1 . The following courses are what you may be interested in to expand your academic knowledge.
Stanford OnlineStanford Online is the digital extension of Stanford University. You can attend free courses, browse (浏览) the content library or take the courses for credit after paying. The course instructors teach in real-time, so the options change each semester. Different programs you can pursue include graduate and professional education.
Harvard University Online CoursesThey offer free and paid classes with a vast subject range, including art and design, business, and computer science. The site’s search features make it easy for you to find classes to fit your schedule. You can browse courses based on your learning plans, such as scheduling classes in two weeks, three months or a year from now.
Open Yale CoursesOpen Yale Courses gives you free access to a wide range of Yale University’s classes. There’s no certificate, degree or course credit option available through the site because it’s exclusively a free offering for those who want to expand their academic knowledge. The available classes are classroom recordings and provide the educational material you require for increasing various skills.
MIT OpenCourseWareIt provides individuals with free access to over 2,500 of its undergraduate and graduate classes. All courses are free for users, and there’s no registration required to view and watch the lesson materials. Additionally, the site makes the video classes easy to download for you to watch offline or to share with your friends, family members or colleagues.
1. What makes Harvard University Online Courses special?| A．The flexibility. | B．No charge. |
| C．The diverse content. | D．No registration. |
| A．Stanford Online. | B．Harvard University Online Courses. |
| C．Open Yale Courses. | D．MIT OpenCourseWare. |
| A．They can be learnt offline. | B．They’re offered by universities. |
| C．They are classroom recordings. | D．They are developed by students. |
2 . How much of your monthly grocery list ends up in the garbage? A new study reveals the average American spends nearly $1,500 per year on food they’ll never eat.
A recent survey of 2,000 Americans reveals the average shopper wastes $1,493.93 on food per year. That’s almost a fifth of their grocery bill after every shopping trip. One tenth of respondents claim they “never” purchase food they don’t end up eating, while three in 10 say this is something they “always” do.
Half of respondents prefer to head to the grocery store alone, and when they do, half are more likely to stick to their list and 36% are less likely to buy food they don’t want or need.
Keeping the list in mind is important, as 38 percent are more likely to let food be wasted if it wasn’t originally on their shopping list. Seven in 10 add that when they go to the store on an empty stomach, they’re more likely to buy foods they won’t eat. So they don’t do that that way. Some respondents appear to be in a wasteful cycle when it comes to food waste. Nearly half usually buy and end up wasting the same food every month because they think they’ll get around to eating it.
“We can all do better to limit food waste by sticking to grocery lists and, when we get home, prioritizing eating our foods that are perishable, like fruits, vegetables, and dairy products” says Avocado Co-Founder and CMO Mark Abrials in a statement.
Three-quarters feel guilty about throwing away uneaten food because it’s a waste of money — and 48 percent feel the same, due to the harm food waste causes to the environment. “When it comes to food waste, nobody is perfect,” Abrials adds. “But in order to consider our environmental impact, not to mention wasted money, we think it’s essential to be thoughtful about everything we purchase — whether that’s food, mattresses or other goods.”
1. What percentage of food do people buy but never eat?| A．About 10%. | B．About 20%. | C．About 30%. | D．About 50%. |
| A．Doing shopping alone. | B．Avoiding shopping while hungry. |
| C．Sticking to the shopping list. | D．Trying to buy fewer dairy products. |
| A．Go bad easily. | B．Are rich in nutrition. |
| C．Are easy to produce. | D．Keep fresh for a long time. |
| A．Less doing shopping means less food is wasted. |
| B．Treasuring food is treasuring the environment. |
| C．It’s worth spending more money on food safety. |
| D．Environment protection is as important as food. |
3 . The setting of leap month is a way to fill the gap of days between the solar calendar and lunar calendar in one year, which is 11 or 12 days, so as to make sure the four seasons basically fit the months. “Leap month” refers to a repetitive month and there are some traditions and customs during leap month in China, which are varied in different places.
Send special-made pastry (糕点) to parents
In some parts of China’s Henan Province, daughters will prepare wild goose-shaped pastries for their parents before the leap month comes, wishing for good luck. In some parts of East China’s Shandong Province, the married daughters will send dough-made (面团) fish and toad (蟾蜍) to their parents, which symbolize “wealth” and “health” respectively.
Drink tea
People living near Mount Wuyi in China’s southeast Fujian Province have the tradition of drinking tea at leap month, and only women are proper to participate.
In Southeast China’s Taiwan Province, leap month has such traditions as well. The married daughter has to buy pig feet and thin noodles for her mother, usually two front feet and six bunches of thin noodles, and the noodles have to be tied with red silk threads and spring flowers.
Eat dinner together
Just like other festivals, a reunion dinner is essential among the traditions of the leap month.
| A．When leap month comes |
| B．Here are some special customs |
| C．Buy parents some special food |
| D．Give mother pig feet and thin noodles |
| E．Women in the village take turns holding the tea party |
| F．While men are not allowed to take part in the chatting |
| G．It is said that the dough fish is for a mother and the dough toad is for a father |
4 . Norman Rockwell didn’t create his celebrated images using only brush and paint. They often took shape first as scenes that Rockwell literally acted out, not only for his editors at the Saturday Evening Post, but for his real-life models, too. “It was difficult,” he once explained, “but I felt it was the best way to get across my meaning.” And so he would enthusiastically play out his visions and ideas, a one-man show packed with just the right expressions, giving enough details of each character in the scene to inspire his models and more importantly, get his editors to buy his ideas.
Now, more than 30 years after his death, Rockwell is still acknowledged for skillfully documenting the best of 20th century American life with drawings of simple emotions inspired by everyday people. To create his detailed recollections of everyday American life, Rockwell worked much like a film director, not just acting out the scenes in his imagination, but looking for locations, casting everyday people from his town for particular parts.
The recognition he received strongly proves Rockwell’s superior skills as a storyteller and is the subject of another kind of one-man show: the upcoming exhibition at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C., titled Telling Stories: Norman Rockwell from the Collections of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. The exhibit, gathered together from the private collections of these two popular film directors, will feature rarely viewed pieces of Rockwell’s artworks.
That concentration of information as well as emotion is something essential in Rockwell’s art. Emotion certainly spoke to Steven Spielberg when he first saw one of his favorite Rockwell paintings, High Dive, the August 16, 1947 Post cover that describes a boy at the top of what must be a towering diving board. He crouches (蹲伏) high above a swimming pool, too afraid to either jump or climb back down. The painting hangs in Spielberg’s office at Amblin Entertainment because it holds a great deal of meaning for the filmmaker.
1. How did Norman Rockwell successfully influence his editors?| A．By performing his ideas. | B．By hiring more models. |
| C．By donating his paintings. | D．By drawing actual events. |
| A．Film directors. | B．Folk storytellers. |
| C．Natural landscapes. | D．Ordinary citizens. |
| A．Develop artistic skills. | B．Learn how to act out. |
| C．Appreciate nature. | D．learn to swim. |
| A．To introduce an exhibit. | B．To recommend a painting. |
| C．To remember an artist. | D．To explain a cultural phenomenon. |
5 . While a lot of undergraduates live with loud roommates, 24-year-old Nikolai shares his home with over 600 noisy animals. It is no
Twenty years ago his parents bought a zoo in Denmark and started the first zoo and rescue centre for animals. Two years ago his dad unfortunately
Owning a zoo is busywork with Nikolai taking on many
“As it is a rescue zoo, everything
Having to support his mother and the zoo, Nikolai has come up with a
| A．wonder | B．possibility | C．use | D．pleasure |
| A．appealed to | B．came across | C．went through | D．died of |
| A．manage | B．guard | C．construct | D．decorate |
| A．projects | B．events | C．performances | D．jobs |
| A．plenty | B．richness | C．majority | D．maximum |
| A．grow | B．root | C．survive | D．last |
| A．focuses | B．reflects | C．functions | D．responds |
| A．historical | B．traditional | C．formal | D．royal |
| A．affection | B．command | C．schedule | D．responsibility |
| A．registered | B．introduced | C．transformed | D．directed |
| A．carefully | B．cruelly | C．sincerely | D．aimlessly |
| A．effects | B．results | C．diseases | D．marks |
| A．complex | B．creative | C．universal | D．common |
| A．scores | B．funds | C．allowances | D．profits |
| A．raised | B．spared | C．charged | D．saved |
6 . Fu Lei’s Family Letters is a book of letters written by Chinese translator and writer Fu Lei to his elder son Fu Cong, who is a famous pianist. Between 1954 and 1966, Fu Cong spent a lot of time away from home training as a piano player. As a result, writing letters became Fu Lei’s usual way of communicating with his elder son. Fu Min, Fu Lei’s younger son edited the letters and the book came out in 1981.
The book shows Fu Lei’s family tradition and value. To Fu Lei, the purpose of education of a person, is to make that person useful to the society. Fu Lei praised his son Fu Cong after winning a piano competition. Fu Lei wrote, “We are happy because you make your country proud. I am so excited when I think about your future. You will make great progress and serve more people, encourage them and heal them.”
In the family letters, Fu Cong was also advised to read famous Chinese texts. When reading these books, Fu Cong was told to connect ideas and feelings together, for that would help him become a better person. To Fu Lei, learning to be a good person comes before any academic training.
Fu Lei’s Family Letters has a great impact on people in China because it helps many young students understand how they should live their lives.
1. Who edited Fu Lei’s family letters?| A．Fu Lei. | B．Fu Cong. | C．Fu Min. | D．A translator. |
| A．Fu Lei’s family tradition and value are shown in the book. |
| B．People in the 1950s communicated with each other by books. |
| C．It’s difficult for parents to make their children well educated. |
| D．Praising children after taking part in a competition is important. |
| A．It would be uncertain. |
| B．It would be hopeful. |
| C．It would be difficult. |
| D．It would be interesting. |
| A．To be a richer man. |
| B．To do more academic training. |
| C．To help more people. |
| D．To become a better person. |
7 . Umar Fox searched his whole life to look for the firefighter who saved him and his sister from a house fire in 1978. The search
Umar was 3 when the
Umar had always hoped to
Umar said that he and his sister “wouldn’t be
As for Joseph, he considered he was
| A．finally | B．normally | C．really | D．easily |
| A．change | B．action | C．accident | D．adventure |
| A．scene | B．floor | C．surface | D．ground |
| A．speed | B．power | C．distance | D．safety |
| A．injury | B．rescue | C．loss | D．task |
| A．interview | B．meet | C．assist | D．join |
| A．related to | B．dealt with | C．resulted in | D．applied for |
| A．relaxing | B．satisfying | C．similar | D．enough |
| A．visited | B．found | C．accompanied | D．urged |
| A．attend | B．organize | C．sponsor | D．chair |
| A．listened | B．cared | C．joked | D．worried |
| A．special | B．retired | C．alive | D．delightful |
| A．explain | B．compare | C．believe | D．agree |
| A．brave | B．proud | C．suitable | D．willing |
| A．roughly | B．curiously | C．hopefully | D．simply |
8 . Rick Guidotti put aside his career as a fashion photographer to turn his lens (镜头) to people living with genetic, physical and behavioural differences.
He says what changed his perception (看法) of beauty was a chance encounter with an albino (患白化病的) girl. “I was just tired of people telling me who was beautiful. Every season that face would change but I was always told who was beautiful. As an artist, I don’t see beauty just on covers of magazines. I see it everywhere. So that was my original intention — that opened my eyes a little wider and wider.”
Guidotti has created Positive Exposure, a not-for-profit organization that uses photography and video to transform public perceptions and promote a world where differences are celebrated. Guidotti and Positive Exposure are featured in a new documentary called On Beauty.
One of the women featured in the film is Jayne Waithera. “I never thought I was beautiful because nobody said that to me, but meeting him was my profound moment. I remember that particular day. He took my picture and I felt so good like I felt there’s somebody who, like, really loves me and sees me for who I am and who sees me more than my condition.”
Guidotti is travelling from city to city to promote On Beauty. He says his tour is not about money; it’s about the message. “As I travel from community to community, I’m taking photographs and I’m empowering (给某人……的权力) individuals with a positive sense of who they are. They’re seeing beauty in their reflection but I’m also empowering their families and they in turn are empowering their communities as well. All is based on the philosophy of change — how you see, how you change.”
1. Why did Guidotti change his career?| A．The beauty on covers of magazines is not beautiful. |
| B．He wanted to create his own company. |
| C．His comprehension of beauty changed owing to an albino girl. |
| D．He couldn’t earn enough money from his former career. |
| A．It welcomes differences in the world. | B．It brings a lot of money for Guidotti. |
| C．It makes photography more popular. | D．It makes the public more beautiful. |
| A．Jayne’s picture was more beautiful than herself. |
| B．Jayne was beautiful indeed. |
| C．Photographs gave Jayne a positive sense of who she was. |
| D．It was unfair that nobody discovered Jayne’s beauty. |
| A．Communities have a great influence on everyone. |
| B．We should travel frequently. |
| C．Your attitude to seeing the world decides your behaviour. |
| D．We should make contributions to our community. |
9 . A dozen years ago, William Dunn noticed his six-year-old neighbor, Camran, shouted at his mom angrily. He started a (n)
William asked Camran’s mom for
On weekends, William and a few other
William wants to share his
| A．conversation | B．fight | C．argument | D．experiment |
| A．mother | B．grandma | C．dad | D．grandpa |
| A．payment | B．invitation | C．permission | D．apology |
| A．protected | B．attracted | C．stopped | D．chosen |
| A．few | B．positive | C．normal | D．similar |
| A．travel | B．learn | C．live | D．fish |
| A．teachers | B．parents | C．journalists | D．volunteers |
| A．subject | B．history | C．swim | D．basics |
| A．lessons | B．challenges | C．choices | D．realities |
| A．work | B．joy | C．function | D．form |
| A．adults | B．retirees | C．children | D．consumers |
| A．adventure | B．honor | C．love | D．friendship |
| A．cared about | B．suffered from | C．depended on | D．belonged to |
| A．homes | B．dreams | C．bridges | D．relationships |
| A．hardly | B．regularly | C．finally | D．initially |
10 . The holidays can be a difficult time to stay on track with your fitness goals.
Planning is the best way to make sure you don’t lose track of your goals. Plan your workouts for the week and mark them in your schedule to assure they are a part of your day.
Exercise early.
Keep moving.
Research shows that getting up for just five minutes every 30 to 60 minutes and performing light activities reduces the risk of heart disease risk factors. Small efforts to get moving can help your overall health during the holidays. In addition to staying active, try to avoid sitting for long periods of time, such as when watching football games or eating.
Think out of the box.
The holidays are busy, but do your best to avoid the “all or nothing” mentality when it comes to physical activity.
| A．Plan ahead |
| B．Plan out your route before you go |
| C．Exercising in the morning is one of the biggest tips |
| D．Remember: too much sitting is harmful to your health |
| E．Your schedule will be filled with family gatherings and celebrations |
| F．Get creative with exercise and make physical activity a family affair |
| G．Rather than skipping the gym altogether, make time for a quick workout |
