| Best Friends by Jacqueline Wilson E-book: ₤4.49 Hardcover: ₤8.40 Intro: Gemma and Alice were born on the same day and they are best friends. They are very different. Gemma has a larger-than-life personality (个性), while Alice is quieter and calmer. Alice moves to Scotland. Gemma is worried,especially at the thought that Alice might find a new best friend. Is there anything Gemma’s brothers or her granddad can do to help? |
| The Story of Tracy Beaker by Jacqueline Wilson E-book: ₤4.99 Hardcover: ₤8.97 Intro: Tracy is 10 years old. She lives in an orphanage (孤儿院), but would like a real home one day with a real family. Meet Tracy, follow her story and share her hopes for the future in this touching and often very funny story,all told in Tracy’s own words. Tracy is back on TV in My Mum Tracy Beaker! Watch this TV series (系列) on CBBC and iPlayer. |
| A．Because she has a larger-than-life personality. |
| B．Because her best friend Alice is leaving. |
| C．Because her friend Alice dislikes her. |
| D．Because her family will move to Scotland. |
| A．She is the main character in Best Friends. |
| B．She likes telling touching and funny stories |
| C．She is thirsty(渴望) for a real home |
| D．She loves her mother. |
| A．people can get the two books online only |
| B．people can watch the story of Gemma and Tracy on TV |
| C．Jacqueline Wilson wrote the two books for children |
| D．The two books are sold for the same price |
2 . When I was growing up, I was a teenager no one listened to—and I grew sick of it. So, I’m here to let America know that the future of our country, those kids you’ve raised and sent through high school, the ones you thought were so easy to control, are strong and we want to be heard.
Many people throughout my life told me to shut up or mind my own business when I tried to express my opinion on politics, the death sentence or other problems. What I have come to realize is that I have just the same right as anyone to say how I feel about whatever topic I choose. I no longer believe that I should just follow the crowd. I am ready to make a stand and shout out to the whole world what my opinions are.
I believe that teenagers have every right to speak about the government. I do not think that I am less informed than the next person. I know that if I don’t speak my mind, I will not be true to my nature.
I was raised in a family where politics were always discussed and argued. Many times my parents and I argued for half the night over the same problems the Supreme Court deals with. It was in this climate that I started to form my opinions about the government. I learned that my opinions mattered.
So why does it continuously seem as if teenagers are unimportant?
Unfortunately, I know the answer. I know that the government is not looking far enough into the future. I am not viewed as a future president, a future CEO or a future revolutionary (改革者). All I am to them is a loud, unpleasant teenager. I think it is time that we were heard for more than what we are thought to be. It is time for me to be known for my knowledge, my interest and my ability to lead.
So, America, were you all not in my place once, with no power to speak and be heard? Isn’t it time for the future of America to begin voicing our opinions about important matters? I believe it is. I believe in so much more than freedom of speech. I believe in the power of the future America, and I believe that it is time we all take a stand. I believe in us.
1. What does the word “climate” refer to?| A．a weather condition of an area |
| B．an atmosphere that exists |
| C．a political problem discussed |
| D．a special situation where arguments happen |
| A．They fail to take teenagers opinions seriously. |
| B．Teenagers know nothing about future. |
| C．Teenagers’ opinions are generally meaningless. |
| D．Political matters are too serious for teenagers. |
| A．Teenagers have rights to voice their opinions. |
| B．Political matters are part of teenagers’ life. |
| C．No one would like to listen to teenagers. |
| D．It’s hard for teenagers to have political opinions. |
| A．provide typical examples | B．voice his opinion |
| C．present different opinions | D．give a warning |
3 . Back in the day when I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life, I was studying to become a firefighter. As a firefighter, you’re constantly thinking of other people and trying to help children. It’s the mindset, that is the most difficult part in this job!
One night I was heading home and decided to stop off at a burrito (玉米饼) place. I was approached by a homeless man. He was very dirty and obviously hungry. He asked me for some change to buy a little food. As I was pulling some change out, I had an idea.
I decided to see if he wanted to eat a real dinner, so I asked him to follow me back into the burrito joint to order. When he followed me in, the people behind the count er refused to let him in. After some arguing, so I had to encourage him to order whatever and however much he wanted. He ended up ordering enough to fill his stomach at least 3 times over!
For someone who has been on the edges of society it seemed like he was very surprised at my kind behavior. But to me, it was what any “human being” should do or at least offer. I know we see these people every day asking for money but you had to be there to see the look in his face. To me it reminded me when I was young and my mom brought out a big birthday cake for me on my birthday, with all the candy, getting to experience a big meal. And I think he felt special, like he was getting attention. Again something that I could see he hadn’t experienced in a long time.
I often think about this story, because to me it’s not just about helping someone out by feeding them, but giving him the respect of being a human being and allowing him to feel good about himself was very rewarding.
1. What’s the hardest part of being a firefighter according to the author?| A．Learning to be a good firefighter. |
| B．Deciding what to do in the future. |
| C．Dealing with the brother’s relationship. |
| D．Developing the mindset of helping others. |
| A．He was grateful for the author’s kindness. |
| B．He ordered whatever he wanted the moment he was in. |
| C．He asked the author to buy a burrito to fill his stomach. |
| D．He was not welcomed by those running the burrito joint at first. |
| A．To think back to his own birthday at a young age. |
| B．To explain the reason for the values he holds onto. |
| C．To show the similar experience of the homeless man. |
| D．To tell the difference between him and the homeless man. |
| A．Caring and humorous. |
| B．Selfless and determined. |
| C．Kind-hearted and thoughtful. |
| D．Considerate and Hard-working. |
4 . With our lives becoming increasingly busy and stressful, it’s easy to forget to check in on our mental well-being and to neglect our emotional health needs. So cultivating “self-compassion” is very important.
We’re humans, not machines, and can’t be completely together all the time.
We can then take action to improve our mental balance, which in turn can help us better cope with the challenges life throws at us.
Doing just one small positive thing each day can make a big difference and be enough to restore a sense of balance.
Changing the way we tackle negative thinking also helps a lot. One technique is to stick to the facts about a particular situation rather than listening to negative thoughts and anxieties. So we can ask questions like: Is this true?
| A．How you set up your day? |
| B．Why am I seeing it like that? |
| C．Being a big advocate for helping others. |
| D．Having good-quality sleep can improve mental health. |
| E．Here are small but important steps that can ease the burden. |
| F．It might be simply like dancing around the house to expel nervous energy. |
| G．But we can monitor our mood and emotions to know what our “normal” is and if it’s in need of a boost. |
5 . Help? Teen Line Is Here
• CALL 800—852—8336 Nationwide (6 PM—10 PM)
• TEXT TEEN to 839863 (6 PM—9 PM)
• EMAIL US at teenline@org.com
Are you a teen looking for help?
Opening up to someone can be scary. Talking about what you’re dealing with is often hard, but at Teen Line we do everything we can to make it as easy as possible for you. Our only goal is to help you in whatever way we can.
No issue is too big or too small. We are here to provide hope and support if you are struggling. We are here to help!
What to expect when you call or text Teen Line?
When you call or text Teen Line, another teen will be there to listen, understand, and answer your questions. Many of our callers are talking to someone about what they’re going through for the first time. Our teen listeners are aware of that and try to make you as comfortable as possible.
When you call or text Teen Line, we won’t judge you or tell you what to do. We will listen to you and work with you to find a way to improve your situation.
Who is going to answer your call or text?
Our volunteers, who are high school students from Los Angeles, California, will answer your call. Our volunteers—who we call “Listeners”—receive over 100 hours of training from mental health professionals so that they can respond and understand the needs of the teens reaching out.
What topics can you discuss with us?
Our Listeners are ready to talk about anything you are going through. The most common topics teens reach out about are relationships, anxiety, depression and loneliness.
1. When is Teen Line available both for making a call and sending a message?| A．At 9:00 AM. | B．At 9:30 PM. | C．At 7:45 PM. | D．At 11:00 PM. |
| A．They will tell the caller what to do directly. | B．They will only listen to the caller. |
| C．They will turn to professionals for help. | D．They will work with the caller to solve the problem. |
| A．Well-trained volunteers. | B．College students in California. |
| C．Mental health professionals. | D．Teenagers with the same issues. |
6 . The 187-foot-tall Tower of Pisa is famous all over the world mainly because it leans (倾斜). For many years, people believed that the tower’s designer intended it to lean. As it turns out, though, the tower’s lean is an accident caused by poor planning. The Tower of Pisa was constructed (建造) on a riverbed of sand and clay (黏土) that was not strong enough to support a building so tall and heavy.
Construction of the tower began in 1173. Because Pisa experienced several wars, the tower wasn’t completed until 1350. Only a few years after the construction started, people could see that the first three floors of the tower were already leaning. As the next three floors were added, builders purposefully built them with one side higher than the other to try to correct the lean. This resulted in the tower leaning in the opposite direction
Fortunately for the people of Pisa, the long delays (耽搁) during construction gave the structure time to settle and the ground to become compacted (结实的). This mad the foundation (地基) stronger over time, which is the main reason why the tower never fell over. For hundreds of years, the tower was indeed falling. It would lean one more inch about every 20 years. In the end, in 1990, it was closed to the public for fear that a large group of people at the top would weigh enough to make it fall down.
From 1990 to 2001, engineers from around the world helped balance the tower After several unsuccessful attempts at a solution, engineers finally came up with a plan that worked. They slowly removed ground under the high side of the tower. When they had finished, they had returned it to the position it held in about 1838—the tower had been straightened by nearly 16 inches. Except a sudden great disaster, such as a earthquake, engineers believe the tower is safe for another 300 years now.
1. What does the author try to explain about the Tower of Pisa in Paragraph 1?| A．Why it leans. | B．Why it was built. |
| C．Why it is famous. | D．Why it stopped leaning. |
| A．It was completed in 1173. | B．It began to be built in 1350. |
| C．It was seen leaning after 1173. | D．It was repaired every 20 years. |
| A．The special structure. | B．The timely protection. |
| C．The skill of the builders. | D．The long time of building. |
| A．When does the Tower of Pisa lean? |
| B．Is the leaning Tower of Pisa falling? |
| C．When was the leaning Tower of Pisa built? |
| D．How did the leaning Tower of Pisa get its name? |
7 . A university lecturer in Linyi, Shandong province, has shone a light on the difficulties of food delivery drivers by taking on the role himself for a month and sharing his trials and sufferings online.
Last December, Xing Bin, a lecturer at the College of Literature at Linyi University, was so eager to know about what life and work must be like for a delivery driver, so he decided to sign up and be one from December to January this year. The gig economy (临时工), for better or worse, has exploded in China in recent years, and though many members of the workforce choose to work in the gig economy because of its flexibility (灵活性), others prefer full-time employment.
During the month, Xing worked more than 10 hours and took 30,000 steps a day. He lost 6 kilograms and earned a total of 7,000 yuan. On average, he earned 10 yuan each hour, and 20 yuan at most. “ I was delivering food from early morning till late at night for around 13 hours a day. When I had classes, I delivered food for two hours early in the morning, and after dinner I continued delivering until one or two in the morning,” Xing said.
“Before, if I got a call from a delivery worker, I might delay answering it. But now I will always answer it immediately because I know they might be riding an electric bike while making the call, which is very dangerous,” said Xing, adding that he now understands the difficulties of delivery workers better and realizes how hard they work to make a living.
“During that month, I tasted the bitterness and the happiness of this job with my heart. I delivered over 2,000 orders, and three of the people who ordered impressed me a lot.” he said.
1. Why did Xing try the job of a delivery driver?| A．Out of curiosity. | B．Owing to its high pay. |
| C．Because of its flexibility. | D．For its low career requirements. |
| A．To introduce Xing’s experiences. | B．To praise delivery workers’ spirits. |
| C．To describe delivery workers’ hardships. | D．To show delivery workers’ achievements. |
| A．Requirements for the job. | B．Memories of Xing’s experiences. |
| C．Xing’s calling for more respect. | D．The online reaction to his posts. |
| A．No pains, no gains. | B．Save for a rainy day. |
| C．Easier said than done. | D．Knowledge starts with practice. |
8 . Easy Ways to Protect Your Eyes From The Harms of Digital Devices
Most people spend a large amount of time in front of digital devices without protective glasses. Unfortunately, they are simply unaware of the harmful effects that these digital devices have on the eyes.
1. Exercise your eyes
If you keep your eyes glued to a digital device without blinking or flexing them a bit, they will get accustomed to that device distance.
2. Adjust your screen lighting
3.
Your doctor may recommend you use specialized glasses to reduce glare and eyestrain from your digital device. These glasses will help protect your eyes from harmful glare whenever you use them. Keep in mind that reading glasses don’t protect your eyes from this glare.
Never let an eye problem be a hindrance to your work or fun if you are a regular user of digital devices.
| A．Expose your eyes to the daylight |
| B．Ask your doctor to recommend specialized glasses |
| C．Your screen lights should be adjusted in relation to your environment. |
| D．You will experience problems when trying to focus on anything farther or closer to the device. |
| E．Optometrists (验光师) recommend that you sit at least an arm’s length away from your digital screen. |
| F．By following the above tips, you will help protect your eyes from the problems brought about by digital devices. |
| G．Below are some easy tips that you can incorporate (使并入) into your daily routine without throwing away your digital devices. |
9 . According to a study published this week, habitual napping (打盹) appears to be associated with a large brain volume in adults although experts stressed that further research was needed. It reduces the cost caused from the lost time and the fatigue-related errors. The work followed previous studies that suggested a brief doze could improve people’s ability to learn.
Arianna Huffington, a co-founder of Huff Post and the founder and chief executive of Thrive Global, said, “Given the latest science on the effectiveness of napping and the clear link between employees feeling well rested and their productivity, it’s long past time that businesses embrace short naps at work.”
Some businesses, including Thrive Global, have already introduced facilities for employees to take naps. Google introduced sleep pods as far back as 2014 and companies like Nike and Ben & Jerry’s introduced nap rooms. The practice has even been adopted by the NHS, with a growing number of hospitals introducing sleep pods for staff in an effort to help them get more rest. Employees, it seems, are enthusiastic. Sean Greenwood, of Ben & Jerry’s, said, “If a quick nap gets employees more involved and creative, we’re happy to provide that for our team members.”
Unfortunately, the practice of napping still suffers from our collective concept that sleep equals weakness and laziness. However, the performance-enhancing benefits of naps have been no secret to many leaders throughout history. It also gives the higher-ups the chance to acknowledge the 24/7 culture and come up with top-down solutions that encourage workers to take care of themselves in and out of work.
While sleep experts stressed that a daytime doze could be beneficial, they said it was crucial to get enough shut-eye at the end of a day. It is the late stage of sleep, sometimes missed by early risers, that strengthens the nerve circuits that make for learning and memory, allowing the brain to make and consolidate new neutral connections. Additionally, prioritizing sufficient sleep during the regular nightly sleep period is essential for overall well-being.
1. What is paragraph 1 mainly about?| A．Work stress. | B．Learning abilities. |
| C．A research finding. | D．The brain volume. |
| A．Dismissive. | B．Approving. |
| C．Unclear. | D．Critical. |
| A．To advocate enough rest. | B．To praise creative employees. |
| C．To compare the differences. | D．To present the current situation. |
| A．The approaches to shut-eye. | B．The importance of napping. |
| C．The secrets to well-being. | D．The benefits of memory. |
10 . Most athletes and parents would agree that sportsmanship is an important aspect of athletics. Although it comes in many forms, everyone can list what sportsmanship looks like. We shake hands before and after games.
It is easy for parents and kids to get caught up in a game and become too focused on winning. Although winning is important, it is not always the most important aspect of the game.
No matter how much we would like to, we cannot win at everything every time.
Winning is fun! It is the reward for your hard work. When we participate in a sport that keeps score, it is our responsibility to the team to do our best to win within the rules of the game and within the spirit of the game.
| A．Keep losing in perspective. |
| B．So we need to learn to deal with defeat. |
| C．Besides, winning doesn’t mean you are perfect. |
| D．We clap for injured players once they are on their feet. |
| E．There is so much to be gained from an athletic experience. |
| F．We must ensure they have a fun and safe sports experience. |
| G．But winning becomes a negative when it is a team’s only goal. |
