1 . While beach vacations may be a great way to take your mind off work, lakes surrounded by mountains make for an even more wonderful experience. If you are looking for some peace on your vacation, we have some recommendations for you in the Caucasus (高加索).
Lake Sevan
Lake Sevan is located in the central part of Armenia, in the Gegharkunik province. It is the largest lake in Armenia, 6,200ft above sea level. Along the lake shore, there are various accommodations such as resorts and hotels with plenty of activities to take part in such as windsurfing, swimming and sunbathing. While there, do not forget to visit one of the famous cultural sites with remarkable history, the Sevanavank Monastery, and it offers a great view of the lake as well.
Paravani Lake
Paravani Lake, 6,801ft above sea level, is in the south of Georgia, near the Javakheti Plateau. At this level, altitude sickness can appear and it is a good idea to be prepared to adapt to it properly, or bring medicine for altitude sickness. Being a volcanic lake makes for a more interesting experience. The lake is best known for fishing. Do not come here during the winter months when the lake freezes.
Lake Cildir
Lake Cildir is in the Ardahan province, east Turkey, near the borders of Georgia and Armenia. It is a large freshwater lake of eastern Turkey, and many tourists don’t notice this beautiful attraction. Lake Cildir is surrounded by mountains of the Caucasus. The lake freezes during late November. If the winter is not extremely cold, you can try some lake activities like ice skating and ice fishing.
Lake Van
Lake Van is the must visit of all lakes in this list, the largest lake in Turkey. Lake Van is on the eastern shore of Turkey and is also the most accessible lake there. It’s 5,380ft above sea level, and unique to many lakes around the world: the water is high in salt content.
1. If you want to visit some historic sites during your travel by a lake, you can go to________.| A．Lake Cildir | B．Paravani Lake | C．Lake Sevan | D．Lake Van |
| A．Lack of medicine. | B．Altitude sickness. |
| C．Volcano eruptions. | D．Low temperature all the year. |
| A．Its water is high in salt. | B．It is a volcanic lake. |
| C．It is globally the largest lake. | D．It is surrounded by mountains. |
2 . “It’s over! Thank goodness!”
School was over and I was tired. I sat at the front of the school bus.
Janie, the driver, always tries to break the uncomfortable atmosphere by talking. I try to listen politely, but usually I’m too busy thinking about my day. On this day, however, her talk was worth listening to.
“My father’s ill,” she said to no one in particular. I could see worry in her eyes. I had never seen her like this before. She always meets students with a smile.
With a sudden chance of interest, I asked, “What’s wrong with him?”
With her eyes wet and her voice unusual, she answered, “Heart trouble.” Her eyes lowered as she continued, “I’ve already lost my mum, so I don’t think I can stand losing him.” I couldn’t answer. My heart ached for her.
I sat on the seat thinking of the great pain my own mother was thrown into when her father died. I saw how hard it was, and still is, for her. I wouldn’t want anyone to go through that.
Suddenly I realized Janie wasn’t only a bus driver, which was just her job. She had a whole world of family and cares too.
I shouldn’t have been so selfish. I paid no attention to Janie because she was a bus driver. I had judged her by her job and brushed her off as unimportant.
I shouldn’t have been so selfish and self-centered. Understanding people is an art.
1. When the students get on the school bus, Janie usually ________.| A．listens to music | B．talks about her own worry |
| C．sits on her seat without words | D．meets them with a smile |
| A．her father’s death | B．her mother’s pain |
| C．the ache of her own heart | D．the pain of Janie’s parents |
| A．thought of Janie as nothing but a driver | B．made only a few friends in the school |
| C．hardly thought of herself | D．never listened to others |
| A．losing parents makes people sad and helpless |
| B．understanding the people around us takes time |
| C．we should learn to understand the people around us |
| D．it’s not right to judge the people around us by their clothes |
3 . The sun is setting, brightening your kids’ faces as they play in the waves. You reach for your phone for this perfect moment. But before you do, here’s a bit of surprising science: Taking photos is not the perfect way to keep memory as you think.
Taking too many pictures could actually harm the brain’s ability to keep memories, says Elizabeth Loftus, a psychology professor at the University of California. So we get the photo but kind of lose the memory.
Photography “outsources” memories. It works in two ways: We either shake off the responsibility of remembering moments when taking pictures, or we’re so distracted by the process that we miss the moment altogether.
The first explanation is the loss of memory. People know that their camera is recording that moment, so they don’t try to remember. The other is distraction. We’re distracted by the process of taking a photo-how we hold our phone, composing the photo, such as smiling faces, the background to our liking and clear image, all of which uses up our attention that could otherwise help us memorize.
However, taking photos can help memory when done mindfully. While taking a photo may be distracting, the act of preparation by focusing on visual details around has the opposite. When people take the time to take clear pictures, memories become strengthened.
Another advantage is that we recall moments more exactly with the photos. Memory has been reshaped with the help of new information and new experiences. Thus, photos or videos help us recall moments as if they really happened.
Memories die away without a visual record backing them up. Therefore, a photo is an excellent tool to help remember when done purposefully, which is worth exploring further.
1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?| A．To introduce the topic. | B．To make us recall similar experience. |
| C．To show the interest in taking photos. | D．To call on readers not to take photos. |
| A．Taking photos is helpful for us to memorize. |
| B．Photos are more detailed than memories. |
| C．People depend more on photos to remember than their brains. |
| D．Many sources influence people’s memories during photo-taking |
| A．When taking photos is better. | B．When distraction is likely to happen. |
| C．How to stay focused while taking photos. | D．How to use photo-taking to memorize better. |
| A．Photography Does Help to Memories |
| B．Remember the Moment and Take Photos Properly |
| C．Too Many Photos Taken Result in Poor Memories |
| D．The Fewer Photos We Take, the Better We Will Remember |
4 . Nowadays, with the popularity of modern traffic and modern communication means, our world is becoming much smaller. Thus our life today is much easier than it was hundreds of years ago, but meanwhile it has brought new problems, the biggest one of which is pollution. For a long time ever since, man has been polluting the earth. The more people, the more pollution.
To pollute means to make things dirty. Pollution comes in many ways. We see it, smell it, drink it and even hear it. Many years ago, the problem was not so serious because there were not so many people. When the land was used up or the river was dirty in one place, man moved to another place. But this is no longer true. Man is now slowly polluting the whole world.
Air pollution is still the most serious. It’s bad for all living things in the world, but it is not the only one kind of pollution. Water pollution kills our fish and pollutes our drinking water. Noise pollution makes us angry more easily.
Many countries are making rules to fight pollution. They stop people from burning coal in houses and factories in the city, and from putting dirty smoke into the air. Pollution by SO2 is now the most dangerous kind of air pollution. It is caused by heavy traffic. We are sure that if there are fewer people driving, there will be less air pollution.
The earth is our home. We must take care of it. That means keeping the land, water and air clean. And we must take care of the rise in pollution at the same time.
1. What is the reason for the world to become much smaller?| A．The rise in pollution. | B．Science and technology development. |
| C．The earth is being polluted day and night. | D．The earth is blown away by the wind every year. |
| A．Air pollution. | B．Rubbish pollution. |
| C．Noise pollution. | D．Water pollution. |
| A．It makes much noise. | B．It makes us angry more easily. |
| C．It makes our rivers and lakes dirty. | D．It’s bad for all living things in the world. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Critical. | C．Doubtful. | D．Indifferent. |
5 . CREATIVE SUMMER CAMPS
Video Game Design
This international organization is aimed at inspiring girls to explore the world of games and build their confidence in the areas of math and technology. Students are grouped based on skill levels. Girls at all levels are welcome!
Time: June 15-26Age: 7-15
Fees: $ 160 each one; $ 128 members
Contact: Call Children’s Creativity Museum at 415-820-3320 or visit www. creativity. org.
History Summer Camp
Each day, kids will have a task to explore a different aspect of past life, including food, work, music, art through games, storytelling and even silent films.
Time: June 22-26Age: 8-12
Fees: 200 each one; 160 members
Contact: Call at 252-1770 or visit www.historiccolumbia.org.
Adventures in Creative Writing
This helps improve your writing skills if you have already mastered the basics of good writing. You’ll discover new techniques and polish your writing.
Time: June 21-26Age: 9-12
Fees: $ 500 each one
Contact: Call at 777-9444 or visit www.saeu.sc.edu/adventures.
Heathwood Hall Guitar
Whether you are a beginner or an experienced guitar player who wants to improve your skills, Heathwood Hall Guitar provides top-quality guitar instruction using a variety of fun games and exercises.
Time: June 15-19; July 13-17; Aug. 3-7Age: 3-12
Fees: 150 each one
Contact: Call Heathwood Hall at 231-7710 or visit www.heathwood.org.
Basic Drawing Writing Camp
This camp helps beginners discover the basic skills of drawing and writing and how to make it come to life on paper.
Time: June 8-11Age: 6-12
Fees: $ 350 each one; $ 300 members
Contact: Call Ladybug Art Studios at 603-7312 or visit www.ladybugartstudios.com.
1. What do we know about Video Game Design?
| A．It groups students by age. | B．It accepts no boy students. |
| C．It welcomes only experienced students. | D．It mainly develops students’ team spirit. |
| A．www.heathwood.org. | B．www.historiccolumbia.org. |
| C．www.saeu.sc.edu/adventures. | D．www.ladybugartstudios.com. |
| A．Charging the same fees. | B．Putting students into groups. |
| C．Offering professional instructions. | D．Letting students learn through games. |
6 . Last summer holiday, Aunt Emily took us to a safari park (野生动物园), not far from Liverpool.
I was very happy to go as I had never been to a safari park before. It’s a very interesting park, full of wild animals running freely.
When we got there, we bought our tickets and drove into the park. We were very excited at the thought of going to see the lions. But to get to the lions’ place we had to go through the monkeys’ land first. And that was an unforgettable experience because they climbed all over the car, ate apples and bananas, and threw all kinds of things at us. They seemed very unfriendly.
Anyway, we went on our way to the lions’ place where we had to lock ourselves in the car as we knew lions could be dangerous. A lion came up very close to us. Then it was on the bonnet (车盖). It looked calm but we felt terrified. Aunt Emily, who isn’t very brave, started to call for help. The kids started crying. Only my brother, George, stayed cool. I sounded the horn (喇叭) but nobody heard us.
In the end a guard arrived in his car, and the lion just got off our car and started smelling the guard’s hand as if nothing was the matter.
1. Which animal did the author want to see the most?| A．The lions. | B．The elephants. | C．The monkeys. | D．All of them. |
| A．Because the monkeys might steal things. | B．Because they were afraid of being robbed. |
| C．Because the lions might be dangerous. | D．Because something was wrong with the car. |
| A．Excited. | B．Bored. | C．Interested | D．Scared |
| A．Aunt Emily. | B．George. | C．The guard. | D．The author. |
While many people have made videos to cheer on those working on the front lines of the fight since the latest COVID-19 outbreak in Shanghai, Chien Meishuang
The paintings are part of her Journal of the Pandemic Lockdown,
The Taiwan native, who lives in Shanghai, is being on the receiving end of her neighbors’ kindness.
“It is because of the pandemic
8 . A brown leather cap, worn by pioneer pilot Amelia Earhart during her record-breaking flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 1928, had sold for $825,000 online, according to the Heritage Auctions (拍卖) website. The leather cap was expected to sell at around $80,000, but on Saturday, a person purchased it at about ten times the amount.
Anthony Twiggs, a retired photographer in Minnesota, put the helmet up for auction after experts confirmed its authenticity, according to The New York Times. Twiggs had received the cap 20 years ago from his mother, Ellie Brookhart, who claimed she got from a friend in 1929 following the first Women’s National Air Derby, an all-female race, in which Amelia finished third.
When the pilot was talking with reporters after the race, Ellie Brookhart and her friend were among the greeting crowd. The friend spotted the cap on the ground and presented the leather helmet—with the name “A. Earhart” printed on the inside—to Twiggs’ mother in an attempt to impress her. “My mother decided to keep it for Amelia,” Twiggs tells The New York Times. But Amelia was too busy with reporters then and when his mother tried to give it back to her a bit later, she had already left.
For the next 90 years, the cap was kept in a closet in Brookhart’s home, where she would bring it out occasionally over the years to show her four children. After his mother’s death, Twiggs tried to interest museums and collectors in acquiring it. However, he hit a wall. No one believed the story.
Now 67, Twiggs sent photos to John Robinson of Resolution Photomatching to verify (核实) the flying cap’s authenticity. After comparing images of Earhart wearing the hat with the current photos of the artifact, Robinson gave him a positive answer.
1. What turned out to be unexpected about the auction?| A．The style of the cap. | B．The owner of the cap. |
| C．The buyer of the item. | D．The final price of the item. |
| A．She had no intention to keep the cap at first. | B．She was too busy to return the cap to Amelia. |
| C．She interviewed Amelia Earhart in 1929. | D．She was interested in collecting caps. |
| A．Interested. | B．Doubtful. | C．Unclear. | D．Favorable. |
| A．A book review. | B．A history report. | C．A news story. | D．An auction advertisement. |
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10 . China’s long history has seen many scientists making great contributions to the development of ancient China and even the world. We have selected several greatest scientists in ancient China and hope to help you learn more about Chinese science and technology.
Zhang Zhongjing (150-219) was a Chinese physician in Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD). He founded medication principles and summarized the medicinal experience before his time. His famous work “ Shang Han Za Bing Lun ” had a major influence on the practice of traditional Chinese medicine. Today, this great book was still considered very important in the practice of Chinese medicine.
Li Daoyuan (AD 427 or 469-527) was a great Chinese geographer during the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534). He wrote the famous work “ Commentary to the River Classic ” (Shui Jing Zhu). The book is a great work on the ancient geography of China and it sums up China’s geography and its surrounding areas before Northern Wei Dynasty.
Sun Simiao was an outstanding medical scientist in the Tang Dynasty (618-907). He was called “ China’s King of Medicine ” for his important contributions to Chinese traditional medicine. Sun authored two books — “Qian Jin Yao Fang” and “Qian Jin Yi Fang” that were both landmarks in Chinese medicine history.
Shen Kuo was a great Chinese scientist and politician of the Song Dynasty (960-1279). He compiled (汇编) an scientific work “Dream Pool Essays”, which involves a lot descriptions about the animals and plants in the country. Shen also first described the magnetic needle compass, which would be used for navigation (航行). His discovery of concept of true north towards the north pole was four hundred years earlier than Europe.
1. The passage is mainly written to ________ .
| A．encourage readers to learn from these great scientists |
| B．explain what contributes to the development of ancient China |
| C．broaden readers’ horizons on Chinese science and technology |
| D．introduce the great medical contributions Chinese scientists made |
| A．Zhang Zhongjing’s | B．Li Daoyuan’s | C．Sun Simiao’s | D．Shen Kuo’s |
| A．He was a Chinese physician in Han Dynasty. |
| B．He worked on the ancient geography of China. |
| C．He was regarded as “China’s King of Medicine”. |
| D．He described the animals and plants a lot in his work. |
