1 . He had run for 208 hours and 35 minutes in ten days. So, when Pan Junfan managed to cross the finish line in Guazhou, Gansu Province, on Sept. 18, the tears began to flow.
The 513 kilometers he had completed over rough terrain (地形)in northwestern China would challenge the greatest athletes in the world. The challenge was all the greater for Pan, who pulled off the remarkable feat (功绩) after having part of his right leg amputated (截肢) following a car accident in 2015.
Pan’s challenge was originally the Ultra Gobi, which is considered a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many marathon runners. Unfortunately, the 400-km race was canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. After careful consideration, Pan contacted the race’s organizers and they agreed to reschedule the route and allow him to undertake solo challenge.
During the challenge through the Gobi Desert and the Altun Mountains, the 40-year-ad faced temperatures ranging from—20℃ at right to 30°C by day, wild animals and even a hurricane. Carrying a backpack containing the hare minimum of equipment he would need, Pan battled sleep deprivation(缺乏) and very low body temperature during the journey.
Beginning from the “Mars Camp”in Qinghai Province, the ultra extreme course was expanded to more than 500 km over sand dunes (沙丘), dry valleys, stony plateaus and snowy mountains, finishing in Guazhou.
“I hope that by completing the challenge I can inspire people and tell them that life has limitless possibilities and not to stop trying,” Pan said.
In the last few years, Pan has established a dozen firsts for below-the-knee amputees (被截肢者). These included completing the 2018Ironman 70. 3 Xiamen’s 113 km triathlon (铁人三项) in 7 hours and 26 minutes, finishing the Gangshika Xtrial’s 100 km race in 27 hours and 40 minutes, and successfully conquering the Ironman Western Australia in 2019 which involves swimming for 3. 8 km, cycling for180 km and running for 42. 2 km. As a result, he has been dubbed “the Chinese blade runner”.
1. When did Pan Junfan start his 513-kilometer challenging race?| A．On Sept. 3. | B．On Sept. 9. | C．On Sept. 15. | D．On Sept. 19. |
| A．He had part of his left leg removed. | B．He established a hi-tech company. |
| C．He was involved in a traffic accident | D．He participated in the Ironman Australia. |
| A．Losing touch with his team. | B．Getting lost in the desert. |
| C．Having a high fever. | D．Lacking enough sleep. |
| A．Strong-willed. | B．Warm-hearted. | C．Quick-minded. | D．Cold-blooded. |
2 . Last year, brilliant’ botanists from Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, discovered, identified and named 114 spectacular new species of plants and fungi (真菌) from around the world. Let’s find out more about some of Kew’s most wonderful new finds.
ROYAL MUSHROOM
NAME: Queen’s hedgehog fungus
FROM: Surrey, England
Named after the late Queen Elizabeth II, this rare fungus was found in an ancient forest in White Down, Surrey. According to the scientists who discovered it, the soft, white needles under the fungus’15cm-wide cap look like hedgehogs’ needles — giving it the second part of its name. Cool!
WORLD’S STRANGEST DAFFODIL
NAME: Sternbergia mishustinii
FROM: Turkey
The flowers of this rare species are bright yellow, but they’re only 2cm long and don't open up into a visible flower. Just 300 of these plants have been discovered, secret to hide them from illegal plant collectors.
RECORD-BREAKING WATERLILY
NAME: Giant Bolivian waterlily
FROM: Bolivia. South America
Check out this huge waterlily — its 3m wide leaves are big enough for a kid to float on! The big species has just won three Guinness World Records for largest waterlily, largest waterlily leaf and largest undivided leaf. And get this — although the giant plant was only named last year, a dried sample has been kept in Kew’s own Herbarium since 1845! Botanists had thought it was a similar, related species. Thankfully, the case of mistaken identity is all cleared up now. Unbe-leaf-able!
1. What’s Queen’s hedgehog fungus like?| A．It has yellow flowers. | B．It’s native to England. |
| C．It looks like hedgehogs. | D．It’s critically endangered. |
| A．The oldest fungi. | B．The biggest leaves. |
| C．The fastest growing plant. | D．The largest waterlily species |
| A．A botanical magazine. | B．A geographic textbook. |
| C．A historical document. | D．Guinness World Records. |
注意：写作词数应不少于80。
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4 . In Singapore, it seems like art can be seen at every turn. Throughout the year, festivals, live performances, and concerts add to the vibrancy (活力) of the creative community. Here are some of the biggest art festivals.
SINGAPORE ART WEEK
When: January
Over the course of 10 days, this massive visual art celebration organizes more than 130 art events at museums, galleries, independent art spaces, and public places across Singapore from the city center to the heartland neighborhoods. Visitors can have discussions with artists, and attend art exhibitions and workshops that explore art and culture in Asia. Whether you’re interested in Sudanese architecture or cute Japanese paintings, there’s an event for everyone.
ART SG
When: January
During the biggest art fair in Southeast Asia, more than 150 of the world’s best galleries will showcase their collection of more than 1,000 artists at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Center. From 12-15 January, this large-scale art show highlights paintings, sculptures, and photography from galleries like the influential Gagosian and London’s White Cube.
SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF ARTS
When: May
This annual performance art festival pushes the boundaries of physical and virtual spaces and explores The Anatomy of Performance through music, film, dance, musicals, and plays. The festival’s lineup includes a broad range of programs from local and international artists, ranging from orchestral performances to different styles of modern and traditional dances.
SINGAPORE NIGHT FESTIVAL
When: August
For one week each August, the Bras Basah. Bugis district lights up for this multi-dimensional art festival, with more than a dozen light installations (装置), stage shows, and theater performances. The National Museum of Singapore sponsors the event. It also acts as a major venue for various performances and demonstrations along with the Singapore Art Museum and the Peranakan Museum.
1. What can visitors do at SINGAPORE ART WEEK?| A．Go to workshops. | B．Watch virtual performances. |
| C．Admire Japanese architecture. | D．Appreciate the works from Gagosian. |
| A．Four days. | B．Ten days. | C．A week. | D．A month. |
| A．ART SG. | B．SINGAPORE ART WEEK. |
| C．SINGAPORE NIGHT FESTIVAL. | D．SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF ARTS. |
5 . When I was in primary school, I was actually a little shy. One thing that absolutely frightened me was speaking in front of many people, whether strangers or acquaintances. It was my sixth-grade teacher, Mr. Bamick, who helped me overcome that. That year we had to present four oral book reports in front of the class. Some of the kids were even glad to do it, but I was frightened to death. Mr. Bamick recognized my fear, so he told me to do a report on a book that was about something that really interested me. So I did the first report on baseball.
When it came time for me to present it to the class, Mr. Bamick cut me some slack and let me read the report rather than present it from memory. Some of my classmates laughed at me for the presentation, but Mr. Bamick encouraged me. By the end of the year I had completed all four of the oral book reports. It wasn’t easy or comfortable for me, but I did it.
Years later I realized that Mr. Bamick had a great effect on me in sixth grade. One of the opportunities I get when I win a tennis tournament (锦标赛) is to make comments to the fans who attend the match. Some of these are carried live on television and all of them are before thousands of people. It’s still not one of my favorite things to do, but, with Mr. Bamick’s help, I get through it from time to time. Before long, I was asked to bring my favorite childhood teacher to a national event in Dallas. I was excited when Mr. Bamick joined me for the event. It meant a lot to me that he was there.
We all need heroes in our lives. They can be role models or they can be important persons in our world. Mr. Bamick believed in me and helped me to believe in myself. It was he who helped me build the person I became.
1. In what aspect did Mr. Bamick help the author?| A．Improving her learning skills. |
| B．Winning her classmates’ trust. |
| C．Encouraging her to read more books. |
| D．Overcoming her fear of public speaking. |
| A．Played a funny joke on the author. |
| B．Gave the author a feeling of pride. |
| C．Made the task slightly easy for the author. |
| D．Asked the author to take part in a competition. |
| A．She is a spokesperson. | B．She is a tennis player. |
| C．She wants to be a teacher. | D．She enjoys commenting on books. |
| A．My best oral book report. | B．A typical kid in primary school. |
| C．My favorite childhood teacher. | D．An unforgettable national event. |
6 . As an engineer, I have designed electronic control systems for more than 30 years, and I had expected to do so until I retired (退休). My wife, Krisztina Valter, is a scientist. One year, she went to a scientific activity with me. Most knowledge of biology went over my head, but one speaker attracted my attention. Jochen Zeil, a professor who studies animal behaviour, presented a model of how insects could work out a way to go to a target despite having small brains.
At lunchtime, my wife introduced us. Zeil and I had a very enjoyable discussion about his idea and biology. When we parted, I joked that if he wanted another PhD student, he could count me in. About a month later he e-mailed me: “Haven’t heard from you. Have you enrolled (登记入学) yet?”And that’s how, at the age of 53, I became a part-time doctoral student in biology.
My background in biology had been out of date for many years, so I needed to learn the basics fast. It was not easy, but I got a lot of help from other laboratory members and my wife. The more I learnt, the more I realized how little I knew. Every paper caused the need to read more. It was tiring, and at times disappointing, but brought a lot of fun. You read, think, and suddenly things fall into place.
Now, at the age of 61, this period is nearly at an end. New knowledge enriches (充实) you, regardless of how old you are. My advice is that if you have the opportunity to enter a new field, take it.
1. What attracted the author’s interest at the scientific activity?| A．A latest electronic control system. |
| B．A speaker sharing his hobbies in retirement. |
| C．A speech about small insects’ living habits. |
| D．A model showing insects’ smart behaviour. |
| A．Zeil took the author’s joke seriously. |
| B．Zeil found the author’s talent in biology. |
| C．The author was recommended by his wife. |
| D．The author needed help with the application. |
| A．Fun and relaxing | B．Tiring and painful. |
| C．Challenging but interesting. | D．Boring but educational. |
| A．To tell us it’s never too late to learn. |
| B．To show the importance of getting a degree. |
| C．To encourage us to develop a love for science. |
| D．To remind us sometimes we need to stop to reflect. |
7 . In 1670, two Scottish doctors set up a garden in the city of Edinburgh to find out connections between plants and medicine. That first garden wasn’t very big — about the size of a tennis court. Fast-forward 350 years, and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) now covers an area bigger than 1,000 tennis courts. The RBGE’s goal is to “explore, conserve and explain the world of plants for a better future”.
After doctors and distant cousins Robert Sibbald and Andrew Balfour graduated from university in the mid-17th century, they shared the goal of improving Scottish medicine by looking into botanical (plant-related) research. They found some land near Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh and started to collect plants. They taught students how to grow exotic (外来的) plants and use them to make medicines. As the collection expanded (增加), the garden moved to different sites, including what is now Edinburgh’s Waverley Station.
In 1823, the garden was moved to its current location in Inverleith, a suburb of Edinburgh. It took three years to move the collection of plants and trees using specially built machines. The Tropical Palm House was built in 1834, and it was joined by the larger Temperate Palm House in 1858. Both are still popular with visitors. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, the RBGE continued to search for new specimens (标本) from around the world.
The RBGE has about 13,500 species of living plants in its collection today. The herbarium — a collection of dried and protected species — includes more than three million plant samples, which represent more than half of the world’s known plants. The oldest specimen dates back to 1697. Experts continue to recognize new species each year, as well as growing plants that are extinct in their own habitats. The RBGE also works with botanical gardens around the world, including in Africa and South America, and supports them with conservation projects, education and training.
1. Why did Robert and Andrew build up the garden?| A．To teach people some knowledge about exotic plants. |
| B．To do research on plants and medicine. |
| C．To protect endangered wildlife. |
| D．To practice their tennis skills. |
| A．In the mid-17th century. | B．In the 20th century. |
| C．In1834. | D．In1858. |
| A．It has made achievements in growing extinct plants. |
| B．It has collected less than half of all known plants. |
| C．It is going to expand its sites in other countries. |
| D．It collects native plants only. |
| A．How the RBGE has expanded. | B．The progress of saving endangered plants. |
| C．Why a botanic garden was built. | D．An introduction to the RBGE. |
8 . A pair of best friends from Texas are proving that adventure doesn’t have an age limit — even when you’re 81.
Ellie Hamby, a photographer, and Sandy Hazelip, a physician, toured the world in 80 days, adventuring from the beaches of Bali to the deserts of Egypt.
Their first stop was Antarctica. “The beauty of the Antarctic is just unbelievable,” Hamby recalled. Since then, the pair have visited 18 countries across all seven continents.
And despite the challenges international travel presents, the best friends say they finished their trip without any arguments.
“We’re both independent, very stubborn. But we seem to allow each other to give space,” said Hamby. “We just understand each other and we know this is a good thing we’re doing and we kind of respect each other’s feelings.”
For Hamby, the most interesting aspect of the trip was the people they met along the way.
“We love all the sights that we saw, but the things that we remember the most are the people that we met,” she said. “We met some of the most wonderful, kindest, friendliest people in the world. We just have friends now all over the world that we love dearly.”
And they shared an important piece of advice for any travelers worried about the language barrier on their own adventures.
“You know, people ask us often about the language, how we manage it,” said Hamby. “We say with Sandy and Ellie, there’s one language and that’s a smile. And we found that worked wonders because we were often aware that there was not English spoken. But a smile covers all languages.”
1. Why did they finish the trip without arguments?| A．They had different personalities. |
| B．They prepared presents for each other. |
| C．They understand and respect each other. |
| D．They allowed each other to voice their ideas. |
| A．The beautiful sights. | B．The wonderful people. |
| C．The interesting activities. | D．The cultural experiences. |
| A．Rely on the smile. | B．Be more adventurous. |
| C．Hear English spoken more. | D．Learn more languages. |
| A．Language Struggles: Testing Friendship |
| B．Travel Troubles: Friendship Tested Abroad |
| C．Talking Struggles: Adventures Lost in Translation |
| D．Limitless Adventure: Two Friends Break Age Barriers |
·The Seattle Great Wheel
The Seattle Great Wheel, open to the public in 2012, is a popular landmark in the city located on the west coast. The great Ferris wheel is 175 feet high. Appropriate for all ages, it is a must try ride in the city for a full view of Seattle. Fine dining restaurants and great wheel light shows add up the cheer to the place.
Timings: 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM
Ticket Price: $14 (Adults) $9 (Kids)
·Great Wolf LodgeThe Great Wolf Lodge was opened in 2008 with variety of amusement activities. Attractions like body slides, tube slides, lazy river etc. are featured in the amusement mark, making it perfect for all age groups. Fun rides, fitness centre and food court increase the enjoyment in the park.
Timings: 11:00 AM to 08:00 PM
Entry Fee: $50 per person
·Wild Waves Theme ParkWild Waves Theme Park is one of the major amusement parks in Seattle. It was opened in 1977, serving Seattle’s population with an exciting and fun experience. Rides and attractions in the park are divided into 5 major sections. It also celebrates annual festivals with lights, making the place more attractive.
Timings: 11:00 AM to 06:00 PM
Entry Fee: $34 (Adult) $24 (Children)
·Oaks Amusement ParkOne of the oldest amusement parks around Seattle, Oaks Amusement Park was opened in 1905. Among various amusement divisions, rides, skating rink, miniature golf court are few popular spots. The rides section of the park featuring kiddie rides, thrill rides, family rides, and height rides.
Timings: 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Entry Fee: $10 to $100 (Varies as per the activities)
1. What can visitors do at the Seattle Great Wheel?| A．Have a full view of Seattle. | B．Play in the golf court. |
| C．Enjoy the festival celebration. | D．Experience the body slides. |
| A．$37. | B．$50. | C．$92. | D．$100. |
| A．The Seattle Great Wheel. | B．Great Wolf Lodge. |
| C．Wild Waves Theme Park. | D．Oaks Amusement Park. |
A recent survey has found that many people suffer from sleep problems. Some are
So, if you have trouble getting a good night’s sleep, it might be time
