1 . Your Garden Escape
Even in the big city you can find oases (绿洲) of calm and beauty. From a royal palace to a classical garden, we recommend great green spaces to escape the hustle and bustle of London.
Horniman Gardens
Horniman Gardens cover 16 acres with breathtaking views of London. Visitors can enjoy the Sound Garden, Meadow Field, and even a Prehistoric Garden, which features a display of “living fossils.” The gardens are very popular with families, and dogs can be let off their leads in the Meadow Field.
Chiswick Garden
As a classical garden landscape in London, it was here that the English Landscape Movement was born with William Kent’s designs. Enjoy fresh bread, seasonal food, and natural wines in the award-winning cafe, while admiring the beauty of the naturalistic landscape, spotted with impressive art and statues.
Buckingham Palace Garden
The 39-acre garden boasts more than 350 types of wildflowers, over 200 trees and a three-acre lake. The garden also provides a habitat for native birds rarely seen in London. A tour of the garden can be completed by having a cream tea in the cafe overlooking the Palace’s famous grassland and lake.
Kew Garden
The Royal Botanic Garden at Kew is one of the world’s most famous gardens and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Have a walk through the vast garden, spot local wildlife at the lake, or get your hands dirty by trying a gardening lesson. Be sure to visit the Temperate House, which contains some of the rarest and most threatened plants.
1. What can visitors do in both Horniman Gardens and Chiswick Garden?| A．Study living fossils. |
| B．Taste delicious food. |
| C．Enjoy impressive art. |
| D．Appreciate fine views. |
| A．Horniman Gardens. |
| B．Chiswick Garden. |
| C．Buckingham Palace Garden. |
| D．Kew Garden. |
| A．To inform visitors of famous gardens. |
| B．To entertain interested garden visitors. |
| C．To stress the necessity of garden escape. |
| D．To show the benefits of touring gardens. |
2 . If you are looking for apps to learn English for studying abroad, you might be confused. There are so many apps to choose from. How can you decide which English language learning app is right for you? Our list of top four favourite apps to improve your English will help.
Hello English — Best app for middle learners
If you already understand the basics but want to improve your English, this app is for you. Hello English starts with a language test, and then serves up English lessons based on your test results. Hello English supports learners with 23 native languages and lets you play games,watch videos and listen to audio books, too.
Free versions available (可用的) for iOS, Android and Windows.
FluentU-Best media-based app
This app sources English-language videos from the real world — including news, music and videos — to help you learn English. Interactive captions (字幕) allow you to tap any word and see more information about it.
Free trial (试用) and paid monthly subscriptions available for Android and iOS.
Rosetta Stone — Most multi-use app
This award-winning English language learning app teaches vocabulary and English grammar. Rosetta Stone includes lessons on pronunciation so you can improve your English accent. You can also download audio lessons to learn offline.
Free trial and paid versions available for Android, i0S and Windows.
Duolingo — Most fun app
This personalized English-learning app turns studying into a game. Earn virtual coins (虚拟硬币) to unlock new levels and upgrade. An animated owl (动画猫头鹰) keeps you company and encourages you as you learn. When you have questions, get help from fellow students inside the app using the Duolingo message boards.
Free and paid versions available for Android, iOS and Windows.
1. What can we learn about Hello English?| A．The users can’t play games. |
| B．It may not suit English beginners. |
| C．It provides lessons without a language test. |
| D．The users can chat with 23 native speakers. |
| A．Hello English. | B．Duolingo. |
| C．Rosetta Stone. | D．FluentU. |
| A．It only has the paid version. |
| B．An owl can answer questions . |
| C．The users must use cash to upgrade. |
| D．It combines English learning with fun. |
3 . In ancient times, people didn’t have smartphones or computers to use for fun. Still, they had interesting games to play.
Kites
Kites have a very long history. People first used kites to send messages. In the Song Dynasty, kites got very popular with people. Now, Beijing, Tianjin, Nantong and Weifang are the four most important places of kite making.
Cuju
It is an ancient Chinese football game. At first, soldiers played the game as training. In the Tang Dynasty and Song Dynasty, the game was popular. People across the country loved playing it. Women also played the game.
Chuiwan
Chuiwan is a ball game. It’s a little like golf. The game got popular in the Song Dynasty. It was still popular in the Yuan Dynasty and Ming Dynasty. But the game got less popular in the Qing Dynasty.
Go
Go, or Weiqi, is a game for two players. It has a history of over 4,000 years and is still popular nowadays. People in ancient times thought it was a game for gentlemen.
1. What were kites first used to do in ancient times?| A．To have fun. | B．To do exercise. |
| C．To train soldiers. | D．To send messages. |
| A．In the Song Dynasty. | B．In the Qing Dynasty. |
| C．In the Ming Dynasty. | D．In the Yuan Dynasty. |
| A．They are all ball games. |
| B．They are all still played today. |
| C．They were all played for fun in ancient times. |
| D．They were all games only for men in ancient times. |
4 . Mark Bertram lost the tips of two fingers at work in 2018 when his hand became trapped in a fan belt. “It’s life-changing but it’s not life-ending,” he says. “Doing work is harder now. Everything is just a little different.”
After two surgeries and occupational therapy, Bertram decided to make light of his condition by asking Eric Catalano, a tattoo (纹身) artist, to create fingernail (手指甲) tattoos. The idea made everyone in the studio laugh — until they saw the final result. “The mood changed,” Catalano recalls from his Eternal Ink Tattoo Studio in Hecker, Illinois. “Everything turned from ridiculous to wow.”
When Catalano posted a photo of the tattoos, a pair of fingernails looking so real that no one could believe their eyes, he had no idea the image would eventually be viewed by millions of people around the world.
The photo pushed Catalano, 40, further into the world of paramedical tattooing. Now people with life-altering scars come from as far away as Ireland to visit his shop. Using flesh-toned inks and a needle, Catalano transforms his clients’ view of themselves.
Leslie Pollan, 32, a dog breeder in Oxford, Mississippi, was bitten on the face by a puppy in 2014. After undergoing countless surgeries to correct a scar on her lip but in vain, she ultimately turned to Catalano, who covered her lip scar, giving her back a piece of her confidence. Pollan says, “It made me have a different outlook on life.”
“Every time I see that emotion from my customers, I’m 100 percent sure this is something that I can’t stop doing.”
1. At first, what did people think of the idea of creating the first fingernail tattoos?| A．Inspiring. | B．Life-changing. | C．Funny. | D．Amazing. |
| A．No one believed it was real. |
| B．It enjoyed great popularity. |
| C．It brought Catalano fame and money overnight. |
| D．It discouraged Catalano from furthering on in that field. |
| A．To warn people to stay away from puppies. |
| B．To prove that plastic surgeries are not so effective. |
| C．To show Catalano helps change clients’ view of themselves. |
| D．To highlight that tattooing is very important in our daily life. |
| A．Magical Tattoos | B．A Tattoo Artist | C．Popularity of Tattoos | D．Development of Tattoos |
5 . Life will probably be very different in 2050. First of all, it seems that TV channels will have vanished by 2050. Instead, people will choose a programme from a “menu” and a computer will send the programme directly to the television. By 2050, music, films, programmes, newspapers and books will come to us in the similar way.
In many places, agriculture is developing quickly and people are growing fruit and vegetables for export. This uses a lot of water. Therefore, there could be serious shortages of water. Some scientist predict that water could be the cause of wars if we don’t act now.
In the future, cars will run on new, clean fuels (燃料) and they will go very fast. Cars will have computers to control the speed and there won’t be any accidents. Today, many cars have computers that tell drivers exactly where they are. By 2050, the computer will control the car and drive it to your destination. Also, by 2050, space planes will fly people from Los Angeles to Tokyo in just two hours.
Some big companies now prefer to use robots that do not ask for pay rises or go on strike, and work 24 hours a day. They are also easy to control. And they never argue with people. They can be easily used in a variety of places — factories, schools, offices, hospitals, shops and homes.
Scientists will have discovered how to control genes (基因). Scientists have already produced clones (克隆) of animals. By 2050, scientists will be able to produce clones of people and decide how they look and how they behave. Scientists will be able to do these things, but should they?
1. Which of the following best explains “vanished” underlined in paragraph 1?| A．Settled. | B．Spread. | C．Disappeared. | D．Decreased. |
| A．Robots can work in different places. |
| B．Robots have much to be improved. |
| C．Robots work for humans for free. |
| D．Robots have many advantages. |
| A．He probably disagrees with the idea of human cloning. |
| B．He is looking forward to using of cloning technology. |
| C．The scientists have already discovered how to control genes. |
| D．The scientists will face many difficulties of controlling genes. |
| A．High-tech Cars | B．Life in the Future |
| C．Is Cloning Really Good? | D．Are You Ready for the Future? |
6 . Many libraries around the world are as amazing in their architecture and organization as they are in the huge amount of knowledge they contain. With shelves and shelves of books, various collections and amazing historical and cultural displays, there are plenty of undiscovered wonders. More information of them is just a click away.
Beinecke Rare Book Library (New Haven, Connecticut)
Yale University has one of the most beautiful college campuses in America, and one of its most interesting features is the Beinecke Rare Book Library. It is one of the largest buildings in the world devoted to rare books and manuscripts of famous people. From 2015-16 the library building was closed for 18 months for major improvement. Inside there is a statue of its main founder that rises up high.
Vennesla Library (Vennesla, Norway)
Located near the southernmost tip of Norway, Vennesla Library is more than a collection of books — it’s a city cultural center and meeting place. The building hosts a coffee shop, open meeting spaces, classrooms for children and adult education courses, and a cinema. It is mainly built out of wood. The long, thin beams on the inside were designed to look like the inside of a whale.
Suzzallo Library (Seattle)
Among the many beautiful features of the campus at the University of Washington, such as its cherry flowers and a light rail station, Suzzallo Library was built in the Collegiate Gothic style. Its buttresses are decorated with 18 statues featuring famous academics and writers such as Plato, Shakespeare, Leonardo da Vinci, Dante, Galileo, Beethoven, Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin.
Library of Muyinga (Muyinga, Burundi)
A school for deaf children, the Library of Muyinga in Burundi was built with local techniques and traditions. A rope hammock that hangs between the first and second floors of the library serves as part of the children’s reading room, a great place for indoor activities.
1. What makes Vennesla Library different from others?| A．It is built in the shape of a whale. | B．It is mainly intended for children |
| C．It is a kind of culture complex. | D．It is located within the campus. |
| A．Vennesla Library. | B．Beinecke Rare Book Library. |
| C．Library of Muyinga. | D．Suzzallo Library. |
| A．A travel brochure. | B．A culture magazine. |
| C．A historical book. | D．A website. |
7 . Emma has just finished travelling alone in Europe. Are you interested in her journey? Let’s read some of her travel diaries.
| A．she had never taken a train ride before |
| B．she could do anything she liked on the journey |
| C．she hoped to keep herself away from the busy life |
| D．she could go with her parents |
| A．enjoying classical music | B．buying children’s books |
| C．visiting history museums | D．going to a movie |
| A．climbed the beautiful mountains | B．traveled along the river in a boat |
| C．wrote some postcards in her hotel | D．enjoyed the sound of music |
8 . Today, many people spend a lot of time reading online. Whether reading news or e-books, people are spending more time eyeballing (盯住) screens. While online reading opens up a great deal of knowledge to people, there are some disadvantages too, such as eyestrain, headaches, as well as difficulty in focusing on the text. Now a new reading system, Bionic Reading, developed by Swiss typographic designer Renato Casutt, can help people overcome these issues, and most importantly, it aims to help people read faster online and develop a more in-depth understanding of written content.
The reading system improve the reading process by guiding the eyes through text with artificial fixation points. To make it short: some parts of the words are displayed in bold (粗体). As a result, the reader only focuses on the highlighted letters and lets the brain center complete the rest. Your brain can “read” faster than your eyes, so by essentially reducing the number of letters your eye needs to look at, you can read faster while still preserving the full context.
Cassult discovered the system by accident. He was working on designing a book in a foreign language and realized he could read it if he sectioned it off. He worked for six years to develop Bionic Reading and is still working to adjust it.
A preliminary (初步的) study was conducted by the Swiss Institute InnoSuisee, but more research is needed before it can be definitively shown that the system improves reading. Some people with ADHD (多动症) prove that Bionic Reading helped them focus and comprehend what they are reading. Other people don’t seem to notice a big difference compared to regular text. There’s also no evidence to suggest Bionic Reading is any better than regular text. The best way to know if the Bionic Reader helps you read better online is to try it yourself.
1. What is the main purpose of Bionic Reading?| A．To point out people’s reading problems. |
| B．To teach people necessary reading skills. |
| C．To reduce readers’ screen time and eye stress. |
| D．To improve people’s reading speed and comprehension. |
| A．Words displayed in capital letters. | B．Useful expressions. |
| C．Difficult sentences in the text. | D．Bold letters. |
| A．It is complex. | B．It can be beneficial. |
| C．It needs to be improved. | D．It has little effect on them. |
| A．A reading project for ADHD. | B．A research on language learning. |
| C．A system to help with online reading. | D．A tool for treating reading disability |
9 . Never Think You’re Too Old to Become a Beginner
As we head into a new year, there is one thing from the outgoing disastrous year we should carry forward and even deepen: the spirit of the beginner.
Many people, in the face of such disorder, decided that they wanted to learn new things. But there’s a warning: The older you are, the harder you’re going to have to work. There’s a happy twist (扭转), however:
How, then, to prepare ourselves to become better beginners? We can draw crucial guidance from a group of research subjects:
For adults, the lessons are clear.
Babies also remind us that progress is often not a straight process. Babies seem to learn best when operating near the limits of their current skill level. In other words:
| A．None of this is easy |
| B．Babies learning to walk |
| C．One problem is that skills take time |
| D．Adults who have great achievements |
| E．The more older adults have experienced |
| F．The more learning that older adults take on |
| G．Always be at the edge of what you can’t currently do |
10 . Caviar (鱼子酱) is typically associated with sturgeons swimming in the Caspian Sea, but the Mexican version is made from the tiny eggs of ahuautle, an insect also known as “bird fly”. For Juan, a farmer, cultivating and collecting the tiny insect eggs known as ahuautle is a way of life. “It means tradition,” said Juan, one of the only six people known to still harvest ahuautle. They fear they may be the last.
The painstaking collection of “Mexican caviar” is threatened by the drying out of Lake Texcoco, development around the lakeshore and decreasing interest in the ingredient among younger generations. The dish’s survival is seen as an example of “community resistance”, similar to the way in which inhabitants around Lake Texcoco have managed to preserve other traditions, festivals and ceremonies.
For Juan, it’s hard. Dressed in shorts and rubber boots, Juan walks with an effort through the calf-high waters to collect pine branches he has pushed into the muddy lakebed the week before. The branches serve as an anchor for the bird-fly bugs to deposit their eggs. After about two hours, Juan has gathered a pile of sticks covered with thousands of bird-fly eggs. He returns to the edge of the lake to lay the sticks out to dry in the sun, which can take several hours or days, depending on the weather.
“Eating this is like revisiting the past,” said restaurant owner Guerrero, 61. He says the flavor of the ahuautle reminds him of his childhood. But Guerrero acknowledges that “Mexican caviar” is at risk of disappearing because younger generations aren’t familiar with the dish, and ever-fewer people harvest it in the scarce remaining lakes where it is found.
Edday, an entomologist (昆虫学家), said there are more than 430 species of eatable insects in Mexico. He said native people living around the lakes adopted the insect eggs as a source of protein because prior to the Spanish conquest of 1521, they had few domesticated (驯养的) animals. But now, Edday said, the dish “is associated with the countryside, perhaps with poverty, as if it were an undesirable protein.”
1. What is a cause of the decline of the dish in Mexico?| A．Expansion of the lakeshore. | B．Difficulty in cooking the dish. |
| C．Young diners’ lack of interest. | D．Overexploitation of the ingredient. |
| A．To help collect ahuautle. | B．To help dry sticks in the sun. |
| C．To protect the edge of the lake. | D．To be an anchor for farmers working there. |
| A．Why ahuautle is a good source of protein. |
| B．Why Mexicans should give up eating insects. |
| C．Why ahuautle was popular in the past but not now. |
| D．Why Mexicans prefer to eat insects rather than animals. |
| A．A popular traditional pet in Mexico. | B．A way of harvesting ahuautle easily. |
| C．A current social phenomenon in Mexico. | D．An attempt to preserve Mexican tradition. |
