1 . Reasons to Put on Your Rollerblades and Hit the Pavement
Rollerblading (旱冰) is great for building balance, strengthening muscles, and improving mental health. It’s also a cheap, fun, and eco-friendly way to get your daily exercise in.
It’s fun
We all know that we should be exercising several times a week, and picking a workout that is fun naturally motivates us to get up and get going.
It’s cheap
Rollerblading is also a great exercise choice because it costs very little.
It’s eco-friendly
Skater and climate activist, Gerhard Ladstatte explains why he started Friday Night Skating, a free street skating event. “We want to move without burning fuel.” People looking for an oil-free way to get to a workplace that isn’t too far from home, while combining daily exercise into their routine, can consider rollerblading to work.
It’s good for your mental health
Like any form of aerobic exercise, skating is associated with a number of wellness benefits.
| A．In other words, rollerblading has it all. |
| B．Exercise and fresh air can reduce stress. |
| C．Not only is skating cheap, it also benefits nature. |
| D．All you need is a pair of skates and some safety equipment. |
| E．Rollerblading is an exciting way to get in fresh air and exercise. |
| F．It’s easy to see why so many people are discovering the joys of skating. |
| G．Unlike a bicycle, you don’t need to find a place to store your skates while you work. |
2 . Along the streets of Malabon in the Philippines, Marilene Capentes pushes a cart every morning except Sundays. The city of Malabon is just north of the capital, Manila.
Capentes is a waste picker. She collects bags of separated garbage, placing food waste in one container. This material will be turned into compost (堆肥) at the local recycling center. The rest of the waste goes into separate containers. The recyclable materials are later sold.
Capentes said the heavy rubbish used to be all mixed together. Then a few years ago, a local environmental nonprofit (非盈利机构) started asking people to separate their rubbish.
The Mother Earth Foundation in the Philippines is a member of the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, called GAIA. The organization wants to avert food waste from going to landfills. Food waste gives off biogas (沼气) as it breaks down. Biogas is a powerful greenhouse gas.
At a material recycling center in Malabon, organic (有机的) waste collected from households is turned into compost. This material then goes into a community garden to grow vegetables. Some of the food waste is broken down into biogas. This biogas is then used to cook vegetables for waste workers to eat.
There are challenges in establishing these systems in new places. It costs money to set up a facility for composting. People, including local officials, have to be educated on the importance of separating waste. Containers have to be provided to families that cannot buy more than one.
And sometimes separating organic waste is not thought to be important. Also, unlike recyclables and metals, there is not a large market for organic materials. Therefore, waste workers must be paid for the system to work. But these problems can be solved. More people are making the connection between reducing biogas and fighting climate change.
1. Why is food waste separated from other waste?| A．To sell it for money. | B．To cook vegetables. |
| C．To feed it to animals. | D．To turn it into plant food. |
| A．Remove. | B．Prevent. | C．Select. | D．Protect. |
| A．Difficulties to build the new systems. | B．Importance of building the new systems. |
| C．Conditions required for the new systems. | D．Arguments over building the new systems. |
| A．Critical. | B．Grateful. | C．Optimistic. | D．Doubtful. |
Wearing a traditional Chinese qipao, conductor Nucrbana Yiming’s
In 2004, she
Before her graduation in 2009, she received an offer from the Xinjiang Art Theater. Bana has a deep understanding of her role in the theater: she considers herself as a bridge
4 . The input Dad has on my career is incomparable. My earliest memories are of Dad sitting in the kitchen playing the guitar, listening to his favourite song by his favourite singer, and encouraging his little girl to poke (戳) keys randomly on the piano. Even watching Top of the Pops, he would get so passionate about music in it. We weren’t a religious family, but there was something spiritual about Dad’s connection with music.
Music also became a source of comfort for me. I failed to do well academically at school and had no friends. Being at school consumed so much of my emotional energy. Instead of going to school to learn stuff, I felt as though I was simply trying to get people to like me. Things were better, but the only time I truly felt happy was when I was at home listening to music with Mum and Dad or writing songs on the piano —and the older I got, the more powerful music felt.
Dad was always my biggest supporter. When I started giving live performances at the local bar, he was the one who drove me there and back. Freeing up that time wasn’t easy for an actor. His job might mean three weeks in the Czech Republic or working with George Lucas on The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones in Hollywood.
Dad has been involved with some amazing stuff, but Daddy Pig is the one that’s had the biggest impact all over the world. When I was flying to Australia for my first tour, I was trying to find something to watch on the little screen and I noticed they had Peppa Pig. If I’m missing home and family, I always put it on. Daddy Pig is a fairly real version of my dad —he loves chocolate cake, he’s funny and usually breaks things when he’s trying to mend them. Mum and Dad were friends with one of the producers of the show and I often wonder if he looked at my dad and thought, “That’s him …that’s Daddy Pig.”
1. What can we learn about the author’s father?| A．He was good at writing songs. |
| B．He was attached to music in his soul. |
| C．He encouraged her to play the guitar. |
| D．He was passionate about watching TV series. |
| A．By picking her up in a tight schedule. |
| B．By doing a demanding job as an actor. |
| C．By watching her musical performances. |
| D．By giving live performances at the local bar. |
| A．It’s her favourite childhood cartoon. |
| B．She saw her father through Daddy Pig. |
| C．She took pride in this world famous cartoon. |
| D．It’s a cartoon about her hometown and motherland. |
| A．Funny and honest. | B．Strict and hardworking. |
| C．Famous and patient. | D．Supportive and influential. |
5 . Pandamen, Mur cat, old ladies who argue with each other…These are memes (表情包) we often use. But two young women have turned these fun memes into dance moves. They’ve gained about 800,000 fans and millions of views with their exaggerated (夸张的) and funny performances. Asuan, 26, and Lidawang, 29, were graduate students at Beijing Dance Academy when they first made funny dance videos together in 2020. As Asuan majored in Character Dance in Ballet and European Court Dance (芭蕾性格舞种欧洲宫廷舞) and Lidawang majored in Chinese Classical Dance, they wanted to create something different from the formal stage performances that they had learned in school.
“We gradually found our own styles---funny moves, simple stories and catchy (朗朗上口的) music. Whether the inspiration comes from memes, animation (动画), comics, games or daily life, we take the clips (片段) of young people’s pop culture and recreate them,” said Lidawang.
However, being funny doesn’t mean that they can be messy with their dance moves. Memes grow in popularity because of their expressiveness, and reproducing that expressiveness through dance can be very challenging. It usually takes them one to six months to create a two-minute dance video. To improve their moves, they will record their rehearsals (排练) and then look at their moves over and over. Asuan even made a teaching video for one of their most popular dances---the Yellow Alien---based on a meme which came from the Spanish song Dame Tu Cosita. She figured out the secrets of imitating (模仿) the alien---the relaxed shoulder, the deep squat (深蹲) move and the surprised-but-naive eyes. As many fans send them “homework” videos, their meme dances are becoming new memes themselves too. “The nature of dance is to express and communicate. What we communicate and pass on to others is happiness and entertainment.” said Lidawang.
“We’re happy to call ourselves comedians (喜剧演员) in the world of dance.” added Asuan.
1. Why did Asuan and Lidawang start creating dance videos?| A．To promote pop culture. | B．To complete their graduate project. |
| C．To produce something innovative. | D．To introduce formal stage performances. |
| A．Finding the right music. | B．Integrating memes into dance videos. |
| C．Showing meme-like expressiveness. | D．Ensuring their dance moves are not messy. |
| A．It is difficult to create a dance video. |
| B．Asuan and Lidawang take their creation seriously. |
| C．Asuan and Lidawang enjoy watching their own practices. |
| D．Their dance videos are usually about two minutes long. |
| A．Dramatic and informative. | B．Emotional and touching. |
| C．Educational and serious. | D．Entertaining and original. |
| be fluent in, in advance, be suitable for, be concerned about, concentrate on |
2. Soon she found that if she
3. The course seems difficult and
4. You don't have to
5. As she has been in England for many years, she
Lemon duck is a special dish in Wuming, Nanning, Guangxi. And it
Wuming lemon duck, also known as Gaofeng lemon duck, originated in Wuming District, Nanning. Lemon duck first
The
The special flavor of lemon duck is not just credited to lemon. In fact, sour pepper, sour Chinese onions, sour ginger, mashed garlic and so on should be added when frying. Before coming out of the pot, add salted lemon and purple perilla (紫苏)
The Gaofeng lemon duck was listed in the
8 . Libraries are places to preserve cultural heritage, develop information resources and carry out social education. Let’s look at some of the most beautiful libraries in the world.
Vennesla Library and Culture House, Norway
The library is one of the most beautiful libraries in the world. Opened in 2011, this library is an important site for concerts, theatrical performances and film screenings. The design of the library is unique. The building is supported by 27 laminated (层压的) wood arches that hold the roof up.
Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana, Italy
The library is one of the largest and most important libraries in Italy. It preserves one of the most important collections of Greek, Latin and Asian manuscripts (手稿) in the entire world. Some of them are the most precious pieces. The library specializes in Venetian history and classic philology. Its collection of antique maps is also very significant.
Stacja Kultura, Poland
Thanks to a recent restoration, a station that was once in ruins underwent an architectural change. The library might seem unremarkable from the outside, but the innovative project and its division into a train station, public library and cultural center have certainly made this building worth a visit.
Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, United States
The library is the main source of literary archives (档案), ancient manuscripts and rare books at Yale University, and it’s visited by students and researchers from around the world. Completed in 1963, the library is home to the Bollingen Prize for Poetry which is awarded biennially, and the Windham-Campbell Prizes which are awarded annually for fiction, literary essays, poetry, and theater.
1. Which library will attract people interested in the stage?| A．Vennesla Library and Culture House. | B．Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana. |
| C．Stacja Kultura. | D．Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. |
| A．Its architecture. | B．Its collection. | C．Its location. | D．Its original owner. |
| A．They have a long history. | B．They are favored by movie lovers. |
| C．They hold some precious treasures. | D．They are the most important libraries. |
9 . If you’re a lover of the great outdoors and fancy yourself as a bit of a discoverer, then you’ll want to know about the best national parks in the world. National parks are full of wonders. Exploring one is your chance to get back to nature.
Etosha National Park, Namibia
Etosha means “great white area”, which refers to the park’s huge salt area. When it rains, the water pools attract hundreds of thousands of pretty flamingos (火烈鸟) to the park. And yet there is more to Etosha National Park than flamingos. Expect to see lions, elephants, leopards and two kinds of zebra as you venture around the park.
Yellowstone National Park, United States of America
You will find Yellowstone National Park atop a volcano hot spot in Wyoming, but the thing that will explode will be your mind as you immerse yourself in the dramatic canyon, lush forests, and alpine rivers. Yellowstone is one of the best national parks in the world to study the geological activity of the Earth.
Göreme National Park, Turkey
Prepare to lay your eyes on volcanic landscapes situated in a UNESCO World Heritage Site at Göreme National Park in Turkey. Hike the high hills, explore nearby villages and witness stunning multi-colored cliffs formed from basalt. Göreme National Park is one of the best national parks in the world for hot air ballooning.
Caingorms National Park, Scotland
The largest national park in the United Kingdom, the Cairngorms provide exceptional wildlife and birdlife —including some of the rarest birds of prey in Europe. Hill climbers will be kept busy with the 55 munros (a mountain peak higher than 3000 feet) in the park.
1. Why is the Etosha National Park attractive?| A．It is located at the top of a volcano. |
| B．It has a vast salt area and impressive wildlife. |
| C．The zebra will be attracted to the park in the rainy season. |
| D．Visitors can cycle around the park to see various animals. |
| A．One wishing to wander on a flat coastal plain. |
| B．One wanting to hike over multi-colored mountains. |
| C．One expecting to learn about the geography of the Earth. |
| D．One dreaming to act in a drama set in the canyon of the park. |
| A．They are both the habitats of flamigos. |
| B．They both feature colorful rocks and hills. |
| C．They both attract visitors who love climbing high hills. |
| D．They are both on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Site. |
10 . All types of marine life are important. Seaweed (海藻) and corals both play vital roles in the health of the ocean and the health of our communities.
However in the same way that a mountain lion. Which provides a valuable service by hunting diseased or elderly deer, wouldn’t be helping anyone if it took up residence in an office building. Seaweed largely prevents corals from performing their key function in the ecosystem, just like the lion would prevent any of the terrified office workers from doing their work.
There is long-standing competition between seaweed and corals and this competition has been influenced heavily for over a century by overfishing climate change, and coral discases, which resulted in corals being now too weak to compete with seaweed.
Seaweed too often is blocking sunlight from reaching baby corals, while releasing chemicals that prevent corals from reproducing-as well as making them marc likely to be attacked by diseases.
The researchers from Florida International University supposed that if sufficiently distributed, the Caribbean king crab (蟹), lovingly called the “reef (礁)goat”, could make coral reefs free of seaweed fast, so they conducted a case-control study where they released the crabs on some reefs and let some others remain crab-less.
Eating seaweed at a rate higher than any other grazer (食草动物), the crabs were able to reduce seaweed cover by 80%, while a 3 to 5 fold increase of both baby corals and fish species added to the successful outcome.
On dry land, goats have been used as ground clearers for thousands of years, as they eat everything from clover and grasses to poison oak and invasive blackberry thorns. Hopefully, the results of this study can solidify Caribbean king crabs as their equivalent at the bottom of the sea.
1. What does the author want to tell us by mentioning the mountain lion?| A．The competition among different species is intense. |
| B．The ecological balance has been largely disturbed. |
| C．It’s important to have diverse species. |
| D．Too much seaweed causes problems. |
| A．It breaks the food chain. |
| B．It influences corals’ growth. |
| C．It affects the fishing industry. |
| D．It prevents baby corals from discases. |
| A．To prove Caribbean king crabs can save coral reefs from seaweed. |
| B．To know how to protect biological diversity. |
| C．To find out how to farm seaweed. |
| D．To learn why corals are declining. |
| A．It is unreliable. |
| B．It is unpredictable. |
| C．It needs further discussion. |
| D．It may make a great difference. |
