4 . When the COVID-19 hit and supermarket shelves were empty, Chris Hall and Stefanny Lowey decided they no longer wanted to depend on others for food. They, who live on Pender Island（片打岛） in British Columbia（不列颠哥伦比亚）, Canada, decided to start a year-long challenge where they wouldn't buy a single thing to eat. Instead they would grow, raise or catch everything—right down to sugar, salt and flour（面粉）. Now, five months in, they say the challenge has changed their lives.
Chris, 38, said, “It has always been something that we have wanted to do. We have had a garden and grown vegetables for a long time already. When the COVID-19 hit, it gave us that extra push that we needed to do it. We were both out of work when we started, and with the reality check of grocery stores running out of items, it gave us even more energy to see if we could look after ourselves.”
The pair spent the months before building a house for chickens, ducks and turkey as well as studying as much as possible to figure out where they would get all the things they needed. Chris adds, “We had to learn so many new things like how to grow mushrooms（蘑菇）, process our Stevia plants, and harvest salt from the ocean. We spent a lot of time reading and studying online to find out all the things we were going to need to do.”
Now after five months, they both feel it’s been going well but Chris admits the first few weeks were difficult. “The first three weeks were very challenging as our bodies adjusted to cutting out coffee, wine and sugar all on the same day,” he says. “After three weeks our energy levels balanced out and our wishes reduced and now we feel great.” Now February has ended. As they come through winter, they feel positive about continuing with this way of living, with their challenge officially（正式地） ending in August.
1. Why did the pair decide to produce foods on their own?| A．They were isolated（隔绝的） by Pender Island. |
| B．They couldn't afford to buy them because they lost their jobs. |
| C．They wanted to be independent. |
| D．They could hardly buy them in shops. |
| A．Positive and self-supporting. | B．Helpful and positive. |
| C．Motivated（有动力的） and brave. | D．Rich and generous. |
| A．They had difficulty because they wanted to continue. |
| B．They couldn't get used to the special way of living at first. |
| C．Their challenge may last about six months in total. |
| D．They were discouraged by the difficulty at first. |
| A．It’s in Britain. | B．It’s in America. |
| C．It’s in Canada. | D．It’s near Britain. |
8 . Most people aren’t good at creative problem solving for two reasons: First, they are not trained in how to be creative. Second, they don’t understand group strength well enough to harness(驾驭) their power to maximize group creativity.
A key element of creativity is applying existing knowledge to a new problem. The more people getting involved in solving it, the more knowledge there is to work on it. Unfortunately, research shows that the traditional brainstorming methods fail to achieve that goal. When groups get together to exchange ideas, they actually come up with fewer ideas overall than if they each had worked alone.
To fix this problem, you should consider the two stages of group problem-solving: divergence(分散) and convergence(集中). Divergence happens when the group considers as many different potential solutions as possible. Convergence happens when the various proposed solutions are evaluated and reduced to a smaller set of candidate solutions to the current problem.
The essential principle of group creativity is that individuals working alone diverge, whereas group members working together converge. In groups, once a member states a potential solution, it makes others think about the problem similarly. That is why groups working together diverge less than individuals working alone.
Therefore, be aware of when to diverge and when to converge. For example, early in the problem-solving process, have group members work alone to write down statements describing the problem. Then get them back to discuss their descriptions. The group discussion will lead everyone to accept one or a small number of these statements to work on—this is healthy convergence.
When starting to generate solutions, you again want divergence. Have people work alone to start. Then collect people’s initial ideas and send them around to others and allow the divergence to continue as everyone individually builds on the ideas of other members. Finally, let the group discuss the resulting ideas. This discussion will gradually lead the group to converge on a small number of candidate solutions.
This simple method works effectively, because it respects what individuals and groups do best.
1. We can infer that the traditional brainstorming methods ______.| A．enable people to form more ideas together |
| B．greatly encourage group creativity |
| C．actually limit group creativity |
| D．prevent people’s involvement in the problems |
| A．think the other way round | B．follow his way of thinking |
| C．be more confident in their own ideas | D．be less willing to share their own ideas |
| A．Discuss the problem. | B．Put down group statements together. |
| C．Simplify the problem. | D．Write down their individual descriptions. |
| A．A simple way to make group thinking more effective |
| B．Difficulties in organizing group thinking |
| C．Differences between divergence and convergence |
| D．Advantages of group thinking over individual thinking |
9 . The killdeer, a small bird known for its high-pitched call, could lead to the cancellation of one of Canada’ biggest music festivals.
The first hint of trouble for Ottawa’s Bluesfest, an outdoor festival that draws around 300,000 people each year, came last week after workers at the site found one of the birds. It had laid four eggs nearby, effectively claiming the main stage area as its nesting ground. “This is one of the most challenging problems we’ve been presented with, but we feel we can work through this,” said Mark Monahan, executive director of the festival.
“Anything that changes the schedule has a major effect, so we’re taking it very seriously.” The discovery meant that government officials rushed to protect the nest and the eggs, hiring a security guard to watch over them 24 hours a day. Environmentalists were also brought in.
“We don’t know when the eggs might hatch,” said Monahan. What is known is that the young killdeer will likely leave the nest soon after they are hatched, leading many to hope that the eggs hatch in the next day or so.
The festival is now seeking permission from Environment Canada to relocate the nest some 50 meters away or take it to a wildlife center. Moving the nest would also ensure the bird and its young would be protected during the festival’s 11-day run, said Monahan. It’s highly likely that the festival’s thousands of attendees would cause huge problems for the bird and its eggs.
Monahan was confident that the festival would go on as planned, however. “Most of the people we’re working with are looking for a positive solution,” Monahan said. “There is no one saying that the festival can’t go on.”
As news of the dilemma spread, it left residents divided. Some supported the bird, saying that moving the nest might result in the eggs being abandoned. Others expressed annoyance that protecting the eggs of the small bird, which is widespread across North America, was risking an annual festival that contributes millions of dollars to the local economy.
The killdeer’s tendency to build its nest in open fields or flat areas has caused issues in other areas of the US: earlier this year, construction on a health center in Wisconsin was temporarily stopped after a killdeer and its four eggs were discovered.
1. Which is TRUE about Bluesfest?| A．It is the first music festival in Canada. |
| B．It is an important event for music lovers. |
| C．It is a music festival held every two years. |
| D．It is a challenging outdoor activity in Ottawa. |
| A．Pressure from the government. |
| B．Disagreements with the public. |
| C．The need to protect the bird’s eggs. |
| D．The lack of experience in hosting the event. |
| A．Move the nest to another place. |
| B．Ask government officials for help. |
| C．Seek advice from environmentalists. |
| D．Hire security guards to protect the eggs. |
| A．Negative. | B．Indifferent. |
| C．Unsure. | D．Positive. |
1. What are the speakers talking about?
| A．Room decoration. |
| B．A family get-together. |
| C．Preparations for a surprise party. |
| A．Father and daughter. |
| B．Husband and wife. |
| C．Mother and son. |
| A．Go out for dinner. |
| B．Go to see a movie. |
| C．Meet his friends. |
| A．She’ll cook it herself. |
| B．She’ll have her friends do it. |
| C．She’ll order it from a restaurant. |
