1 . 
Panda Ya Ya returns home
Ya Ya the giant panda has just arrived in Shanghai, east China on Thursday after 20 years of stay at the Memphis Zoo in the U.S. The flight was around 15.5 hours. Both Chinese and American vets are with Ya Ya.
Ya Ya was born at Beijing Zoo on August 3, 2000. She arrived at Memphis Zoo in April, 2003. Ya Ya has become a bridge of friendship between Chinese and foreign people. She will spend a month in Shanghai before returning to her birthplace, Beijing Zoo.
We do hope all pandas that are in foreign countries can be healthy and happy.
Did you know…?
Baby pandas are born pink and measure about 15cm-that’s about the size of a pencil
Giant pandas spend up to 12 hours a day eating bamboo.
Pandas live for about 20 years in the wild, but in the zoos they can live for up to 35 years.
1. Ya Ya was born in _______.| A．Beijing | B．Chengdu | C．Shanghai ` | D．Guangzhou |
| A．Black and white. | B．Pink. | C．Yellow. | D．Gray. |
| A．Ya Ya spend up to 10 hours a day eating bamboo. | B．Shanghai Zoo is Ya Ya’s final home. |
| C．Ya Ya had a short flight coming back home. | D．Ya Ya helps foreigners know more about China. |
| A．a piece of news | B．an ad | C．a diary | D．a letter |
2 . How to Apply China Visa (签证)
How to apply China visa is the most concerned question for international tourists who plan to travel to China. Here you will find the useful information about China visa requirements and instructions.
China Visa Requirements
▶The valid (有效的) passport
Original passport valid for at least 6 months with blank visa pages, and a photocopy of data page (with your photo on it)
▶China visa application form and photo
The applicants must fill in a complete visa application form and attach it with a recent-taken colour passport photo.
So what is the requirement of the photo? The photo you submit must be passport-type (bare-head, full face) and standard with the correct dimension and background colour.
▶Effective proof of legal stay or resident status (it applies to those who do not apply for China visa in their countries of citizenship).
Supporting Application Documents
For C-Visa, a letter of guarantee issued by a foreign transport company or an invitation letter issued by a relevant authority from China side shall be provided.
For D-Visa, the original and a photocopy of foreign permanent residence identification form issued by China’s Ministry of Public Security shall be provided.
For F-Visa, an invitation letter issued by relevant authorities or individuals from China side shall be provided.
For G-Visa, an onward air (train, bus, ship) ticket with confirmed date and seat to the third country or region shall be provided.
For L-Visa, the tour itinerary (行程) and documents with round trip flight tickets and accommodation reservations, or an invitation letter issued by relevant authorities or individuals from Chinese side shall be provided.
For M-Visa, documents of business activity, trade fair invitation letter or other invitation letter issued by trade partners in China shall be provided.
Further reading: click the link China visa knowledge and types.
1. In what situation do people have to prove the legal stay for the application?| A．Not being in his country of nationality. |
| B．Without documents of business activity. |
| C．Without photos that match the requirements. |
| D．Not being invited by trade partners in China. |
| A．C-Visa and M-Visa. | B．L-Visa and D-Visa. |
| C．G-Visa and L-Visa. | D．F-Visa and M-Visa. |
| A．A science magazine. | B．A travel brochure. |
| C．A hotel poster. | D．A web page. |
3 . Seba Stephens is only 10 years old, but he’s a very talented musician. Before he turned three, his parents asked him what he wanted for his birthday. “Drums!” (鼓) he answered. His parents weren’t sure, but after seeing him play the drums at a local music store, they decided he was serious. They bought him a set of junior drums. It was a huge step. “He didn’t stop playing-ever”, says his dad, Everett.
But soon Seba grew unhappy, he couldn’t get his junior drums to make the sounds that the famous drummer Copeland made. Therefore, his parents bought him a set of professional drums and sent him to a drum teacher. Just a few months later, his teacher reported that Seba was learning extremely quickly and needed a higher level of training. He was still four.
His father encouraged him to explore music in other ways. In 2020, Seba got special permission to join a summer guitar online program at Berklee College of Music as an 8-year-old. To keep up, he had to practice 36 hours a week. After the busy summer, Everett thought Seba might want a break. However, Seba asked his parents to home-school him so that he could continue the program during the school year. Seba did school work in the morning. In the afternoon he worked on music. And at night, he still worked on music.
Recently, Seba earned a professional certificate (证书) in music through the Berklee Online program.
1. What did Seba want for his birthday?| A．Drums. | B．Music lessons. |
| C．A guitar. | D．A music book. |
| A．Seba’s. | B．Copeland’s. |
| C．Seba’s parent’s. | D．Seba’s teacher’s. |
| A．he grew very worried | B．he failed to hear the sounds |
| C．he bought a new drum | D．he was learning extremely quickly |
| A．Seba joined a summer camp. | B．Seba worked hard on music. |
| C．Seba did school work at home. | D．Seba graduated from a college. |
| A．By going to a famous college. | B．By getting special permission. |
| C．Through the Berklee Online program. | D．Through the lessons given by his parents. |
4 . Come and join us in the project. You’ll learn diving (潜水) to improve your existing skills and you’ll be volunteers for the international ocean clean-up operation at the same time. After you’ve made contributions to removing rubbish from the ocean, you’ll be rewarded (奖励) with the opportunity to enjoy the best beach of Barcelona.
The project includes the following activities :
| Activity 1 You’ll practice diving in the shallows for beginners, and challenge deeper waters for the advanced divers. | Activity 2 You’ll be tasked with carryingthe net bags to collect plastic waste and old fishing nets in the ocean. | Activity 3 You will analyze (分析), weigh, and document the rubbish, then record the data in the diving station. |
In the morning you will go to the marina (头) to join the diving team. You’ll dive for the majority of the morning, then look for plastic waste, old fishing nets and any other rubbish. In the afternoon, you’ll work on the rubbish you collect for about an hour. The rest of the day is free for you to relax on the beach of Barcelona.
1. What is the aim of the project besides diving?| A．To learn swimming skills. | B．To clean up the ocean. |
| C．To experience the life on the sea. | D．To take a visit to Barcelona. |
| A．Practice diving. | B．Go fishing. |
| C．Collect waste. | D．Weigh rubbish. |
| A．2. | B．3. |
| C．4. | D．5. |
| A．In the morning. | B．In the afternoon. |
| C．In the evening. | D．At night. |
| A．Challenge deeper waters. | B．Carry the net bags. |
| C．Analyze your findings. | D．Relax on the beach. |
5 . The summer holidays have just begun, but it is a busy morning at Cadoxton Primary School, in Barry, an industrial town in Wales. It runs a summer programme for hard-up (拮据的) children, providing meals and activities over the holidays with the aim of helping kids to spend the time more meaningfully. As young people run laughing and screaming into the school cafeteria for breakfast, their parents hung out, some visibly relieved. Just three days into the six-week school holidays one mother says her nine-year-old daughter has already asked five times to go bowling. “Without the school’s help,” she says, “it would be a long and expensive six weeks.”
In the popular imagination, school summer holidays conjure up (使……呈现于脑际) a picture of carefree youthful exploration. But many parents rely on the term-time services that schools give their kids, such as tutors and meals. If the holidays approach, they can suddenly find their schedules and budgets stretched. Researchers also say that the long break often sets back children’s learning, and that children from poorer backgrounds are desperately affected due to their shortage of money.
Many poor children fall behind their wealthier peers over the holidays. “Summer is the most unequal time of the year,” says Matthew Boulay of the National Summer Learning Association. “Well-off parents can fill the gap left by school and consolidate (使巩固) their children’s unfamiliar knowledge well, keeping their children stimulated with summer camps, trips abroad or private tutors. Poorer families, apparently, find this harder, since their income is relatively low and demand for sponsored activities offered by governments,” he adds.
Holidays can be a financial stress, which is absolutely true. In countries where some children receive free school meals, summer means bigger grocery bills for hard-up families. Households where both parents work have to pay for extra childcare, too. The Family and Childcare Trust, a charity, says that in Britain, where childcare costs are the highest in the OECD, a club of mostly rich countries. Parents will spend an average of 33 per child per week on childcare this summer, mainly because of the sharp shortage of governmental funding sponsor.
1. What is the purpose of the summer programme?| A．To lengthen students’ school life. | B．To keep students busy all the time. |
| C．To provide students with free meals. | D．To enrich students’ summer holidays. |
| A．Rich. | B．Tight. | C．Reasonable. | D．Affordable. |
| A．Badly-off parents are likely to give up sponsoring their kids. |
| B．Well-off parents are unwilling to offer their kids extra tutors. |
| C．Students from poor family can well deal with the peer pressure. |
| D．Students from rich family can strengthen their learned knowledge. |
| A．Because of insufficiency of free tutors. | B．Because of shortage of social sponsor. |
| C．Because of shortage of free school meals. | D．Because of lack of governmental support. |
6 . Blowing Up Balloons with CO₂
Chemical reactions (化学反应) make for some great experiments. You can make use of the CO₂(carbon dioxide) given off by a baking soda (小苏打) and lemon juice reaction to blow up your balloon!
What you’ll need:
●Balloon ●About 40ml of water ●Soft drink bottle
●Juice from a lemon ●I teaspoon of baking soda
Instructions:
●Before you begin, make sure that you pull the balloon long to make it as easy as possible to blow up.
●Put the 40ml of water into the soft drink bottle.
●Add the baking soda and mix it with water.
●Put the lemon juice in and quickly put the balloon over the mouth of the bottle.
What’s happening?
If all goes well, then your balloon should inflate! Adding the lemon juice to the baking soda creates a chemical reaction and produces CO₂. The gas rises up and escapes (逸出) through the soft drink bottle. It doesn’t, however, escape the balloon, pushing it outwards and blowing it up.
1. Which of the following do you need for the experiment?| A．Two cups. | B．Apple juice. |
| C．250 ml water. | D．A teaspoon of baking soda. |
| A．Heat the water. | B．Drink some juice. |
| C．Blow up the balloon. | D．Pull the balloon long. |
| A．To describe an experiment. | B．To introduce a game. |
| C．To produce soft drinks. | D．To save some chemicals. |
7 . Application Procedures
Step 1: Check visa type and document list beforehand
Please make sure that the visa type and country you have chosen correspond (相一致)to your main destination and main travel purpose, you have well prepared all the required documents according to the document list of the correct visa type you are applying for.
Step 2: Register on website and reserve an appointment
Please take a few seconds and provide your e-mail address to create an application account.
If you already have an account, please click on login to continue online registration and reserve an appointment.
Reserve an appointment to submit your application at the Visa Application Centre. If you want to check appointment availability, please visit the page Service Standard.
Step 3: Submit your application at Visa Application Centre
Please arrive on time for your scheduled appointment with the appointment confirmation letter. Your application and supporting documents will be examined for completeness and transferred to the consular (领事的) authority upon your approval.
For more information on biometric (生物统计的) enrolment procedure and exemption of biometric enrolment, please click on the FAQ.
In case of any lateness, you will be required to make a new appointment, which could result in putting off your application.
Step 4: Collect your passport
Once your passport is returned to Visa Application Centre from the consular authority, you will be informed by e-mail. You can then collect your passport in Visa Application Centre.
If you have chosen Express Delivery Service, your passport will be sent to you directly by express to the address you have provided upon the submission of visa application.
1. What should you do to check whether appointment is accessible?| A．Check your document list. | B．Create an application account. |
| C．Click on the FAQ. | D．Visit the page Service Standard. |
| A．You will receive your passport at your workplace. |
| B．You can gather your passport by means of express. |
| C．You will be informed by telephone call from the centre. |
| D．You can collect your passport directly from the consular authority. |
| A．In a guidebook. | B．On the Internet. | C．In a magazine. | D．In a brochure. |
8 . You have a story to tell and pass on — Start today! Your memories and legacy will inspire and enrich others. LifeStories.com guides you in writing your life story. Our goal is to help you build a bridge from you to future generations and transform the lives at both ends. This easy, creative, comprehensive and a fun website allows you to:
ComposeCapture your memories and write your life story using questions. We provide over 1,000 questions to help you! These questions help stimulate your memory and cover your different life stages. You can answer all of them or just a partial list.
Collaborate (合作)Invite others to read your story AND they can add content to your story. It’s easy and fun to do. After all life is about those experiences and events with others. So invite them to enrich your story.
ContributeYour journey is something beautiful to share with your family and friends. Really… is there anything more important to pass on to generations that follow? Your Life and Your Story will be honored and treasured for generations to come.
Tell Others!Nothing is more important then the legacy of your spiritual life story. Spread the good news to your friends and family and help them get started telling their story. Click here to get started.
Don’t Have An Account?Creating an account is easy. Start writing your story today by signing up for an account here.
Register now, it’s FREE!This registration is free and you will see your life story book in your library, the chapters of your book, and over 1,000 questions. If you wish to answer these questions, and share your answer with family and friends, you will need to pay a small annual fee of $100.00. So, check it out! We hope you join our ever-expanding list of satisfied customers who are writing their stories and sharing it with those they love.
1. What is the advertisement for?| A．Teaching learners to build websites. |
| B．Selling the famous writers’ story books. |
| C．Assisting readers to write life stories. |
| D．Providing students with reading materials. |
| A．Three. | B．Four. | C．Five. | D．Seven. |
| A．Registering to become learners. |
| B．Going over the guiding questions. |
| C．Seeing the chapters of your book. |
| D．Sharing your answers with others. |
| |||||
| 69% of the travelers try to put down their smartphones on vacation. | 1/3 of Americans always spend their time on the phone on holiday. | 16% of UK travelers always check their phones on vacation. | Most important objects USA: Mobile phone AUS: Camera UK: Sunscreen | ||
Holidays booking (预订) | |||||
| 3/4 of the travelers prefer to book trips online. | 84% of Americans say they are most likely to book online. | 3% of Australians book travel by phone. | |||
根据材料内容选择最佳答案。
1. What do one third of Americans always do during trips?
| A．They always try to put down their phones. |
| B．They always use a lot of sunscreens. |
| C．They always take cameras with them. |
| D．They always spend time on the phone. |
| A．two | B．three | C．four | D．five |
A． | B． | C． | D． |
①From social media users.
②From other travelers’ reviews.
③From family and friends.
④From travel companies.
⑤From travel guides.
| A．①④ | B．②⑤ | C．②③ | D．④⑤ |
| A．The text is written to change travelers’ habits. |
| B．UK travelers use mobile apps the least during trips. |
| C．Sunscreen is the most important object for a US traveler. |
| D．Most travelers like to communicate with their friends on vacation. |
10 . In recent years advances in medical technology have made it possible for people to live longer than in the past. New medicines and machines are developing every day to extend life.
However, some people, including some doctors, are not in favor of these life extending measures, and they say that people should have the right(权利) to die when they want. They say that the quality of life is as important as life itself, and that people should not be forced to go on living when conditions of life have become unbearable. They say that people should be allowed to die with dignity(尊严) and to decide when they want to die.
Others don’ t agree and say that life under any conditions is better than death and that the duty of doctors is always to extend life as long as possible. And so the battle goes on and on without a definite(明确的) answer.
1. People can live longer than in the past. It’ s because________.| A．medical technology develops | B．we have big hospitals |
| C．there are many good doctors | D．we eat better than before |
| A．the doctors | B．the surroundings |
| C．his or his family | D．the patient himself or herself |
| A．death is better than life | B．life is better than death |
| C．neither life nor death is good | D．none of the above |
