I was visiting my sister Mary, who has two boys, aged seven and five. They were throwing a ball around the living room. She asked them several times to stop, but they didn’t listen to her. Finally, one of the boys threw the ball and knocked over a lamp. She shouted loudly at them for several times. Then, she sent them to their room. She looked at me and said, “They never listen to me.”
Carmen
Dear Carmen,
Your sister needs to be clear to her children what behaviour she expects. She should tell her boys, “Don’t throw the ball in the house. If you throw the ball again, I’m going to take it.” Then she needs to do what she says. Her boys will soon learn to listen to her.
Dr. Bob
Dear Dr. Bob,
I walked into my two-year-old daughter’s bedroom and found her coloring on the wall again with her crayons. I told her, “No! No! Never write on the wall with your crayons. You can only write on paper.” My husband thinks I was too easy on her and that she needed a punishment. What’s your opinion?
Debbie
Dear Debbie,
You dealt with the situation well. Children this age are too little to understand the relationship between their actions and a punishment. Use this as a warning; it’s time to babyproof your home. Now that your little one is more active and curious, what else can she reach? Check her room and your home for crayons, paints, medicines, cleaning products, and other things that might interest her.
Dr. Bob
1. What was wrong with Mary’s children?| A．They threw a ball at Carmen. |
| B．They turned a deaf ear to her words. |
| C．They had a fight over a ball. |
| D．They often shouted loudly at her. |
| A．giving your baby a punishment |
| B．getting crayons out of your home |
| C．making your home safe for babies |
| D．teaching your baby to behave well |
| A．ask their children to follow rules |
| B．stop their children from telling lies |
| C．get their children to go to bed on time |
| D．develop their children’s interest in reading |
2 . Young boys often dream of superpowers to solve their problems. “If I could just click my fingers, my homework would be done,” many have imagined. Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster put their ideas down on paper.
It was 1933, and while the country was in the throes of the Great Depression, Cleveland was thriving. Jerry and Joe, growing up in a middle-class neighborhood, became friends on the high school. They escaped potentially embarrassing encounters by becoming crazy about comics.
Joe was the artist and drew all the time, using bits of any kind of paper he could find. He hung out at newsstands poring over magazines, especially Amazing Stories, and then recreated them at home with a pencil or pen. Jerry was the storyteller and the more ambitious of the two. He describes how the creation of Superman came to him in the middle of a sleepless summer night: I hop out of bed and write this down, and then I go back and think some more for about two hours, then get up again and write that down. The inspiration for Superman’s origin story started taking shape, and the next morning, I ran to Joe’s place and showed it to him, we just sat down, and I worked straight through.
As is often the case, when we experience something traumatic in life, we deal with the feelings through creative expression. Jerry’s father had owned a store and died during a robbery. A young child might process that experience by wishing something could have prevented it. For Jerry, out came the Man of Steel, who had superpowers and bravery to protect innocent people. Creating storylines must have helped Jerry with the grieving process.
The story of Superman has inspired kids for generations. It has calmed their fears and driven their dreams. Most importantly, the Man of Steel has inspired us all to find our superpowers and use them to help others.
1. What happened to Jerry and Joe during the Great Depression?| A．They were forced to quit school. | B．They became addicted to comics. |
| C．They went broke and lost their jobs. | D．They moved to Cleveland with friends. |
| A．Jerry was much more talented. | B．They co-created the Superman. |
| C．Joe was better at telling stories. | D．They produced their own magazine. |
| A．Painful. | B．Strange. | C．Wonderful. | D．Adventurous. |
| A．A Lifelong Friendship | B．The Best Comics Ever |
| C．The Birth of Superman | D．A Little Boy’s Last Wish |
3 . When communicating with others, we often focus on what we should say.
Focus fully on the speaker. You can’t listen in an active way if you’re constantly checking your phone.
Display your interest in what’s being said by using body language. Nod occasionally, smile at the person, and make sure your posture is open and inviting.
Avoid interrupting or trying to redirect the conversation to your concerns by saying something like, “you think that’s bad, let me tell you what happened to me.”
| A．Try to set aside judgement. |
| B．Be aware of individual differences. |
| C．It will make you feel more self-confident. |
| D．Listening is not the same as waiting for your turn to talk. |
| E．Encourage the speaker to continue with “yes”or “uh huh”. |
| F．Thinking about something else also implies you are not an active listener. |
| G．However, effective communication is less about talking and more about listening. |
4 . In the eras before air-conditioning, southern China’s skywells played a key role in keeping people’s homes cool. Could they do it again today?
Ru Ling loves spending time in skywells. To her, these courtyards of old Chinese houses are the perfect place to be on a hot and humid day. “
From 2014 to 2021, Ru lived in a century-old home in the village of Guanlu in eastern China’s Anhui Province. She moved there for a change of life after living and working in air-conditioned buildings for many years. Ru says that the house’s skywell helped to create this cooling effect.
In today’s China, fewer and fewer people live in houses with skywells.
A skywell is a typical feature of a traditional home in southern and eastern China. Different from a northern Chinese courtyard, a skywell is smaller and less exposed to the outdoor environment.
| A．Skywells can help keep the houses cool. |
| B．Air-conditioned flats are the main form of homes. |
| C．Meanwhile, some architects are drawing inspiration from skywells and other traditional Chinese architectural features to help keep new buildings cooler. |
| D．Although a skywell’s size and design vary from region to region, it is almost always located in the core of a house. |
| E．While skywells are common in many regions, only the rich can afford to build houses with them. |
| F．And she’s not alone in praising the benefits of skywells, in hot weather. |
| G．They are airy, cool, and well-shaded. |
5 . Tired of standing in line? Wait a bit longer, and you may never have to again.
Amazon has opened 24 of its Amazon Go stores, which use cameras and artificial intelligence (AI) to see what you’ve taken off shelves and charge you as you walk out. Some companies are closely copying Amazon’s approach to using Al-powered cameras fixed in ceilings. But others are trying an entirely different way to skip the checkout: smart shopping carts, companies have added cameras and sensors to the carts, and are using AI to tell what you’ve put in them. Customers pay by entering a credit card, or through an online payment system. When a customer exits the store, a green light on the shopping cart shows that their order is complete, and they’re charged.
The companies behind the smart carts, including Caper and Veeve, say it’s much easier to add technology to the shopping cart than to an entire store. Amazom’s Go stores rely on hundreds of cameras in the ceiling. The shelves also include sensors to tell when an item is removed. Ahmed Beshry, co-founder of Caper, believes the technology to run Go is too expensive to use in a large-format grocery store. Neither Caper nor Veeve have said how much their smart shopping carts will cost, making it difficult to compare the different formats. Shariq Siddiqui, CEO of Veeve, said, “We’re always happy when Amazon is doing something. They force retailers to get out of their old school thinking.”
Each time a business uses artificial intelligence and cameras, it raises questions about customers’ privacy and the effect on jobs. Beshry notes that the cameras in his shopping cart point down into the cart, so only a customer’s hand and part of their arm will be captured (拍摄) on camera.
1. What do we know about the smart shopping carts?| A．They are linked to the cameras fixed in the ceilings. |
| B．They are not able to recognize goods put in them. |
| C．They flash the green light when the order is finished. |
| D．They can tell customers where to find what they want. |
| A．It may reduce the cost of running a store greatly. |
| B．It is likely to help retailers to think differently. |
| C．It has attracted many more retailers than before. |
| D．It costs much more than their shopping carts. |
| A．That goods in the stores may be more expensive. |
| B．That they can only buy goods online. |
| C．That somebody may know their privacy. |
| D．That they have to wait in a line for a longer time. |
| A．The new technology improves retail sale. |
| B．Smart shopping carts will let you skip the line. |
| C．Al-powered cameras are used in retail stores. |
| D．Artificial intelligence affects the future of job market. |
6 . These train routes show the very best of winter in North America.
Empire Builder
The splendid view of the American West is only a train ticket away. Running from Chicago to Seattle, this route takes you through a vast land where ice and snow glitter over the wintry land. Trips are available from mid-September to March each year.
Aurera Winter Train
This popular, 12-hour train ride takes you from Anchorage to Fairbanks. On the way, you can get a spectacular view of the Alaskan wilderness, from snow-capped mountains to beautiful wildlife native to the area like bears. Not to mention an up close view of Denali, the highest peak in North America. Trips are usually planned for weekends from November to mid-May.
Yellowstone in the Winter
This five-day trip begins and ends in Salt Lake City, running between November and March every year. The winter train ride is built around a tour of Yellowstone National Park. Not only is wildlife much easier to spot—especially wolves native to the area —you also won’t have to fight crowds to get a good view.
Seattle and Canadian Rockies Winter Discovery
This nine-day trip begins in Seattle and takes you over the border to our neighbor to the north. With stops in Vancouver and Calgary, you’re sure to see all the best views of forests, lakes and the snow-capped mountains the Canadian Rockies have to offer. The train runs on select dates from November to April.
1. If you want to travel in October, which train trip is suitable for you?| A．Empire Builder. | B．Aurora Winter Train. |
| C．Yellowstone in the Winter. | D．Seatle and Canadian Rockies Winter Discovery. |
| A．They’re both crowded through the year. |
| B．They operate for the same period of time. |
| C．Travelers have a chance to see animals in nature. |
| D．Travelers can spot the highest mountain in North America. |
| A．The train runs all year long. | B．It tours around a national park. |
| C．Snow-capped mountains can be seen. | D．The train takes you to another country. |
7 . Sadaf’s childhood was happy. She enjoyed going to school and meeting her friends. But one day, she returned home running a high temperature.
“We thought it was regular flu. But we were told that I would not be able to walk ever again now,” she recalls.
Sadaf was just 10 years old then. After the family was turned down by doctors in Kashmir, they went to Mumbai, where an operation was performed to treat her legs. But eventually, Sadaf had to rely on a wheelchair to move around. By this time, she had to discontinue her education.
Things worsened when her father, her “only source of support”, passed away. “Everyone except my father doubted my capabilities. But he always encouraged me to dream big. I missed him.”
“There were days when I would end up crying all day, sitting alone in my room. I was getting into depression,” she says.
“By now, I’ve realized that I have to either end my life or struggle to prove myself. I chose the latter. I wanted to prove to the world that people like me can also achieve something. I had just lost my ability to walk, not my ability to use my brain,” she adds.
That is when Sadaf decided to step up for herself. In 2015, she opened a shop but had to shut it a couple of years later as the work affected her eyesight. She says, “But I wanted to try my hands at everything. So I decided to play basketball as well. I have also been awarded multiple times by the Jammu and Kashmir Basketball Association.”
Recently, Sadaf tried selling unique spices of the Kashmir valley. “Today, I have established my own business without anyone’s emotional or financial support. People would question me what I could achieve sitting in a wheelchair, when their educated and able-bodied children sat idly (闲散地). Now the very same people give my example to others,” she says.
Sadaf believes that people with disabilities should never doubt themselves. “If you hear others say something not so positive, you may end up depressed. Instead of living within the confines (限制) of a room, try to prove yourself,” she advises.
1. What did Sadaf lose after her father’s death?| A．Walking ability. | B．Financial support. |
| C．Spiritual backing. | D．Precious eyesight. |
| A．To build up her body. | B．To prove herself. |
| C．To win awards. | D．To pursue her dream. |
| A．Talented but inflexible. | B．Disabled but learned. |
| C．Independent and honest. | D．Determined and capable. |
| A．A fine example has limitless power. | B．Do not let your disability rule you. |
| C．Encouragement is the source of power. | D．Do not put all your eggs in one basket. |
8 . Minor Cold is the 23rd solar term of the 24 traditional Chinese solar terms. For most areas of China, it marks the start of the coldest days of the year. Still, bitter cold can’t prevent people from enjoying their lives.
Enjoy Mutton hot pot and baked sweet potato.
Mutton hot pot, and baked sweet potato are two recommended foods for Minor Cold.
Eat Laba porridge.
Another important traditional food for Minor Cold is Laba porridge.
People in Nanjing used to take Minor Cold quite seriously, and they still keep a custom of eating vegetable rice to celebrate this solar term. The rice is steamed with aijiaohuang, sausage and salted duck that are all the specialties in Nanjing.
Make Chinese traditional herbal medicine.
| A．Stock up for New Year. |
| B．Taste Nanjing vegetable rice. |
| C．It is made from over 20 kinds of nuts, cereals and dried fruits. |
| D．Minor Cold is also the busiest time for doctors and pharmacies, |
| E．Here are some things that help us stay warm during Minor Cold. |
| F．Beef, sesame and walnuts are also good choices for Minor Cold. |
| G．According to Chinese tradition, people eat food containing more yang energy. |
9 . More than 170,000 people in California are unhoused. Even as the state has poured resources into fighting against the problem, the number of people without homes has ticked upward in recent years. On the surface, the state has one key advantage for people without a reliable roof over their heads: relatively consistent and livable weather. So one of my first thoughts when I heard news of a horricane attacking Los Angeles was just “What will happen to the city’s homeless population?”
City agencies quickly took action. As it became clear that the Los Angeles region could experience an extreme downpour and subsequent flooding, outreach teams fanned out across the river bank and dam areas across the city that have become home to a significant unhoused population, offering support to move them into shelters and motels (汽车旅馆).
Despite that, it’s obvious that the effects of climate change will hit the most vulnerable (脆弱的) hardest. We see this globally as extreme weather events hit countries that have contributed the least to the problem.
The most notable connection between climate change and the US housing crisis is the threat extreme weather poses to unhoused people. More unhoused people are affected as climate change drives increasingly unpredictable weather. People without homes know how to respond to expected seasonal events. But events like a near-hurricane in Los Angeles or a wildfire in ‘Maui can catch populations with limited access to information off guard.
Another link worth considering is the way in which climate change creates more homelessness and further stresses on housing systems. Hurricane Katrina, for example, displaced 800, 000 people. Four years later, 12,000 people remained without shelter.
Housing has been — and will continue to be — a key issue in Maui too as it recovers from the wildfire that killed more than 100 people. Maui has already had a housing crisis, the result of a high cost of living driven in large part by the tourism industry. And, now, many more are left looking for places to stay. Ashley Kelly, the chief operating officer at Hawaii’s Family Life Center, said: “Finding housing for any new clients is just not possible right now.”
1. What contributes to the increase of the unhoused population in California?| A．Its mild weather. |
| B．Its inclusive local culture. |
| C．Its limited basic facilities. |
| D．Its relaxed state policies. |
| A．They built dams to prevent flooding. |
| B．They moved homeless people to safe places. |
| C．They sought low-cost housing from city agencies. |
| D．They surrounded the river bank to keep people away. |
| A．Mysterious. | B．Exceptional. | C．Changeable. | D．Difficult. |
| A．Ways of Americans relocating disaster-affected populations. |
| B．The significance of timely weather updates for the homeless. |
| C．The link between climate change and the housing crisis in the US. |
| D．Approaches of homeless Americans to dealing with natural disasters. |
10 . London Theatre Shows
Alice In WonderlandEach ticket to the show includes free entry to Kew Gardens., Alice in Wonderland is playing at the Kew Gardens from 22 July to 28 August 2023.
Running time: 1 hour 10 minutes with no interval (幕间休息)
Performance days
Matinees (日场): Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday
Important information: Children under 2 years old go free.
Back To The Future: The MusicalIt is based on the iconic Back ta the Future films. Back to the Future: The Musical tickets at the Adelphi Theatre, London are available to book for performances up to 11 February 2024.
Age restrictions: Suitable for general audience aged 6+. Children under 3 will not be admitted.
Running time: 2 hours 40 minutes (including interval)
Performance days
Evenings; Monday, Wednesday. Thursday. Friday, Saturday, Sunday
Matinees: Thursday, Saturday, Sunday.
Blippi: The Wonderful World TourThis show sees Blippi in the ultimate curiosity adventure. Dance, sing, and learn with Blippi as he discovers what makes different cities unique and special. Blippi: The Wonderful World Tour runs at Rose Theatre, Kingston from 29 August to 9 September 2023.
Age restrictions: Recommended for ages 2+.
Running time: 1 hour (no interval)
Performance days
Matinees: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday
Dinosaur World LiveJoin our brave explorers across unchartered territories to discover a pre-historic world of remarkably life-like dinosaurs. Dinosaur World Live runs from 11 August to 3 September 2023 at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, London.
Age restrictions: 3+
Running time: 50 mins + a 15-minute post show
Performance days
Matinees: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday
1. What do we know about Back to the Future: The Musical?| A．It has no performances on Tuesdays, |
| B．Booking starts on 11 February 2024. |
| C．Children under 3 years old can go free. |
| D．It lasts 2 hours 40 minutes without intervals. |
| A．Kew Gardens. |
| B．Adelphi Theatre. |
| C．Rose Theatre, Kingston. |
| D．Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre. |
| A．Alice In Wonderland |
| B．Dinosaur World Live |
| C．Back To The Future: The Musical |
| D．Blippi: The Wonderful World Tour |
