1 . Bosses trying to quickly increase productivity should give up brainstorming meetings and instead invest in office plant, a study has found.

Green plants in offices increase work output by 15 percent, and challenges the “lean philosophy”(极简哲学)which holds that tidy buildings are best for concentration.

In experiments at two large commercial offices in the UK and The Netherlands, it was found that plants significantly increased workplace satisfaction, levels of focus, and air quality. “Simply decorating an office space with plants help to increase productivity by 15 percent,” said lead researcher Marlon Nieuwenhuis.

“This conclusion doesn't agree with the modern ‘lean’ management techniques, yet it points out a path to a more enjoyable, more comfortable and a more profitable form of office-based workings.” She added, “Our research suggests that investing in decorating the office with plants will pay off through an increase in workers’ quality of life and productivity. It directly challenges the widely accepted business philosophy that a lean office with clean desks is more productive.”

Previous studies have shown that the presence of plants can reduce physiological(生理上的) stress, increase the attention span and improve health and well-being.

Researchers studied offices over several months during which plants were removed and added. Professor Alex Haslam, who also worked on the study, added, “The lean philosophy   has been influential across a wide range of organizational fields. Our research questions this widespread belief that less is more. Sometimes less is just less.”

Plants are beneficial because a green office makes employees more physically and emotionally involved in their work.

Another researcher Dr. Craig Knight said: “Psychologically manipulating(处理，操纵)real workplaces and real jobs adds new depth to our understanding of what is right and what is wrong with existing workspace design and management. We are now providing a model of a really smart office.”

1. According to the “lean philosophy”, ________.

A．green plants can increase productivity.

B．green plants may disturb people’s concentration.

C．a beautiful environment is beneficial to productivity.

D．green plants will help bosses come up with new ideas.

2. The value of the research findings lies in that___________.

A．it may create a new way of management.

B．it will lead to less investment in offices.

C．it may lead to a better form of office-based workings.

D．it challenges the widely accepted brainstorming meetings.

3. Which of the following is NOT true according to the researchers?

A．The “lean philosophy” is widely adopted nowadays.

B．A green office helps employees focus on their work.

C．Green plants will make office workers more efficient.

D．When it comes to decorating offices, the less the better.

4. The passage is intended to ________.

A．blame the “lean philosophy”.

B．show how to increase productivity.

C．Persuade bosses to remove plants from offices.

D．indicate the effects of green plants on works’ efficiency.

2 . Are you planning your family holiday in London? Book one of London's best family-friendly hotels, which can help your stay run smoothly.

Athenaeum

Rely on the Athenaeum's kids concierge(礼宾部)for the perfect family stay in London. Even before you arrive at the hotel in London, they’ll be in touch to make sure your kids have their favorite DVDs, treats and more to keep them happy. After you settle into your family room, they help plan your perfect routes.

Cost £79

The Nadler Kensington

Relax in one of the Nadler Kensington's large family rooms in London, which can sleep up to four people. Perfect for a reasonably-priced family holiday, it has no extra charge for baby beds. There's a mini kitchen so you can prepare your own light meals and snacks. The west London hotel is also close to two subway stations, making it easy to get around.

Cost £118

St James's Hotel and Club

Meet all your family's needs at St James's Hotel and Club, one of the best I child-friendly hotels in London. The hotel can help you plan family days out, and you can enjoy the hotel's quiet position in a peaceful cul-de-sac(死胡同)off St James's Street. Inter-connecting rooms at this fashionable hotel are available on request.

Cost £320

Melia White House

Let kids feel grown-up with their own check-in area at Melia White House, which is close to Regent's Park. There are also treats like an ice cream voucher(券)and activities in its kids club. Stay in a family room, which holds two adults and two children under the age of 11 for no additional charge.

Cost £ 140

1. What do we know about Athenaeum?

A．It provides fee meals.	B．It has special rooms for kids.
C．It helps guests find local tour guides.	D．It learns about kids' preferences ahead of time.

2. What can you do if you live in the Nadler Kensington?

A．Make your own food.	B．Teach your kids to cook.
C．Get to bus stations quickly.	D．Ask for a baby bed with little money.

3. Which hotel is the best choice for the kids wanting to check in like an adult?

A．Athenaeum.	B．The Nadler Kensington.
C．St James's Hotel and Club.	D．Melia White House.

3 . It is difficult to command a new skill, but once ________, it will benefit you for the rest of your life.

A．obtaining

B．obtained

C．to obtain

D．is obtained

4 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province, is the economic and     1     (culture) center of southwest China. It is linked by rail with all of China's major cities. Its rail link with Hanoi(河内)     2     (establish) in 1901.

Kunming's mild climate makes it a good place     3     (visit) any time of the year.    4     it can be hot and humid in summer, it has cool, dry winters. The climate here is great for flowers, with more than 400 varieties     5     (plant) here. The camellia (山茶花)is the city's official flower. The city is also known for     6     (it) green parks, such as Cuihu (Green Lake) Park with its waterways and winding paths. Younger     7     (travel) may enjoy a visit to Daguan Park because of its food stalls.

In addition to its own charms, Kunming serves as a base from    8     people can explore the culture of ethnic groups in the area. The most well-known are the Dai, Bai and Naxi. People can also visit the Yunnan Stone Forest, which has been known     9     the "first wonder of the world" since the Ming Dynasty. Located 120 km (75 miles) from Kunming, the stone forest     10     (feature) awesome rock formations.

5 . Mary Edwards Walker was the fifth daughter of the family. Her parents, who used to encourage her to think freely and allowed her to wear men's trousers, started the first free school in Oswego, New York, so their daughters would be just as educated as their son. Outside of school, all of the children helped work on the farm. After finishing at her parent's school, Walker attended the Falley Seminary in Fulton, New York. When she graduated, she became a teacher, but she knew she wanted to be a doctor. Later she attended Syracuse Medical College and received her medical degree in 1855 as the second woman to graduate from the college.

When the Civil War began in 1861, Walker wanted to join the Union's efforts. She went to Washington but was not allowed to serve as a medical officer because she was a woman. At the time, the army had no female surgeons, so Walker was only allowed to practice as a nurse.However, in 1863 her request to practice as a surgeon was finally accepted. She became the first female U.S. Army surgeon during the Civil War.

During her work as a surgeon in the war, Walker often crossed the battle lines to care for soldiers and civilians. In April of 1864, she was thought to be a spy and held as a prisoner of war for four months. A month after she was released, she became the assistant surgeon of the 52nd Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry. After the war, Walker was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Andrew Johnson.

In addition to her work with the army, Walker began to advocate for women's rights. She famously wore men's trousers and advocated for "dress reform". She also fought for suffrage (选举权) and tried to register to vote in 1987,but she was denied.In 1916,the Medal of Honor was taken away from Walker, who died of illness at 86. Decades later, President Jimmy Carter legally restored the Medal of Honor to Walker's name. In 2012 Walker's hometown setup a 900-pound bronze statue in honor of her contributions.

1. What does paragraph 1 mainly tell us about Walker?

A．Her dress style.	B．Her farm experience.
C．Her favorite occupation.	D．Her educational background.

2. What made Walker fail to be a surgeon when the Civil War began?

A．Moral intolerance.	B．Racial intolerance.
C．Gender discrimination.	D．Political discrimination.

3. What happened to Walker in April of 1864?

A．She was stopped from voting.

B．She was recognized as a nurse.

C．She was put into prison as a spy.

D．She was awarded the Medal of Honor.

4. What is the purpose of the text?

A．To support women's suffrage.

B．To remember a great woman.

C．To introduce Walker's dress reform".

D．To encourage females to become surgeons.

6 . Metropolitan Gymnastics Summer Camps 2021!

Does your child love gymnastics, show interest in gymnastics,or just really enjoy new physical activities? Summer Day Camps at Metropolitan are a great option. We offer full-day and half-day camps all summer long!

Ages: All campers must be 5 or more years older.
Camp Fees: Half day (8: 00-12: 00, $280/week; 1: 00-5:00, $280/week)
Full day (8:00-5:00, $380/week)
Discounts: 10% for an additional brother or sister

Full payment is due one week prior to camp. If you'd like more information, please email at info@metropolitangym.com.

Camps and Schedules:
Big Bounce Camp (July 12 -July 16)

The name says it all! We'll be jumping, bouncing, rolling and flying all week long! Learn basic as well as advanced trampoline (蹦床) skills and spatial awareness!

Ninja Warrior Camp (July 19-July 23)

This is open to both boys and girls, and combines obstacle course training with gymnastics and parkour skills.

Splish and Splash Camp (July 26-July 30)

Cool off at Metropolitan! Guaranteed fun with water balloon games, a trip to the water park, and many more age-appropriate activities! Must be able to swim.

Olympic Trials Camp (Aug. 16-Aug. 20)

That's right - we're going for the gold! Come and enjoy games, gymnastics activities and all sorts of"Olympic" fun!

1. How much should a pair of twins pay for their full-day camps each week?

A．$532.

B．$560.

C．$722.

D．S760.

2. Which camp requires swimming skills?

A．Big Bounce Camp.	B．Olympic Trials Camp.
C．Ninja Warrior Camp.	D．Splish and Splash Camp.

3. What can the campers do from August 16 to 20?

A．Build basic body awareness.	B．Develop trampoline skills.
C．Enjoy Olympic-like games.	D．Further their parkour skills.

7 . China published its official document on biodiversity conservation on Oct 8,2021. It said that China has achieved great results in biodiversity conservation.

In 2010, the China National Biodiversity Conservation Strategy and Action Plan (2011-2030) was published. Since then, China has been working for a better ecological environment through establishing and improving policies and laws, carrying out nationwide biodiversity surveys, and putting into place various programs and action plans for biodiversity conservation.

Protected areas

There are about 10,000 protected natural areas, covering 18 percent of total land area. The well-planned protected areas system has brought 90 percent of terrestrial (陆地的) ecosystem types and 71 percent of key state-protected wildlife species under effective protection.

Plants

China has contributed up to 10 percent of the new plant varieties identified worldwide in the past decade. In this period, the country identified about 200 new varieties of plants per year.

Wild animals

The habitats for wild animals in China have been expanding and their populations are growing. The population of giant pandas in the wild has grown from 1,114 to 1,864 over the past four decades. The crested ibis (朱鹮) population has increased from only seven to over 5,000.

Greenness

China was the largest contributor to the world’s gain in greenness between 2000 and 2017. The country contributed about 25 percent of global vegetation growth in the period and China’s forest coverage and forest reserve areas have both continued to expand for the last 30 years. The country has realized the largest growth in forest resources among all countries in the world.

1. In China’s efforts to protect biodiversity, the following elements are mentioned EXCEPT ________?

A．the habitats for wild animals

B．the accessible water resources

C．forest reserve areas and coverage

D．the well-planned protected areas system

2. What is the article mainly about?

A．China’s contribution to the world

B．Increasing protection for animals

C．China’s contribution to greenness

D．China’s efforts on biodiversity conservation

3. The article is most likely from ________?

A．an academic paper	B．a student diary
C．China Daily	D．fashion magazine

8 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

We should make it a habit to read every day. Reading has a lot of advantages. If you expect     1     (develop) reading skills, you should read a lot. The more you read, the better you get at reading. Second, it helps enrich vocabulary. You can learn a lot of new words by reading. At the same time, you see how those words     2     (use). Third, reading helps you develop good writing skills. If you read a lot, it will help you become a good writer.     3     (final), you can learn a lot by reading. You learn about heated     4     (issue) by reading newspapers. A novel     5     is set in another country will     6     (able) you to deepen your     7     (understand) of that country and the people there. Keep     8     mind that there is no limit to     9     you can learn. All this makes reading a     10     (value) activity.

9 . Beep! Beep! Barcode (条形码) technology makes it faster and easier to buy things in stores. You’ve probably seen the black-and-white zebra stripes (条纹) on product packaging. This year, this great invention is 50 years old!

On a Sunday afternoon in 1971, IBM engineer George Laurer came up with a code that could be printed on food labels (商标). It became the basis for the Universal Product Code, which was used by many grocery companies starting in 1973, according to The New York Times. Before this, cashiers (收银员) had to ring up prices by hand.

Time has proven it to be a great invention. Today, barcodes are scanned (扫描) over 6 billion times every day and used by 2 million companies worldwide, PR Newswire reported.

What information does a barcode contain? Where the product comes from, where it has been, its price, expiration date (过期时间)... you name it. It can also help stores keep track of their products. For example, if there are 10 boxes of milk and a customer buys one, it will be recorded so that the store owner knows there are nine boxes left. In the 1980s, libraries started using barcodes to keep track of books in this way.

“Its creation allowed the first digitization (数字化) in the control of the stock (库存),” José Maria Bonmat from AECOC, a Spanish commercial association, told El Mundo.

The next generation of barcodes, such as QR codes, can hold more information. “They can tell consumers if a product contains allergens (过敏原) or if it is organic (有机的). This provides consumers with a greater level of trust in the products they buy,” said GS 1, an organization that develops global barcode standards.

1. What do we know about barcodes?

A．They were first used in New York.

B．They were invented five decades ago.

C．They were based on the Universal Product Code.

D．They were designed by a cashier in a grocery store.

2. According to José Maria Bonmat, barcodes can ________.

A．make cashiers' work easier to do

B．improve the quality of food packaging

C．help companies better manage their stock

D．tell consumers more about the products they buy

3. What do we know from the last paragraph?

A．The importance of barcodes still needs to be proven.

B．QR codes will replace barcodes in the future.

C．GS 1 is developing a new type of barcode.

D．QR codes are more consumer friendly.

4. What is the best title of the article?

A．What does barcodes tell us?	B．What can barcodes help customers do?
C．How are barcode widely used worldwide?	D．How is information stored in barcodes?

10 . What is the best soccer club in the world? The International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) has named FC Barcelona the best world club of the decade (2011-2020). The Spanish club also topped the rankings(排名) for this century's first decade (2001-2010).

The ranking is determined by rating (打分) results from each of a club's matches. During the past 10 years, Barcelona won 22 trophies, including two Champions Leagues(欧洲冠军杯) and two UEFA Super Cups(欧洲超级杯), earning a score of 2,877 points. Its rival (对手) Real Madrid earned 2,782 points, while FC Bayern München ended up with 2,594 points.

The club obviously won based on its success. But what is it that truly makes a soccer club great? For one thing, the club has its own style, which is also one of the reasons it has been so successful. Instead of relying on physical strength, Barcelona players use more technical skills, especially when it comes to passing. This style works well on the field and is very entertaining(有观赏性的) to watch as well.

This style is used by some of the world's best players. Many clubs have great players, but “Barcelona is able to bring them together in a way that fans love”, said the sports website Bleacher Report. The club once had superstars like Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Neymar who played together like a “goal-scoring machine”.

Although the club has the spending power to buy big stars, they often prefer to use players from their youth team. These young players are very loyal to Barcelona. Messi is one player who has risen up through the ranks of the Barcelona academy(青训营).

When Barcelona fans cheer on their team at their home stadium, Camp Nou, they often hold signs saying “Més que un club”, which means“More than a club”. This seems to have been proven true during the past decades.

1. What title did FC Barcelona win recently?

A．The UEFA Super Cup.	B．The Champions League.
C．The biggest rival club from 2001 to 2010	D．The best world club of the past 10 years.

2. What is Paragraph 2 about?

A．How many matches the club has won.	B．Why the club was ranked as the best.
C．How each match the club won was rated.	D．Who the club will compete with.

3. Which is Barcelona' secret to becoming so successful?

A．It trains its players to win with physical strength.

B．It spends large sums of money buying star players.

C．It often uses loyal players from its own youth team.

D．It plays most of its matches at its home stadium.

4. What is the story about?

A．How to manage a football club.	B．Great football clubs around the world.
C．What fans like best about FC Barcelona.	D．What makes Barcelona a great football club.