1 . There was once a boy called Mario who loved to have lots of friends at school. However, he wasn’t sure whether or not his classmates were his true friends, so he asked his grandpa. The old man answered, “I have just exactly what you need; it’s in the attic (阁楼). Wait here for a minute.”
Grandpa left, soon returning as though carrying something in his hand, but Mario could see nothing there. “Take it. It’s a very special chair. Because it’s invisible (无形的) it’s rather difficult to sit on, but if you take it to school and you manage to sit on it, you’ll be able to tell who your true friends are.”
Mario took the strange invisible chair and went to school. At break time he asked everyone to form a circle, and he put himself in the middle, with his chair. “Nobody move. You’re about to see something amazing,” Mario said.
Then Mario tried sitting on the chair. He missed and fell straight onto his backside. Everyone had a pretty good laugh. Mario wouldn’t be beaten. He kept trying to sit on the magic chair, and kept falling to the ground... until, suddenly, he tried again and didn’t fall. This time he sat, hovering (悬停) in mid-air.
Looking around, Mario saw George, Lucas, and Diana — three of his best friends — holding him up, so he wouldn’t fall. At the same time, many others he had thought of as friends were doing nothing but make fun of him, enjoying each and every fall.
Leaving with his three friends, Mario explained to them how his grandpa had so cleverly thought of such a good idea. Now he knows that those who take joy in our misfortunes (不幸) when we are in difficulty are not our true friends.
1. What did Mario’s grandpa take from the attic?| A．An invisible chair. | B．An old chair. |
| C．A real chair. | D．Nothing. |
| A．To see whether Mario could sit on it. |
| B．To test who were Mario’s true friends. |
| C．To let Mario have fun with his classmates. |
| D．To test whether Mario was popular at school. |
| A．He saw the invisible chair suddenly. |
| B．He managed to sit on the chair finally. |
| C．His friends held him up with their hands. |
| D．His classmates gave him a chair to sit on. |
| A．Never laugh at our friends. |
| B．True friends can help us do magic. |
| C．True friends are those who care for us. |
| D．Having too many good friends isn’t a good thing. |
2 . Wang Shuang was just five when her parents divorced, dropped her at her uncle’s and left. Football, as it often is, became an escape.
At seven, she was spotted by coach Xu Yilong, who found Wang quick in her playful behaviour. As the only girl in the boys’ team, Wang’s performances were impressive, earning her the nickname “Iron Girl.” And soon, she sensed the sport’s power. Football allowed her to “release herself” and realize “whatever happens, football never leaves you alone.”
However, life was never smooth sailing. The constant jibes (嘲讽) from some people, who always tried to push her down and destroy her hopes, affected her so deeply that she lost confidence.” They were saying I had no talent at all. Gradually, I felt really so. “Wang once wrote. But never did she stop playing. When she was called up to the national team, aged 17,Wang thought, “Me? Are you sure?” When a world-famous club wanted to sign her, she was “excited that an excellent coach thought I was good.” It was only then that she felt confident in her abilities. “I felt recognized. Perhaps I had a bit of talent after all.”
Not any “bit of talent”; the genius is praised as China’s once-in-a-generation player.
China is a pioneer of women’s football in Asia and has won the continental championship eight times, including seven straight titles between 1986 and 1999.That was their golden age. Gradually, though, the dynasty declined. It is hoped that Wang will inspire the women’s football of the country to its former height.
Coaches are almost always hesitant to speak about individual players. But when coach Shui was asked about Wang before the match against Vietnam, she couldn’t stop mentioning her influence on the team. Unfailingly performing on the big stage, Wang did not let her team down. When they lacked a quality ball, she delivered two high assists that finally led her team into the last-four clash (交锋).
“Nobody knows how hard it was,“ declared Wang after the match. “We overcame difficulties. We also showed our strong spiritual power. I am proud of my team.”
1. What can we infer about Wang from the second paragraph?| A．She earned a living on her own. | B．She felt the power of sports. |
| C．She was laughed at by the boys. | D．She found a sense of belonging |
| A．By winning recognition. | B．By getting encouragement. |
| C．By playing in the national team. | D．By ignoring other people’s jibes. |
| A．Caring. | B．Unwilling. | C．Favorable. | D．Demanding |
| A．Wang Shuang: A Steel Rose | B．Wang Shuang: A Child Genius |
| C．Wang Shuang: A Football Pioneer | D．Wang Shuang: A Golden Age Successor· |
3 . A lot of people like movies and films. They can add thrill and imaginations to our lives. Find the latest movie reviews here.
Family Romance
Love is a business at Family Romance-a company that offers the rental service. Founder Yuichi Ishii helps fulfill the dreams of his clients. Mahiro’s mother will hire Ishii to play as her missing father. And reality will begin to be unclear.
Critics Consensus (共识): It is a fascinating exploration of human connection and follows an unconventional path.
Mulan
The fearless and spirited eldest daughter of an honoured warrior, Mulan is the apple of her father’s eye. To save her aging father from serving in the Imperial Army, clever Mulan disguises (乔装) herself as a man soldier named “Ping” to bravely take her father’s place in the Imperial Army to battle northern invaders in China.
Critics Consensus: It could have told its classic story with greater depth, but the live-action Mulan is a visual improvement.
Greenland
A family fights for survival as a planet-killing comet (彗星) races to Earth. John Garrity (Gerard Butler), his wife Allison and young son Nathan make a dangerous journey to their only hope for refuge (避难). Among terrifying news, the Garritys experience the best and worst in humanity while they battle the increasing panic and lawlessness surrounding them.
Critics Consensus: Beware, comets of Greenland: Gerard Butler, is here to protect Earth and show audiences an improbably entertaining time.
Black Box
Having lost his wife and his memory in a tragic car accident, the news photographer Nolan Wright is desperate. After losing his wife and memory, Nolan Wright, a single father undergoes an experimental treatment that causes him to question who he really is.
Critics Consensus: An interesting work of writer-director Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour, Black Box makes up for a lack of surprises with strong performances and an emotionally rewarding story.
1. Which movie should have presented a better story according to critics?| A．Family Romance. | B．Mulan. | C．Greenland. | D．Black Box. |
| A．Family Romance. | B．Mulan. | C．Greenland. | D．Black Box. |
| A．Advertisement. | B．Science. | C．News Report. | D．Entertainment. |
4 . My teacher held up a piece of broken glass and asked, “Who broke this window?”
Thirty boys tried to think about not only what they had done, but also what the teacher might have found out. She seldom became angry, but she was this time.
“Oh,” I thought. I was the one who broke the window. It was caused by a naughty throw of a baseball. If I admitted guilt, I would be in a lot of trouble. How would I be able to pay for a big window like that? I didn’t even get an allowance. “My father is going to have a fit as a result of it,” I thought. I didn’t want to raise my hand, but some force much stronger than I was pulled it skyward (朝向天空). I told the truth, “I did it.” It was hard enough to say what I had done.
My teacher took down a book from one of our library shelves and I had never known my teacher to strike a student, but I feared she was going to start with me.
“I know how much you like birds,” she said as she stood looking down at my guilt-ridden face. “Here is the field guide about birds that you are constantly checking out. It is yours now. It’s time we got a new one for the school anyway. You will not be punished, but remember that I am not rewarding you for your misdeed (恶行), but I am rewarding you for your truthfulness.”
I couldn’t believe it! I wasn’t being punished and I was getting my own bird field guide — the very one that I had been saving up money to buy.
The lesson my teacher taught me stays with me every day, and it will echo forever.
1. From the story, we can learn that the boy .| A．didn’t break the window on purpose |
| B．lacked the courage to admit his guilt |
| C．tried to think about what he had done |
| D．didn’t know what the teacher had found out |
| A．be punished by the teacher |
| B．make his father angry |
| C．pay for the broken window |
| D．get a bird field guide |
| A．Afraid—Surprised—Thankful. |
| B．Frightened—Amazed—Proud. |
| C．Regretful—Guilty—Excited. |
| D．Nervous—Afraid—Satisfied. |
| A．Every coin has two sides. |
| B．Honesty is always valued. |
| C．Bad luck never comes alone. |
| D．You can’t be too careful. |
5 . Summer Teen Volunteer Opportunities
Bloomington Parks and Recreation offers an excellent opportunity for teens to get involved and make a difference in their community by volunteering within a variety of summer youth programs. Summer Teen volunteers assist with activities under the guidance of experienced staff and gain valuable leadership skills. In the summer, teens can apply to volunteer in the following programs:
Summer Adventure Playground Program Volunteer
Program Dates: June 14 — August 12
Location(s): Kelly, Poplar Bridge. Running, Smith. Sunrise and Westwood parks
Information: Help facilitate opportunities to play and lead playground participants (in grades 2 - 7) in games, sports, arts and crafts, and make new friendships.
Mini View Volunteer
Program Dates: June 14 — August 6 Location: Valley View Elementary School
Information: Help to assist with the supervision of preschoolers —1st graders in a social occasion.
The View Volunteer
Program Dates: June 14 — August 6 Location: Valley View Elementary School
Information: Help to assist with supervision of 2nd - 5th graders in a social recreational setting.
Camp Kota Junior Counselor
Program Dates: June 14 — August 9 Location: East Bush Lake
Information: Help campers learn basic outdoor skills while meeting new friends, singing crazy songs and having tons of fun.
To apply, fill in a Parks and Recreation 2022 Summer Teen Volunteer Application. Please be sure to answer all questions and indicate all program(s) of interest. Applicants will be contacted via email with next steps after March 31, 2022. Contact us by phone (952-563-8877) or e-mail at parksiec@BloomingtonMN.gov for more information.
1. What can volunteers get from the programs?| A．Making the community different | B．Becoming an experienced staff member. |
| C．Getting opportunities for college. | D．Acquiring useful leadership skills. |
| A．Summer Adventure Playground Program Volunteer | B．Mini View volunteer. |
| C．The View Volunteer. | D．Camp Kota Junior Counselor. |
| A．Fill out an application form. |
| B．Answer questions via an interview. |
| C．Clarify your program(s) of interest by phone. |
| D．Contact the organizers on March 31. |
6 . Toronto is a city of neighborhoods, so wherever you are in Toronto, you’re bound to find yourself surrounded by shopping, dining and culture experiences unique to that specific area.
Toronto’s CN Tower
It’s one of the world’s tallest structures at 1,815 feet and the glassed-in elevators offer visitors a sense of just how high that is. In the tower’s 360 Restaurant, diners sit on a floor that performs a full cycle every 72 minutes, guaranteeing different views of the city with each bite of meal. Plus, if you order dishes at the restaurant, your entry to the CN Tower is free.
The Fairmont Royal York Hotel
It is one of Toronto’s oldest and most storied hotels. Since opening in 1929, it’s stood as one of the largest hotels in the British Commonwealth with 1,600 rooms. It’s also home to more than 300,000 bees, who live on the hotel’s rooftop and produce honey for the Fairmont Royal York’s dining facilities.
The Toronto Islands
North America’s largest urban car-free community offers plenty of green space and beaches for visitors of all ages. Those looking for exercise can explore the islands by bike while checking out the breathtaking views of Toronto’s skyline; visit the rental facility near the Centre Island ferry dock.
St. Lawrence Market
Voted the world’s best food market in 2012, the St. Lawrence Market complex consists of two buildings. The north building plays host to weekly Saturday fanner’s markets, while in the south building, open every day except Sunday and Monday, meat, baked goods, jewelry…are on offer. One of Toronto’s most iconic (标志性的) breakfasts —the pea-meal bacon sandwich is considered a signature dish.
1. Where can you have a bird’s eye-view of Toronto while dining?| A．The Toronto Islands. | B．Toronto’s CN Tower. |
| C．The Fairmont Royal York Hotel. | D．St. Lawrence Market. |
| A．Fantastic dishes. | B．Unique things. |
| C．Breathtaking scenery. | D．Diverse cultures. |
| A．A news report. | B．A popular novel. |
| C．A travel guide. | D．An advertisement. |
7 . “Baby signing” classes established to improve language skills actually make little difference to children’s development, according to new research. Scholars claimed there was no evidence that the lessons—in which babies are taught simple gestures to communicate their everyday needs—enable children to talk quicker than others.
In a threeyear study, it was claimed that the method could make mothers more responsive to their children’s behaviors but failed to actually increase babies’ vocabulary. An active home environment in which parents regularly talk to their children was much more effective, researchers warned. The findings will cast doubt on the movement—born in the United States—which has proved hugely popular among middleclass parents.
Baby signing is now a multimillion pound industry, with thousands of mothers and fathers paying for classes, books and DVDs. Young children are taught simple gestures for words and phrases to communicate their everyday needs, such as “milk” “more” “all gone” “food” and “tired”. It is claimed that the technique brings great benefits, including improving the relationship between mother and child, helping language development and even increasing a child’s intelligence.
But research from Hertfordshire University has found no evidence that using baby signing helps to improve their language development. The scholars added, “Baby signing has become big business and mothers, particularly firsttime mums or less confident parents, feel the pressure to do it. Some even think ‘if I don’t do it and everyone else does, I must be a bad mother’.”
However, baby signing experts hardly sustained the findings. Wendy Moat, 45, who has been running baby signing classes for three years, said that the classes encouraged speech development, and may help develop a higher IQ. She said, “So many mums say that their children talk so well because they did baby signing when they were babies. Parents wouldn’t say it if they didn’t believe it.”
1. Which of the following may help improve children’s language skills?| A．Using simple words and phrases. | B．Talking to them as much as possible. |
| C．Buying them more books and DVDs. | D．Creating a serious home environment. |
| A．they are influenced by others | B．they are sure of the effects of them |
| C．they don't want to be looked down upon | D．they don't know how to teach their children |
| A．found | B．got rid of | C．supported | D．quit |
| A．How to teach children to communicate effectively. |
| B．Baby signing classes increase children’s intelligence. |
| C．How to improve the relationship between mother and child. |
| D．Baby signing classes fail to improve children’s language skills. |
China’s Space Day,
Three Chinese astronauts
China’s outreach to other parts of the world was partly exhibited by Wang Yaping, the first Chinese woman
Looking back at the period from November 2020 to November 2021, it can be seen that China did emerge
Any of these achievements would be
9 . As race season approaches, many runners have the same goal: go faster. But in a study published in the journal Current Biology, researchers show that speeding up might require us to resist our natural biology. By combining data from runners monitored in a lab along with 37,000 runs recorded on wearable fitness trackers, scientists have found that humans’ natural tendency is to run at a speed that conserves caloric loss—something that racers seeking to shave time off their miles will have to get over.
The research group have been studying the mechanics of running in labs for 15 years but hadn’t gotten a chance to study running in the wild before. “We joined the two datasets to gain new insights and combine the more messy wearable data with the gold standard lab experiments to learn about how people run out,” says co-author Jennifer Hicks.
What surprised the team was the consistency they found across the combined datasets. “We had assumed earlier that people ran faster for shorter distances and then would slow their pace for longer distances,” says first author Jessica Selinger. But this wasn’t the case. Most of the runners analyzed stuck with the same speed, whether they were going for a short run or a long one over ten kilometers.
From an evolutionary (进化) standpoint, it makes sense that people would run at the speed that uses the least amount of energy. This caloric conservation is something that has been observed across the animal kingdom. But humans’ reasons for running have changed, and if the goal is speed, there are some tricks runners can use.
Listening to music with a faster pace has been shown to help speed up stride (步伐) frequency, which increases running speed. In addition, picking faster running partners can give you a boost.
Hicks hopes that having large pools of fitness data from wearables will help researchers gain insights about populations. “You can look at connections with the built environment and access to leisure resources and start to layer all of that data to really understand how to improve physical activity and health more broadly,” says Hicks.
1. What do the racers have to overcome during the race?| A．Energy consumption. | B．Muscle loss. |
| C．Weakness of humanity. | D．Lack of nutrients. |
| A．People would run in the wild rather than in labs. |
| B．People adjust their speeds to different distances. |
| C．People run at a constant speed regardless of distance. |
| D．People possess enormous potential for running faster. |
| A．To offer tips on speed increase. |
| B．To evaluate the advantages of running. |
| C．To explain the importance of fast running. |
| D．To reveal the change in human running goals. |
| A．Unclear. | B．Critical. | C．Doubtful. | D．Favorable. |
10 . Recently, a team of young researchers in Panama has found a special ant species that rapidly repairs any damage to its host tree.
The events leading to the discovery began in mid-2020, when Alex and his friends would kill time by shooting clay balls at trees with a slingshot. They targeted the thin Cecropia trees to make the task more challenging. Things went well until one clay ball accidentally hit a tree trunk, leaving a clean exit and entry wound.
Concerned that he had caused permanent damage, Alex went back to examine the tree the following morning, accompanied by his father William, an entomologist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI). To their surprise, the hole had been completely mended! Curious to find out what was going on, Alex and his friends enlisted in the STRI’s volunteer program.
The teens, as instructed, drilled holes in the Cecropia trees and then carefully documented what followed. The young scientists found that in 14 of the 22 cases, groups of Azteca alfari ants immediately gathered in the damaged area and instantly got to work without a break. The industrious insects, using material from the trees, significantly reduced the size of the hole soon. In most cases, the gap was completely filled up within 24 hours.
The sand-colored insects’ harmonious relationship with the Cecropia trees has been known for many years. The trees provide the ants with food and shelter. In return, the insects protect their leaves from plant-eating animals. However, their repair skills — which researchers suspect have been developed fixing damage caused by the sharp nails of the sloths that frequent the trees — had never been seen before.
“This project allowed us to experience first-hand all the complicated details behind a scientific study. It was really a great learning experience,” said Alex.
Alex and his team, who recently published their findings, still have one riddle to solve. They aren’t sure why the insects didn’t repair all the holes. Understanding this selective behavior is something they hope to explore in the future — stay tuned!
1. What is paragraph 2 mainly about?| A．The fun of playing outdoors. | B．The cause of the new findings. |
| C．The intention of using a slingshot. | D．The reason for targeting the Cecropia trees. |
| A．Curiosity. | B．Optimism. | C．Confusion. | D．Uneasiness. |
| A．Grateful. | B．Sorrowful. | C．Hardworking. | D．Impatient. |
| A．Whether ants are expert at tree repair. | B．How ants fix damage to their host trees. |
| C．Why ants merely repair certain tree holes. | D．What relationship ants keep with the Cecropia trees. |
