1 . What Kids Eat for Lunch Around the World
Australia
While Aussies are largely lunchbox people, Australian schools have indoor and outdoor canteens, where students order from a menu of snacks and standard dishes like hot dogs, meat pies, and sausage rolls.
Brazil
Brazil began one of the world’s oldest school feeding programs in 1955, providing lunch for more than 43 million children. The Guideline 2009 limited processed foods and sugars and required schools to offer students one third of their daily nutritional requirements. A school lunch might include meat with vegetables, rice and beans, fresh-baked bread, salad and banana.
France
Unsurprisingly, France takes food seriously, especially school lunches. Each lunch usually has a multicourse meal including a raw vegetable starter and dairy course and a warm main meal with more vegetables, followed by a dessert.
Cuba
Cuban schools provide free lunches that usually feature rice, beans, hard-boiled eggs, vegetables such as sliced tomatoes, and a dessert. Children bring their own drinks and sometimes some snacks from home.
Japan
In Japan, children are typically used to at least trying every food on their plates out of respect for its preparation. A traditional lunch usually consists of local and seasonal ingredients that result in healthy meals such as hearty soups and stews, grilled fish, seasoned rice, and fried noodles. Each lunch contains a specific number of calories.
1. What is the main feature of Brazilian lunch?| A．It’s free of charge. | B．It’s nutritionally balanced. |
| C．It’s served off campus. | D．It’s ordered in the canteens. |
| A．Neither has milk and eggs. | B．Neither has rice and noodles. |
| C．Both include drinks and snacks. | D．Both include desserts and vegetables. |
| A．It is prepared by the elders. | B．It is limited in diversity. |
| C．It is made from fresh ingredients. | D．It contains too much fat. |
2 . Do you remember that cold you had when you were 10? No? Well, your body does. Each time you faced some viruses, and after you fought them off, your body stored a memory to recognize these threats if they appeared again. It is the memory of cell in your immune system (免疫系统).
The immune system is so adaptable and long-lasting that it might be able to help our bodies to become immune to viruses we’ve never met, or even give us universal immunity. But how does it do the job?
Our first level of defense is physical, like your skin. If something goes through skin, your second line of defense comes into action. White blood cells will search your body for these dangers and attack them. They’ll call in helpers to kill the dangers, and start an alarm system called inflammation (发炎). This is your body’s innate (先天的) immune system at work.
But it isn’t always enough, especially if a more serious threat appears. Some viruses can double in your body every 20 minutes. This can quickly defeat that innate immune system, but luckily, we’ve developed a more complicated line of defense to stop these terrible enemies: the adaptive immune response.
This army of cells is like your body’s special army, and its best soldiers are antibodies (抗体). Each antibody carries a unique area with a special shape that allows it to latch onto one particular enemy, just like a key fits into its lock. When one antibody catches its enemy, it can work together with all your body’s defenses to fight this enemy. And your immune system learns from this fight so it can attack even more strongly if you ever meet that enemy again in the future. That’s called being immune to something.
1. What is the function of our memory of cell?| A．It works as a warning of our health condition. |
| B．It strengthens our immune system as we grow older. |
| C．It helps to identify the bacteria our body has met before. |
| D．It stops us suffering from the same disease again and again. |
| A．Inflammation is a preventive response. |
| B．The first level of defense is easy to break. |
| C．White blood cells often work independently. |
| D．Helpers may build an alarm system against enemies. |
| A．Seize. | B．Free. | C．Monitor. | D．Suspect. |
| A．How the viruses try to get into our body. |
| B．What we should do to keep from new illnesses. |
| C．How the immune system helps us fight diseases. |
| D．What our minds do to store the sickness memory. |
3 . In a fast developing world, many old-fashioned skills seem to be disappearing. It’s hard to find people who know such skills as sewing, but a few decades ago, it was common for every person to learn them.
Now many would think sewing isn’t as useful today. The garment (服装) industry is producing clothing that is cheaper, faster and more fashionable than ever, making it possible to buy a suit for less than $10 at home.
However, that doesn’t mean clothing isn’t indestructible (破坏不了的). Garments with simple tears that could be fixed in seconds with a needle are just thrown away. This causes more than 26 billion pounds of garbage and millions of dollars wasted because of a tear. Even dirty or worn clothing that still has plenty of usable cloth is being thrown away.
The ability to create hand-made clothes doesn’t only reduce waste. It is also tailor-made just for you. Most buy clothes made for a general body type, and to get it tailored by a professional is expensive. So why not do it yourself?
Perhaps the greatest problem of sewing is simply the time involved. Buying a skirt online takes a few seconds. Making a skirt can take weeks. But learning to sew doesn’t always involve complicated projects. Instead they might just be simple adjustments to help the garments fit or match your style.
Schools could easily teach sewing. Yet, they focus more on college preparations, ignoring traditional skills. Actually sewing is a valuable skill to be used in daily life. It wouldn’t take much time to teach children how to sew.
So, instead of letting old things die in this new age of the Internet, how about learning some of the lost skills that helped us for so long?
1. Why do some people think the sewing skill is less useful?| A．Because cloth is too expensive. |
| B．Because sewing is a bit boring to learn. |
| C．Because hand-made things are easily broken. |
| D．Because clothes are cheaper and convenient to buy. |
| A．It contributes to creativity. | B．It’s environmentally-friendly. |
| C．It pushes the garment industry. | D．It gives costumers a typical look. |
| A．They make the skills easy to learn. | B．They set the skills as basic subjects. |
| C．They make every effort to teach the skills. | D．They fail to give the skills enough attention. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Doubtful. | C．Uncaring. | D．Opposing. |
4 . I first saw a real durian (榴莲) in an Asian supermarket in Queens. That strange-looking fruit was big, heavy, and covered with sharp pricks (刺). I decided to buy one. The Chinese checkout girl carefully wrapped it thickly in a newspaper before putting it into a shopping bag.
On the train home, I cautiously opened the Chinese newspaper and lifted it out. Its strangeness made me think of kung fu, yoga and Taijiquan.
Upon arriving home, I dug out the biggest knife and cut through the tough prickly husk (壳). I tasted the pale-yellow flesh, delicious!
After that, durian was my favourite fruit. My skill at cutting durian open was improving. I showed the skill to my girlfriend.
A few years later, we moved to Taiwan. One day I noticed some durians had begun to open by themselves. The owner tried to get me to buy one but I shook my head, thinking it was far-gone. Instead I selected one whose outer husk wasn’t open.
The next morning I woke up to a strong durian smell. I found a small crack (裂缝) had appeared all on its own. I used the smallest pressure and tasted a more delicious durian. Suddenly, I realized something. I ha felt so satisfied with my own skill in opening the durian that I never thought about letting the durian open itself. The higher art was not in doing but in not doing — letting the thing happen on its own in the way it happens best.
1. Why did the Chinese checkout girl wrap the durian thickly in a newspaper?| A．To decorate the durian. | B．To stop the durian from falling apart. |
| C．To prevent the author from being hurt. | D．To encourage the author to read Chinese. |
| A．A strange fruit. | B．A delicious dinner. |
| C．Other passengers’ attention. | D．Some symbols of Asian culture. |
| A．He thought it was too ripe. | B．He enjoyed the selection of durian. |
| C．He wanted a chance to show his skill. | D．He preferred the durian with open husk. |
| A．Practice makes perfect. | B．Let nature take its course. |
| C．Interest is the best teacher. | D．Kill two birds with one stone. |
5 . In this globalized era, it has become more and more common to work, live, befriend, and even create families with people of diverse backgrounds. In this sense, understanding how to bridge cultural gaps among various diverse groups is important. The better we understand each other, the less misunderstanding would occur.
Recognize cultural differences.
Be as open-minded as possible. Recognize cultural differences among the people you are communicating with.
Show respect.
Speak clearly.
Speaking clearly means using concrete words, not abstract words, which can often confuse those who speak English as a foreign or second language. Use a calm and soft intonation as well, as people tend to take in information better when listening to a calming tone.
With awareness and understanding of cultural differences, asking for clarification should not be hard. Offer clarification as well, so the person would feel you are doing your best to communicate meaningfully.
In short, bridging cultural gaps requires a respectful and honest communication where clarifying and asking for clarifications should come naturally.
| A．Clarify and ask for clarification. |
| B．Here are some suggestions which help. |
| C．These points not only decide on the topic. |
| D．People tend to show respect with polite words. |
| E．The way you communicate is of great importance. |
| F．Every culture has a very special way to show respect. |
| G．Know that the behaviors are based on cultural backgrounds. |
6 . Problem-solving skills
We face problems in our everyday life.
Know the problem
First of all, it is important to know and understand the problem clearly. Knowing the problem means solving half the problem itself. Questions like why, what, how, when, where and who will take you to the root cause of the problem.
Analyze the problem
Analyzing the problem will give you time to think of a proper solution. You can use various tools to analyze the problem.
Plan a strategy (策略)
Planning a strategy will help you waste less energy and time in trying all the solutions.
Leave out the information that is not required for the solving of the problem. You need to be accurate with the details. Keeping the irrelevant (不相关的) information usually won’t simplify the problem as we tend to overlook the relevant information.
Carrying out the solution
Carrying out the solution in a correct way to get the expected result is important while solving a problem. You need to be creative while carrying out a solution just in case some other problem arises while applying the solution.
Solving a problem is easy if you understand the problem in the first place. By analyzing the problem, planning a strategy, using the best solution, and carrying out the solution in the best method, you will solve your problem smoothly.
| A．Make a wise decision |
| B．Delete irrelevant information |
| C．It can be a diagram, a flow chart or a list, etc. |
| D．It can be social problems, relationship problems, or problems at work. |
| E．Sometimes we can take wrong decisions for solving the problems in a hurry. |
| F．This step includes knowing the advantages and disadvantages of a solution. |
| G．Being ready with other choices is also important in case a solution works only half way. |
7 . Ma Long, born in Anshan, Liaoning, the “home of table tennis”, was sent by his father to practise table tennis when he was 5 years old, and he went to Shenyang at the age of 11. At 15, Ma Long joined the national team. Although he was the least talkative boy of the players, his perseverance (坚持不懈) was as great as his overall strength in table tennis. In 2006, at 18, Ma Long, together with his teammates, won a team world championship.
His daily routine was a two-point line between the dormitory and the training hall, and he was the first to arrive and the last to leave on a daily basis. He had been doing so for ten years. His coach Liu Guoliang once said, “I went to the table tennis hall on a Sunday morning for an unannounced inspection (突击检查) to see how many players were training on Sunday. Only one person in the men’s first team was there. A genius (天才) is not your fear, but your fear is that a genius works harder than you do.” Such a genius is Ma Long.
However, after joining the team for nearly a decade, he suffered various types of failure. At that time, Zhang Jike, another top player, returned to the national team. From then on, Zhang was so invincible that he achieved the personal Grand Slam (大满贯) within only 445 days. Seeing Zhang’s achievements, Ma Long, at the lowest point, had the idea of retiring. But he was unwilling to just “disappear”.
Then came the Suzhou 2015 World Championship, Ma Long crowned his career, winning the singles champion.
1. What can we know about Ma Long in Paragraph 1?| A．He was an outgoing and sociable person. |
| B．He won the first world single championship at 18. |
| C．He started to practise at 5 without his parents. |
| D．He stood out for his determination and professional skills. |
| A．Years of training saw his loneliness. |
| B．He was tired and under inspection every day. |
| C．Hardship and fears beat him. |
| D．The road to fame was never smooth but rather tough. |
| A．Unbelievable. | B．Matchless. | C．Selfless. | D．Unbearable. |
| A．Ma Long: Pain Is Worthy of a Champion |
| B．Ma Long: Victory Is Worthy of Focus of Attention |
| C．Ma Long: Glory Will Fade Away |
| D．Ma Long: Chance Prefers the Genius |
8 . I love travelling, but it hasn’t always been my passion. In my first year of university, I started to travel during the holiday. During the Christmas holiday I went to Paris, and during the spring vacation, I visited Athens and various cities in Italy. I was very excited because this was the first time I had travelled abroad with just my friends. This desire to travel started off simply as a way to have something to look forward to after exams, but I soon discovered how important it is to travel.
On my travels I have had the opportunity where I not only experience new and exciting cultures through the art, history, language and food, but also communicate with people who have different views on life. Travelling is a learning experience for both yourself and the people you meet. Some people I met during my travels had never heard of Gambia and it was very delightful to share my African roots with them. When you travel you will meet people who have different cultural backgrounds and as a result, sometimes your own ideas and opinions might be challenged. It’s important to learn to see things from other people’s perspectives (视角) and challenge your own.
This is how I realized that travelling is the realization of home. When you travel you can see a different setting, a different language and a different way of living.
Travelling is truly an enriching experience and I am always excited about the discoveries that wait for me in my next adventure!
1. Why was the author excited when he was in Italy?| A．Because it was the first time for him to go abroad with friends. |
| B．Because luckily he met his old friends there. |
| C．Because he was attracted by the beauty of the country. |
| D．Because he had never gone abroad before. |
| A．He has chances to communicate with his family. |
| B．He is curious to know why there are so many languages. |
| C．He learns a lot in many ways from the people he meets. |
| D．He shares his travelling experiences with foreign friends. |
| A．The author is a student from America. |
| B．The author’s roots probably are in Gambia. |
| C．The author often has different opinions from others. |
| D．The author knows nothing about African history. |
| A．He will find out the exact location of his home. |
| B．He will get familiar with a different way of living. |
| C．He will make a summary of his exciting adventures. |
| D．He will make preparations for his next wonderful trip. |
9 . Do you feel lonely? The World Health Organization (WHO) recently addressed loneliness as a pressing health threat. It called for countries and organizations to make social connections a priority.
Loneliness is a state of mind marked by feelings of isolation (孤独) despite wanting social connections. So, people who are lonely usually experience the emotional pain of not being connected with others. Solitude (独处), on the other hand, is voluntary. People who enjoy spending time by themselves continue to maintain positive social relationships that they can return to when they want connection.
Social isolation impacts the health and well-being of all age groups across the world. According to the WHO, one in four old people experience social isolation. Among adolescents, between 5 and 15 percent experience loneliness, but the numbers are likely to be underestimations, said the organization.
In terms of teenagers, social disconnection can lead to poorer education outcomes since young people who have experienced loneliness in high school are more likely to drop out of university.
Lack of social connection carries a risk of early death equivalent to other better-known risk factors such as smoking, obesity and air pollution, or potentially even greater. Loneliness has a far-reaching impact comparable to smoking up to 15cigarettes a day, according to a 2017 study.
Previous studies have shown that loneliness has been linked to anxiety and depression and can increase the risk of heart disease by 30 percent. A 2015 study looked at the immune systems of its participants who were identified as lonely. It showed that they tend to have more inflammation (炎症) and less immunity, which can be a result of feeling stressed due to loneliness.
To tackle this crisis, the WHO launched the Commission on Social Connection, which held its first leadership meeting from Dec. 6 to 8 to outline solutions to build social connections at scale.
1. What can we learn about people experiencing loneliness from the text?| A．They prefer solitude over social interaction. |
| B．They feel lacking in social connection. |
| C．They feel other people isolate them on purpose. |
| D．They struggle to maintain social relationships. |
| A．It is harder for older people to get rid of it. |
| B．Teenagers are usually not influenced by it. |
| C．People can suffer from it regardless of their age. |
| D．Adults experience it primarily due to workplace stress. |
| A．By citing previous studies. | B．By asking the readers some questions. |
| C．By quoting lonely people. | D．By comparing it with other diseases. |
| A．To raise awareness about loneliness. |
| B．To give advice on how to prevent social isolation. |
| C．To stress the need for mental health evaluations. |
| D．To warn people of diseases related to loneliness. |
10 . City Hotels
Royal
It’s easy to miss this central hotel hidden away in a side street. Unlimited coffee, but nothing more, is available in the morning, but there are food stores a short walk away.
Windmill
This medium-priced hotel surrounded by artists’ studios, lively bars and interesting food shops is right in the middle of the city. The underground station outside will take you anywhere, including the airport within minutes. Help yourself to breakfast from 8 am downstairs.
Hi-Tech
All costs are kept low here. Guests book on the Internet, then check in and buy everything they need from machines. Breakfast comes in airline-style boxes. You sleep in a tiny cabin (隔间)for one and roll up your bed during the day. It’s a fun choice for backpackers, who get together in the lively club next door.
Stark’s
A leading designer has decorated the inside of this smart modern hotel with white bed covers and wooden floors. The ground floor has a top-class restaurant and gym. Reception is open 24 hours a day.
Mars
Hotel Mars is located on one of the main streets, a short walk from tourist attractions, theaters and restaurants. The luxury rooms are beautifully decorated. An excellent breakfast is served by waiters in the top-floor restaurant, which also offers breathtaking evening views over the city.
Haussman
The wonderful city museum is right next door to this friendly 19th-century hotel. The hotel games room will keep all ages entertained, and there’s plenty on offer at the self-service breakfast. Staff are always happy to supply information about what’s on.
1. What can be learned about Windmill?| A．It offers unlimited coffee. | B．It has an online-ordering service. |
| C．It is designed by a leading artist. | D．It is next to an underground station. |
| A．Comfort. | B．Security. | C．Price. | D．Service. |
| A．Royal. | B．Mars. | C．Haussman. | D．Stark’s. |
