1 . Pursuing education abroad opens up many opportunities for international students. However, one of the struggles they face when deciding where to study is the affordability of the city and the schools there. Here are five affordable cities to study and live in.
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City remains one of the more affordable cities to purchase a house with only 26.49 percent of residents’ income spent on living expenses. Whether you are looking for English language programs or seeking a degree, Oklahoma City has a lot to offer. Check out The Language Company and Oklahoma State University for affordable options to learn English or degree programs.
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the state of Indiana in the Midwest. Residents spend only 25.24 percent of their income on living expenses. University options include the University of Indianapolis, Marian University, and Butler University.
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City and surrounding areas remain quite affordable with residents spending 25.78 percent of their income on housing, utilities, and other household utilities. Here are affordable universities such as Utah State University, University of Utah, and Snow College.
Des Moines, Iowa
Residents spend only 23.8 percent of their household income on living expenses. With a booming economy, Des Moines is an ideal city for international students to study and experience American culture. Drake University is an option in Des Moines.
Buffalo, New York
Located in upstate New York, the city of Buffalo provides international students with quality education. Residents spend 25.54 percent of their household income on housing and utilities. International students will not only be able to experience American culture in Buffalo but they're only minutes from Canada.
1. What influences international students’ choice of university according to the passage?A.The popularity of the university. | B.The distance from their hometown. |
C.The size and economy of the city. | D.The affordability of the city and university. |
A.Buffalo, New York. | B.Des Moines, lowa. | C.Salt Lake City, Utah. | D.Indianapolis, Indiana. |
A.Because it is very beautiful. | B.Because it has top universities. |
C.Because it is quite close to Canada. | D.Because it has friendly people. |
(1)说明活动目的,比如了解野生动物之美、增强保护野生动物的意识等;
(2)介绍活动信息:时间、地点等;
(3)日后将举办展览,展示同学们的作品。
注意:
(1)词数不少于100;
(2)可适当增加细节,以使行文连贯。
Notice on Photography Activities
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The Photography Club
Roy Austin first experienced an African adventure in 2018. All he wanted to do was get close to some African wildlife. Although Roy did realize this dream, he found something even more meaningful in Africa.
Roy spent time in many countries throughout East Africa. He was most interested in the people of rural (农村的) Kenya, especially people of the Amboseli Primary and Secondary School.
During his stay, Roy became friends with several students and teachers at the school. He was deeply touched by their positive attitude, even thought it was hard for them to get books and other school supplies. Even finding basic stationery (文具) was a challenge, not to mention the lack of school buildings.
In rural Kenya, school buildings are not built by the government. Students, their parents, and teachers find materials and build the schools themselves, or they have to raise money to get builders’ help. Without schools, buildings like libraries and classrooms are just dreams. The students and teachers of the schools very much wanted a library or at least some books to read.
After returning home to South Carolina in the United States, the Kenyan students’ yearning for something as seemingly “basic” as books to read still worried Roy. He decided to do whatever he could to help these children. So he started the organization Libraries for Kids International.
Since it was started, Roy has shipped over 11,000 books to 11 schools in African countries, including Kenya and Tanzania. To keep costs down, he uses the post office to send the books instead of a carrier like FedEx. The organization has helped to supply these schools with much-needed books, which brought Roy much happiness. He plans to continue shipping books to Africa.
1. What was the main purpose of Roy’s 2018 trip to Africa? (no more than 10 words)2. Who built school buildings in rural Kenya? (no more than 15 words)
3. What can the underlined word “yearning” in paragraph 5 be replaced by? (no more than 5 words)
4. What does the text mainly tell us? (no more than 15 words)
5. What do you think of Roy? And please explain. (no more than 25 words)
4 . Nowadays, it is common to see people wearing Hanfu, the traditional clothing of the Han ethnic group, at parks and attractions. More and more people are falling in love with Hanfu culture. The development of Hanfu culture has witnessed (见证) numerous changes in recent years and is taking on various forms.
Zhang Xiaomin has been a fan of Hanfu for five years now. Thanks to the popularity of social media, she can easily learn the latest trends and knowledge about Hanfu online now. “People used to only collect or appreciate Hanfu privately,” Zhang said. “But now it has moved to the mass market.” In the past, many people had the misunderstanding that “Han” refers to the Han Dynasty. Now more people are knowledgeable about Hanfu, and even expert in distinguishing (区分) the differences in Hanfu from different dynasties.
Miss Tang has also noticed a similar change. “Fans have become particular about the design and style of Hanfu,” Miss Tang said. “For advanced hobbyists, those seemingly fairy-like Hanfu dresses are not enough, since this style has been adapted to meet the tastes of the masses. They care more about how original Hanfu style are, like Quju (曲裾) and Mamianqun or ‘horse-face skirts’, which look more serious and complicated.”
The development of Hanfu has also triggered (引发) different events. You Gancheng has been in Hanfu circles for 13 years. “The Hanfu festival that a museum held in April offered many interesting activities like lectures, ceremonies, concerts and fairs,” she said. “Hanfu culture weeks, festivals and academic forums all provide platforms for fans to communicate.”
The rise of Hanfu culture also means the birth of an emerging business. Miss Cang has been running a Hanfu store for four years. The store provides Hanfu rental and photography services. “Many international schools now come to us for Hanfu events on traditional holidays,” Miss Cang said. Her store also actively participates in Hanfu festivals. “We often run a stand in Hanfu fairs, selling and displaying Hanfu we’ve designed. Sometimes we even provide Hanfu as prizes for competitions,” she said.
1. In recent years, the people who are interested in Hanfu ________.A.are now focusing on the Han Dynasty style |
B.have gained a deeper understanding of Hanfu |
C.tend to collect or admire Hanfu privately |
D.are exploring the regional diversity of Hanfu |
A.Its fairy-like design. | B.Its historical accuracy. |
C.Its modern adaptations. | D.Its practicality for everyday wear. |
A.To give an example of a successful Hanfu store. |
B.To show the increasing popularity of Hanfu culture. |
C.To illustrate the impact of Hanfu culture on business. |
D.To stress the role of Hanfu stores in promoting Hanfu. |
A.The development of Hanfu culture. |
B.The significance of Hanfu in Chinese society. |
C.The growing interest in Hanfu around China. |
D.The different types of Hanfu events and festivals. |
When I was ten years old, on a family vacation to Las Vegas, I felt very uncomfortable. I was immediately taken to the hospital. It turned out that I had a big stroke(中风). It made me no longer able to talk, read, write and understand what anyone was saying to me. The entire right side of my body had no feeling.
I stayed in the hospital for months. There I met my favorite doctor. Her last visit was the most important visit of all. She sent me a box as a gift. Inside was a little toy figure of a soldier. She said, “He’s a fighter. You should be like him, David. As long as you try to be him, you can triumph over your illness at last.” She moved her arms as she was fighting to help me understand.
The next few years’ fighting was really hard. I went to lots of speech and physical treatments. I did learn to walk again, but my right arm remained unable to feel anything. Slowly, I learned to talk again. I started with one syllable(音节)-then more. It allowed me to go to a special school. But I couldn’t even spell my own name. Everything was about language and letters. Talking was hard. So was reading. I was sad. But I was still intelligent. Eventually, I decided to let life move on and do something for other stroke survivors.
To help them, I founded a nonprofit organization. I wrote a book on stroke recovery, which has become a guide for stroke survivors and their family members. To help people like me, I also keep speaking at national conferences and hospitals about how to better recover from the disease. Recently, I was invited to speak at a stroke conference to doctors and patients and tell my story.
Today, I can walk, run, and drive. But I still can’t use my right arm. However, there are so many things I can do. The fight to recover is hard. I’ll never, ever give up.
1. What happened to the author when he was ten years old?(No more than 10 words)2. What does the underlined part in Paragraph 2 mean?(1 word)
3. Why was the author sad in the special school? (No more than 10 words)
4. What’s Paragraph 4 mainly about?(No more than 10 words)
5. What do you think of the author? Please explain.(No more than 20 words)
6 . Steve Sanders is a dad who suffered from a serious kidney (肾) disease. Although he had been living a
One day, Chris, a local shopper,
Chris filled out the paperwork and
Once the hospital showed his kidney was a
A.busy | B.rich | C.simple | D.healthy |
A.coming about | B.going down | C.taking off | D.showing up |
A.fund | B.competition | C.search | D.plan |
A.doubts | B.responses | C.permissions | D.ranges |
A.but | B.until | C.so | D.if |
A.support | B.forgive | C.blame | D.believe |
A.agree | B.understand | C.fail | D.forget |
A.recognized | B.discovered | C.cheated | D.contacted |
A.Similarly | B.Hopelessly | C.Fortunately | D.Strangely |
A.comfort | B.panic | C.shock | D.mistake |
A.brave | B.willing | C.proud | D.lucky |
A.changed | B.heard | C.noticed | D.started |
A.examine | B.remember | C.repeat | D.practice |
A.honest | B.positive | C.caring | D.patient |
A.see | B.show | C.advertise | D.ignore |
A.character | B.blow | C.pain | D.fit |
A.secretly | B.regularly | C.immediately | D.generally |
A.reward | B.generosity | C.creativity | D.carefulness |
A.owing | B.promising | C.teaching | D.serving |
A.famous | B.successful | C.adventurous | D.difficult |
7 . One of my wonderful memories is about a Christmas gift. Unlike other gifts, it came without wrap (包装).
On September 11th, 1958, Mum gave birth to Richard. After she brought him home from hospital, she put him in my lap, saying, “I promised you a gift, and here it is.” What an honour! I turned four a month earlier and none of my friends had such a baby doll of their own. I played with it day and night. I sang to it. I told it stories. I told it over and over how much I loved it!
One morning, however, I found its bed empty. My doll was gone! I cried for it.Mum wept and told me that the poor little thing had been sent to a hospital. It had a fever. For several days, I heard Mum and Dad whispering such words as “hopeless”, “pitiful”, and “dying”, which sounded ominous.
Christmas was coming. “Don’t expect any presents this year,” Dad said, pointing at the socks I hung in the living room.“If your baby brother lives, that’ll be Christmas enough.” As he spoke, his eyes filled with tears. I’d never seen him cry before.
The phone rang early on Christmas morning. Dad jumped out of bed to answer it. From my bedroom I heard him say, “What? He’s all right?” He hung up and shouted upstairs. “The hospital said we can bring Richard home!”
“Thank God!” I heard Mum cry.
From the upstairs window, I watched my parents rush out to the car. I had never seen them so happy. And I was also full of joy. What a wonderful day! My baby doll would be home. I ran downstairs. My socks still hung there flat. But I knew they were not empty; they were filled with love!
1. What happened to the author on September 11th, 1958?A.He got a baby brother. |
B.He got a Christmas gift. |
C.He became four years old. |
D.He received a doll. |
A.Impossible. | B.Boring. |
C.Difficult. | D.Fearful. |
A.Excitement. | B.Happiness. |
C.Sadness. | D.Disappointment. |
A.A sad Christmas day. |
B.Life with a lovely baby. |
C.A special Christmas gift. |
D.Memories of a happy family. |
8 . A week before Christmas, my grandmother passed away. My boss
Here, my string (一串) of bad luck began: my plan was
The woman is a stranger,
A.suddenly | B.worriedly | C.kindly | D.proudly |
A.in peace | B.in surprise | C.in secret | D.in time |
A.sad | B.great | C.common | D.comfortable |
A.attracted | B.supported | C.affected | D.recorded |
A.borrow | B.check | C.find | D.book |
A.flat | B.snowy | C.busy | D.narrow |
A.came over | B.set out | C.broke down | D.showed up |
A.spare | B.good | C.full | D.strong |
A.pass | B.keep | C.take | D.change |
A.left | B.laughed | C.cried | D.jumped |
A.treatment | B.help | C.time | D.money |
A.hurriedly | B.carefully | C.quietly | D.slowly |
A.miss | B.lose | C.build | D.notice |
A.notebook | B.bag | C.keys | D.tools |
A.confusion | B.excitement | C.gratitude | D.amazement |
A.happiness | B.kindness | C.excuse | D.answer |
A.offering | B.saving | C.promising | D.sending |
A.for | B.so | C.and | D.but |
A.meet | B.forget | C.invite | D.remember |
A.believe | B.imagine | C.decide | D.doubt |
9 . According to scientists, some tomatoes grown indoors are now just as flavorful as the ones grown outdoors in perfect summer conditions. There has been a lot of research and investment (投资) in hydroponic (水栽的) greenhouses, which allow farmers to grow tomatoes without soil, in recent years as consumers have needed more and better fresh vegetables year-round. “There’s a lot of techniques you can use to grow tomatoes off-season,” says Neil Mattson, co-director of Cornell University’s Controlled Environment Agriculture program. In the past five years, greenhouse tomato production has doubled.
That doesn’t mean all the tomatoes currently being grown in greenhouses are very flavorful. Flavor sometimes gets sacrificed for high yields (产量), just as it does in the production of commercial field-grown tomatoes. “The greenhouse is such an expensive structure that we’re paying a lot to heat and light,” Mattson says. Therefore, farmers often need to grow a lot of tomatoes to make up for it. “And just like the field-grown varieties, much greenhouse-grown fruit is harvested before its peak (顶峰) and travels long distances before it ends up in a supermarket,” he says.
But that’s all changing with the new hydroponic system. Researchers are now trying their best to save some ripening (成熟的) time by growing produce locally. Gotham Greens, based in New York City, grows hydroponic tomatoes year-round and sells them to local restaurants and supermarkets. And Backyard Farms, based in Maine, supplies its hydroponically grown crop to nearby markets in the Northeast.
“It’s becoming increasingly important now that global warming is making outdoor farming less predictable (可预料的) , but greenhouse growers don’t have to worry about a heavy rain or a cold day destroying their fruit,” says Gene Giacomelli, who directs the Controlled Environment Agriculture Center at the University of Arizona. The advantages of a greenhouse are that growers can control the amount of heat and light their crops get. Many are equipped with man-made lights that growers can turn on when sunlight is not enough. And the hydroponic system allows them to control pretty much everything else.
“That’s not to say we’ll value the summer harvest any less. In the end, I still love growing my own tomatoes in my backyard in the summer,” Mattson says. “It’s psychological (心理的) ,but I think they taste best.”
1. What benefited the doubling of greenhouse tomato production?A.Improving the taste of tomatoes. |
B.Developing high-yielding tomatoes. |
C.Growing tomatoes all year round outdoors now. |
D.Using technology for tomatoes’ growth off-season. |
A.Settled for. | B.Turned up. | C.Given up. | D.Looked down. |
A.farmers’ expectation to ensure tomatoes’ high yield |
B.researchers’ efforts to make tomatoes more flavorful |
C.the need for locally grow n high-quality tomatoes |
D.the important change in produce transportation systems |
A.By making the soil richer for planting. |
B.By improving crop’s adaptability to climate change. |
C.By providing better conditions for crops’ growth. |
D.By giving much more correct and timely weather predictions. |
A.Supportive. | B.Negative. | C.Objective. | D.Unconcerned. |
10 . In the first half of 2022, scientists studying animal communication discovered that some dogs connect objects with words at a similar level to babies. Then what about cats, which are commonly believed to be unconcerned about human affairs?
Saho Takagi, a researcher at Azabu University, doubted cats’ seeming unconcern. “Cats don’t appear to listen to people’s conversations, but in fact, they do.” According to a past research, cats understand human communication better than expected. Like dogs, they can use human pointing and stares to find food. They even can tell the difference between human facial expressions and attentional states, according to a 2021 study. However, cats can do more than that.
Another study showed that cats can discriminate their human-given name from the names of their cat friends (those that live in the same house). The researchers believed that cats learned to connect names with other cats by observing communication between their owners and their cat friends.
In a recently published study, Takagi and her colleagues compared two groups of cats: one group was made up of house cats and lived with at least two other cats; the other was made up of cats that lived in “cat cafés”, which had up to 30 cats. They used a simple, two-phase(阶段) test. During the name phase, the study participant(参与者) was softly placed in front of a laptop computer. Then the researcher played a recording of its owner saying the name of its cat companions(同伴).
Immediately after the name phase came the face phase. A cat’s face appeared on the monitor. Sometimes, the cat that appeared on the screen matched the name spoken; other times the name and the picture did not match. If cats knew the names of their cat friends, they would investigate by staring doubtfully at the monitor when the name and the picture did not match. House cats had a significantly longer stare than café cats, indicating that house cats generally expected an exact cat’s face upon hearing the cat’s name.
“This is the first to show that house cats link human words and their social companions through daily experiences,” the researchers wrote, “However, we could not recognize the mechanism(机制) for learning. But with more and more scientists becoming interested in cats who are much smarter than we praise them, this question is sure to be solved.”
1. What’s people’s common understanding of cats?A.They have their own language. |
B.They show no interest in human things. |
C.They can connect objects with words. |
D.They can use human instructions to find food. |
A.cats and dogs get along well with humans |
B.cats’ ability to learn is stronger than dogs’ |
C.cats’ ability goes beyond body language recognition |
D.cats and dogs are all clever animals in people’s eyes |
A.Tell. | B.Protect. | C.Excuse. | D.Learn. |
A.They are curious about cat names. |
B.They know the names of their cat friends. |
C.They are dependent on their owners. |
D.They like communicating with each other. |
A.How cats can recognize other cats’ face. |
B.Whether cats are much smarter than expected. |
C.Whether cats can understand human communication. |
D.How cats link human words and their social companions. |