1 . For most of December, Adele Adkins had the top-selling album in Australia, followed by Ed Sheeran, and then there was a collection of songs that took everyone by surprise.
Songs Of Disappearance is a collection of calls from endangered Australian birds. Last month, it briefly reached No.3 on the country’s top 50 albums chart (排行榜) — ahead of Taylor Swift.
Anthony Albrecht, a PhD student at Charles Darwin University, produced the album with Professor Stephen Garnett. “I knew it was a crazy thing to suggest. But Stephen’s a little bit crazy like me and he let me do it,” Albrecht said.
Songs Of Disappearance was published with a university report which found that 1 in 6 Australian bird species are now threatened. The album records 53 of those species.
“Some sing what you might think of as bird songs, but not all of them,” said SeanDooley, who represents the conservation organization Bird life Australia. “Songs from the golden bowerbird sound like a death cry from some sci-fi series. And the love songs from Christmas Island frigate bird, which has a piece of skin hanging under its mouth that caninflate (膨胀) like a huge red balloon, sound as bizarre as its unusual looks.”
There’s also the Christmas Island pigeon. When people hear that pigeon, they might think that it’s a human making silly noises, Dooley added.
The Charles Darwin University and Bird life Australia report does document successes in protecting endangered birds, the hope being that the album will protect more species.
“The increased awareness can make a difference,” Dooley said. “When we have a community on board, that brings pressure to the government to do the right thing. We know that these conservation actions do work.”
1. Whose album reached No.1 on the chart in December?| A．Taylor Swift’s. |
| B．Adele Adkins’. |
| C．Ed Sheeran’s. |
| D．Anthony Albrecht’s. |
| A．About 53 bird species are threatened in Australia. |
| B．It has not found success in protecting endangered birds. |
| C．One sixth of Australian bird species are now endangered. |
| D．Music is very powerful in encouraging people to protect birds. |
| A．Strange. |
| B．Beautiful. |
| C．Loud. |
| D．Sharp. |
| A．Crazy. |
| B．Amusing. |
| C．Uncreative. |
| D．Helpful. |
2 . Walking might seem simple. “But it’s not,” explains Peggy Cawthon, a professor at Harvard Medical School. “It’s an amazingly complex behavior when we try to understand how to improve our lives as we age.”
Don’t stop exercising
Cawthon agrees that the worst thing a person can do is to stop exercising. “You’ll feel the effects almost immediately,” says Cawthon. Sitting for hours leaves her uncomfortable, and it’s the days when she types that her arthritis (关节炎) doesn’t cause much pain.
Train yourself to walk with skill
To truly improve your walking, you need to think like an athlete. Imagine you want to play tennis, but you have a bad backhand. Playing lots of tennis won’t fix the problem, Cawthon says.
Give your brain a boost (激励)
So when should we face the music about our mobility? There is no final answer for when walking problems begin to come up. “You should be as active as you can at any age,” Cawthon says, noting that people who are healthy in their 20s and 30s are best equipped to deal with future age-related challenges. “The best time to start is now. Next best is tomorrow,” she says.
| A．Start planning now |
| B．Be in pretty good shape |
| C．You need to improve your skill |
| D．So what steps should we take to do it right |
| E．How can you sweat your way to good health |
| F．It is a helpful reminder that our bodies need action |
| G．Basically, the body part controlling everything is your brain |
3 . Cheapest Islands in the World to Visit
Grand Bahama Island, The Bahamas
As the northernmost of the 700 islands of the Bahamas, Grand Bahama dishes up plenty of cheap activities alongside its white-sand beaches. Visiting Lucayan National Park, which is home to both beloved Gold Rock Beach and one of the largest underwater cave (洞穴) systems in the world, is an affordable trip. There are hotel rooms at $80 a night.
Madeira, Portugal
Though closer to mainland Africa, Madeira is a part of Portugal known for its breathtaking natural beauty. Visitors can find hotels starting at $85 a night, and enjoy plenty of low-cost activities, like rowing a boat around the volcanic Porto Moniz natural swimming pools, and admiring the never-ending views around the island. No wonder it’s been called the “Hawaii of Europe”.
Dominican Republic
Looking for one of the least expensive Caribbean islands? The Dominican Republic is full of affordable surprises. In Santo Domingo, walk around Zona Colonial, the historic heart of the country’s capital, you’ll find castles, cathedrals (教堂), cobblestone streets, and cafés around every corner. During the low season (summer), you can find hotel deals starting at $33 a night.
Sri Lanka
Do you want to spend just $25～50 a day? Then go to Sri Lanka. Since the South Asian island country is one of the largest tea producers in the world, start with a tea factory tour on a peaceful hike. Taking a train ride through the hills from Kandy to Badulla or from Colombo to Galle is an enjoyable and affordable way to see the countryside.
1. What can you do in Lucayan National Park?| A．Visit a huge castle. | B．Enjoy the beautiful beach. |
| C．Swim in Porto Moniz. | D．Go on a tea factory tour. |
| A．It requires booking. | B．It has historic sites. |
| C．It is famous for tea. | D．It is closed in summer. |
| A．Dominica. | B．The Bahamas. | C．Portugal. | D．Sri Lanka. |
On a recent Sunday afternoon, 15 young people lay comfortably on colorful carpets and throw pillows arranged in
Kong Yi sat cross-legged before them, using a special stick to hit lightly metal bowls in front of her, making a sound
After, they were guided into supposing that they
Such spiritual, meditative experiences that can lower stress and worry have become the
5 . One day, Tim came home from school. His face was filled with sadness and
“Once, in a dense forest, there lived an oak tree,” said John. “One day, a fierce storm
Tim asked his grandfather, “What does this story mean?”
John smiled and said, “In life, we face difficulties and
Tim understood and faced
The wise grandfather taught his grandson the
| A．hope | B．confidence | C．improvement | D．anger |
| A．confusing | B．attracting | C．causing | D．assisting |
| A．dreams | B．proposals | C．measures | D．complaints |
| A．formed | B．folded | C．floated | D．calmed |
| A．survived | B．poured | C．gathered | D．circulated |
| A．Worried | B．Serious | C．Careful | D．Curious |
| A．argued | B．expanded | C．approached | D．spun |
| A．quarrelled | B．pressed | C．appealed | D．replied |
| A．hear | B．understand | C．doubt | D．fear |
| A．patterns | B．blanks | C．troubles | D．talents |
| A．conflicts | B．permits | C．theories | D．voyages |
| A．convincing | B．temporary | C．direct | D．true |
| A．greetings | B．accusations | C．challenges | D．attempts |
| A．grew up | B．showed up | C．came in | D．set off |
| A．root | B．importance | C．output | D．discovery |
6 . Scott runs an organization called “Mission Driven” that creates and encourages fundraisers to help animal shelters, Once he
After he met the dog, he was even more
Scott brought along a few belongings and bedding, which he
As you can imagine, animal shelters are not a great place to get any
We’re so grateful to people like Scott for
| A．heard about | B．dreamed of | C．worked out | D．thought over |
| A．hoped | B．continued | C．afforded | D．decided |
| A．embarrassed | B．determined | C．astonished | D．stressed |
| A．difficult | B．expensive | C．lovable | D．strange |
| A．moved | B．ran | C．looked | D．broke |
| A．compared | B．left | C．shared | D．exchanged |
| A．noticed | B．adopted | C．recovered | D．rescued |
| A．friend | B．existence | C．name | D．home |
| A．fame | B．respect | C．funding | D．rest |
| A．barely | B．quickly | C．nearly | D．really |
| A．picking | B．lifting | C．waking | D．bringing |
| A．wasted | B．rewarded | C．needed | D．stopped |
| A．roommate | B．master | C．life | D．settlement |
| A．answering | B．speaking | C．looking | D．paying |
| A．dream | B．freedom | C．comfort | D．property |
①你认为什么是成功；
②举一个关于你自己或家人、朋友、名人等取得成功的事例；
③你认为获取成功的秘诀有哪些（至少两点）。
作文要求：
不能照抄原文；不得在作文中出现学校的真实名称和考生的真实姓名。
②语句连贯，词数80左右。
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8 . “Children, tomorrow I shall expect all of you to write compositions,” said a teacher of Love Lane School. “Then, on Friday those who have done the best may stand up and read their compositions to the school.” Some of the children were pleased, and some were not. “What shall we write about?” they asked.
Some of them thought that “Home” was a good subject. Others liked “School”. One little boy chose “The Horse”. A little girl said she would write about “Summer”. The next day, every pupil except Henry Longfellow had written a composition.
“Well, then,” said the teacher, “you may take your notebook and go out behind the schoolhouse for half an hour. Think of something to write about, and write the word on your notebook. Then try to tell what it is, what it is like, what it is good for, and what is done with it. That is the way to write a composition.”
Henry took his notebook and went out. Just behind the schoolhouse was Mr. Finney’s barn. Quite close to the barn was a garden. And in the garden, Henry saw a turnip (萝卜).
“Well, I know what that is,” he said to himself and he wrote the word turnip on his notebook. Then he tried to tell what it was like, what it was good for, and what was done with it.
Within half an hour, he had written a very neat composition on his notebook. He then went into the house, and waited while the teacher read it.
The teacher was surprised and pleased. He said, “Henry Longfellow, you have done very well. Today you may stand up before the school and read what you have written about the turnip.”
Many years after that, some funny little poems about Mr. Finney’s turnip were printed in a newspaper. Some people said that they were what Henry Longfellow wrote on his notebook that day at school.
1. Some students were not pleased probably because________.| A．the teacher would not read their compositions | B．they did worse than other students at school |
| C．they didn’t know what to write about the composition | D．they would have no time to enjoy themselves at all |
| A．Henry was a lazy boy | B．students wrote compositions on different topics |
| C．other students was cleverer than Henry | D．Henry would like to stand outside alone |
| A．To write a composition. | B．To punish him seriously. |
| C．To have a good time. | D．To help Mr. Finney. |
| A．No one liked it. | B．Its topic was very strange to people. |
| C．Henry wrote it especially for a newspaper. | D．It was better than other students’ compositions. |
| A．actions speak louder than words | B．good works come from discovery of life |
| C．all things are difficult before they are easy | D．a friend without mistakes is never found |
9 . While I was jumping rope, my smartphone took a fall to the floor which created cracks (裂缝) on my screen. However, the music kept playing. 30 minutes later, I could see only one-tenth of my screen while the rest was black. The next morning, I decided not to use it for 24 hours. I felt a sense of calm that day, which led to my not using it for one week. One week ended up becoming 60 days in total without my smartphone.
Here are some advantages I noticed in this challenge.
-You'll become “bored”
Without my phone, I became bored, but my mind went through all kinds of topics, Boredom (无聊) is a perfect way to create new ideas on a business or project. When you are bored, you allow your mind to relax to reach all possibilities.
-You'll be able to reduce your “work” hours
A survey found that adults checked their smartphones 85 times a day, or once every 10 minutes. As I learned in my challenge, by not having my smartphone, I fell into deep work more easily, so I completed my tasks in a shorter time.
-You’ll improve your mental health
Without my phone, I avoided reading negative news and comments. While that helped make a big improvement in my mental health, the biggest reason for it was truly communicating with people. It brought me more connections with humans in the real world. I went to more dinners with friends and asked more questions to strangers.
1. What happened to the writer’s smartphone?| A．It was lost. | B．It had no sound. |
| C．Its music stopped playing. | D．Its screen was mostly black. |
| A．For 24 hours. | B．For one week. | C．For one month. | D．For sixty days. |
| A．to create new ideas | B．to start a business |
| C．to set up a project | D．to relax the body |
| A．more terribly | B．more quickly | C．more carelessly | D．more comfortably |
| A．Chatting on the phone. | B．Reading negative news. |
| C．Communicating in the real world. | D．Avoiding meeting friends and strangers. |
10 . Every school has students who stand out for their abilities and their eagerness to learn. In Mexico, a school created a program to work with them. In 2019. both teachers Lotta Andersson and John Rennie got the idea to provide learning opportunities for students with a hunger for knowledge. They are English coordinators (协调员) in the school. “We want to have a program to inspire students who really have the abilities and the interests to learn more and continue accepting challenges,” Andersson said during a recent interview.
Students in the program, which was called Learning Challenges, met with the teachers about once a month. Andersson and Rennie would help us choose research topics. We then worked with the teachers to find books, interview subjects and Internet sources, While in Learning Challenges, I gave presentations on European culture and the fashion industry.
When asked what skills students had formed in the program, which ended in June 2020because of the limits of a common disease. Andersson said, “They had learned to ask questions, be more open-minded and see things from different angles (角度). Also, they mastered the skills-reflecting more, acting actively, and learning not to put limits on themselves.”
A student, Yihane Abed, conducted research on the sun, the moon, stars, planets, etc, while in Learning Challenges. “The skills I developed were teamwork and the ways to do research and give a good presentation,” she said.
Andersson and Rennie continue to help students pursue their love of learning. “The program doesn’t exist formally, but as an important part of the culture at school, it is still needed,” Andersson said. “There is much more difference, not only for students who need extra help, but also for those who are higher achievers.”
1. What’s the purpose of creating Learning Challenges?| A．To help some students learn more. |
| B．To guide students to work out effectively. |
| C．To raise students’ interest in visiting Europe. |
| D．To encourage English students to help others. |
| A．Methods that students used in the program. |
| B．Abilities that students got from the program. |
| C．Difficulties that students met in the program. |
| D．Topics that students selected from the program. |
| A．The universe. | B．Teamwork |
| C．The fashion industry. | D．Travelling. |
| A．Tough. | B．Formal. |
| C．Necessary. | D．Traditional. |
