1 . An Australian professor is developing a robot to monitor the health of grazing cattle, a development that could bring big changes to a profession that's relied largely on a low-tech approach for decades but is facing a labor shortage.
Salah Sukkarieh, a professor at the University of Sydney, sees robots as necessary given how cattlemen are aging. He is building a four-wheeled robot that will run on solar and electric power. It will use cameras and sensors to monitor the animals. A computer system will analyze the video to determine whether a cow is sick. Radio tags (标签) on the animals will measure temperature changes. The quality of grassland will be tracked by monitoring the shape, color and texture (质地) of grass. That way, cattlemen will know whether they need to move their cattle to another field for nutrition purposes.
Machines have largely taken over planting, watering and harvesting crops such as com and wheat, but the monitoring of cattle has gone through fewer changes.
For Texas cattleman Pete Bonds, it's increasingly difficult to find workers interested in watching cattle. But Bonds doesn't believe a robot is right for the job. Years of experience in the industry - and failed attempts to use technology - have convinced him that the best way to check cattle is with a man on a horse. Bonds, who bought his first cattle almost 50 years ago, still has each of his cowboys inspect 300 or 400 cattle daily and look for signs that an animal is getting sick.
Other cattlemen see more promise in robots. Michael Kelsey Paris, vice president of the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association, said a robot could be extremely useful given rising concerns about cattle theft. Cattle tend to be kept in remote places and their value has risen, making them appealing targets.
1. What is a problem with the cattle-raising industry?| A．Soil pollution. | B．Lack of workers. |
| C．Aging machines. | D．Low profitability. |
| A．Monitor the quality of grass. | B．Cure the diseased cattle. |
| C．Move cattle to another field. | D．Predict weather changes. |
| A．He wants to help them earn a living. | B．He thinks men can do the job better. |
| C．He is inexperienced in using robots. | D．He enjoys the traditional way of life. |
| A．Increase the value of cattle. | B．Bring down the cost of labor. |
| C．Make the job more appealing. | D．Keep cattle from being stolen. |
2 . We live in a town with three beaches. There are two parts less than 10 minutes’ walk from home where neighborhood children gather to play. However, what my children want to do after school is pick up a screen — any screen — and stare at it for hours. They are not alone. Today’s children spend an average of four and a half hours a day looking at screens, split between watching television and using the Internet.
In the past few years, an increasing number of people and organisations have begun coming up with plans to counter this trend. A couple of years ago film-maker David Bond realised that his children, then aged five and three, were attached to screens to the point where he was able to say “chocolate” into his three-year-old son’s ear without getting a response. He realised that something needed to change, and, being a London media type, appointed himself “marketing director from Nature”. He documented his journey as he set about treating nature as a brand to be marketed to young people. The result was Project Wild Thing, a film which charts the birth of the World Network, a group of organisations with the common goal of getting children out into nature.
“Just five more minutes outdoors can make a difference,” David Bond says. “There is a lot of really interesting evidence which seems to be suggesting that if children are inspired up to the age of seven, then being outdoors will be on habit for life.” His own children have got into the habit of playing outside now: “We just send them out into the garden and tell them not to come back in for a while.”
Summer is upon us. There is an amazing world out there, and it needs our children as much as they need it. Let us get them out and let them play.
1. What is the problem with the author’s children?| A．They often annoy their neighbours. | B．They are tired of doing their homework. |
| C．They have no friends to play with | D．They stay in front of screens for too long. |
| A．By making a documentary film. | B．By organizing outdoor activities. |
| C．By advertising in London media. | D．By creating a network of friends. |
| A．records | B．predicts | C．delays | D．confirms |
| A．Let Children Have Fun | B．Young Children Need More Free Time |
| C．Market Nature to Children | D．David Bond: A Role Model for Children |
3 . Today's world is not an easy adjustment for young adults. Key skill set for success is persistence (毅力), a characteristic that researchers say is heavily influenced by fathers. Researchers from Brigham Young University discovered that fathers are in a unique position to help their adolescent children learn persistence.
BYU professors Laura Padilla-Walker and Randal Day arrived at these findings after following 325 American families over several years. And over time，the persistence gained through fathers led to higher achievement in school.
"There are relatively few studies that stress the unique role of fathers，"Padilla-Walker said. "This research also helps to prove that characteristics such as persistence-which can be taught-are key to a child's life success.”
Researchers determined that dads need to practice an "authoritative" parenting style. Authoritative parenting is not authoritarian:rigid，demanding or controlling. Rather，an authoritative parenting style includes some of the following characteristics:children feel warmth and love from their father；responsibility and the reasons behind rules are stressed children are given an appropriate level of autonomy(自主权).
In the study，about 52 percent of the dads exhibited above-average levels of authoritative parenting. A key finding is that over time，children raised by an authoritative father were significantly more likely to develop persistence，which leads to better outcomes in school.
This particular study examined 11 to 14-year-olds living in two-parent homes. Yet the researchers suggest that single parents still may play a role in teaching the benefits of persistence，which is an avenue of future research.
1. What is special about the BYU professors' study?| A．It centered on fathers' role in parenting. |
| B．It was based on a number of large families. |
| C．It analyzed different kinds of parenting styles. |
| D．It aimed to improve kids' achievement in school. |
| A．Ignore their demands. | B．Make decisions for them. |
| C．Control their behaviors. | D．Explain the rules to them. |
| A．Single parents. |
| B．Children aged from 11 to 14. |
| C．Authoritarian fathers. |
| D．Mothers in two-parent homes. |
| A．Three Characteristics of Authoritative Fathers. |
| B．Key Skills for Young Adults to Succeed in Future. |
| C．Children Tend to Learn Determination from Father. |
| D．Family Relationship Influences School Performance. |
In 1863 the first underground passenger railway in the world opened in London. It ran for just under seven kilometers and allowed people to avoid terrible
Steam engines
Later, engineers
With a world reputation of beautiful silk producing nation, Chinese clothing enjoys a time-honored culture. China was the first country in the world
In ancient China, people’s rank and social status could easily be figured out from their daily dressing, especially for the ordinary people and the upper class. Among the upper class, only the Emperor
Chinese clothing has many types and suits according to
Cheongsam is popular because it has simple lines and looks elegant,
6 . Adults are often embarrassed about asking for help. Its an act that can make people feel sensitive. The moment you ask for directions, after all, you reveal (泄露) that you may be lost. Seeking someone’s assistance can make you feel like you are broadcasting your incompetence. New research suggests young children don’t seek help in school, even when they need it, for the same reason.
To learn more about how children think about seeking help, we asked 576 children, ages four to nine, to predict the behavior of two kids in a story. One of the characters genuinely wanted to be smart, and the other merely wanted to seem smart to others.
Children thought that the kid who wanted to seem smart would be less likely to ask for assistance. They could still conceive of (想象) situations in which the kid who wanted to seem smart would seek help: when assistance could be sought privately (on a computer rather than in person), children thought both characters were equally likely to ask for it.
We also found that they recognize several more behaviors that might make a child appear less smart in front of fellow kids, such as admitting to failure or modestly downplaying successes. Children are therefore acutely aware of several ways in which a person’s actions might make them appear less clever in the eyes of others.
However, a number of solutions can be found to help children. Our Gist instinct may be to motivate seeking help by emphasizing its educational benefits. But reputational barriers likely require reputation-based solutions. For example, instructors could create activities in which each student becomes an “expert” on a different topic, and then children must ask one another for help to master all of die material. If seeking help is understood as a commonplace classroom activity, kids may be less likely to think of it as indicative (表明) of one’s ability.
Seeking help could even be framed as socially desirable. After all, asking for help often benefits not just die help seeker but also others listening in who have similar questions or struggles.
1. What feature do the adults and young children share?| A．They seldom ask for directions. |
| B．They are afraid of being laughed at. |
| C．They hesitate to seek assistance. |
| D．They regard themselves as incompetence. |
| A．Teachers should praise kids for seeking assistance. |
| B．Assistance only works when sought privately, |
| C．It seems possible that children themselves are not struggling. |
| D．Children care deeply about the way others think about them. |
| A．By making a comparison. | B．By referring to an example. |
| C．By introducing a concept. | D．By telling a school story. |
| A．Why Kids Are Afraid to Ask for Help. |
| B．Seeking Help Makes Kids Feel Uncomfortable. |
| C．Unwillingness to Seek Help Stop Academic Progress. |
| D．How Can We Help Children Overcome the Barrier, |
1. 表达问候；
2. 写信目的；
3. 期待回复。
注意：1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
8 . Natural. High quality. Unique.
That's Almased.
 Selected ingredients (原料), an exceptional mix and production process: that's how we create the unique Almased effect. ➢Combination of ingredients that's more effective than individual nutrients (营养物质). ➢No artificial flavourings, fillers or sweeteners. ➢Supports fat-burning during digestion. ➢Supports resistance to common diseases. |
Many products promise what only Almased can deliver. In order to achieve the unique Almased effect, it takes more than just mixing soy, yogurt and honey. The recipe for our Almased powder is as simple as it is unique: high-quality and natural soy, honey and yogurt. SOY｜The high-quality non-GMO soy (非转基因大豆) used in Almased is an environmentally friendly, sustainable source of plant protein. A single serving of Almased supplies 27 grams of protein. HONEY｜Unlike most regular honey, which is heat-treated, the raw honey in Almased is bursting with freshness even after it is canned. The honey's natural ingredients are still living and active when you open the can. YOGURT｜Cows that are naturally fed can even in turn encourage grass growth. This is why Almased sources its milk and yogurt from happy cows in Ireland and northern Germany, where they live in green grasslands. Being a natural product, Almased has a very plain taste and can be prepared in many different ways. Whether you like it sweet or fruity, there are no limits to how you flavour it. This ensures Almased doesn't get boring and suits your personal taste perfectly. So quick and easy to prepare, Almased can be fitted into your daily routine with ease. |
| A．its nutrients are easier to absorb | B．it can help burn fat |
| C．secret ingredients are included | D．it cures common diseases |
| A．It manages to mix different ingredients together. |
| B．Selected ingredients can stay fresh as ever. |
| C．Soy, yogurt and honey are specially treated. |
| D．Superior natural materials generate uniqueness. |
| A．Almased can replace our regular routine diet. |
| B．It's hard to make Almased appeal to everyone. |
| C．There seem various ways of serving Almased. |
| D．Almased has just the same taste as plain yogurt. |
9 . In January, 2021, the ice-making work on the ”Ice Ribbon“, a landmark venue for the Beijing Winter Olympics, was completed.
In the Winter Olympics, where races can be won or lost by a small time gap, tiny imperfections in the ice can make all the differences. ”It’s not just a hunk of ice like you’d normally think of, like ice cubes sitting in your freezer,“ told Kenneth Golden, a U. S. mathematician who studies the structures of ice. ”It’s a much more fascinating and complex substance than people would normally think.“
The first step for building any ice rink is to purify the water to remove dissolved solids like salts and minerals. Such impurities don’t fit in the regular hexagonal(六边形的)structure of ice that forms as water freezes. The purer the water, the more consistent the ice surface.
In addition to the need for excellence in the raw materials of ice-making, technology is also very important, As one of the most advanced technologies for winter sports venues, a carbon dioxide cooling technology has been applied on a large scale for the Beijing Winter Olympic Games. CO2 , is not new when it comes to ice-making. However, it has been gradually replaced by the man-made refrigerant, like Freon.
With increasing attention toward climate change, the old refrigerant has come into use again. As an element of the atmosphere, CO2, doesn’t damage the ozone layer. Although CO2 is a greenhouse gas, its greenhouse effect is much lower than that of other synthetic refrigerants. The Winter Olympics venues adopted CO2 instead of Freon as a refrigerant in ice-making, which will reduce carbon dioxide emissions greatly.
”We believe these technological innovations will bring Beijing 2022 to spectators all over the world in a more impressive way.“ told Gao Bo from the Media Operations Department of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
1. What is the result of impurities in water for ice-making?| A．The water isn’t able to freeze completely. |
| B．The quality of the ice will be affected. |
| C．The ice surface will be more consistent. |
| D．It’s likely for athletes to fall on the ice. |
| A．It’s the most advanced technology for ice-making. |
| B．CO2 is more efficient than other refrigerants. |
| C．CO2 is more environmentally friendly than Freon. |
| D．CO2 has already existed in the atmosphere. |
| A．Unclear. | B．Opposed. | C．Doubtful. | D．Favorable. |
| A．The Beijing Winter Olympic Games Are Coming |
| B．Beneath Olympic Ice |
| C．The Use of Refrigerants in Olympic Games |
| D．The Structure of Ice |
10 . A special place to stay can make a holiday — but also break the bank. We have picked new affordable places across Europe for €150 a room a night or less.
Scourie Hotel
Doubles from €129
Opened October 2015
This hotel has been adored by fishing fans for generations. When the Campbell family bought it six years ago, they updated it with gentle, stylish furnishings. There’s a string of spectacular beaches to discover, including the Scourie Bay with golden sand.
Ho36 Hotel
Doubles from €109
Opened December 2017
This hotel offers the rarest of things — ski accommodation that is both affordable and stylish. Guests can ski or snowboard from the front door. There are two lively bars with live music and regular DJ nights, a restaurant serving hearty Alpine meals and film nights.
Conscious Hotel
Doubles from €120
Opened April 2016
This fourth hotel by Dutch sustainable brand Conscious is the first powered entirely by wind. The restaurant is fully organic and the bedrooms are simple with contemporary elements. The hotel overlooks the Westerpark, one of Amsterdam’s biggest green spaces.
Dock Hotel
Doubles from €150
Opened May 2014
This large hotel on the Baltic coast is made from shipping containers. The industrial theme continues inside,with concrete walls, exposed pipes, and more containers. The hotel is 12 minutes’ walk from the beach.
1. Which hotel best suits people who enjoy an active social life?| A．Scourie Hotel. |
| B．Ho36 Hotel. |
| C．Conscious Hotel. |
| D．Dock Hotel. |
| A．It is old-fashioned. |
| B．It has the longest history. |
| C．It is environment-friendly. |
| D．It offers the biggest green space. |
| A．Update the furniture. |
| B．Walk on the beach. |
| C．Appreciate architecture. |
| D．Visit industrial fairs. |
