1 . You probably know who Marie Curie was, but you may not have heard of Rachel Carson. Of the outstanding ladies listed below, who do you think was the most important woman of the past 100 years?
Jane Addams (1860-1935)Anyone who has ever been helped by a social worker has Jane Addams to thank. Addams helped the poor and worked for peace. She encouraged a sense of community (社区) by creating shelters and promoting education and services for people in need. In 1931, Addams became the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Rachel Carson (1907-1964)If it weren’t for Rachel Carson, the environmental movement might not exist today. Her popular 1962 book Silent Spring raised awareness(意识) of the dangers of pollution and the harmful effects of chemicals on humans and on the world’s lakes and oceans.
Sandra Day O’Connor (1930-present)When Sandra Day O’Connor finished third in her class at Stanford Law School, in 1952, she could not find work at a law firm because she was a woman. She became an Arizona state senator (参议员) and in 1981, the first woman to join the U. S. Supreme Court (最高法院). O’Connor gave the deciding vote in many important cases during her 24 years on the top court.
Rosa Parks(1913-2005)On December 1,1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, Rasa Parks would not give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger. Her simple act landed Parks in prison. But it also set off the Montgomery bus boycott (抵制). It lasted for more than a year, and kicked off the civil-rights movement. “The only tired I was, was tired of giving in,” said Parks.
1. What is Jane Addams famous for in history?| A．Her social work. | B．Her teaching skills. |
| C．Her efforts to win a prize. | D．Her community background. |
| A．Not having training in law. | B．Her little work experience in court. |
| C．Her identity as a woman. | D．Her poor financial conditions. |
| A．Jane Addams. | B．Rachel Carson. |
| C．Sandra Day O’Connor. | D．Rosa Parks. |
| A．They are highly educated. | B．They are truly creative. |
| C．They are pioneers. | D．They are peace-lovers. |
2 . Some young people are blocking their parents on social media. Would you add your parents on Wechat?
Some children say they feel uncomfortable with their parents keeping an eye on their everyday activities and photos, as their parents either don’t support the things they do for fun, or would constantly worry over what they consider unsafe or inappropriate behavior.
So, what is your opinion? Should young people share their everyday activities with heir parents through social media like WeChat?
Some are for it. Young people can be friends with their parents.
Most young adults desire independence from their parents.Kids need to make their own choices.
| A．Social media is a good way for children to keep in touch with their parents. |
| B．This has become one of the biggest questions young Chinese facing in a digital age. |
| C．By treating each other as friends, families can work to rebuild their relationships. |
| D．They even say their friends’ circles are for friends of a similar age. |
| E．Blocking their parents on social media allows kids room to grow and build the self-confidence necessary to have a successful life. |
| F．37% of young people said they have blocked their parents from seeing their friends’ circles. |
| G．While others hold a different idea, arguing that the generation gap can’t be underestimated(低估）. |
3 . Ten years ago, I went on a vacation in Italy. After climbing up a hill for a panoramic (全景的) view of the blue sea, white buildings and green olive trees, I paused to catch my breath and then positioned myself to take the best photo of this panorama.
Unfortunately, just as I took out my camera, a woman approached from behind, and planted herself right in front of my view. Like me, this woman was here to stop, sigh and appreciate the view.
Patient as I was, after about 15 minutes, I grew frustrated. Was it too much to ask her to move so I could take just one picture of the landscape? Sure, I could have asked her, but something prevented me from doing so. She seemed so content in her observation. I didn't want to mess with that. Another 15 minutes passed and I grew bored. The woman was still there. I decided to take the photo anyway.
Now when I look at the photo, I think her presence in the photo is what makes the image interesting. The landscape, beautiful on its own, somehow comes to life and breathes because this woman is engaging with it.
This photo, with the unique beauty that unfolded before me and that woman who "ruined" it, now hangs on a wall in my bedroom. What would she think if she knew that her figure is captured and frozen on some strangers bedroom wall? A bedroom, after all, is a very private space, in which some woman I don't even know has been immortalized (使永存). In some ways, she lives in my house.
Perhaps we all live in each other's spaces. Perhaps this is what photos are for: to remind us that we all appreciate beauty, that we all share a common desire for pleasure, for connection, for something that is greater than us. That photo is a reminder, a captured moment, an unspoken conversation between two women, separated only by a thin square of glass.
1. What happened when the author was about to take a photo?| A．Her camera stopped working. | B．A friend approached from behind. |
| C．Someone asked her to leave. | D．A woman blocked her view. |
| A．losing her patience | B．enjoying herself |
| C．waiting for the sunset | D．thinking about her past |
| A．The woman's existence in the photo. | B．The perfect positioning of the camera. |
| C．The rich color of the landscape. | D．The soft sunlight that summer day. |
| A．the need to be close to nature | B．the importance of private space |
| C．the shared passion for beauty | D．the joy of the vacation in Italy |
4 . British researchers say they have created an artificial intelligence (AI) model that is highly effective at predicting rainfall within the next 90 minutes.
The model was built by scientists at Google-owned research company DeepMind in London. The company partnered with researchers at the University of Exeter in Britain and the Met Office, the British government’s national weather service. The team says tests of the system showed it produced more accurate predictions, or forecasts, for short-term rainfall than other existing systems.
Accurate nowcasting can be a very important tool for preparing for possible weather emergencies. It can be used by officials in the areas of water management, agriculture, air and ground traffic control and outdoor event planning. “We were especially interested in the ability of these models to make predictions on medium to heavy-rain events, which are the events that most impact people and the economy,” the team said. The scientists said their model aims to create predictive “movies” of immediate weather patterns. They said that, unlike other systems, theirs can accurately capture large-scale events, as well as several different rain possibilities. This combination permits “rainfall uncertainties” to be deeply explored.
During the testing process, the team said the model showed “statistically significant” improvements in these areas compared to competing methods. In addition, the researchers reported that a group of more than 50 weather experts from the Met Office rated the AI model to be more accurate and useful in 89 percent of cases than existing forecasting systems.
Despite the study results, researchers admitted that the model still has limitations. They said “more work is needed to improve the accuracy of long-term predictions and the accuracy on rare and intense events.” The team said it will now center on developing new methods to test and measure the model's performance. It will also work to create more specialized systems to work in real-world conditions.
1. What do we know about the new AI model?| A．The model is created by researchers of Met Office. |
| B．The model can predict any rainfall within 90 minutes. |
| C．The model needs improving in long-term forecasting. |
| D．The model has been used in real-world conditions. |
| A．The difficulty of accurate nowcasting. |
| B．The relationship between weather forecasting and economy. |
| C．The necessity of building the new AI model. |
| D．The principles of the new model. |
| A．To prove the advantage of the new model. |
| B．To compare the new model with the old systems. |
| C．To explain the rule of weather forecasting. |
| D．To show how the existing system works. |
| A．Existing Forecasting system Needs Improving |
| B．AI Predicts Immediate Rainfall Better than Existing Systems |
| C．New Explorations in Weather Predictions |
| D．New Methods on Testing the AI Model's Performance |
5 . Long Beach, a 28-mile area of beach, lies in southwestern Washington, and is generally called Long Beach Peninsula. Communities there take you back to old days of a simple life. Here, visitors can relax and enjoy the good of a total rest.
Bird watchingThere are different kinds of birds on Long Beach. It’s best if you watch them from a distance and don’t try to frighten them. The Southwest Loop Route Map can be got through the Long Beach Peninsula Visitors Office by calling l-800-451-2542.
HorsesA popular activity on Long Beach is horseback riding. Two businesses in the city of Long Beach offer guided horseback tours along the beach: Black Country Wilderness Outfitters and Skipper’s Equestrian Center. You may also bring your own horse. Among the adventures offered with horses is a wagon ride along the beach, a carriage ride through Sea view or Long Beach, a back country pack trip, or a sunset ride by horseback on the beach.
CampingRV and tent camping aren’t allowed on the beach. Camp fires are allowed within 100 feet off the beach, but must be away from the dry grass.
Swimming and other activitiesSwimming is allowed, but you must be careful. The waters are very cold and dangerous. Surfing is advised only for experienced surfers. Beach driving is allowed at certain areas on the beach. The speed limit is 25 mph. Building sand castles, digging sand to find something, riding bicycles and flying kites are also popular activities in the area.
Enjoy your trip to Long Beach, Washington!
1. What can we learn about Long Beach from the passage?| A．Its people live a simple life. | B．It is a world-famous tourist attraction. |
| C．It lies in southeastern Washington. | D．It is 28 kilometers long. |
| A．Tent camping. | B．Driving at the speed of 30 mph along the beach. |
| C．Digging sand to find something. | D．Setting camp fires far away from the beach. |
| A．a research paper | B．a travel guide | C．a news report | D．an instruction(说明书) |
6 . At the foot of the Tianmu Mountain in Zhejiang, a homestay (民宿) is attracting travelers from far and wide, which has won architectural medal at the 2021 German iF Design Awards.
The owners of the homestay are a couple in their late 30s who decided to return to their hometown three years ago. Li Xiumei used to be in charge of a division at a company in Hangzhou, and her husband was a sales director. It was an ordinary situation where Li’s husband was on business trips a lot and Li still worked on weekends. City life sometimes is not easy.
In 2018, they quit jobs and went back to Dongtianmu village, which lies in a forest of bamboo. The first time they drove into the village was one late afternoon. The cooking smoke was rising from the foot of the mountain, which gave them a very different feeling from the city.
The homestay was built beside her husband’s old countryside house. The old house is preserved (保留), while a brand-new building was built on its side and the whole site is made up of four courtyards. It has been updated to have a hall, a tea room, a kitchen, a dining room. Japanese cherry trees are planted in the east courtyard. A swimming pool is placed in the west courtyard, with a bar located on one side.
Li and her husband love gardening and music, and their new home gives them enough space to continue their interests and relax in the heart of nature. Li wants to share the quiet country life, so she makes her new home a homestay. In 2019, the homestay became an online hit after guests shared their experiences on social media. “The longer I stay here, the more I feel it was the right choice to come back, and this is more meaningful than making money,” Li says.
1. How did Li feel about city life?| A．Satisfied. | B．Noisy. | C．Attractive. | D．Tired |
| A．The forest of bamboo. | B．The smoke of cooking. |
| C．The fresh air in the village. | D．The feeling of loneliness. |
| A．It is ancient and broken. | B．It can hold many guests. |
| C．It must have been carefully designed. | D．It has been rebuilt by the couple. |
| A．Continuing their music dream. | B．Living in the countryside. |
| C．Staying at the old house. | D．Developing a city. |
7 . There are a lot of names for people who travel the world—backpackers, tourists, explorers, travelers. Labels (标签) are everywhere but seem especially popular among travelers trying to differentiate (区别) their style of travel. For many travelers, these labels make them feel better over another.
Andrew Zimmern from Bizarre Foods once said, “Please be a traveler, not a tourist. Try new things, meet new people, and look beyond what’s right in front of you. Those are the keys to understanding this amazing world we live in.” The idea here is that travelers are better at exploring the world than tourists. They dig deep into the culture, drink it up, and get to know a place while a tourist takes pictures and declares to have “done Paris.”
But that’s wrong, we are all tourists.
On the road, backpackers love to talk about how real their travels are and how unreal tourists are. “Look at those tourists over there,” they say. They scoff at others who travel too quickly or to places that they think are not well worth visiting. Nevertheless, they do so while eating hamburgers and drinking beers with other travelers.
The only way to really get to know a place deeply is to live there. If you want to live like a local, find an apartment, get a job, go to work, and do the same things as you did back home.
We are all only passing through a culture, getting a small taste before moving on to the next place. Even if we stay weeks or months, we’re just getting in touch with the surface. As a matter of fact, we are all really just tourists, or explorers, or travelers. Call yourself whatever you want—it’s all the same as we’re all trying to do the same thing—see the world.
So don’t label anyone and don’t let anyone label you. We’re all tourists. We’re all travelers. What we are all doing is more important than what we call ourselves. Let’s just enjoy the fact that we are simply people on the road.
1. The purpose of Andrew Zimmern’s words in Paragraph 2 is to ________.| A．present amazing experiences | B．tell travelers from tourists |
| C．get to know different people | D．give an example of misunderstanding |
| A．laugh at | B．model after |
| C．take notice of | D．agree with |
| A．They live like locals while traveling. |
| B．They have a brief experience of places. |
| C．They enjoy tasty food on the way. |
| D．They like calling themselves explorers. |
| A．Explore deep into cultures. |
| B．Make a detailed trip schedule. |
| C．Just enjoy the trip on the road. |
| D．Simply be more a traveller than a tourist |
8 . Many of the sports in ancient Egypt are still practiced today. In fact, many of the basic elements of sports, like rules and uniforms, were first used by Egyptians. The sports had important functions in society. Some were played for fun and fitness. Others were played to make stronger warriors(武士) and leaders.
The first group of sports, mostly for fun was those like rowing, hunting, and the high jump. Hunting and fishing could be enjoyed by the kings and regular people. The same was for rowing. Rowing needed strength. Teams of people got into boats and followed the commands of a leader. He would give regular, sharp calls to tell them when to row. This technique is still used for rowing teams today. Another popular game was tug-of-war. This was a game where two teams had to pull each other over a line. If team fell forward, they lost. This game is still played today in the country.
The second group of sports prepared people for the army and the temple. These included boxing, horse riding, running, and archery(箭术). They were ways to work on skills for fighting. They were also ways to work on mental and spiritual power. Running a marathon was a good example of this. The king would run to show he had the mental strength to guide his country. Hockey was another Egyptian game. Players held tree branches with a bent end, just like modern hockey sticks. They had to hit a ball made of leather that was brightly colored.
These sports were a part of Egyptian culture. They kept the people happy and fit. The basic rules were created thousands of years ago. They are still seen in some forms today.
1. According to the passage, what was the purpose of sports?| A．They could stop people from being angry at the king. |
| B．They could stop people from working too much. |
| C．They could keep people busy with no time to fight. |
| D．They could keep people happy and in good shape. |
| A．clear | B．hopeful |
| C．keen | D．energetic |
| A．To explain how hockey is not fashionable. |
| B．To state his opinion on ancient Egyptian games. |
| C．To provide another example of an old game played today. |
| D．To contrast its simplicity with the complexity of other games. |
9 . We usually travel because we want to see other countries and visit places that are famous, interesting or beautiful. We travel to meet new friends, to try new kinds of food, to experience life in other parts of the world or simply to get away from cold weather.
If you don’t want to spend your vacation on a bus, in a hotel or sitting on the beach, you may want to try hiking. Hiking is a great way to travel. You will get close to nature and take exercise at the same time.
Another exciting adventure is rafting.
A raft is a small boat that you can use to paddle (划桨) down rivers and streams.
| A．Hiking can happen almost everywhere depending on your mood. |
| B．Rafting is a good way to experience nature. |
| C．However, other people prefer adventure travel than the traditional travel. |
| D．One popular exciting adventurous travel activity is hiking. |
| E．Also you need to learn the basic skills. |
| F．Hiking is easy to do and can be very expensive. |
| G．However, there are other reasons for adventure travel. |
10 . Whether you want to impress a new teacher, or just chat with a new acquaintance, knowing how to start a conversation can help you feel more comfortable and confident.
No matter what the situation is, you can find something positive to say. Comment on the weather, the food, or the event itself. Saying something as simple as you hope your conversation partner has a good time also is a good way to get a conversation rolling. People tend to respond better to a positive subject rather than a negative one. Staying positive also helps put others at ease.
It can be difficult to try to talk to someone when it feels that you have little in common. In these situations, getting the other person to talk about his or her own interests, work, or expertise can be a useful way.
Learning how to start a conversation is an important skill that can help you build social connections. It can be difficult initially, particularly if you struggle with shyness or social anxiety.
| A．If you put the skills into practice |
| B．Instead of pushing your fears away |
| C．Everyone feels some level of fear in social situations |
| D．Eye contact will make your partner feel embarrassed |
| E．Try to think of every interaction as a practice session |
| F．People often enjoy talking about things they are passionate about |
| G．People will be more interested in continuing a conversation with you |
