1 . Have you read The Tale of Peter Rabbit? It’s a very famous children’s book, written by Beatrix Potter.
Beatrix was born in 1866. She and her brother kept many small animals as pets — rabbits, mice, frogs and even bats! They both liked to draw their pets, but Beatrix liked drawing animals from her own imagination most. She also loved enjoying and drawing nature when they visited beautiful places like Scotland and the Lake District.
To make some money, Beatrix started drawing cards with animals. She liked writing and illustrating (图解) letters too. One day, she wrote a letter to her friend’s son, and told the story of Peter Rabbit. She decided to make the story into a book. The Tale of Peter Rabbit was published in 1902, and it was a great success! She wrote, illustrated and published many more books. She also created dolls, painting books, games and other things according to her characters.
Three years after The Tale of Peter Rabbit was published, Beatrix bought a farm in the Lake District. She learned about farming and bought more farms and land to help protect the landscape. She enjoyed country life very much, and was very active in protecting the environment.
When Beatrix died, she left almost all her farms and land to the National Trust, an organization which protects historic places and landscapes. You can even visit Hill Top Farm today, which is exactly like it was when Beatrix lived there!
So if you haven’t read The Tale of Peter Rabbit, or other Beatrix Potter’s books, why not visit your local library or bookshop today?
1. What inspired Beatrix Potter to write “The Tale of Peter Rabbit”?| A．Her love for farming. | B．A letter to a friend’s son. |
| C．Her interest in the environment. | D．A visit to the Lake District. |
| A．She taught art classes. | B．She created dolls and games. |
| C．She worked for the National Trust. | D．She became a professional farmer. |
| A．By writing books about it. | B．By delivering speeches. |
| C．By donating money. | D．By buying farms and land. |
| A．They were sold to private investors. | B．They were left to the National Trust. |
| C．They were turned into public parks. | D．They were used for agricultural research. |
Who is the greatest teacher in Chinese history? Many people would say: Confucius.
Confucius lived in the kingdom of Lu, part of today’s Shandong Province, during the Spring and Autumn Period. His father died when he was only 3 and he had to work
Later, he became a teacher and started the first public school in Chinese history. At that time only children
Today, people still follow Confucius’ lessons. He told us that everyone has something
Confucius is not only a great teacher,
3 . Sammie Vance, 14, knows there’s nothing worse than feeling left out. For years, she’s been helping kids who feel lonely
Sammie got the idea for the Buddy Bench program at summer camp in 2017. She thought it would be
To reduce
Before long, Sammie was helping other schools acquire benches. Her work continues to
| A．see | B．like | C．make | D．develop |
| A．idea | B．topic | C．method | D．news |
| A．recognize | B．catch | C．notice | D．surprise |
| A．strange | B．cool | C．common | D．obvious |
| A．memorized | B．requested | C．supplied | D．presented |
| A．step | B．devotion | C．section | D．stair |
| A．damages | B．labors | C．energies | D．costs |
| A．burst out | B．turned out | C．pointed out | D．got out |
| A．collected | B．kept | C．raised | D．bought |
| A．offer | B．help | C．study | D．reply |
Social media is one of the fastest-growing industries in the world today. A study carried out by the PewResearch Center showed that 92% of teenagers go online daily. The wide use of social media has changed nearly all parts of teenagers’ lives.
High school student Elly Cooper from Illinois said social media often reduces face-to-face communication. “It makes in-person relationships harder because people give attention to their phones instead of persons,” Cooper said. Yet, some people believe social media has made it easier to start relationships with anyone from anywhere.
The rise of social media has changed the way teenagers see themselves. The 19-year-old Essena O’Neill announced on the social networking service Instagram that she had stopped using social media. She thought she had gotten lost in appearing perfect online. Negative comments can also do damage to a teenager’s self-esteem (自尊). Teenagers who get negative comments can’t help but feel hurt. In particular, some social media apps such as Yik Yak may provide opportunities for cyber bullying (网络欺凌).
However, Armin Korsos, a student from Illinois, takes advantage of the comments he receives over social media to improve his videos on the social networking site YouTube. “Social media can help people show themselves and their talents to the world in a way that was never possible before,” Korsos said.
But Korsos realizes that social media has become a distraction (让人分心的事). “Social media is not all necessary, though it helps people connect with their friends and know each other well anytime.”
A. Wanting to be “liked”B. Developing good habits
C. Changing relationships
D. Opening new doors
Luo Yan and his wife and son travelled back to their hometown for the Spring Festival. Their journey
On their arrival, they found Luo’s parents eagerly waiting for
With midnight
6 . Doctor Eleanor Love knows that weddings create a lot of leftover (遗留) flowers, and that means more chances for her to collect the after-wedding flowers and give them to her lonely hospital patients, many of whom don’t often get visitors, not to mention expensive flowers. The flowers are still in good shape, and the patients are very happy to have them.
Love worked at the Virginia Commonwealth University Hospital as a medical student. She wondered how she could help relieve (减轻) their suffering and how to treat them as a student doctor.
“One of the challenges of being a medical student is that it can be very difficult to contribute to the care team,” said Love. “You are there as a learner, but you want to make an impact on your patients, and you don’t have the same knowledge as physicians. How can I at this stage in my training make an impact on patients?”
So in 2022, she started The Simple Sunflower in Richmond, and so far she has delivered more than 760 bunches of flowers to patients. She brought fellow students and other people into her project, and now has more than 200 volunteers on the email list. When Love began the project, she called businesses such as wedding venues (场馆) and florists and asked them what events were scheduled. For each wedding, she organized a team of eight volunteers who helped pick up the flowers when the party was over and then spent time delivering them to individual patients.
People beyond the VCU community have heard about Love’s project and got involved.
“It’s so satisfying to see the patients who receive our flowers,” she said. “It reminds me why we do what we do.”
1. Why did Eleanor Love collect the flowers?| A．To sell them to volunteers. | B．To treat patients’ diseases. |
| C．To decorate a wedding venue. | D．To help relieve the patients’ suffering. |
| A．Eleanor Love started The Simple Sunflower in 2022 |
| B．Eleanor Love became a student doctor in Richmond |
| C．200 volunteers were needed for each wedding |
| D．760 bunches of flowers were bought for patients |
| A．Humorous. | B．Warm-hearted. | C．Honest. | D．Strict. |
| A．No Pain, No Gain | B．Hard Work Leads to Success |
| C．Deliver Flowers, Deliver Love | D．Love Me, Love My Dog |
7 . Chocolate is good for your heart, skin and brain. Usually, people think that chocolate is bad for their health. They describe chocolate as “something to die for” or say “death by chocolate”. Now they should bite their tongues! Evidence(证据)is showing that some kinds of chocolate are actually good for you in the following ways:
Scientists at Harvard University recently examined 136 studies on cocoa—the main ingredient(成分)in chocolate and found that it does seem to strengthen the heart.
Better blood pressure
Jeffrey Blumberg from Tufts University recently found that people with high blood pressure who ate 3.5 ounces(盎司) of dark chocolate per day for two weeks saw their blood pressure drop quickly.
Muscle magic
.
German researchers found that chocolate helped protect and increase blood flow to the skin, improving its appearance.
| A．Better for your skin |
| B．A happier heart |
| C．Chocolate milk may help you recover after a hard workout |
| D．Look after your appearance |
8 . Arriving at London Gatwick
Distance(距离) from central London: 28 miles/45 km
For travel information call: +44 (0)870 000 24 68.
How to get to the city centre
By train
The Gatwick Express goes from Gatwick Airport to London Victoria train and underground station in central London.
Trains go every 15 minutes and the journey to central London takes half an hour.
First Class tickets cost £ 25 (single), £ 48 (return).
Express Class costs £ 17 (single), £ 29 (return).
Southern Trains services run four times an hour to Victoria with a journey time of around 35 minutes.
By taxi
There are taxis outside the airport day and night. The journey to central London takes 55-70 minutes. A London taxi takes up to 5 people.
The average(平均的)cost from the airport to central London is £ 75- £ 100.
By car
Gatwick Airport is 28 miles (45 km) south of London. There are 4 car parks next to the airport and there are car rental (租赁) offices open from 8:00 to 18:00. The journey to London takes 60-75 minutes.
All cars pay a special £ 8 charge(收费) to go into central London.
By bus
National Express and EasyBus have services to central London. EasyBus services go every 20 minutes. The journey takes one hour and costs £ 2.
There is one National Express bus an hour. The journey takes 90 minutes and costs £ 7.60.
1. Someone in a hurry to Victoria station had better travel _____.| A．by train | B．by car |
| C．by taxi | D．by bus |
| A．They cost the same. | B．They're available at any time. |
| C．They require a special E 8 charge. | D．They take a similar period of time. |
| A．Gatwick Express. | B．National Express. |
| C．Easy Bus. | D．Southern Trains. |
| A．A short notice. | B．A travel guide. |
| C．A city introduction. | D．A TV advertisement. |
