1 . To produce the classic clothing, blue jeans, producers rely on indigo dye (靛蓝染料), the only molecule known to provide jeans’ unique, beloved color. While indigo itself naturally comes from a plant, growing demand for blue jeans throughout the 20th century gave rise to synthetic (合成的) indigo, which is now more commonly used.
Indigo is the dye that makes jeans blue, but it doesn’t mix with water. To dye clothes, usually, chemicals are needed to make the color stick to the cloth. But in Denmark, scientists have created a new way to dye clothes using an enzyme (酶), which is a kind of protein that can cause chemical reactions, instead of harmful chemicals. This new method is better for the environment and doesn’t use poisonous stuff.
The chemical process for dyeing blue jeans has persisted for the last century. Workers are exposed to the poisonous chemicals, which also pollute the environment near factories. Waste water from those factories often ends up in waterways, decimating local ecosystems and even dyeing rivers blue.
Ditte Hededam Welner, the study’s lead researcher, says their new enzyme works really well and is strong enough for making lots of jeans without breaking down. This enzyme makes dyeing with indican, which is like indigo, much less harmful to the planet — about 92% better than the old way.
However, the new method doesn’t fix all the environmental problems of making jeans. Making a single pair of jeans uses a lot of water — enough to fill many bathtubs — from growing the cotton to putting the final touches on the jeans.
Even though the new dyeing process is better for the environment, it’s not always easy or cheap to change to it. Welner’s team isn’t sure if jeans companies will find it easy or affordable to switch to this method. It costs a little bit more — just seven cents extra per pair of jeans — to use the enzyme for dyeing. But Welner believes it’s worth it because it’s much better for the environment.
1. Why was synthetic indigo created in the 20th century?| A．It made jeans’ color unique. | B．It was easy to dye cloth with it. |
| C．People liked jeans made from it. | D．People were in greater need of jeans. |
| A．Troubling. | B．Entering. | C．Destroying. | D．Defeating. |
| A．The colour is more beautiful than the synthetic indigo. |
| B．The market can keep stable goods supplies. |
| C．Enzyme facilitates the advance of science. |
| D．The dye is more environmentally friendly. |
| A．Production costs. | B．Environmental benefits. |
| C．Water consumption. | D．Laborer shortage. |
2 . National Parks in Utah
Zion National Park
It’s perfect for scenic drives and outdoor adventures. One of the park highlights is the Zion Canyons, which offers different hiking (远足) opportunities. Late spring or early fall is the best time to visit Zion National Park, since most facilities are open during this time. However, if you don’t mind cold weather, visit during the late fall and winter.
Bryce Canyon National Park
It’s home to the greatest number of hoodoos (石林) on earth, which are one of the natural wonders of the world. You can see most of Bryce Canyon’s highlights in one day by taking the scenic drive and making stops at various views. Most people visit the park between May and September since the weather is warmer.
Canyonlands National Park
Although it’s the 23rd largest National Park in the US, Canyonlands is the largest out of the four national parks in Utah. The best time of the year to visit is when the weather is pleasant in the spring and fall. The park has four main parts: The Maze, Island in the Sky, The Needles, and Horseshoe Canyon. If you plan to visit every part, you can go on a boat tour to explore it.
Arches National Park
Known as a red-rock wonderland, Arches National Park is popular for its stone arches (石拱).The park has over 2,000 stone arches, with Landscape Arch the largest. The park is busiest from March through October. However, the spring and fall temperatures are the most comfortable. So, the best time to visit is April, May, September and October.
1. When is the best time to visit Zion National Park?| A．Late spring. | B．Early summer. | C．Late fall. | D．Early winter. |
| A．It features hike programs. | B．It is known for stone arches. |
| C．It is the largest one in Utah. | D．It requires advance bookings. |
| A．Take a journey down a river. | B．Explore the Zion Canyons. |
| C．Tour Island in the Sky. | D．Admire the red rock. |
3 . Worried about your tuition? Take a look at some of the big names offering tuition assistance.
McDonald’s
Hourly employees can receive up to $2,500 in tuition assistance, and salaried workers can take up to $3,000. Both on-campus and online degree programs at schools are eligible (有资格的). You only have to be an employee for 90 days to benefit from this educational program.
Chipotle
Chipotle allows employees to use up to $5,250 in tuition assistance, regardless of part-or full-time employment status. They can use these funds at two-year, four-year or vocational/ technical schools. Additionally, Chipotle is offering to pay full tuition for students studying business or technology at some colleges.
Walmart
Under its tuition assistance plan, full time employees only have to pay $1 a day towards their college tuition, and Walmart will cover the rest. This policy does not apply to part-time employees.
Publix
For college and university enrollment (注册), employees can take up to $3,200 per calendar year and a lifetime limit of $12,800. For other types of study, employees can receive up to $1,700 per calendar year and $3,400 over a lifetime.
Home Depot
Employees are eligible on day one of employment for a variety of tuition assistance benefits. Salaried employees can receive up to $5,000, full-time hourly employees $3,000 and par-time hourly up to $1,500 per calendar year.
UPS
On the day employees are hired, UPS will provide up to $5,250 per calendar year and up to a lifetime maximum of $25,000.
1. Which company has no limit on employment status?| A．McDonald’s. | B．Chipotle. | C．Walmart. | D．Publix. |
| A．Only on-campus degree programs are qualified for it. |
| B．Employees need to pay $1 a day towards their tuition. |
| C．Employees paid by the hour will gain less benefit. |
| D．Employees should work for at least 3 months. |
| A．$2,500. | B．$3,000. | C．$5,250. | D．$25,000. |
4 . 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 |
5 . Last year, Mia McCarthy and Chase Robbins, both college students in the Iovine and Young Academy of USC(University of Southern California), were sitting around at 11 pm when they started craving for candy. The pair immediately ordered from DoorDash (a takeaway app) to settle the sweet tooth. After carefully tracking the driver for 45 minutes, the driver cancelled the delivery. This moment made them realize there had to be a quicker way for customers to order snacks without driving to a grocery store.
McCarthy and Robbins then set up their app — Handle, a service that delivers snacks, drinks, ice cream and household necessities to the USC area within 15 minutes. They spent the summer of 2021 exploring the process of starting a business. “We were trying to push things forward so fast that we started to hate weekends because no one else was working so we couldn’t contact suppliers,” Robbins said.
The major difficulty they faced was to figure out what strategy made the most sense for ordering and customer convenience. They decided the best choice was to hire engineers to build a fully functional app.
Although they made a lot of preparations, the app crashed on the night of its official launch in late August, letting McCarthy and Robbins feel hopeless. Even so, they didn’t give up. Robbins spent the following 10 days coding the app so that the team could ensure success for their second launch. Mia’s artistic background, combined with Robbins’ engineering background, allowed them to work well together. “It was really hard and emotionally challenging,“ McCarthy said. “I’m really glad that we were able to make it.”
The early days of the business were nothing but difficult. McCarthy and Robbins delivered orders, worked on marketing and spoke with suppliers to improve the products the store was selling. They now have an entire group of deliverers working from 4 pm to 1 am daily, delivering thousands of products to people in the surrounding campus community.
1. What do the underlined words “craving for” in paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．Buying. | B．Selling. | C．Wanting to eat. | D．Trying to make. |
| A．To deliver products more quickly. | B．To make money to pay for their education |
| C．TO put their knowledge into practice. | D．To solve the problem of unemployment. |
| A．The app Handle didn’t come easy. | B．Robbins is more capable than McCarthy. |
| C．McCarthy and Robbins often felt hopeless | D．I’s easy to give up when staring a business |
| A．Kind and curious. | B．Determined and hard- working |
| C．Patient and helpful. | D．Strict and independent. |
6 . Make unforgettable summer holiday memories, with amazing holiday experiences! Fit For Sport Summer Holiday Camp at Ivybridge Leisure Centre.
Fit For Sport summer holiday camps are the perfect solution to ensure your child enjoys a school holiday like no other as we invite your child to join us on our action-packed holiday programmes full of fun and adventure. With a brilliant mix of skills for sports, energizing activities to get children moving, creative sessions that encourage children to express themselves and much more—ensure your child doesn’t miss a moment by securing a place today!
At Fit For Sport, they put children at the centre of everything they do—ensuring each day is filled with opportunities for your child to:
1. Keep active with a wide range of options
2. Build confidence through learning new skills
3. Enjoy positive social interaction experiences with friends in a safe environment
4. Discover new activities delivered by expert play leaders
5. Improve well-being through promoting happiness, mindfulness and kindness
Summer Programme
Date: August 1～September 2
Claim 10% off summer camps: If you book the camps by July 15, you will receive a 10% early bird discount.
Booking Information
Call their friendly bookings team on 020 8742 4990 or drop them an email at enquiries @ fitforsport.co.uk.For any further information please visit www.fitforsport.co.uk.
1. What can we know about Fit For Sport?| A．It improves children’s communication skills. |
| B．It provides a lifelong learning experience. |
| C．It gives students chances to be leaders. |
| D．It offers an early bird discount anytime before camps open. |
| A．By visiting the website. |
| B．By writing a letter. |
| C．By sending an email. |
| D．By calling your friend. |
| A．Calling for students to exercise. |
| B．Spreading sports knowledge. |
| C．Introducing a fitness center. |
| D．Advertising summer holiday camps. |
7 . Four Most Famous Paintings in the World
The Starry NightArtist: Vincent Willem van Gogh
Where to see it: the Museum of Modern Art (New York, US)
Being treated for mental illness in hospital and inspired by the view from the window of his room, Van Gogh painted The Starry Night. The painting is famous for Van Gogh’s creative use of thick brushstrokes (笔画). The painting’s striking blues and yellows and the dreamy atmosphere have attracted art lovers for decades.
The ScreamArtist: Edvard Munch
Where to see it: the National Museum and the Munch Museum (Oslo, Norway)
The Scream is not a single work of art. According to a British museum’s blog, there are two paintings, two pastels (彩粉画) and a number of prints, The paintings are in the National Museum and the Munch Museum, and in 2012, one of the pastels was sold for almost 120 million.
Mona LisaArtist: Leonardo da Vinci
Where to see it: the Louvre Museum (Paris. France)
It should come as no surprise that one of the most famous paintings in the world is a woman with a mysterious smile. It is the earliest known Italian painting to focus closely on the sitter in a half-length portrait (像) , according to the Louvre, where it was first exhibited in 1804.
The Last SupperArtist: Leonardo da Vinci
Where to see it: Santa Maria delle Grazie (Milan, Italy)
Leonardo is the only artist to appear on this list twice. The Last Supper is about the last time Jesus had dinner with his followers. The painting is actually a huge wall painting-4. 6 meters high and 8. 8 meters wide, which makes for a memorable viewing experience.
1. Where is The Starry Night exhibited?| A．In the Louvre Museum. |
| B．In the Munch Museum. |
| C．In the Museum of Modern Art. |
| D．In Santa Maria delle Grazie. |
| A．It is exhibited in three museums. |
| B．It includes a series of works of art. |
| C．It is famous for a smile in the painting. |
| D．It was painted in a mental hospital. |
| A．They feature religious figures. |
| B．They both belong to wall paintings. |
| C．They are exhibited in the National Museum. |
| D．They were painted by Leonardo da Vinci. |
8 . “Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are …”
The sweet sound of the well-known childhood song came out of the village office in Gaozhuang in Zhongwei, Ningxia Hui autonomous region. Inside, a small group of children were learning to play the guitar with Song Hao, deputy curator(副馆长) of Zhongwei Museum.
Song is 48 years and was born into an artistic family. He received strict musical training as a child and was quite good at playing the guitar and composing music. He had a wish to do what he could with his own music to make the world a brighter place for the children. In June last year, he found an opportunity to turn that wish into reality.
He was chosen to take part in rural vitalization(振兴) work in Gaozhuang for two years, and in his spare time, he started teaching village children to play the guitar.
“There’s something really magical about music,” he said, remembering that when he played for the children, many had twinkles in their eyes.
Song asked them if they wanted to learn to play, and they all said “Yes”, so he started a free class to teach them on weekends and during the summer and winter holidays. He paid for 20 guitars and music textbooks from his own pocket and began to teach them the basics, like how to pluck(弹拨) the strings and read music.
The children loved the classes so much that they would arrive at the village office early to wait for Song. Over the past six months, a number of children have learned to play entire pieces, and Song said that he could feel the happiness and confidence that learning to play music had brought to them.
Shen Mingyi, Shen Huihong’s father, spoke highly of Song and his guitar class, saying that his daughter had become more extroverted as a result.
1. What did Song Hao do during his spare time in Gaozhuang?| A．He held concerts in the village. |
| B．He went sightseeing with village school. |
| C．He helped to build the village school. |
| D．He taught village children to play the guitar. |
| A．The school rules. | B．The teacher’s plan. |
| C．Their love for the classes. | D．Their parents’ requirements. |
| A．Polite. | B．Outgoing. |
| C．Anxious. | D．Confused. |
| A．Selfless. | B．Humorous. |
| C．Honest. | D．Brave. |
9 . With some 750,000 words and strange ways of spelling, English can be one of the most challenging languages to learn—especially if you hope to do so quickly. Though you can learn at your own pace, these tips can help you learn English quickly and effectively.
Taking an online course is a great way to learn English. You can choose the course based on your goal and present level. If you are hoping to learn conversational English for a coming trip, you can find a course that’s suitable for this goal. There are also courses for international business, writing and reading. Depending on your goal, taking a course that meets your goal can set you on the path to success.
Getting as much speaking practice as possible is necessary to quicker learning. If you’re just swiping (刷屏) through a few levels on a language-learning app at night, you’ll be shocked when you finally come face-to-face with an English speaker. Without communicating with others in English, you won’t be able to find your weak spots. Finding a conversation partner will allow you to put your skills to the test. Many people say that speaking English regularly helps it stick in your head far better than reading or writing. After all, what’s the point of learning a new language if not to use it to communicate?
It’s no doubt that there’s no better way to learn English than to live in an English-speaking country. If traveling to a country like the UK, Canada or the US isn’t in the cards at the moment, you can still immerse (使……沉浸) yourself in the language. One way to do this is by following the “two ways every day” method. How can you practise English in two different ways each day? Find TV shows, books, films, videos, apps—anything that is in English will do. When you eventually visit an English-speaking country, you’ll be amazed at how much background knowledge you have about not just the language, but the culture as well.
1. Which sentence is the topic sentence of the second paragraph?| A．The last sentence. | B．The fourth sentence. |
| C．The second sentence. | D．The first sentence. |
| A．To find out your weak spots. | B．To improve your reading skills. |
| C．To communicate with others easily. | D．To do well in the language test. |
| A．Anxious. | B．Possible. | C．Uncertain. | D．Interesting. |
| A．To introduce an online course. |
| B．To explain the importance of English. |
| C．To give advice on learning English. |
| D．To recommend some English-learning apps. |
10 . Every child faces friendship problems at some time, in some way, but generally speaking, there are three main problems that keep children from being part of a group.
Kids who do too little in social situations could be ignored by the other kids and may have a hard time making friends. They are usually too shy and just wait for other kids to come to them.
Doing too much
We see this problem in kids who are always ready to cut in a talk or a game.
Some kids have trouble making friends because they behave in ways that set them apart from the other kids in the social groups. For example, they may always try to be funny on purpose, or have strange interests and habits.
Every child is unique, but they have to learn to connect with other kids in natural ways.
| A．Talking too much |
| B．Doing too little |
| C．Being too different |
| D．Kids make friends by doing fun things together |
| E．The other kids may find their actions annoying |
| F．They have to learn some simple ways to reach out |
| G．Then they can build friendships and enjoy being part of a group |
