1 . Life Outside London: Five Reasons to Visit the North of England!
Most people when visiting England will go to London. In fact most people don't even know much about England outside of London. It makes sense. It's the capital. There are lots to se there. However, as a northern girl, from a place just between Manchester and Liverpool, and a university student in Sheffield. I'd say the north is well worth a visit, and definitely as good if not better than London! Here are five reasons:
Friendliness
Northerners will chat to you on the bus, say hello in the streets and won't think you're crazy if you smile at them when you walk past. Friendly northerners might also call you "duck" or "love" don't worry, they call everyone that.
Gravy
Now although Southerners have gravy (a delicious meaty sauce that goes well with everything), they don't do it properly. You haven't lived until you've tried chip-shop chips swimming in gravy.
Beautiful Countryside
We have the Peak District, and the Lake District. They're both absolutely beautiful and definitely worth a visit. We also have some pretty amazing beaches too.
Excellent Party Cities
We have Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Sheffield You can't go wrong if you want to go on a night out here.
Low Cost
The same night won't cost you anywhere near as much up north! In London you can pay over for a pint, which is outrageous! For some reason, everything up North is cheaper, from food to drink to getting around, you can't go wrong when you're spending less money.
There are lots of lovely things to see in the North, so if you can brave the weather being a bit colder and wetter, it's definitely worth a trip.
1. Who might call you "duck" when you are visiting the north of England?| A．A warm passer-by. | B．A rude salesman. |
| C．A friendly southerner. | D．A cold teenager. |
| A．Get free beer. | B．Enjoy an all-night party. |
| C．Try chips in gravy. | D．Enjoy warm and dry weather. |
| A．In a recipe book. | B．In a science fiction. |
| C．In a business report. | D．In a travel magazine. |
2 . My family and I never talked about school as the ticket to a future. I was in the classrooms, but I wasn't there to learn to write, read or even speak. When it was my turn to read, I wanted to hide. I was13 years old, but I already hated being who I was.
I had an English teacher, Mr. Creech, who knew I couldn't read. In one of my first lessons the teacher said that anyone who had a reading age below six had to stand up. I felt so embarrassed. But at the same time, it made me realize that I needed to change the situation. I was determined it wouldn't happen again. Later that day, Mr. Creech encouraged me and promised he would try his best to help me learn to read. From then on, I never gave up practicing reading.
Now I was 41 years old. One day, I planned to fly back to Texas to visit my friends and family. On my way from the airport, I saw Mr. Creech buying himself a drink. I rushed over and reached into my pocket to pay for him. "Do I know you?" he asked. "Yes, sir, you do know me," I answered excitedly." My name is Anthony Hamilton. You taught me English." The look on his face told me that he remembered the boy he'd once encouraged.
"I'm so glad I had a chance to see you," I said. "And Mr. Creech, I have great news to share." I told him I had learned to read. But that wasn't all. I had become a published author and an active speaker. "The next time you get another Anthony Hamilton in your classroom, please encourage him to read as well," I added.
The experts say what once worried me has a name: dyslexia（诵读困难症）. But I can tell you it was a lack of desire for education.
1. What was the author's trouble in study when he was a child?| A．He couldn't get along well with teachers. | B．He had difficulty in reading. |
| C．He hated being laughed at. | D．He didn't want to go to school. |
| A．Friendly and fashionable. | B．Demanding and enthusiastic. |
| C．Humorous and aggressive. | D．Patient and responsible. |
| A．Because his teacher always gave him confidence to read. |
| B．Because his parents taught him how to read. |
| C．Because the experts gave him a direction. |
| D．Because he realized this problem. |
| A．Mr. Creech taught two students called Anthony Hamilton. |
| B．The author was grateful to Mr. Creech. |
| C．The author had become a published author and an active speaker. |
| D．Dyslexia was the underlying reason that made the author unable to read. |
3 . The Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, just six months after the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Summer Olympics, will be held in a strict dosed loop to prevent infections.
Vaccination（接种疫苗）
•It will be required to be fully vaccinated at least 14 days before departure for China, in order to be allowed entry.
•Athletes and team officials may be exempted（豁免）for medical reasons only. Anyone not fully vaccinated will need to quarantine（检疫）for 21 days upon arrival in Beijing.
•The “My 2022” app will be needed to monitor and track your health for 14 days before your departure for China.
•A negative COVID-19 test result will be needed before your departure for China.
Closed loop（闭环控制）
•Within the closed loop system, all Games participants will only move between permitted destinations in dedicated Games transport.
•COVID-19 screenings will happen daily during the Games.
•Avoid crowds if possible.
Hygiene（卫生）
•Wear a face mask at all times, except when training, competing, eating, drinking, sleeping or when alone.
•Wash your hands regularly. Support athletes by clapping instead of singing or chanting.
•Get a test if you experience any symptoms.
1. What is required for the Games entry before coming to China?| A．Vaccination received immediately. |
| B．Quarantine required for 21 days. |
| C．The “My 2022” app to track health. |
| D．A positive COVID-19 test result. |
| A．Move anywhere by bus. | B．Support athletes by clapping. |
| C．Escape COVID-19 screenings. | D．Take off face masks at any time. |
| A．A science book. | B．An official website. |
| C．A fashion magazine. | D．An online course. |
4 . Express Yourself
If you do think you've been bottling up your emotions, here are some tips for connecting with your feelings.
Let go of shame.
Explore your reactions in the moment. Facing a challenging situation can bring up difficult emotions or thoughts that you might not want or feel able to deal with.
Make room for emotions. Not everyone is comfortable crying in public and that's OK. Make sure you find a safe place where you can work through your feelings in whatever ways to feel right and safe.
Find what works for you. Of course, crying isn't the only way to express how you feel.
If you experience long periods when you can't stop crying, or feel you can't connect with your feelings, try to talk to a guardian, or another trusted adult—maybe an auntie or uncle. You could also ask to speak to a school counselor or nurse. If that feels too much, visit youngminds.org.uk.
| A．Get in the mood. |
| B．Adjust your mood. |
| C．Crying doesn't mean that you are weak. |
| D．Ignoring or pushing them away, however, can become a habit. |
| E．Crying sometimes can be the best way to deal with your pressure. |
| F．You could go to your room or to a quiet place in nature, or perhaps go to places with good memories. |
| G．You could try finding words to describe your emotions and talk to someone you trust, or you could express how you feel through drawing. |
5 . Chuan cuisine(川菜), or Sichuan cuisine, is one of the eight major cuisines of China, originating from Sichuan. Chuan cuisine is world famous for its spiciness, but there's more than that.
Chuan cuisine often gives people the impression of being hot and spicy, which is true due to the cold and wet winter weather in the province, situated in southwest China. This distinct spicy flavor is from the use of strong pepper, chilies, garlic, thick broad-bean sauce(豆瓣酱) and other unique Sichuan ingredients such as ginger, mustard, etc. Some famous Sichuan dishes are as follows.
Kung Pao Chicken
Kung Pao Chicken is a traditional Sichuan cuisine, which is made from diced chicken (鸡丁) dried chilies and peanuts. Its tenderness of chicken, crispness of peanuts, and moderate spiciness are widely welcomed by the public. In the western countries, Kung Pao Chicken is widely spread and has become the representative sample of Chinese food, just like what pasta is for Italian cuisine.
Mapo Tofu
Mapo Tofu is actually sauteed(煎炒的)tofu in hot and spicy sauce. It is named after the lady Chen Mapo，who created its cooking method. The ingredients of Mapo Tofu include tofu，minced(切碎的) beef or pork，chilies and Sichuan pepper, which highlight the characteristics of Sichuan cuisine——hot and spicy.
Husband and Wife Lung Pieces
Husband and Wife Lung Pieces contains no lung. Named by the couple who created it in 1930s，it is actually sliced beef and ox organs in chili sauce. Seasonings(调味品) include Sichuan's local spicy oil, pepper, sesame (芝麻) seeds and other spices.
Sichuan Hotpot
Sichuan is nationally famous for its hotpot. Hotpot is a stew of meat and vegetables cooked in a simmering pot of soup stock and can be roughly divided into two types, spicy and clear (not spicy). But with dozens of seasonings, it also has hundreds of different flavors.
1. Why is Chuan cuisine so spicy?| A．Because of the high temperature. |
| B．Because of the cold weather. |
| C．Because of the bad location. |
| D．Because of the dry weather. |
| A．Kung Pao Chicken. | B．Mapo Tofu. |
| C．Husband and Wife Lung Piece. | D．Sichuan Hotpot. |
| A．Travel and transport. | B．History and geography. |
| C．Food and drink. | D．Interests and hobbies. |
6 . Online eating shows, or Mukbang(直播吃饭), originated in South Korea and have gained popularity globally.
Many hosts of such shows have become popular for their ability to eat large amounts of food. But these shows have also received criticism for their waste of food. While some hosts actually do consume the amount of food shown, others may be faking it.
On Aug 12, CCTV exposed several Chinese hosts who were pretending to eat large amounts of food while on camera, but actually later threw it away.
To discourage this practice, many video and livestreaming platforms, including Douyin, Kuaishow and Bilibili, have removed videos that show food waste, and have promoted messages to “stop food waste and eat reasonably.”
In June 2020, the United Nations warned that the world is on the verge of the worst food crisis in 50 years.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, about a third of the world’s food-1.3 billion tons- is wasted every year. In China alone, 50 million tons of food ends up in landfills every year, according to Beijing News.
Recently, campaigns against food waste have been further promoted. In August, President Xi Jinping stressed the need for safeguarding food security and stopping food waste.
According to China Daily, restaurants and catering associations in more than 18 provinces and all 4 municipal cities have issued guidelines to control food waste.
In Shanxi province, local restaurants have been asked to serve half portions to avoid waste. The Wuhan Catering Association proposed that restaurants adopt the “N-1 mode”. For example, a group of 10 diners should only order enough for nine people first. More food is only brought to the table if required.
In addition, a nationwide “Clear Your Plate” campaign has been launched online. Users of Sina Weibo are encouraged to share photos or videos of empty plates after finishing their meals.
Meanwhile, new laws are also being considered, according to China daily. “We will make new laws that give clear instructions on avoiding food waste,” said Zhang Guilong from the legislative Affairs Committee of the National People’s Congress. The instructions will be detailed in every year of food production, purchasing storage, transportation, processing and consumption, according to Zhang.
1. What is CCTV’s attitude toward online eating shows?| A．Supportive. | B．Critical. | C．Objective. | D．Unclear. |
| A．Most video media are contributing to stopping food waste. |
| B．We should eat up all the food on the table. |
| C．It’s hard to carry out "Clear Your Plate campaign. |
| D．All the videos that show food waste have been removed. |
| A．We can adopt the “N+1 mode”. |
| B．We can eat more food than we need. |
| C．We can choose not to watch online eating shows. |
| D．We can ask the restaurants to serve us half portions. |
| A．Online eating shows should be banned. |
| B．New laws should be made to avoid food waste. |
| C．Measures are being taken to stop food waste. |
| D．We should share photos or videos of empty plates. |
7 . Having hundreds of friends on Facebook is no substitute for a handful of close friends in real life, a study has found. Researchers discovered that people with only a few friends were at least as happy as those with far more if many of theirs were online. The number of “peripheral others” someone connected with online — former classmates and coworkers, for example — had no bearing on how satisfied they felt.
Social media, the researchers said, has encouraged younger people to have larger but more impersonal networks of “friends”. But instead of trying to amass friends, they added, a better cure for loneliness might be spending time with those you’re closest to.
Scientists from the University of Leeds did their study using data from two online surveys conducted on 1,496 people by a non-profit research organization. People taking part in the study offered their ages, the make-up of their social networks, how often they had different types of social interactions, and their own feelings of happiness. They included details of how often and how they interacted with family or neighbors, and whether they included people who provided services to them in their networks. The number of close friends someone had appeared to be the only thing which influenced how satisfied they were with their social life.
“Loneliness has less to do with the number of friends you have, and more to do with how you feel about your friends,” said Dr Wändi Bruine de Bruin. “It’s often the younger adults who admit to having negative opinions of their friends. Loneliness occurs in people of all ages. If you feel lonely, it may be more helpful to make a positive connection with a friend than to try and seek out new people to meet.”
1. What does the underlined word “amass friends” probably mean?| A．Make more friends. | B．Help their friends. |
| C．Meet their friends. | D．Recognize their friends. |
| A．Introducing research ways. | B．Social interaction. |
| C．Feelings of happiness. | D．Carrying out the study. |
| A．Having good appearance. | B．Living alone. |
| C．Having close friends | D．Making as many friends. |
| A．The quantity of friends. | B．Loneliness. |
| C．Negative opinions. | D．Friendship. |
8 . More than half of UK parents believe sunglasses should become an official part of school uniform, a study has found.
A study of 1,000 parents with children aged 4-12 found 72 percent worried about protecting their child's eyes from the sun. However, only 3 in 10 sent their child to school with sunglasses every time it was sunny. One-quarter even said their child was forbidden by their school from wearing sunglasses on school grounds.
A spokesperson for Monkey Monkey Sunglasses, which commissioned （委 托）the study, said, "Parents are consistently telling us that their children are more likely to wear sunglasses on holiday or to leisure activities than at school. We just want parents to be aware that the midday and afternoon sun can be equally strong in the school playground, on the school sports field, or on the walk home from school, as it is on the beach. Wearing hats and staying in the shade during these times help reduce UV exposure, but are not a substitute for wearing sunglasses with full UVA and UVB protection, because UV rays reflect through cloud cover and reflect off a variety of surfaces."
Researchers also found only 16 percent of those polled said their children always wear sunglasses on a sunny day and one in four said their child does not currently own a pair of sunglasses.
Parents of children who rarely or never wear sunglasses said their kids find them uncomfortable to wear and avoid them if they can. However, 57 percent who have bought their children sunglasses checked the glasses for their UV protection rating before making the purchase. When asked about their knowledge surrounding surfaces which reflect and increase UV radiation, 61 percent of parents who took part in the study, correctly said that snow reflected UV rays. One in four identified concrete surfaces and 56 percent pointed to water as a key reflector of UV rays.
Monkey Monkey's spokesperson added, "Estimates suggest that up to 80 percent of a person's lifetime exposure to UV is received before the age of 18, when children's eyes are also not yet fully developed. For these two reasons it is vital to protect young eyes from sun exposure at an early age."
1. According to the passage all the following statements are true EXCEPT that _____.| A．most parents questioned in a survey worried about protecting their child's eyes from the sun |
| B．some children were not allowed to wear sunglasses on school grounds |
| C．children were believed to wear sunglasses more often after school |
| D．parents only 3 in 10 sent their child to school with sunglasses in all kinds of weather |
| A．All parents prefer to wear sunglasses. |
| B．The study was carried out for a sunglasses company. |
| C．Concrete surfaces and water are reflectors of UV rays. |
| D．Children's eyes are not full-grown before the age of 18. |
| A．Holiday makers. | B．Sunglasses makers. |
| C．Policy makers. | D．Film makers. |
| A．Should Sunglasses Be Part of School Uniform? |
| B．Why Should Parents Buy Sunglasses for Kids? |
| C．How to Choose Suitable Sunglasses for Kids? |
| D．New Fashion in School — Sunglasses |
9 . Children are the parents' pride and joy. And we love our parents. Whenever we have difficulties or troubles, they are the people we turn to. They offer us everything — life, love, courage and support. In return, we not only try our best to love and respect them, but also want them to take part in our lives.
However, that doesn't mean that we are going to share every moment with them. It is normal to have some things you don't want them to know or something that you think is better to be kept secret from them.
Here are some netizens' secrets hidden from their parents:
"My parents always told me not to fall in love in high school, otherwise I would fail in my studies. But now I'm dating a guy and I have no idea if I should tell them the truth."
"They are concerned about my studies and also afraid that I am being picked on in a puppy love. Yet I know they love me so much, but I don't want them to worry about me. So keeping this secret might be the best way."
"Last year, I was fired several times. The real world is not easy, and it took a long time for me to find another job that I really loved. During that time, I was penniless for months. However, whenever my parents asked me if everything was ok, I told a lie. I should have been strong enough to make them not worry about me, I endured a frustrating time."
"My parents spent thousands on my college education. They paid for where I wanted to live, to travel and even gave extra money for my leisure activities. However, I am not doing well in school and failed my classes last semester."
1. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?| A．If we love our parents, we should share everything with them. |
| B．The third netizen asked his or her parents for money when out of work. |
| C．The fourth netizen is still studying in a university. |
| D．The first netizen decided to tell her parents she was in love with someone. |
| A．it may have bad impact on their studies |
| B．the school doesn't allow them to |
| C．they think they are too young |
| D．they are afraid of their children being hurt |
| A．Proud. | B．Guilty. |
| C．Angry | D．Delighted. |
BEST OVERALL WASHING MACHINE
Flex Wash Washing Machine
SAMSUNG
$1,548. 90
This double-duty machine offers flexibility thanks to two separately controlled washers in the same unit. The bottom is built for extra-large loads and has super-cleaning cycle options, which include sanitizing and steam settings. You even have the ability to add up to five rinses （漂洗）onto a cycle to remove every bit of detergent （洗衣液）from larger items like a jacket.
Capacity: 6. 0 cubic feet
BEST VALUE WASHING MACHINE
High-Efficiency Top Load Washing Machine
GE
$699. 99
In our tests, GE's washing skills rival more expensive machines. This classic top-loader is super-straightforward to use. We're impressed that at this price it offers options like an up to two-hour automatic presoak, deep fill and rinse for more customized water levels, has very good capacity, and is Energy Star Qualified.
Capacity: 4. 2 cubic feet
BEST TOP LOAD WASHING MACHINE
High-Efficiency Top Load Washing Machine
MAYTAG
$650. 00
This washer has a traditional center agitator （搅拌器），but is still so huge inside. You'll never notice any compromise in capacity. While it's energy-saving and efficient, you can add more water if you'd like to with the Deep Fill option.
Capacity: 5. 3 cubic feet
BEST COMPACT WASHING MACHINE
TwinDos Washing Machine
BOSCH
$1,999.00
This mighty mini is a Good Housekeeping Seal holder for good reason: Its deceptively large interior and space-saving exterior make it the perfect choice to install in small homes, apartments, or as second-floor laundry in a closet or bathroom.
Capacity: 2. 26 cubic feet
1. If you want your clothes rinsed thoroughly, you'd better choose______.
| A．SAMSUNG | B．GE |
| C．MAYTAG | D．BOSCH |
| A．deep fill | B．automatic presoak |
| C．huge capacity | D．steam setting |
| A．SAMSUNG | B．GE |
| C．MAYTAG | D．BOSCH |
| A．BOSCH's TwinDos occupies the smallest space among the four. |
| B．The only weakness of MAYTAG is its capacity. |
| C．Everything considered, SAMSUNG’S Flex Wash is the best washing machine to buy. |
| D．The most environmentally friendly washing machine goes to GE among the four. |
