1 . An immersive and slow-paced Citywalk is becoming trendy across China. In contrast to rushing past overcrowded tourist landmarks, the new trend has emerged as a popular alternative to explore bustling markets, ancient streets, and charming alleys at a leisurely pace.
The appeal of Citywalk caters particularly to the younger generation often caught up in demanding work schedules. As evidenced by the increasing popularity of hash tags like “City walk for vacation” on lifestyle sharing platform Xiaohong shu, with a staggering 465 million views and nearly 464, 600 engagements, the trend is truly capturing unbelievable attention.
Citywalk, or meandering through the urban landscapes, means the act of walking freely along city streets unburdened by exhaustive plans. It offers people an avenue to intimately experience urban culture and local traditions. Citywalk is not merely about sightseeing. It creates an opportunity for social interactions and deep connections with the cities. Citywalk routes are tailored to the specific interests of both out-of-town tourists and locals. For tourists, the focus is on sharing local customs and traditions, while for locals, discussions revolve around the city’s past, present, and future. The growing trend of Citywalk reflects a changing attitude towards life, embracing a warmer, more relaxed, and slower-paced lifestyle.
As Citywalk expands beyond first-tier cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, to second-and third-tier cities across the county, it brings fresh opportunities for the tourism industry, in such areas as dining, shopping, and accommodation.
Governments in Beijing and Shandong have recognized the potential of Citywalk, incorporating it into their action plans to promote cultural tourism and leisure activities. In Shanghai, public bus lines specially designed have been introduced to elevate the overall Citywalk for participants.
“By slowing down and delving into the narrow alleys, observing the lives of city residents, and immersing oneself in the context of museums and art galleries, one is entitled to embrace the pleasure of life,” said Luo Jun, a cultural tourism enthusiast.
1. What’s the main reason for the popularity of Citywalk among young people?| A．It mainly focuses on urban sightseeing. |
| B．Social media offer many tempting videos. |
| C．Busywork schedule limits the choice of people. |
| D．Conventional tourist landmarks are losing charm. |
| A．Astonishing. | B．Rewarding. | C．Embarrassing. | D．Shrinking. |
| A．An immersive route for foreigners to enjoy the alleys in Chengdu. |
| B．A holiday travel to hurriedly visit crowded landmarks in Shanghai. |
| C．A free walk including visiting museums and old towns in Qingdao. |
| D．A leisurely tour along Qiantang River to experience city transformation. |
| A．Facilities in the museums have been enhanced. |
| B．Cooperation has been strengthened among cities. |
| C．Opportunities have been offered to third-tier cities. |
| D．Specific public transportation routes have been introduced. |
2 . How colour psychology influences your dinner party guests
After spending hours cooking and preparing the table setting for your guests, you hope that everyone enjoys your recipes. But it’s not all about the quality of the ingredients and the skills of the cook.
Bowl colour influences the desirability of food for picky eaters, as well as the perception of saltiness. Picky eaters tend to perceive meals in red and blue bowls as saltier compared to white. And they are more unwilling to try new food in a red bowl.
You can never go wrong with a white plate. Just avoid it when the food served is pale. For desserts, white is ideal because it increases flavors and enhances sweetness.
To bring extra aesthetic(审美的)appeal, creativity and to highlight foods lacking in colour, you can serve your meal on bright plates. But be careful!
| A．It starts with your sight. |
| B．But the result of dark plates can vary a little. |
| C．However, the rules of colour may not apply to all. |
| D．Besides, colourful plates are preferred by choosy eaters. |
| E．Food should only look more vivid depending on the meal. |
| F．The tableware is also an essential element, especially the colour. |
| G．So, for demanding guests, choose the colour of the tableware first. |
3 . The input Dad has on my career is incomparable. My earliest memories are of Dad sitting in the kitchen playing the guitar, listening to his favourite song by his favourite singer, and encouraging his little girl to poke (戳) keys randomly on the piano. Even watching Top of the Pops, he would get so passionate about music in it. We weren’t a religious family, but there was something spiritual about Dad’s connection with music.
Music also became a source of comfort for me. I failed to do well academically at school and had no friends. Being at school consumed so much of my emotional energy. Instead of going to school to learn stuff, I felt as though I was simply trying to get people to like me. Things were better, but the only time I truly felt happy was when I was at home listening to music with Mum and Dad or writing songs on the piano —and the older I got, the more powerful music felt.
Dad was always my biggest supporter. When I started giving live performances at the local bar, he was the one who drove me there and back. Freeing up that time wasn’t easy for an actor. His job might mean three weeks in the Czech Republic or working with George Lucas on The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones in Hollywood.
Dad has been involved with some amazing stuff, but Daddy Pig is the one that’s had the biggest impact all over the world. When I was flying to Australia for my first tour, I was trying to find something to watch on the little screen and I noticed they had Peppa Pig. If I’m missing home and family, I always put it on. Daddy Pig is a fairly real version of my dad —he loves chocolate cake, he’s funny and usually breaks things when he’s trying to mend them. Mum and Dad were friends with one of the producers of the show and I often wonder if he looked at my dad and thought, “That’s him …that’s Daddy Pig.”
1. What can we learn about the author’s father?| A．He was good at writing songs. |
| B．He was attached to music in his soul. |
| C．He encouraged her to play the guitar. |
| D．He was passionate about watching TV series. |
| A．By picking her up in a tight schedule. |
| B．By doing a demanding job as an actor. |
| C．By watching her musical performances. |
| D．By giving live performances at the local bar. |
| A．It’s her favourite childhood cartoon. |
| B．She saw her father through Daddy Pig. |
| C．She took pride in this world famous cartoon. |
| D．It’s a cartoon about her hometown and motherland. |
| A．Funny and honest. | B．Strict and hardworking. |
| C．Famous and patient. | D．Supportive and influential. |
1. How many foreign students are visiting in the speaker’s school now?
| A．About 13. | B．About 20. | C．Over 30. |
| A．To attract more foreign students. |
| B．To exchange ideas about culture. |
| C．To help foreign students enjoy their time. |
| A．Before September 15th. |
| B．In the last week of September. |
| C．In the first week of December. |
| A．In the library. | B．In the garden. | C．On the playground. |
5 . A huge number of exchange programs and summer school programs are offered to international students around foreign universities worldwide. Today we explain the top student exchange programs -and -summer programs offered to foreign students.
Vienna Summer SchoolVienna Summer School provides an incredible opportunity for 30 bachelor-level students to research side by side with world top researchers in the field of bioengineering. This paid summer program aims to attract international students and create an excellent research environment. This is a perfect opportunity for those students who are interested in the field of life science. The duration of Vienna Summer School is from Saturday, July 1 to August 28,2023.
SUSI Student Leaders ProgramBachelor-level students in Pakistan who are interested in the topic of public, local, state and federal policy making are invited to study in the USA through the short-tern SUSI student program 2023 held at the University of Massachusetts. This is an exchange program for Pakistani students. All expenses and accommodation costs will be covered by SUSI, so the application period is very short.
Hansen Leadership Exchange ProgramThe Hansen Summer Institute for Leadership is now open for the summer exchange program 2023. The Hansen summer program offers the opportunity to the USA and international students to build better leadership skills and a cultural understanding environment for the future. This 3-week summer exchange program is open for undergraduate, graduate,and doctoral students with any academic background.
IWP Summer Exchange ProgramIWP Summer Exchange Program 2023 is a two-week writing and culture exchange program for Pakistani and Indian students in Iowa City, USA. The applicant from 18 to 22 from these countries with a background in art humanities is welcome to apply. This program will focus on creativity and is free for the selected applicants. The selected candidates will work together on the creation of paintings and sculptures.
1. Which program suits students who like biology?| A．Vienna Summer School. |
| B．SUSI Student Leaders Program. |
| C．IWP Summer Exchange Program. |
| D．Hansen Leadership Exchange Program. |
| A．It is fully funded. |
| B．It is a short-term program. |
| C．It is limited to postgraduates. |
| D．It is supported by the government. |
| A．Offer policy advice. | B．Conduct research. |
| C．Write academic papers. | D．Create artworks. |
6 . Antoine Craig, a blind athlete, has been blind since 2010. He gradually lost his sight due to a genetic disease. Working through difficulties, Craig says, he has found his value. “Once I lost my eyesight, I began the process of rediscovering myself.” he says.
Craig, now 40, heard from a friend about people running at the school’s gym with their hands linked by shoestrings (鞋带). Craig decided to give it a try. “In the beginning, it was pure coping (应对).” he says. “It allowed me to do something I could be proud of. More importantly, here people became my friends, who were always ready to help me. These people became my family.”
In 2017, he won a silver medal in the 200-meter race at the 2017 US Paralympic Nationals. In 2019 he competed at the Parapan American Games in Lima, Peru. In 2021, running for a chance to compete in the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo — delayed for a year, he finished second in the 100.
Learning a US national team was forming for blind soccer, he went for it. Last fall. Craig was named to the team, which will play in the Los Angeles Paralympics in 2028. On March 19 and 20, 2023, the team hosted its first two “international friendly” games against Canada in Chula Vista, California. Craig couldn’t play as planned due to a concussion (脑震荡) in practice before the games. He spoke with his teammates before both games and, on his Facebook page, asked friends and supporters to lend support. When asked how the team performed, Craig answered cheerfully, “You know, we won!”
Craig finished a psychology degree from VCU in 2016 and completed his master’s degree in mental health counseling (咨询) in December 2022. Now he has his own business, LegendaryU Counseling. focusing on athletes with disabilities. He also regularly posts videos to his Instagram, hoping to inspire others.
1. Why did Craig want to try running at first?| A．To meet friends. | B．To help others in need. |
| C．To find himself. | D．To escape from his family. |
| A．It is important to run. | B．Craig was running well. |
| C．Running is easy for Craig. | D．Craig succeeded in Tokyo. |
| A．He had a positive attitude. | B．He performed well in the game. |
| C．His team played in Canada. | D．His supporters were disappointed. |
| A．To make improvements to himself academically. |
| B．To help people see beyond their challenges. |
| C．To win more medals in the competitions. |
| D．To post videos to the disabled people. |
Ritch Addison was ashy kid. In elementary school, he didn’t speak up for himself, and he
“It turned out that I had gotten a hundred on the test and he didn’t do so well,” Addison recalled. “And I joked heartlessly about it.”
Then one day, his good friend, Holly, pulled him aside and said, “Ritch, sometimes you really hurt
Addison
“But I kept thinking about what Holly said. Finally, I realized that she was
It couldn’t happen overnight,
8 . Benefits of Space Exploration
On April 12, 1961, the Russian astronaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to journey to outer space. The age of space exploration started that day.
●Medical benefits
●
The space race has led to technological advancements in the shortest period of time, such as vacuum-sealed(真空密封的)food, fireproof materials and modern vacuum cleaners.
●Creation of STEM jobs
Space exploration is one of the industries that require the largest percentage of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) jobs. A lot of those jobs are positions for engineers, data analysts, doctors, biologists and so on. Although these positions require highly qualified people to fill them, they are some of the highest-paid jobs in the market.
| A．Space tourism industry |
| B．Development of new technologies |
| C．Is exploring space a waste of time and money |
| D．Today, we still use them in our daily lives |
| E．So, the growing space industry creates high-paid jobs |
| F．The medical benefits of space exploration reach every area of the human body |
| G．Why should we spend so much time and money to explore dangerous environments |
9 . Hidden in the trees, behind the leaves, look closely and you’ll see eyes staring back at you. This is SlothBot, a robot inspired by the famously slow animal-sloth (树獭).
For the next several months, visitors to the Atlanta Botanical Garden will be able to observe the testing of the new high-tech tool in the battle to save some of the world’s most endangered species. Researchers are testing the SlothBot near the Garden’s popular Canopy Walk.
Built to take advantage of the low-energy lifestyle of real sloths, SlothBot demonstrates how being slow can be ideal for certain applications. Powered by solar panels and using innovative power management technology, SlothBot moves along a cable strung between two large trees as it monitors temperature, weather, carbon dioxide levels, and other information in the Garden’s 30-acre midtown Atlanta forest.
“Slowness is a design principle of SlothBot,” says Magnus Egerstedt, professor and chair in the Georgia Institute of Technology’s School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. “That is not how robots are typically designed today, but being slow and energy-efficient will allow SlothBot to stay in the environment to observe things we can only see by being present continuously for months, or even years.”
About three feet long, SlothBot’s imaginative 3D-printed shell helps protect its motors, gearing, batteries and sensing equipment from the weather. The robot is programmed to move only when necessary, and will locate sunlight when its batteries need recharging.
“The most exciting goal we’ll demonstrate with SlothBot is the union of robotics and technology with conservation,” says Emily Coffey, vice president for conservation and research at the Garden. “We do conservation research on endangered plants and ecosystems around the world, and SlothBot will help us find new and exciting ways to advance our research and conservation goals.”
“SlothBot could do some of our research remotely and help us understand what’s happening with pollinators(传粉者), interactions between plants and animals, and other phenomena that are difficult to observe otherwise," Coffey adds.
1. What do the researchers expect SlothBot to do?| A．Guard the garden. | B．Attract visitors. |
| C．Protect real sloths. | D．Help endangered species. |
| A．SlothBot. | B．Slowness |
| C．A design principle. | D．A low-energy style. |
| A．It always stays still. | B．It can pollinate the plants. |
| C．Its shell provides protection for itself. | D．Its design will be used to study the ocean. |
| A．A Slow-moving Sloth Begins Life in a Garden |
| B．A New Robot Helps Raise Endangered Animals |
| C．A New Study Aids Conservation Efforts in Atlanta |
| D．A Conservation Robot Slowly Monitors Endangered Species |
10 . Stefany Bibb has been a teacher at the John F. Kennedy High School for over twenty years. She is also the person who started the school’s Kindness Club.
Members of the Kindness Club are made up of students in every grade. The aim is to help students and spread kindness. Students who’re in the Kindness Club frequently hold the door open politely for others, welcome other students and teachers every morning, and focus on being respectful and helpful.
“I like to make people smile, because it lights up my world and I know it makes them feel warm inside, too,” said Aniyah Cox, a tenth-grader who’s a member of the Kindness Club.
Recently, Bibb led students from the Kindness Club to paint stones with messages of generosity. They also spent time at school making a special garden for these stones outside the teaching building.
The Kindness Rock Garden is decorated with colorful pinwheels (风车) that blow in the wind. On the lawn (草坪), there are painted stones of many sizes and shapes, many of them with encouraging messages or creative designs.
Students can even keep the stones with them for up to one week before returning them to the garden, and if a student wants to keep them for more time, they get to paint another stone to replace the one they took.
“You can also pass your rock down to your friends, so you can make their day,” Aniyah said.
The garden is just another way the Kindness Club can help with putting smiles on other people’s faces. And Bibb hopes the kindness can be passed on to their home life as well.
“Nothing they have done is because of me,” Bibb said. “They’re naturally kind. What we have achieved is thanks to their kindness. How amazing they are! I’m just like, here, do what you do.”
1. Stefany Bibb set up the Kindness Club to________.| A．cheer up those in difficulties | B．help people and pass on kindness |
| C．enrich students’ school life | D．teach students how to make friends |
| A．They passed messages of generosity on to other students. |
| B．They decorated the teaching building with painted rocks. |
| C．They built a garden for the stones they painted. |
| D．They replaced the stones in the school with ones designed by themselves. |
| A．Get them out of trouble. | B．Improve their confidence. |
| C．Make them happy. | D．Ease their stress. |
| A．Bibb doesn’t think students could have done a good job without her help. |
| B．Bibb is very surprised to see how kind her students are. |
| C．Bibb believes that it is important to teach students to be kind. |
| D．Bibb thinks the success of the Kindness Club is due to students’ natural kindness. |
