1 . Upcoming Events in Essex County Environmental Center

LITTLE EXPLORERS Mondays -May 6, 20, June 3, 17
For ages 2 and 3; 10am to 1lam; For ages 2 and 5; 3pm to 4pm

Join us for explorations of nature as we study plants and animals and observe the colors, shapes, and sounds in the Center’s forest habitat. Please come dressed and prepared for all weather conditions; all classes include an outdoor adventure. All children must be walking and accompanied by an adult. Maximum of two children per adult. All sessions are limited to 10 children. Fee: $15 per child per session.

FOREST FRIENDS CLUB
Thursdays -May 9, June 6, 4pm to 5pm
For children ages 5 through 10

We’ll explore the forest to investigate nature in our wooded wetland habitat. Together we hope to raise our children’s nature responsibilities and offer an opportunity to take part in hands-on conservation projects. Fee: $12 per child per session.

SPRING WILD EDIBLE WALK
Friday, May 10, 6pm to 7:30pm
For families

Take a walk in the forest to identify and discuss the variety of forest groceries available for harvest. You’ll meet Spice Bush, Mountain Mint and others. Learn some folklore (FIA) behind the plants and we’ll discuss proper identification, growing environment and methods of preparation while walking. Fee: $40 per family (up to two adults and two children) or $12 per child, $15 per adult.

4-H YOUNG GARDENERS CLUB
Saturdays -May 4, 18, 25, 10am to 11 am
For children in grades K-12

Have you ever wondered how vegetables and flowers grow? How to find a rainbow in a garden? The 4-H Young Gardener’s Club can guide you to find the answers to these questions and more. Learning and fun happen all the time here. Meet in Garibaldi Hall. Advanced registration required; please call 973 3531337.

1. When can children join in hands-on projects?

A．On May 6.

B．On May 9.

C．On May 10.

D．On May 18.

2. How much should a couple with three kids pay at least for the Spring Wild Edible Walk?

A．$40.

B．$52.

C．$55.

D．$67.

3. What do the four events have in common?

A．They are targeted at families.	B．They focus on theoretical courses.
C．They offer experiences in nature.	D．They present local folk cultures.

3 . You are what you think. Whatever you are doing right now is determined by your thinking. All your emotions and desires are influenced by your thinking. The problem is that when you are not aware of your thinking, you have no chance of correcting it if it is poor. When thinking is subconscious, you are in no position to see any problems in it. And, if you don’t see any problems in it, you won’t be motivated to change it. What’s worse, few people realize the powerful role that thinking plays in their lives, so they don’t gain significant command of it. As a result, most people are in many ways victims of their thinking.

Consider your success as a student. The single most significant variable in determining your success as a student is the quality of your thinking. Your instructors will play a role in your learning, but even the best teachers cannot get into your head and learn for you. If you lack the intellectual skills necessary for thinking well through course content, you will not be successful in school.

Here is the key question we are putting to you in this book. If the quality of a person’s thinking is the single most significant determinant of both happiness and success, why not take the time to learn from the best thinkers?

This book will inform you of the tools that the best thinkers use and will illustrate the activities and practice you can use to begin to emulate them, and take control of your destiny as a thinker. Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of these thinking aids, helping you discover the power of your own mind and of your potential to think systematically about your thinking.

This book, as a whole, introduces you to the tools of mind that will help you reason well through various challenges you face. If you take these ideas seriously and practice using them, you can improve the quality of your thinking and ultimately, the quality of your life.

1. Why do many people lack motivation to change their poor thinking?

A．They are victims of emotions.	B．They are unaware of the need.
C．They think highly of themselves.	D．They lack the academic guidance.

2. What plays the most crucial role in school success?

A．The course content.	B．The school environment.
C．The commitment of teachers.	D．The quality of an individual’s thinking.

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

A．Make friends with.

B．Win over.

C．Follow the example of.

D．Look up to.

4. The book is organized according to ________.

A．types of life challenges	B．varieties of thinking tools
C．determinants of life value	D．ideas of different thinkers

4 . Being a good co-worker contributes to a positive work culture and strong relationships with your colleagues.     1     This is especially true when you’re starting a new job. Here are several tips for being a good co-worker.

Treat people warmly

Start the day right by saying hello to everyone you come across at the office. It’s a little gesture that can make a difference in the moods of others and the office atmosphere as a whole.     2     Ask someone how their family is and what they did last night. Taking an interest in co-workers makes them feel valued even if your conversation is small.

Be considerate

    3     Wash your cups, tableware and plates. Don’t leave a mess behind. Turn down your phone so as not to interrupt your co-workers. If someone’s out of the office, offer to lighten their workload so they don’t encounter a mountain of tasks upon their return.

Be positive

Maintain a positive attitude, even during difficult times. Focus on solutions rather than problems, and celebrate successes with your colleagues.    4    

Welcome new ideas

Welcome new ideas, especially ideas that are outside of the box. Sometimes, we get caught up in particular routines that we are comfortable with. It’s always a good idea to change things up and hear what others say.     5     Often, new ideas can promote innovation, creativity, and cooperation among the team. Be sure to welcome these new ideas in a space where everyone feels comfortable to share their thoughts, opinions, and visions.

A．Small talk is of great importance too.

B．Share your ideas with your co-workers.

C．Don’t be consistently late for work or meetings.

D．Otherwise, we’ll continue to do the same things in a rigid (死板的) way.

E．The stronger the relationships, the better your productivity will be.

F．This helps to inspire others to be more enthusiastic about their work.

G．Try your best to create a good learning opportunity for all parties involved,

7 . A high school teacher and his students have discovered that an asteroid (小行星) hit by a NASA spacecraft, in a test run for saving the Earth from an impact, is behaving unexpectedly. The find could have effects on future planetary defense missions.

The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) is a project designed to launch and crash a fridge-sized spacecraft into an asteroid called Dimorphos, orbiting a larger asteroid Didymos. The purpose of the exercise was to see how significantly the previous path of Dimorphos could be changed by the impact. Before DART’s impact, it would take Dimorphos 11 hours and 55 minutes to complete a lap around Didymos. NASA was hoping the DART crash could change the cycle by about 73 seconds, but observations made in the weeks following the impact determined that the results were much more significant, reducing Dimorphos’ orbital period by some 33 minutes.

But California high school teacher Jonathan Swift and his students discovered that Dimorphos’ orbital period was a full minute longer than the time reported by NASA last year. They used the school’s observatory to track Dimorphos and Didymos for several months last fall. Swift presented his class’ findings at the American Astronomical Society conference in June. The DART team has since confirmed that Dimorphos did indeed continue slowing in its orbit up to a month after the impact.

Scientists aren’t sure exactly what is behind the slowdown of Dimorphos. But recent observations of the asteroid have revealed a vast field of large rocks were kicked up by the impact. It’s possible that some of the larger space rocks fell back onto Dimorphos within that first month, slowing its orbit further, DART team member Harrison Agrusa said.

The DART team plans to release its own report on the unexpected findings in the coming weeks. However, complete answers may have to wait until 2026, when the European Space Ageney’s Hera spacecraft is scheduled to investigate the crash site up closely.

1. What was the purpose of launching the NASA spacecraft?

A．To change Dimorphos’ orbital cycle.

B．To stop Dimorphos hitting the Earth.

C．To reduce Didymos’ path around the sun.

D．To make Didymos move in a bigger orbit.

2. How much did Swift and his students find the asteroid’s orbital period shortened by?

A．1 full minute.	B．2 minutes or so.
C．Nearly 33 minutes.	D．About 32 minutes.

3. What does the author intend to tell us in paragraph 4?

A．How seriously Dimorphos was damaged.

B．What happened to the rocks on Dimorphos.

C．Why Dimorphos slowed down for a month.

D．What Dimorphos looked like after the impact.

4. What can be the Hera spacecraf’s task?

A．To crash into another asteroid nearby.

B．To measure the previous impact results.

C．To affect the motion of the twin asteroids.

D．To identify the asteroids threatening the Earth.

8 . Look, let’s be honest-there’s no such thing as a “green” vacation. You’ll leave a carbon footprint, no matter what.     1     Here are a few questions to ask:

Is it a B Corp?

B Corps are businesses that meet a strict set of standards by the nonprofit B Lab. They include requirements for governance, workers, customers, community and the environment.     2     You’ll see some fairly well-known brands, like Intrepid Travel. But you won’t find the names of any major airlines, car rental companies or hotel chains-at least, not yet.

Does the company have any other environmental certifications?

Third-party certifications from Green Key, LEED and WELL can be signs that a travel company means business about the environment. Transportation companies may also offer verified certifications from organizations like Terrapass or the Gold Standard Foundation.     3     However, it’s a good start.

    4    

If the company claims to be green, don’t just take its word for it. Listen to what it says. If you see nothing but models on its Instagram channel or ads for online discounts on its site, perhaps it’s a shade of fake green. “A company’s social media strategy is generally a reflection of its current ethos and goals,” explained Julia Carter, founder of Craft Travel.

How deep is its commitment to the environment?

    5     For example, the Travel Corporation publishes an annual impact report that maps its progress against 11 sustainability goals developed by the United Nations. Many cruise lines also publish detailed reports that allow you to check their commitment to the environment against several objective standards.

A．But your trip can be green-ish.

B．What’s the company saying to everyone?

C．How can we find a reliable company online?

D．Don’t trust anything the company says to the public.

E．These certifications aren’t a guarantee the company is green.

F．Look for reliable reports on sustainability from a travel company.

G．You can search the directory of these forward-looking companies online.

9 . Jiang Shumei learned her first Chinese character at the age of 60. Now, the 87-year-old grandmother from Northeast China’s Heilongjiang province is the proud author of six books.

“I wasn’t educated as a child. I never imagined, even in my wildest dreams, that I would publish a book one day,” says the resident of Suihua city. Her books detail the chaos of wartime and the hardship during the famine, and vividly retell anecdotes over the decades.

The elderly woman had her own way of learning. She composed lyrics for songs, and asked children to write them down, so that she could read each character as she sang the songs again and again. Whenever she came across characters she didn’t know on pamphlets (小册子), bus stops, or shop signs, she found someone to ask.

She first put pen to paper in 2012, at the age of 75. It was not easy. Sometimes, completing a single sentence could take a day. As a college teacher and a writer herself, Zhang Ailing, Jiang Shumei’s daughter, gave her mother a lot of encouragement and help. She told her that while writing, she should imagine herself telling stories to an audience, so that they would be easier to understand and be full of interesting details.

Zhang was also her first editor. Every time her mother finished writing something, she would discuss the manuscript (手稿) with her and check it over before typing it on the computer. Zhang began publishing her mother’s stories on social media platforms in 2013. When they drew the attention of her writer friends, the pair made the decision to publish them.

The first book, Time of Trouble, Time of Poverty, was published later that year, and proved to be a success. The book earned Jiang a lot of fans and sympathy. So far, the elderly woman has published six books, totaling more than 600,000 characters in length. In her spare time, she is also learning painting and calligraphy. “I would like to be a writer, a painter and a calligrapher,” she says, adding that her dream now is to have her own art exhibition when she is 90.

1. How did Jiang Shumei learn characters?

A．By reading books with her children.

B．By asking questions whenever she was free.

C．By going to a college to get herself educated.

D．By singing lyrics and memorizing characters around her.

2. Which of the following may contribute to Jiang Shumei’s success most?

A．Her hard-work and Zhang’s support.

B．The care and attention from the public.

C．The help from her friends and editors.

D．The popularity of social media platforms.

3. When did Jiang Shumei publish her first book?

A．At the age of 60.	B．In the year 2012.
C．At her 87-year-old.	D．In the year 2013.

4. Which of the following can best describe Jiang Shumei’s story?

A．Adversity makes a man wise.	B．Practice makes perfect.
C．It is never too old to learn.	D．Still water runs deep.

10 . The annual South Boston St. Patrick’s Day parade will be held on Sunday, March 17, beginning at 1 p.m. ET. This is the 119th-annual parade for the historically-Irish city, and always falls on the Sunday closest to St. Patrick’s Day. This year, it luckily falls on the day of the holiday itself.

The Route

According to the Allied War Veterans Council, the parade will start at 1 p.m. at Broadway station and move up West Broadway. It will continue on East Broadway, take a right on P Street, then a right onto East Fourth Street.

From East Fourth Street, it will turn left onto K Street, then right onto East Fifth Street, where it will continue until taking a left onto G Street. It will stay left of South Boston High School to Thomas Park, and follow the park until it takes a left at Telegraph Street and another left to Dorchester Street. The parade will stay on Dorchester Street until its end in Andrew Square.

How to participate

If you’re local to the area or traveling especially to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, you can, of course, attend the parade in person. But for everyone else, there are a few options on how to watch it live.

Local stations NBC10 Boston and NECN will air the parade on television or stream on various platforms starting at 1 p.m. ET, including on Peacock, Roku and on its YouTube channel.

USA TODAY is also providing coverage for the parade in Boston, as well as celebration in other U.S. cities over the weekend, including New York City and Chicago. You can watch the parade at the top of this page or on USA TODAY’s YouTube channel.

1. Where will St. Patrick’s Day parade start?

A．Broadway station.	B．Dorchester Street.
C．K Street.	D．South Boston High School.

2. What is the purpose of the text?

A．To call for donations.	B．To recommend a traditional holiday.
C．To inform people of an activity.	D．To explain a period of history.

3. Where does the passage probably come from?

A．A magazine.	B．A history book.
C．The internet.	D．A travel brochure.