1 . September is upon us, which means one thing for parents and children alike: new term time. With our teachers, students, support staff and many other members of the education ecosystem returning to their own schools, many will be excited to engage in person, after months of remote learning. Unfortunately, this won’t apply to everyone.
Throughout the summer, No Isolation worked with independent researcher, Henry Peck, to better understand the effect of lockdown on educational and emotional development in school-aged children. We collected responses from 1,005 parents and carers of 1,477 children from primary and secondary school and were sad to find that more than 75% of these children were lonely some or all of the time during the lockdown.
We were alarmed to find that, according to our research, about 540,000 people will continue to stay at home, due to mental or physical health concerns in the USA, directly related to the COVID-19 pandemic. For those children that aren’t able to attend classes in person, keeping some form of connection with their peers is greatly significant. Video calls have been one of the options to protect their educational development and to prevent them from becoming isolated.
They are normal during the pandemic, but are not necessarily the answer for those studying from home. When everyone is online in a video call, it can be an acceptable experience. However, if everyone is gathered and a single student is watching through a video call, it can have the opposite effect. Therefore, having an engaging experience over a video conference can be very difficult for some children, making it easy to switch off.
If you’re worried about how your child might be reacting, or concerned that a more digital life could be leaving them isolated, the first thing to do is talk with them: meaningful solutions should be developed in partnership with the people they’re aimed at. Now, we should be listening to children and helping to make sure they are heard in these stormy times.
1. What can we learn from the first paragraph?| A．Learning alone is significant. |
| B．All students will return to school life. |
| C．No student needs remote learning. |
| D．Some students will remain at home. |
| A．By investigating. | B．By telephoning. |
| C．By e-mailing. | D．By interviewing. |
| A．Everyone is online in a video call. |
| B．Everyone is gathered except one still online . |
| C．Students are busy with a video conference. |
| D．Students have the video switched off. |
| A．Make school children’s voice heard. |
| B．Help school children with Covid loneliness. |
| C．Support school children’s video conference. |
| D．Connect school children through video calls. |
注意：1.写作词数应为80左右；
2.开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
参考词汇：注射新冠疫苗take a COVID-19 vaccine
Dear Tom,
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Yours,
Li Hua
3 . During the first COVID-19 outbreak, Dr. Kirby White struggled to get enough disposable gowns (一次性罩衣), so she and her colleague Dr. Nicole Lowe decided to act. In March2020, they developed a gown that could be laundered and reused, allowing them to keep seeing patients at their Bendigo’s clinic.
“The second COVID-19 wave made it impossible for anyone to purchase disposable gowns, says Kirby, who explains one reusable gown lasts as long as 130 single-use gowns. “It was important to have a reusable gown. We didn’t know how long the pandemic would last so we needed a sustainable solution.”
Two weeks later, Gowns for Doctors was created. Taking to social media, Kirby, 36, shared the initiative (新方案) in a local Facebook group. Overnight, hundreds of volunteers put up their hands to sew (缝), donate fabric and distribute the gowns. She was blown away by the unbelievable response. “We had400 emails overnight! “Kirby says. “It’s the spirit that allowed us to send out so many gowns to people in need. Months later, Gowns for Doctors still has a lot of gowns if medical staff are in need of them. We are continuing to help those who need them.”
The success of the initiative has now gone global, after a company contacted Kirby to create a Barbie doll (芭比娃娃) in her image, celebrating all the healthcare heroes globally. “Seeing my one-of-a-kind Barbie doll for the first time was a heart-skip moment. There were tears of joy. She looks just like me! ”
After hand-packing every order, Dr. White loves seeing happy healthcare workers wearing their donated gowns. “We’ve been sent photos of medical staff wearing their gowns with big smiles,” she says. “Everyone has been so appreciative; we are inundated with thank-you cards. It’s so nice to see them.”
1. Why did Kirby start to make reusable gowns?| A．There was a lack of gowns’ materials. |
| B．The number of the patients was large. |
| C．There weren’t enough disposable gowns. |
| D．The quality of the disposable gowns was poor. |
| A．They wrote a lot of emails. | B．They helped make the gowns. |
| C．They bought many new gowns. | D．They called some medical staff. |
| A．Annoyed. | B．Curious. | C．Upset. | D．Touched. |
| A．Flooded. | B．Competed. | C．Compared. | D．Equipped. |
The COVID-19 pandemic has made people’s life tough. Petra Bignami,
It is called Project Hope. Petra wanted to focus on
“This makes us feel like we are part
5 . When office workers were sent home in the spring of 2020, managers suddenly faced a new challenge: how to monitor teams that were working remotely.
A new book, “Leading at a Distance”, by James Citrin and Darleen Derosa of Spencer Stuart, an executive-search firm, attempts to provide some practical tips for managers dealing with staff whom they do not see face to face.
The authors are not in the gloomy(阴暗的) camp that believes remote working is a disaster. They think it can be just as effective as face-to-face work.
They point out that the ability to hire people who can work anywhere means that businesses will find it easier to develop more diverse workforces. A study by McKinsey, a consultancy(咨询公司) ,found that 70% of companies thought remote hiring would help in this respect.
The book offers some useful advice. For starters, keep virtual teams small. The upper threshold(界限) seems to be around a dozen. A study found that 37% of low-performing teams had 13 or more members. In addition, the best-performing teams tended to be drawn from one department, such as marketing, rather than from across the firm.
Mr. Citrin and Ms. Derosa also warn of the dangers of virtual meetings. Just because it is possible to schedule one does not mean it is necessary or wise to do so. Poorly run meetings do not just waste time, they threaten the ability to meet deadlines, adding to workers’ stress. Long meetings should have breaks, allowing for a gap between sessions in an hourly schedule.
A few things must change when people work remotely. But not everything does. Managers will need to make a more determined effort to keep in contact with their staff. If, as most people expect, a hybrid(混合的) model emerges with remote working a couple of days a week, there will be plenty of space for interaction when managers and team members are both present.
1. What did James Citrin and Darleen Derosa attempt to do in the book?| A．Provide some tips for employees. |
| B．Help managers to see staff face to face. |
| C．Raise some questions on working remotely. |
| D．Address some practical matters on remote managing. |
| A．To keep in touch with staff in different ways. |
| B．To employ more hard-working labor forces. |
| C．To have easy access to various labor forces. |
| D．To hire less labor forces working in foreign countries. |
| A．The dangers of wasting time. |
| B．The need to schedule meetings. |
| C．The disadvantages of online meetings. |
| D．The things we should avoid in meetings. |
| A．How to lead remotely. |
| B．How to hold virtual meetings. |
| C．How to keep in contact with managers. |
| D．How to tackle affairs when working remotely. |
6 . Marcelo Toledo usually creates sculptures and jewelry out of metal. Now the Argentine artist is working with a new material: waste from the COVID-19 pandemic (传染病), such as masks, to create an exhibition exploring the painful impact of the virus.
Toledo, who has made jewelry for the musical “Evita” on Broadway and unique pieces for many famous people, was among the first in Argentina to be infected with COVID-19, which left him hospitalized for eight days. The experience had a great effect on his life and led to a series of artworks, including a 14-meter mask with the Argentine flag that he placed on the famous obelisk (方尖纪念碑) in Buenos Aires to raise awareness about organ donation during the pandemic.
For his new exhibition, the “Museum of the After”, Toledo is collecting recycled waste from the COVID-19 sent by hospitals, laboratories and strangers, including old medical parts and newspapers about the pandemic.
“I am excited to be able to turn pain into beauty and this exhibition is just recording everything that is happening to us as a society,” said Toledo. The artworks, which will go on show from September in a public space in downtown Buenos Aires, will all be made from waste materials or garbage that people send him. “It is the first time that I have done an exhibition in which I do not have to buy any of the elements,” he said.
In the exhibition there will be a real ship that will symbolically cross a “storm” and recycling islands to raise awareness about the importance of caring for the environment. “The exhibition will tell the story of this ship that went sailing and was stranded (搁浅) by a storm, which is a great metaphor (比喻) for what is happening to us. This pandemic is a great global storm,” said Toledo.
As with the huge mask, which was replicated (复制) in countries such as the United States and Japan, the artist dreams of replicating the new exhibition in other cities around the world.
1. What inspired Toledo to make the 14-meter mask?| A．His fear of the pandemic. | B．His Broadway experiences. |
| C．His hospital stay. | D．His research on organ donation. |
| A．They will be exhibited in hospitals. | B．They are greatly praised by the public. |
| C．They are created by people from all walks of life. | D．They are made out of rubbish about the pandemic. |
| A．Our awareness of environmental protection is improving. |
| B．We should spare no effort to defeat the pandemic. |
| C．We suffer a lot from the COVID-19 pandemic. |
| D．Our irresponsible behavior leads to natural disasters. |
| A．Reproduce his exhibition in other places. | B．Host exhibitions on different themes. |
| C．Make more huge masks to be on display. | D．Collect exhibition elements from around the world. |
内容包括：1.检测时间；
2.检测地点；
3.注意事项。
注意：1.词数80词左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
词汇：核酸检测nucleic acid testing
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8 . Under Singapore’s Vaccinated Travel Framework, all travellers including Singapore citizens and permanent residents arriving from all countries/regions can enter Singapore without quarantine (隔离), testing or entry approvals if they meet the following requirements:
*Be a child born on or after 1 Jan. 2010 — children who meet this criteria can enter regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status (疫苗接种状态).
*Be fully vaccinated with WHO EUL vaccines if born on or before 31 Dec. 2009 (i. e. age 13 and above by year of birth) Mixed doses using these WHO EUL vaccines, and vaccination with recovery are also acceptable.
*Be vaccinated against Yellow Fever if you have visited Yellow Fever high risk countries/regions in Africa and Latin America — a valid Yellow Fever vaccination certificate is required.
Travellers born on or before 31 Dec. 2009 who do not meet the vaccination requirements above are considered non-fully vaccinated travellers. They will be subject to entry approvals, tests and quarantine. This includes travellers who:
*Are medically exempted (免除) from COVID-19 vaccination.
*Took non-WHO EUL vaccines only, and did not take the minimum dosage of WHO EUL COVID-19 vaccines.
*Recovered from COVID-19 but did not complete the minimum dosage of WHO EUL COVID-19 vaccines.
Generally, non-fully vaccinated long term pass holders and short-term visitors are not allowed to enter Singapore unless in exceptional circumstances.
Click the orange button below for a detailed checklist of travel requirements.
1. Who can enter Singapore without entry approvals?| A．A college graduate unvaccinated. | B．A ten-year-old boy from Australia. |
| C．A Singaporean infected with COVID-19. | D．A business man from Africa with Yellow Fever. |
| A．Get a long term pass. |
| B．Take non-WHO EUL vaccines. |
| C．Have physical examination on a regular basis. |
| D．Provide entry approvals and receive tests and quarantine. |
| A．A textbook. | B．A magazine. | C．A website. | D．A brochure. |
1. 严禁学生假期到校。2. 云课堂提供辅导。3. 如有调整，另行通知。
注意： 1、 词数 80 左右; 2、 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
参考词汇：流行病 pandemic 教育部 the Ministry of Education 新冠状病毒 Novel Coronavirus
Notice
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Student Union
10 . Eighty-eight-year-old Robert Seaman has been drawing since he was a boy. At the age of 60, he left his job, selling houses to take up his hobby professionally. But it took COVID-19 to fully return him to what he loved to do.
Seaman said, “I would love to go up to my room where I had a drawing table and I’d spend hours up there drawing pictures. That’s what I’m doing now.”
Seaman recently has marked one year since he started drawing what he calls his daily doodles(涂鸦). He spends about six hours a day working on his doodles. “After a long life, I’m back doing what I did when I was 11 years old,” he said. “And it’s great, I love it. I’m so lucky that I can do this.”
Seaman moved into the town Maplewood just two weeks before the pandemic(流行病) restraint cut people off from the outside world. For many months, they could not leave their rooms. It was only recently that they were permitted to interact in common areas.
“The first thought I had was to just do some kind of ‘dark stuff’ that reflected the restriction that we were experiencing and the difficulties that were caused by this pandemic,” he said. “Then it just started to grow, and I thought it would be interesting to do one a day.” As the days passed, Seaman’s art got brighter in both subject matter and appearance.
He sent the doodles to his daughter, Robin Hayes, and other friends and family. Hayes then shared them on Facebook. As interest grew, she began offering the drawings for sale on-line. And all the money earned was donated to causes, including a COVID-19 aid program, a homeless shelter and an organization that helps refugees.
“It keeps me occupied, and I love doing it, but it also does help some other people, which is kind of nice,” Seaman said.
1. What did Seaman start to do at the age of 60?| A．Post his drawings online. | B．Take up his drawing attentively. |
| C．Take an interest in drawing. | D．Keep moving to other places. |
| A．Rule. | B．Cure. | C．Medicine. | D．Care. |
| A．The memories of his childhood. | B．The old days with his daughter. |
| C．The actual situation during the pandemic. | D．The practical experience of drawing. |
| A．To make Seaman famous. | B．To communicate with others. |
| C．To help others learn to draw. | D．To raise money for charity. |
