1 . A new study finds that less than seven percent of the adult population in the US have what health experts consider good cardiometabolic (心脏代谢) health.
Using information on roughly 55,000 people over the age of 20, the results show just 6.8 percent of American adults reached optimal (最佳的) levels of health in 2018. Moreover, the study found American health has been in sharp decline over the last 20 years. In 1999, one in three adults had a healthy weight. By 2018, that number fell to just one in four Americans. At the same time, three in five people were free of diabetes in 1999. By 2018, however, more than six in ten adults had the condition!
“These numbers are striking. It’s deeply problematic that in the United States, fewer than 1 in 15 adults have optimal cardiometabolic health,” says Meghan O’Hearn, one of the researchers from Tufts University. “We need a complete overhaul (革新) of our healthcare system, food system, and living conditions, because this is a crisis for everyone.”
Instead of just looking for signs of disease, the team focused their study on the signs of good, moderate, and poor cardiometabolic health. “Disease is not the only problem,” O’Hearn explains. “We don’t just want to be free of disease. We want to achieve optimal health and well-being.”
Researchers also found large health gaps between US adults of different genders, ages, and education levels. Specifically, the study found Americans with less education were half as likely to be in peak cardiometabolic health.
O’Hearn adds, “Identifying these individuals and addressing their health conditions and lifestyle early is critical to reducing growing healthcare burdens. Its impacts on national healthcare spending and the financial health of the entire economy are enormous. And these conditions are largely preventable. We have the public health and clinical interventions and policies to be able to address these problems.”
1. What percentage of American adults had optimal cardiometabolic health in 2018?| A．Over 7 percent. | B．Just 6.8 percent. |
| C．Around 33 percent. | D．About 60 percent. |
| A．They’re unreal. | B．They’re acceptable. |
| C．They’re expected. | D．They’re shocking. |
| A．To find the big age gap. | B．To help people keep fit. |
| C．To develop new drugs. | D．To earn lots of profits. |
| A．Joint effort is needed to improve public health. |
| B．Economic growth affects personal health condition. |
| C．America saw a slow decrease in healthcare costs. |
| D．Rich people tend to suffer from health problems. |
2 . As we all know, insects can be remarkably agile (灵活的) in flight. This is really hard to build into flying robots, but MIT Assistant Professor Kevin Yufeng Chen has developed an insect-sized drone (无人机) that approaches insects’ agility.
Typically, drones require wide open spaces. “If we look at most drones today, they’re usually quite big,” says Chen. “Most of their applications involve flying outdoors. The question is: Can you create an insect-sized drone that can move around in very crowded and complex spaces?”
According to Chen, he overcame many problems when building the drone. The insect-sized drone requires a fundamentally different construction from a larger one. The large drone is usually powered by a motor, but the motor loses efficiency as you shrink it. So, Chen says, “For an insect-sized drone, you need to look for alternatives.” The principal alternative until now has been employing a small, rigid actuator (执行器) built from new materials. Chen designed a more agile tiny drone using soft actuators instead of hard ones.
Each actuator can beat nearly 500 times per second and weighs just 0.6 gram, approximately the mass of a large bee. It gives the drone insect-like agility. “You can hit it when it’s flying, and it can recover,” says Chen. “It can also turn over in the air.” The drone looks a bit like a tiny cassette tape with wings, though Chen is also working on a new one shaped like a dragonfly.
Chen says his drone can be useful in industry and agriculture. It can perform machinery inspections to ensure safety and function. Its potential applications include completing search-and-rescue missions following a disaster. “All those things can be very difficult for existing large-scale drones,” Chen explains.
1. What can we know about the actuator designed by Chen?| A．It weighs about six grams. |
| B．It drives the insect-sized drone. |
| C．It loses efficiency too much. |
| D．It employs conventional materials. |
| A．Easy. | B．Costly. | C．Fruitless. | D．Challenging. |
| A．Its safety standards. | B．Its flying range. |
| C．Its possible applications. | D．Its design principle. |
| A．An Insect-like Small Drone |
| B．The Future of Insect-sized Drones |
| C．How Drones Will Change the Agriculture |
| D．What Challenge Drone Development Faces |
3 . I have always loved the Arthurian legend (传奇), as there is something quite special about King Arthur, and of course Merlin, my favourite character from the stories.
Death of an Empire is the second volume in MK Hume’s “Merlin” series which details Merlin’s life from birth. Merlin travels across the Roman Empire in search of his father, a voyage of discovery to understand just who he was. Eventually Merlin gets involved in the fight against the Hun’s invasion (入侵) of Europe at the Battle of the Catalaunian Plain.
Serving under the General Flavius Aetius, Merlin builds a reputation by saving the lives of thousands of soldiers. When he finally reaches Rome, he saves many more. But a far deadlier conflict between Emperor Valentinian and Senator Petronius Maximus is around the corner and Merlin must use all his strength to carry out his work.
If I had to choose just one word to describe this novel, there would be no other choice than “immersive (身临其境的)”. There has clearly been a serious amount of research carried out by the author. Combined with the descriptive prose and imaginative story, the book really does attract you from almost the very start. The story really does feel like you are a part of it as Merlin travels across the Roman Empire.
The author does a great job of mixing the rich history with established Arthurian legend. The battle scene is handled very effectively. The author employs a very effective form to show the main fight and this not only adds a degree of tension and a good level of excitement but almost makes you feel like you are right there hearing about what happened.
Death of an Empire is a very fine novel, a wonderfully rich tale and a rewarding story.
1. Why does Merlin travel across the Roman Empire?| A．To visit King Arthur. | B．To enjoy a nice view. |
| C．To get a well-paid job. | D．To find out his origin. |
| A．It is a mixture of history and legend. |
| B．It features difficult language. |
| C．It speaks highly of an emperor. |
| D．It is a masterpiece of Merlin. |
| A．An effective description. | B．A long-running battle. |
| C．A wonderful feeling. | D．A well-known legend. |
| A．A news report. | B．A history story. |
| C．A book review. | D．A science fiction. |
| A．A puzzle show. | B．A film. | C．A football match. |
5 . The Chicago Botanic Garden opened more than 45 years ago as a beautiful place to visit, and it has matured into one of the world’s great living museums and conservation science centers.
Group Visit Packages
Garden Package
♦$41 per person
♦One activity/tour of your choice
♦Private dining area for one hour and lunch
Tours
Grand Tram Tour
♦35-minute guided tour departs on the hour starting at 10 am
♦Travels 2. 6 miles and shows the entire Garden grounds, including such highlights as 81 acres of lakes, nine islands, and beautiful gardens
♦Maximum capacity of 76 people
♦Available during peak season (April-October)
Activities
Butterflies & Blooms
For $6 more per person, put yourself in a habitat filled with more than 500 butterflies native to South America and North America. From late May through early September, 10 am — 5 pm. This visit takes approximately 20 minutes.
Model Railroad Garden
For $6 more per person, add a unique adventure to your package: 15 model trains journey coast-to-coast across bridges, through tunnels, and past miniature (微型的) scenes of America’s favorite landmarks. From mid-May to late October, 10 am—5 pm. This visit takes approximately 30 minutes.
Specialty Tours
Library Tour
This tour package includes a rare book viewing, a library tour, and an exhibition tour. Maximum 30 people per tour. This tour takes approximately 50 minutes.
Garden Highlights Walking Tour
On this tour, you will be taken to a garden in full bloom. Areas for touring are determined on the day of your visit and are based on blooms and the group’s capacity to walk. This tour takes approximately 35 minutes.
1. What do we know about Grand Tram Tour?| A．It has no time restriction. |
| B．It offers eight tours a day. |
| C．It is available all year round. |
| D．It limits the number of visitors. |
| A．$6. | B．$20. | C．$41. | D．$ 47. |
| A．Library Tour. | B．Model Railroad Garden. |
| C．Butterflies & Blooms. | D．Garden Highlights Walking Tour. |
The course of human history has been shaped by many
In most cases, these breakthroughs have been the results of single-minded efforts
7 . Learning doesn’t have to end when people age. In fact, today’s seniors want to remain socially engaged, intellectually stimulated (智力上活跃的), and an active part of their communities according to The American University Beirut (AUB) in Lebanon, That’s why AUB opened The University for Seniors that gives older adults—50 and up—an opportunity for lifelong learning.
“The goal of the program is to establish a community for seniors to learn for life, most of whom are retirees,” Mira Zaatari, the program assistant manager told Al-Fanar Media. “They can stay engaged physically and mentally here.”
The university includes two three-month semesters and students can take any class they want regardless of their educational level. There are no exams or graduation certificates. This school is all about lifelong learning. The available classes include political science, public health, agriculture, sciences, women’s affairs as well as creative classes about drawing, painting and music. Language classes include English, French and Spanish. The classes are taught by volunteers, including AUB professors, students, and doctors from the university’s hospital.
Seniors can gain a host of benefits by continuing to learn new things. According to Aging Well, that’s because lifelong learning keeps the brain stimulated, challenged and fully engaged. “This helps seniors remain mentally alert while they age. In fact, when people learn new things, the brain—even an older brain—can form new connections and pathways,” it adds.
Keeping physically active is important and so is keeping social connections. That’s why the university provides more than just education.
Former banker Youssef Bakri, 84, has been a student for over 10 years. He pointed out that before the pandemic the university garden was used as a meeting place for socialization and that there were organized field trips.
With the percentage of over 65s in Lebanon’s population growing and the fact that many of these seniors live alone without family members in the country, The University for Seniors is playing a very important role in the lives of its students.
1. Why does AUB launch the program?| A．To do some scientific research on seniors. |
| B．To promote learning among young people. |
| C．To encourage seniors to do volunteer work. |
| D．To offer a lifelong learning place for seniors. |
| A．Get free medical treatment. | B．Pass final exams as a group. |
| C．Choose their classes at will. | D．Obtain graduation certificates. |
| A．explain why learning can benefit seniors |
| B．show the working principle of the brain |
| C．offer advice on how to learn new things |
| D．analyze the advantages of accepting aging |
| A．It is far from suitable for seniors. | B．It has trouble in attracting students. |
| C．It is of great value for its students. | D．It cares little about its students’ health. |
8 . Jamil Jan Kochai, the author of 99 Nights in Logar, searched for more than a decade for Susan Lung — the second-grade teacher who had changed his life over 20 years earlier. On Saturday night, the two were finally reunited at one of his book-reading events.
The writer was born in a refugee camp (难民营) for Afghans in Peshawar, Pakistan, and his family moved to California when he was just a year old. At home, they spoke mostly Pashto and some Farsi, so by the time he reached first grade, he was at a total loss because he could hardly speak English. Then came Mrs. Lung, who quickly realized that Kochai was deeply struggling at Alyce Norman Elementary School.
The two got to work, meeting for one-on-one lessons nearly every day after school. At the end of the school year, Kochai won reading-comprehension competitions.
Lung and Kochai lost touch when Kochai’s father got a job in another city and the boy moved on, with a new love of reading and writing. When he grew older, Kochai’s parents encouraged him to find his former teacher to thank her. But despite his efforts, he failed to track her down.
“I didn’t know her first name. She was always just Mrs. Lung to me, so when I called places to ask about her, they couldn’t find any records of her,” Kochai said.
Then, while promoting his first novel, he wrote an essay for Literary Hub magazine touching on the transformative impact that Lung had on his life. Lung’s doctor happened to read it, and told the now-retired educator about that.
Lung’s husband saw a Facebook post about Kochai’s reading event on Saturday in Davis, California and suggested he drive his wife there.
“I had no idea they were going to be there,” Kochai said. “It was just like a sweet dream. Mrs. Lung was sitting in the front row. She was just the same Mrs. Lung. Just as sweet, kind and warm as ever.”
Kochai and Lung hugged, and Kochai finally got the chance to express to her how much he still thought of her and how much she meant to him.
1. How did Mrs. Lung help Kochai?| A．By dropping by his house regularly. | B．By asking him to read more in class. |
| C．By spending extra time tutoring him. | D．By saving him out of a refugee camp. |
| A．There were few records about her. | B．His parents provided little support. |
| C．He was too young to remember her. | D．He had limited information about her. |
| A．Surprised and delighted. | B．Shocked and angry. |
| C．Ashamed and regretful. | D．Proud and grateful. |
| A．A Distinguished Guest Showed Up at a Reading Event |
| B．A Writer Was Finally Reunited With His Former Teacher |
| C．A Famous Teacher Saved a Poor Student’s Whole Life |
| D．A Book Changed a Celebrity and a Retired Teacher |
9 . Explore China’s Ancient Water Towns
Nanxun
This water town typically draws smaller crowds. The architecture is a unique mix of traditional Chinese and Western styles. As you walk along the ancient canals, you’re likely to see locals playing cards or having tea outdoors. The town dates back to the Chunyou Period of the Song Dynasty, between the years of 1241 to 1252. Today, it’s considered to be the best destination for weddings.
Tongli
Tongli is considered a mini Venice, with nearly every building on or by a canal. The town itself is composed of seven small islands, separated by 15 canals and joined by more than 40 bridges—plus, five lakes surround the town itself. Tongli is more than 1,000 years old, and the oldest bridge in the town dates back to the Song Dynasty, which began in the year 960. Visitors here should check out the wedding museum, which has antique Chinese wedding clothes and items on display.
Zhouzhuang
This is the most famous and most commercialized ancient water town in China. The architecture here dates back more than 900 years, with about 60 original brick archways and 100 original courtyards. More recently, a tower called Quanfu Temple was built in 1987. Climb to the top to get the best view of the ancient town. Or for a more authentic experience, visit Chengxu Taoist Temple, which was built between 1086 and 1093. It’s one of the most famous Taoist temples in the area.
Xitang
Xitang separates itself from other water towns with sheltered waterside streets, allowing locals and guests to comfortably walk alongside the canals even during the rainy season. Thanks to a less commercial atmosphere, visitors will be rewarded with opportunities that aren’t likely to be found in other water towns-like fishing with locals on the canals and having dinner on a boat. Xitang is truly ancient, dating back to the Warring States Period of 476 BC to 221 BC.
1. Which town will an ancient Chinese wedding culture lover most probably prefer?| A．Nanxun. | B．Xitang. | C．Tongli. | D．Zhouzhuang. |
| A．In 900. | B．In 1086. | C．In 1093. | D．In 1987. |
| A．Its famous Taoist temples. | B．Its sheltered waterside streets. |
| C．Its various ancient bridges. | D．Its commercial atmosphere. |
1. Where is the speaker?
| A．On Stage 1. | B．On Stage 2. | C．On Stage 3. |
| A．Get first aid. | B．Use public telephones. | C．Meet their lost children. |
| A．Tell their neighbors. | B．Use the main entrance. | C．Leave their tickets behind. |
| A．The schedule. | B．Competition rules. | C．The performers. |
