As the saying goes, laughter is the best medicine. Laughing is like a super drug for your health that can lift your mood, lessen pain, and protect you from the
Journalist, author and professor Norman Cousins was
Since then, research has continuously confirmed the effectiveness of laughter in relieving pain
On an ordinary weekend, Charley went out as usual. Unfortunately, he had a car accident. Charley was hurt badly. With the help of the police and kind people, Charley was sent to a nearby hospital in time. The doctor said Charley might have broken his back and could lose the use of his legs. His life would change forever.
Over the next month, as Charley was in hospital, his friend Tad felt an strong sense of worry. When he picked up the courage to visit, he found a sad Charley. Looking small and pale, Charley shouted, “I can’t walk. What should I do?” Tad tried to comfort him, but words were not enough.
When Charley got out of the hospital, Tad went over to his house a few times and helped him with the lessons, but it just wasn’t the same. Not only was Charley’s body damaged, so was his spirit. Gradually, because of busy study, Tad didn’t have much time to visit Charley. He felt sad and guilty (内疚的) that he wasn’t spending more time with Charley. He wanted to help him but didn’t know how to do it.
On returning to school, Charley’s challenges became more obvious. Sitting in a wheelchair brought him several difficulties, from picking up his schoolbag to getting trapped by gym doors. Though Charley wasn’t hurt, he was so embarrassed that he didn’t talk to anyone during the rest of the day. Tad wanted to help his friend to make it all better but he knew his help was limited, so he needed to seek help from other people or organisations. He knew that Charely always loved dogs. He remembered reading on the Internet that therapy (治疗) dogs can help reduce anxiety and sadness. So he made every effort to find organisations that had therapy dogs and told them about Charley, hoping they could help him. In the end, Tad showed up in the Charely’s with a big black dog.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
The dog, named Rowdy, was a trained service dog to help Charley.
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Tad could be aware that something had changed.
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3 . Animals being extinct from the Earth is a serious issue. When this happens in order to use their fur or skin for fashion, it is even worse, since it’s not even for a matter of human survival. That’s why a London zoo decided to make a powerful statement at the Siamese crocodile enclosure (鳄鱼围栏).
When visitors come in expecting to see a crocodile, they’re greeted with the handbag instead, making a very effective and powerful point about illegal wildlife trade and the harm it takes on the species involved.
A sign by the enclosure reads, “This bag used to be found swimming in slow-moving rivers and streams across Southeast Asia and Indonesia. Over the last 75 years, more than 80% of Siamese crocodiles have disappeared. Many, like this one, were hunted for their skins as part of the illegal wildlife trade.”.
Native to parts of Southeast Asia, Siamese crocodiles are critically endangered and have become virtually extinct in the wild. Due to hunting as well as habitat loss, they are now absent from nearly 99% of their original range. A huge part of the decline of population is due to humans using their wetland habitat for rice farming, and things only took a turn for the worse when large-scale hunting for their skin for commercial purposes began in the 1950s.
The particular handbag that is on display at the zoo was confiscated at a UK airport, according to Benjamin Tapley, leader of reptiles and amphibians at ZSL London Zoo.
Tapley told The Huffington Post, “We made this exhibit, within ZSL London Zoo’s Reptile House, to draw visitors’ attention to the destructive impact the Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) is having on species around the world. At ZSL, we are working globally with governments and local communities to protect wildlife, support law enforcement (执法) that targets illegal trade networks, empower local communities affected by IWT and reduce demand for threatened wildlife.”
1. Why does the sign say this handbag used to swim?| A．It is made of a crocodile’s skin. |
| B．It is made into a crocodile shape. |
| C．It is light enough to float on water. |
| D．It was kept in flowing river at first. |
| A．Wildly hunting of Siamese crocodiles. |
| B．Destruction of Siamese crocodiles’ habitats. |
| C．Commercial value of Siamese crocodiles. |
| D．Causes to make Siamese crocodiles endangered. |
| A．Seized. | B．Sold. | C．Found. | D．Stolen. |
| A．The importance of wildlife protection. |
| B．The crisis endangered animals are facing. |
| C．The purpose to show the handbag. |
| D．The harm IWT caused. |
4 . When Amelia Lisowe was told she was too young to volunteer, she decided to make a difference by herself. The Benton, Arkansas native launched her own non-profit, Lisowe’s Lights, in 2018, donating over 500 nightlights to kids in the Arkansas foster (寄养的) system that year alone.
Since, she has expanded to all 50 states (and 9 countries) and raised funds to distribute more than 15,000 nightlights — with no plans of slowing down.
“Kids in foster homes sometimes have to leave in the middle of the night without taking anything with them,” she says. “I wanted to help them feel less scared and more safe.” The 12-year-old hopes to give away at least 2,500 more lights in 2023.
Amelia grew up volunteering with her mom, Lauren, who encouraged her daughter to find something she was good at and use it to make the world a better place. “I’m so proud of her,” Lauren adds. “She’s involved in every decision we make. Every time we spend money, she helps decide if something is a good idea or will further our cause.”
Amelia also gets help from friends in the Royal International Miss Pageant system, who run their own nightlight drives in person and online. Amelia, a sixth grader who also volunteers at her local food bank and nursing home, says she feels the impact of her work most when she hears from organizations that have put her lights to use.
“I heard about one boy in Oklahoma who never turned off his hall light, not because he was scared, but because he wanted to make sure his little sister was always doing okay across the hall,” Amelia shares. “When they got their nightlight, he knew she wouldn’t be afraid anymore.”
1. What was the reason for Amelia’s being refused as a volunteer?| A．Her young age. | B．Her slow reaction. |
| C．Her busy schedule. | D．Her little experience. |
| A．By easing their scare. | B．By encouraging them to explore. |
| C．By ensuring their safety. | D．By putting them to sleep. |
| A．Opposed. | B．Doubtful. | C．Supportive. | D．Worried. |
| A．To explain why he kept light on. | B．To express her pride in her job. |
| C．To decide what she would do next. | D．To show how nightlights help kids. |
5 . The Bullock Texas State History Museum
The museum opened in April of 2001. Here’s the museum’s official mission statement: We create experiences that educate, engage, and encourage a deeper understanding of Texas. It offers interactive exhibits that explain Texas history and an IMAX® theater.
The Exhibits
The first floor is about the land and covers the first meetings between Native Americans and Europeans, early settlers and missions and the mapping of the state. The second floor is about identity and discusses Texas history, the significant battles and people who made the state what it is today. The third floor covers important technology from Texas, Texas-led explorations and other Texan achievements.
IMAXW Theater
The Bullock museum’s IMAX® theater was one of the first IMAX® theaters in Texas, and one of few in the world. The theater seats 329 guests and houses the biggest IMAX ® screen in the state at 6 stories high and 84 feet wide. Guests can enjoy sharp and vivid images, as well as immersive (沉浸式虚拟现实的) sound.
Museum Store
On the first floor of the Bullock Texas State History Museum, you will find the museum store. It is filled with Texas-themed goodies, such as clothing, ornaments, books, movies, jewelry, music, home décor and kitchenware.
The Essentials
Address: 1800 Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78701
Hours: The museum is open from Monday through Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm.
Parking: The museum has an underground parking garage with an entrance. Parking in the museum garage is $15 for full-day parking.
1. Which floor of the museum shows the battles?| A．The first floor. | B．The second floor. |
| C．The third floor. | D．The fourth floor. |
| A．9 am, Sunday. | B．9 am, Monday. |
| C．2 pm, Thursday. | D．6 pm, Saturday. |
| A．To introduce special exhibits. |
| B．To tell about the history of a museum. |
| C．To show information about a museum. |
| D．To attract people to buy Texas-themed goods. |
6 . Best for Formal English Classes: Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)
MOOCs, as the name suggests, are online courses that are open to an unlimited number of students. If you’re someone who prefers this kind of course, one of these could be for you.
Best for All Levels: Alison Ratings: 4.3/5 Users: 1,000,000+Opened in 2007, Alison is considered to be the first MOOC. It has a whole section for learning English and is one of the best MOOCs for starting your English studies from ABC.
The courses offered here come from 40 places all across the world, including some top British institutions like the British Council. But it has no partners in the US, so if you’re looking for American English, you might want to try a different site!
Udemy wants to teach everything and is one of the biggest MOOCs out there. There are tens of thousands of courses. Not all the courses on Udemy are free, but there’re a good number of free ones. Even the courses that aren’t free can be pretty affordable.
Recommended for advanced learners, Coursera is another MOOC that offers saved courses without the Internet. Coursera has a great many partners, institutions and universities. You can complete courses as they take place, or just play back the lessons when they are over.
1. What do we know about FutureLearn from the text?
| A．It is the biggest MOOC. | B．It allows offline learning. |
| C．It is the first MOOC in the world. | D．It provides courses in British English. |
| A．They have access to free courses. |
| B．They can communicate with partners. |
| C．They can be recommended to universities. |
| D．They can complete courses at their own pace. |
| A．Alison. | B．FutureLearn. | C．Udemy. | D．Coursera. |
Positive Action Fuels Hope
“I’m not going back to group therapy (治疗). I refuse to be treated like that.” The voice was so loud that I had to hold the phone away from my ear.
Alicia Gonzalez suffered from depression. This was her second month at the homeless shelter, where I work as a case manager.
Alicia had been a nurse for 10 years. Her work was intense and demanding, and she loved it. To her, the trauma (精神创伤) she’d suffered was that her son lost his life in a car crash. With her brain overloaded by the trauma, she couldn’t focus on her work. Finally, she had to quit her job. With no income, she couldn’t pay her rent. For almost three years, Alicia lived in her truck. Alicia told me all this at our first meeting.
“I want to help you,” I said. “There are lots of resources here. All I ask is that you tell me what’s going on with you. That way I can make sure you’re getting the services you need.”
“I’ll try,” she said. “It’s just hard. I used to feel as though what I did mattered. Now...” Her voice became quiet. Before I could say something, she stood and walked out of the room.
Two months later, I still felt as if I hadn’t gotten through to Alicia. Sometimes the things sending her into a violent anger were so minor—a piece of rubbish someone had dropped on the floor—it was hard for me to think of coping skills that didn’t sound like I was criticizing her.
Maybe this latest talk in group therapy was the last straw (稻草). “Finding something small you can feel good about can help you cope with anger,” I suggested. “It doesn’t need to be some huge thing.” Even as I said it, I wondered, “Was that really the best advice I could come up with?” Alicia took a long deep breath. “I know,” she said.
注意：1.续写词数应为 150个左右；2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
A few weeks later, I saw her in the hallway with a rubbish bag.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________In March, Alicia was offered a job doing housekeeping at the shelter.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________8 . Tiffany Hammond and her son Aidan communicate in some familiar ways, like hand gestures and body language. But when Aidan wants to
Aidan is autistic (患孤独症的) and does not speak, so when his mom asks
“Every single time we go outside the house, there’s something bad happening. There’s a
Hammond also wrote about the
In an interview, Hammond said, “I want to
| A．express | B．enjoy | C．persuade | D．change |
| A．chances | B．questions | C．roles | D．fantasies |
| A．imply | B．inquire | C．understand | D．bother |
| A．saying | B．witness | C．cheat | D．comment |
| A．pushed | B．elected | C．warned | D．begged |
| A．avoid | B．represent | C．ignore | D．refuse |
| A．necessary | B．cold | C．different | D．equal |
| A．daily | B．weekly | C．monthly | D．yearly |
| A．cover | B．significance | C．price | D．time |
| A．imagine | B．notice | C．defeat | D．achieve |
| A．record | B．teach | C．doubt | D．celebrate |
| A．nervous | B．strange | C．dangerous | D．hopeful |
| A．create | B．organize | C．share | D．build |
| A．look for | B．pick up | C．stare at | D．serve as |
| A．Immediately | B．Fortunately | C．Actually | D．Finally |
9 . Companion planting (混栽) is the practice of planting things together to help each other grow. Its goal is to create a healthy and productive garden ecosystem (生态系统). But you should consider choosing right species together in your garden.
It saves space
One of the common uses of companion planting is to save space.
It helps with disease issues
Diseases can spread quickly through plants of the same species.
If there is plenty of habitat of food, then lots of beneficial insects will likely spend lots of time traveling in your garden. They feed on harmful insects. Some plants attract pollinators that help produce fruits. They make a great addition to the garden.
It increases productivity
The main benefit of companion planting is its ability to increase crop yields. It helps with pest (害虫) control, pollination and increases the available space. We now talk about nutrients.
| A．It attracts beneficial insects and pollinators |
| B．Different plants have different nutrient needs |
| C．Certain plants might not like being planted too close |
| D．It keeps the soil wet and prevents the soil being destroyed |
| E．Here are some of its benefits that the practice brings you |
| F．Adding different species in your garden can slow the spread of diseases |
| G．This is perfect for people trying to make the most of their small gardens |
10 . Building your family tree together is a wonderful chance to tell your kids your favorite family stories. It can make for some memorable quality family time.
Gather Your Family Objects
The objects include old photos, letters, journals, and anything else you may have hidden in the attic (阁楼) or storeroom.
Talk to Relatives
Write a Family History
Write down all the related information you have already known.
Go Online
With so many genealogy(家谱) websites available, you can find a wealth of missing information online. In addition to searching relationship information on your home computer, you can find birth and death records, newspaper records, and official government documents.
| A．Find and spread them out on a table |
| B．There are so many ways to create a family tree |
| C．Probably, dozens of family stories have never been brought up |
| D．This will allow you to see where information might be missing |
| E．Some websites make it fun to discover more about family source. |
| F．Family trees are often organized to record three generations in a family |
| G．Share your newly found family information with the rest of your family |
