1 . A Norwegian fjords (峡湾) adventure
An InterRail Norway pass (interrail.eu) allows three days of travel in any one month for £144. Double rooms in hotels in the fjord areas start from about £130, pension (guest house) from £60 to £100. There are more than 1,000 fjords in Norway where you get the best views. This is the case with the Sognefjord, which is the longest in the country and known as the “king of the fjords”.
Top tip
Norway is a natural playground. The best way to save money is to keep active. Bike hire (租), kayaking (皮划艇) trips and even guided walks are not especially expensive.
Do it yourself
You can fly direct to Oslo from London or Manchester. Ryanair (ryanair.com) is offering October returns from Manchester for £33. Travel from Oslo to Sogndal by Vy Express bus (vybuss.com); return tickets in September start at £78. There are also trains from Oslo to Flam, and while it is around twice as expensive as the bus, it is a famously scenic journey.
Perfect package
Newmark et Holidays (0333 060 5898; newmarketholidays.co.uk) has an eight-day holiday in the fjords of Western Norway, including Sognefjord, from £977 for October, including flights from Gatwick, and accommodation (住宿) at the Kviknes Hotel in Balestrand.
1. What is the Sognefjord famous for?| A．Its length. | B．Its hotels. | C．Its history. | D．Its traffic. |
| A．Find a native guide. | B．Tour around by boat. |
| C．Travel there in summer. | D．Ride a bike to save money. |
| A．It’s very cheap. | B．It’s worth a try. |
| C．It’s not convenient. | D．It’s much too crowded. |
2 . Water companies have pumped waste water into Britain’s seas and rivers for more than nine million hours since 2016, new data suggests. The figure is an increase of 2,553% over five years, according to Environment Agency (EA) data, so the EA warned holidaymakers to avoid dozens of beaches across England and Wales this week.
Untreated waste water was spotted pouring into the sea near Bexhill, East Sussex on Wednesday. On Saturday, the red flags were removed, meaning the water was officially considered safe to bathe in. The beach, however, was nearly deserted.
Rachel Streeter moved to Bexhill in 2007 to enjoy wild swimming and the beach. “Flies actually flew above the surface of the water as well as the waste water. It’s quite horrible,” she said. Rachel says her friends and family have all become sick after swimming. Her 79-year-old mother went for a swim last week and fell ill with “a severe bacterial infection (感染)”.
Businesses say they are being affected by it too. Cliff Meadon, who runs business in the sea, says he has lost “thousands” pounds over the last two years due to water pollution. “We’ve been on the water with groups when we’ve had to come in as the waste comes out,” he said.
In Hastings people were advised not to swim due to a pollution risk this week. Beaches in Normans Bay as well as Bexhill were closed but have now reopened.
Southern Water argued that the water company had not been deliberately (故意的) pouring untreated water into the sea. A spokesperson for the company said, “This week’s heavy rain has fallen onto dry ground that can’t absorb surface run-off, meaning that more rain than usual has entered our waterway networks. This led to some overflows, spilling some untreated water into the sea.”
Southern Water was fined £90 million last year for widespread pollution after sending out more than 6,000 untreated waste water.
1. What warning has the EA given?| A．Holidaymakers not going to certain beaches. |
| B．A severe bacterial infection breaking out in the UK. |
| C．Southern Water stopping pouring waste water into the sea. |
| D．Cliff Meadon stopping running business in the sea. |
| A．Heavy rainfalls. | B．Too many holidaymakers. |
| C．Damaged waterway networks. | D．Poor management of water companies. |
| A．Holidaymakers facing pollution risk |
| B．Dozens of Britain’s beaches closed to holidaymakers |
| C．Lots of families pouring untreated waste water into seas |
| D．Huge increase in untreated waste water entering Britain’s seas |
| A．Health. | B．Business. | C．Environment. | D．Sports. |
3 . At her heaviest, Chasity Davis weighed 365 pounds at only 4.11 feet tall. While she was pregnant (怀孕) with her third daughter, she knew something had to change.
“I was piling on the weight. Just eating all the time. I was in a very terrible state,” she said.
As many moms know, new health problems can pop up after giving birth, and that’s just what happened to Davis. She started experiencing shallow breathing when she sat back or lay down. Luckily, her doctors took it very seriously. When the doctors put the heart monitor on Davis they found her heart actually stopping.
“My heart had stopped for about three seconds,” said Davis. Obviously, her blood pressure had risen as well. To make matters worse, she was upset at not being allowed to see her baby daughter, and that was further affecting her blood pressure, but doctors warned her that she needed to concentrate on taking care of herself first.
Davis went through heart and stomach operations, which helped her quickly lose 65 pounds, but she couldn’t stop there. Even at 300 pounds, that was too much weight for her height. So after her recovery, she made a choice to work hard to get fit.
She began by working out seven days a week, twice a day, and switching to a diet that included lots of fruits and vegetables. She now walks about 5-6 miles a day! After all the diet and exercise, Davis has now lost 242 pounds over the last 7 years, with 171of that being from walking. Incredible!
Of course, she still has some fatty or sugary foods, but she limits them. “Just because losing weight doesn’t mean I never eat anything bad,” Davis said. “The difference now is that we have a home-cooked meal every single day.”
“Life is so much greater when you are healthier,” she added, “I just feel great about myself. I have learned so much.”
1. Why was Davis connected to the heart monitor?| A．She was pregnant. | B．She ate all the time. |
| C．She had health problems. | D．She gave birth to her third daughter. |
| A．She put on weight quickly. | B．Her blood pressure rose higher. |
| C．Her heart stopped for about 3 seconds. | D．She started experiencing shallow breathing. |
| A．By joining a fitness club. | B．By receiving the operations. |
| C．By walking about 5-6 miles a day. | D．By switching to a healthy diet. |
| A．She seldom has meals out. | B．She hardly has anything for supper. |
| C．She no longer has fatty or sugary foods. | D．She never eats anything bad for health now. |
4 . How to Speak Well and Confidently
Good communication is the key to success, whether you’re speaking in front of a large audience (观众) or trying to pass on your ideas to a new friend. The following ways can help you.
Make eye contact. For one thing, making eye contact is polite for others.
Know your audience. Knowing who you’re talking to can help you speak with confidence. If you’re speaking to a large audience, it’s important to know where they come from, how old they are, and what their general knowledge is about your subject.
Know your material. Pick a topic you are interested in.
Praise yourself every day. This will improve your own confidence, which is important when you speak. You don’t have to think you’re perfect to truly praise yourself and let yourself feel like the amazing person that you are.
| A．Have confident body language |
| B．So be certain to be well prepared |
| C．This can help you prepare your words |
| D．As a result, you’ll find it very challenging |
| E．For another, it will help others to listen to your thinking carefully |
| F．Know more about it than you include in your speech or conversation |
| G．Remind yourself of all of the great things you’ve completed and worked so hard for |
5 . When it comes to a public library, you usually think of books and computers for people to use. You can even think of educational lectures and concerts that are often held in the library. But few people would expect to have a farm in the library.
But why not? After all, with rising costs, food safety is a community-wide issue. The Cicero Public Library near Syracuse in New York solved this problem by building a farm on its land. When Meg Backus saw all the open space in the library across the street from the building, he realized it could be used to benefit the community.
The farm was created in 2011 and in the beginning, 40 members of the library brought seeds (种子), water, and supplies to see if they could grow food on the land. It turned out that they could. To get the needed supplies for a larger farm, the library began to work with the organization Syracuse Grows Agency.
The community farm donates (捐赠) over 200 pounds of fresh produce (农产品) to local food banks every year. Half of the growing area is used as the Food Educational Garden. The other half is used by growers themselves. During the year, there are educational programs held at the library to teach people how to garden. There are also a lot of gardening books that can be used at the library.
Lauren Rosenstein, a worker of the library, said that she felt like she was giving something back to the community. “You’re really making a difference as a local community because you’re growing the food that people are eating.”
1. Why did Meg Backus build the farm?| A．To earn money. |
| B．To attract more readers. |
| C．To improve food safety. |
| D．To teach readers how to grow food. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Stressed. | C．Hopeless. | D．Confident. |
| A．Farmers’ life. | B．Food donation. | C．Gardening skills. | D．Food banks. |
| A．Make a Farm Popular | B．Turn a Library into a Farm |
| C．Meet the First Library Farm | D．Find a Job on a Library Farm |
6 . Last July, I visited Cambridge, a historical university town in England. It is well known that Cambridge University is one of the best universities in the world, but few people know its unique university system. The trip made me know more about the school. It turned out so different from what I had expected!
At Cambridge, there are 31 colleges. These colleges are places where students live, enjoy entertainment, study at libraries and use leisure equipment. Once you enter a college, it becomes your community. Each college is different in terms of places, equipment and atmosphere (氛围). This is why, when applying to Cambridge, applicants (申请人) take great care to choose the right college for themselves. Sometimes, it is just a matter of whether it “feels right” for you.
I also had the chance to visit their Museum of Classical Archaeology (考古学). For someone who is crazy about classics (经典), Cambridge is the perfect place to come and learn from their museums. Classics have been interesting me since I was a kid, and I have developed a deep love for Greek mythology (神话) in comic books. In most museums that Cambridge has, it is easy to find exhibits (展品) that enable you to gain knowledge in any area of interest. There is a museum for almost everything you can think of, including earth sciences, art and — of course — classics.
If you ever have the chance to visit Cambridge, I would suggest visiting their museums as part of your trip. Not only would you be able to immerse yourself in the studying atmosphere, but you could enjoy the wonderful exhibits each museum offers.
1. How did the writer learn more about Cambridge University according to the passage?| A．By reading books. | B．By visiting it. |
| C．By watching TV. | D．By surfing the Internet. |
| A．Students have different interests. | B．Not all colleges are open to them. |
| C．The colleges are similar to each other. | D．Each college is different in its own way. |
| A．The writer’s deep interest in classics. |
| B．The great advantages of visiting Cambridge’s museums. |
| C．The large collection of exhibits in Cambridge’s museums. |
| D．The writer’s visit to the Museum of Classical Archaeology. |
| A．Put. | B．Teach. | C．Value. | D．Dress. |
7 . I turned off the classroom light, only to find a tearful Laura outside the door. “Sister Jo, can I talk to you? Do you have time?”
Switching the light on again, I smiled, “I always have time for you, honey.” Honestly speaking, Laura’s troubled face left me no choice. We sat in the empty classroom as she described the effect her dad’s alcoholism (酗酒) was having. I listened, handing her tissues (纸巾). After half an hour, she said, “I know you can’t do anything about it, but thanks for listening. My mom keeps saying, ‘He’s sick! Alcoholism is a disease!’” I gave her a hug. Then it hit me. Why hadn’t I taken Laura out walking with me?
The next day was just as lovely. “Today I’ll walk!” I promised. But at 3:00 pm, Brian was at the door. “Hi, can I talk to you?” “Sure,” I answered. “But it’s such perfect weather. Can we go for a walk?” We circled the small lake near our school and talked about helping emotionally (感情上) troubled kids.
On Laura’s next visit, she happily accepted my invitation to walk. I had a surprise for her. Classmate Tom had given me brochures (小手册) from Alateen. “Someone in your class said his uncle has the same problem.” I told Laura. “If I may share your story, he’ll drive you to Alateen meetings. By attending Alateen meetings, young people gain an understanding of alcoholism and feel the advantages of realizing they are not alone with an alcoholic parent.”
And so, it became a pattern. Whoever came to chat after school was invited to walk. In the walks, these kids find relief from the pressure and frustrations (挫折) they face. And I’ve lost ten pounds!
1. Who has an alcoholic parent?| A．Laura. | B．Brain. | C．Tom. | D．Alateen. |
| A．Refusing to talk with Laura. | B．Turning off the classroom light. |
| C．Failing to walk with Laura. | D．Not giving Laura a hug. |
| A．Kind. | B．Honest. | C．Learned. | D．Brave. |
| A．She lost weight. |
| B．She learned to drive. |
| C．She no longer suffered from alcoholism. |
| D．She found relief from the pressure and frustrations. |
8 . Are you addicted to computer games? Do you stay up all night playing them? Do you feel happy after you play computer games?
There’s no doubt that the excitement and appeal of games these days make them hard to put down. We are attracted by the choice when it comes to gaming: You can role play — creating your own fantasy characters and stories, giving you chance to step out of everyday life into an imaginary world. And there are shooting games where you can let out your anger and depression in violent situations where you kill people with guns. You can get excited from the games.
However, can these kinds of games really be fun and can being absorbed in virtual reality be good for us? Should we worry about their effects on our health? Popular games like Grand Theft Auto have been blamed for everything from falling results at school to causing acts of extreme violence. Internet safety advisor, Alan MacKenzie, thinks “many people understandably will just think that a game is just a game and not realizing the exact content that’s in there”. He gives an example of the violence, which he says is “wholly inappropriate for anybody, not to mention children” .
Others will argue that gaming is a harmless form of entertainment. There is evidence that playing video games could actually be good for us. Some games like Game of Thrones and World of Warcraft are educational and using games certainly can help children learn good qualities. Studies have also shown that the skills used in playing games can cause growth in certain areas of the brain, the ability to think in 3D and even improve our eyesight.
Video game players are also no longer just simple creatures. For some, gaming is having a positive effect on their social lives with games like Halo and World of Warcraft often being played in groups. When your group works together to win the game, your sense of achievement is higher than when winning by yourself.
So every coin has two sides. It seems today, gaming isn’t just for game fans and if used in a proper way, we can all take part. If video games have two sides, which side do you stand by?
1. The writer used a lot of questions at the beginning to .| A．lead into the topic of the passage |
| B．show his worries about the effect of playing computer games on health |
| C．doubt the advantage of playing computer games |
| D．ask the readers for their own opinions about games |
| A．games contain extreme violence |
| B．the contents of the game are complex |
| C．gaming is a harmful form of entertainment |
| D．popular games lead to students’ falling results at school |
| A．Li Hua learnt many English words from playing games. |
| B．Han Meimei passed the exam after playing the games. |
| C．Yang Li let out her anger and depression. |
| D．Sun Yang worked well with his teammates. |
| A．with descriptive words |
| B．by giving some examples |
| C．with some research results |
| D．by providing some numbers |
9 . Bad judgments are meant to feed our own personal ego (自我意识) and put others down, which is not the healthiest thing to do. Here are five reasons why you should stop it now.
You start finding faults in everyone. Judging quickly moves on to more private areas of your life.
Judging becomes a habit. If you judge people, sooner or later, it becomes a habit, and you start judging everyone around you for the tiniest of things.
People begin to distrust you. If you pass judgments about other people in front of your audience, you will lose their trust. As they will begin to feel that if you can judge others in front of them, you can talk about them behind their back.
Judgment is a sign of unhappiness. If you are 100% happy with who you are, you are a lot less likely to feel the need to judge others. If you are self-assured, you will not feel the need to cast a downward glance at others.
| A．You are viewed positively by people. |
| B．You start taking yourself too seriously. |
| C．Hence, seeing others positively shows we are positive people. |
| D．You judge their clothing, actions, success, values, and everything. |
| E．Likewise, you also judge because you feel you are better than others. |
| F．You start judging your close ones; friends, family members, partner, etc. |
| G．And no one wants to make friends with someone often talking unkindly about others. |
10 . Mathea Allansmith isn’t your typical grandmother. She’s the oldest woman in the world to have completed a marathon. She was 92 years 194 days old when she crossed the finish line at the 2022 Honolulu Marathon, setting the record for the oldest female to complete a marathon.
Mathea, now 94, of Koloa, Hawaii, USA, stays in shape all year round by running seven days a week, no matter what the weather is. Come rain or shine, she covers 36 miles every week, even when she’s on holiday. The retired doctor didn’t take up running until she was 46 years old —after a friend suggested running two miles per day.
“The Honolulu Marathon is my favorite marathon mainly because it doesn’t close the gate at a certain time, which allows even the slowest runner to finish the race,” she said. “It’s one of the best races. Fantastic registration (注册), set-up and management make it a joy to run the race.”
Mathea, who doesn’t allow her age to slow her down, thinks she is the happiest person when she’s on the road. She enjoys running for miles and waving and saying hello to the people she passes. To stay in shape, Mathea keeps a steady training routine (惯例) . “I train all year round but increase the mileage 18 weeks before a marathon,” she said.
Mathea said it was her career as a doctor that allowed her to understand how her body and mind respond to diet and exercise. “I see the direct relation between moving and health,” she said. “It is important to reduce stress rather than ignoring it without a plan on how to do so. Of course, exercise of any kind is a natural stress reducer.”
Mathea thought getting through the finish line and winning a Guinness World Record title was the excitement of her life. “My family completely surprised me after the 2022 Honolulu Marathon, in which I achieved the world record, by wearing matching T-shirts stating my achievements,” she said.
1. What do we know about Mathea from the first two paragraphs?| A．She used to be in poor health． |
| B．She is the oldest to win a marathon． |
| C．She runs daily regardless of the weather． |
| D．She was encouraged by her patient to run． |
| A．It gives winners the best awards． |
| B．It provides runners with quality service．． |
| C．It has no time limit for runners to finish． |
| D．It allows runners to set a world record easily． |
| A．Her professional experience． | B．Her training courses． |
| C．Her views on stress in life． | D．Her hobby from young． |
| A．Practice makes perfect． |
| B．Interest is the best teacher． |
| C．Age is no barrier to success． |
| D．Ups and downs make one strong． |
