1 . There is growing evidence to show that our past knowledge about Mars was not always the case. Now European researchers say they have discovered the first evidence of a huge groundwater system that once existed below the planet’s surface.
A new study was carried out by Francesco Salese and his team, who studied images of 24 deep craters (n.弹坑) in the northern half of the Red Planet. These pictures were captured by ESA’s Mars Express orbiter (n.宇宙飞船), which was launched in 2003. The study provides the first geological proof that Mars once had a “planet-wide groundwater system.”
According to Salese, scientific evidence already suggests Mars was once a watery world. His team says the images showed that large amounts of successive groundwater activity connected the areas they studied. Evidence of basins and coastlines was also found on the surface of Mars, supporting the idea that water was once present. He added that all the basins seemed to reach about the same height.
Scientists have yet to find out what happened to all that water. And the complex history of water on Mars has linked to whether or not life ever existed on it. During the latest study, researchers also discovered evidence of minerals within some of the identified (adj.被识别的) bodies of water.
The researchers say the findings adds weight to the idea that the water basins on Mars may have once held the materials required to support life. Some of this material could still be buried on Mars, providing possible evidence of life during future exploration. Francesco Salese believes the latest findings could also help us learn new things about our own planet.
1. What can we infer about our past knowledge of Mars?| A．It had no water. |
| B．It had no groundwater. |
| C．It had a great groundwater system. |
| D．It had water on the surface of the planet. |
| A．In paragraph 3. | B．In paragraph 2. |
| C．In paragraph 1. | D．In paragraph 4. |
| A．complicated | B．brilliant | C．continuous | D．incredible |
| A．Evidence of water on Mars enables us learn new things about the earth |
| B．Our past knowledge about Mars was incorrect. |
| C．Evidence of life could be revealed by the discovery of water on Mars. |
| D．The ever existence of groundwater system on Mars was discovered. |
2 . Music Festivals From Around the World
Music possesses a unique power to unit e people across cultures. One great way to feel this connection is by attending some of the world’s most incredible music festivals.
Sziget FestivalThe Sziget Festival in Budapest, Hungary, is a renowned six-day celebration of music and art on Obuda Island on the Danube River. Started in 1993, the festival is known for its diverse lineup, featuring top artists from genres like electronic, hip-hop, techno, and pop rock. Beyond music, the festival offers cultural experiences like art exhibitions, theater, circus performances, and film screenings.
GlastonburyGlastonbury Music Festival is a global music fest held annually at the Worthy Farm in Somerset, England. Since its inception（开始）in 1970, it has become a touchstone for music enthusiasts worldwide, drawing more than 200,000 visitors during its remarkable five-day run. Additionally, Glastonbury is among the few festivals striving towards being completely carbon-neutral.
Rock in RioThe beloved Rock in Rio festival was founded in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1985．The brand has since expanded to other locations, including Lisbon, Madrid, and Las Vegas. Rock in Rio spans multiple days. While its roots are in rock music, Rock in Rio has evolved to include more genres to appeal to a much broader audience. One of Rock in Rio’s standout features is its commitment to environmental initiatives.
Fuji RockFuji Rock is Japan’s biggest music festival, typically held in Naeba Ski Resort in Niiga ta Prefecture. Known for its stunning mountainous backdrop, this event has been running since 1997 and is celebrated for its diverse lineup that spans rock, electronic, hip-hop, and most other genres. It attracts international and local acts, creating a unique fusion of musical styles.
1. How is the Sziget Festival different from the other music festivals?| A．It is documented in films. |
| B．It is centered on classical arts. |
| C．It hosts various cultural events. |
| D．It features diverse music genres. |
| A．They highlight rock music. |
| B．They last more than a week. |
| C．They undergo global expansion. |
| D．They adopt eco-friendly practices. |
| A．Sziget Festival. | B．Glastonbury. |
| C．Rock in Rio. | D．Fuji Rock. |
3 . I had a great time with the film Turning Red, which follows Meilin, a thirteen-year-old girl who suddenly begins turning into a giant red panda.
The film was set in 2002 when I would’ve been around Meilin’s age. It was a joy for me to watch a film that I could relate to. The film illustrates the push-pull that many immigrant families face: how much of their culture to keep and how much to assimilate(融入). There are beautiful traces of Chinese culture throughout this film, including gorgeous food, time around the table, relationships with extended family, and more.
In the film, women in Meilin’s family suffer a curse(诅咒). As soon as they begin to blossom into womanhood, they transform into a giant red panda whenever they express any strong emotion. Thus, they have learned that emotional repression is the way to go. It was beautiful to watch this young girl choose the different path of emotional wellness instead of holding back her feelings.
It’s not a surprise that the director Domee Shi, who is around my age, chose this plotline. Many people my age are on that similar path Meilin finds herself on. We honor our parents and what they have done for us, but we’re also choosing to be more emotionally healthy and trying to live differently than we were taught.
The part of Turning Red I particularly loved is the ending. Though Meilin’s mom, grandma, and aunts see that it’s possible to integrate their red pandas into their lives, they don’t choose that path. Instead, they choose to bottle their pandas up once again. However, they do get a new perspective on this young, groundbreaking girl. It’s such a sweet reminder that not everyone can go on the same journey toward emotional health, and that’s okay.
If all of them had embraced their pandas, I think the ending would’ve felt incredibly cheese and taken away some of the power of the story. So we get a conclusion that is satisfying and heart-warming without being too much of a fairy tale.
1. Why did the author enjoy watching Turning Red?| A．She found a connection with the story. |
| B．She followed a life path similar to its director. |
| C．She adored the appealing design of the red panda. |
| D．She valued its emphasis on the beautiful Chinese culture. |
| A．Disturbance. | B．Control. | C．Wellness. | D．Expression. |
| A．Bittersweet. | B．Idealized. | C．Realistic. | D．Cheesy. |
| A．“Can I embrace my true self?” |
| B．“Should I prioritize my family?” |
| C．“Can I uncover the curse’s secret?” |
| D．“Should I explore diverse cultures?” |
4 . If you’ve scrolled through your Facebook feed recently, you may have noticed something surprising: lots and lots of short videos.
What makes this “Reels” feature strange is that it is hugely addictive, which I know quite well from my own personal experience. Last Friday, I took a break and hit on one short clip of someone making dinner and, well, the next time I looked up it was 20 minutes later and the blank document on my computer monitor was confirming to me that my work was still not done.
However, as silly as it seems, Reels-is actually super important, and is at the centre of a major battle between the world’s largest tech firms. The format (格式) was first pioneered by TikTok-the Chinese-owned video app that has taken the world by storm since it launched in 2016. Today, TikTok has around 23 million UK users every month-including basically every person you know under the age of 25. And that fact has made Facebook and its parent company, Meta, very nervous indeed. As TikTok has continued to boom, Facebook has actually fallen in popularity among “Gen Z”. The reason Tik Tok has proven such a powerful challenger to Facebook’s social media dominance is almost entirely down to these sorts of short-form videos.
The format is almost perfectly optimised to be as addictive as possible: Tik Tok’s app shows you a short-form video, and if you don’t like it, you can simply swipe it away and another one will start playing instantly. And because it is portrait, not landscape, videos look “right” when viewed on your phone. What’s also smart is that TikTok’s algorithm (算法) picks videos for you based on what you actually watch, and not what you say you want.
Facebook isn’t the only app trying to do what TikTok does so well. Instagram, which is owned by Facebook’s parent company Meta, has integrated Reels even more aggressively into its app. And even Google is nervous, launching its own TikTok-style video section of YouTube(which it owns)a couple of years ago. As things stand, though TikTok currently maintains a healthy lead in the category, both YouTube and Facebook have deep pockets-so expect to see even more Reels and Shorts popping up in your feed as this intense battle continues to rage. You won’t be able to take your eyes off them.
1. Why did the author mention his own experience in paragraph 2?| A．To illustrate the feature of short videos. |
| B．To stress the importance of short videos. |
| C．To prove his preference to short videos. |
| D．To introduce the functions of short videos. |
| A．It has shown the trend of the fall in popularity among “Gen Z”. |
| B．It is perceived as a potential threat to Facebook’s social media dominance. |
| C．Its number of registered UK users has reached 23 million since it launched in 2016. |
| D．It underestimates the essential role of short videos in competition with large tech firms. |
| A．The beautiful visual effects. |
| B．The high video quality. |
| C．The random recommendation. |
| D．The quick switch between videos. |
| A．The short videos have a profound impact on our daily life. |
| B．TikTok seems to be losing its advantage over short videos in the short run. |
| C．YouTube and Facebook may encounter financial difficulties in developing Shorts. |
| D．A growing number of tech firms have engaged in fierce competition for the short video market. |
5 . The traditional Chinese solar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. Grain Buds (小满), the 8th solar term of a year, begins on May 21 this year, and ends on June 5. It means that the seeds from the grain are becoming full but are not ripe. Let’s see what we can do during the “Grain Buds” period.
Eating herb of common sow thistle
Grain Buds is a season for eating the herb of the common sow thistle, which is one of the earliest edible potherbs in China. It tastes a little bitter, but also sweet. People in Ningxia Hui autonomous region like to eat it mixed with salt, vinegar, peppers or garlic. It tastes delicious and helps people feel refreshed. Some people boil the herb with water and then squeeze out the juice, which can be used to make soup.
Key period for flower management
This time is a good period of the quick growth of flowers. It is also a season when plant diseases and pests are at an all-time high, which makes caring for your garden even more critical. Flowers need a lot of water and extra care to stay healthy. Weeding should be done as they grow quickly and have to be extirpated in order to keep the soil loose and from competing with the flowers for nutrients.
Celebrating silkworm deity birthday
Silkworm rearing is a traditional byproduct for people in regions south of the Yangtze River. People in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces regard this season as the birthday of the silkworm deity. Those who engage in the silk industry thank the deity by offering sacrifices and staging performances. They pray to the deity for blessings and a boom season for the silk business.
1. Which of the following is true about Grain Buds?| A．It is seen as the birthday of the flower deity. |
| B．It is an essential period to tend to the garden. |
| C．It means that the seeds from the grain are mature. |
| D．It begins on May 21 this year, and ends on July 5. |
| A．offer sacrifices to ancestors | B．pray for a close season |
| C．learn to count their blessings | D．give shows to thank the deity |
| A．Entertainment. | B．Economics. | C．Politics. | D．Culture. |
6 . Gear for Sleeping Outdoors
Whether you’re camping or backpacking, how can you increase the odds (n.机会) that you’ll sleep soundly in the outdoors? A good start is to have the right gear:
Sleeping bag: Choose a sleeping bag with a style and temperature rating (n.等级，级别) appropriate for your destination.·Car camping bags are typically cut wider, offering homelike and more roll-around room but less efficiency for retaining body heat (not so good on extra-chilly nights).Some rectangular (adj.长方形的) styles can be unzipped (adj.未拉上拉链的) to use as a quilt on milder nights.
·Backpacking bags are mummy shaped for a closer, warmer fit, and are usually lighter in weight. Many are filled with goose or duck down, which compresses (v.压缩) more readily than synthetic( adj.合成的) fill.
Sleeping pad: There are three types of sleeping pads — self-inflating (adj.充气的), air and closed-cell foam (n.泡沫塑料). When car camping, weight is not an issue, so you can enjoy a thicker, wider pad or mattress for comfort. When backpacking, weight is crucial, so a super-lightweight air pad or closed-cell pad may be your first choice.
Pillows: Bring one from home or use a small foam or inflatable camp pillow. Some sleeping bags have a pocket to hold a pillow or folded up clothing, such as a down jacket or fleece sweater.
Eye mask and earplugs: Eye masks are especially helpful when camping in northern latitudes (n.纬度) in summer or in campgrounds with surrounding light. Earplugs block out noises ranging from your tent mate’s snoring to rustling sounds in the bushes.
1. Why do people choose car camping bags?| A．They have goose or duck down fill. |
| B．They are easy to carry in a car. |
| C．They are more comfortable. |
| D．They are good for retaining body weight. |
| A．a wider pad. | B．Closed-cell pad. |
| C．a thicker pad. | D．Super-heavyweight air pad. |
| A．Blocking out noises from tent mate’s snoring. |
| B．Reducing noises from the wild animals. |
| C．Stopping the ambient light. |
| D．Protecting the ears from being hurt by the rustling sounds. |
7 . Extreme land use combined with warming temperatures is pushing insect ecosystems toward collapse in some parts of the world, scientists reported Wednesday.
The study, published in the journal Nature, identified for the first time a clear and alarming link between the climate crisis and high-intensity agriculture and showed that, in places where those impacts are particularly high, insect abundance has already dropped by nearly 50%, while the number of species has been reduced by 27%.
These findings cause huge concerns, according to Charlotte Outhwaite, the lead author on the study and researcher at the University College London, given the important role of insects in local ecosystems, pollination (授粉) and food production, and note that losing insects could threaten human health and food security.
“Three quarters of our crops depend on insect pollinators,” Dave Goulson, a professor of biology at the University of Sussex in the UK, previously told CNN. “Without insects, crops will begin to fail. We won’t have things like strawberries. We can’t feed 8 billion people.”
Scientists say, extreme land use has a link with the climate crisis. Clearing natural habitats for agriculture can dramatically change the area’s local climate and cause temperature extremes. Researchers found evident declines in insect populations in warmer areas, particularly in the tropics. They concluded that in areas with less agriculture, less climate warming, and a nearby natural habitat, insects only declined by 7%, compared to the 63% decrease in areas with less natural habitat cover.
Outhwaite told CNN there are things we can do to help prevent this crisis, like planting more native species and wildflowers, and reducing chemicals used in gardens. “It’s also probably a good idea to think about where the foods that we are buying are being sourced from,” Outwaite said. “So if they’re being sourced from tropical countries, there’s probably going to be a high impact on biodiversity there.”
1. Why does the author quote Dave Goulson’s words in the paragraph 4?| A．To emphasize the importance of insects to human life. |
| B．To provide evidence for the decline in insect populations. |
| C．To suggest potential solutions to prevent the decline of insects. |
| D．To show the importance of preserving natural habitats for insects. |
| A．Making full use of land in colder areas. | B．Preserving habitats cover in colder areas. |
| C．Planting more native species in warmer areas. | D．Expanding agriculture production in tropics. |
| A．The efforts that have been made to protect insects. |
| B．The suggestions on how to protect the diversity of insects. |
| C．The reasons why we should preserve the diversity of insects. |
| D．The advice on what kind of products to buy to avoid insect crisis. |
| A．Agriculture Harms Ecosystems | B．Reasons for Endangered Insect Ecosystems |
| C．Insect Ecosystems Need Help | D．Efforts Made to Save Insect Ecosystems |
8 . Homeless animals are usually left without a permanent home when their owners give them up or they’re found on the street. With millions of animals living in shelters every year, there aren’t enough people to take them in.
When you adopt an animal from a shelter or rescue group, you save two lives.
Whether you like rolling up your sleeves and cleaning cages, socializing with a few of your kitten friends or working with numbers, your skills and interests can make a huge impact on the lives of homeless pets in your community.
| A．Volunteer with animals |
| B．So, many animals don’t get the love and care that they need |
| C．Host an animal shelter talk at your school or workplace |
| D．Fostering is a fun way to get lots of helpful hands-on time |
| E．Not only can you feel good about saving the pet you adopted |
| F．You’ll find rescue groups for just about any type of pet |
| G．Whenever you give something to a shelter or a rescue group in your community, you’re helping to save lives |
9 . The sound of my mother preparing breakfast fills the house — my morning alarm.
As I drag my body toward the kitchen, I’m greeted by my mother standing over the stove. She effortlessly cooks a dish that blends Western and Eastern styles, a beloved breakfast classic in our family. This is my grandmother’s recipe, which reflected her upbringing.
Since my grandmother’s passing, I’ve become more aware of my mother’s aging and her dedication (奉献) to cooking for us. She has cooked for her family for more than 30 years, dividing her time between three countries — Korea, Canada and Germany. When my parents visit us from Korea, they stay with us for several months. My mother helps around the house, showing her cooking skills to provide delicious meals for me, my partner and our kids. In alternating years, she and my dad will travel to Berlin to spend a couple of weeks with my sister and her partner.
According to Statista, most Canadians claim to spend between 31 and 60 minutes preparing an average weekday dinner for themselves and others in their household. Ten percent of respondents to the 2022 survey stated that they spend more than an hour preparing their evening meal. My mother belongs to that 10 percent.
Her cooking extends beyond the kitchen, starting with careful grocery shopping trips where she examines produce (农产品) and finds the best deals. She takes everyone’s preferences and needs into account. The meal she creates becomes a ritual (仪式), bringing the family together to connect and share. Helping her out in the kitchen demands a great deal of patience. Yet, I know it’s her way of expressing love.
As I chop the vegetables, she glances over and notices that my carrots are not equally sized. She pushes me aside to take over the task.
“Just do the dishes.”
1. What do we know about the author’s mother from the text?| A．She has three daughters |
| B．She has great cooking skills. |
| C．She lives with the author in Korea. |
| D．She invented the author’s beloved breakfast classic. |
| A．To show her mother’s devotion. |
| B．To present a common issue. |
| C．To explain the reasons behind infrequent cooking. |
| D．To highlight the significance of home-cooked meals. |
| A．Her mother is easily annoyed. | B．Her mother wants to teach her everything. |
| C．Her mother dislikes being disturbed. | D．Her mother expects perfection in cooking |
| A．Mother’s Love Needs to Be Responded to |
| B．Mother’s Recipe Is the Best in the World |
| C．Mother’s Kitchen Draws Us Closer Together |
| D．Mother’s Selflessness Inspires My Family |
10 . Fascinating Facts about London’s Parks
Did you know that 47 percent of London consists of green space? Takeaway the private gardens and that leaves 37% of the capital’s green land given over to Royal Parks, gardens, and public green spaces. It’s the third greenest capital city in the world. Now let’s take a look at the most fascinating facts about London’s parks.
Handing out flowers in Green ParkNobody is totally sure how Green Park got its name. There are a few different theories. One tale says that the name originates from the time of Charles Ⅱ. The King was walking through the park with his wife and courtiers when he picked a flower. Instead of handing it to Queen Catherine, he handed it to another woman that was said to be his mistress. Extremely angry, the Queen ordered that all the flowers in the park be dug out, leaving only grass.
Counting trees in the Royal ParksWhen counted together, the Royal Parks contain over 170,000 trees, with the oldest being the 400-year-old chestnut trees in Greenwich Park. These are young trees, though, compared to London’s oldest tree—a great elm in High Barnet that is said to be over 2000 years old. London has more than 8 million trees: nearly as many as people there.
Underground secrets in GreenwichGreenwich Park shows more fascinating features. Deep under the surface are buried a series of secret tunnels that are tall enough for a person to walk. It’s been claimed that the tunnels were built as secret escape routes for King Henry Ⅷ. Their real purpose is a little less exciting, and the tunnels were actually built as waterways to allow groundwater from the hillsides to escape.
Walking is the best way to explore London’s beautiful green spaces. We hope you enjoyed these fun facts.
1. How much do private gardens cover in London green space?| A．47 percent. | B．33 percent. | C．37 percent. | D．10 percent. |
| A．The King Charles Ⅱ gave the park its name. |
| B．There were so many green trees in it. |
| C．Its flowers were removed and only grass was left. |
| D．The grass in the park was well protected by the Queen. |
| A．The hillsides with waterways. | B．Tunnels under its surface. |
| C．The statue of King Henry Ⅷ. | D．The oldest tree of London. |
