1 . Make full use of your senses, discover hidden talents and enjoy a new interest at the Joseph Regenstein, Jr. School of the Chicago Botanic Garden. Learn the following lessons of the adult education programme. Our expert instructors offer virtual learning in different kinds of topics.
Beginning Watercolor
Wednesday 28 February
Watercolor is a fresh, beautiful way to express the beauty of a sunset or the reflection of trees and clouds on a pond. You will learn to make expressive marks, mix colors, and apply water mindfully to achieve the amazing effects watercolor offers.
Organic Vegetable Gardening Basics
Thursday 29 February
Learn the basic techniques and tools required to grow your own vegetables. Site selection, bed and soil preparation, seed sowing, transplanting, and harvesting techniques will be covered. You will receive a packet of seeds to grow at home.
Essence of Internal Martial Arts (武术)
Friday 22 March
Whether your goal is to improve your practical skills and your well-being, or you are simply interested in the internal martial arts, this class will provide a strong foundation (基础) for your practice. Instead of fixed forms, the class focuses more on the necessary rules and fundamental training. It provides a detailed study into effective ways of body use and a well organized way of building health while connecting the mind and body.
Plants That Attract Beneficial Insects
Sunday 7 April
Are you interested in controlling insect pests (害虫) in your garden naturally? You can finish this by planting a variety of beautiful plants that attract pollinators and other beneficial insects. By learning about adult beneficial insects, their hungry larvae and their preferred plants, you can effectively reduce or remove pest populations.
1. What is the right time for attending Beginning Watercolor?| A．Wed. 28 Feb. | B．Thurs. 29 Feb. | C．Fri. 22 Mar. | D．Sun. 7 Apr. |
| A．Beginning Watercolor. | B．Organic Vegetable Gardening Basics. |
| C．Essence of Internal Martial Arts. | D．Plants That Attract Beneficial Insects. |
| A．They are virtual learning. | B．They are for children. |
| C．They are about body health. | D．They are designed to show instructors’ talents. |
2 .
Charles Darwin |
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| Personal information: Date of birth: 12 February 1809 Date of death: 19 April 1882 Nationality: English Education: Edinburgh University, Cambridge University | |
| Achievements: He put forward the theory of evolution by natural selection and published On the Origin of Species in 1859. | |
| Influence: His theory of evolution by natural selection has greatly influenced the development of biology. | |
| Interesting fact: Darwin was such a scientific man that before he made up his mind to get married, he made a careful list of the advantages and disadvantages of marriage. | |
| A．Germany. | B．Britain. | C．America. | D．France. |
| A．In Feb. 1809. | B．In April 1809. | C．In April 1882. | D．In Feb. 1882. |
| A．The Origin of Species. |
| B．The advantages of marriage. |
| C．The development of biology. |
| D．The theory of evolution by natural selection. |
3 . Guide for Teenagers
The teenage years can be tough, and it’s normal to feel sad every now and then. But if these feelings don’t go away or become so intense that you can’t handle them, you may be suffering from depression.
Try not to isolate yourself
When you’re depressed, you may not feel like seeing anybody or doing anything. If you just stay in bed all day and isolate yourself, you will feel more depressed.
Keep your body healthy
Making healthy lifestyle choices can do wonders for your mood. Ever heard of a “runnershigh”? Physical activity can be as effective as medications for depression, so get involved in sports, ride your bike, or take a dance class. Any activity helps!
Avoid alcohol and drugs
You maybe try drinking or use drugs in an effort to escape from your feelings and get a “mood boost”, even if just for a short time. However substance use can not only make depression worse, but can cause you to become more depressed.
Stress and worry can lead to depression. Talk to a teacher if exams or classes seem overwhelming. In addition, if you have a health concern you feel you can’t talk to your parents about, see a doctor. A health professional can help you approach your parents and guide you toward appropriate treatment. If you’re dealing with relationship, friendship, or family problems, talk to an adult you trust.
| A．Ask for help if you are stressed. |
| B．Even a short walk can be beneficial. |
| C．Turn to your parents for help. |
| D．But as you get out into the world, you may find yourself feeling better. |
| E．In short, drinking and taking drugs will make you feel worse-not better-in the long run. |
| F．The more exercise you do, the healthier you will be. |
| G．Help is available and you have more power than you think. |
4 . A man named Randy liked to look for big trees and old trees. He made maps to show where these trees were. He did not want to cut them down. He wanted people to take care of them.
Randy was told that there was a very tall tree on Vancouver Island. The tree was said to be 314 feet tall. That would make it the tallest tree in Canada. Randy started to find the tree.
But someone else found it first. It was found by a logger (伐木工). Loggers wanted to cut down Canada’s tallest tree and all the trees around it.
Randy made a path in the forest so people could see the tallest tree. The tree was so big and beautiful that it would bring them enjoyment. More and more people wanted to save that forest. Thanks to these people, that forest is now a park. Canada’s tallest tree is still there.
1. Why did Randy make maps of big trees and old trees?| A．To carry out his duty carefully. | B．To avoid getting lost in forests. |
| C．To show where these trees were. | D．To get information for selling them. |
| A．Take care of it. | B．Cut it down. |
| C．Take pictures of it. | D．Make it famous. |
| A．To help people cut it. | B．To help people see it. |
| C．To help people water it. | D．To help people move it. |
| A．It is now a park. | B．People burned it down. |
| C．It will disappear soon. | D．People lost interest in it. |
5 . My name is Jimmy. One Thursday afternoon, when I was in senior one, a new boy came into my classroom. He was short and thin. He walked up to the teacher and told her, very seriously, that he was new. His name was Christian. He sat down, took a look at me, and then looked away. I didn’t think he was very nice and I was sure he wasn’t the type I would like to become friends with.
During that year, I didn’t talk to him much, but he smiled at me when our eyes met, always shyly. He never ate lunch with anybody, and he never talked to anybody but me.
But one day I joined those unkind kids who were making fun of him. We made fun of him though I thought it was wrong.
“Haven’t you got any friends?” a kid asked Christian, who had walked past us alone, head down.
“No, he hasn’t got any friends. He’s too stupid and shy,” I said. Then Christian looked up at me with the saddest dog eyes I had ever seen. I felt very sorry at that moment.
That night, I couldn’t sleep because I couldn’t get Christian’s face out of my mind. In the weeks that followed, he never met my eyes in class and never smiled at me. It was really hard for me to decide to write him a note asking him to forgive (原谅) me. But I thought I should.
The next day in class, I wrote him a note telling him how sorry I felt. About five minutes later, I turned and saw tears in his eyes. “You will never realize what your apology (道歉) has meant to me, Jimmy.” he said to me. “I hope we can become friends.”
We had lunch together that noon and we had the best talk I had ever had. Over the years at high school, we were close friends.
When I think back, I realize that, if I had not apologized, I would never have known what a lovely person Christian was.
Apologies can really change your life, so never miss the chance to tell somebody you are sorry.
1. What do we about know Christian from the passage?| A．He was tall and fat. | B．He was short and thin. |
| C．He was short and active. | D．He was lovely and fat. |
| A．He didn’t think Christian was the type he wanted to become friends with. |
| B．Christian wasn’t nice to people around him after he came to the new class. |
| C．Christian made friends with others. |
| D．Christian had the saddest dog eyes. |
| A．Happy. | B．Interested. | C．Sorry. | D．Bored. |
| A．To tell us it is important to make an apology when we hurt others. |
| B．To show Jimmy’s apology was unimportant to Christian. |
| C．To introduce Christian wasn’t lovely in fact. |
| D．To tell us it is unimportant to say sorry to others. |
6 . It is often said the laughter is the best medicine. But researchers at the University of Oxford think the ability to belly laughs (捧腹大笑) was unique to early humans. This, they believe, made our ancestors (祖先) able to form much larger groups.
The researchers first tested the pain thresholds (临界值) of some volunteers. They divided them into two groups. One group was shown 15 minutes of comedy videos, while the other was shown boring programs.
Through this experiment, the researchers found that those who had recently experienced belly laughs were able to withstand (忍受) up to 10% more pain than they had done before watching the videos. To their surprise, the scientists also found that the other group was less able to withstand pain after watching 15 minutes of the “boring” programs.
Professor Robin Dunbar of Oxford University, who led the research, believed that belly laughs release chemicals called endorphins (安多芬) into the body which make us feel less painful.
However, not all comedy programs had such effects, according to Prof Dunbar. For example, though clever stand-up comedy was found to be enjoyable, it had no effect on raising pain thresholds. “Things that worked very well were interesting comedies such as Mr. Bean. Situation comedies such as Friends also seemed to be particularly successful,” he added.
In order to measure (测量) endorphin levels, the researchers put a bag of ice on the volunteers’ arms to see how long they could withstand them. They found that the greater the increase in pain thresholds, the greater the amount of endorphins produced.
The purpose of Prof Dunbar’s study was not to develop a new treatment. Instead, it was to study the role of laughter in the forming of human societies two million years ago.
“The next stage will be to see whether laughing really allows people to keep together and work as a group better and be more friendly towards each other. If that is the case, then it may explain why some two million years ago, the first humans were able to form large communities of up to 100,” Dunbar added.
1. Prof Dunbar’s study was to ________.| A．test the pain thresholds of humans |
| B．explore the influence of laughter in forming human societies |
| C．develop a new kind of medicine that reduces pain |
| D．measure the endorphin levels while laughing |
| A．watch some scary films | B．watch some beautiful pictures |
| C．watch some comedy videos | D．watch some boring programs |
| A．Chemicals which make people feel less painful. |
| B．Medicine which tests the pain thresholds of people. |
| C．Comedy videos which make people laugh. |
| D．Boring programs which make people painful. |
| A．The first humans could only form small communities less than 100. |
| B．Laughter makes people keep together and work as a group. |
| C．People who laugh a lot are more friendly towards each other. |
| D．More experiments about laughter will be carried out. |
7 . Looking back, Geoff Banks of Devon, England can hardly even remember how he first started writing to his American friend, Celesta Byrne.
Geoff and Celesta were given each other's names and addresses as part of a school pen pal program back in 1938. They're both now 100 years old, and a lot has changed in the past 84 years: their age changed: their appearance changed; but one thing has not—they still use the traditional way to contact.
“I honestly struggle to remember something, but I was talking to Celesta recently and I think it was something to do with an American school's scheme, Geoff said.” They matched us up with Americans for a pen pal relationship, and somehow I ended up with this letter from an American girl, and we've just kept corresponding（通信）ever since. "
Geoff and Celesta's relationship never turned romantic, but they shared a lot over the decades. They kept up their correspondence through World War II, sending updates about their families, friends, and work. In 2002, they finally got a chance to meet in person during a trip to New York City. Two years later, they met up again, but ever since then they've gone back to pen and paper.
Recently, they've switched to digital forms of communication to stay in touch, something that's easier has been easier on their eyes and hands. Their children have helped them set up email accounts.
“I've known this new thing called Zoom, I think, now to chat with her, but I leave all the technology to younger people. Deep down, I refuse to use Zoom. Writing to Celesta has been a source of great satisfaction'for me over the years,” said Geoff.
Celesta says their relationship is “like people who live next door”. “You know how they're doing, you say a few words, and then you both go to work,” she explained. “She's always been there to write to, even if it was just birthday cards and Christmas cards,” Geoff added.
1. What do Geoff and Celesta insist on doing over the 80 years?| A．Enjoying telling jokes. | B．Writing to each other. |
| C．Creating a program. | D．Keeping a secret. |
| A．How they got in touch. | B．Why they liked writing. |
| C．What they both liked to do. | D．When they ran a scheme. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Unclear. | C．Doubtful. | D．Disapproving. |
| A．To introduce a way to make friends. | B．To teach us skills of writing letters. |
| C．To tell us a tale of lifelong friends. | D．To stress the power of technology. |
8 . Have you ever wondered how your favorite NBA team received its famous name? All NBA teams have an interesting story or a history behind their names. Some of the names reflected the city’s culture or history, others came from previous owners and many were selected through “Name the Team” contests.
For teams like the Los Angeles Lakers and the Utah Jazz, the names were not always a reflection of the city. Even though Los Angeles has no lakes, the Lakers name has been a city treasure for almost 40 years. Before going to Los Angeles, the team originated in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In1947, team officials changed the name to the Lakers to reflect the Minnesota State’s nickname, “Land of 10,000 Lakes”. The team name went unchanged after moving to Los Angeles in1960.
Because the Utah’s team originated in New Orleans, Louisiana, it was called the Jazz. In 1974, New Orleans club officials chose the name to represent the city for its reputation as the “Jazz Capital of the World”. The name stayed with the team even after they found a new home in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1979.
The original owner of the Chicago Bulls, Richard Klein, named the team the Bulls. He picked the name because a fighting bull is relentless and never quits. Klein, who founded the club in 1966, believed these qualities were necessary for a championship team and hoped his Chicago athletes would live up to the team name. The Bulls, the winner of the six NBA championships, has definitely followed the belief.
In 1967, the Indiana Pacers selected their team name in a different way from most other teams. Their decision was based on what they wanted to achieve in the NBA. Team officials chose the Pacers name because the organization wanted to set the “pace” in professional basketball.
1. Why is the Los Angeles’ team named “the Lakers”?| A．The name was selected from a “Name the Team” contest. |
| B．The name shows that Los Angeles is a city with various lakes. |
| C．It was named after a city treasure, which had a long history. |
| D．The team got this name in another state, which had a lot of lakes. |
| A．New Orleans. | B．Salt Lake City. | C．Los Angeles. | D．Minneapolis. |
| A．He had guessed the success of the team. |
| B．People in Chicago used to like watching bullfighting. |
| C．He wished the team to have the qualities of fighting bulls. |
| D．Chicago was then a city famous for fighting bulls. |
| A．Life. | B．Sports. | C．Society. | D．Education. |
9 . Jon Pedley is making a big change. He is giving up his life as a businessman for a life of helping others. He is trading his beautiful farmhouse in England for life in a mud hut (小屋) in Uganda, East Africa.
Pedley admitted that he had not always led a very positive life. At times he drank too much and got in trouble with the law. “I had always put the pursuit (追求) of money in front of everything else. As long as I was all right, I didn’t care who I was hurting,” says Pedley.
But a visit to Uganda in 2007 gave Pedley a new outlook on life. He was amazed at what he saw and how much the people there appreciated the work he was doing. “I worked there for a few days and these people who have nothing were thanking me by giving me bags of potatoes, which are a fortune for them,” he said. Now Pedley is selling his business, his $1.5 million farmhouse, and his expensive car—and moving into a hut made of mud and boards in a small Ugandan village. There he will help run an organisation that hopes to improve the quality of life for people in the village of Kigazi. He will help to build schoolrooms for children and tanks to hold clean water for villagers. Today, people in Kigazi must walk two miles to a hospital, so Pedley will help to build doctors’ offices, too.
Pedley’s organisation will also work with English teenagers who are in trouble. The teens will be sent to a “camp” in Uganda that Pedley will run. The teens will live in mud huts and help to build water, health, and education facilities (设施) for kids in Kigazi, many of whom have lost their parents to poverty or disease. Pedley hopes the teens will see a side of life that might help them turn around their own lives and set them on a new and more positive path.
1. Which of the following best describes Pedley in the past?| A．Negative. | B．Creative. | C．Positive. | D．Selfish. |
| A．Do business with the local people. |
| B．Help farmers increase potato output. |
| C．Help villagers with building work. |
| D．Introduce tools to improve English teaching. |
| A．To encourage them to make friends with locals. |
| B．To inspire them to live a more positive life. |
| C．To train them to become doctors in the future. |
| D．To make them learn about different cultures. |
| A．From a millionaire to living in a mud hut. | B．A life-changing adventure. |
| C．A rich man becoming homeless. | D．More money, more worries. |
10 . If you want to know something about British life, their spirit, and even their humor, watching some classic British films will certainly help. Here are some recommended to you.
Notting HillAfter the success of his film Four Weddings and a Funeral, writer and producer Richard Curtis captured the essence of being British in 1999’s Notting Hill. Set against the background of affluent (富足的) West London, the film became popular for its charming and funny portrayal(刻画) of a British nobody trying to impress a Hollywood star.
The Full MontyThis 1997 film is a Sheffield-based comedy about six unemployed men who form a group to make money for a better life. Despite its hummer, the film dives deeper into some serious issues surrounding working-class culture. The Full Monty is an uplifting film that gives an insight into the work and life of the working class in Britain.
TrainspottingDanny Boyle’s 1996 comedy-drama Trainspotting is about a group of Scots in the 1980s, based on the book by Irvine Welsh. With a cast of truly great actors including Ewan MeGregor, the tale impressed the audience globally. It rapidly became a critical success.
Monty Python’s Life of BrianFeaturing a jam-packed cast of comedic stars. Monty Python’s Life of Brian tells the story of a young man who is in a case of mistaken identity. The film reflects the unusual and wonderful British sense of humour. As a film guaranteed to entertain, Monty Pythons Life of Brian is not to be missed by those looking for an insight into what makes the British laugh.
1. What can the audience learn about by watching The Full Monty?| A．Hardships of comedic stars | B．Daily life of people in West London |
| C．Unique experiences of some Scots. | D．Life of the British working class. |
| A．A comedy film. | B．A science fiction film. |
| C．An action movie | D．A horror movie. |
| A．Notting Hill. | B．The Full Monty. |
| C．Trainspotting. | D．Monty Python’s Life of Brian. |
