1 . New Orleans is home to a variety of high-rise bars. We suggest hitting the heights to try one out first-hand. Here are some of the best rooftop bars in New Orleans.

Grid

Located on the 9th floor of the NOPSI Hotel, Grid serves up the best sunsets and impressive views of the Mississippi River and city skyline. Find a table and drink ice-cold beers to the fullest. If you’re lucky enough to be staying at the hotel, you’ll have access to the pool area too. For everyone else, the bar is open from 4 p.m.

Alto

On the 11th floor of the Chic Hotel, Alto has all the ingredients for a winning rooftop bar. Sweeping views of the city? Check. Seasonally-changing cocktail menu? Of course. Pool? Got it. What’s more, the pool is open to non-hotel guests too. With live music throughout the year, Alto is a perfect spot to start and end your night.

VUE

Occupying the 14th floor of the Higgins Hotel, Vue features views of Canal Street, Vieux Square and out to the Mississipi. Masterful mixologists (调酒师) will serve you a delicious cocktail and there’s also a very good range of local and imported bottled beers. It’s one of the most stylish spots in the city, particularly popular with 20-somethings on a date.

Riviera

Another poolside offering, this time at the Royal Hotel. Floating seven floors above the busy streets below, it offers grand views over the Mississippi River and the historic French Quarter. The pool is sadly for guests only, but it does make a great backdrop for your rooftop drinks. If you’ve got a sweet tooth, you could head straight for something called Jumbo Sandwich instead.

1. What do the bars have in common?

A．They are next to a swimming pool.	B．They are on the top floor of a hotel.
C．They have a view of the Mississippi.	D．They provide all-day service to guests.

2. Which bar may be the first choice for a young couple to stay in?

A．VUE.

B．Alto.

C．Grid.

D．Riviera.

3. What can you enjoy in the bars?

A．Best sunrises in Grid.	B．Live music in VUE.
C．Imported beers in Alto.	D．Sweet bites in Riviera.

2 . I missed the clear blue skies of home in Colorado over my grandparents’ farm. Some of my earliest memories were of sitting on my grandfather’s knee while he played his violin. When I was old enough, I went to college on a music scholarship. But when I came to New York City, I left my violin behind.

“As long as you’ve got music, you’ve got good company, Jane,” my grandfather always said. I didn’t have either in my life these days. Looking at the gray sky, I was wondering whether I could get auditions- to give a short performance to be in a film.

The winter sky was starting to turn purple when I heard something unexpected. An orchestra was practicing. I followed the sounds to the park and saw the musicians practicing. I approached the director during a break. “This is a community orchestra,” he said. “One you’re welcome to join. All you need is an instrument.” But I couldn’t afford to buy one and it wasn’t the kind of thing my parents could just ship from Colorado.

As I walked back with heavy steps, a sign made me stop short: Schumacher Violin Maker. From the window, I saw an old man wearing glasses adjusting the bridge on a violin. I stepped inside and told him my story. When I’d finished, he said,“So, you need a violin.” I nodded in embarrassment. He surveyed the rows of instruments and selected a violin with a bright color. “Take it,” he said. “Go and make your music.” I stood there, surprised, as he handed it to me.

Holding the violin, I felt like I’d just woken up from a dream. But it was real—as real as the strings I was touching. My heart pounding with excitement, I headed for the park. There was a chair in the orchestra waiting for me. Playing the violin, I immediately felt at home. I made a ton of friends there. Music had brought me good company, just as my grandfather had promised.

1. What might be the author’s dream job in New York City?

A．An actress.

B．An artist.

C．A violinist.

D．A composer.

2. How does the author express her mood at different times?

A．By creating dialogues.	B．By recording emotional conflicts.
C．By citing her grandfather’s words.	D．By describing the colors of the sky.

3. Who did the author turn to for a violin?

A．Her grandfather.	B．Her parents.
C．The shopkeeper.	D．The director.

4. What can we infer from the last paragraph about the author?

A．She woke up from her dream.	B．She failed in her career attempts.
C．Her grandfather lived in her heart.	D．Music gave her a sense of belonging.

3 . A recent paper describes bees rolling tiny wooden balls, not for a reward, but apparently just for fun. This discovery emphasizes a long-standing conflict in our view of animals. On the one hand, we want to find the features that distinguish humans from other animals: tools, language and a theory of mind. On the other hand, we delight in finding animals that break those boundaries: chimps, crows and now bees that use tools, dolphins with signature whistles. But what do those boundaries mean?

As a biologist who studies animal behaviour, I am puzzled by this effort to rank animals by their capabilities. I applaud the desire to show that animals are like us, but we can recognize animals for what they are, and be amazed at their abilities, without having to make their behaviour mirror that of humans.

Once we get out from the assumption that animals have to be like people with human motivations and feelings, we are freed up to consider the mechanisms (机理) behind the behaviours. For example, the same serotonin (血清素) influences anxiety in humans and maze (迷宫) exploration in crayfish. In a tank divided into well-lit and shadowy areas, crayfish explore both, but prefer the darker areas, consistent with their night lifestyle.

Does this mean crayfish experience anxiety? No. In the bees’ case, they might be exhibiting some very interesting behaviour that has nothing to do with wanting to “have fun”—but we will never examine it if we simply assume they are playing just like people. I am not disparaging the bee researchers’ conclusions, and I am not trying to be a killjoy, but there is something about all this humanizing that prevent exploration, instead of encouraging it.

1. What’s the purpose of paragraph 1?

A．To list out facts.	B．To raise an argument.
C．To arouse readers’ interest.	D．To explain a concept.

2. What can we learn from paragraph 3?

A．Behaviour mechanisms work.	B．Crayfish prefer the light sections.
C．The assumption proves reasonable.	D．Animals are similar to human in mind.

3. What does the underlined word “disparaging” mean in paragraph 4?

A．Criticizing.	B．Explaining.
C．Confirming.	D．Acknowledging.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．Feelings: Guiding Human Being	B．Boundaries: Making No Sense
C．Humanizing: Covering the Truth	D．Animals: Mirroring Human Behaviours

4 . Most hospitals don’t have a canal to collect rainwater. That’s one of the unusual features that earned a major architecture honor — the 2021 RIBA International Prize — for Friendship Hospital, an 80-bed rural community hospital in Bangladesh.

The hospital uses an innovative canal system to collect extra rainwater and store it so that it can be used later. The prize’s jury felt that the hospital’s canal worked well to respond to the local environment’s frequent rains.

Judges noted the hospital was built using local low-cost building materials! “It is a demonstration of how beautiful architecture can be achieved through good design when working with a relatively modest budget.” Decq wrote. The Royal Institute of British Architects awards the prize every two years to a building that “exemplifies design excellence and architectural ambition and delivers meaningful social impact.”

Designed by Bangladeshi architect Kashef and completed in 2018, the hospital is run by the nonprofit group Friendship, which works with communities in rural Bangladesh to respond to issues such as lack of access to vital services and climate change.

Friendship Hospital was located in the southern region of Bangladesh. Its relationship with rainwater was a key element in the prize. Its major design feature is a canal that goes along the length of the hospital, separating the outpatient building from the building for inpatient services. The canal collects rainwater from the site, which is then stored in a tank so that it can be used by the hospital.

Architect Chowdhury hopes the award will inspire people to commit to architecture that cares for humans and nature.

1. What contributed most to Friendship Hospital’s winning the Prize?

A．An extraordinary size.	B．A modest budget.
C．A creative canal system.	D．An attractive appearance

2. What does the underlined word “exemplifies” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Make a profit on.	B．Give an instruction to.
C．Serve as an example of.	D．Follow the illustration of.

3. What can be learned about Friendship Hospital?

A．It is located in the northern region.	B．It is a splendid architecture in history.
C．Its canal works well to respond to emergency.	D．It’s economically and environmentally friendly.

4. Which of the following can be a suitable title for the text?

A．A Low-cost Canal System Was Used	B．A Nonprofit Group Created A Wonder
C．A Great Architect Made An Innovation	D．A Countryside Hospital Was Awarded Prize

5 . Choosing a perfect topic for your essay is a very important step in writing and you might be lost and terrified not knowing what to start from.     1     You can get inspiration for choosing a topic for your essay even while watching TV or looking through updates of your friends on Facebook and Twitter. You can also use a quotation from your favorite book or a life motto of your favorite leader. The key here is to be creative.

    2     That should be something you are interested in. This subject must be appropriate to the purpose of your essay.

One of the best ways to get some good ideas is brainstorming. Just write down first subjects that come to your mind on a piece of paper.     3     Then evaluate each subject by giving it certain points. Hence, the one which is the most appealing to you wins. After that part is done, it’s necessary to check your topic one more time.     4     For example, if you have named a topic “Egypt”, it can work only if you are writing an overview paper, but if you are about to write a specific analysis, you need to make sure you have chosen something narrow enough, like “Art of ancient Egypt” or “Politics in Egypt”.

Using these simple tips, you can quickly find one perfect essay idea and get the creative process started. The better your topic is, the easier it will be to write your essay.     5    

A．Read as much as possible.

B．Find a subject that suits you.

C．Keep asking: Is it interesting or boring?

D．Try to make that idea list as long as possible.

E．Ask yourself: is it specific enough or is it too general?

F．It is halfway done when you have an idea what to write about.

G．However, great essay ideas can be found everywhere so don’t panic.

6 . Pupils are small holes located in the centre of the eye. They change size to control the amount of light that enters the eye based on how much is available in the environment. The response of our pupils to light is a basic sensory response, but pupils have been found to change size based on factors other than light.

Researchers hypothesized (假想) that pupils may also change size based on the number of objects that a person sees in their environment. “When we look around, we naturally perceive the form, size, movement and color of a scene. Equally naturally, we notice the number of items before us,” said study co-author David Burr, “This ability, shared with most other animals, is an evolutionary (进化的) fundamental. It immediately reveals important quantities, such as how many apples there are on the tree, or how many enemies are attacking.”

To figure out if this ability lies within the pupils, the researchers presented 16 adult participants with images of dots on a monitor in an otherwise quiet, dark room. As the participants stared at the screen, without being asked to count the dots, a machine measured their pupil sizes. The researchers found that the size of the participants’ pupils changed depending on how many dots they perceived. The participants’ pupils expanded, when they perceived a greater number of dots and constricted when they perceived fewer.

The findings suggest that the pupil is equipped with some mechanism that can sense quantity. “This result shows that numerical information is intrinsically (本质上) related to perception,”said Elisa Castaldi, a researcher at the University of Pisa. “This could have, important practical implications.” For example, similar methods could be employed to detect dyscalculia, a learning disability that makes people have trouble doing maths, in very young children.

1. Why does David Burr mention “apples” and “enemies” in Paragraph 2?

A．To clarify a concept.	B．To introduce a rule.
C．To make a comparison.	D．To present a theory.

2. What were the 16 participants asked to do?

A．Stare at the monitor.	B．Present images of the dots.
C．Measure their pupil size.	D．Count the number of the dots.

3. What is the function of the pupils according to the text?

A．To reflect light.

B．To sense quantity.

C．To change eye sizes.

D．To enhance colors.

4. What does the last paragraph mainly talk about?

A．The mechanism of pupils to sense quantity.

B．The relation between numbers and perception.

C．The potential use in pupils’perception of numbers.

D．The detection of children’s learning disability in math.

7 . “BARBARA,” my husband, Bill, announced, “your birthday present is in the freezer.” _________ , I went to the freezer—and broke out _________ . Inside was a well-wrapped ice cream container. My _________ of ice cream is well-known in our home.

Then, _________ the wrappings, I laughed even harder. Instead of ice cream, the container _________ four large, hand-crafted wooden numbers. Bill had heard me say months earlier that I’d always wanted easy-to-read house numbers. I was _________ . The fun of his double _________ was what I loved.

The gift _________ me of a conversation I’d overheard at a department store. A woman was _________ a gift from her husband. “Wouldn’t you think that after 20 years George would know I never wear gold?” she joked—but I noted a bit of __________ .

I couldn’t help __________ the two styles of gift giving. George had __________ spent several hundred dollars on jewelry his wife didn’t __________ . Bill had spent perhaps $20, but, thinking carefully, he had chosen a gift that was just __________ for me. This is what gift-giving is all about. The excellence of a gift lies in its appropriateness rather than its __________ . Choosing a gift needn't be a chore(琐事); it can be fun for both the receiver and the giver.

1.

A．Confused

B．Shocked

C．Annoyed

D．Depressed

2.

A．dancing

B．crying

C．singing

D．laughing

3.

A．choice

B．concern

C．love

D．sense

4.

A．staring at

B．pulling off

C．throwing away

D．putting back

5.

A．held

B．cost

C．shaped

D．counted

6.

A．nervous

B．touched

C．stressed

D．guilty

7.

A．reward

B．character

C．surprise

D．standard

8.

A．reminded

B．convinced

C．informed

D．warned

9.

A．selecting

B．expecting

C．wrapping

D．returning

10.

A．delight

B．hurt

C．envy

D．shame

11.

A．describing

B．sharing

C．comparing

D．displaying

12.

A．probably

B．frequently

C．secretly

D．merely

13.

A．mention

B．like

C．refuse

D．order

14.

A．unusual

B．novel

C．unique

D．right

15.

A．function

B．quality

C．value

D．appearance

8 . Terence Crowster started the Hot—Spot Library, after appealing for donations on Facebook, in Scottsville, South Africa in 2017. Based out of two aging metal shipping containers, it may not look like your conventional library. On winter days, rain leaks through holes in the roof and drips down onto the tables and bookshelves. But for the residents of Scottsville, a neighborhood torn apart by drug abuse and gang violence, it offers a safe space to escape the severe realities of daily life and to explore different worlds in the pages of thousands of donated second-hand books.

What eventually inspired Crowster to launch his project, he says, was visiting schools and witnessing firsthand South Africa’s problem with literacy. While according to UNESCO, nearly 90% of South Africans can read and write, this statistic masks a worrying trend—the percentage of children who can “read for meaning”, instead of simply being able to recognize words, is extremely low. A recent study found that just 22% of Grade 4 students could effectively read for meaning.

At the Hot-Spot Library, Crowster has carried out a system of book reviews to ensure that his young members are indeed reading for meaning. A borrower who returns a volume must fill out a review form, which the librarians store in folders. “I like that Peter saves the people,”wrote one reviewer after returning a copy of Peter Pan. “I don’t like Captain Hook because he is rude with people.”Such are the morals that Crowster hopes his young readers will internalize.

With only a membership of 30 in its first year, today the library has over 700 members. “It takes me to a place in my mind where I can just relax and live in the book,”says Abigail Cloete, who joined in a month ago, “Right now I’m in Hawaii,”she jokes, pulling a small red copy of Heartbeat in Hawaii out of her bag.

1. What's the Hot-Spot Library like?

A．Well-furnished.	B．Poorly-equipped.
C．Specially-decorated.	D．Traditionally-designed.

2. What motivated Crowster to start the project?

A．Severe violence in the schools.	B．UNESCO's inspiring statistics.
C．Donations from local communities.	D．The children's problem with literacy.

3. Why are book reviews required in the library?

A．To help librarians arrange the folders.	B．To collect the borrowers’ information.
C．To lead the readers to read for meaning.	D．To let people know what a book review is.

4. What can be inferred about Abigail Cloete?

A．She finds relief in reading.	B．She is very sociable.
C．She enjoys travelling abroad.	D．She is quite adventurous.

9 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Grandma lives in Hangzhou and enjoys her retirement with her husband. When this 74-year-old woman started sharing     1     （photo）of her daily life, she wouldn’t have imagined becoming     2     safe heaven for many Chinese young people.

At the beginning there were barely 100 followers, but the three meals a day     3     （lay）out on a pink tablecloth quickly appealed to roughly 440,000 users. Now she     4     （refer）to as "Grandma", a warm person they’re willing     5     （talk）with.

In November, Grandma’s account became a hot topic on China’s popular social media network Weibo,     6     the hashtag(主题标签)“Two seniors’ three meals a day”. Many social media users posted, “This is my ideal retired life.”

In the little virtual space, strangers seeking comfort from Grandma’s dining table find an     7     （emotion）connection with each other, too. By scrolling(滚动)down the messages below any of Grandma’s notes, you can experience a range of human feelings,     8     what’s more, how people give each other courage to move on.

“Talking with these kids is     9     （true）my great pleasure. I hope my posts can serve as tree holes     10     they can talk about their everyday life as well as their pains, sorrows and happiness,” Grandma said.

10 .

●Social Justice Book Club The purpose of our club is to build community by reading a variety of literary types such as poetry, fiction and nonfiction that reflect social justice. Our mission is to highlight literature and authors that promote overall social justice. The book selected for our next meeting, 11:00 a. m.—12:00 p. m. on May 17, is Asian Dreams by Helen Zia. Zoom links will be emailed to registered participants prior to time. ●PenumbraOnline's Book Club We are excited to announce that PenumbraOnline will be hosting a summer book club. We will be reading a book that spotlights PcnumbraOnline's summer theme of self-love. Join us as we spend the summer reading and rediscovering the love we have for ourselves. We will be discussing our first book, Fat Chance, Charlie Vega, by Crystal Maldonado via Zoom on August 10th at 6 p.m. Grab a snack or a drink, and join us as we explore this fun summer read! ●UndocuBook Club The purpose of our UndocuBook Club is to expand our community's personal literature experience by reading and discussing works that reflect themes such as personal and professional growth. The mission is to bring accessibility to literature to our community and promote acceptance. The specific book will be Born a Crime by Trevor Noah on our next meeting date, Thursday, September 16th. If the time conflicts with your schedule, you can still be part of our club by sharing your thoughts via Zoom chat.

1. What is required to attend the meeting on May 17?

A．Selecting a book.

B．Signing up first.

C．Sharing thoughts.

D．Sending an email.

2. What's the book Fat Chance, Charlie Vega probably about?

A．Self-love.

B．Social justice.

C．Personal growth.

D．Literature experience.

3. What do the three book clubs have in common?

A．They offer summer activities.	B．Their meetings are held online.
C．Their members are all students.	D．They focus on the same theme.