1. What does Jacob ask Amy to do?
| A．Enjoy the flowers. | B．Provide help. | C．Grow flowers. |
| A．Every day. | B．Every two days. | C．Every three days. |
| A．They lack water. | B．They lack sunshine. | C．Their leaves turn yellow. |
| A．Water flowers in time. | B．Learn about growing flowers. | C．Grow flowers with Amy. |
Almost all the people like travelling. For some people, travelling is a chance to relax and escape
Of course, there are people who are always
As for me. I enjoy watching all-round views from some altitudes. I enjoy watching them in my hometown and as soon as I am in some new city. I start
From such places it’s so exciting
3 . Many disaster-relief programs transport tons of supplies, such as food, water and heavy equipment, by road using large trucks. But some supplies may weigh just a few kilograms or less. For example, a package might contain a few doses of life-saving medicine.
The parachutes (降落伞) that carry these packages from planes are often made of nylon (尼龙). After one use, these parachutes are usually discarded. Because nylon is a polymer (聚合物), it does not decompose quickly. Therefore, Natalie looked for a greener alternative.
Nylon is strong, but a parachute used only once for light packages does not need to be that strong. Paper might be good enough, thought the teen. Plus, a paper parachute can be folded into a tiny package, just like a fabric parachute. Moreover, she notes there are many different ways to fold the unopened paper parachute.
Natalie came up with several folded designs and tested them. Her first models were small, so she could test them indoors. Two were triangular (三角形的). Two more were rectangular (长方形的). One of the rectangular ones opened most smoothly, she found. It also fell and landed most steadily as it dropped through the air. “Such features can be important when the goal is to deliver a package to the ground softly and accurately,” she says.
Natalie showcased her designs at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. Natalie’s single-use paper parachutes are not harmful to the environment. They are also less expensive than parachutes made from more traditional materials. A nylon parachute of the same size as her design would cost about $31, she says. One made from silk, another common parachute fabric, would cost almost $16. But a parachute made from paper would likely cost less than $1, Natalie estimates.
1. Why are many relief supplies mentioned in the first paragraph?| A．To list an example. | B．To answer a question. | C．To lead in the topic. | D．To make a comparison. |
| A．Go bad. | B．Break down. | C．Run away. | D．Bend down. |
| A．A small one. | B．A big one. | C．A rectangular one. | D．A triangular one. |
| A．Reducing Environmental Impact with Paper Parachutes |
| B．Eco-friendly Paper Parachutes for Disaster Relief |
| C．The High Cost of Traditional Parachutes |
| D．A Teen’s Quest for Better Disaster Relief |
4 . When a marketing genius walks into your store, it might benefit you to pay attention, even if that genius is only a small child. When a store owner saw a young girl playing an imaginary hopscotch(跳房子) game using his wood flooring, it sparked (引发) a brilliant idea.
The store owner marked out a hopscotch board in multi-colored tape leading to the sales window. When the girl returned, she immediately began using the new store hopscotch board.
Once the board was in place, the store owner noticed an amazing thing happening in the store. It started with a grown man looking a little nervous and glancing (瞥) around the store. The owner thought he might be checking for cameras to steal something. But what he did next shocked the owner. The man started jumping along the hopscotch board!
With total ignoring “how it looked,” the grown man hopped along the hopscotch board like a seasoned professional! And he smiled! But that was just the beginning of the surprise for the store owner. As more people entered the store, more and more of the adult customers took the opportunity to hop to the cash register.
The simple addition of a hopscotch board brought smiles, laughter, and true joy into the tiny convenience store. People were smiling and feeling happier. The in-store cameras record the hoppers merrily jumping along.
Big, small, men, women, old, and young: everyone seems to enjoy the opportunity to be a kid again. The feeling may only last for a few seconds, but if it brings joy to your life, do it!
Some customers carefully walk around the board. However, many enjoy those few seconds of being a kid again. The response delighted the store owner. If you’re the type of person who would hop along the board, share the hopscotch game with your fellow hoppers!
1. What did the girl inspire the store owner to do?| A．He invited the girl to return to the store. | B．He also jumped along the hopscotch board. |
| C．He prevented a man from stealing something. | D．He created a hopscotch board in the store. |
| A．He tried to steal things from the store. | B．He encouraged others to join the game. |
| C．He laughed at the girl playing the game. | D．He played the game after some hesitation. |
| A．Because they all cared for the girl. | B．Because they could get joy from it. |
| C．Because the game was fit for them. | D．Because the game was easy to learn. |
| A．Considerate and creative. | B．Knowledgeable and honest. |
| C．Humorous and outgoing. | D．Modest and ambitious. |
5 . In the United States alone, 119 billion pounds of food is wasted each year according to the nonprofit organization Feeding America. Yet, over 44 million Americans go hungry every day. If this seems like a huge gap, this is due both to the process of distributing the food and to the food waste that affects the world’s ability to sufficiently raise its entire population. However, several New York City(NYC) communities have found an effective way to reduce food waste—community fridges.
These fridges represent a grassroots way to increase access to food and fight against food waste. The community fridges offer a way for people to give fresh food that they will not eat to others who need it. They first surfaced in New York City in 2020. These community fridges offer a ray of hope to people who were struggling to afford or find food during supply chain issues and rising food prices.
Community fridges offer a way for food that would otherwise be wasted to be redistributed. However, another wonderful effect of reducing food waste is the ability to reduce emissions that contribute to climate change. As food gets bad in landfills, it gives off methane, which is the second most common greenhouse gas. This means that food waste is responsible for up to ten percent of global emissions—which is a pretty large number! Placing food that would otherwise go uneaten in a community fridge can help to reduce these emissions.
Although there are some negative side effects of community fridges, their benefits usually outweigh their negatives. Volunteers clean and maintain the fridges. Some community fridge nonprofits even use renewable energy to power the refrigerators. Although the community fridge may be misused by some, these instances are sparse. Now, the idea of the community fridge has spread. These fridges, also known as “friendly fridges”, will be found in cities throughout the United States.
1. Why is “a huge gap” mentioned in paragraph 1?| A．To seek for ways to feed the hungry. | B．To lead in the problem of food waste. |
| C．To point out the population crisis in the US. | D．To show the effect of reducing food waste. |
| A．It helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions. |
| B．It motivates companies to make energy-saving fridges. |
| C．It is the best solution to global climate change. |
| D．It brings down food prices by offering more supplies. |
| A．Ordinary. | B．Serious. | C．Reasonable. | D．Rare. |
| A．Unclear. | B．Doubtful. | C．Hopeful. | D．Indifferent. |
6 . Today, many people are turning to social media for their fitness routines, with TikTok, one of the most popular platforms. Indeed, its fitness category has some 300 billion views. But are the posted works, exercises and challenges really safe and effective?
While fitness influencers can encourage people to become more physically active, which is a positive, the quality and accuracy of their content is a concern, according to a 2023 review in Frontiers in Public Health.
“There are a lot of unsustainable and unrealistic workouts on TikTok, and even some dangerous advice,” said Jess Brown, a certified personal trainer in Westchester, New York. “What’s more, much of the fitness information on TikTok isn’t backed by science or posted by fitness professionals. The workouts are usually generalized to anyone, too, and don’t take into account your health, your family history, your flexibility, your range of motion—the list goes on,” said Monica Jones, a certified personal trainer in Washington, DC.
One of the more popular TikTok fitness trends involves developing your abdominal muscles. These challenges often show an influencer doing one exercise or series of movements that, if repeated daily for a week or two, is promised to result in a sexy six-pack. “No way,” Brown said. “We’ve proven again and again that spot reduction isn’t a thing.”
“Unfortunately, there will always be trends centered around getting fast results, because those grab people’s attention. But it’s important to look at your fitness and health as a lifelong journey, not something you can achieve within 10 to 90 days,” Jones said.
How can you separate quality workouts from dangerous ones? First, check the information of the posters. They should be certified fitness professionals who have experience working with people. You also want a coach who emphasizes improving strength and health, not one who focuses on body type. A quality influencer should encourage mental well-being, self-care and the importance of listening to your body in addition to physical fitness.
1. What does paragraph 3 mainly talk about?| A．The problems of fitness content on TikTok. |
| B．The lack of sustainability on TikTok workouts. |
| C．The needs for personalized workout on TikTok. |
| D．The absence of scientific backing in fitness information on TikTok. |
| A．Sustainable workout routines. | B．Long-term health improvement. |
| C．Certified fitness professional guidance. | D．Easy exercise with immediate results. |
| A．Fitness should be a lifelong journey, not a quick achievement. |
| B．Fitness training should be specific to body type and flexibility. |
| C．Fitness influencers must prioritize fast results over long-term health. |
| D．TikTok workouts must promote mental well-being over physical fitness. |
| A．Personalized workout plans. | B．Paying attention to detail in exercises. |
| C．Taking a balanced approach to fitness. | D．Certification and reputation in fitness training. |
With my youngest, 11, it’s Tik Tok and FaceTime with her friends. With my middle one, 14, it’s SnapChat with his classmates. And with my eldest, 18, it’s Tinder with, well, God only knows.
What I do know, is that my kids’ reliance on their mobile phones is becoming pathological (病态的). They all wander around the house with smart phones permanently in their hands.
They walk in and out of the toilet staring at the screen, they come down to dinner staring at the screen and only put it down because they can’t feed themselves using the screen. God knows what their screen time weekly report notifications would read.
However, one house rule that I managed to enforce was that they weren’t allowed their phones in their rooms overnight and there was a bed time phone amnesty (赦免) in place where they would all, very reluctantly, hand over their device for overnight charging.
Now, I must confess that, occasionally, I “forgot” to charge one of the phones, so that at least I would get one of them to be a little more present the following morning at breakfast and I might hear something about their upcoming day, rather than being completely ignored.
I never forgot to charge the same phone twice in one week and so no one seemed to get wise to my tricks, however this emboldened me to take my cheating to new levels.
Any phone left unguarded would be quickly kidnapped and whisked away to an undisclosed location, only to mysteriously reappear when I deemed that its owner had engaged with the real world for a sufficient amount of time.
Then one night in February, it happened. A big storm hit our rural village and we had a power cut. “Dad!” They screamed, ignorant of the sudden lack of light and heat and only concerned with the sudden lack of Wi-Fi. It began to dawn on them that they were faced with the living hell of being off line and off their phones for an amount of time.
注意：1．续写词数应为150左右；2．请按如下格式作答。
What followed was a peaceful period without the addiction to their phones.
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And so I tried it a few weekends later to see what the reaction might be.
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At SIAL Shanghai, a major international food and beverage exhibition launched on May 18. Mario Garcia, a cheese supplier from Spain,
Garcia’s company specializes in producing cheese of different ages and flavors, and
“Our importers here have been hosting cheese tastings and offering
“They will learn about it and appreciate it once they find
At the event, the Swedish Trade and Invest Council also displayed the country’s distinctive products,
9 . Flight disruptions have periodically made it difficult for people to reach their destinations. Here are three of the biggest potential flight disruptors and what you can do about them:
★ How could the weather disrupt flights this summer?
Wild weather can hinder air travel, whether it’s an Arizona monsoon storm or a hurricane over the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico. That can affect whether your flight is delayed or canceled.
▶ Tip: If bad weather is expected, monitor the conditions in your flight path and take advantage of airline offers to reschedule without change fees. Download your airline’s app and enable notifications.
★ Is a pilot strike likely this summer?
In May, American Airlines and Southwest Airlines pilots’ unions voted to authorize strikes. While it appears unlikely that pilots will strike at either airline, a work stoppage could be a problem. The votes by the American and Southwest pilots’ unions to authorize a strike don’t necessarily mean a strike will happen.
▶Tip: There is no reason to panic. If a strike appears likely, travelers can monitor the situation and consider switching to another airline.
★ What if my airline has a computer meltdown?
Southwest Airlines experienced two nationwide computer outages last year.
▶ Tip: When issues emerge at the airport, technological and otherwise, the best thing people can do is to be patient. Read your airline’s policy on compensation for canceled flights.
| A．And don’t forget to advocate for yourself. |
| B．In that way you don’t miss updates and offers. |
| C．But technology hasn’t always been up to the task. |
| D．And that can determine how smooth your plane ride is. |
| E．The votes are routine steps in their contract negotiations. |
| F．They can get overloaded because of helping to ease people’s stress. |
| G．That was a symptom of operating on outdated computer infrastructures. |
10 . The ability to track animals and plants is up in the air — literally — thanks to help from an unexpected source.
Around the globe, many air quality control stations filter air through small paper disks on a daily or weekly basis, allowing scientists to ensure concentrations of hazardous pollutants such as heavy metals are below certain levels. But the filters also pick up plant and animal DNA having been scattered into the wind.
The eDNA, short for environmental DNA, on those filters could make air quality control stations a treasure house of samples cataloging local animals and plants. Such records could help researchers track biodiversity at a larger scale and more easily catch species declines or track how ecosystems are changing overall.
“We’re effectively piggybacking on it for a totally new use,” says Elizabeth Clare, a molecular ecologist at York University.
“It never occurred to us that these filters capturing particulate matter could even be analyzed for eDNA,” says James Allerton, an air quality scientist in England. That changed when Allerton read a news story about two studies where scientists vacuumed animal DNA out of thin air at two zoos, one in England — led by Clare — and another in Denmark.
Learning about the potential for capturing eDNA sparked a “light bulb moment,” Allerton says, and he reached out to Clare to collaborate.
Clare, Allerton and colleagues analyzed filters from the Teddington facility that were exposed to surrounding air for one hour, one day or one week. The team also examined eight-month-old filters from an air quality control station in Scotland that had each been exposed to air for a week.
Genetic material in the filters revealed the presence of more than 180 different types of local animal groups including pine trees, badgers, owls, fungi and news. That volume is surprising given that the filters and storage conditions weren’t set up with eDNA in mind. That the researchers recovered so much eDNA from a system designed to monitor air quality shows how prevalent airborne DNA is and how much biodiversity data could be up for grabs.
1. What were air quality control stations used to do?| A．Concentrate on effects of animals on climate. | B．Track the categories of animals and plants. |
| C．Study the links between man and animals. | D．Purify air by decreasing pollutants in it. |
| A．He felt doubtful and hesitant to use it. | B．He felt useful but reluctant to admit it. |
| C．He felt unimaginable but ready to accept it. | D．He felt amazed but refused to have an attempt. |
| A．Common. | B．Favourable. | C．Understanding. | D．Ambiguous. |
| A．eDNA Technology Proves a Big Success in Air Detection |
| B．Air Pollution Monitoring May Help Track Biodiversity |
| C．Tracking Evolution of Living Things Benefits eDNA |
| D．Air Pollutants are Found in Animals and Plants |
