| A．performance | B．pressure | C．exploration | D．opportunity |
Flames in kilns (窑) around China
Porcelain is made by heating raw materials, often a mix between China stone
Celadon produced in Longquan, Zhejiang province, a technique passed down for more than 1,600 years,
Porcelain has also been a carrier for cultural exchanges. Along with China’s silk and tea, porcelain was one of the commodities
Porcelain began as a practical utensil and
As a memory
3 . When other teenagers hang out with friends in the summer vacations. Erica doesn’t join. Instead, the 16-year-old senior high student is
Erica started baking out of
Always considered a
| A．applied | B．occupied | C．accommodated | D．adapted |
| A．assists | B．shelters | C．charges | D．runs |
| A．sympathy | B．gratitude | C．passion | D．politeness |
| A．failure | B．success | C．pressure | D．astonishment |
| A．employed | B．perfected | C．shared | D．presented |
| A．reminded | B．permitted | C．instructed | D．inspired |
| A．confirmation | B．debate | C．consideration | D．contrast |
| A．annoyed | B．elegant | C．cautious | D．serious |
| A．distinguished | B．approved | C．neglected | D．hesitated |
| A．regular | B．potential | C．favoured | D．demanding |
| A．Unobviously | B．Unconsciously | C．Unfortunately | D．Unavoidably |
| A．down | B．off | C．through | D．up |
| A．model | B．sculptor | C．psychologist | D．captain |
| A．keep to | B．go beyond | C．jump at | D．work on |
| A．mean | B．modest | C．assured | D．sensitive |
The official mascots (吉祥物) of the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 — three sporty robots
The robot Congcong represents the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City. Its name comes from the Cong jade pendant (玉琮) — a classic relic unearthed from the Ruins
Raja Randhir Singh, the acting president of the Olympic Council of Asia, said
5 . Farmers and hunters are calling for an extension (延期) to the Victorian duck hunting season, saying certain species are doing great harm to crops and waterways and need to be controlled. This season runs from 8:00 am today and will end in 20 days, down from the usual 12 weeks, with a bag limit of five listed game ducks per day.
Wayne Shields grows leafy greens on the Mornington Peninsula and he said the decision to reduce the duck hunting season would take its toll on farmers. “The wood ducks are the ones causing all of the damage; the black ducks are no problem around here. The wood ducks come in at night and they just clean me out completely and they’ve done it a number of times over a number of years,” he said.
Mr. Shields and his wife, Natasha, run Peninsula Fresh Organics and he said there was nothing he could do to stop the invasion (入侵). “I nearly went broke a few years ago. Back then I was planting 10,000 lettuce (生菜) a week and they would quite happily eat 10,000 lettuce a week.” Due to the damage caused by the wood ducks, Mr. Shields said there should be a year-round open season on the wood ducks and farmers should be allowed to shoot birds.
Professor Richard Kingsford, Director of the Centre for Ecosystem Science at UNSW, said although the wood ducks ate crops, extending the duck season may not achieve what farmers wanted. He is calling on the government to invest more in research to address the threat certain species of waterbirds caused for some farmers, so other nonlethal (非致命的) ways to destroy the birds can be found.
1. How is this year’s duck hunting season different?| A．It is put off. | B．It is cut short. |
| C．It is about five species. | D．It takes place mainly on farms. |
| A．Make way for. | B．Keep an eye on. |
| C．Cause damage to. | D．Take control of. |
| A．The invasion of the black ducks. |
| B．The difficulty of keeping business. |
| C．The negative influence of the hunting season. |
| D．The daytime trouble caused by the wood ducks. |
| A．Scientifically managing them. |
| B．Encouraging hunters to catch them. |
| C．Extending the duck hunting season. |
| D．Using deadly ways to drive them away. |
6 . Pick-your-own farms are set for a post-lockdown boom this summer, as people look to support local businesses and spend more time outdoors. Here are four of our favorites.
Parkside Farm, Enfield
Juicy blackberries, and strawberries are the stars of the show at this pick-your-own place on the northern edge of London. One key selling point is the “table-top” strawberry-growing system, which means plants are grown in places at waist height — no more bending down in the dirt to pick your berries. Parkside is also one of the few farms accessible without a car, as long as you don’t mind a walk — it’s 25 minutes from Gordon Hill station.
Craigie’s Farm, Scotland
Just outside Edinburgh, Craigie’s Farm is bursting with produce including cherries, peas, broad beans and, perhaps surprisingly, sunflowers. The onsite shop, deli and cafe have a lot more to offer besides fruits and vegetables — you can pick up homemade jams, meat, cheese and an apple press for making your own juice. There are activities for children too, including a Nature Detective Trail involving encounters with sheep and goats.
Hewitts Farm, Kent
This family-run farm in Kent offers everything from spinach to apples and blackberries during its pick-your-own season, which runs from June to October (for Halloween pumpkins). There’s also a shop selling farm-grown and local produce, as well as free tractor rides for youngsters on Sundays during the summer.
Bellis Brothers Farm, Wrexham
This farm in North Wales started growing strawberries back in 1860 and has operated as a pick-your-own since 1967. More fruits have been added since then, but it’s still mostly known for its strawberries. Pickers can download Bellis family strawberry recipes from the farm’s website, including those for jams and a baked strawberry cheesecake.
1. Which of the following is TRUE about Parkside Farm?| A．You can enjoy sunflowers in the sunshine. |
| B．You can pick berries without bending down. |
| C．You need not worry about getting dirty on the farm. |
| D．You must drive there due to its long distance from the station. |
| A．Parkside Farm. | B．Craigie’s Farm. |
| C．Hewitts Farm. | D．Bellis Brothers Farm. |
| A．Business. | B．Books. | C．Sports. | D．Travel. |
7 . Getting rid of old tyres has long been a problem. Most are thrown into landfills or piled up in storage. Energy recovery is another common method. This involves burning tyres to generate electricity or heat for industries, but that produces planet warming pollution; or we use them to repair roads, but chemicals from them might pollute the ground.
Some firms, therefore, have begun exploring an alternative. One such firm is Wastefront, which owns a big tyre-recycling plant in north-east England. In a couple of years, it will be able to turn 8 million old tyres into new products, including a black liquid called TDO (轮胎衍生油).
The process works by deconstructing a tyre into steel, rubber, and carbon black (炭黑). After tearing down the steel, the remaining material is exposed to high temperatures in the absence of air to make the rubber change into a mix of hydrocarbon gases, and then they’re removed. What is left behind is pure carbon black. Once the removed gases cool down, a part of them liquefies into TDO. The remaining gases are to be burned to fuel the process. This creates a closed-cycle system that prevents emissions (排放).
The carbon black can be reused to make new tyres. That is of interest to tyre-makers because it helps efforts to become carbon neutral-achieving a balance between the amounts of carbon dioxide produced and the carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere. Producing new carbon black requires burning heavy oil or coal, which lets off plenty of greenhouse gases
The recovered TDO is well-suited for making diesel (柴油). While not completely carbon-neutral, it does produce an 80-90% reduction in emissions of carbon dioxide, compared with the conventional fuel. The future market for such cleaner fuels will remain large, even though electric vehicles are on the rise. Fossil-fuelled vehicles will exist for decades, particularly the big burners of diesel-trucks, which are harder to electrify. The fuel is also needed by trains and ships. So, anything that helps clean up overall emissions is useful—especially if it also eases a mountainous waste problem.
1. What’s the purpose of the first paragraph?| A．To analyze causes. | B．To present problems |
| C．To reach solutions. | D．To make comparisons |
| A．Air boosts the burning of the old tyres. |
| B．The remaining gases are emitted into the air. |
| C．Pure carbon black is an unprocessed substance. |
| D．TDO comes from the removed hydrocarbon gases. |
| A．Diesel made from TDO. | B．Clean electric energy. |
| C．Carbon-neutral process | D．Recovered TDO from old tyres. |
| A．The Problems of Burning Old Tyres. |
| B．The Black Liquid Called TDO. |
| C．The System Preventing Emissions |
| D．The Alternative to Tyre-recycling. |
8 . The giant Amazon rainforest in South America has been a mystery for centuries. It holds all kinds of natural wonders. Among them in Colombia, a river stands out as “the most beautiful river” in the world.
Locally called Carnio Cristales, this special river lies in a national park. It is made up of several waterfalls, rapids, and plenty of pools. For most of the year, Canio Cristales looks like a common river: clean, green, and rocky. However, during the short period between September and November, the river explodes (迸发) with life and colour. It appears as any mix of colours including blue, green, yellow, orange, and a purplish red. So it is also known as the “River of Five Colours”.
Although at first it may appear as if some chemicals were added to the water, this rainbow river is completely natural. Cafio Cristales' colours are the result of a rare (稀有) water plant which needs sunlight to grow. The plants change colour depending on how much sunlight they receive, and the amount is decided by the height and speed of the water. Therefore, it is possible for the plants to be totally colourless if the sunlight is too hard to get. They are a delicate plant. This makes them easily damaged in the water.
Actually, the river faces some problems, including drier seasons, wildlife trouble, waste management, and budget (预算) cuts. In 2007, the park was forced to close because it was over-crowded with tourists. Now the park admits only 200 people a day and requires them to mind their behaviour.
Today, Cano Cristales still shines among Colombia's most popular natural attractions, drawing thousands of tourists every year.
1. When is the best time to visit Cafio Cristales?| A．In January. | B．In March. | C．In June. | D．In October. |
| A．A special plant lives in it. | B．People add chemicals to it. |
| C．The water is badly polluted. | D．The weather is changeable there. |
| A．Special. | B．Weak. | C．Lively. | D．Beautiful. |
| A．Too many visitors. | B．The poor service. |
| C．Too much rubbish. | D．The wildlife problem. |
