1 . Arsh believes in the importance of making the world a more beautiful place. The talented boy not only paints but also sells his artwork and donates the money.
It all started when his parents bought him a set of painting tools for his 8th birthday. Once he had his own materials, he began spending much of his free time putting color on his canvas. As Arsh’s paintings began to grow in number, he decided to give them as gifts to friends and family. Receiving a positive response from people around him, he soon realized his pieces had the potential to get much more than smiles and praise.
His light-bulb moment came shortly after: he would sell his artwork and donate the money to charity. His first plan was to raise $1,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which he accomplished in around nine months by selling his paintings on social media and at local art shows. Since then, he’s broadened his reach to benefit other organizations, including childhood cancer nonprofit Compass to Care and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He’s raised over $16,000 for charities so far.
Arsh’s artwork is often colorful and cheery, as one might expect from a youngster, but it showcases the impressive technique of a gifted artist. Some pieces are more abstract in nature; others feature realistic renditions (演绎) of flowers and animals. They range in size and complexity, and, accordingly, price. Small paintings might sell for $10 while larger canvases, up to five feet, have gone for $800.
Last year, Arsh won The Diana Award, an honor presented by a UK charity founded on Princess Diana’s belief that young people have the power to change their country. And the young artist has advice for other kids looking to make a difference. “Helping others doesn’t have to be, like, money or anything. It can be your time, your skills, your talent,” he says, “and overall, just be kind to other people to make their day better.”
1. What made Arsh interested in painting?| A．A birthday present from his parents. | B．His parents’ deep love for painting. |
| C．The encouragement of others around him. | D．His fascination with the beauty of nature. |
| A．To pay for his painting materials. | B．To get more attention from others. |
| C．To attract children’s interest in art. | D．To help those people who are in need. |
| A．His fundraising plan is going well. |
| B．He will turn his attention to his studies. |
| C．All his paintings sell at high prices now. |
| D．He is going to teach other children to paint for free. |
| A．Every child has a unique talent. |
| B．Everyone has the ability to help others. |
| C．Talent plays an important role in learning art. |
| D．Helping others is the responsibility of young artists. |
2 . In my work as a vocational school teacher in Germany, some of my classes are full of students of different nationalities. More often than not, I will have a few refuges (难民) in the class, whose command of German is often rather incomplete regardless of whether they are blow-ins or not. Some of these students who manage to complete their three-year apprenticeships (学徒期) may actually continue to go to school to gain qualifications so they can attend university.
In the past few years, I have taken them aside and given them tips on how to improve their language skills via books, newspapers, apps or online grammar quizzes. And I have given them tips on how to integrate themselves into the German culture better.
Over the last few weeks, I have taken three young men aside and given them tips on how to improve their German such as joining sports clubs, finding ways to build their vocabulary outwith class and taking language immersion courses. After class, I actually even took a couple of them to a noticeboard which displayed valuable information on a poster and they were grateful for this little gesture that only took a minute of my time.
I do not get any extra money for offering this sort of advice and I have sacrificed the odd break over the years, but I feel it is important to help the youngsters in what I consider a valuable way, because once they pass their exams, they will be likely to set up a home and spend their working life here.
Good integration is so important as it builds bridges and expands horizons. It makes me happy to share my knowledge as a language teacher and spread those kindness ripples in everyday life.
1. What does the underlined word “blow-ins” in the first paragraph probably mean?| A．Newcomers. | B．Announcers. | C．Onlookers. | D．Job seekers. |
| A．By qualifying them for apprenticeship. | B．By enhancing their language competence. |
| C．By integrating diverse cultures. | D．By developing their interpersonal skills. |
| A．Far-reaching. | B．Time-consuming. |
| C．Pioneering. | D．Demanding. |
| A．One good turn deserves another. | B．Everything comes to him who waits. |
| C．A little kindness goes a long way. | D．Actions speak louder than words. |
3 . A waste collector’s quick thinking and heroic actions saved the lives of a man, a woman, and their pet dog as a fire broke out in a small house in Birmingham.
The event happened around 8 a. m. when several 999 calls reported the fire. Firefighters from Tipton, Dudley, Bilston, and Wednesbury stations raced to the event site. Upon arrival, they felt a sense of relief to find that Steve Whitehouse, a 49-year-old Refuse Operative employed by Serco, had already rescued the people inside.
Steve was collecting waste with driver Kevin Marriott when they saw the fire. Without hesitation (犹豫), Steve took action — climbing a first-floor balcony (阳台) three times to ensure the safety of the trapped persons and the dog.
“I saw a young woman crying from the balcony to attract people’s attention, and all I could think of was that I needed to get to her as quickly as possible,” Steve told West Midlands Fire Service. He successfully pulled the woman to safety and then went back up to rescue a painful young man and his dog.
“The smoke was getting thicker. I managed to pack the dog in a blanket, jumped back down to the ground, and got the owner to throw the dog to me. I then went back up to help him,” Steve described.
Once the rescue task was complete, Steve turned his attention to warning neighbors of the danger, while Kevin helped those who had left their homes. After taking a moment to recover over coffee, the two continued their daily rounds.
Chris Green, the officer responsible for the event, praised Steve’s great courage, stating, “He is a hero. To save the lives of two people and a dog is amazing. We will be putting him forward for official recognition.”
The fire is believed to have started when an e-bike battery burst while on charge at the bottom of the stairs, cutting off the residents’ escape route.
1. What made the firefighters feel less worried?| A．The fire had been put out. | B．The dog managed to run away. |
| C．The hero was very brave. | D．The people had been saved. |
| A．She was crying for help. | B．She was trying to escape. |
| C．She was fighting against the fire. | D．She was warning the neighbors. |
| A．To remove its fear. | B．To keep it off cold outside. |
| C．To avoid being bitten by it. | D．To make it safe when he rescued it. |
| A．Provide him with a prize. | B．Make him known to the government. |
| C．Ask the public to regard him as a hero. | D．Call on people to learn from him. |
4 . A champion for all children, Association to Benefit Children (ABC) offers every child a joyful, beloved life by creating programs in urgent response to the needs of New York City’s most disadvantaged families.
Role: After-school Helper
Responsibilities: Volunteers work besides killed youth workers, family specialists, and educators to create a safe and stimulating space where children are motivated to develop the academic skills and emotional strengths necessary for success in the classroom and in life. Day today volunteer tasks could include providing homework help, teaching a new skill, or participating in scheduled activities.
Days and Times: Monday to Friday, 3: 30pm-5: 30pm at 1841 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10035
Special skills or requirements: No special skills needed, but any special subject that a volunteer wants to teach is welcomed and background check maybe required.
Contact: Jessica Casanova
Role: Study Mate
Responsibilities: Study Mates Connect (SMC) is a virtual tutoring program that offers individualized tutoring sessions in Math and English to school-aged children. Volunteers teach children online at an appointed time each week, and they receive curricular support from SMC staff members. Volunteers make a year-long commitment to tutoring so they can minimize interruptions to the children’s education.
Days and Times: Flexible, but 1-2 hours weekly in the afternoon/evening is needed.
Special skills or requirements: Background check will be required and ability to help with homework and reading is essential.
Contact: Erica Choi
1. What is a task of an after-school helper?| A．Cooperating to build a classroom. | B．Assisting Jessica to organize activities. |
| C．Offering help with children’s assignments. | D．Teaching parents how to handle children. |
| A．Offering background information. | B．Being free from 3pmto5pm. |
| C．Majoring in Math or English. | D．Becoming an SMC staff member. |
| A．Poor families | B．Activity planners. | C．Family specialists. | D．Potential volunteers. |
5 . When 12-year-old Erica Fernandez volunteered to help clean up the beach in her new hometown, Oxnard, California, she could barely speak English. She was just a kid helping 20 adults take care of the beach. She and her family had recently arrived in California from a small town in Mexico.
Erica started going door to door in her mainly Spanish-speaking farmworker community. “I always loved the ocean,” she says, “so it made me really sad to see this beautiful beach full of trash. That’s why I decided to help.”
Erica cared too much to stay silent. Having grown up in a tiny town in the Mexican state of Michoacán, she had a strong motivation to care for nature. “We grew our own food and raised our own animals. Taking care of nature was part of survival.” She wanted to bring that same spirit to her new life in California.
As her English improved, she talked to kids in her high school about what was going on. “I didn’t know if they would listen to me. My English wasn’t good and I was only sixteen,” she says. As she nervously approached the microphone, she was informed that time was running out. One minute and thirty seconds was all she had. “I couldn’t give my prepared speech, so I just spoke from my heart.”
The result was electrifying. When Erica was finished, people stood up and broke into applause. One of the teachers said, “I’m very moved by your words, Erica. When I was your age, I was playing video games.”
Only the second person in her family to go to college, Erica wants to become an environmental lawyer so she can fight for the environment and for the rights of communities. She wants other young people to speak out when they see something wrong, even if they feel shy about it at first. “We are the future. The future is ours.”
1. Why did the author mention Erica’s words in Paragraph 2?| A．To show gratitude to her action. | B．To advocate learning from her. |
| C．To clarify the reason for her help. | D．To think highly of her devotion. |
| A．She was the only college student in her family. |
| B．She volunteered to clean up the garbage on Spanish beaches. |
| C．She spent her childhood in a small town in Mexico. |
| D．She couldn’t speak either English or Spanish in California. |
| A．The device disturbed her performance. |
| B．The audience was greatly encouraged. |
| C．It affected people’s attitude to playing games. |
| D．Erica expressed her inner thoughts fluently. |
| A．A geography textbook. | B．A health report. |
| C．A scientific website. | D．An environmental magazine. |
6 . Colorado’s Grays Peak rises 14,278 feet above sea level, high enough that trees can’t grow towards the top, though there are plenty of bushes, rocks, etc. It was in this unforgiving place that Bev Wedelstedt was unlucky enough to have a bitter experience.
It was August 2018, and Wedelsted,56, was on her way back down the trail (小路) with three friends. A storm was upon, and they were anxious to get off the mountain. When they approached a rocky drop of a couple of feet, Wedelstedt decided that instead of shaking down on her hip — the safe way to go — she would leap. Then she landed on her left leg and heard a snap (劈啪声).
Every step after that was painful. Before long, she had to stop. As one friend ran down to get help, a number of other hikers, all strangers, attempted to help her down the narrow trail by walking on either side of her to support her weight, but that proved slow and dangerous.
Finally, one hiker, Matt, asked her, “How do you feel about a fireman’s carry?” Before she knew it, he lifted her over his shoulder. Matt clearly couldn’t carry her all the way down by himself. So six hikers and one of her friends followed. Three hours and two mountainous miles later, this human conveyor belt finally met the ambulance men, who took Wedelstedt to the hospital.
Now Wedelstedt has mostly recovered from her ill-fated hike, but she knows she’ll never shake one thing from that day: the memory of the band of strangers who came to her rescue. “I told them I wanted to meet a lot of guys, but this isn’t the way I wanted to do it. I’m still in awe now,” she said.
1. What is the writing purpose of the first paragraph?| A．To call on readers to have a trip there. |
| B．To introduce the scenery of Grays Peak. |
| C．To show the difficult situation for hikers. |
| D．To describe Wedelstedt’s favorite travel. |
| A．Walking down the rocky mountain. |
| B．Supporting Wedelstedt to walk. |
| C．Leaping from the mountain top. |
| D．Keeping Wedelstedt on the trail. |
| A．By giving her encouragement. | B．By supporting her on both sides. |
| C．By following her all the way. | D．By carrying her by turns. |
| A．She is still scared nowadays. | B．She will forget the sad event. |
| C．She has a fresh good memory. | D．She is respectful to the strangers. |
7 . More than 30 years ago, Jadav Payeng started planting trees on a barren sandbar (贫瘠的沙洲) near his birthplace in India’s Assam region. That day, the then-16-year-old noticed many snakes washed up on the sandbar after a flood. They were dying due to heat exposure at a rapid rate. “How can I help them?” Then he had an idea: Trees can provide shade for them!
Jadav lives on an island, Majuli, which is in the middle of the Brahmaputra River. It begins at the base of the Himalayas, at the meeting of a fan of rivers that drain (流走) snowmelt. At one time, villages upstream had redirected the river, creating more forceful currents around the island and carrying away the soil, thus damaging the natural habitats of its wildlife. As a consequence, much of the island became barren sand, and an entire community was at risk of being displaced.
Jadav also noticed that nobody was doing anything about it besides watching their part of the world disappear. So, he started to put his idea into action — every day, one or two or three at a time. He took notes of how they grew, harvested their seeds, grew saplings (树苗) in his hut and planted before going off to work.
Now that once-barren sandbar is a 1,360-acre forest, home to many animals: deer, Bengal tigers, Indian rhinoceros and even a group of 100 elephants that visit every year. There are now native grasses that have taken root in the shade and varieties of native trees grown from seeds that have washed ashore. But most importantly, the island that is also home to a few hundred people is holding its own against the bad weather. Standing beside one of the first trees he planted 30 years ago, Jadav tells us: “It’s a little thing, something anyone can do.”
1. What was Jadav’s original aim to plant trees?| A．To save the snakes from heat exposure. | B．To protect the snakes from extinction. |
| C．To produce materials to stop flooding. | D．To use the leaves to create more shades. |
| A．Villagers’ ignorance of ecology. | B．Villagers’ redirecting the river. |
| C．The extreme weather conditions. | D．Loss of wildlife’s natural habitats. |
| A．Frank and learned. | B．Subjective yet reliable. |
| C．Determined and careful. | D．Smart but hot-tempered. |
| A．What the forest means to the wildlife. | B．How ecology benefits the human kind. |
| C．How Jadav feels about his simple deeds. | D．What difference Jadav’s efforts have made. |
8 . On the day he almost died, Kimbal Musk had food on the brain. The Internet startup talent and restaurateur had just arrived in Jackson Hole from a conference where chef Jamie Oliver had spoken about the benefits of healthy eating. This was something Musk thought about a lot—how he might make a difference to the food industry—but beyond expanding his farm-to-table movement along with his restaurant, Musk hadn't yet broken the code. Then he went sailing down a snowy slope(坡) and fell over, breaking his neck. The left side of his body was paralyzed.
Musk eventually made a full recovery, but it involved spending two months on his back, which gave him plenty of time to come up with a plan. Since then, he has launched an initiative to put "learning gardens" in public schools across America; attracted Generation Z to the farming profession by changing shipping containers into high-tech, data-driven, year-round farms; and this year, is kicking off a new campaign to create one million at-home gardens.
Aimed at reaching low-income families, the Million Gardens Movement was inspired by the pandemic, as both a desire to feel more connected to nature and food insecurity have been at the forefront of so many people's lives. "We were getting a lot of inquiries about gardening from people that had never gardened before," says Musk. "People were looking to garden for a bunch of reasons: to supplement their budget, to improve the nutritional quality of their diets, or just to cure the boredom that came with the lockdown."
The program offers free garden kit s that can be grown indoors or outdoors, and will be distributed through schools that Musk's non-profit, Big Green, has already partnered with. It also offers free courses on how to get the garden growing and fresh seeds and materials for the changing growing seasons. "I grew up in the projects when I was young, in what we now call food deserts," says EVE, one of the many celebrities who have teamed up with the organization to encourage people to pick up a free garden. "What I love about this is that it's not difficult. We are all able to grow something."
1. What inspired Musk to be devoted to food industry?| A．An accident. | B．Jamie Oliver's speech. |
| C．The pandemic. | D．The farm-to-table movement. |
| A．It has just accomplished its target. |
| B．It increases economic burdens for the poor. |
| C．It may be stimulated by a lack of food security. |
| D．It has mainly attracted students in public schools. |
| A．Charitable. | B．Dependable. | C．Approachable. | D．Knowledgeable. |
| A．To demonstrate the program to be non-profit. |
| B．To share his experience in a food desert. |
| C．To encourage people to start a free garden. |
| D．To clarify the reason why he loves a garden. |
9 . It was just after 17:00 on a mid-September evening at a historical Church in Harlem, New York City Mostly the low-income black neighborhood sat at dining tables. In front of them was a menu listing three courses, which they only saw on TV. Each dish was prepared with “leftover” ingredients (食材), offered free of charge and placed alongside a blue card that read “you are loved” in hand-written script.
This is one of 14 community centers created around the world in cities like Milan, Paris, Mérida, Lima, Sydney and now New York through three-Michelin starred chef Massimo Bottura’s Food for Soul project. He started the project in 2016 with his wife, Lara Gilmore, to help fight the global problem of food waste by using ingredients that might otherwise be thrown away by suppliers and to give socially and economically vulnerable people access to high quality meals.
Partnering with architects, artists and community leaders, the project is transforming spaces, which are not fully taken advantage of, such as churches and even a historical home into intentionally designed cultural centers equipped with kitchens, dining rooms and other facilities that help create a sense of well-being, connection and inclusion.
When I asked Bottura why he created such thoughtful meals within beautifully appointed spaces for the low-income, he told me that everyone deserves respect and beauty, and of course, healthy food. “They come in and are completely lost because they’re not used to coming into beautiful places like this. But once they’re here, they realize that this place is their place. It’s not my place,” he said.
Bottura’s philosophy is one that comes from the heart. T-shirts worn by volunteers at his community centers say “cooking is an act of love”, and he approaches the food served there with as much care as he does at his restaurants, probably even more, since the diners are extremely stressed and need healthy food to feel better. Bottura insists that it’s important to change the language around the food served in his community centers.
1. Why does the author describe such a scene in the first paragraph?| A．To introduce Bottura’s project. |
| B．To show the appeal of the dishes. |
| C．To emphasize the warm atmosphere. |
| D．To explain how the event is organized. |
| A．The dining centers were all transformed from churches. |
| B．Bottura started the project to practice his cooking skills. |
| C．The diners felt quite at home when coming in the centers. |
| D．The low-income can enjoy high quality food at the center. |
| A．Skilled and strict. | B．Brave and influential. |
| C．Caring and considerate. | D．Wealthy and humorous. |
| A．Respect and beauty are for all. | B．Beautiful places inspire respect. |
| C．Cooking should be a profession. | D．Community centers bring people together. |
10 . At The Rachael Ray Foundation (RRF), we’re pretty big animal lovers. As a part of our work, we supply a wide variety of organizations that do good for animals, from rescue to care and more. Get to know a few of them and the work we do together.
Pittsburgh Aviation Animal Rescue Team
RRF helped enable Pittsburgh Aviation Animal Rescue Team (PAART) to purchase a new and bigger plane for its rescue missions which bring animals from danger to safety. Whether it be flying dogs in overcrowded shelters to new homes, saving animals caught in the path of natural disasters, or bringing supplies to shelters in need, the brave PAART pilots are always ready to help.
National Disaster Search Dog Foundation
National Disaster Search Dog Foundation (SDF) works to find and train shelter dogs who have the talent and drive to become search and rescue animals. RRF supports SDF’s efforts to identify and transform rescued dogs into rescuers, to provide lifetime care for these dogs and to find homes for all dogs who enter the SDF training program.
Rachael Ray Save Them All Grants
This is a program administered by Best Friends Animal Society (BFAS) to support Best Friends’ network partners in their lifesaving efforts. The money has been awarded to organizations across the country to fund initiatives such as adoption drives and shelter intake prevention efforts.
North Shore Animal League America Disaster Relief Grants
This program, administered by North Shore Animal League America (NSALA), provides money for animal welfare organizations impacted by disasters. RRF is proud to help NSALA in its efforts to identify needs in disaster situations and provide targeted, effective relief.
1. What is special about PAART?| A．It provides necessities for animals in need. | B．It conducts animal rescue missions by plane. |
| C．It is supported by the Rachael Ray Foundation. | D．It assists in finding adopters for rescued animals. |
| A．PAART. | B．SDF. | C．BFAS. | D．NSALA. |
| A．They both strongly promote animal adoption. |
| B．They both offer training programmes for all dogs. |
| C．They are administered by Best Friends Animal Society. |
| D．They both financially assist animal welfare initiatives. |
