I’m not Chinese, but I love Chinese New Year. There are many fun New Year
The sound of the drums,
The lion dance
I love all about the lion dance. The other day, I saw a film about a left-behind teenager who insisted on pursuing his dreams despite difficulties and
2 . Skeleton is one of the three sliding sports at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, alongside the luge(单雪橇)and bobsleigh(大雪橇). With only six medals up for grabs, skeleton has the fewest events at the Winter Games—which means competition will be fierce.
The sport of skeleton has its roots in the most popular winter pastime: sleighing. In the mid-19th century, British and American holidaymakers built the first toboggan(平底雪橇)run in Davos in 1882, and thus the sport of sleighing began.
Two years later, in 1884, the famed Cresta Run—a natural ice skeleton racing toboggan track—was built in St. Moritz, Switzerland(the course has hosted the annual Grand National championships since 1885).
In 1892, a new sledge made entirely of steel was introduced, and some claim that its bony appearance gave the sledge and the sport the name ‘skeleton’.
Men’s skeleton was first introduced on the Olympic program in the 1928 Games in St. Moritz. But due to the sport only being available at the Cresta Run at the time, it fell into obscurity(默默无闻)while the luge and bobsleigh grew in popularity. However, in 2002, the skeleton was reintroduced as a men’s and women’s event at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, and has remained a part of the Olympic program ever since.
While Great Britain has the most medals(nine)in skeleton competition at the Olympics, the top spot belongs to the United States(eight medals)by virtue of having four silvers to Great Britain’s one(both nations have three golds, while Britain has five bronze medals, and the United States one).
Great Britain is the only nation to have won a medal every time skeleton has featured at the Olympic Games, and has won at least one medal in each of the five contests of women’s skeleton since its introduction.
1. How many events does skeleton have in the Olympics?| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Five. | D．Six. |
| A．In 1882. | B．In1885. | C．In1892. | D．In 1928. |
| A．Because its material steel was rare. |
| B．Because there was only one run for it. |
| C．Because only men could take part in it. |
| D．Because it was not on the Olympic program. |
| A．The number of medals. | B．The composition of medals. |
| C．The virtue of the athletes. | D．The times of hosting the Olympics. |
3 . Are you facing a situation that looks impossible to fix?
In 1969,the pollution was terrible along the Cuyahoga River Cleveland, Ohio. It
But the river wasn’t changed in a few days
Maybe you are facing an impossible situation. Maybe you have a habit
While there are
4 . Monthly Talks at London Canal Museum
Our monthly talks start at 19:30 on the first Thursday of each month except August. Admission is at normal charges and you don’t need to book. They end around 21:00.
November 7th
The Canal Pioneers, by Chris Lewis. James Brindley is recognized as one of the leading early canal engineers. He was also a major player in training others in the art of canal planning and building. Chris Lewis will explain how Brindley made such a positive contribution to the education of that group of early “civil engineers”.
December 5th
Ice for the Metropolis, by Malcolm Tucker. Well before the arrival of freezers, there was a demand for ice for food preservation and catering, Malcolm will explain the history of importing natural ice and the technology of building ice wells, and how London’s ice trade grew.
February 6th
An Update on the Cotsword Canals, by Liz Payne. The Stroudwater Canal is moving towards reopening. The Thames and Severn Canal will take a little longer. We will have a report on the present state of play.
March 6th
Eyots and Aits-Thames Islands, by Miranda Vickers. The Thames had many islands. Miranda has undertaken a review of all of them. She will tell us about those of greatest interest.
Online bookings:www.canalmuseum.org.uk/book
More into:www.canalmuseum.org.uk/whatson
London Canal Museum
12-13 New Wharf Road, London NI 9RT
www.canalmuseum.org.uk www.canalmuseum.mobi
Tel:020 77130836
1. When is the talk on James Brindley?| A．February 6th. | B．December 5th. |
| C．November 7th. | D．March 6th. |
| A．The Canal Pioneers. | B．An Update on the Cotsword Canals |
| C．Eyots and Aits-Thames Islands | D．Ice for the Metropolis |
| A．Miranda Vickers | B．Malcolm Tucker |
| C．Chris Lewis | D．Liz Payne |
5 . Each of us struggles for self-respect and self-worth to some degree. I spent much time trying to achieve perfection in every aspect of my life.
I was a happy kid with a lot of friends and a Supportive family. But growing up was really
During my childhood, I was constantly involved in something that included people’s viewing my achievements or my
After I graduated from high school, my
In the beginning, I felt great—attractive and successful, almost superhuman. I even thought that I was better than everyone else. What I didn’t see was that I was slowly
People around me began to
Sadly, I took my physical
Then I cut down my
But my poor
And most important, a sense of what was true about myself got back on track with reality. I realized that, with my
| A．natural | B．easy | C．hard | D．possible |
| A．natures | B．backgrounds | C．scores | D．failures |
| A．problem | B．desire | C．way | D．promise |
| A．controlling | B．checking | C．collecting | D．balancing |
| A．killing | B．forgetting | C．asking | D．questioning |
| A．help | B．accept | C．reject | D．notice |
| A．perfection | B．devotion | C．destination | D．attention |
| A．strength | B．exercise | C．appearance | D．examination |
| A．believing | B．realizing | C．pretending | D．declaring |
| A．expense | B．movement | C．food | D．travel |
| A．pleasant | B．difficult | C．typical | D．different |
| A．memory | B．nutrition | C．knowledge | D．taste |
| A．weight | B．hope | C．sleep | D．job |
| A．relax | B．walk | C．cry | D．talk |
| A．breathe | B．resist | C．wake | D．remember |
| A．scared | B．annoyed | C．discouraged | D．disappointed |
| A．bed | B．hospital | C．school | D．office |
| A．glory | B．discovery | C．recovery | D．victory |
| A．skill | B．decision | C．experience | D．deal |
| A．whole | B．face | C．mind | D．outside |
| A．amaze | B．amazing |
| C．amazed | D．to amaze |
| A．his | B．who | C．whom | D．whose |
8 . Erik Kobayashi-Solomon spent a day with Dr. Paul Gauthier, a plant physiologist specializing in vertical farming research and came away with several important ideas about vertical farming.
Humans have 12,000 years of experience growing food, but only a generation or so worth of experience growing crops indoors. We are still progressing up the technology learning curve (学习曲线). What's more, traditional farming techniques are based on conditions that are not applicable to vertical farming. Therefore, without taking time to understand the science, vertical farming is not likely to be able to live up to its implied promises.
The cost of powering LED grow lights is one of the biggest problems a vertical farm must overcome. Dr. Louis Albright at Cornell has characterized vertical farms as " pie-in-the-sky" businesses. He famously calculates, for instance, that the cost of a loaf of bread would be $ 24 if farmed indoors — the cost is too high. Gauthier acknowledges that energy prices are high but points out that scientific work has shown that only about 6% of available sunlight is used in crop photosynthesis (光合作用), so there may be ways of growing the same plants with less light.
Gauthier also points out that while energy costs are a bit high, vertical farming does create high efficiencies in other areas. Water usage may be significantly reduced because the same water can be recycled time and again. Fertilizer use can be greatly reduced and pesticides for pest control are unnecessary. It's clear that vertical farming offers real value to society.
The future is probably mixed. In some environments — the Middle East, for instance — a move to vertical farming is a no-brainer. An indoor farm in Saudi Arabia, for instance, can use solar energy to power LEDs at low cost without shading out other farmland. In other geographies, though, the expense of establishing a facility places a high bar on growth and profitability. A large vertical fanning and equipment operation only started generating a small profit eight years into its nine-year life.
1. What can we infer about vertical farming in Paragraph 2?| A．It will replace traditional farming one day. |
| B．It relies on research of more basic science. |
| C．It can be applicable on different conditions. |
| D．It actually came into being 12,000 years ago. |
| A．They use less light than traditional ones. |
| B．They may seem very unlikely to succeed. |
| C．They can overcome many problems in farming. |
| D．They do not need any natural sunlight any longer. |
| A．The ways of reducing costs of vertical fanning. |
| B．The secrets of developing vertical farming. |
| C．The recent trend of vertical farming. |
| D．The benefits of vertical farming. |
| A．To show vertical fanning can work well in some places. |
| B．To prove solar energy is vital for farming in Saudi Arabia. |
| C．To confirm the expense of setting up a vertical farm is high. |
| D．To argue vegetables do not need to be imported any longer. |
9 . Matt Haig, the best-selling author of the novel “The Midnight”, recommends some books that offer wisdom or comfort in difficult times.
Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Rilke (1929). This is the ultimate comfort read. The book is what the title suggests: letters from an older poet to a younger one. The great thing about Rilke’s advice is that it acknowledges the darkness and suffering of existence, yet manages despite that—or maybe even because of that—to inspire.
When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chödrön(1996). I read this book during the first lockdown, and it was the perfect read for uncertain times. Chödrön is a Buddhist, but the advice and philosophy in these relatively few pages speaks universally. It’s a great book about embracing life in its totality, about seeing hope and suffering as part of a whole.
The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne(1928). The Winnie-the-Pooh stories really speak to people going through tough times. In many ways, each of the characters reflects a different mental state: Eeyore is depressed, Tigger is hyper-active, Piglet is anxious, and Pooh reflects a hope and optimism much needed in recovery. I reread this book when I was ill with a panic disorder, and it soothed me.
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott (1994). In my opinion, this is the greatest book about writing ever written. But like Rilke, Lamott is offering far more than writing advice. She is offering wisdom on life and how to embrace its imperfect nature.
1. Which book came out first?| A．Bird by Bird. |
| B．The Midnight. |
| C．Letters to a Young Poet. |
| D．The House at Pooh Corner. |
| A．The tough times are everywhere. |
| B．Life consists of hope and suffering. |
| C．People have a variety of mental states. |
| D．The undesirable things of life can be ignored. |
| A．All contain inspiring advice. |
| B．They are based on true facts. |
| C．Matt Haig instructed their novelists. |
| D．Writing will be improved by reading them. |
10 . On a cold winter evening, I was walking home, tired and hungry, when suddenly came screams (呼喊声) from behind some tress.
“Should I go to help her?” I thought. I was worried about my own
I am not a
“It’s OK,” I said
| A．Excited | B．Frightened | C．Interested | D．Disappointed |
| A．knew | B．understood | C．realized | D．imagined |
| A．attacked | B．killed | C．robbed | D．caught |
| A．money | B．safety | C．future | D．family |
| A．happy | B．sad | C．excited | D．hurt |
| A．move | B．walk | C．run | D．go |
| A．cries | B．noises | C．cheers | D．sounds |
| A．look forward | B．pay no attention | C．commit myself | D．make a complaint |
| A．although | B．because | C．as | D．but |
| A．kind | B．powerful | C．mean | D．brave |
| A．courage | B．belief | C．attitude | D．hope |
| A．agreed | B．planed | C．promised | D．decided |
| A．took | B．dropped | C．pulled | D．got |
| A．unless | B．after | C．since | D．until |
| A．Walking | B．Drinking | C．Breathing | D．Fighting |
| A．daylight | B．afternoon | C．darkness | D．midnight |
| A．feel | B．see | C．guess | D．find |
| A．angrily | B．softly | C．loudly | D．happily |
| A．shame | B．peace | C．pain | D．surprise |
| A．son | B．daughter | C．grandson | D．cousin |
