1 . Olivia Ries was just seven years old when she and her eight-year-old brother Carter adopted a cheetah(猎豹) in South Africa.
''When my sister and I first learned back in 2009 that species like the cheetah may be extinct in the wild by the time we have kids, it scared us. We knew we had to do something to help them, '' says Carter. ''There are so many people (young and old alike) who just don’t know what is happening to so many species, just like we didn't. Olivia and I want to make sure we reach as many people around the world as possible and help them to understand how serious the situation really is. ''
To do that, the kids started One More Generation (OMG), an organization with the motto: ''Preserving endangered species for one more generation and beyond. ''
Now, ten years later, Olivia and Carter have traveled all over the world spreading their message. They've been interviewed on national television, participated in marches and fundraisers and won awards for their work. In 2015, they were invited to Vietnam by the United States Embassy to participate in a program to save rhinos. All that they've accomplished for animals and the environment is much too long to list!
''Our number one message to everyone we meet is 'Remember, anyone can make a difference... if we can, you can too, '' says Olivia. ''We want all people to understand that what Carter and I are doing is not necessarily something special; it is something that we all should be doing. You can start small by simply adopting an animal. Do some research on the species you are interested in, and find a good organization offering adoptions. My brother and I take our birthday money and allowance money and adopt animals all the time. ''
1. How did Olivia and Carter feel when learning cheetahs faced extinction?| A．Angry and guilty. | B．Shocked and concerned. |
| C．Anxious and helpless. | D．Hopeful and determined. |
| A．Helping endangered species survive. |
| B．Telling people the situation cheetahs face. |
| C．Making the situation of dying species known. |
| D．Calling on people to adopt endangered species. |
| A．They organized activities to raise money. | B．They took measures to save rhinos. |
| C．They made efforts to list extinct species. | D．They contributed a lot to dying species. |
| A．Anyone can help by starting small. |
| B．Anyone can do something special. |
| C．Anyone should do research on species. |
| D．Anyone should donate to adoption organizations. |
| A．''Adopting a panda in name of both her and me. '' |
| B．''Making her a furry dog with my own hands. '' |
| C．''Buying her a doll of the latest style. '' |
| D．''Mailing her a handmade postcard. '' |
2 . Bradley McConachie, a 33-year-old Australian is actually a student in international relations completing his PhD through Griffith University. He came to Beijing for a cooperative research at Beijing University two years ago. Such an academic life was colorful with a chance offered by the cultural exchanges project, “I'm in China".
Bradley was lucky to win the most "likes" for his photo story about his life in China and became one of 20 winners to visit locations by the project this summer. All the winners’ experiences were filmed to produce a reality show, My Chinese Working Day, which will be broadcast by mid-September.
Bradley was chosen to work as a recreational manager for a Chinese wedding. The film crew took them to many “amazing sites" and the staff at the resort taught them a lot about how to incorporate modern Chinese features while still keeping traditional customs.
“I would have to say two things stick out as the most memorable： the helicopter ride and talking with the staff at the hotel about how they organize weddings here in China," he said. That was Bradley's first time to be in a helicopter, and he was too absorbed with the “stunning" view of the coastline.
“I think it is so important to show other Australians the different landscapes China has to offer. I think so many Australians, when they think about China, imagine the historical sites of Beijing and the exciting things to see in Shanghai but have no idea about other beautiful places, like Sanya or the many other places people have been taken to in this TV series. It was nice to experience these little touches. I was happy to be a part of that experience!” Bradley said.
1. What made Bradley's life more colorful?| A．Obtaining his PhD. |
| B．The cultural exchanges project. |
| C．The research about Beijing University. |
| D．The interest in international relations. |
| A．He produced the reality show. |
| B．His life in China was interesting. |
| C．He was one of the top 20 winners. |
| D．He liked photo stories most. |
| A．Fantastic. | B．Confusing. |
| C．Agreeable. | D．Extreme. |
| A．It's difficult to produce moving TV series. |
| B．Beijing and Shanghai are historical sites. |
| C．Sanya is worth visiting for foreigners. |
| D．Many Australians know little about China. |
3 . Do you know how children in other countries spend their schooldays and what kind of games they always play?
Children in Brazil
| School | The school year runs from February to December. Children attend (上学) school for about four hours in the morning or the afternoon. About a quarter of children in Brazil do not attend school at all. |
| Play | Football is the most popular sport. Brazil’s beautiful beaches also make swimming and volleyball popular. |
| Family | Brazilian families are often large. Nearly a third of the population is under eighteen! |
| School | The school day begins from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, with a two-hour lunch break. Schools close on Wednesday and Sunday, and are closed for a half day on Saturday. |
| Play | Football, bicycling and tennis are favorite sports in France. In some areas, pelote, a traditional ball game, is also very popular. |
| Family | Most French mothers work. The majority of preschool (幼儿园) children attend day care centres known as crèches. France has laws about naming children and all names have to be chosen from an official list. |
| School | Schools in Japan are very competitive (竞争的). Even pre-schoolers may attend “cramming (填鸭式教学的) schools” to prepare for exams. There is a summer break about six weeks, but the children have homework during this time. |
| Play | Comic books have been popular in Japan since the 1700s. Comics now account for about 40% of all published materials in Japan. Kite flying is enjoyed by people of every age. |
| Family | Homes in Japan are small on average. The typical family of four lives in five small rooms. Most fathers in Japan work long hours. As a result, some children only see their fathers on weekends or holidays. |
① Kite flying. ② Bicycling. ③ Football. ④ Pelote.
| A．②③④ | B．①②③ |
| C．①④ | D．①②③④ |
| A．Places with beautiful beaches. |
| B．The name of the place where French mothers work. |
| C．A day care centre for preschool children. |
| D．Cramming schools to improve children’s exam results. |
| A．like to read comic books | B．write their names on an official list |
| C．only see their fathers on weekdays | D．do not attend school |
4 . Kielder Forest in Northumberland, England, is home to birds of gray and red squirrels. Around 90 years ago, it was also home to the pine marten(松貂). The 0.5 meters animal was driven to dying out in England by 1926 because gamekeepers wanted to secure the safety of their game birds, according to The Guardian.
However, the martens thrived in Scotland, and the animals appear to be crossing back into England. A pine marten was spotted in Kielder Forest by John Hartshorne, a volunteer who monitors the red squirrel population in the forest, part of an effort to stop gray squirrels from further invading(入侵) the red squirrels’ territory.
The pine marten is one of the animals receiving a helping hand from Back from the Brink, one of the conservation groups working together to help save 20 species from dying out in England. Their efforts aim at helping the pine marten and other at-risk species.
Red squirrels are threatened by invasive gray squirrels, which out-compete the native squirrels for food and pass on a deadly virus. Martens keep gray squirrel numbers in check, especially since the invasive animals aren’t used to having a predator like the pine marten around. A 2018 study found that the presence of pine martens can be enough to push the gray squirrel population out of an area. So the pine marten returning to Kielder is a win-win: The pine marten returns to part of its historic range and by doing so, helps red squirrels continue to survive.
1. Why was the pine marten forced to leave Northumberland?| A．To attract more hunters. |
| B．To protect local animals. |
| C．To keep game birds safe. |
| D．To keep game birds from hunters. |
| A．Died out slowly. | B．Evolved rapidly. |
| C．Had difficulty adapting. | D．Increased in population. |
| A．To help the pine marten to thrive. |
| B．To free the red squirrels of danger. |
| C．To monitor the population of birds. |
| D．To stop gray squirrels from dying out. |
| A．the role of the pine marten |
| B．the importance of a 2018 study |
| C．the promising future of red squirrels |
| D．the harmful effects of gray squirrels |
5 . After bouncing my rental car across several miles of red-dirt roads I walked for nearly another mile down the beach to a deserted valley. It was comforting to think that at the very least I was finally out of cell-phone range.
However, even on Kauai, Hawaii’s ‘Garden Island’, complete escape wasn’t all that easy to achieve. Noisy helicopters full of tourists flew overhead like so many dragonflies. Every 20 minutes or so the comforting sounds of wind and water were broken by the noise of a speeding tour boat racing to complete another lap around the island. Worst of all, not more than five minutes by car from the resort where I was staying, the Atomic Clock Internet Café signaled with promises of instant email.
I felt uncomfortable every time I drove by the Atomic Clock Café. I am a technology reporter for an online magazine—my life is driven and dominated by email. I’m drowned in it, usually 400 or 500 messages a day. The main reason for my visit to Kauai was to unplug, disconnect, log off, and get away from it all. No cell phone, no electronic organiser, no laptop. And definitely, no email.
Yes, my plan was to lie on the beach and not check my email. My friends and family were outraged as they could not understand how I could bear to live without email. But they didn’t understand. In my job, I am online, permanently. Cyberspace is more familiar to me than my backyard. While I am awake, my email is always on. I don’t like to be without it for too long. A few hours away from it, and I start to tremble. I am, however, no stranger to beaches and their relaxing qualities and so I knew, even when arriving well after dark at the comfortable cottage in the town of Waimea, that the island of Kauai gave me a good chance of beating my addiction to electronic devices.
Maybe it was full moon lighting the black-sand beach not 10 metres from my door. Or the mango trees casting shadows across the veranda ( 阳 台 ). Or the driftwood piled in loose heaps for as far as I could see along the shore. Without question, the long, slow sound of the waves rolling in calmed my restless soul, and I found I could, in fact, log off.
1. Why did the writer come to Kauai?| A．To get away from the modern technology. |
| B．To work for the Atomic Clock Internet Café. |
| C．To write reports on technological development. |
| D．To find whether there is an alternative to email. |
| A．He wrote articles about resorts around the world. |
| B．He enjoyed beach activities like boat racing. |
| C．He was eager to work in his backyard. |
| D．He spent much time working online. |
| A．relieved | B．shocked |
| C．amused | D．offended |
| A．argue against his friends’ doubt of Kauai |
| B．propose a possible destination of his trip |
| C．highlight the beauty of the beach of Kauai |
| D．show Kauai produced a relaxing atmosphere |
6 . Nowadays, especially in China, everything seems to favor social intercourse(社交) , such as gatherings of friends, KTV, group travel, dining tighter, playing cards and Mahjong, plus the Chinese-style " street-crossing group. " Back home, discussions can still be boisterously carried on within the " circle of friends" of WeChat.
However, these scenes cannot always ease a sense of loneliness. Zhu Ziqing, a well-known professor of Tsinghua University, signed with emotion: "My loneliness increases as scene becomes much busier. " One popular song today is also called " A lonely man in crowds. " Actually, engaging in social intercourse requires ability, while being alone involves the whole character.
These days, it is not easy to calm down totally and return to one' s true self. Willpower, intellect and discipline are required. Einstein said: "It is not your working time but your spare time that determines the possibility of whether you will be successful or not. " The "spare time" he referred to could be taken as " spending time by yourself. "
Lonely life could be either dull, boring and tasteless or abundant, interesting and colorful, depending on one' s quality, ambition and inspiration.
Just as the body constantly requires energy, the mind and soul also demand never stopping inputs. However,information, processed and integrated (融入) into knowledge, thoughts and feelings, instead of bustle (忙碌) seems to be the right condition. Successful careers m all walks of life worldwide have proved that "the soul grows in peace and talent is nurtured in loneliness". In a sense, it may be reasonable to say that " Happiness tends to be shallow while loneliness involves depth".
Man, in fact, needs loneliness more than happy time, and only abundant loneliness can produce quality happiness.
1. Which of the following can replace the underlined the word "boisterously" in paragraph l?| A．surprisingly | B．sadly |
| C．busily | D．peacefully |
| A．Being alone marks people depressed. |
| B．Social intercourse improves our happiness. |
| C．One may feel lonely even when surrounded by people. |
| D．We should attend social intercourse to decrease our loneliness. |
| A．You should be successful if you spend all your time by yourself. |
| B．You should exercise more if you want to keep your minds healthy. |
| C．You will not become successful if you join in more social intercourse. |
| D．You will be more successful if you can make your lonely time meaningful. |
| A．Live on Your Own | B．Happiness and Loneliness |
| C．The Secret of Success | D．Practice Your Social Ability |
A team of researchers at the University of California studied the effects of early exercise on adult physical activity, body mass and eating. They found that early-age exercise in mice has positive effects on adult levels of voluntary exercise in addition to reducing body mass.
“These results may have an effect on the importance of regular physical education in elementary and middle schools,” said Theodore Garland, a professor of biology, who led the research project. “If kids exercise regularly through their school years, then they may be more likely to exercise as adults, which could have far-reaching positive effects on human health and well-being.”
Although the positive effects of early-life exercise lasted for only one week, it is important to note that one week in the life of a mouse is the same as about nine months for humans. “Our results suggest that any positive effects of early-life exercise on adult exercise will need to be kept up if they are to be long-lasting.”
His team of researchers found, too, that all mice that had access to early exercise were lighter in weight than non-exercised mice.
Garland explained that, in general, exercise will stimulate appetite sooner or later. However, it is possible that certain types of exercise, done for certain periods of time or at certain light levels, might not stimulate appetite much, if at all, at least in some individuals.
“If we could understand what sorts of exercise these might be, then we might be able to tailor exercise recommendations in a way that would bring the benefits of exercise without increase in appetite, leading to a better chance of weight loss,” he said.
1. How long do the positive effects of early-life exercise last for a mouse?
| A．One day | B．One week |
| C．One month | D．Nine months |
| A．More study is needed to better understand the effects of different types of exercise. |
| B．Early-life exercise has life-long positive effects on people |
| C．Kids should be encouraged to do exercise as early as possible to ensure physical health. |
| D．The new study on mice mainly focused on how exercise affects appetite. |
| A．decline | B．improve | C．vary | D．harm |
| A．New ways to fight against being overweight. |
| B．The positive effects of mice. |
| C．The possible risks of doing exercise. |
| D．The positive effects of early- life exercise. |
