1 . A study from the University of Montreal and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, published in Frontiers in Medicine, found that regular virtual visits to museums could help seniors stay mentally active and come with a host of additional health benefits. That’s because these digital connections can make retirees feel less lonely and isolated (孤立的).
Social isolation has been associated with the risks for heart disease and the decline of recognition abilities in seniors and the pandemic (疫情) increased the risks due to the need for seniors to stay home and isolate, according to a press release from the university.
The researchers investigated the potential benefits of weekly virtual visits for a three-month period. The participants were people aged 65 and older who lived in Montreal. Half of the participants took part in online visits and a discussion afterwards, while the control group did not participate in any cultural events at all. The group who participated in the virtual visits showed improvements in their quality of life. “Our study showed that art-based activities may be an effective intervention,” lead author Dr. Olivier Beauchet, a professor at the University of Montreal, said in the press release. “On a global scale, this participatory art-based activity could become a model that could be offered in museums and arts institutions worldwide to promote active and healthy aging.”
The initiative reflects approaches recommended by the World Health Organization to manage certain diseases, according to Beauchet. For instance, the WHO launched the Aging and Health Program in 2015 that included using community-based organizations to promote culture as a key component of improving health. Traditionally, these sorts of preventive health activities have taken place in schools, community centers, and workplaces. “While these are suitable locations that reach a great number of people, there are additional organizations and sectors that could become partners in public health research and practice development,” Beauchet said. “Museums are among such potential partners. They are aware of the needs of their communities and are consequently expanding the types of activities they offer.”
1. How do seniors benefit from regular virtual visits to museums?A.They get survival skills. | B.They raise interest in art. |
C.They improve quality of life. | D.They connect more with family. |
A.Participants come from the whole world. | B.The museum needs better cultural events. |
C.Face-to-face discussion is a useful intervention. | D.Seniors should attend more art-based activities. |
A.To advocate. | B.To entertain. | C.To advertise. | D.To warn. |
A.The Aged Form a Community to Reduce Loneliness |
B.Virtual Art-based Activities Bring People Together |
C.Online Museum Trips Improve Seniors’ Well being |
D.Retired Individuals Pay More Visits to Museums |
2 . UNESCO World Heritage Sites were created to celebrate and safeguard the most unique places around the world. Below are my 4 favorite UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Cinque Terre, Italy
With cars banned here, you’ll really get to feel the unique history and character of the Cinque Terre’s five centuries-old coastal villages. The breathtaking views of harbors far below the wild coastline along with the rich colors will definitely make it a memorable holiday.
Angkor Wat, Cambodia
Angkor Wat is the world’s largest religious (宗教的) monument and it contains impressive remains from the Khmer Empire (9th to 15th century). The site has dozens of iconic temples like Ta Prohm (a magnificent temple ruin hidden in the jungle). Hosting more than two million visitors annually, this artistic masterpiece is a must-see site.
Petra, Jordan
Petra’s rock-cut architecture has contributed to its nickname, the Rose City, based on the color of the stone it was carved from. The delicate constructions of temples and tombs along with the remains of churches and temples are only a couple of reasons why this world-famous site is a must-visit destination.
Yellowstone National Park, USA
Yellowstone’s vast wilderness includes mountain ranges, lakes and waterfalls. One of the main reasons for tourists to visit Yellowstone is to observe the amazing wildlife like grizzly bear, bison, bighorn sheep wander the plains and valleys.
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1. Where can tourists enjoy beautiful harbor views?A.In Cinque Terre. | B.In Angkor Wat. |
C.In Petra. | D.In Yellowstone National Park. |
A.Colorful stones. | B.Religious relics. |
C.Coastal villages. | D.Amazing wildlife. |
A.A news report. | B.A wildlife brochure. |
C.A travel blog. | D.An economic magazine. |
3 . Never climbed before? It doesn’t matter! Boulders Indoor Climbing Centre is a fantastic outing for the whole family that’s guaranteed to pack your day with fun and adventure! No experience is necessary.
Under the guidance of qualified instructors, you will step outside of your comfort zone in a safe and controlled environment. All equipment is provided — just bring your spirit of adventure and your willingness to challenge yourself! Boulders specializes in introducing people of all abilities into this vertical (垂直的) world in a fun, safe and inclusive way!
With climbing walls that reach between 4 to 12 metres in height, Boulders, whose task is to teach you all the skills required to climb safely, is designed to train the bravest explorer. You will learn how to move around the climbing wall in a safe manner, and how to differentiate (区分) between grades and varieties of techniques.
There’s even a café on site with free Wi-Fi, so send the children to climb and check in with the office while you’re enjoying a skinny latte! Boulders offers a wide range of climbing activities, including:
Climbing classes for children, families, students and adults
Birthday parties for all ages
Children’s holiday activities
Soft play for children 7 years old and under
Climbing-Introduction courses
Opening hours: Mon.-Thur. 10:00-22:00
Fri. 10:00-21:00
Sat.-Sun. 10:00-18:00
Price: Adults £15 Children £10
The price includes entry to the wall after the session, your one-off registration fee and shoe hire.
Family pass: £38
Up to 4 persons. Rental shoes & chalk included.
1. Which is the requirement for the climbers in Boulders Indoor Climbing Centre?A.Awareness of safety. | B.Being brave and adventurous. |
C.Previous experience of rock climbing. | D.Abilities to communicate with others. |
A.To instruct the climbers to gain skills of climbing safely. |
B.To help instructors to enjoy the spirit of adventure. |
C.To guarantee the climbers out of their comfort zones. |
D.To equip learners with abilities to design climbing walls. |
A.Having soft play at 10 am on Wednesday. |
B.Attending a birthday party at 8 pm on Saturday. |
C.Taking climbing classes at noon on Sunday. |
D.Attending climbing classes at 9 am every Friday. |
4 . Mia Samolinski attended the same school as Anthony Zhongor, an 18-year-old freshman, but the two had never met. That night, their paths crossed in the most remarkable way.
Mia had just gotten into her car and was about to drive away, but she hit the gas instead of the brakes. Security footage (录像) shows the car rushing over a sidewalk, hitting a trash can, and then plunging (突然前冲) into the dark, cold water of the bay in just a few short seconds. People rushed to look in the water, but only one person jumped in after Mia, and it was Anthony.
“She went pretty deep in there,” the teenager recalled. “She was striking the door and the window, trying to break the window, of course, and that got me nervous and scared for her, so I just took my clothes off and went into the water.”
Mia’s car began to sink rapidly, but she couldn’t get the doors or windows open. Anthony tried to get the doors open from the outside, but couldn’t quite manage it. As the seconds ticked by, the teenage hero realized he could use his own body weight to push down the heavy front end of the car, making the back end stick out of the water. Mia climbed into the back and managed to escape through the rear hatch (后备箱盖). She and Anthony swam to the shore together. As soon as they were safe, tearful Mia thanked Anthony sincerely for saving her.
Like so many heroes, Anthony did not set out to save a life that night. But he was in the right place, at the right time. “It doesn’t matter who it was, he or she was suffering,” he said, “I couldn’t watch anybody suffering in front of me.”
1. What led Mia into the accident?A.The brake’s failing. |
B.Her wrong operation. |
C.Her awkward driving skill. |
D.The complex traffic situation. |
A.He opened the back door. |
B.He broke one of the windows. |
C.He kept the back of the car out of the water. |
D.He managed to push the car to the shallow end. |
A.Brave and helpful. |
B.Creative and gifted. |
C.Lucky and friendly. |
D.Generous and careful. |
A.Heroes are never accidental. |
B.Heroes come from teenagers. |
C.Heroes are not born but made. |
D.Behind every hero hides a tragedy. |
5 . In habitats across the planet, animals periodically drop everything to walk, fly or swim to a new place. Some animals such as whales and geese learn migration paths by following their parents. Others, including small songbirds, gain the distance and direction of their migration within their genetic code. And some animals use a combination of genetics and culture to guide their migration.
Another group of migrators does not quite fit either model, and researchers have only recently started to figure out how they find their way. The Cory’s shearwater is an oceangoing seabird that migrates over the Atlantic every year. The young do not migrate with their parents, so culture cannot explain their journeys. And the exact paths vary wildly from individual to individual, making genetics equally unlikely.
Cory’s shearwaters are long-lived, rarely producing young successfully before age nine. This leaves an opening for learning and practice to develop their migration patterns. Researchers call this the “exploration-refinement”, and until now it has been hypothetical (假设的) because of difficulties in tracking migratory animals’ movements.
But a team of researchers has done that by attaching small geolocators to more than 150 of the birds aged four to nine. They found that younger birds traveled longer distances, for longer periods, and had more diverse paths than older birds. “We finally have evidence of the ‘exploration-refinement’ for migratory birds,” says Letizia Campioni, who led the study. Younger Cory’s shearwaters are able to fly just as fast as the adults——but they do not, suggesting that the young do more exploring, which gradually fades as they mature and settle into a preferred course.
“Although it may seem less efficient than other strategies, exploration refinement could be beneficial to birds and other organisms in a rapidly changing world due to unpredictable man-made changes,” says Barbara Frei. “It might be safer to repeat a behavior that was recently successful than to rely on patterns that were perfected long ago but might no longer be safe.”
1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?A.It describes animals’ habitats. | B.It compares different species. |
C.It talks about migration models. | D.It introduces a tracking technology. |
A.The opening for learning and practice. |
B.The unique living habit of Cory’s shearwaters. |
C.The process scientists track Cory’s shearwaters’ movements. |
D.The way Cory’s shearwaters form their migration patterns. |
A.They travel as much as adult birds. | B.They lower the speed for exploration. |
C.They move in a predictable manner. | D.They look for a course with their parents. |
A.Exploration refinement contributes to birds’ adaptability. |
B.Man-made changes make migration easier. |
C.Animals make a safer journey via a fixed track. |
D.A combination of strategies assures migration success |
6 . The sound of children’s laughter is not something you often hear at a hospital. Yet in the hallways of Children’s Health of Orange County (CHOC Hospital) in Orange, California, the joyous sound of kids having fun will soon be a common occurrence. That’s because Honda teamed up with the hospital to create a first-of-its-kind electric car made just for kids!
Shogo is the child-sized electric ride-on car, which was built by Honda through their charitable “Project Courage”, an initiative aimed at adding some much-needed happiness to the days of children battling with serious illnesses in hospital.
Shogo was made entirely by Honda’s engineers, and they’re incredibly proud of it. The car has been used at CHOC in place of wheelchairs. Now, patients can drive themselves to their treatment s in various parts of the hospital, giving them a reason to look forward to these procedures instead of dreading them.
Shogo is meant for child drivers aged 4 through 9. The car has a simple stop/go mechanism they can easily use, and it’s capable of going about one to five miles per hour. Don’t worry, though; the speed is controlled not by the kids but by a nurse or caregiver walking alongside the car.
Safety was at the top of the engineers’ minds when making Shogo. Besides, the vehicle has no doors so kids can easily get in and out, a soft-to-the-touch interior that can be washed to stay sanitary (卫生的) in a hospital setting, and it comes equipped with an I. V. pole holder. There’s even a toy holder and a horn with different sound options, and kids can create their own custom license plate for the built-in holder. So far, every patient who has tried Shogo has absolutely loved it!
What a fantastic invention! There’s nothing more beautiful than the sound of kids having fun, and we’re so delighted that caregivers at CHOC will get to hear that sound more often from now on.
1. Why does Honda build Shogo with CHOC Hospital?A.To improve the service quality of nurses. |
B.To initiate the charitable “Project Courage”. |
C.To make hospital stay more fun for sick kids. |
D.To help patients know their treatment procedures. |
A.Being busy with. | B.Being afraid of. | C.Catching up with. | D.Taking control of. |
A.The little patients’ driving license. | B.The advanced equipment on the car. |
C.The design by the Honda’s engineers. | D.The company of a nurse or a caregiver. |
A.Shogo can be easily controlled by the child drivers. |
B.Shogo can offer a tiny patient a pleasant experience. |
C.More Shogoes will be used in place of wheelchairs. |
D.Honda’s engineers are proud of the design of Shogo. |
7 . Do you know that about 71 percent of our planet is covered by the ocean (海洋) ?
Without oceans, life couldn’t exist. Scientists don’t know the exact number, but they think that oceans are home to 50 percent to 80 percent of all species on Earth, from large whales to tiny plankton. Oceans absorb carbon dioxide and give out oxygen (氧气).
Humans use the ocean in many different ways. Lots of our food comes from oceans.
For World Oceans Day, you can use social media platforms to share posts, photos or videos showing how important oceans are and why we need to protect them.
A.There are five oceans on Earth |
B.You can also watch ocean-related films |
C.That’s why we call Earth the “Blue Planet” |
D.Our oceans play an important part in our lives |
E.Oceans also provide us with much of our energy |
F.World Oceans Day is a time to know about the fish in the ocean |
G.Half the oxygen we breathe comes from the plants in the ocean |
8 . The Clubs of Liberty High School
Welcome to our school! We offer a wide range of clubs to cater to the interest and talents of our students.
Sports Club
Our Sports Club is perfect for students who enjoy physical activities. We offer various sports such as basketball, soccer, tennis, volleyball and more. Through regular practices and friendly matches, the students will develop teamwork and leadership skills. Join Sports Club through Jessical6012@yahoo. com.
Science Club
Do you have a love for experimentation? Science Club is for you! From chemistry to physics and biology, Science Club provides a platform for you to improve your scientific knowledge and develop critical thinking skills. Call 610-691-3612 for more information.
Music Club
Music Club invites students with a love for singing or playing musical instruments. It also offers opportunities for songwriting and composing. Join us to create beautiful melodies and harmonies together! You need to fill in a club registration form in the Main Office.
Community Service Club
Community Service Club pays attention to serving the local community through various volunteer and charity activities. We organize fundraisers, donation drives and social outreach programs. By joining this club, you’ll have the opportunity to develop empathy while contributing to the community’s development. For the application, you can call 610-691-6625.
1. Which club helps the students develop teamwork?A.Sports Club. | B.Science Club. | C.Music Club. | D.Community service Club. |
A.By writing a letter. | B.By filling in a form. |
C.By sending an email. | D.By making a phone call. |
A.Create popular songs. | B.Develop leadership skills. |
C.Do some voluntary work | D.Learn scientific knowledge. |
9 . We’re all familiar with the feeling―it usually starts with a little itch (痒) deep inside the nose. Next comes the awareness that it’s going to happen. Then, achoo! Air rushes out of our nose at a shocking 100 miles per hour, bursting out whatever was causing the itch. The high-pressure from a sneeze (喷嚏) has led some people to think that if we didn’t close our eyes, they could be pushed out.
For decades, countless people have tested the theory. When finding it almost impossible to keep their eyes open while sneezing, many have concluded that the theory must be true. If you try it yourself, the possibilities are that your eyes are still where they belong. That’s because they are held firmly by the muscles in the eyes. Furthermore, increased pressure from sneezing actually builds up in the blood vessels (血管), which may cause vessels to break but may not be possible to push the eyeballs out.
Why did this theory start, anyway? Some say that it all began in 1882, when the New York Times reported an incident of a woman who burst one of her eyeballs during a sudden sneeze. Others point at the fact that different high-pressure experiences, such as childbirth, can cause blood vessels in the eyes to break out. Still others say that closing our eyes when we sneeze shows the theory is true. Scientists, on the other hand, explain that we close our eyes for the same reason we sneeze ― to prevent unwanted things from entering our bodies. Either way, as far as we know, there are no actual recorded cases of anyone losing an eyeball because of a sneeze, so don’t lose any sleep over it!
1. What is mainly talked about in paragraph 1?A.The cause of a sneeze. | B.The danger of sneezing. |
C.The importance of a sneeze. | D.The experience of sneezing. |
A.Because they are fixed firmly in the eyes. |
B.Because high pressure builds up in the eyes. |
C.Because they are held strongly by blood vessels. |
D.Because increased pressure prevents them from bursting out. |
A.Sneezes usually cause an itchy nose. |
B.People sneeze to burst out unwanted things. |
C.The high pressure caused by a sneeze will become less through breathing. |
D.People close their eyes when sneezing to stop their eyeballs from popping out. |
A.A guidebook. | B.A magazine. |
C.A storybook. | D.A textbook. |
10 . Creative ways to change your workouts
Most people know working out is good for your health, both physical and mental.
Create a word or image with your exercise route
Runners often map routes through city streets that create a word or image, then use a GPS device to “draw” it as they run.
Join a free fitness group
Exercising can be more fun with others, so look for group fitness opportunities. Many communities offer free exercise opportunities. Fitness in the Park is a summer-long activity that has been operating in New York state for a decade. Everyone is welcome to head to one of 18 different parks.
Sure, you can run a 5 K. But why not try orienteering (定向越野赛)? This timed navigational sport requires you to use detailed maps to find orange-and-white flags that are hidden in parks or remote areas. Races involve difficult running routes
Dance
Whether you take a class or practice at home, dancing is a great way to get your body moving. Dancing doesn’t seem like exercise to a lot of people, which is why it’s always a popular choice.
A.Hit the road. |
B.Sign up for a new-to-you event. |
C.Participants have ranged in age from about 10 to over 70. |
D.But staying motivated — especially for the long term — can be a struggle. |
E.The event is timed, so people often jog or power walk from flag to flag. |
F.You can do the same, whether your favored exercise is running, walking or biking. |
G.It’s also something you can do anywhere, to any kind of music, salsa, hip-hop — it all works. |