1. How many days does the man work in a week?
| A．6 days. | B．5 days. | C．7 days. |
| A．A passenger. | B．A pilot. | C．An interview. |
| A．Sunny. | B．Cloudy. | C．Rainy. |
| A．Their weekend plans. | B．Their trip to the beach. | C．Their favorite ways of traveling. |
| A．It’s wonderful. | B．It’s expensive. | C．It’s colorful. |
5 . Studies continue to show how important strong friendships are to our overall health. Here’re the rules you are supposed to know to keep strong and healthy friendships.
Be all ears to your friends. Too often, we only “half hear” what others are telling us, and have a hard time making space for caring about others’ conditions.
Throw away the judgment.
Forgive (原谅) where you can — and seek forgiveness when you make a mess of something. No one promises to bring perfection to a relationship, so being willing to accept and forgive the weaknesses of others makes you more likely to build a lasting friendship.
Respect your friends and their boundaries. Everyone has a right to set up personal boundaries to feel safe and respected. Some friends may have a difficult time letting people get close to them for fear of being hurt.
| A．Don’t crowd your friends. |
| B．Offer them what they need. |
| C．Support, trust, and honesty are givens. |
| D．But friendships don’t need to be perfect. |
| E．True friends don’t judge each other’s choices. |
| F．However, friendships require attention and care. |
| G．It’s also important that we’re able to recognize when we make mistakes. |
6 . Top Wonders of the World
From India to Rome, these sights will inspire your next historical vacation.
Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal. Constructed from 1632 to 1648, the property covers 42 acres, including its beautiful gardens.
Best time to go: Late spring and early summer in this part of India has often severe heat. Then come monsoons. November to February is your best chance for pleasant weather. The sunrises here are highly admired.
The Great Wall
The Great Wall of China is the world’s longest wall and one of the most famous landmarks in China. Dating back to about 700 BCE, it stretches over 13,000 miles and was designed to protect the country from invaders.
Best time to go: Plan for a spring or fall trip when the weather is nicer and fewer people visit. Summertime is often hot and crowded, and winter can be extremely cold in northern China.
Petra
Located in the Kingdom of Jordan, Petra was built directly into the cliffside around 312 BCE by the Nabataeans. The city includes temples, tombs, and its most well-known building — the Treasury.
Best time to go: Summer can get very hot in Jordan, and winter is much colder than you may realize. Weatherwise, aim for spring or fall.
The Colosseum
The Colosseum remains Rome’s top attraction. Built in the first century by Emperor Vespasian, the massive theater spans 620 by 513 feet, which would hold 80,000 people.
Best time to go: You’ll find fewer tourists there during Rome’s low season (winter), weekdays and during the opening hour or near closing time. If you show up in summer at midday, it’s going to be hot!
1. What’s the best time to travel to Taj Mahal?| A．March. | B．July. | C．October. | D．December. |
| A．Taj Mahal. | B．The Great Wall. | C．Petra. | D．The Colosseum. |
| A．In a research paper. | B．In a travel brochure. |
| C．In a science magazine. | D．In a geography textbook. |
7 . The first week of September was a week that I had been expecting all summer. I didn’t want summer to end, but I was excited about going to high school for my first week.
When I got to school in the morning on the first day I realized how large the school was, and how many students went there. I ended up in the wrong classroom because of the size of the school. Luckily, a kind senior showed up and guided me to my homeroom before I was late. I was happy to see that in a class of unfamiliar (不熟悉的) faces, the only open seat was next to my good friend, Casey. My science teacher seemed like a good teacher. She was exciting and fun.
After finishing four periods without too much of a challenge, I didn’t feel too bad about ninth grade. However, the fifth period changed everything. I didn’t feel ready after all. My teacher’s name is Mr. Valassidis but he told us to call him Mr. V. Mr. V. told us that we would have to write 40 essays (文章) and read AP-level books such as The Odyssey this year. I love reading and writing, but come on, 40 ESSAYS? AP-level books? Now I was afraid.
The courses in high school seem like they’re going to get much harder, but they haven’t yet. Even though my classes look hard, they look really exciting too.
The first week passed quickly. Although a lot of things were overwhelming (令人不知所措的): the size of the campus, the crowds and the seniors, having a totally different experience than I had ever had before was really exciting. Now, I’m really happy about high school. I have lots of friends in my classes, I really like my teachers and I’m meeting new people.
1. How did the author feel when his high school life was about to start?| A．Relaxed. | B．Nervous. | C．Frightened. | D．Happy. |
| A．He got lost on the campus. | B．He was late for class. |
| C．He was praised by Mr. V. | D．He met Casey for the first time. |
| A．The strict rules in classes. |
| B．How his science teacher behaved. |
| C．The reading homework on the first day of high school. |
| D．What he was expected to do with his studies. |
| A．Her new teachers. | B．Her plan for the new year. |
| C．Her first week of high school. | D．Her challenges in high school. |
8 . Kiley Crisp, a 15-year-old teenager, has Williams syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that causes learning and developmental issues. Despite her outgoing personality, Kiley sometimes struggles to make friends. Last year, however, she met two amazing girls at a summer camp she went to. The girls, who live far away from her, daily contact Kiley. They call her, check in on her using social media, and make her feel deeply loved.
Kiley was out to dinner with family to celebrate her turning 15. She was extremely moved to find that her friends drove three hours to celebrate her birthday! In a video posted by her sister Ashley on social media, Kiley is seen moved to tears at how kind her friends were to surprise her on her birthday.
In the video, the 15-year-old is seen happily dancing around in a cafe. Then she feels two girls coming towards her. She realizes they are her two good friends. Kiley widens her eyes, unable to believe it, because both had told her that they felt sorry for not being able to come to observe her birthday. Then the two friends are seen comforting Kiley as they offer her hugs and wish her a happy birthday!
The video has acquired over 5.2 million views since it was posted, through which Kiley has received a lot of love. And in an update, she expressed her hearty thanks to those who left sweet comments. One of them said, “Really sweet of those girls to support their friend like that.” Another said, “The world would be a much better place if more people were like these girls. They are inspiring role models. We should all try to be so nice.”
1. Why is it difficult for Kiley to make friends?| A．She is hard to get along with. | B．She suffers from a disease. |
| C．She lives far from other children. | D．She seldom uses social media. |
| A．Her friends’ unexpected appearance. | B．Observing her birthday with families. |
| C．Her success in making friends online. | D．The surprise given by the cafe. |
| A．Overjoyed but ashamed. | B．Shocked and embarrassed. |
| C．Satisfied but confused. | D．Surprised and touched. |
| A．Kiley reminded people to view her video. |
| B．Kiley promised to help teenagers make friends. |
| C．Their friendship has inspired many people. |
| D．More people intend to join in her birthday party. |
9 . Have you ever found yourself in a group of people with similar ways of thinking and interests to yours? They understand you. They really get you. They may even be wearing similar clothing to yours. We have a great expression for this: Birds of a feather flock together. This means people of the same kind or with the same tastes and interests often find each other.
We have many similar expressions, and many of them use the word “mind” or “brain.” If someone thinks like me, I can say we are like-minded. I can also say we are of the same mind. There is also something called a hive mind. In a beehive; the bees all work together to reach the same goal. People who are part of a hive mind have similar thoughts, ideas, and opinions.
If you are a spiritual kind of person, you can call them your kindred spirits (灵魂伴侣). If you are more of a science person, you can say you are on the same wavelength. And if you are a person who likes to make things, you can use the expression: cut from the same cloth. All these expressions mean the same thing — you feel a strong connection to someone and feel very similar to them.
We have another expression that can also be used in this situation. But we only use it when we have a similar idea with another person: Great minds think alike. If you often listen to VOA Learning English, you belong to a community of like-minded people: People who want to practice their English.
1. Which suits the saying “Birds of a feather flock together”?| A．Birds are always migrating in large groups. |
| B．Artists may spend time with other artists. |
| C．People who can fly tend to work together. |
| D．Birds in nature are well protected recently. |
| A．Words like mind or brain are popular. |
| B．Similar interests matter for people. |
| C．Working together helps reach goals. |
| D．People think and feel in similar ways. |
| A．Great minds think alike. | B．Cut from the same cloth. |
| C．On the same wavelength. | D．A powerful hive mind. |
| A．To explore words and expressions in English. |
| B．To illustrate the differences among people. |
| C．To prove English plays important roles in life. |
| D．To show keeping words in mind is important. |
10 . Zhang Zening, a hanfu supporter and lover in Nanjing, East China’s Jiangsu Province, started a surprising journey eight years ago to restore (使复原) this traditional Chinese clothing. Inspired by ancient murals (壁画), Zhang, 41, studied the artistry of hanfu in various museums, changing paintings into touchable and wearable pieces.
Upon graduating from college, Zhang first worked in material research, burying herself in the laboratory, conducting chemical experiments for the study of raw materials. At the time, she was one of the earliest lovers of hanfu in China, frequently organizing various hanfu activities in her spare time. Now as the owner of a hanfu studio, Zhang has worked with women’s re-employment organizations, looking for full-time stay-at-home women with sewing (缝纫) skills. This matched with her need for the production of hanfu.
Around 2015, Zhang began to focus independently on the process of hanfu restoration. In that year, she visited Dunhuang, Northwest China’s Gansu Province where she was attracted by the beautiful murals there, wondering how she could possibly change them into beautiful costumes.
In the past years, she has traveled to more than 10 cities across China, constantly studying murals and conducting research to restore hanfu from different dynasties. She managed to restore more than 50 sets. She referred to different materials including various murals, other cultural relics and literature to make sure that the restoration is as correct as possible. Thanks to her work, many young people wear restored hanfu when they visit museums, and Zhang is excited to see more of them doing so.
1. What can we learn about Zhang Zening according to paragraph 1?| A．She longed to be a scientist. |
| B．She was addicted to traveling widely. |
| C．She was fond of Chinese traditional art. |
| D．She enjoyed watching museum visitors. |
| A．To recover traditional Chinese clothing. |
| B．To reduce employment pressure. |
| C．To increase her business influence. |
| D．To help the companies in trouble. |
| A．To explain how hard Zhang works. |
| B．To show the start of Zhang’s independent hanfu restoration work. |
| C．To promote various Dunhuang’s artworks. |
| D．To introduce Zhang’s rich travel experiences. |
| A．Effective. | B．Short-lasting. | C．Dangerous. | D．Costly. |
