1 . A recent study says volunteering can be good for your health. Kids and teenagers who volunteer aren’t just helping their community. They might also be helping themselves. That’s according to a new research published in JAMA Network Open, in May.
Kids who participated in community service were 34% more likely to be in very good physical health than those who didn’t participate, the study found. And those who volunteered were 66% more likely to be considered “flourishing” or doing well in general. Kids aged 12and older who volunteered were 25% less likely to have anxiety than peers who didn’t. The findings come from survey data provided by the parents of some 50,000 kids in the United States ages 6 to 17. About half of those parents reported that their kids did volunteer work.
Studies like this have limitations. Parents answered questions about their kids’ health and community-service activities. But a parent might not know if their child experiences anxiety or considers themselves to be flourishing. This type of data also can’t prove cause and effect. It can only uncover associations. So it’s not possible to say for sure that volunteering leads to better mental and physical health. It could be that people in good health are more likely to have the energy or desire to volunteer.
But the data comes at an important time for youth mental health. In recent years, rates of depression and anxiety have risen among young people. More than 40% of high school students reported experiencing feelings of sadness or hopelessness in 2021. So there’s a clear need for accessible and effective mental health resources. Giving back to the community may be one such resource. And this study isn’t the only one to reach that conclusion.
1. What does the study suggest about kids who volunteer?A.They are more likely to help others. | B.They are 25% less likely to have anxiety. |
C.Volunteer work can lead to more anxiety. | D.They can also benefit from volunteer work. |
A.Narrow study subjects. | B.The single research method. |
C.Narrow geographical locations. | D.Surveyed parents’ lack of knowledge. |
A.Joining a school club. | B.Involving in outside sports. |
C.Helping in the community. | D.Taking time to be with family. |
A.A Breakthrough in Health | B.Volunteering: Good or Bad? |
C.Volunteering Can Better Health | D.Volunteering: a Good Way of Treatment |
2 . Eleven-year-old Australian girl Tilly Williams has broken a world distance running record, beating other girls who were eight years older than her to run 5,000m in just 17 minutes and 22.7 seconds. The primary schoolgirl beat the previous record by 19 seconds, making her the fastest distance runner under the age of 19 across 60 countries.
Tilly started running just two years ago and has already shot straight to the top. When some of her friends told her about the international record, she decided to give it a go. “Some of my running friends told me about it and I said, wow, it would be crazy if I got that and here I am,” Tilly said.
Tilly has always loved keeping active, alongside her twin brother Henry and little sister Rosie. “I am the kind of person who really enjoys the challenge,” Tilly said. “I really love surfing and I love bike riding and hiking — all different kinds of adventures and sports.” She started running in 2021 when she joined her school’s cross-country team. Since then, she has run two to three times a week with her dad, Mark Williams, or at the Adelaide Harriers Athletics Club. “Everyone is really supportive and it really encourages me,” Tilly said.
Tilly said she has been inspired by runners Caitlin Adams, Tara Palm, and her favourite book character, Roald Dahl’s Matilda. “I could really relate to the main character Matilda because she set herself goals and really had to work hard to achieve them,” she said. Tilly has a dream of competing in the 2032 Brisbane Olympics. By the way, Tilly doesn’t follow a strict diet, so her favourite food is still on the menu-her dad’s home-cooked pizza.
1. What is the new world record set by Tilly Williams?A.17 minutes and 22.7 seconds. | B.17 minutes and 41. 7 seconds. |
C.17 minutes and 3.7 seconds. | D.18 minutes and 1.7 seconds. |
A.For two years. | B.For five years. | C.For ten years. | D.For one year. |
A.Tilly’s family is poor. | B.Tilly’s father is generous. |
C.Tilly’s brother and sister love running. | D.Tilly started running in her school team. |
A.Tilly Williams’s family supports her. | B.Tilly Williams is outgoing. |
C.Tilly Williams is going on diet. | D.Tilly Williams loves writing. |
3 . There are many places to see lovely giant pandas in China. But where is the best place for you to go for a special panda trip? What is the best time to go? Here are some recommendations.
If you just want to see giant pandas, we recommend you to go to Chengdu Panda Breeding and Research Base. It is the most easily accessible panda base. You can see pandas at different ages. This base is huge but usually crowded.
If you are looking for a deeper panda experience, you can join a panda volunteer program. Giant panda volunteer programs are available in three panda bases: Dujiangyan, Wolong, and Bifengxia. They take about 1 to 3 days or longer. Dujiangyan is the best place for a one-day program. If you want a less-crowded environment, consider Wolong and Bifengxia, though they require 2 or more days. Your work would include weighing and cleaning bamboo, making panda cakes, watching pandas being fed, and cleaning pandas’ enclosures (围场). At the end of the program, you will receive a panda keeper certificate.
Giant pandas don’t go into winter sleep. You can visit them in all four seasons. Spring and autumn are the best times to see pandas when they are most active and temperatures are most comfortable. If you visit between August and November, you will probably see lovely panda babies.
Giant pandas spend almost half their time sleeping. Grown-up giant pandas in captivity (圈养) usually eat twice a day: early in the morning and late in the afternoon. They usually sleep around noon, any time from around 10:00 a. m. to around 2:00 p. m. We recommend you to get to a panda base as early as possible, when it is less crowded and the pandas are at their most active.
1. How can you get your best experience for your panda trip?A.Visiting it during Chinese holidays. | B.Joining a volunteer program. |
C.Taking a private tour in the afternoon. | D.Participating in Dujiangyan’s one-day program. |
A.Preparing bamboo. | B.Feeding pandas. |
C.Cleaning pandas. | D.Witnessing new pandas’ birth. |
A.Winter and spring. | B.Spring and autumn. |
C.Summer and autumn. | D.Any season is suitable. |
A.To record pandas’ daily routine. | B.To receive a panda keeper certificate. |
C.To avoid crowds and witness active pandas. | D.To observe feeding sessions and bamboo weighing. |
Taking regular exercise | ▲ help to stay energetic all through the day and study or work better |
▲ improve our immune system so as to keep us far away from diseases | |
▲ burn up more calories and build up our body | |
▲ enable us to relax and sleep well at night | |
▲ may occupy much of our spare time and wear us out | |
▲ encourage us to get close to nature |
(1)词数80左右(标题和开头已给出,不计入总词数);
(2)可适当增加细节,以使行文连贯;
(3)请勿提及与考生相关的真实信息。
Benefits of Taking Regular Exercise
Nowadays, more and more people, especially teenagers, are aware that it is important and necessary to take regular exercise.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________5 . New scientific research has found that attending live sporting events improves levels of well-being and reduces feelings of loneliness. The study used data from 7,209 adults, aged 16—85, living in England who joined in the Taking Part Survey, carried out by the British Government.
The study found that attending sporting events results in higher scores of two major aspects of subjective well-being—life satisfaction and a sense of “life being worthwhile” —as well as lower levels of loneliness.
Nowadays many initiatives (倡议) promote the benefits of physical participation in sport, but the researchers believe that watching live sporting events can also offer an accessible and effective public health tool for improving well-being and reducing loneliness.
Lead author Dr. Helen Keyes said, “Previous research has focused on specific sports or small population samples, such as college students in the United States. Ours is the first study to look at the benefits of attending any sporting event across an adult population, and therefore our findings could be useful for shaping future public health strategies, such as offering reduced ticket prices for certain groups.”
“The live events covered by the survey ranged from free amateur events to Premier League football matches. Therefore, further research needs to be done to see whether these benefits are more noticeable for high level sport.”
“However, we do know that watching live sport of all kinds provides many opportunities for social interaction and this helps to establish group identity and belonging, which in turn reduces loneliness and makes a difference to levels of well-being.”
1. The new research focused on whether attending live sporting events ______.A.benefits people of different ages | B.results in higher scores of study |
C.improves levels of happiness | D.reduces the harm of working alone |
A.promote the benefits of physical participation in sport |
B.believe watching live sporting events helps reduce pressure |
C.offer reduced ticket prices for a certain group of people |
D.study how attending sporting events benefits adults |
A.Easy to see. | B.Hard to change. | C.Possible to lose. | D.True to believe. |
A.Useless. | B.Helpful. | C.Funny. | D.Tiring. |
6 . Home away from home
Pet boarding facilities in and around Rochester
Bear Creek Kennels (犬舍) Tel: 507-287-0045Offering boarding and day care for dogs of all ages, Bear Creek Kennels has both indoor and outdoor fenced areas. Dogs are encouraged to play with each other throughout the day. It costs $24 per night. The drop-off/pick-up times are: Mon. — Fri., 7 a. m. — 6 p. m.; Sat., 8 a. m. — 5 p. m.; Sun., 3 —5 p. m.
Bob’s Animal Friends Tel: 507-280-9572Bob’s Animal Friends wants your dogs to feel right at home, so much so that it offers a “Sleep Buddy” add-on for $10 per night. A caretaker will stay overnight with your dog, meaning extra care time and sleeping on the sofa. It costs $25 per night. The drop-off/pick-up times are: Mon. —Fri., 6:30 a. m. — 7 p. m.; Sat., 7 — 8 a. m. and 5 — 6 p. m.; Sun., 5 — 6 p. m.
K-9 Kennels Inc. Tel: 507-289-2470The owners of K-9 Kennels Inc. live on site, and the grounds include large fenced areas for outdoor play. Indoor kennels are climate-controlled, and there’s even an indoor play room to ensure your dogs get plenty of movement. It costs $25 per day. The drop-off/pick-up times are: Mon. — Fri., 7 a. m. — 7p. m.; Sat. and Sun., 8 — 11 a. m. and 4 — 6 p. m.
Dogs ‘n’ More Boarding Tel:507-226-5384Dogs ‘n’ More Boarding features 10 indoor/outdoor kennels for dogs and a boarding area for cats. Indoor areas feature windows for natural light and doggy doors for them to go outside at will. It costs $18 per night for dogs and $15 per night for cats. The drop-off/pick-up times are: Mon. — Sat.,6:30 a. m. — 8 p. m.; Sun., 1 — 8 p. m.
1. When can an owner drop off his pet at Bear Creek Kennels on Saturday?A.At 6:30 a. m. | B.At 7:00 a. m. | C.At 5:00 p. m. | D.At 5:30 p. m. |
A.$45. | B.$54. | C.$75. | D.$105. |
A.507-289-2470. | B.507-287-0045. | C.507-226-5384. | D.507-280-9572. |
A.Bear Creek Kennels. | B.Bob’s Animal Friends. |
C.K-9 Kennels Inc. | D.Dogs ‘n’ More Boarding. |
7 . Alice Brown was teaching when the floor began to shake. The reaction of her
The moment the
A.pets | B.children | C.parents | D.students |
A.looked up | B.held on | C.got down | D.climbed back |
A.slowly | B.quickly | C.quietly | D.surprisingly |
A.each time | B.so that | C.in case | D.as if |
A.open | B.close | C.break | D.fall |
A.still | B.curious | C.nervous | D.happy |
A.waiting | B.teaching | C.crying | D.shaking |
A.reply | B.escape | C.plan | D.choice |
A.arms | B.mouths | C.heads | D.eyes |
A.bright | B.clean | C.warm | D.safe |
Their original plan was to see a film that afternoon. But Jenny posted a message on social media saying she had a cold.
Cindy thinks
Benefits of Sport
On-going physical exercise can be hard for teenagers to try. However, it is good for the mind. body and spirit. If you are planning to do exercise regularly, or you’re doing it now, then listen up!
Clearly, regular exercise will improve your physical health by contributing to the development of your muscles, bones and lungs. It can help improve your body’s immune system, making you better prepared to fight off diseases. Sport also has hidden health benefits such as lowering the chance of cancer later in life.
Sport teaches team work and problem-solving skills. Fighting for a common goal with a group of players and coaches teaches you how to build teamwork and effectively communicate to solve problems. This experience is helpful when you are solving problems at work or at home.
Watching your hard work pay off and achieving your goals develop self-confidence. Achieving a sport goal encourages you to achieve other goals you set. This is an exciting learning process. Moreover, sport builds character and encourages you to keep a positive attitude to life.
Exercising is a natural way to relax and let go of stress. You can also make new friends who can be there for you as a support system. When you feel under pressure or stressed, call up a teammate, head to the gym to talk and play it out.
The world of sport is a fairground of exciting opportunities where you can discover who you really are. Time, I think, to lace up your sports shoes and go play.
A. Sport helps you lose weight.B. Sport benefits physical health.
C. Sport reduces pressure and stress.
D. Sport improves self-confidence.
10 . Are you troubled by housework, such as cleaning tables or tidying your room? Do you need a helping hand? Recently, the robot Mobile Aloha made by scientists at Stanford University in the US became popular online. In the videos posted, we can see the robot preparing dishes on its own. It’s also good at watering plants, petting cats, cleaning the floor and washing clothes.
Sounds good? Well, another video posted by researchers may disappoint some people. Mobile Aloha isn’t good at doing housework on its own. Instead, it learns from human actions before doing each kind of housework. When the situation changes, it can’t work well without a human “teaching” it. So it may break dishes, bump into (撞上) things and even burn a pot.
The robot can successfully move chairs 80 percent of the time, said the team after they did more research on it. For cooking dishes, it’s only 40 percent. In short, it’s far from perfect.
In fact, AI robots are good at tasks such as math and playing chess, but they face challenges when it comes to simpler actions like cleaning. And it’s the same for Mobile Aloha. For example, if its body doesn’t move correctly — even just with a small mistake, its arm may move too far to pick up a glass.
“Robots are not ready to take over the world,” the team posted online.1. How does the writer begin the passage?
A.By making a comparison. | B.By asking questions. |
C.By showing a finding. | D.By imagining a scene. |
A.To show the latest findings of the team. |
B.To prove that robots can do nothing right. |
C.To support an opinion that robots are far from perfect. |
D.To explain the main function of Mobile Aloha is moving chairs. |
A.The importance of robots to the world. | B.The latest research on robots. |
C.Some disadvantages of robots. | D.Some ways to produce perfect robots. |
A.EDUCATION. | B.CULTURE. | C.PEOPLE. | D.TECHNOLOGY. |