was the source of that cry — a half-submerged brown-and-white wirehaired hound (猎犬), struggling to hold to a thin layer of ice. How she got there no one knows, but an elderly man was already on the scene. He’d entered the pond in a rowboat and was knocked at the ice with a rock to create a path to the dog. It was slow going, and Arens, 44, thought he stood a better chance.
“Animals are my weakness,” he told the Great Falls Tribune, explaining why he stripped (拆开) down to his boxers and socks, even though the temperature was freezing cold, and commandeered the rowboat.
His heart thumping, Arens slid closer to the dog and used the other man’s rock to smash away at the ice. He gave one strong knock and slipped off the boat, crashing into 16 feet of freezing water.
He resurfaced in time to see the dog going under. Using nervous energy to keep warm, he swam about five feet toward her, grabbed hold of her collar, and pulled her to the ice. He then boosted the dog into the boat and slid it back to the shore, where anxious bystanders carried the dog to the home of the rowboat owner, a retired veterinarian. Once in the house himself, Arens jumped into a warm shower with the dog until they both defrosted (解冻). A few more minutes in the pond, the vet told Arens, the dog would have likely suffered cardiac arrest (心脏骤停).
The next day, Arens was back working the same neighborhood when the dog’s owner came over to thank him for saving Sadie. “Would you like to meet her?” he asked.
He opened the door to his pickup (皮卡), and Sadie rushed out. She made a beeline for Arens, leaping on him and bathing him in wet kisses. That special delivery, says Arens, “was the highlight of my UPS career.”
1. The underlined word “unearthly” most probably means ________.| A．terrifying | B．strange | C．interesting | D．pleasant |
| A．He was skating on the ice. |
| B．He was rowing in the pond. |
| C．He was trying to save the dog. |
| D．He was walking on the path. |
| A．Why Arens fell into the water. |
| B．How Arens rescued the dog. |
| C．How dangerous it was in freezing water. |
| D．Who the dog belonged to. |
| A．She jumped on him. |
| B．She kissed him. |
| C．She ran directly to Arens. |
| D．She remained still. |
2 . Hard work really does pay off. Scientists find that perseverance (毅力) leads to better grades and higher achievements in school.
“Being passionate (热诚的) is not enough to ensure academic success,” said researchers, who thought of “courage” as a key to success. This is also regarded as effort in reaching long-term goals, and determination to continue one’s efforts in spite of hardships.
Researchers thought that the finding could help create new training to help children develop the skill and help ensure their future success.
Researchers from the Academy of Finland studied more than 2,000 students from Helsinki. They were followed through their academic career from 12 to 16, from the sixth grade until the ninth grade in local school years. Researchers found that the factor that best predicted courage was related to goals, with previous academic achievements playing no role in developing the skill.
Professor Katariina Salmela-Aro, who led the study, said, “Courage means a young person is really interested in his or her studies and does not give up easily. A key element of courage is high perseverance when facing difficulties and hardships. The important finding is that these factors are the key to success and well-being. Our study shows the power of courage.”
Professor Salmela-Aro also thought it was important to develop new practices and qualities to improve courage in teenagers. She added, “Young people should see everyday school work as part of their life in a broader context and establish achievable goals for themselves. Schools must also serve as a place where it is safe to fail and learn to deal with setbacks. One must not be discouraged by setbacks, but gain(得到) strength and new energy from them!”
1. What can we learn about the research?| A．It takes at least three years. |
| B．It helps students make progress. |
| C．It makes many discoveries. |
| D．It follows 2,000 students abroad. |
| A．Focus on former grades. |
| B．Achieve their goals. |
| C．Try all their best. |
| D．Forget sadness. |
| A．Strengths. | B．Difficulties. |
| C．Weaknesses. | D．Efforts. |
| A．Hard work will lead to success |
| B．Failure is the mother of success |
| C．Schools should train students’ courage |
| D．Perseverance is the key to success |
3 . "Smile!" I shouted, holding a yellow sign up on a busy street in Seattle. We were three thousand miles away from home on a Random Acts of Kindness and Volunteerism Road Trip. We had two aims. One was to try out our new "Smile!" signs and see how much kindness and joy we could spread in Pike Place Market. The other was to raise $80 by doing street performances, enough for gas to Portland and a small hotel room.
We weren't sure how people would react (回应) to our signs. I nervously raised up our signs and shouted, "Hi, there!" to a young couple. They looked over and felt confused. Then they read our signs and broke into a smile. Before long, some tourists wanted to take a photo with us and some strangers stopped to ask us about our signs.
In fact, we paid so close attention to our "Smile!" project that we forgot the other aim. Before we knew it, the sun was setting, and we had no money for our trip to Portland. We sat down to watch a blind musician play the guitar while thinking about what to do. He was packing up when a passing crowd kicked down his change bowl. He stumbled (绊倒) into the crowd. We rushed to help him, but another man moved more quickly to help him.
Once the musician had his money safely returned, we ran over to meet the strange helper and said, "We just wanted to praise you for your good deed." He smiled, looking at our signs. "Your trip reminds me of something similar I once did when I was young," he said. "Look! I'd like to donate (捐赠)." We told him, "No, thanks! We are fine. We've collected plenty of money." We lied. "Please let me donate. It will make me feel like I'm a part of this adventure," he insisted. And then the stranger opened his wallet and pulled out four $20 bills. The money was exactly what we had intended to raise that day. We were astonished. It seemed as if he had known somehow.
1. What's the main purpose of the road trip?| A．To spread kindness and joy. |
| B．To invite more people to join in the trip. |
| C．To raise money for a trip to Portland. |
| D．To encourage people to take happy photos. |
| A．Disappointed. | B．Worried. | C．Interested. | D．Moved. |
| A．Because he felt pity for the author. |
| B．Because he wanted to join in the project. |
| C．Because he hoped to help the homeless. |
| D．Because he felt sorry for his impoliteness. |
| A．Tired. | B．Satisfied. | C．Frightened. | D．Surprised. |
4 . For many people who live in cities, parks are an important part of the landscape. They provide a place for people to relax and play sports, as well as a shelter from the often severe environment of a city. What people often overlook is that parks also provide considerable environmental benefits.
One benefit of parks is that plants absorb carbon dioxide and give off oxygen, which humans need to breathe. According to one study, an acre of trees can absorb the same amount of carbon dioxide that a typical car emits in 11,000 miles of driving. Parks also make cities cooler. Scientists have long noted what is called the Urban Heat Island Effect: building materials such as metal and concrete (混凝土) absorb much more of the sun's heat and release (释放) it much more quickly than organic surfaces like trees and grass. Because city landscapes contain so much of these building materials, cities are usually warmer than surrounding rural areas. Parks and other green spaces help to lessen the Urban Heat Island Effect.
Unfortunately, many cities cannot easily create more parks because most land is already being used for buildings, roads, parking lots, and other essential parts of the urban environment. However, cities could benefit from many of the positive effects of parks by encouraging citizens to create another type of green space: rooftop gardens. While most people would not think of starting a garden on their roof, human beings have been planting gardens on rooftops for thousands of years. Some rooftop gardens are simple container gardens that anyone can create with the investment (投资) of a few hundred dollars and a few hours of work.
Rooftop gardens provide many of the same benefits as other urban parks and garden spaces, but without taking up the muchneeded land. In the summer, rooftop gardens prevent buildings from absorbing heat from the sun, which can significantly reduce cooling bills. In the winter, gardens help control the heat that materials like brick and concrete release so quickly, leading to savings on heating bills. Rooftop vegetable and herb gardens can also provide fresh food for city settlers, making their diets healthier. Rooftop gardens are not only something everyone can enjoy, they are also a smart environmental investment.
1. The underlined word “emits” in the second paragraph probably means “________”.| A．carries away | B．takes up |
| C．gives out | D．breathes in |
| A．More building materials. |
| B．More trees and grass. |
| C．More parking lots. |
| D．More rooftop gardens. |
| A．They make people much happier. |
| B．They provide more benefits than urban parks. |
| C．They help to save money and keep a healthy diet. |
| D．They have become very popular in recent years. |
| A．Sceptical. | B．Supportive. |
| C．Critical. | D．Objective. |
5 . Gardening is popular in many parts of the world. This outdoor activity gives us beautiful plants, pleasant smelling flowers and fresh fruits and vegetables. But it also does a lot of good to our health.
Gardening connects people. When you are gardening, you are outdoors. So it is a perfect chance to meet and spend time with your neighbors. Most people love to talk about their hobbies, and gardeners are no different. They usually enjoy showing people what they are growing. And most enjoy sharing advice and stories about their gardens almost as much as sharing flowers and vegetables from their gardens.
Gardening is a great activity for children. It gets them outdoors and off computers, televisions and cell phones. Gardening is also a great teacher. It can teach a child about where food comes from and healthy eating. It also helps them to understand that the natural resources (资源) are not inexhaustible and the importance of using them carefully.
Then, when you garden, you must move around. All the different movements needed for gardening, like bending and lifting, work small muscles (肌肉) in the body. And you can easily get good exercise when you are digging holes or pulling grasses.
In a study, researches looked at more than 2,800 people over the age of 60.They studied their lifestyle habits, activities and health over a 16year period. They found that gardening could lower the risk of future dementia (痴呆) by 36%. Gardening requires people do many repeated actions, such as picking off dying flowers. These actions have a calming influence on the brain. The brain is still active but not in the same way when we use computers.
You'll feel wonderful when what you grow in a garden looks, smells, feels and tastes good.
1. What can be inferred from Paragraph 2?| A．Gardeners don't feel lonely. |
| B．Gardeners are fond of sharing. |
| C．Gardeners have many hobbies. |
| D．Gardeners care about the environment. |
| A．Useless. | B．Special. |
| C．Endless. | D．Cheap. |
| A．Gardening is popular with the old. |
| B．Gardening is good for health. |
| C．Gardening can be a tiring activity. |
| D．Gardening is better than playing computers. |
6 . Any foreigner who has tried to learn Chinese can tell how hard it is to master the tones required to speak and understand.And anyone who has tried to learn to play the violin or other instruments can report similar challenges.
Now researchers have found that people with musical training have an easier time learning Chinese.Writing in the online edition of Nature Neuroscience, researchers from Northwestern University say that both skills draw on the same parts of the brain that help people discover changes in pitch(音调)．
One of the study's authors, Nina Kraus, said the findings suggested that studying music “actually tunes our sensory system”．This means that schools that want children to do well in languages should hesitate before cutting music programs, Dr.Kraus said.She said music training might also help children with language problems.
Mandarin speakers have been shown to have a more complex encoding(编码)of pitch patterns in their brains than English speakers do.This is because in Mandarin and other Asian languages, pitch plays a central role.A single－syllable word can have several meanings depending on how it is intoned.
For this study, the researchers looked at 20 non－Chinese speaking volunteers, half with no musical background and half who have studied an instrument for at least six years.
As they were shown a movie, the volunteers also heard an audio tape of the Mandarin word “mi” in three of its meanings: squint, bewilder and rice.The researchers recorded activities in their brain stems to see how well they were processing the sounds.Those with a music background showed much more brain activities in response to the Chinese sounds.
The lead author of the study, Patrick C．M.Wong, said it might work both ways.It appears that native speakers of tonal languages may do better at learning instruments.
1. Why does Chinese learning have something to do with music training?| A．Because there is the same difficulty in learning Chinese and music. |
| B．Because skills to learn the two make use of the same parts of the brain. |
| C．Because music training might help people with language study. |
| D．Because people who do well in Chinese study do well in music. |
| A．created | B．spelled |
| C．seemed | D．pronounced |
| A．Mandarin Speakers Are Smarter Than English Speakers |
| B．Skilled Ear for Music May Help Language Study |
| C．Pitch Plays a Central Role in Chinese Learning |
| D．Schools Need to Develop Music Programs |
7 . A quarrel at home may result in you falling ill. Don't laugh, it's true. Family matters including living habits and even the way we speak have a big effect on our health, doctors say.
Wang Xiaoyu, a Senior 2 girl from Xichang, Sichuan Province, fainted (晕倒) in class when she heard her classmates quarrel at the top of their voices. Quarrels between her parents also put the girl into a coma. It is because she is suffering from depression , caused by bad relations at home, doctors explained."We don't get sick or stay well by ourselves," says Dr Robert Ferrer from the US. Ferrer shows that family forces may explain up to a quarter of health problems, in his recent research.
The genes you get from your family may cause illness. If one of your parents has a heart attack, your risk of being affected (影响) may double. But effects on health are not only written in our DNA.
Unrelated people who live under the same roof also get similar problems. Diet, lifestyle and environment affect our health, too.
Ferrer's research also found that if teenagers feel they are ignored (忽视) or unimportant at home they are more likely to get sick.
We may never fully understand all the effects that families have on our health. But just as individual problems can have effects on others, a small improvement can have big benefits , Ferrer said.
1. Which of the following can best explain why Wang Xiaoyu fainted in class?| A．Because her classmates often quarreled in class. |
| B．Because her parents used to quarrel. |
| C．Because of her depression caused by bad family relations. |
| D．Because her classmates shouted loudly at her. |
| A．We get sick or stay well by ourselves. |
| B．Only the genes we get from our family have a big effect on our health. |
| C．Our health has nothing to do with diet, life style and environment. |
| D．Teenagers who are ignored at home get sick more easily than those who are not. |
| A．embarrassment | B．faint | C．tiredness | D．sadness |
| A．Family relations. | B．The reasons why we get sick. |
| C．Happy family makes you healthy. | D．A research about teenagers' health. |
8 . Earth Day falls on 22 April and it began in 1970. It has grown into a global event recognized by over 192 countries. Devoting a special day to helping Earth is a way to demonstrate how much we care about the future of our planet. If you like, there's always a way for you to get involved in Earth Day celebrations. But you don’t have to wait for Earth Day to show your love for the planet we call home.The following are what you can do for our mother Earth.
Learn more about the environment.
Earth Day is a good time to make a commitment to learning more about the environment and how you can help to protect it. Read articles to get up to date on the current issues affecting the environment,like pollution, water shortage and climate change. Or, learn about a region you’ve never thought about before, like the Arctic, the deserts or the rainforests. Not sure where to start? Check out your local news sources for information about environmental issues in your own backyard.
Join an environmental group.
Think about the issues that concern you the most and if you haven't done so already, join a local group that undertakes activities to help protect the environment in your area. Earth Day is a great day to start getting involved In almost any community, you'll find local groups that do the following.
Host clean-ups of local rivers, lakes or seashores.
Plant trees and grow flowers or vegetables in community gardens.
Protect wildlife habitats under threat.
Spread the word
Everyone who has environmental knowledge can share with others. It's a good way to talk about the environment with people who may not think about it that much. Talk to your parents, friends,teachers, siblings, and anyone else you'd like to know about the issues you care about most.
1. The underlined word"demonstrate"in paragraph 1 can be replaced by “______”.| A．display | B．make sure | C．lead to | D．throw light on |
| A．checking out local news |
| B．planting trees in community gardens |
| C．sharing environmental knowledge with others |
| D．using public transport like buses |
| A．tell us what we can do to protect Earth |
| B．inform us of the information about Earth Day |
| C．tell us the background of Earth Day |
| D．tell us the significance of Earth Day |
9 . Freelance is a kind of work that goes back to medieval times when it was used to describe soldiers who sold their skills to those prepared to pay their market rate. Today it's an increasingly common way of working for people in a range of occupations and appeals to many who feel constrained by corporate culture.
What you gain is freedom of movement; what you can lose is a sense of belonging. You can end up feeling isolated from normal support networks, because suddenly you are responsible for your own welfare, training, safety, career development, equipment, professional updating and a thousand other things,it is easy to remain unaware of these things in the relatively spoiled existence of full-time employment. So before you leap up into this exciting and potentially rewarding way of working,stand back and take a look at the risks.
Freelancing has always been a common way of working for writers,artists and performers,but the range of occupations with a substantial number of freelancers is growing steadily. Anyone with a marketable skill can choose to do it alone. Websites offer a free directory listing for those with skills to sell. Their categories include accountants,healthcare consultants,landscape architects and computer trainers. Areas of work that have problem recruiting staff are always keen to employ freelancers.
Being a freelancer is different from other forms of self-employment-you still work for an employer or several employers but have to develop a completely different set of relationships with them. Employers are now your customers,you are their supplier. You have to become indispensable(不可缺少的)to them,providing solutions to their problems,some of which they may not even realize they had. In many ways you have to behave like their dreamed employee,being more willing and available than you may have got used to while in a “proper job”.
You also have to be aware of,and sensitive to,the fact that you can be seen as a threat by your customer's conventional employees,who may regard you as taking work they could do. Successful freelancing relies on the cooperation of everyone you come into contact with. Work that brings you into conflict with an existing workforce can be more troublesome than it's worth.
1. The first freelancers originated in medieval times were_____.| A．soldiers | B．writers | C．artists | D．performers |
| A．shocked | B．charmed | C．chained | D．elevated |
| A．They can enjoy greater freedom than full-time employees. |
| B．They need to work for no employer but themselves only. |
| C．They have to shoulder full responsibilities for themselves. |
| D．They may feel isolated because they belong to no corporate culture. |
| A．have professional skills to sell to different employers |
| B．be well aware of the challenges of freelancing |
| C．be able to work both independently and cooperatively |
| D．compete with conventional employees to have an edge over them |
10 . A trip to the theater, museum or art gallery could help you live longer. And the more often you get that culture, the better the results are, a new study suggests.
Researchers from University College London (UCL) did the research on more than 6,000 adults in England age 50 years and older. How often an individual engaged in art activities was measured at the start of the study in 2004 to 2005. Participants were then followed up for an average of 12 years, during which time deaths were recorded using data from the UK’s National Health Service (NHS). They found that people who engaged in the arts more frequency had a 31% lower risk of dying early when compared to those who didn’t. Even going to the theater or museum once or twice a year was linked with a 14% lower risk.
The study looked at a range of economic, health and social factors to try and explain why there is a link between “arts engagement and living longer. Part of the reason, the study said, comes down to social and economic differences among those who go and don’t go to museums, exhibitions and art galleries. Wealth, they found, explained about 9% of the association. Cognitive (认知的) differences and mental health also played a role. Things like free time and occupational status made no difference, said Fancourt.
Engaging with the arts can act as a buffer against stress and build creativity that allows people to adapt to changing circumstances. It also helps people access emotional support and information that helps people age more successfully. “We also thought that a greater sense of purpose could play a role,” she said. “It can have wide ranging benefits and support healthier lives lived longer.”
A world health organization last year found that both receptive participation, like visiting a museum, and active participation, like singing in a choir, had health benefits. An editorial that accompanied the paper said that everyone should have the chance to take part in cultural activities and said the study added weight to growing concerns about the decline in arts subjects in schools and universities.
1. What was the right step of the experiment?| A．Following the participants for 12 years. |
| B．Recording the participants’ death time. |
| C．Comparing the frequency of art activities. |
| D．Dividing the participants into two groups. |
| A．Wealth. | B．Cognition. |
| C．Occupation. | D．Mental health. |
| A．Relief. | B．Barrier. |
| C．Defence. | D．Battle. |
