1 . 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. |
Learn With Homer Price: Free Skill: Comprehension, Phonics(拼读法) Grade level: Pre-K, K Device: iPad |
It’s a learn-to-read app for kids aged 3-6 that includes drawing, voice recording, songs, ad more, along with traditional phonics exercises. This app can be helpful for kids who have production problems and language organization problems. |
Inspiration Maps Price: $9.99 Skill: Comprehension, Writing Grade level: 4th and above Device: iPad |
It is a mind-mapping tool that helps kids visually(视觉上) organize ideas. They can create maps, organizers, brainstorms and text outlines. Outlines can be changed to maps, and maps can be changed to outlines. Users can share creations by emailing, printing, or saving to iTunes, Dropbox, Photos or the app (as PDF or PNG files). The lite version (简化版本), which is free, lets kids create up to five mind maps with no sharing choices. |
Aesop’s Quest Price: $0.99 Skill: Comprehension Grade level: 2nd, 3rd, 4th Device: iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch |
Aesop’s Quest, based on Aesop’s Fables, is a learning game where the student must remember parts of a story to complete a level. At the end of each story level, the student is rewarded with tests. After solving the tests, the story is complete and the student can continue to read the next story. Developed together with the Virginia Department of Education. |
LightSail Price: Free Skill: Comprehension Grade level: Pre-K, K, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and above Device: iPad |
LightSail is an e-reading platform that helps teachers support their students’ independent reading. Students can use LightSali to check out texts from their schools’ online libraries and read the books directly on their iPad. As students progress through a book, questions appear to check their comprehension. As students complete these assessments(评定), they earn prizes. |
A.singing songs | B.reading stories |
C.making speeches | D.learning foreign languages |
A.Aesop’s Quest. | B.Learn With Homer. |
C.LightSail. | D.Inspiration Maps. |
A.Remember every part of the previous story. |
B.Retell the previous story completely. |
C.Solve the tests of the previous story. |
D.Finish reading the previous story. |
A.It is developed mainly for teachers. |
B.It has no access to school libraries. |
C.It helps users complete school assessments. |
D.It develops users’ comprehension through games. |
3 . Our mother has to leave home every day before we go to school. She has to walk twelve blocks to take the bus to work. We think it’s terrible that there is no bus that comes closer to our street.
I said to my mother, “This is a public transportation system. It is our system. It should come closer to our home. I do not want you to walk that far to get to the bus.” She agreed, but she said it would take more than one family to get the bus line to change. I told my mother I would ask my teacher about it. We could do a study and maybe start a petition (请愿书).
My teacher liked the idea. He said we could do the survey. So our class surveyed all our parents. We collected our survey data and made a table. We found that 90% of all the parents would use the bus more if it was easier to get to. We also found that only 20% of the parents could get to it easily, just by walking five blocks. For all the others, it took between 6 and 12 blocks.
We made a map to show how the bus route (路线) could be changed to reach people in our community more easily. Then my teacher called the alderman (市议员) to see if we could meet to talk about our study.
The alderman was impressed. She said we had done a really good job of thinking out the problem and a solution. She promised she would talk with the head of the transportation system about it.
Now my mother can leave later, and she only has to walk four blocks to get to the bus. When she leaves in the morning, she always says, “Son, I’m so glad you got the bus route changed.”
1. According to the first two paragraphs, the author wanted to ______.A.get the public transportation system improved |
B.walk with his mother to the bus stop |
C.invite more families to take the bus |
D.ask his teacher about a study plan |
A.90% of the parents took the bus to work because it was easier to get to. |
B.20% of the parents lived within five blocks to the bus stop. |
C.Most parents used to wait for the bus to pick them up. |
D.Only a few parents sent their kids to school by bus. |
A.Worried. | B.Annoyed. |
C.Moved. | D.Relaxed. |
A.We should take notice of our family life. |
B.We should communicate with others. |
C.The harder we study, the greater progress we’ll make. |
D.As long as we make efforts, we’ll make a difference. |
4 . You can’t buy much for a dollar these days, but when everybody pools their dollars together for a good cause, amazing things can happen.
That is the idea behind Anthony Talley’s $1 Thursday campaign. The Georgian man believes that the world will be changed for the better if everyone just contributes one dollar at a time.
Last year, Anthony Talley managed to raise $8,000 to help a local man who lost everything in a house fire. And he did it all by asking people to donate just one dollar each.
Anthony Talley uses his social media page to raise money. On $1 Thursdays, he tells his friends and fans what goal they’re working toward that week and asks them to contribute just a single dollar to the cause.
Some of the acts of kindness he has been able to perform include helping kids to buy shoes and clothes and even buying ice cream for every primary school student in the city of LaGrange, Hogansville, and West Point!
One of their most recent missions was to raise enough money to help a mother with 10 kids who badly needs a new car. So far, they have raised $576!
You can support his mission through mobile payment services, Cash App or Venmo.
It really does take a village! Anthony is finding a way to allow every single person in his community to become a hero in their neighbors’ lives. After all, it’s only a dollar!
1. According to the text, the $1 Thursday campaign was started by ______.A.a Georgian man | B.an American woman |
C.a community worker | D.a primary school student |
A.He contributed one dollar at a time. | B.He managed to collect 8,000 dollars. |
C.He asked people to donate as much as possible. | D.He changed the man’s social media page. |
A.Artworks. | B.Reasons. | C.Tasks. | D.Dreams. |
A.Dollars changing the world for the better | B.Acts of kindness aiming to help kids |
C.Anthony Talley and his community | D.Anthony Talley and his $1 Thursday campaign |
5 . September 5 is the “Charity Day” in China. It started because of China’s charity law, which came into effect seven years ago. This year, China has witnessed how technology plays a bigger role in the country’s charity career.
There are over 85 million disabled people in China. With the development of technology in the country, more charity organizations and people have realized the importance of using it to help people in need.
Huang Shuai is the director of Chuangshan Community. He is running special projects to create mobile apps and provide help for people with physical challenges. “For a lot of disabled people, daily actions that are necessary in today’s world, like using a mouse, typing on keyboards or using smartphones, can be very hard to finish,” he said. In Chuangshan Community, many of the volunteers are middle school students. They try their best to solve the problem for people in local charity houses.
Tech professionals have realized that technology is a game changer in the world of charity. Tencent started a charity activity called “99 Giving Day” and set up programs for donations to deal with all kinds of challenges that cause problems for the local and international community. They’ve offered all kinds of tech kits (装备) and cloud services to many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) , local communities and colleges. Engineers can go and work as technology officers at NGOs and provide hands-on technology support.
Technologies, especially those that can be used by NGOs, and disabled people, will not only make our lives more convenient, but will also bring power and courage to people and connect our communities together.
1. What does the underlined word “it” in the second paragraph refer to?A.Organization. | B.Charity. | C.Development. | D.Technology. |
A.They help do cleaning. | B.They show their talent. |
C.They talk with the disabled. | D.They provide technology support. |
A.Technology has brought trouble to the disabled. |
B.Technology has entered people’s everyday life. |
C.Disabled people tend to resist new technology. |
D.Many people can’t afford new technology. |
A.Kindness Goes Further | B.Charity, a Game Changer |
C.Charity And Technology | D.Technology Brings Us Convenience |
Robots on the farm
What can drones (无人机) do? Their many uses include taking pictures from the sky, observing wild animals and delivering packages. Now these small flying robots are leading a new farming revolution (革命).
When equipped with cameras and other data-gathering devices, drones provide us with an eye in the sky. Here are a few of the farming-related jobs drones can do.
Drones can scan crops using different kinds of light. Then they produce multispectral images (多谱图像) that can help us find sickly yellow plants within fields of green. Drones can also detect bacteria (检测细菌) that are harmful to crops in the air from a few kilometers away. Farmers can check the drones’ air samples and try to find ways to protect their crops before the bacteria get to them.
When flying over cattle, drones can track the livestock (牲畜) and find out where fences need fixing. People can also equip drones with thermal imagers (热像仪) and night-vision cameras. This can help farmers know if they have their cattle lost and what animals are a threat to their cattle.
Most fields aren’t perfectly flat. After watering, some places may dry out faster than others. Other spots might not get water at all. Drones can scan the field and make a 3-D map. Using the map, farmers can figure out which parts of a field are dry or need improvement.
A. Counting cattle
B. Warning farmers
C. Watching water
D. Looking for sick crops
7 . London’s best local theatres
Bush Theatre
The Bush Theatre in Shepherd’s Bush began life in 1972 above a pub that held only 80 people, but in 2010 it moved to an old public library building. Under the artistic directorship of Madani Younis, the theatre became one of the city’s most influential artistic spaces. Now that Lynette Linton has taken control of it, the theatre continues to host groundbreaking works
7 Uxbridge Rd, Shepherd’s Bush, bushtheatre.co.uk
Arcola Theatre
Set up by artistic director Mehmet Ergen in 2000, the Arcola in Dalston has two theatre spaces and plays host to a number of works. As well as hosting new writing, they hold Grime born, an opera (歌剧) festival that runs for several weeks every summer.
24 Ashwin St, Dalston, arcolatheatre.com
Southwark Playhouse
Southwark Playhouse began life in 1993, with a disused workshop being turned into a theatre space. With two performance spaces, they put on a widespread of works, from musicals to new plays. The Playhouse is moving into two new venues (剧场), a flagship site at Elephant and Castle and another in the arches of London Bridge Station.
77—85 Newington Causeway, southwark playhouse.co.uk
Rose Theatre
It’s worth making the journey to the Rose Theatre. It opened in 2008 and its layout (布局) was based on that of the original Elizabethan Rose Theatre on London’s Bankside. It hosts works from theatre companies as well as producing its own, and can attract the best. The world’s first public performance of Elena Ferrante’s My Brilliant Friend took place here in 2017.
24—26 High St, Kingston upon Thames, rosetheatre.org
1. Who takes control of the Bush Theatre at present?A.Elena Ferrante. | B.Mehmet Ergen. | C.Madani Younis. | D.Lynette Linton. |
A.7 Uxbridge Rd, Shepherd’s Bush | B.24 Ashwin St, Dalston |
C.77—85 Newington Causeway | D.24—26 High St, Kingston upon Thames |
A.Bush Theatre | B.Arcola Theatre | C.Southwark Playhouse | D.Rose Theatre |
A.Its website. | B.Its hostess. |
C.Its workshop. | D.Its list of performances. |
8 . Gary McKee, 53, from Cleator Moor in Cumbria, raised his arms and was cheered by a crowd of people as he completed his 365th marathon of the year on New Year’s Eve. As of 4 pm on Saturday, he had raised more than £890, 000 for the charities Macmillan Cancer Support and Hospice at Home West Cumbria. The father of three has gone through 22 pairs of sports shoes and has run 9, 563 miles in rain, snow and sunshine to raise money.
“The support has been amazing and it always is and the West Cumbrians get behind us, but cancer is scary so it isn’t just a West Cumbrian thing, it’s a national thing,” said Gary. “I just hope that people do get behind us and we do raise that million pounds.” Gary has not only raised money for two fantastic charities, but he has also sprinkled magic on the local community and brought people together supporting him with the challenge.
Chris Young, 29, who ran 90 marathons with Mr McKee, said: “Gary set a good example to me this year when I began running often with him. He has given me both physical and mental confidence that I don’t know if I would have ever discovered in myself in a million years. I know I don’t just speak for myself on that front as he has inspired not just me or the few, but the whole local community and beyond,” said Chris. “This challenge has raised a great amount of money for two fantastic charities, but the influence Gary has provided to the community and people around him is immeasurable.”
1. Why does Gary raise money?A.To raise people’s awareness of sports. | B.To promote marathon. |
C.To help people with cancer. | D.To raise his family. |
A.It was not easy for Gary to raise money. | B.Gary won the marathon. |
C.People were moved by Gary’s kindness. | D.Gary struggled to raise his family. |
A.Gary feels connected with the community. | B.Local people are inspired by Gary. |
C.Local people think Gary unbearable. | D.Gary often works as a volunteer. |
A.He used to lack confidence. | B.He used to be unhealthy. |
C.He admires Gary’s talent in sports. | D.He can’t find a better coach than Gary. |
9 . Zion is among the most visited parks in the USA and is particularly crowded because many of its most popular sites sit in a narrow six-mile canyon (峡谷). Last year, about 4.3 million people visited it, up to 60 percent from a decade ago. So this year, park managers announced they were considering a first for any national park: requiring reservations (预定) for entry.
The National Park Service was created in 1916 to protect the country’s growing system of parks and monuments. Its aim is to conserve scenery and wildlife while also protecting visitor enjoyment for generations to come. For years, the lack of a reservation system for park entry associated with the spirit of adventure: Anyone could come, pretty much anytime.
But recently, both visitors and nature are suffering. Mr. Burns, who is on a team that is considering a reservation system, said some people showed up for a vacation they had planned for months, spent a day in the traffic jam and turned around. Mr. Burns said he favored a reservation policy. He recalled the days when he would jump in a car and pull up to parks across the West with no plans.
When he first came to the park in the 1980s, he wrote a letter home. “I’m living in a no-man’s-land,” he told his parents. He could hike for hours, even days, without seeing anyone, and he remembered the constantly changing light on the canyons, the brilliant green of the trees, the blue water of the Virgin River. Today, he said, when he wants to find solitude (清静), it is usually joined by the distant rumble of the shuttle bus.
“There is only one Zion National Park,” he said to those struggling to see a need for limiting access. “And it’s sacred (神圣的). Its beauty is sacred.”
1. What do we know about Zion from Paragraph 1?A.It sits in a narrow six-mile canyon. |
B.It has required reservations for entry. |
C.It’s the most visited park in the USA. |
D.More and more people pay a visit to it. |
A.conserve scenery and wildlife |
B.prevent visitor enjoyment forever |
C.allow visitors to visit the parks at any time |
D.protect the country’s system |
A.Cautious. | B.Favorable. |
C.Doubtful. | D.Unconcerned. |
A.A Popular Reservation Policy |
B.The National Park Service |
C.Zion Requiring Reservations for Entry |
D.Zion National Park — A Safe Place |
10 . I’m now at a special university where 46 speech and hearing impaired (受损) students graduate each year. Every morning, I made it a practice of setting the intention (意图) in my heart of “May I be a tool for them to get what they need right now?”.
Today, one girl came and sat down. I started with how we usually do. She can speak but cannot hear and lip-read. I asked one question, and she went on for 10 minutes straight, and in Tamil (泰米尔语). I understood a couple of words here and there, so I understood that she was not saying anything connected with what I asked. I just kept on listening to her without speaking a word. This went on for an hour and a half! Then, after a long pause, I told her to get back on track with another question. And then she shared for another half an hour straight! The whole time I was just looking in her eyes which would go here and there but come back to me. In the end, I just got up and hugged her and she was smiling wider.
Then I invited her to have juice with me. She said yes. What put me in a state of fear was realizing, just a few minutes later, that treating my new friend to some juice was the first celebration of my very first salary! A month ago, I started my first job, and what a blessing to have this important moment in my life be rooted in generosity.
1. What was the writer’s intention according to Paragraph 1?A.A doubt. | B.A wish. | C.A struggle. | D.A guess. |
A.required her to speak in English | B.discovered something strange about her |
C.asked her questions as usual | D.began to teach her to lip-read |
A.She asked the writer to speak. |
B.She listened most of the time herself. |
C.She stared at the writer’s eyes all the time. |
D.She went on talking for 1.5 hours before a long pause. |
A.Glad. | B.Regretful. | C.Bitter. | D.Grateful. |