The traditional Chinese solar calendar divides the whole year into 24 solar terms. “Cold Dew”, also
Here are three things you should know about Cold Dew. Firstly,
2 . Logan Ober, a senior at Rancho Cotate High School in Rohnert Park, California, was given an open-ended final project last year from his computer science teacher Kristi McWilliams. One day Logan pointed to a drawer in McWilliams’ class, filled with broken laptops —all considered garbage, and asked if he could try fixing one of those. Of course she agreed. What McWilliams didn’t expect was that the 17- year - old came back a couple days later with three completely repaired, working computers. “Amazing,” McWilliams said, “I think he knows more about hardware than I do.”
Although Logan looks like the typical teenager, he is a computer talent with a desire to give. Since that project, Logan estimates he’s fixed and donated about $30,000 worth of computers, including MacBooks and PCs. He said he does it because he enjoys it and it reduces e-waste.
E-waste, abandoned(废弃的) electrical or electronic devices, is a growing problem across the world. It has bad effects on people and the environment. Giving away the computers to someone in need prevents them from harming the environment, Logan said. Plus he gets to brighten someone else’s day. A computer can open up more possibilities for children and teenagers, he said. MacBooks can cost upward of $1,000 and are unaffordable for many students.
Logan does all the repairs on the carpet of his bedroom floor — the mess drives his parents crazy, but they’re supportive. Logan’s dad, Kristopher Ober, said you can find monitors, laptops, tools and parts lying across his son’s room. “I’m really proud of him,” his dad said. “He’s looking to give back to the society. I just think it’s wonderful for someone young like him to do that.”
1. How did McWilliam feel when Logan repaired the broken laptops successfully?| A．Regretful. | B．Surprised. |
| C．Doubtful. | D．Annoyed |
| A．Taking up too much space. |
| B．Costing large amounts of money. |
| C．Driving human beings crazy. |
| D．Doing harm to health and surroundings. |
| A．Humor. | B．Strong character. |
| C．Independence. | D．Heavy responsibility. |
| A．Computers can brighten teenagers’ future. |
| B．Teenagers ought to give back to the society. |
| C．Joining an open-ended project is a must for teenagers. |
| D．Parents’ support is very important in teenagers’ achievement. |
3 . Sunflower season is right around the corner. Here are several most beautiful golden fields near London for you to explore.
Garsons Farm
At Garsons Farm you will find three separate sunflower fields across its 155 acres. You’ll need to buy a crop farm pass (￡4 for adults ,￡ 1 for kids ) in advance. This farm is also home to over 75 varieties of fruits, vegetables and plants that can be picked during your visit, but be sure to check crop availability on its website beforehand.
Hitchin Lavender Farm
This spot is most famous for its purple crops of lavender(熏衣草), but it is also home to dozens of sunflower! You will be charged￡ 6 for your entry to the farm. And for￡ 50 you can hire a personal photographer and have your very own photos with the plants.
Cotswold Farm Park
Cotswold Farm Park was founded to help protect rare species of farm animals in 1971. You will not only find flowering sunflowers but plenty of furry four-legged friends, too. The park also contains several photo stations throughout the field. Tickets must be booked in advance and cost ￡ 7 per adult.
Broomfield Farm
This fruit farm is open every Saturday and Sunday for those who want to see sunflowers on their weekends! It produces all kinds of fruits, vegetables and flowers that you can buy in their farm shop or pick yourself during your visit. You are allowed to bring a picnic with you and the￡4 entry is taken off your “pay and weigh” bill at the end.
1. What’s the entry fee for a couple and two kids if they go to Garsons Farm?| A．￡4 | B．￡ 6. | C．￡ 7. | D．￡ 10 |
| A．At Garsons Farm. | B．At Broomfield Farm. |
| C．At Cotswold Farm Park. | D．At Hitchin Lavender Farm |
| A．Sunflower lovers. | B．Holiday campers. |
| C．Field researchers. | D．Nature photographers. |
4 . COVID-19 vaccinations are underway. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, has said that approximately 75 to 90% of Americans will need to be vaccinated to reach herd immunity in the United States. Public health experts recommended a staged approach to vaccination. Demand for the vaccine exceeded capacity in the beginning. Vaccine manufacturers ramped up production to meet the demand; however, public interest in getting vaccinated has been waning. The U.S. adopted the following staged approach, but by May 1, 2021, most of the country had already reached stage 2:
Stage 1a includes healthcare personnel and residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Stage 1a vaccinations began in December 2020.
Stage 1b includes frontline essential workers: police officers; food and agricultural, postal, daycare, public transit, grocery store, public transit, and manufacturing workers; teachers; and people aged 75 and older. (Some states are allowing people 65 and older to register for the vaccine.) Some states began Phase 1b vaccinations during the second full week of January 2021.
Stage 1c includes people aged 65 to 74 and people ages 16 to 64 who have underlying health conditions that increase the risk of COVID complications. Essential workers of any age in the transportation, logistics, food service, construction, communications, information technology, energy, law, media, public safety, and public health sectors are also in Phase 1c. Many states were able to vaccinate Phase 1c in March and April.
Stage 2 includes all other people aged 16 and older. (A COVID-19 vaccine is now authorized for teens age 12 and older.)
1. When did healthcare personnel begin to get vaccinated?| A．May, 2021. | B．December, 2020. | C．January, 2021. | D．March, 2021. |
| A．Increasing. | B．Decreasing. | C．Changing. | D．Improving. |
| A．To reach herd immunity, more than 90% of Americans needed to be vaccinated. |
| B．Most states of America had already reached stage 1c by May 1, 2021. |
| C．In stage 1b a man aged 66 can get vaccinated in some states of America. |
| D．All people ages 12 and older will get vaccinated at the end of the staged approach. |
5 . Saying no can be really tough. Maybe a friend is asking you for a favor, or a co-worker is asking you to cover their shift for the afternoon.
Keep your refusal simple. Refusing someone doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, experts suggest keeping your explanation short, sweet, and to the point. When you give a long, drawn-out explanation about why you can’t do something, the requester may keep prodding you. Give a short, brief explanation instead. You might say, “Sorry, I’m busy that day” or “I’d love to help, but my schedule is tied up at the moment.”
Get back to them if you feel nervous.
Thank the person instead of feeling annoyed. Try to view their request in a positive light.
| A．Suggest an alternative. |
| B．Give an excuse for an easy out. |
| C．There’s no rule saying you have to answer right away. |
| D．How can you stand your ground without feeling guilty? |
| E．If your first refusal doesn’t get the message across, stand strong. |
| F．You could also say, “No, I’ve got a lot on my plate this weekend” or “Sorry, that doesn’t really interest me.” |
| G．The fact that they reached out means that they probably think you’re responsible and trustworthy, which is definitely a compliment. |
6 . A few years ago, I moved to Aurora, Ont. with my boyfriend and I longed to make friends in my new neighborhood.
Where we lived the houses were jammed together so tightly. But the irony (讽刺) of living so close was that no one actually talked to each other; as in an open-concept office, they pretend they can’t hear or see each other to maintain at least an illusion of privacy.
It was not so easy to make friends as an adult. I was about to give up when I caught sight of a beautiful, tall blonde taking out her recycling. She walked with confidence—even her ponytail bounced. I gasped, “I recycle too! We have so much in common!”
The question was, how would we meet? What would I say? So I thought, “What if I just happened to be jogging by?” I put on my running shoes, but after a few times around the block, dripping sweat, I didn’t see her. I decided to seize on the one thing I already knew about her— she takes out her blue bin.
The following day, I woke up a little earlier than usual. A little after 8 a.m., the garage truck appeared and the blonde emerged. I grabbed a bin and made my way to the end of my driveway. “Just act naturally, Megan,” I told myself. “Good morning. How are you?” I said, cool as a cucumber. “Good. And you?” she replied. “Doing well…I am a new comer, just a DJ. I talk for a living. Clearly!” “Interesting,” she said.
As we both walked away, I turned and called out, “Oh, and by the way, I’m Megan.” “Michelle,” she replied. I walked back inside, wearing a giant grin.
Our “coincidental” recycling meet-ups continued for a few weeks until I finally gathered my courage to ask her to watch The Bachelor with me and she said yes.
That night, after we got everything ready, we settled on the couch and proceeded to drink wine, binge from our buffet, dissect doomed television relationships, tell stories about our own and laugh our faces off. We “found what we’d been looking for”: a new friend to fall platonically in love with.
1. What can be inferred from Paragraph 2?| A．The author lived in a small house. |
| B．The neighbors actually didn’t have privacy. |
| C．The author lived in a very crowded neighborhood. |
| D．The neighbors did not communicate with each other. |
| A．The tall blonde pretended to be very cool. |
| B．The tall blonde wore a big smile when talking. |
| C．The author was quite satisfied with their first talk. |
| D．The two friends met accidentally when the truck came. |
| A．Timid but kind-hearted. | B．Shy but persistent. |
| C．Hospitable and generous. | D．Caring and modest. |
| A．A DJ talking for a living began to recycle. |
| B．A blonde watched The Bachelor with a DJ. |
| C．A new comer finally made friends with a blonde. |
| D．Two women recycled together in the neighborhood. |
Twenty one ultra-marathon runners have died since extreme weather hit a 100-kilometer (62-mile) mountain race in northwest China.
The high-altitude Huanghe Shilin Mountain Marathon
Liang Jing, one of China’s well known ultra-marathon runners was among those who died, as
As temperatures dropped in the Yellow River Stone Forest, some started to report suffering from hypothermia, while
One race participant told the local publication Red Star News: “It was
By Sunday morning, 151 of the 172 runners had been confirmed safe, with eight in hospital. Another 21 were found
8 . To show empathy is to identify with another’s feelings. It is to emotionally put yourself in the place of another. The ability to empathize is directly dependent on your ability to feel your own feelings and identify them.
If you have never felt a certain feeling, it will be hard for you to understand how another person is feeling. If you have never put your hand in a flame, you will not know the pain of fire. If you have not experienced jealousy, you will not understand its power. Reading about a feeling and intellectually knowing about it is very different than actually experiencing it for yourself.
Among those with an equal level of emotional intelligence, the person who has actually experienced the widest range and variety of feelings — the great depths of depression and the heights of fulfillment, for example, — is the one who is most able to empathize. On the other hand, when we say that someone “can’t relate” to other people, it is likely because they haven’t experienced, acknowledged or accepted many feelings of their own.
Once you have felt discriminated against, for example, it is much easier to relate with someone else who has been discriminated against. Our innate emotional intelligence gives us the ability to quickly recall those instances and form associations when we encounter discrimination again. We then can use the “reliving” of those emotions to guide our thinking and actions. This is one of the ways nature slowly evolves towards a higher level of survival.
For this process to work, the first step is that we must be able to experience our own emotions. This means we must be open to them and not distract ourselves from them or try to numb ourselves from our feelings through drugs, alcohol, etc.
Next, we need to become aware of what we are actually feeling — to acknowledge, identify, and accept our feelings. Only then can we empathize with others. That is one reason why it is important to work on your own emotional awareness and sensitivity — in other words, to be “in touch with” your feelings.
1. How does the author explain the feelings of empathy?| A．By giving examples. | B．By having classification. |
| C．By making comparison. | D．By providing data. |
| A．Low level of empathy leads to fewer varieties of feelings. |
| B．The deeper one’s feelings are, the more empathetic one is. |
| C．Empathy is a way we recently picked up for better survival. |
| D．Rich experiences may not go with a high level of empathy. |
| A．To advise a sincere attitude to one’s experiences. |
| B．To suggest a right understanding of empathy. |
| C．To require a real bond with one’s emotions. |
| D．To call for true acceptance of one’s feelings. |
| A．How Empathy Unfolds | B．Be Open to Your Emotions |
| C．Why Is Empathy Important | D．Accept Your True Self |
