The art of paper-cutting in China may date back to the second century, since paper
With
Chinese papercuts are rich in content. The auspicious（吉祥的）designs symbolize good luck and the avoidance of evil. The child, lotus and bat designs suggest a family with
1. Where does the conversation take place?
| A．In the police station. | B．In the street. | C．On the highway. |
| A．The car is broken. |
| B．She has important things to do. |
| C．There was a dog in the street. |
| A．30 mph. | B．40 mph. | C．50 mph. |
| A．Regretful. | B．Relaxed. | C．Lucky. |
1. Why does the man call the woman?
| A．To remind her of n letter about n trip. |
| B．To invite her parents to n trip. |
| C．To ask her to hand in the report tomorrow. |
| A．On Sunday. | B．On Friday. | C．On Wednesday, |
When I was young, I lived in a small village in Melaka. The spirit of neighborliness was very strong then. The village had a variety of trades to serve the needs of the villagers. There was a barber, tailor, coffee shop owner, grocer, and so on. All of us were quite poor but we got by. However, one family which could be considered as living a marginal existence was the Lim family living in the bicycle shop opposite our dwelling.
Mr. Lim, the bicycle mechanic, had a large brood of children — twelve to be exact. My mother was a kind-hearted soul. Often, she would remark that his children were dressed in ragged clothes and looked malnourished (营养不良的). My family was relatively better off in the village. My parents would bring over whatever food we could spare to the Lim family.
I remember one particular year when times were very hard. Even my family had to make do with two meals a day. We stopped the practice of giving food to Mr. Lim. One day, I noticed my mother looking troubled. She had learned that the Lim family had not been eating for the past two days. She decided to sacrifice a portion of our meals to the family despite the protests (抗议) from my brothers that were too hungry. Fortunately, the lean spell (困难时期) did not last long, and the children in our family resumed our three meals a day again.
As time went on, the number of customers at Lim's shop had increased rapidly. Business at his shop took off like a rocket as Japanese bikes were very useful and popular for transport. They were much better off than before.
It was at this time that my father's health was worsening. We were confused by the mysterious illness he was suffering from. Because of lack of attention to his provision shop (食品店), the business became worse. My father then sold our family car to pay off the mounting bills. My brothers and I had to stop schooling because we could not afford the fees.
注意：1.续写词数应为150左右；2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
They say that one good deed deserves another.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________With the help of Mr. Lim, the situation in my family took a turn for the better.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________5 . Age has never been a problem for 16-year-old Thessalonika Arzu-Embry. After all, she’s already got her master’s degree.
The North Chicago-area teen started homeschooling at the age of 4. She began having an influence on others soon after. When she was 6 years old, she was an inspirational speaker at an organization called Tabitha House Community Service, which is for people who were forced to leave their homes because of earthquake, flood and other natural disasters.
At the age of 11, she graduated from high school and then earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2013. She completed those classes online as she was traveling for church events and leadership meetings.
She doesn’t stop there, though. The teen plans to focus on aviation psychology (航空心理学) for her further study, a decision inspired by her father who is a pilot. She grew up around airplanes and took fights all the time. Her goal is to use it to help pilots deal with problems that could have deadly results once the plane takes off — a topic that has been in the news lately. For her, it’s a mix of two of her interests.
In her free time, Thessalonika enjoys playing tennis, swimming and being active in her youth group at church. She also has three self-published books, which are on her site. Jump the Education Barrier is written to help students finish college, and in the future aims to help business owners with trends. Her third book The Genius Race is designed to help people to be talents in various areas of life.
1. Which of the following is TRUE about Thessalonika?| A．When she was 6 years old, she started homeschooling. |
| B．She gained her master’s degree at the age of 11. |
| C．She majored in science and technology. |
| D．In 2013 she got her bachelor’s degree through completing courses online. |
| A．Major in aviation psychology. |
| B．Deliver inspiring speeches for church events and leadership meetings. |
| C．Be active in her youth group at church. |
| D．Write another book to help people to be talents. |
| A．It aims to help people to be geniuses. |
| B．It is intended to give students a hand to complete college. |
| C．It is designed to arouse people’s awareness of psychology. |
| D．The author hope to share her own experience with others. |
| A．The Story of Thessalonika | B．To be a talent |
| C．Three Published Books | D．Homeschooling |
6 . Let’s take a minute to think about the water we use. The human body is 60% water and we need to drink lots of water to be healthy. When we are thirsty we just go to the kitchen and fill a glass with clean water. We use water indirectly too. For example, farmers, who produce the food we eat, use water to make the plants grow.
In 1993 the United Nations decided that March 22nd is the World Day for Water. On this day every year, countries around the world hold events to educate people about the problems of dirty water and that clean water is something that everyone should have around the world.
People give them money to do this and all the money helps get clean water to as many people as possible around the world.
| A．When we turn on a light or switch on a TV or a computer we use energy and we need water to produce this energy |
| B．If it is such a long distance to get water for them |
| C．It is to inspire people to learn more about water-related problems |
| D．If we drink dirty water, we can catch diseases from the bacteria and become ill |
| E．The truth is that we are lucky enough to have clean water whenever we want |
| F．If children walk many hours a day to get water |
| G．At one school in the UK, children between the ages of 10 and 15 walk 6km with six liters of water |
7 . Marty Verel, a 59-year-old kidney transplant patient in Ohio, should have been near the top of the list to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Yet like millions of others, he wasn't having any luck. Marty and his wife, Nancy Verel, would sit with computers on their laps trying for hours to book an appointment on different sites, all of which were complex. “I felt hopeless,” Nancy says.
Then Nancy heard about Marla Zwinggi, a 40-year-old mom of three who was spending up to ten hours a day online trying to secure appointments for vulnerable (易受攻击的) individuals. As a result, Nancy messaged Marla on Facebook: “Can you help?” Twenty-five minutes later, Marla responded by asking for Marty's legal name, date of birth, and other information. Nine minutes after that, Marla reported back—Marty had an appointment.
Marla's vaccine hunting started on February 1, when she learned that her parents—her father has leukemia (白血病) and her mother is a breast cancer survivor with a heart condition, were unable to get appointments themselves. She hated that they had to wait. Clicking around on vaccine registration sites, Marla discovered just how difficult it was to book an appointment. “It was like trying to get a World Series ticket,” she says.
She applied strategies that web insiders are familiar with (keeping multiple browsers open, refreshing sites every 20 seconds, erasing cookies) and added a few of her special skills. “I’m determined. I drink a lot of coffee, and I’m a fast typer,” she says. Soon enough, Marla had secured appointments for her parents. “I felt like a rock star,” she says.
Marla decided that helping others would be her way of giving back. “I feel like I need to will us out of this pandemic (大流行病),” she says. On February 10, she logged on to Facebook to let people know that she was assisting with bookings. By March 2, she’d secured appointments for 400 seniors, a feat that made Nancy and Marty fail to make an appointment themselves?
1. Why did Nancy and Marty fail to make an appointment themselves?| A．They had no access to the websites. |
| B．Too many people applied at the same time. |
| C．They were not among the first seniors to be vaccinated. |
| D．The registration sites were too difficult for them. |
| A．To help old people. | B．To provide guidance to Nancy. |
| C．To assist her sick parents. | D．To give back to society. |
| A．Helpful and skillful. | B．Reliable and humorous. |
| C．Confident and generous. | D．Ambitious and cooperative. |
| A．An effective way to book a vaccination appointment online. |
| B．An old couple's trouble during the pandemic. |
| C．An angel helping others online. |
| D．A woman's special way of giving back during the pandemic. |
8 . Like the rest of us, scientists have long suspected the healing capacity (修复能力) of a good hug. Unlike the rest of us, they’ve gone about trying to prove it.
“Laboratory studies suggest that things like hugs help us feel safer. They can also make us less sensitive to physical pain and less reactive when we’re faced with threatening experiences,” says Michael Murphy. He is a research professor in the department of psychological sciences at Texas Tech University. “This lab work has shown that hugs and other touch behavior are related to stress. The more stress we have, the more our heart rates and blood pressure go up. At this time, hugs and other forms of personal touch may give off all sorts of feel-good chemicals, so that stress can be reduced.”
“There’s a lot that we still need to learn, and there’s a lot we don’t know,” Murphy says. “However, what seems to be rising up is that hugs, as well as other forms of loving and gentle touch, are really powerful. They remind people that they’ re cared about and that they have someone in their corner.”
We expect touch. When we were born, we were placed in our mothers’ arms almost immediately. In that first year of our life, we spend a lot of time being held by other people. And as we grow up, we seek out hugs and touch as a way of connection. I think what we have lost in the past few years are these really easy opportunities to be reminded of connection.”
While he was at Carnegie Mellon, Murphy was the lead author of a hug-centered 2018 article in the scientific journal PLOS One. In a series of interviews with 404 adults over a two-week period, the researchers found that receiving a hug is associated with the attenuation of negative emotions that occur on days with interpersonal conflicts. That is to say, generally, hugs help to reduce the negative impacts that personal conflicts may cause in our daily lives.
1. What can we infer about hugs from the laboratory studies?| A．They show people’s good social relationships. |
| B．They can cure us of our mental disease. |
| C．They can put much pressure on people. |
| D．They make us feel calm and at ease. |
| A．To recall childhood memories. |
| B．To keep connected with others. |
| C．To solve relationship problems. |
| D．To express their social politeness. |
| A．Expression. | B．Influence. |
| C．Suffering. | D．Reduction. |
| A．The Power of Hugs |
| B．How to Reduce Stress |
| C．How to Care for Others |
| D．The Importance of Interpersonal Relations |
9 . If you’re around 65 or have been collecting disability income for 24 months, you’re suitable for Medicare health service. Congratulations! Signing up is a piece of cake. If your Medicare doesn’t start automatically (自动地), then you’ll have to enrollin (参加) Medicare in 1 of 3 ways below.
Sign up for Medicare on line
More people than ever are enrolling in Medicare online. First, you will need an account with the Social Security Administration. Once you have that, click on “Start a New Application” for Medicare on Social Security’s website and immediately receive your application.
Apply for Medicare over the phone
Believe it or not, you can make Medicare happen over the phone. Just call Social Security’s Medicare at 1-800-772-1213. This option will take more time than signing up online, but less time than visiting a Social Security office.
Apply for Medicare in person
The classic way to apply for Medicare is to visit your local Social Security office and take a number. You’ll have a one-on-one session with a federal employee, who will deal with your application. Make sure to ask for a printed confirmation of your Medicare enrollment before you leave the office. If you don’t know where your local Social Security office is, use the SSA office locator to find one nearby. You can visit any Social Security office, not just the closest one to you.
1. Who can apply for Medicare health service?| A．A 9-year-old child. | B．A 58-year-old woman. |
| C．A 70-year-old man. | D．A man who has collected disability income for 18 months. |
| A．Apply online. | B．Apply over the phone. |
| C．Apply in person. | D．Talk with a manager. |
| A．Call 1-800-772-1213. | B．Use the SSA office locator. |
| C．Ask your neighbour for help. | D．Search on Social Security’s website. |
10 . Jerilee Melo has been teaching preschool for four years. When COVID-19 shut down her school, she began to wonder what her next Career move would be.
After several months, Melo decided to take a risk. She found a bus on Facebook Marketplace and purchased it in hopes of setting up her own teaching space.
Melo renovated (翻新) the bus and in August began teaching her first preschoolers, many of them her students in previous classrooms. To keep safe, Melo spread her class so that there were never more than five children on the bus with masks on.
Melo doesn’t move the bus during lessons, but parks it at a certain location and allows it to serve as a mobile classroom that utilizes the surroundings.
While her bus was renovated for teaching, Melo hadn’t been able to decorate it. In November she decided to enter a contest with Brittany Jeltema, a former teacher who now hosts giveaways for classroom makeovers (重新布置). Much to Melo’s surprise, Jeltema reached out telling her that she won.
“Jeri’s application stood out, because it was such an innovative approach to education,” Jeltema said.“Jeri submitted pictures of her bus before the makeover, and my brain lit up with ideas. I knew I could help create an engaging environment for her students.”
Over the course of a weekend, Jeltema and her team flew to Valencia, California, and transformed Melo’s mobile classroom into a 70’s style bus.
With her bus, Melo hopes to inspire other teachers to get creative during these unprecedented times.
“A lot of teachers are scared right now, because they feel they need to be in a classroom to educate. And they don’t,” Melo said. “I think teachers need to expand and go beyond the classroom, because what they have is valuable.”
1. Why did Melo buy a bus?| A．To test a risky business. | B．To build a market. |
| C．To expand her living space. | D．To continue her career. |
| A．By driving the bus along. | B．By reducing learning duration. |
| C．By reducing the class size. | D．By teaching in remote surroundings. |
| A．Scared. | B．Impressed. | C．Surprised. | D．Curious. |
| A．By following their dreams. | B．By beautifying classrooms. |
| C．By thinking outside the box. | D．By concentrating on students. |
