1. What does Jack say about the Vulcan?
| A．It uses less energy than other cars. |
| B．It is faster than other cars. |
| C．It is heavier than other cars. |
| A．Design, Speed, and Truth. |
| B．Quality, Craftsmanship, and Luxury. |
| C．Power, Beauty, and Soul. |
| A．Ride in a Vulcan. | B．Attend a track event. | C．Buy a Vulcan. |
1. When was the National Library of St. Mark’s first designed?
| A．In 1588. | B．In 1570. | C．In 1537 |
| A．Being the first public library. |
| B．Surviving several wars. |
| C．Having the largest collection of books. |
| A．In Syria. | B．In Egypt. | C．In Greece. |
3 . Why did humans evolve to walk upright? Perhaps because it’s just plain easier. Make that “energetically less costly,” in science-speak.
Bipedalism — walking on two feet — is one of the defining characteristics of being human, and scientists have debated for years how it came about. In the latest attempt to find an explanation, researchers trained five chimpanzees to walk on treadmill while wearing masks that allowed measurement of their oxygen consumption. The chimps were measured both while walking upright and while moving on their legs and knuckles. That measurement of the energy needed to move round was compared with similar tests on humans and the results are published in this week’s online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
It turns out that humans walking on two legs use only one quarter of the energy that chimpanzees use while knuckle-walking on four limbs. And the chimps, on average, use as much energy using two legs as they did when they used all four limbs.
However, there were differences among chimpanzees in how much energy they used, and this difference corresponded to their different gaits and anatomy. One of the chimps used less energy on two legs, one used about the same and the others used more, said David Raichlen, assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Arizona.
“What we were surprised at was the variation,” he said in telephone interview. “That was pretty exciting, because when you talk about how evolution works, variation is the bottom line, without variation there is no evolution.”
Walking, on two legs freed our arms, opening the door to manipulating the world, Raichlen said. “We think about the evolution of bipedalism as one of first events that led hominids down the path to being human.”
The research was supported by the National Science Foundation and the L. S. B. Leakey Foundation.
1. The underlined word “Bipedalism” means .| A．moving sideways | B．walking upright |
| C．walking on four legs | D．running fast |
| A．Masks protect chimpanzees from any harm. |
| B．Masks help chimpanzees walk steadily. |
| C．There was heavy smoke in the room. |
| D．Masks helped to measure how much oxygen chimpanzees consumed. |
| A．have no idea on how human walking on two legs came about |
| B．have had different views on why chimpanzees walk on four legs |
| C．have had different views on how human walking on two legs came about |
| D．have had similar views on how human walking on two legs came about |
| A．How did chimpanzees save energy? | B．Why didn’t chimpanzees walk on two legs? |
| C．David Raichlen researched into chimpanzees. | D．Different chimpanzees consume different energy. |
| A．conserve energy | B．differ from other animals |
| C．free their brains | D．strengthen their legs |
I was traveling with my husband and three teenage sons, in the United States. We ordered our food at a fast-food place, and with my meal I also wanted a blueberry pie. My husband is the chatty one in the family and likes to socialize, so he started to a conversation about the place where blueberries grow with the girl. She answered, with some anxiety, “They grow on trees.”
The whole family’s jaws dropped! How could this girl not know where blueberries grow? We tried not to embarrass her, and just took the opportunity to teach her a little about how blueberries grow, on small shrubs on the ground. She seemed to appreciate learning something new. We can’t know all the same things, as you’ll see from the next thing I’m going to tell you.
In 2002 our family made a short trip to a coffee plantation. The road to the plantation was narrow filled with hairpin bends. I worried about hitting another car. We didn’t, lucky us! When we finally got to our destination, we learned a lot about the plantation and coffee production, but we didn’t see any coffee plants. Where were they? We decided to ask one of the people working there. “So where are the coffee plants? We can’t see them anywhere.”
She reached out her arm and caught a twig right next to us and explained, “This is the coffee plant and these little things will be coffee beans.” I looked around in embarrassment, as we were surrounded by coffee plants! She explained that coffee plants aren’t big and that they have to grow in the shade of other bigger plants. I appreciated her lesson.
We love our coffee, but I’m sure most of my countrymen would not be able to recognize a coffee plant among other tropical plants if asked. Our jaws can drop at different things, depending on geographical locations, at what we know and don’t know. Never take anything for granted!
1. What topic did the author’s husband discuss with the girl? (no more than 5 words)2. How do you understand the underlined part in Paragraph 2? (no more than 10 words)
3. How was the way to the coffee plantation ? (1 word)
4. What did the author learn from the worker? (no more than 15 words)
5. What inspiration do you get from the story? Please express it in your own words. (no more than 20 words)
5 . When Ariella Pacheco of California was still a little girl, her parents let her pick out an American girl doll. She picked one that had the same hair color and style as her.
“She looked like me and I felt there was a piece of me in her,” Pacheco, 17, said. “You see yourself in a doll and it’s really special to have that connection.”
But what about children with rare medical conditions who don’t look like anyone else? One day in January this year, Pacheco read a story about doll designer Amy Jandrisevits. Her “A Doll Like Me” project makes look alike dolls for children with disabilities. Pacheco wanted to make similar dolls.
Over the past several months, Pacheco has designed and sewn (缝制) cloth dolls for four local kids who have birthmarks, surgical scars (手术疤痕), or other special physical features. Pacheco asked the kids about their favorite sports and hobbies. She also watched doll-making vides and attended sewing camp.
One of the doll receivers is no longer a child, but she’s honored to have been chosen for the project. Zulema Gillett, 21 of Temecula has a particular disease, which caused her to be born with a cleft lip (唇裂) and only one ear. “Who doesn’t want a doll that los like them and that they could relate to?” Gillett said It’s really nice and very thoughtful.”
After she got her own sewing machine, Pacheco taught herself to sew blankets and clothes for the dolls She designed her own patterns and figured out how to re-create the children’s various appearances. It was important for her that the children could recognize themselves in the dolls However, their differences were not the most noticeable feature.
“I really value the beauty in little things,” Pacheco said. Each of these kids is so unique, so special. I hope through these dolls they can see themselves in a new light and rally appreciate their beauty.”
1. According to the first two paragraphs, what made Pacheco feel special?| A．Making a doll on her own. |
| B．Having a doll that looks like her. |
| C．Receiving a doll from her parents. |
| D．Being able to pick out her own doll. |
| A．her parents. |
| B．Amy Jandrisevits. |
| C．children who love dolls. |
| D．kids with special physical features. |
| A．She went to sewing camp. |
| B．She got help from other children. |
| C．She played sewing games online. |
| D．She joined a doll designer’s project. |
| A．She thanks Pacheco for her friendship. |
| B．She is honored to be a volunteer of the project. |
| C．She believes having a doll is helpful to children. |
| D．She loves the idea of special dolls for special children. |
| A．feel less lonely. |
| B．develop new hobbies. |
| C．value their own beauty. |
| D．forget about their differences. |
6 . How the Vox Book Club Works
Every month, we pick a book. We go through it week by week, with a discussion post (帖子) going up on the site every Friday. Each discussion post will contain thoughts and discussion questions from our book critic, but we’ll also have comments turned on so you can share your thoughts there with a chief editor, a column writer and even a TV host. Use our discussion posts as a jumping off point (起点) with your friends and family. And at the end of the month, we’ll hold a discussion.
Next June’s Main Discussion
Next June, we’ll turn to William Goldman’s The Princess Bride. It is a comedy, which is about how Westley saved his lovely and beautiful girlfriend Buttercup from a wizard (巫师) prince. You’ve probably seen the classic 1987 movie adapted from the book, which is one of those book-ad-movie pairs where each part can stand on its own, though they also perfect each other in very wonderful ways. That’s probably because William Goldman was also one of Hollywood’s greatest screenwriters.
The Vox Book Club Project for Next June
Friday, June 3, 2022: Discussion covering the introduction to the 30th anniversary edition—Chapter 4
Friday, June 10, 2022: Discussion covering Chapters 5-6
Friday, June 17, 2022: Discussion covering Chapters 7-8 in the original edition, plus Buttercup’s Baby at the end of later editions
Thursday, June23, 2022: Virtual (虚拟的) live event.
Come to join us, and sign up for the Vox Book Club newsletter (简报) to get the latest messages.
1. Who will raise discussion questions every Friday?| A．A TV host. | B．A book critic. |
| C．A chief editor. | D．A column writer, |
| A．It is about a sad love story. |
| B．It was written before 1985. |
| C．It is Hollywood’s greatest film. |
| D．It has been adapted into a film. |
| A．June 3, 2022. | B．June 10, 2022. |
| C．June 17, 2022. | D．June 23, 2022. |
| A．Take part in a virtual live discussion. |
| B．Discuss several chapters together. |
| C．Sign up for the club newsletter. |
| D．Complete the latest updates. |
| A．To call on us to join a book club. |
| B．To advertise The Princess Bride. |
| C．To introduce a discussion activity. |
| D．To teach readers how to read a novel. |
7 . Better China Trip aims to be a bridge for you in China. Whether you are here on business or simply for sightseeing, we offer you a city-to-city transportation, tour guide, and interpreter service. We can also try to assist you in answering any questions you might have with your business in China. For sightseers, we aim to ensure you see the highlights of any particular city or location you want to visit. You can either research your trip by yourself and bring us a preferred itinerary, or make use of our expert local knowledge to suggest one to you. You’d better discuss it with us before you start out; simply email or ring us up. You can also register your personal information, and book any service you need. The following are our services that you can order.
We have Beijing car rental, Beijing van(货车) rental, and Beijing driver services. Better China Trip provides car rental services in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Xi’an, Guilin, etc.
Services available:
1. Car, van and bus rental for business/shopping/sightseeing.
2. Translators and interpreters from Chinese to English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Russian, etc.
3. Beijing airport transfers(pick-up and drop-off).
4. Hotel and air or train tickets booking.
5. Tour guides& services for the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, the Temple of Heaven, the Ming Tombs, etc.
6. Tickets booking for Kungfu shows, magic, Peking Opera, etc.
7. Health care: traditional Chinese massage(按摩), foot massage, body massage.
8. Experiencing local Beijing Hutong life by tricycle.
Contact us:
You can visit our website at: www.betterchinatrip.com.
Tel: 010 84026538(within China); 008610 84026538(outside China);
Email: bctrip01@gmail.com
MSN(Microsoft service Network):bctrip01@gmail.com
1. Whom will Better China Trip serve mainly?| A．The citizens who live or work in Beijing. |
| B．Whoever has language difficulty in China. |
| C．Whoever travels or does business in China. |
| D．The athletes coming to Beijing for big games. |
| A．Living condition. |
| B．A plan for a journey. |
| C．A perfect working plan. |
| D．A shopping arrangement. |
| A．Before you set out. |
| B．When you arrive in Beijing. |
| C．When you have any trouble. |
| D．After you start your travel. |
| A．getting a passport to go abroad |
| B．tour guides who speak many languages |
| C．driving you to any place at any time |
| D．getting the tickets to a Kungfu show |
| A．this passage probably comes from a car magazine |
| B．you can visit places of interest with expert tour guides |
| C．you can ride a tricycle to any tourist attraction in Beijing |
| D．Better China Trip only provides car rental services in Beijing |
