1 . 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. |
2 . 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. |
3 . The summer vacation is coming. It’s time to relax. Come to join us!
World Youth Alliance (青年联盟) Asia Pacific SUMMER CAMPJUNE 30~JULY 4,2024 Subic Park Hotel, Zambales, the Philippines (菲律宾) | |
| WHAT TO EXPECT ·Develop your leadership and social skills through our all kinds of team-building activities. ·Have the chance to communicate with other young people and make new friends from different Asia-Pacific countries. ·Get the chances to take part in other WYA interational acivities. ·Understand that you have your own importance and value through our WAY training program, | HOW MUCH TO PAY ·Local teenagers: $125 each person ·Teenagers from other Asia-Pacific countries: $170 each person HOW TO APPLY (申请) ·Download the application form on our website wya, net/apsummercamp and email your form to wyaap. summercamp @ gmail, com. ·Please apply before April 30, 2024. CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION wуаар.summercamp@gmail.com +639210890 |
1. How long will the summer camp last?
| A．For four days. | B．For five days. |
| C．For a week. | D．For a month. |
| A．125. | B．170. |
| C．1,020. | D．750. |
| A．People of all ages can take part in the summer camp. |
| B．People from any country can apply for the summer camp. |
| C．People can only call to learn more about the summer camp. |
| D．People should apply two months before the summer camp starts. |
| A．A geography magazine. | B．A research paper. |
| C．A travel guide. | D．A sports magazine. |
4 . Birds usually build their nests with sticks, leaves or grass. But do you know that birds are also building their nests with rubbish these years? The rubbish includes cigarette butts（烟头）and plastic bags.
A group of European scientists looked into（调查）about 35,000 studies on bird nests. They found that birds have used man-made things in nests almost everywhere on Earth except Antarctica. Some rubbish seems to be helpful. This is why birds “like” putting it in their nests. For example, cigarette butts have a special smell, so they can keep insects away and protect the baby birds. Plastic bags are useful in keeping the animals warm, and other hard things, such as paper cards, can make nests stronger.
However, in the end, human rubbish may only bring more harm to birds. The toxic（有毒的）chemicals in cigarettes hurt the baby birds. They may get sick or have shorter lives, according to a study.
To make matters worse, if the cigarette still burns when the bird brings it back to its home, it may set fire to the nest. Pieces of fishing net may also trap birds, and it’s impossible for them to get out by themselves. If the baby birds eat other kinds of rubbish by accident, they will also get hurt. Our bird friends in the air are feeling the bad effects of humans polluting the environment.
1. What did the European scientists find?| A．Some people help birds build their nests. |
| B．There is rubbish in the nests of many birds. |
| C．There is almost no bird living in Antarctica. |
| D．Birds can help clean the environment. |
| A．Paper cards. | B．Cigarette butts. |
| C．Plastic bags. | D．Wooden boards. |
| A．They can burn other harmful rubbish. |
| B．They can make nests stronger. |
| C．They can keep insects away. |
| D．They can keep birds warm. |
| A．Human rubbish may bring more harm to birds. |
| B．The harm that the environment brings to the wild animals. |
| C．The reason why birds like using rubbish to build their nests. |
| D．The harmful activities that humans have done to the environment. |
| 意义及看法 | 春节对于中国人的意义： The Spring Festival is a Chinese traditional festival… family members to get together … feel love and happiness… the importance of home and family 春节被定为联合国假日的看法： show the worldwide influence of Chinese civilization … learn more and understand better about Chinese culture |
| 期待 | spread Chinese culture… celebrate the Spring Festival in your country next year |
（2）回复邮件中不得出现真实的地名、校名和人名。
（3）词数80左右（开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数）。
Hi Tony,
I’m very happy to receive your email. Yes, the Spring Festival is listed as a UN
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Yous
LiHua
6 . One day, a woman bought a parrot (鹦鹉) from a pet store. However, the woman decided to send the parrot back to the store the next day. “This bird doesn’t talk,” she told the pet store owner. “Does he have a mirror?” the owner asked. “Parrots enjoy watching themselves in it.” So the woman bought one and left.
The next day, she came back, saying that the bird still didn’t say anything. “How about a ladder (梯子)? Parrots love ladders,” the owner said. The woman bought a ladder and left.
But the next day, she went back a third time. “Does your parrot have a swing (秋千)? No? Well, once he starts swinging, he’ll talk a lot happily,” the owner said. The woman then bought a swing and left.
When she walked into the store the next day, she began to cry and said sadly, “The parrot died.” The pet store owner was surprised at what she said. “What? I’m sorry. Tell me, did he say anything?” he asked. “Yes, right before he died,” the woman answered in a low voice, “he asked me weakly, ‘Don’t they sell any food at that pet store?’”
Sometimes we forget what’s really necessary in life. We sometimes have lots of things to do at once, but we forget to do with the most important things first. We have to remember to “feed the parrots” in our lives.
1. The woman bought ______ for the parrot from the pet shop owner.①a cage ②a mirror ③a ladder ④a swing ⑤some food
| A．①②⑤ | B．②③④ | C．①②③ | D．②③ |
| A．one | B．two | C．three | D．four |
| A．the woman gave him nothing to eat | B．he couldn’t enjoy himself in the mirror |
| C．he couldn’t fly in the sky like others | D．the woman was angry and killed him |
| A．喂养鹦鹉 | B．放飞鹦鹉 | C．做最重要的事情 | D．让鹦鹉唱歌 |
7 . Have you ever heard of the saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”? Well, in Chinese, we have an expression called “yi mao qu ren”.
Imagine you meet someone new at school. They might look different from you in hair, clothes, or looks. It’s important not to make any judgments about them just because of how they look.
Sometimes, people make a mistake by judging others by their looks. They might think someone is mean or unfriendly just because they have a serious face or wear unusual clothes. But what meets the eye isn’t always the truth!
In fact, people are like books with many, many pages. We need to read more and more pages to understand them. That means getting to know them, talking to them, and learning about their interests and personalities.
Think about your best friends. When you met them at early time, you might not have known they would become your best friends. But as you spent time together and got to know each other, you realized how amazing they are.
By not judging people by their looks, we open our hearts to new people in our lives. We start to understand and treasure the distinctions between us, like different cultures, backgrounds, and ways of thinking.
So, let’s keep an open mind and be nice to everyone we meet. Let’s treat others with kindness and fairness, no matter how they look. When we do that, we make a world where everyone feels important and accepted for who they are. After all, the most amazing things are hidden—within every one of us!
1. How does the writer begin the text?| A．By listing numbers. | B．By showing a saying. |
| C．By giving an example. | D．By making an expectation. |
| A．Cultures. | B．Differences. | C．Successes. | D．Advantages. |
| A．With a happy mind. | B．With a serious face. |
| C．With kindness and fairness. | D．With some doubts. |
| A．Try to Read More Books | B．Try to Understand Others Better |
| C．Don’t Be Unfriendly to Others | D．Don’t Judge People by Their Looks |
Rain can be disappointing, but don't cancel your day out just yet. There are plenty of things that you can do on a rainy day.
This is probably one of the first things we all think of when it starts raining, so museums can often be filled with people looking to escape the showers. This can make getting into a museum very difficult, but, with a little forward planning, getting in can be a breeze. Simply keep up to date with your weather app and book tickets ahead on rainy days.
This may sound strange at first, given our first thought when it rains is to go inside. However, a walk in the rain can not only be fun, but it can also clear the mind. The sound of rain is something we all find relaxing, so grabbing an umbrella when it rains and heading out can be a great experience. It can give you a new perspective on where you live, as the streets become empty with everyone inside.
Normally when we see the sights, we do it on a sunny day. However, seeing the sights on a rainy day can be just as good, if not better. On a rainy day, tourist spots will be much quieter as many tourists will have gone to shelter from the rain and cold weather. Trafalgar Square in London, the Angel of the North in the North East and the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol are just a few examples of some of the great sights you could visit.
A. Go sightseeingB. Go to a museum
C. Go into nature
D. Go for a walk
Florence Nightingale was a nurse who saved many lives in the 19th century. She was named after the city of Florence in Italy, where her parents went after they got married in 1818.
In 1854, lots of British soldiers went to fight in the Crimean War.
When Florence returned to England, people called her a heroine of her work in the Crimean War. Queen Victoria wrote her a letter to say thank you. She continued to work hard in Britain to improve hospitals and she was given a medal called the Order of Merit.
10 . Have you read The Tale of Peter Rabbit? It’s a very famous children’s book, written by Beatrix Potter.
Beatrix was born in 1866. She and her brother kept many small animals as pets — rabbits, mice, frogs and even bats! They both liked to draw their pets, but Beatrix liked drawing animals from her own imagination most. She also loved enjoying and drawing nature when they visited beautiful places like Scotland and the Lake District.
To make some money, Beatrix started drawing cards with animals. She liked writing and illustrating (图解) letters too. One day, she wrote a letter to her friend’s son, and told the story of Peter Rabbit. She decided to make the story into a book. The Tale of Peter Rabbit was published in 1902, and it was a great success! She wrote, illustrated and published many more books. She also created dolls, painting books, games and other things according to her characters.
Three years after The Tale of Peter Rabbit was published, Beatrix bought a farm in the Lake District. She learned about farming and bought more farms and land to help protect the landscape. She enjoyed country life very much, and was very active in protecting the environment.
When Beatrix died, she left almost all her farms and land to the National Trust, an organization which protects historic places and landscapes. You can even visit Hill Top Farm today, which is exactly like it was when Beatrix lived there!
So if you haven’t read The Tale of Peter Rabbit, or other Beatrix Potter’s books, why not visit your local library or bookshop today?
1. What inspired Beatrix Potter to write “The Tale of Peter Rabbit”?| A．Her love for farming. | B．A letter to a friend’s son. |
| C．Her interest in the environment. | D．A visit to the Lake District. |
| A．She taught art classes. | B．She created dolls and games. |
| C．She worked for the National Trust. | D．She became a professional farmer. |
| A．By writing books about it. | B．By delivering speeches. |
| C．By donating money. | D．By buying farms and land. |
| A．They were sold to private investors. | B．They were left to the National Trust. |
| C．They were turned into public parks. | D．They were used for agricultural research. |
