1 . There are many resorts in the world. Make your Branson, Missouri vacation easy by booking a complete vacation package with general attractions, shows and more. Located in the rolling hills of the Ozarks, Branson also features numerous outdoor activity options for a varied vacation experience.
Two-night Branson Getaway Package
When planning a wonderful holiday to Branson, book the Two-night Branson Getaway Package, which includes two nights of staying, dinner and a show at the Dolly Parton’s Stampede, and admission to the traditional Acrobats (杂技) of Shanghai!
Price: Adult: $156.
Children: Ages 3-19: $81.22, Ages 0-2: Free.
Branson Dolly Parton’s Stampede Getaway
Whether you are planning a weekend holiday in Branson or a short mid-week trip, you will love the Branson Dolly Parton’s Stampede Getaway, which includes two nights of staying and Dolly Parton’s Stampede Dinner and Show!
Price: Adult: $ 156.
Children: Ages 3-19: $73.01, Ages 0-2: Free.
Silver Dollar City Package
Have the ultimate vacation in Branson with the Silver Dollar City Package, which includes two nights of staying, a two-day pass to Silver Dollar City, and dinner and a show aboard the Showboat Branson Belle!
Price: Adult: $315.
Children: Ages 3-19: $74. 00, Ages 0-2: Free.
Branson’s Fun for Kids Vacation
For an exciting vacation in Branson that children will simply love, book Branson’s Fun for Kids Vacation, which includes two nights of staying, admission to the Branson’s Wild World VIP Animal Adventure, Escape Mini Golf & Jungle Arcade, Hamners’ Unbelievable Magic Show, Fritz’s Adventure, a one-day pass to Silver Dollar City and admission to the Dolly Parton’s Stampede!
Price: Adult: $ 474.
Children: Ages 3-19: $68.78, Ages 0-2: Free.
1. Which vacation package will you choose if you want to watch a Chinese traditional art?| A．Silver Dollar City Package. | B．Branson’s Fun for Kids Vacation. |
| C．Two-night Branson Getaway Package. | D．Branson Dolly Parton’s Stampede Getaway. |
| A．$389. | B．$463. | C．$704. | D．$778. |
| A．Two nights of staying. | B．Silver Dollar City tickets. |
| C．A show at the Dolly Parton’s Stampede. | D．Admission to the Acrobats of Shanghai. |
2 . For most people, nothing is better than having an iced beer after you are back home in hot summer.
1. Beer reduces risk of heart disease You can easily reduce the risk of heart disease by 30% or more if you are one of the individuals who drink a pint of beer per day. The result is totally opposite if you drink too much beer. Be careful with your portions.
2.
Beer prevents diabetes due to the alcohol content which increases insulin (胰岛素) sensitivity. Also, beer is rich in dissolvable fiber that is so needed if the individual suffers from diabetes.
Beer minimizes risk of cancer Xanthohumol (抗氧化剂黄腐酚) is found in beer, which is very important since it has anti-cancer properties. Drinking beer in moderation speeds up chemical reactions that keep off the risk of prostate cancer (前列腺癌) in males.
4. Beer manages blood pressure
According to the recent studies carried out by Harvard researchers, middle-aged women who drink beer in moderation were much less likely to develop high blood pressure. Other alcoholic drinks do not have the same properties.
5. Beer treats dandruff (头皮屑)
You’ll be surprised to find the annoying dandruff finally gone.
| A．Beer lowers risk of diabetes. |
| B．Beer improves your oily skin. |
| C．Believe it or not, women should also drink beer. |
| D．At the same time, you may be a little nervous and guilty. |
| E．Some people prefer a beer to some pills when they get a cold in summer. |
| F．Remember it is how much beer you consume that matters to your health. |
| G．Beer is much healthier than all the shampoos and conditioners (护发素) that you see on the shelves in the supermarket or in advertisements. |
3 . Calling vegetables and fruits “ugly” can be a recipe for sales success, according to a new study.
A French supermarket chain made international headlines when it began marketing misshapen produce as “ugly” in 2014. Since then, food stores around the world have launched campaigns to sell “imperfect produce”. Some have been successful, while others haven’t — but until now, researchers hadn’t adequately explained why consumers rejected imperfect produce, or what marketing approach was most likely to whet their appetites.
The researchers conducted seven studies that tested the effects of “ugly” labeling by having participants purchase produce at a farmer’s market and online, and by examining people’s impressions about misshapen foods. Interestingly, they found that consumers expected the imperfect produce to be less tasty and even less nutritious than more traditionally attractive foods.
But it’s not all bad news for unattractive foods. The researchers also found that when the produce is labeled “ugly”, consumer hesitancy disappears — and it’s not because of humor or originality. Calling items “ugly” signals to consumers that the only difference between items is appearance, which makes them aware of their bias (偏见) and significantly increases their willingness to buy the less attractive produce.
“We’re pointing to the source of the rejection,” explains John Meredith, the lead researcher. “It makes people aware of the limited nature of their objection to the unattractive produce and makes it clear to consumers that there are no other problems in the produce other than attractiveness.”
The research also found consumers spent more on the misshapen produce labeled “ugly” instead of “imperfect”. And even though the ugly produce was sold at a 25 percent discount, it turned out to be more profitable for sellers, as the cost of acquiring the ugly produce was lower. However, if the price reduction was too sharp, participants expected the “ugly” foods to be of low quality.
1. What is the new study mainly about?| A．Food quality. | B．Consumer demand. |
| C．Marketing approach. | D．Bias against appearance. |
| A．Satisfy their need to eat better. | B．Stimulate their desire of buying. |
| C．Encourage them to risk trying out. | D．Raise their concerns about nutrition. |
| A．They are happy to spend less and have more. |
| B．They are curious about the special shapes of produce. |
| C．They are attracted by the funny and creative idea of labeling. |
| D．They are led to believe ugly produce has no quality problems. |
| A．Call the ugly produce “ugly”. | B．Label the ugly produce “imperfect”. |
| C．Group the produce by its attractiveness. | D．Price the ugly produce at a sharp discount. |
4 . Do you want to see majestic lions roaring, rare rhinos running and colorful birds flying? You’ll find this incredible display of nature in the Kenya Lake System in the Great Rift Valley.
First stop
Fly into Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. This great city is known for its fashion markets and beautiful art. And be sure to pick up some rich Kenyan coffee while you’re there! Then head for the countryside.
Plan your trip
The largest of the three lakes in the system, Lake Nakuru, is less than 175 kilometers from Nairobi. But Lakes Bogoria and Elementaita are equally worth a visit. You can stay at one of several choices of luxurious cabins in the valley. And if you sign up for a trip, be sure to put flamingos, the white and pink birds, at the top of your list.
Paradise
The Kenya Lake System is shallow and alkaline (碱性的). That means it supports vegetation such as green algae, a food source for many waterfowl. Hundreds of species of birds flourish here, using this area as a major breeding and nesting ground. Water buffalo, leopards, monkeys and the endangered Rothschild giraffe also make this area their home.
Other sights
Wildlife isn’t the only natural wonder in the Great Rift Valley. The valley marks a place where the earth is divided far below the surface. This rock separation below ground leads to noticeable features above ground. Walking around Lake Bogoria especially, you will see steam rising from hot springs.
Other activities include golfing, horseback riding and hiking. The fun doesn’t stop when the sun goes down, either. The river valley is far from city lights, so many visitors gaze at the stars shining above.
If you are ready for a wildlife experience, don’t hesitate!
1. Where can you buy fashionable gifts in Kenya?| A．Nairobi. | B．Lake Nakuru. | C．Lake Bogoria. | D．Lake Elementaita. |
| A．Living in a cabin. | B．Seeing flamingos. |
| C．Visiting hot springs. | D．Gazing at shining stars. |
| A．It has countless lakes worth visiting. | B．It’s an ideal place for wildlife to live. |
| C．Its water is unsuitable for plant growth. | D．It’s famous for rich culture and history. |
5 . When romantic partners argue over things like finances, jealousy, or other interpersonal issues, they tend to employ their current feelings as fuel for a heated argument. But thinking about the future helps overcome relationship conflicts, according to a University of Waterloo study just published online in Social Psychological and Personality Science. Alex Huynh, a doctoral candidate in psychology is the lead author of the study, which he published with Igor Grossmann from the University of Waterloo, and Daniel Yang from Yale University.
Previous research has shown that third-perspective reasoning can be a positive strategy for reconciliation (调解) of interpersonal struggles. Huynh and his collaborators investigated whether similar benefit can be induced by simply thinking about the future. Study participants were instructed to reflect on a recent conflict with a romantic partner or a close friend. One group of participants were then asked to describe how they would feel about the conflict one year in the future, while another group was asked to describe how they feel in the present.
The team examined participants’ written responses through a text-analysis program for their use of pronouns — such as I, me, she, he. These choices of pronouns were used to capture participants’ focus on the feelings and behaviour of those involved in the conflict. Written responses were also examined for forgiveness and reinterpreting the conflict more positively, both of which implied the participants’ use of reasoning strategies.
The researchers found that envisioning future relationship affected both participants’ focus on their feelings, and their reasoning strategies. As a result, participants reported more positivity about their relationship altogether, especially when study participants extended their thinking about the relationship a year into the future.
“Our study demonstrates that adopting a future-oriented perspective in the context of a relationship conflict — reflecting on how one might feel a year from now — may be a valuable coping tool for one’s psychological happiness and relationship well-being,” said Huynh.
1. What do romantic partners do in face of most disagreements?| A．They lose faith in their future. | B．They focus on their present feelings. |
| C．They look forward to a fierce conflict. | D．They care more about financial problems. |
| A．Caused. | B．Explained. |
| C．Reduced. | D．Improved. |
| A．All the study participants described how they felt both in the present and in the future. |
| B．Study participants described their recent relationship with their romantic partners or friends. |
| C．A text-analysis program was employed to examine participants’ use of negative words. |
| D．The reasoning strategies in participants’ written responses were well worthy of note. |
| A．You have a year to solve your interpersonal problems! |
| B．Thinking about future is essential for relationship maintenance! |
| C．Your current feelings are the real cause of your heated arguments! |
| D．Beneficial reasoning is a positive strategy for reconciliation! |
Lushan National Park, in the south of Jiujiang City, Jiangxi Province, is a well-known tourist attraction both in China and abroad. It has appealed
The national park covers an area of 500 square kilometers and has more than 90 mountain peaks (山峰). The tallest one of these is Hanyang Peak which has a
Wulao Feng,
Sandie Spring
As a young boy, I was carefree. Every vacation I looked forward to two things—seeing my grandpa and hearing his wonderful stories. My grandpa was a very good storyteller. He had worked various odd jobs when he was young and wove his adventures and misadventures into fantastic tales. These wonderful tales colored my childhood.
As I grew up, I had to admit that Grandpa’s stories went on a little long, even a little boring and gradually lost their magic. However, not wanting to upset him, my brother and I would sometimes take turns sitting in the living room, listening to grandpa tell his stories.
When my grandpa was approaching 91, he suffered from serious memory-loss. It was kind of what doctors called dementia (痴呆), probably the earliest stage of Alzheimer’s disease. Following the doctor’s directions, we moved him into a Sunrise Assisted Living Community, where he could get a better care. After that, grandpa hardly came to our house.
One weekend before my grandpa’s birthday, I came to visit him. Seeing grandpa sitting in his armchair, dull-looking, I was consumed with mixed feelings. I wheeled grandpa to the sunshine in the courtyard, talking to him. He couldn’t express himself clearly and spoke in short bursts, but I listened to him patiently and carefully just as I used to be a little boy.
It was then that I noticed a shadow box with some old and yellowish photos in it. I picked one up, in which my brother, several boys in our neighborhood, and I were playing basketball with grandpa cheering us on twenty years before. My mind flashed back to those beautiful memories. Back then, Grandpa was in good physical condition and we were all wearing basketball jerseys, playing and laughing with abandon. I presented the photo to my grandpa, pointing at each member and reminding him of their names. Incredibly, grandpa could speak out the name of every player. I even caught a soft light in grandpa’s eyes and a smile on his lips.
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。
A bright idea for grandpa’s birthday came to my mind.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Seeing “the same players” playing there, grandpa seemed to have thought of something.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________8 . Teachers are one of the professions least at risk of being automated. A job that requires emotional intelligence and flexibility — in adapting lesson plans on the fly to a particular group of children, for example — is not one particularly well-suited to robots.
Artificial intelligence (AI), however, still deserves a role in the classroom. This is not as a replacement for teachers, but as a tool or an assistant that can aid them both in trying to close the gap in achievement between the rich and the poor and in making up for lost teaching time, for instance.
The principle of machine learning is to enhance humans’ existing capacities. The best AI apps promise to improve teachers’ knowledge of what their students need, how best they deliver the teaching, and which students require the most help — from a human teacher — to keep up with their learning. Besides, poor and unequal schooling, leaving too many children behind, is one of the deepest roots of inequality and low productivity. If AI can help target existing teaching resources better, the benefits could be incalculable.
Therefore, smart policy is urgent. There must be a focus on the teaching philosophy behind the programs, as well as ensuring that any decisions made by machine learning are under human control. In education, choices made by AI could set a direction for the rest of a child’s life.
These may be common concerns about AI, but education is particularly sensitive — especially the ownership and control of any data generated through the platforms. Schools, too, will need to prevent teachers, who already have plenty of responsibilities, from also having to keep up to date with thousands of apps. AI belongs in the classroom only so long as it enhances the humankind.
1. What role should AI play in the classroom?| A．An assistant to help teachers. | B．An aid to punish students. |
| C．A machine to replace teachers. | D．A tool to protect students. |
| A．It tells which teacher needs the most help. |
| B．It instructs teachers how to deliver speeches. |
| C．It provides ways for teachers to make money. |
| D．It helps balance the existing teaching resources. |
| A．Improving the humankind. |
| B．Setting a direction for education. |
| C．Preventing teachers from using apps. |
| D．Producing data through online platforms. |
| A．The Popularity of E-Teaching Apps |
| B．The Application and Flexibility of AI |
| C．Rules for Bringing AI into the Classroom |
| D．Approaches to Enhancing Teaching Online |
The story of coffee often begins with a shepherd
Coffee reached Europe in the late 16th century through trade. Coffee was introduced into Italy first. Coffee really became popular in Europe in the 17th century, and the coffee houses opened across Europe.
In the Americas, coffee was introduced during colonization, first as an imported good, then as a cultivated crop throughout Central America. The cultivation of coffee in Americas, like other cash crops, resulted
10 . Edward O. Wilson, known as “ant man”, was born on June 10, 1929, in Birmingham, Alabama. His parents divorced when he was young, and he was moved frequently throughout his childhood. Wilson grew up exploring the forests and wildlife. One of these adventures left him partly blind, but they also set off his lifelong fascination with ants and their social structures.
Wilson earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Alabama. In 1955, he received his Ph.D. from Harvard and worked there until retirement.
Wilson’s early study of ants led to his first major discovery in 1959: how ants communicate through the release of chemical signals.
Later, in 1990, Wilson and German biologist Bert Hölldobler published their Pulitzer- winning The Ants. It detailed the insects’ social structure that was both valued by scholars and accessible to general readers.
Another of Wilson’s major works started in the early 1960s when he teamed up with Robert MacArthur. The pair published The Theory of Island Biogeography, where they sought to explain why different places have different numbers of species.
What many consider to be Wilson's most important contributions to evolutionary biology came in 1975 when he published Sociobiology: The New Synthesis. The work explored the genetic roots of animal behavior and argued that genes shaped human behavior.
Wilson faced accusations for these ideas but his work finally largely proved true. In 1978, his ideas on the role biology plays in human culture peaked in On Human Nature, which won him a Pulitzer in 1979.
Wilson published more than 400 scientific papers and 20 books. These accomplishments offered him a type of superstar status, but friends and colleagues say the polite Southerner remained down to earth. “Professor Wilson really listened and engaged with whomever he was interacting with,” said Corrie S. Moreau, who was one of Wilson's final advisees.
1. What contributed to Wilson’s passion for ants?| A．His accidental disability. | B．The discovery he made about ants. |
| C．The school education he received. | D．His boyhood time spent in nature. |
| A．The social structure of ants. | B．The distribution of different species. |
| C．The links between biology and human culture. | D．The role of chemical signals in communication. |
| A．Productive. | B．Humble. | C．Open-minded. | D．Independent. |
| A．The Pioneering “Ant Man” | B．Discoveries in Evolutionary Biology |
| C．A Leading Figure in Popular Science | D．The Adventure of a Pulitzer Prize Winner |
