1 . Do you want to see some cool art exhibitions? Here are four exhibitions with different styles that you can check out.
Van Gogh’s Cypresses
Time: from May 22, 2023 to August 27, 2023
This exhibit is all about Van Gogh’s famous paintings of cypress trees. He painted them under starry night skies or in golden wheat fields. You can get really close to these amazing artworks and appreciate their beauty.
Cecily Brown: Death and the Maid
Time: from April 4, 2023 to December 3, 2023
Cecily Brown’s exhibition features a collection of her paintings, drawings and more. She explores themes like life, which are about human vanity(虚荣心) and how life is short and fleeting(飞逝的).
Lauren Halsey: The Roof Garden Commission
Time: from April 18, 2023 to October 22, 2023
In this exhibition, you can see a big architectural structure created by Lauren Halsey. It’s inspired by ancient Egyptian symbols, 1960s utopian(乌托邦的) buildings and contemporary marks. And these characters show how this exhibition tries to offer an idea to make public spaces beautiful.
Grounded in Clay: The Spirit of Pueblo Pottery(陶器)
Time: from July 14, 2023 to June 4, 2024
This exhibition focuses on pottery from New Mexico’s Río Grande Pueblos, West Texas’ Ysleta del Sur community and the Hopi tribe in Arizona. You can learn about the different styles and stories behind the pottery.
These exhibitions offer a mix of different art styles and themes. So, whether you likeVan Gogh, contemporary art, or traditional pottery, there’s something for everyone.
1. What does Van Gogh’s Cypresses focus on?| A．Traditional pottery. | B．Modern architecture. |
| C．Natural scenery. | D．Human life. |
| A．It is all about human spirit. |
| B．It is inspired by ancient Rome. |
| C．It is a mix of nature and buildings. |
| D．It offers an idea to make public spaces beautiful. |
| A．Van Gogh’s Cypresses. |
| B．Cecily Brown: Death and the Maid. |
| C．Lauren Halsey: The Roof Garden Commission. |
| D．Grounded in Clay: The Spirit of Pueblo Pottery. |
2 . A music festival is a community event focusing on live performances of singing and instrument playing that is often presented with a theme. On the list are the music festivals for fans around the world. Find your favorite now!
Field Day
January 1, 2023, Sydney
Field Day means New Year’s Day for young people in Sydney. Seen as the city’s original multi-stage party, it’s a gathering of friends coming together for a great fun-filled first day of the year. There’s an air of hope and positive energy on a perfect summer’s day.
The Envision Festival
February 27—March 6, 2023, Uvita
The Envision Festival is an annual gathering in Costa Rica that aims to provide an opportunity for different cultures to work with one another to create a better community. The festival encourages people to practice art, music, dance performances, and education. Meanwhile, our connection with nature is expected to be strengthened.
The McDowell Mountain Music Festival
March 2—4, 2023, Phoenix
The McDowell Mountain Music Festival is Phoenix’s musical celebration of community culture. Since its foundation in 2004, it has been the only 100% non-profit music festival designed to support, entertain and educate the community. The festival attracts thousands of visitors each year from around the country, and it is an opportunity to experience true culture.
The Old Settler’s Music Festival
April 20—23, 2023, Dale
The Old Settler’s Music Festival is a nationally known music festival for American music. The festival is held in the country of Texas at the height of the wild flower season. The Old Settler’s Music Festival offers great music and activities for the whole family.
1. In which city can people enjoy a fun New Year’s Day?| A．Phoenix. | B．Uvita. | C．Sydney. | D．Dale. |
| A．It encourages people to receive education. | B．It is not aimed at making money. |
| C．It provides an opportunity for friend gathering. | D．It focuses on cultural exchanges. |
| A．Field Day and the Envision Festival. |
| B．The Envision Festival and the McDowell Mountain Music Festival. |
| C．The Old Settler’s Music Festival and the McDowell Mountain Music Festival. |
| D．The Envision Festival and the Old Settler’s Music Festival. |
3 . Though fireworks (烟花) on bonfire night bring joy to many people, it is likely to be a night of fright and pain for the UK’s geese (鹅).
Research by Anglia Ruskin University has found that fireworks displays (表演) cause wild birds to suffer significant pain, and researchers have recommended that displays should not take place in areas with large wildlife populations. A study, published in the journal Conservation Physiology, is one of the first carried out into the effects of fireworks on wildlife. It found that the heart rate (率) of geese increases by 96% when they are influenced by fireworks displays.
The study involved 20 wild grey lag geese fitted with recorders to record their heart rate and body temperature, which are measures of physiological stress. Claudia Wascher, who led the research, found that the average heart rate increased from 63 to 124 beats per minute, and their average body temperature increased from 38℃ to 39℃, in the first hour of fireworks displays. It took the geese about five hours before the birds displayed normal body temperatures, with average readings returning by 5 am.
“Ours is one of the first scientific studies to examine whether fireworks disturb wildlife. There have been previous studies showing that fireworks can cause anxiety in pets, for example in dogs, but little research has been done into how animals in the wild react. We need to carry out further research to conclusively tell whether the geese are reacting to the noise or the light pollution from the fireworks, or a combination of both. Many people get a lot of enjoyment from fireworks but it’s important that we consider animals both pets and wildlife — whenever planning a display,” Wascher said.
1. What advice do researchers give according to the findings of the study?| A．Geese should be protected especially at night. |
| B．Great attention should be paid to the UK’s geese. |
| C．Fireworks displays should be held without harming wildlife. |
| D．Fireworks displays should take place to bring joy to people. |
| A．To compare the heart rates between them. |
| B．To make them safe and sound in the wild. |
| C．To keep their body temperature normal. |
| D．To measure their physiological stress. |
| A．About five hours. | B．About four hours. |
| C．About two hours. | D．About one hour. |
| A．The relations between light pollution from fireworks and geese. |
| B．The effects of noise and light pollution from fireworks on geese. |
| C．Whether fireworks influence other wild animals. |
| D．The influence of a display on pets and wildlife. |
4 . Chippewa Nature Center (CNC) invites children to come to celebrate holidays. The adventure trips are back. We look forward to welcoming children to camp! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at 989-631-0830 or camp@chippewanaturecenter.org.
North Manitou Island Backpacking
It’s time to experience the amazing backpack trip. After spending Monday night camping on the mainland, we will go to the island. Each night, we will backpack to a new campsite, playing games and exploring nature along the way. This beautiful island has miles of shoreline, farms and inland lakes.
Canoeing the Big Manistee
Join us for an amazing trip down the Big Manistee River. Each day, we’ll paddle (用桨划船) downriver, stopping at a different spot each night. With lots of wildlife and excellent fishing, there will be plenty of time for exploration and fun. You’ll learn teamwork and communication skills.
Adventures with Fishing
Whether you have a lot of fishing experience, or you’d like to try it for the first time, you’ll have an excellent adventure, We’ll put up tents (帐篷) at Rifle River State Recreation Area and explore the Au Sable State Forest while fishing many beautiful lakes, ponds, and the Rifle River. Fishing tools are available for hire (租借).
Backpacking the Pictured Rocks
On this backpacking trip you will have the chance to spend six days exploring the beauty of the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. We will travel through the backcountry enjoying views of the Lake Superior, finding waterfalls, and exploring beaches. On our last night together, we’ll celebrate by relaxing at Tahquamenon Falls.
1. In which activity can children paddle every day?| A．North Manitou Island Backpacking. | B．Canoeing the Big Manistee. |
| C．Adventures with Fishing. | D．Backpacking the Pictured Rocks. |
| A．Buy fishing tools. | B．Fish in the Rifle River. |
| C．Visit the Lake Superior. | D．Walk down the Big Manistee River. |
| A．Campers. | B．Kids. | C．Educators. | D．Fishermen. |
5 . On December 14, 1972, three NASA astronauts (宇航员) left the moon. Two had just completed their stay there for NASA’s Apollo 17 mission (任务）. During that time, astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt walked across the lunar (月球的) surface. Meanwhile, astronaut Ronald Evans kept control of the command module. When the astronauts returned to Earth, they became the last humans to visit the moon.
Now, about 50 years later, astronauts are getting ready to go back. But this time will be different. On November 16, 2022, NASA launched (发射) its Artemis 1. The agency’s new Space Launch System rocket lifted off in Florida and began its first voyage toward the moon. No one was on board. But the mission tested new technologies that eventually will bring astronauts back to the moon, including the first woman.
Jose Hurtado, an expert at the University of Texas at El Paso, said, “It was a great launch. What I love is about space exploration, so it was really stirring.” He found it an inspirational view, hoping everybody watching it got that inspiration.
NASA’s Apollo program took place in the 1960s and 1970s.Its crewed missions to the moon ran from 1968 to 1972. In July 1969, the Apollo 11 mission landed the first astronaut on the moon. Over the next few years, five more flights brought 10 more American men to the sky.
Once Apollo ended, NASA shifted its focus to space stations as preparation for longer human spaceflights. America’s first space station, Skylab, launched in May 1973, hosted four crews of astronauts that year and the next. But Skylab was meant to be only a temporary station. Within several years, it broke apart in the atmosphere.
NASA astronauts won’t be the only people exploring the lunar surface. China aims to land its own astronauts at the moon’s south pole within the next decade.
1. When did the last Apollo moon landing happen?| A．In 1968. | B．In 1969. | C．In 1972. | D．In 1973. |
| A．To test an American new rocket. |
| B．To land at the moon’s south pole. |
| C．To build America’s first space station. |
| D．To prepare for man’s return to the moon. |
| A．Tiring. | B．Simple. | C．Similar. | D．Exciting. |
| A．China’s inspiration of getting to the moon. |
| B．NASA started to focus on the space station. |
| C．China’s efforts to send astronauts to the moon. |
| D．NASA astronauts explored the lunar surface. |
6 . Every festival has its own meaning. Labor Day, for example, celebrates the value of hard work. Thanksgiving is about showing thanks to people around you. And Valentines’ Day is a time when you express love to your loved ones. But somehow it now seems that all festivals we just care about one thing — shopping. And that can be a big problem.
“In a way, over-consumption (过度消费) is the mother of all our environmental problems,” Kalle Lasn once told CNN. Lasn is the organizer of Buy Nothing Day, a day set up in Canada in 1992 to fight against unhealthy spending habits, and has now become an international event. It’s held on the day, which is known as Black Friday — a famous shopping day in the US and Canada.
You can see the irony (讽刺) here.
Even though the idea of Buy Nothing Day was brought up 26 years ago, we seem to need it now more than ever. It’s just as Lasn said, all the different kinds of pollution in our lives today — bad air quality, the reduction of forest area, endangered animal species, and plastic bags found in the ocean — seem to be the same cause: over-consumption.
The latest example is the Singles’ Day shopping craze of Nov 11, which saw a new sales record. But as Nie Li, a campaigner at Greenpeace, told Reuters, “Record-setting over-consumption means record-setting waste.” And it was reported that last year the Singles’ Day packages left more than 160,000 tons of waste, including plastic and cardboard. The Collins Dictionary has also just named “single-use” its Word of the Year, pointing out the problem that there’re too many things we tow out after only using them once.
So, Buy Nothing Day might only be here for one day a year, but it’s not just to remind us to the a break from shopping on that day, but to change our lifestyle completely, focusing on fun “with people we care about” rather than wasting money on useless things.
1. What’s the authors purpose of writing the first paragraph?| A．To express the people’s love for all festivals. |
| B．To talk about the meaning of the festivals. |
| C．To appreciate the value of the festivals. |
| D．To bring out the topic of the passage. |
| A．To help people save money. | B．To cut the cost for daily life. |
| C．To prevent over-consumption. | D．To set up a new sales record. |
| A．Opposed (反对的). | B．Supportive. |
| C．Unknown. | D．Neutral (中立的). |
| A．Creating a New Lifestyle | B．Buy Nothing Day |
| C．Festivals Around the World | D．A Change in People’s Life |
7 . As a child, there was nothing I liked better than Sunday afternoons at my grandfather’s farm in western Pennsylvania. Surrounded by miles of winding stone walls, the house and field provided endless hours of fun for a city kid like me.
Since my first visit to the farm, I had wanted more than anything to be allowed to climb the stone walls surrounding the houses. My parents would never agree because the walls were so old that some stones were loose and falling. However, my idea to climb across those walls grew so strong that finally I had all my courage to enter the living room, where the adults had gathered after Sunday dinner.
“I want to climb the stone walls.” I said. “Heavens, no! You’ll hurt yourself!” The response was just as I’d expected. But before I left the room, I was stopped by my grandfather’s loud voice. “Now hold on just a minute.” I heard him say. “Let the boy climb the stone walls. He has to learn to do things for himself.”
“Go,” he said to me, “and come and see me when you get back.” For the next two and a half hours I climbed those old walls—and had the time of my life. Later I met with my grandfather to tell him about my adventures. I’ll never forget what he said. “Fred,” he said, smiling, “you made this day a special day just by being yourself. Always remember, there’s only one person in this whole world like you, and I like you exactly as you are.”
Many years have passed since then, and today I host the television program Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, seen by millions of children throughout America. There have been changes over the years, but one thing remains the same: my message to children at the end of almost every visit. “There’s only one person in this whole world like you,” the kids will hear me say, “and people can like you exactly as you are.”
1. Why did the writer enjoy his visits to the farm?| A．He missed his grandfather. | B．There were old stone houses. |
| C．He could experience new fun there. | D．He was allowed to climb the stone walls. |
| A．The writer didn’t know the possible danger of the stone walls. |
| B．The writer’s grandfather backed him up to follow his own heart. |
| C．The writer became a TV program host due to his grandfather’s influence. |
| D．The writer didn’t expect his parents’ disagreement with his climbing the walls. |
| A．Adventurous. | B．Open-minded. | C．Tricky. | D．Humorous. |
| A．Just Be Yourself. | B．Unforgettable Childhood. |
| C．Do Whatever You Like. | D．Like Grandfather, Like Grandson. |
8 . A woman in Zhejiang Province has been told by the doctor that she might develop “dead butt syndrome” (死臀综合征) due to long periods of sitting, according to a report by Guangming Net on Wednesday. The 26-year-old woman, who prefers to be called Dai, had been experiencing discomfort in her lower back for the past two months. The discomfort later became unbearable pain during extended periods of sitting.
News of the incident quickly gained attention on Sina Weibo. Some users humorously commented that while some people may be alive, their butts have already “died”. Others expressed concern about their own inactive lifestyles and the possibility of developing the syndrome.
“Dead butt syndrome” mainly happens when the gluteus medius (臀中肌), one of the three main muscles in the buttocks, weakens due to long periods of sitting. This weakening can damage the muscles’ability to work properly, leading to poor shock absorption and reduced motion control of the hip and leg. The syndrome is becoming a more common disease without people’s noticing.
Medical professionals have offered precautionary (预防的) measures for the syndrome, stressing the importance of staying physically active. For individuals who sit for long periods, it is recommended to stand up and stretch the body periodically, walk around, and keep the gluteal muscles active throughout the day.
A simple rule to follow is to stand up and move for at least 10 minutes every hour of sitting to reactivate the gluteal muscles and prevent them from becoming “inactive”.
There are three simple self-diagnosis (自我诊断) steps for the syndrome: flat and floppy butts, discomfort in the waist, hips, and knees after long time of sitting, and an inability to keep the upper body upright while performing a deep squat (蹲) with both hands extended overhead. If someone shows all these symptoms, there is a possibility that they have developed the syndrome. Furthermore, if individuals experience worsening lower back pain after long periods of sitting, seeking professional medical help is advisable.
1. Why is the woman’s case mentioned in paragraph 1?| A．To introduce the topic. |
| B．To make the text interesting. |
| C．To attract the readers’attention. |
| D．To explain what dead butt syndrome is. |
| A．By avoiding sitting when at work. |
| B．By making our gluteal muscles active. |
| C．By giving our gluteal muscles a good rest. |
| D．By standing up and move every 10 minutes. |
| A．The poor shock absorption. |
| B．The damaged ability to walk. |
| C．The weakened gluteus medius. |
| D．The reduced motion control of the leg. |
| A．Dead Butt Syndrome—a Hidden Health Killer |
| B．Dead Butt Syndrome—a Common Disease |
| C．Saying Goodbye to Dead Butt Syndrome |
| D．Sitting for Dead Butt Syndrome |
9 . I’m a seventeen-year-old boy preparing for my A Level exams at the end of the year. In the society where my peers (同龄人) and I live, we tend to accept the rat race values. As students, we want to get good grades so that we can get good jobs. I enjoy studying and have consistently received A’s in my classes. There was a year when I finished first in my class in the final exams. It was a great accomplishment (成就).
Another one I am pleased with is that I managed to improve the relationship between Mum and Dad. Dad was a successful businessman who was rarely at home. Mum was a housewife who always felt bored and constantly nagged (唠叨) him to let her go to work. Their constant arguing bothered me, so I advised Dad that Mum would be better off with a part-time job. He agreed, and their relationship has improved since then.
My most proud achievement, however, is my successful work in the local old folks’ home. My grandparents had raised me since I was a child. I wept (哭泣) bitterly when they died. Unlike many of my classmates, I do not take part in my school’s community service to earn points. I enjoy my voluntary work and believe I’m contributing to a worthwhile cause. This is where I can help. I talk to the elderly, assist them with their daily life, and listen to their problems, glory days and the hardships they experienced.
Last year, I hosted a successful New Year party for the elderly and they enjoyed a great time. Many expressed a desire to attend another party the following year. When I reflect on my accomplishments, I’m especially proud of my service at the old folks’ home, so I hope to study social work at university and work as a social worker in the future. I wish to be more skilled in attending to the less fortunate as well as find great satisfaction in it, after all.
1. Which role does the author play in his parents’ relationship?| A．A helper. | B．A judge. | C．A monitor. | D．A supporter. |
| A．The success in exams. | B．The work in community service. |
| C．The recovery of confidence in life. | D．The contribution to voluntary work. |
| A．To gain a well-paid job. | B．To give his life a purpose. |
| C．To better help the disadvantaged. | D．To meet his grandparents’ expectations. |
10 . There are many podcasts (播客) that teach English and you can listen to them anytime. Here is a list of some of the best podcasts that you must see.
Learn English Podcast
This podcast has three levels.The first is for beginners, the second is for intermediates (中级学生) and the third is for upper intermediates. If a person wants to learn Business English,then episodes are also made for him.Every podcast is short but very informative. Worksheets and vocabulary tasks are also included.
Speaking Broadly
This podcast is made for advanced learners. Explained through discussion and interviews, each episode has non-native English speakers and every recording also has expert feedback. You will see some common mistakes made by English learners and you can improve your English by learning from those mistakes.
The English We Speak
This podcast airs one episode daily and every episode is only three to four minutes, which talks about phrases and idioms.There are two people in each episode who communicate with each other. Whatever level you are,you will find it rewarding
Elementary Podcast
This podcast is mainly for beginners and intermediate level learners. The length of a podcast is around 25 minutes but you can pause it anytime and continue whenever you want. The hosts of each episode are different.
1. Which podcast provides exercises going with it?| A．Learn English Podcast. | B．Speaking Broadly. |
| C．The English We Speak | D．Elementary Podcast. |
| A．It records just expert speakers. | B．It aims at beginners. |
| C．It presents some typical mistakes. | D．It provides feedback from listeners. |
| A．They have the same length. | B．They are both interactive. |
| C．They share the same contents. | D．They are suitable for beginners. |
