1 . Leaving everything behind to go after true happiness takes courage, and Sophie Matterson has enough to go around. The 3l-year-old enjoyed a good life in Brisbane, Australia, with a job in the TV and film industry, but it didn’t make her heart sing. That’s why she decided to try a different path. Now she’s trekking (跋涉) across the continent with five camels (骆驼) — and is the happiest she’s ever been!
In 2016, Sophie changed jobs and ended up somewhere she never expected: milking camels on a farm in Queensland.
“What I wasn’t anticipating was how much I would end up falling in love with these animals,” she wrote. “What was only going to be a six-month break from my ‘real job’ turned into five years of running after camels around Australia and other parts of the world.”
After taking tourists on camel treks for a while, Sophie decided to have an adventure of her own. She planned out a 5,000-kilometer trip from Shark Bay to Byron Bay before catching and training five wild camels in January 2019. Then she was finally ready to explore her country with Mac, Delilah, Clayton, Jude, and Charlie!
As one might imagine, the trip can be lonely at times, but Sophie’s camels make surprisingly good companions.
“It’s quite lovely and relaxing camping with camels,” she said. Best of all, she can see great views!
Sophie hopes to arrive in Byron Bay in the next nine months. In the meantime, she’ll be enjoying every second with her camel friends.
1. Why did Sophie give up her job in the TV and film industry?| A．It was of no interest to her. |
| B．It took much courage to carry on. |
| C．She needed to move to another country fora new job. |
| D．She was unwilling to leave everything behind to go for it. |
| A．believing. | B．discovering. | C．trying. | D．expecting. |
| A．From a farm. | B．From some friends. |
| C．From the wild. | D．From some tourists. |
| A．thoughtful. | B．Adventurous. | C．responsible. | D．confident. |
2 . Life is already difficult as a single mother, but for Rebecca Polston, every day is a battle of strength and courage.
Her son, Rhylon, has been on dialysis (透析) since he began his
Rebecca and Rhylon were
Since then, Rebecca has been able to fully meet Rhylon’s needs, which have included at least one
| A．experience | B．plan | C．fight | D．decision |
| A．laugh | B．work | C．love | D．drive |
| A．relies | B．lives | C．travels | D．turns |
| A．disappeared | B．went | C．struck | D．left |
| A．slightly | B．badly | C．formally | D．secretly |
| A．collect | B．borrow | C．accept | D．afford |
| A．funny | B．uncertain | C．promising | D．dull |
| A．discussed | B．debated | C．greeted | D．refused |
| A．station | B．government | C．bank | D．community |
| A．thrown | B．presented | C．lent | D．transported |
| A．life | B．heroics | C．idea | D．kindness |
| A．car | B．toy | C．house | D．radio |
| A．home | B．hospital | C．department | D．ambulance |
| A．removed | B．played | C．posted | D．sold |
| A．arrived | B．given | C．moved | D．poured |
3 . The effects of noise can reach organisms (生物体) without ears. Because of the way living things rely on each other, noise pollution may actually stop some forests from growing, a new study suggests. In a New Mexico woodland of pine trees, researchers found far fewer tree seedlings (小苗) in noisy sites than they did in quiet ones.
The study area is dotted with gas wells, some of which are quiet and some of which have compressors (压缩机) that create a constant noise. This allowed Jennifer Phillips, a behavioral ecologist at Texas A&M University-San Antonio and her colleagues to compare sites that were similar except for noise level. In areas that had been noisy for at least 15 years, the researchers found only about 13 pine seedlings, compared with 55 pine seedlings per hectare (公顷) in quiet areas.
The differences in plant growth were probably caused by changes in animal behavior, said Phillips. For example, noise might drive away certain pollinators (传粉昆虫) such as bees, bats and moths. In the case of pine trees, the problem was likely a lack of animals to disperse seeds. Pines depend on birds to carry their seeds away from the parent tree, and birds are known to avoid noise. The differences between the sites aren’t yet obvious to someone walking through them, said Sarah Termondt, a botanist (植物学家) with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service who helped conduct the study. That’s probably because pines are slow-growing, with most of the mature trees in such woodlands being over a century old.
The study raises questions about the future of the area. “If the noise stays there long term, are we going to lose this important ecosystem of the pine which supports so much wildlife?” said Phillips. The study was published today in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society.
1. What does the new study focus on?| A．The influence of noise pollution on plants. |
| B．The way the organisms receive noise. |
| C．The harm of noise pollution to insects. |
| D．The effects of noise pollution on humans . |
| A．Gas wells dotted in the area provide favorable conditions for the study. |
| B．The study sites are different in many ways including their noise level. |
| C．It is difficult for plants to live without noise and animals. |
| D．People can easily find the difference between the noisy and the quiet sites. |
| A．Seedling. | B．Thin. |
| C．Grown-up. | D．Tall. |
| A．Noise pollution is obviously a trouble that can be avoided. |
| B．Noise pollution could be a threat with the power to change ecosystems. |
| C．The pine forest is important because it supports so much wildlife. |
| D．Wildlife should be well protected for the future of this area. |
4 . A study published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology took a closer look at music in sports, specifically how listening to music could affect one’s overall performance.
Researchers asked 150 volunteers to throw a ball into a basket. For the first stage of the study, participants threw the ball from a fixed point. They threw the ball while listening to music of their choice, while not listening to music, or while listening to music that the researchers selected. For the second state they were able to choose where to stand when throwing the ball and performed the same activity with the various music choices.
The study found that listening to music, whether it was music of the volunteer's choice or a song chosen for them, did not make the participants more or less likely to get the ball in the basket. It had no effect, What it did do was increase self-esteem and make the study participants more likely to take risks, especially for males who were allowed to choose their own music.
The results suggest that music many pump you up. And it may even help you workout harder and longer than you would without it. But no matter what song you listen to, it's not going to help you get that ball into the basket.
Another study look a detailed look at how music pace might affect exercise. Researchers found that listening to high-pace music makes people feel like they're working less while also benefiting their bodies more.
Listening to high-pace music while exercising resulted in the highest heart rate compared with not listening to music. This means that the exercise seemed like less effort, but it was more beneficial in terms of enhancing physical fitness.
The study found that the beneficial effects of high-pace music were greatest for people who were walking or running and were felt the least for those who were doing high-intensity exercises such as weightlifting.
1. What were volunteers allowed to do while shooting in the second stage test?| A．Choose position and music. | B．Shoot from a fixed point. |
| C．Shoot with fixed music. | D．Shoot with no music. |
| A．Music given by experts. | B．Music males chose. | C．Peaceful music. | D．Loud music. |
| A．It has no effect on sports. | B．It improves your athletic skills. |
| C．It helps easily achieve better workout. | D．High-pace music is beneficial for all forms of exercise. |
| A．Reducing. | B．Balancing. | C．Changing. | D．Strengthening. |
5 . 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. |
6 . THE FACE-DOWN GENERATION
If you’re reading this, you were probably born in the 2000s. The 21st century. That would make you young, creative, connected, global, and no doubt smart. Maybe good-looking, too. Right?
Some adults worry that you’re more interested in the screen in front of you than the world around you. They think of you as the “face-down generation” because you use your phone so much.
Does the face-down generation need a heads-up? Well, probably not. The fact is that many of today’s teenagers are better educated and more creative than past generations. They also seem to be enthusiastic (热情的) and willing to become leaders.
If you are one of the face-down generation, there’s reason to be hopeful about the future. Chances are that you will do great and laugh out loud.
| A．And what do you think of the online world? |
| B．But what do other people think about your generation? |
| C．More young people volunteer to help their communities. |
| D．Children are free to play computer games on weekends. |
| E．They wonder how you will deal with school, friends, and family. |
| F．Others think that today’s youth don’t want to face the challenges of adult life. |
| G．They are scheduled with homework and extra-curricular activities every day. |
7 . Without school, organized activities, and camps to keep them busy last year, many children and teens have been feeling unhappy. But 14-year-old Macaire Everett and her 9-year-old little brother, Camden, found a special way to
Once a doodler (涂鸦手), Macaire never had enough time to
“If you look back at pictures of some of the older chalk art, you can see how much I’ve
And as the images kept coming, neighbors would come by too, to check out the
| A．pay | B．punish | C．protect | D．please |
| A．organization | B．community | C．school | D．team |
| A．studied | B．saved | C．bought | D．created |
| A．reporter | B．editor | C．artist | D．model |
| A．acted as | B．applied for | C．cut out | D．signed up |
| A．improve | B．quit | C．reduce | D．affect |
| A．name | B．stop | C．value | D．idea |
| A．date | B．task | C．topic | D．view |
| A．happy | B．rich | C．anxious | D．strong |
| A．enjoyed | B．missed | C．grown | D．forgotten |
| A．end | B．beginning | C．top | D．bottom |
| A．playing | B．watching | C．doing | D．reading |
| A．latest | B．first | C．best | D．largest |
| A．sign | B．cloth | C．hand | D．smile |
| A．suddenly | B．widely | C．slowly | D．secretly |
An ancient culture dating back more than 5,000 years proved China’s early exchanges with other societies, experts say.
Experts believe the Majiayao culture had a close
Swedish expert Johan first
Actions
9 . Online games are very popular among people. They make a large amount of money and have a large user base, including lots of teenagers. But now, new rules on online games have been introduced, which are aimed at fighting against addiction (成瘾) among underage players.
Adult players need to spend most of their time paying attention to work and family, and cannot play games as often as they want. However, underage players have more spare time, but less responsibility and self-control. Children without a clear purpose in life, where there is less family education and school management, might easily become addicted to all kinds of online games and online novels.
The most direct impact of an addiction to online games among underage players is on their psychological (心理) health. According to psychologists, people seriously addicted to games can become anxious, bad tempered, and avoid responsibility.
However, Chinese parents are more worried that their children will lack interest in studying if they become addicted to online games, as academic success is important for students. Additionally, when their children become addicted to such games, most parents do not know how to deal with the situation.
To carry out the new rules to the best effect, more specific issues need to be solved, such as managing foreign online games, ensuring that facial recognition technologies used by games companies have the wanted effect or making sure online game providers can only offer one-hour services to underage players on Saturdays and Sundays. While there are always loopholes (漏洞) in new rules, authorities should act quickly to close them.
There is no doubt that online games have harmful effects on young people. It is not acceptable for a large number of teenagers or those even younger, to become addicted to these games.
1. What’s the purpose of the new rules on online games?| A．To raise awareness of Internet safety. |
| B．To bring in new computer programs. |
| C．To reduce the grown-up user base. |
| D．To prevent the teenagers’ addiction. |
| A．They can learn more knowledge on the Internet. |
| B．They have more free time and less self-control. |
| C．They have purposes in life but lack higher education. |
| D．They maintain a sense of curiosity about the Internet. |
| A．How to reduce parents’ anxiety about kids’ study. |
| B．How to find loopholes in the popular online games. |
| C．How to control the service time of online game providers. |
| D．How to invent a facial recognition game for young players. |
| A．Confused. | B．Negative. |
| C．Supportive. | D．Uninterested. |
10 . A man was employed to paint a boat. He brought paint and brushes and began to paint the boat as the owner wanted. While painting, he
The next day, the owner of the boat visited the painter and
"You've already paid me for painting the boat, sir!" he said.
"This is not for the paint job. It's for repairing the
"Ah! But it was such a small service." The man said, "Certainly it's not worth paying me such a high amount for something so
"My dear friend, "the owner said, "You don't understand. Let me tell you
“I was not at home at the time. So when I
Then, I examined the boat and found that you had repaired the hole! You now see what you did? You
Each of us has a moral duty to offer help, wipe tears, listen carefully and repair all the "holes" we
| A．felt | B．heard | C．sensed | D．noticed |
| A．make | B．dig | C．repair | D．prepare |
| A．money | B．paint | C．brush | D．fish |
| A．dropped | B．cooked | C．presented | D．took |
| A．happy | B．disappointed | C．embarrassed | D．surprised |
| A．hole | B．chair | C．paddle | D．picture |
| A．huge | B．small | C．great | D．rude |
| A．when | B．why | C．what | D．how |
| A．went on | B．went away | C．went over | D．went through |
| A．drove | B．shared | C．rewarded | D．returned |
| A．hopeless | B．silly | C．crazy | D．excited |
| A．belief | B．relief | C．sadness | D．worry |
| A．saved | B．hurt | C．broke | D．designed |
| A．come out | B．come in | C．come across | D．come into |
| A．achievement | B．progress | C．process | D．difference |
