1 . In 1990, Hal Donaldson was 23 years old, fresh out of college and found himself in Calcutta, India, where he was asked to interview Mother Teresa.
Donaldson says about the great woman famed for feeding the hungry, “She wasn’t wearing shoes and her ankles were swollen. She sat down with me and was very polite.” After the interview, Mother Teresa asked him, “What are you doing to help the poor?” Donaldson admitted that he was young and wasn’t focused on helping others. With a smile on her face, Mother Teresa said, “Everyone can do something.”
Those words deeply struck Donaldson and forced him to face hard truths about himself.
Hal Donaldson grew up in the San Francisco Bay area. When he was 12 years old, his parents were hit by a drunk driver; his father died, and his mother was seriously injured. To make ends meet, they went on welfare. Donaldson says, “I had holes in my shoes and clothes. When you’re teased at school for that, you just want to escape.”
He managed to do just that. Donaldson got into college and turned his focus to making money for himself. He says, “I was just trying to find my way out of insignificance.” However, it’s easy to overlook others along the way. I was the guy that would see a homeless person and cross the street, so I didn’t have to confront (面对) him. My focus was on climbing to the top instead of helping those trying to climb with me.
Donaldson returned home from India with a different thought. He traveled to eight cities in America and stayed on the streets and listened to stories of the homeless. “My heart broke,” he says. “I knew I could no longer just live for myself.”
Inspired by Mother Teresa’s words and the stories he’d heard across America, Donaldson loaded a pick up truck with $300 worth of groceries and handed them out to anyone who needed help. In 1994, Donaldson created the nonprofit organization, Convoy for Hope, which works with communities across America and around the world. Their work focuses on feeding children, women’s empowerment, helping farmers and disaster services.
1. What did 23-year-old Hal Donaldson do in India?A.He interviewed Mother Teresa. |
B.He fed the hungry with Mother Teresa. |
C.He attended an job-interview for a college. |
D.He did something to help the poor. |
A.He was born with disability. | B.He led a hard life as a child. |
C.He was well treated at school. | D.He survived as an orphan. |
A.Self-centered | B.Sympathetic | C.Popular | D.Generous |
A.He preferred traveling to volunteering. |
B.He suddenly fell in love with journalism. |
C.He turned his focus to living for himself. |
D.He gradually devoted himself to helping others. |
2 . Art and science may seem like opposite things. One means the creative flow of ideas, and the other means cold, hard data-some people believe. In fact, the two have much in common. Now, a study finds art can help students remember better what they have learned in the science class.
Mariale Hardiman, an education specialist at Johns Hopkins University, noticed that students who used art in the classroom listened more carefully. They might ask more questions. They might volunteer more ideas. What’s more, students seemed to remember more of what they had been taught when their science lessons had involved(涉及) art. To prove that, Hardiman teamed up with some researchers and six local schools.
In the experiment, the researchers worked with teachers in 16 fifth-grade classrooms. They provided traditional science lessons and art-focused ones. In a traditional science class, for example, students might read aloud from a book. In the art-focused one, they might sing the information instead.
The team randomly assigned(随机分配) each of the 350 students to either a traditional science classroom or an art-focused one. Students then learned science using that way for the whole unit-about three weeks. When they changed to a new topic, they also changed to the other type of class. This way, each student had both an art-focused class and a traditional one. Every unit was taught in both ways, to different groups of students. This enabled the researchers to see how students did in both types of classes.
The team found that students who started off in a traditional class performed better after they moved into an art-focused class. But those who started off in an art-focused class did well even when they went back to a traditional science class. These students appeared to use some of the art techniques(技巧) after going back to a traditional class. Classroom teachers reported that many students continued to sing the songs that they learned after finishing the unit. “The more we hear something, the more we retain it,” Hardiman says. “It suggests that the arts may help students apply creative ways of learning on their own.”
1. Why did Mariale Hardiman do the study?A.To prove the importance of art at school. |
B.To see if art might improve science learning |
C.To find a way to help her students learn better. |
D.To know how to encourage students to ask questions. |
A.Take two types of classes. | B.Learn three units in total. |
C.Learn two topics for three weeks. | D.Choose what they’d like to learn. |
A.Finish. | B.Express. | C.Improve. | D.Memorize. |
A.Art helps students develop creativity. |
B.Art-focused classes interest students a lot. |
C.Art can make science easier to remember. |
D.Art has something in common with science. |
3 . I’m a strong believer that learning different languages makes you look incredibly good when you’re in a foreign country and can understand and speak the language. The list below is 4 apps that will help you learn a foreign language! You can download them for free.
Babbel- Learn languages
Babbel is an excellent language tool to help you progress step by step with learning a new language. It helps you learn grammar along the way as you work your way through the tasks and assignments. You need to pay a monthly subscription (订阅费), but this will still be cheaper than taking physical lessons with a tutor!
Duolingo-Learn Language Free
The app has many languages to choose from and will work through the basics all the way to advanced words and sentences. It’s all completely free too! It’s incredibly well designed, looks great and will help you learn, remember and progress with just a little bit of time every day.
Tandem-Language Exchange
Rather than have you work through tasks and memorize different things, the app lets you match with people who share your interests but speak the language you want to learn. You can then have text, voice and video conversation with people who want to learn your native language, and in return you learn theirs, all by simply communicating with each other. It’s a great way to learn with only 1$ a day.
Learn English Online-busuu
This app is perfect if you want to learn English. There are all sorts of audio and visual learning aids (you should pay for your VIP membership). You’ll find yourself working through interactive tests and learning tools for vocabulary and dialogue.
1. Which app suits you best if you want to learn through communication?A.Babbel-Learn Language | B.Tandem-Language Exchange |
C.Duolingo-Learn Languages Free | D.Learn English Online-busuu |
A.It is completely free to use. | B.It is specially for English learning. |
C.It is unsuitable for beginners. | D.It is the most effective app. |
A.They cover all languages. | B.They focus on grammar. |
C.They contain many tests. | D.They are free to download. |
4 . Welcome to your future life!
You get up in the morning and look into the mirror. Your face is firm and young-looking. In 2045, medical technology is better than ever. Many people at your age could live to be 150, so at 40, you’re not old at all. And your parents just had an anti-aging (抗衰老的) treatment. Now, all three of you look the same age!
You say to your shirt, “Turn red.” It changes from blue to red. In 2045, “smart clothes” contain particles (粒子) much smaller than the cells in your body. The particles can be programmed to change clothes’ color or pattern.
You walk into the kitchen. You pick up the milk, but a voice says, “You shouldn’t drink that!” Your fridge has read the chip (芯片) that contains information about the milk, and it knows the milk is old. In 2045, every article of food in the grocery store has such a chip.
It’s time to go to work. In 2045, cars drive themselves. Just tell your “smart car” where to go. On the way, you can call a friend using your jacket sleeve. Such “smart technology” is all around you.
So will all these things come true? “For new technology to succeed,” says scientist Andrew Zolli, “it has to be so much better that it replaces what we have already.” The Internet is one example—what will be the next?
1. What can we learn from the text that in the future?A.People will never get old. | B.Everyone will look the same. |
C.Red will be the most popular color. | D.Clothes will change their pattern. |
A.Milk will be harmful to health. |
B.More drinks will be available for sale. |
C.Food in the grocery store will carry electronic information. |
D.Milk and meat in the grocery store will stay fresh much longer. |
A.Nothing can replace the Internet. |
B.Fridges will know what people need. |
C.Jacket sleeves can be used as a guide. |
D.Cars will be able to drive automatically (自动地). |
A.Future technology in daily life. |
B.Medical treatment of the future. |
C.Food and clothing in many years later. |
D.The reason for the success of new technology. |
5 . A team of researchers from several institutions in the UK and one in Estonia has created a type of buoy(浮标)that has proven to be effective at frightening seabirds, thus preventing them from getting caught in gillnets - a type of vertical fishing net that is made of a material that makes it nearly invisible underwater.
Every year, hundreds of thousands of seabirds die when they get caught in gillnets. Some estimates suggest that up to a half-million birds are caught in them each year. Over the years, researchers have created devices to prevent the birds from trying to catch fish near or in gillnets, but those didn’t work well.
To find a way that would work for all seabirds, the researchers first studied seabirds in a general sense, looking to find things that they would avoid. They noted that seabirds avoided eye contact with other creatures. Then the researchers came up with a simple idea - they put a small pole to a regular buoy and then attached a pair of googly eyes(金鱼眼) to the top of it. They made the eyes big enough so that even birds with poor eyesight, such as geese, would see them. Adding to the effectiveness of the device, waves made the eyes move back and forth. And the wind made the buoy spin very slowly, making sure that birds from every direction would get a good look at the eyes.
To test their idea, the researchers selected several sites near gillnets and counted how many birds approached and how many attempted to catch fish near the nets. They then set up their googly-eyed buoys and once again counted birds. Over the course of 62 days, they found the number of birds that tried to catch fish near the gillnets dropped by approximately 25% for a distance of up to 50 meters. They also found that the birds were less likely to fish near where the buoys had been for up to three weeks after they had been removed.
1. What is the function of Paragraph 2?A.Introducing a new topic to discuss. |
B.Providing background information. |
C.Summarizing the previous paragraph. |
D.Pointing out the main idea of the text. |
A.To clearly observe seabirds’ eye contact. |
B.To ensure all the seabirds can see them. |
C.To effectively identify the right direction. |
D.To allow them to survive the strong wind. |
A.The new device still needs improving. |
B.Gillnets are a death valley for seabirds. |
C.The googly-eyed buoy proves effective. |
D.Seabirds hardly catch fish near the nets. |
A.A device keeping seabirds safe from gillnets. |
B.A way to help seabirds catch fish effectively. |
C.A googly-eyed buoy guiding seabirds to hunt. |
D.A group of researchers interested in seabirds. |
6 . Kings Camps
About Our CampsKings Camps is part of the Kings Active Foundation and is devoted to helping young people reach their potential. We provide sports camps and summer camps at over 40 places across the UK for children aged 4-17. We bring together the very best parts of sports and holiday clubs to provide friendship, fun and exciting adventures for young people from the UK and around the world.
Why Choose Kings Camps※Creative, inspiring camps: We have a strong belief that sport has an important role to play in a happy childhood and our not-for-money state enables us to provide some places and invest in new and creative ways to inspire.
※Learn important life skills: Kings Camps prepare children with important life skills and an understanding that being active is important to health and well-being.
※International students are welcome: We welcome children from outside of the UK who will make friends here by communicating with kids from different backgrounds, but we do require that they at least understand English to make sure of their safety and that of others, and of course their enjoyment.
CommentsRyan has enjoyed every part. When we’ve asked about his day, he’s said it was “amazing and fantastic”. All the staff are extremely friendly, enthusiastic and have a true belief in what they are doing.
— Tracy Lee
Fantastic & friendly staff! It’s an action-packed week of multiple sports. My sweetheart made new friends, overcame swimming fears & came away more confident too! I cannot recommend it enough!
— Kay Court
1. What does Kings Camps aim to do?A.Mix sports and holiday clubs. |
B.Get kids to play outdoors. |
C.Provide adventurous and challenging camps. |
D.Encourage kids to develop their potential. |
A.Awareness of safety. |
B.Love for media. |
C.Basic English ability. |
D.Good communicating skills. |
A.Parents. | B.Teachers. | C.Campers. | D.Staff. |
7 . Born in New York in 1918, scientist Gertrude B. Elion had an impressive career, during which she developed medicines to cure many major diseases. Elion spent her early youth in Manhattan. She attended senior high school and had, in her words, an unbelievable thirst for knowledge.
Influenced by the death of her grandfather, who died of cancer, Elion entered Hunter College at the age of 15 and graduated in chemistry at the age of 19. She had difficulty finding employment after graduation because many laboratories refused to hire women chemists. She found a part-time job as a lab assistant and went back to school at New York University. Elion worked as a high school teacher for a few years after finishing work on her master’s degree.
The start of World War II created more opportunities for women. At the age of 26, Elion was able to get a job at Burroughs Welcome, where she began a 40-year partnership with Dr. George H. Hitchings. Her thirst for knowledge impressed Dr. Hitchings, and he permitted her to take on more responsibility.
Elion and Hitchings set out on a course of creating medicines by studying the chemical composition of diseased cells. Rather than relying on old trial-and-error methods, they used the differences in biochemistry between normal human cells and pathogens(病原体)to design medicines. In all, Elion obtained 45 patents on medicine and was awarded 23 honorary degrees.
In 1988, Elion received the Nobel Prize for Medicine, together with George H. Hlitchings and Sir James Black. She received other awards for her work, including the National Medal of Science in 1991, and that same year, she became the first woman to be absorbed into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. In 1997, she was awarded the Lemelson-MIT Lifetime Achievement Award.
1. What can we say about Elion as a high school student?A.She had a satisfying part-time job. |
B.She had a strong desire for learning. |
C.She had a gift for chemistry at high school. |
D.She made great achievements in chemistry. |
A.To meet her grandfather’s wish. |
B.To find a good job after graduation. |
C.To create medicines to cure diseases. |
D.To be a chemistry teacher in the future. |
A.In 1944. | B.In 1937. | C.In 1933. | D.In 1984. |
A.Her later life. | B.Her contributions. |
C.Her interest in chemistry. | D.Her honors. |
8 . If you could travel in time, where would you go? Perhaps you would watch an original performance of a Shakespeare’s play in Elizabethan England? What about hanging out with Laozi in the Spring and Autumn Period? Or maybe you’d voyage far ahead of the present day to see what the future holds.
The possibility of time travel is indeed appealing. Stories exploring the subject have been around for hundreds of years. Perhaps the best known example is the science fiction novel The Time Machine, which was written by H. G. Wells and published in 1895 for the first time. It was adapted into at least two feature films of the same name, as well as two television versions, and a large number of comic book adaptations. It is generally credited with the popularization of the concept of time travel using a vehicle that allows an operator to travel purposefully and selectively. The term “time machine”, coined by Wells, is now universally used to refer to a vehicle transporting people into the far future.
But could time travel actually be possible? Some scientists say yes, in theory. They propose using cracks in time and space called “wormholes”, which could be used as shortcuts to other periods. Einstein’s theory of relativity allows time travel in extreme circumstances. And British physicist Stephen Hawking said you could travel into the future with a really fast spaceship—going at nearly the speed of light. Though building such a spaceship would of course be no simple task.
Even if you could travel into the past, there is something called the “grandfather paradox”. It asks what would happen if a time traveller were to go back in time and have his own grandfather killed for some reason, and therefore prevent himself from being born. If the time traveller wasn’t born, how would he travel back in time?
And would you really like to visit the future? In H. G. Wells’ book, the main character travels into distant time where he arrives at a beach and is attacked by giant crabs. He then voyages 30 million years into the future where the only living thing is a black object with tentacles (触角). If that’s what’s in store, maybe we are better just living in the present day after all.
1. The novel The Time Machine mentioned in Paragraph 2 aims to show .A.people’s interest in time travel |
B.the special features of the book |
C.the long history of time travel |
D.the contribution of H. G. Wells |
A.have similarities in many ways |
B.push the invention of the first spaceship |
C.have proved wrong by some time travellers |
D.suggest the possibility to invent the time machine |
A.the traveller is prevented from meeting his grandfather |
B.the traveller goes back in time to seek for his grandfather |
C.the grandfather’s death makes the traveller’s birth impossible |
D.The reunion of the traveller and his grandfather brings happiness |
A.Unclear. | B.Skeptical. |
C.Supportive. | D.Unconcerned. |
9 . The world’s largest painting has been sold in Dubai for almost $62 million. British artist Sacha Jafri created the painting and
During the spread of COVID-19 last year, Mr. Jafri was in Dubai. Rather than feeling
Using the children’s
Jafri had aimed to
A.held | B.played | C.set | D.confirmed |
A.ashamed | B.lost | C.hidden | D.stuck |
A.decided | B.hesitated | C.agreed | D.happened |
A.wish | B.difference | C.comment | D.mark |
A.called on | B.arranged for | C.appointed | D.warned |
A.return | B.accept | C.take | D.contribute |
A.hard | B.happy | C.fantastic | D.wrong |
A.notes | B.idea | C.dialogues | D.commitments |
A.standard | B.cheap | C.huge | D.round |
A.just | B.even | C.seldom | D.still |
A.worked | B.behaved | C.calculated | D.discussed |
A.walking | B.wandering | C.bending over | D.turning over |
A.decorations | B.brushes | C.collections | D.patterns |
A.repeated | B.delayed | C.continued | D.finished |
A.length | B.width | C.size | D.shape |
A.save | B.raise | C.borrow | D.offer |
A.helped | B.delayed | C.affected | D.damaged |
A.earned | B.charged | C.saved | D.paid |
A.money | B.prize | C.credit | D.share |
A.split | B.buried | C.absorbed | D.put |
10 . Cranes in Northern Extremadura
Designed for nature lovers, this tour travels to northern Extremadura—an area of ponds, lakes, agricultural fields and pastures(牧场)filled with livestock(牲畜). This is an ideal outing for birdwatching during winter and to see the common crane. Experience the constant sound of the birds communicating with each other as hundreds of birds gather in groups—truly fascinating to watch!
Price: £63 per person (public tour based on a minimum of 4 people)
Price: £148 per person (private tour with English-speaking guide based on 2 people)
Meeting point in the town of Malpartida de Plasencia
Historic Caceres Tour
The old town of Caceres features one of the most impressive artistic and monumental collections of buildings. One of the best preserved in Europe, this medieval(中世纪的)walled city was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986. Among its attractions you will also find the remains of Roman settlements.
Price: £54 per person (private tour with English-speaking guide based on 2 people)
Meeting point at Plaza Mayor
Trujillo Cultural Tour
This guided walk visits the most outstanding monuments of Trujillo, a town rich in history, where its castles, palaces» towers and manor houses speak of a glorious(辉煌的)past. From the point of Trujillo’s castle you will be able to capture the best shots, which during the evening tour are bathed in the light of the sunset.
Price: £54 per person (private tour with English-speaking guide based on 2 people)
Meeting point at Calle Tiendas, No.3 (next to the Plaza Mayor—the main square)
Wildlife Tour in the Monfragüe National Park
Travelling in a 6-seater car, within the Monfragüe National Park, you will enter one of the best well-conserved Mediterranean forests in the world with a large variety of birds, deer and other animals.
Price: £46 per person (public tour based on a minimum of 6 people)
Meeting point in the town of San Gregorio Hermitage
1. How much will a couple pay for a private tour in Northern Extremadura?A.£296. | B.£126. | C.£108. | D.£92. |
A.Enjoy the view of the forest. | B.Have the best time in birdwatching. |
C.Take the best pictures in the sunset. | D.Look at the remains of Romans. |
A.Cranes in Northern Extremadura. |
B.Historic Caceres Tour. |
C.Trujillo Cultural Tour. |
D.Wildlife Tour in the Monfragüe National Park. |