1 . A tree planting initiative in Kenya has seen over 30,000 trees being planted. The Green Generation Initiative is a Kenyan charity that has been planting trees to counter climate change and the reduction in forest in the East African nation since 2016.
Founded by climate activist Elizabeth Wathuti, the initiative's primary focus is on developing young climate activists through environmental education in schools and addressing food insecurity in the region through planting fruit trees. Since its foundation, over 30,000 trees have been planted in Kenya, while thousands of school children have not just planted trees but adopted them to ensure that young people learn the importance of acting as a guardian of the health of the environment. The trees have recorded a survival rate of over 98 percent, as they continue growing from young trees to maturity.
Speaking to world leaders at the recent UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow (COP26)，Elizabeth issued a serious warning about the threat of climate change: “Over two million of Kenyans are facing climaterelated starvation. In 2025, half of the world's population will be facing water shortage. By the time I'm 50, the climate crisis will displace over 80 million people in subSaharan Africa alone.”
Elizabeth said, “I have been doing what I can.Inspired by the great Wangari Maathai, I founded a tree growing initiative that enhances food security for young Kenyans. So far, we have grown 30，000 fruit trees, providing desperately needed nutrition for thousands of children.” “Every day we see that when we look after the trees, they look after us. We are the adults on this Earth right now, and it is our responsibility to ensure that the children have food and water, ”she added.
1. What is the initiative intended for?| A．Making policies. |
| B．Raising money. |
| C．Educating adults. |
| D．Fighting climate change. |
| A．Hunger. | B．Sickness. |
| C．Water shortage. | D．Economic risks. |
| A．Over 3,000 trees have been planted. |
| B．Green awareness has been raised. |
| C．Over 80 million people have been saved. |
| D．School education has been guaranteed. |
| A．Friendly and talented. |
| B．Caring and responsible. |
| C．Honest and determined. |
| D．Ambitious and humorous. |
2 . The endangered pandas in the Qinling Mountains might face a new threat: the loss of their food — bamboo, which makes up 99% of their meals.
Adult pandas spend most of the day eating bamboo and have to take in at least 40 pounds a day to stay healthy. However, a new study published in Nature Climate Change warned that they may soon find their food gone because most of the bamboo in the Qinling Mountains might disappear by the end of the century as a result of the rising temperature worldwide.
A team made up of researchers from Michigan State University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences has studied the effects of climate change on the bamboo in the Qinling Mountains. They have found that bamboo is very sensitive to climate change. “80% to 100% of the bamboo would be gone if the average temperature increases 3.5 degrees worldwide by the end of the century,” said Liu Jianguo, one of the report's authors.
He added, “This is how much the temperature would rise by 2100 even if all countries will keep their promises in The Paris Agreement. But you know what is happening around the world.”
In recent years, China has been trying its best to protect the endangered pandas by setting up more and bigger nature reserves.
“But it is far from being enough and the endangered pandas need cooperation from the rest of the world, because their future is not just in the hands of the Chinese,”said Shirley Martin from the WWF but not a member of the team.
There are 345 wild pandas in the Qinling Mountains. That is about 18.5% of the population of China's wild pandas. In addition, about 375 pandas are living in research centers and zoos in China.
1. What can we learn from the first paragraph?| A．The Qinling Mountains can provide enough bamboo for the pandas. |
| B．Pandas in the Qinling Mountains are only threatened by the loss of food. |
| C．Lots of the bamboo in the Qinling Mountains will probably disappear. |
| D．Pandas have already eaten 99% of the bamboo in the Qinling Mountains. |
| A．China needs more help from the WWF. |
| B．It is difficult to control the temperature rise within 3.5 degrees. |
| C．Bamboo is sensitive to changes in temperature. |
| D．China is making great efforts to protect the pandas. |
| A．About 345. | B．About 408. | C．About 2,272. | D．About 1,864. |
| A．The Disappearance of Bamboo |
| B．Necessity to Change Pandas' Food |
| C．A New Threat Faced by the Pandas |
| D．Efforts Made to Save Pandas |
3 . The two-week Harvard Pre-College Program is an intense and exciting experience of the college life. The admission committee is now looking for mature, academically motivated students who will graduate from high school and enter college in 2022.
The Course Experience
With over 30 courses to choose from, you’re sure to find a topic that interests you. Although courses are non-credit and do not have letter grades, you need to attend the class in its entirety. When class is not in session, you can participate in creative and social activities. At the end of the program, you’ll receive a written evaluation from your instructor, as well as a transcript (成绩单).
Time
·July 24 — August 5
How to Apply
Complete an online application and provide supplemental (补充的) materials, including:
·The $75 non-refundable application fee.
·Transcripts from 9th grade to fall 2021 grades: This can include progress reports, report cards, and educational summaries from your high school
·If English is not your native language, submit scores from the TOEFL IBT or IELTS language proficiency exam along with your application.
Cost & Aid
The total fee for a Harvard Pre-College Program 2022 session is $4,950. The program fee includes tuition, room and board, and activity costs for the full two weeks. There is also a non-refundable $75 application fee and $100 health insurance.
A limited number of scholarships are available to assist students who demonstrate financial need. Awards vary based on need, and atypical award covers part of the tuition.
How to contact us
Interested in learning more about the program? Complete our request form, and a member of cur team will contact you.
Phone:(617) 495-4023
Email: precollege@summer.harvard.cn
1. Which is a requirement for students attending the course?| A．Completing 30 courses. | B．Getting required credits. |
| C．Having a full attendance. | D．Prioritizing social activities. |
| A．Health certificate. | B．Academic conditions. |
| C．Financial declaration. | D．Personal integrity. |
| A．$75. | B．$100. | C．$4,950. | D．$5,125. |
THE AMAZING ANIMALS OF AUSTRALIA
Our topic today is “Creatures Unique to Australia”, with questions answered by wildlife expert, Dr Jim Smith.
Australia has lots of unique animals, but which animal is a symbol of the country?
It has to be the kangaroo, as it has a wide distribution throughout the country. It’s a tough animal that has to survive in a difficult environment. Also, it cannot walk backwards, so it is always moving forwards. This expresses the strength and resolve of the Australians as individuals and as a nation. Baby kangaroos weigh only two grammes at birth. They then find their way into their mother’s pouch—a kind of pocket—to stay safe and warm. They sleep and drink milk in that temporary, protected environment until they are about seven or eight months old. After this phase, they go out to try their legs. After they learn to jump, they gradually spend less time with their mother and learn to be independent. Kangaroos may look cute, but encounters with them don’t always end so well. Kangaroos can hit and kick very hard, so please folks, if you see some kangaroos, remember they’re not for petting!
Koalas are cute, and we see so many pictures of people holding them. But in many places in Australia, it is against the law to even touch them. Can you clarify that?
They are really quite cute, but the truth is, koalas are very sensitive creatures who can easily panic because of even small changes in their environment. They spend quite a lot of time eating, sleeping, and hanging onto tree trunks, so interaction with humans can cause them a lot of stress.
Because of this, the government began to make laws against touching koalas, in the interest of animal protection, as well as public safety. So, if you see one in the wild, you shouldn’t approach it to pick it up or even touch it. If you want to hold a koala, you have to go to certain licensed zoos where animal experts make sure that the koalas selected for each session are in a good state for human contact and that they are handled for only a limited time and on a limited frequency of occasions.
So, we’ve talked about some cute animals. What about animals which aren’t so cute?
My favourite is a little creature called the Tasmanian devil. If you are out camping in Tasmania and come across one, the experience might scare you! Tasmanian devils hunt at night, so you won’t usually see them, but you may hear their loud cries when they are fighting or eating. The noise they make could wake the dead. Frightening! They are about the size of small dogs and look like rather large black rats. They also have a terrible smell! Their diet is mostly dead animals. Fortunately, despite their name, they are generally not violent towards people.
Australia also has some animals that many people have never heard of, for example, the duckbilled platypus. Is that some kind of bird?
Not at all. While it may lay eggs in a nest like a bird, it’s really a primitive mammal, with a unique biology. Its eggs hatch after about ten days, and then the baby platypus nurses from its mother like all other mammals. Its nose looks like a duck’s bill, and it has feet like a duck’s so it can dive under the water, but it’s covered in hair. Do you know what’s really strange about a platypus? The platypus doesn’t use its senses of sight or smell to find food. It has a capacity to find food in the water by using electrical sensors in its bill. There are only a small handful of animals in the world that can do that!
1. What can we infer from the last two sentences of the first part?| A．Kangaroos can be dangerous sometimes. | B．It is hard to take kangaroos as family pets. |
| C．Meeting kangaroos is always a lucky thing. | D．It is always good to pet a cute kangaroo. |
| A．After they were born for ten days. | B．Until they can dive under the water. |
| C．Since they were born immediately. | D．When they are about seven or eight months old. |
| A．It may disturb their daily activities. | B．It can change their living habits. |
| C．It will bring pressure to their life. | D．It may attack people by surprise. |
| A．They are aggressive against humans. | B．They frighten their prey to death. |
| C．They belong to a rat family. | D．They make loud and frightening noise. |
REDUCING WATER POLLUTION IN THE LI RIVER
The beautiful Li River and its amazing surrounding scenery is one of the most wellknown tourist destinations in China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. It attracts millions of domestic and foreign visitors each year. However, its reputation as a top destination has had negative effects on the river’s water quality. This report looks at the problem of water pollution and some actions that have been taken to deal with it．Previously, water quality in the Li River had suffered greatly from an increasing volume of tourists, many of whom frequently threw garbage into the river. Many tour boats contributed to the problem too.
Kitchens on board were using lots of oil, which was often thrown into the water. The growth in tourism also meant the local population rose rapidly,as well as the number of commercial and industrial enterprises. Water pollution levels increased, with more household and commercial waste ending up in the river. In order to feed more people,more chemicals were used to increase crop production. These chemicals led to severe water quality issues,causing a decrease in the number of fish species. Local officials were concerned that the pollution was damaging the natural environment and felt that urgent steps should be taken to restore the river's original beauty.
A comprehensive initiative was started, with a number of measures that addressed the issues. The construction of waste water treatment facilities improved the water quality and water conservation.The collection and transport of household waste was also improved.Dozens of polluting enterprises were closed or moved. The local government set up strict regulations regarding further industrial development. New rules were also introduced regarding tour boat routes and garbage disposal methods. Furthermore, the local authorities began to use the media to spread environmental awareness and encourage greater use of clean energy. At the same time, they started to carry out inspections regularly and fine tourist organisations for abuse. With these measures,it is believed that the beauty of the Li River will be preserved for generations to come．
In addition,the ambitious “Water Ten Plan” is also now tackling water pollution across the country. Other initiatives,such as the “River Chief System”, hold senior officials responsible for reducing water pollution. With such campaigns in effect, China’s waterways are heading towards a clean and sustainable future.1. What’s the passage mainly about?
| A．The beauty of the Li River. |
| B．What some tourists did led to the water pollution. |
| C．Some measures to reduce water pollution in the Li River. |
| D．The ways to increase crop production. |
| A．Some tourists didn’t care about the Li River. |
| B．What have caused water pollution in the Li River? |
| C．Some tourists threw garbage into the Li River. |
| D．The local population rose rapidly. |
| A．The chemicals have caused a decrease in the number of fish species. |
| B．The reputation of the Li River has a negative effect on the river’s water quality. |
| C．The media has a good effect on encouraging greater use of clean energy. |
| D．The local government did nothing to protect the water quality in Li River. |
| A．people can do nothing to reduce water pollution in Li River |
| B．tourists are not allowed to visit the Li River |
| C．the local authorities never inspect the Li River |
| D．some measures have been taken to reduce water pollution in the Li River |
6 . There are close to 7,000 languages spoken on Earth. However, it’s estimated that by the end of this century, up to 50% of them may be lost.
It’s commonly thought that majority languages tend to be valued for being useful and for promoting progress, while minority languages are seen as barriers to progress, and the value placed on them is seen mainly as sentimental. But is sentimentality really the only motivation for preserving language diversity?
Speakers of endangered languages often live in remote areas with unique landform. It is quite common for these languages to distinguish between hundreds more types of plants and animals than those known to modern science. For example, in Southeast Asia, some tribes have discovered the medicinal properties of over sixty-five hundred plant species. This has led to many of landmark achievements in medicine.
It was once believed that the limits of one’s language defined the limits of one’s thought. This theory, called the Sapir-Wharf hypothesis (假说), has been largely rejected in favor of the improved version, which assumes that the language we speak does not set the limits of our thoughts, but it does direct our focus in certain ways. For example, English is a tense-based language. It’s nearly impossible: to talk about doing something without specifying the time — i. e. I went to the party(past), I’m going to the party(present), or I’ll go to the party(future). This differs from Chinese, where it’s perfectly reasonable to say, “I go to the party” without defining the “when”. Thus, part of the richness of language is that it allows us to organize the world in ‘so many unique ways.
Some languages categorize the world in ways so different from our own that they are difficult to conceptualize (概念化). The United States employed native Navajo speakers to create a system of message coding during the Second World War. The Japanese were never able to break it, and the “code talkers” are often cited today as having helped decide the outcome of the war.
As we’ve already seen, minority languages are valuable for many practical reasons. In conclusion, I’d say the short answer is yes — dying languages are certainly worth saving!
1. Why does the author list the numbers in the first paragraph?| A．To alarm people. | B．To offer background information. |
| C．To reveal the topic. | D．To arouse the readers’ interest. |
| A．Emotional. | B．Reliable. | C．Reasonable. | D．Experimental. |
| A．Helping us discover drugs in more ways. |
| B．Saving us the trouble of distinguishing different medicines. |
| C．Making it possible for us to acquire a broader knowledge of nature. |
| D．Inspiring us to learn more as to how to protect plants and animals. |
| A．To explain ways of saving some languages. | B．To correct the Sapir-Wharf hypothesis. |
| C．To show how languages categorize the world. | D．To prove the value of minority languages. |
7 . A few days before New Year 1944, Patricia Krueger received a telegram from the U. S. Army. She hoped it would contain a belated birthday greeting from her husband, an army flight engineer, Charles Krueger, whom she had not heard from for 2 weeks. Instead, the message said he wasn’t coming home: His B-29 had been lost and he was later declared MIA (missing in action). Their son, John Krueger from Middleton, Wisconsin, is still in tears when he recounts this story.
Decades later, the military continues to work to bring back the remains of soldiers like Charles Krueger. The job of finding them falls to DPAA (Defense POW/ MIA Accounting Agency), created in 2015 after critics charged that the previous MIA search process was slow, and behind on innovations in science and technology. Between 1973 and 2014, the remains of only 1,849 missing service member s were returned to their families; in 2021, the agency accounted for the remains of 141 MIAs; according to DPAA figures.
To accelerate the work, Congress gave DPAA the authority to develop public-private partnerships with scientists and groups outside the government. “Teaming up with academic scientists introduces new ways of thinking,” says military historian Michael Dolski. “Working with partners allows us to tap into their technologies and capabilities in ways that we just can’t maintain.”
For scientists, the work is more than technically satisfying. “It’s the most rewarding aspect of my career,” says Mires, a scientist working with the agency. “In other archaeology sites I’ve worked on, the history is remote,” he says. “Here, you’re doing something not for a thing, but for a person, and all the people they touched.”
1. What was the telegram about in paragraph 1?| A．A New Year dinner. | B．Krueger’s disappearance. |
| C．A birthday greeting. | D．John Krueger’s memory. |
| A．Because DPAA wants to continue the search. |
| B．Because it took long and lacked creativeness. |
| C．Because the work was stopped by the military. |
| D．Because 141 MIAs’ remains were found in 2021. |
| A．Patient. | B．Critical. | C．Doubtful. | D．Approving. |
| A．A long search for MIAs. | B．Achievements of DPAA. |
| C．Assistance from science. | D．Consequences of wars. |
8 . Gardening is a very popular hobby. And it is one that produces wonderful results — food for your dinner table and flowers for your home! Here we want to introduce some expressions in English about garden.
Gardens themselves can be very beautiful. So you would think that a garden path is a great place to be. Well, in conversation, it is not. Leading someone up the garden path means you are trying to trick them. You are not trying to show them your beautiful flowers.
Speaking of beautiful flowers, gardeners love to see small buds (芽) forming on their plants. Besides plants and flowers, people can bud, too. If a child is good at drawing and painting, we can call him a budding artist. So “budding” describes something that is beginning to develop.
On the opposite end, you stop something from growing if you nip (掐) it in the bud. This is a common expression when we talk about stopping something bad and preventing it from continuing. It’s good to nip small problems in the bud before they turn into big problems.
Now flowers that bloom are beautiful to see — even garden-variety flowers. “Garden-variety” describes anything that is common and not so special. You can have a garden-variety cold — not a serious illness. You can have a garden-variety problem at work—nothing special, just a common problem with a colleague.
Now, a problem that many gardeners have is weeds (野草). Weeds grow easily and can quickly take over a garden. In conversation, we sometimes use “weeds” to mean too many details. So, if you are in the weeds, you are taken over by too many details.
As we said, weeds grow quickly. So do children. So, we like to say a child grows like a weed. This expression compares a child’s fast growth to that of a weed. You can use it with family, friends or even at work as you talk about your boss’s child.
1. What do you mean to do if you lead a man up the garden path?| A．Act as a guide. | B．Cheat him. |
| C．Teach him to work. | D．Show him your garden. |
| A．Treat it as a garden-variety matter. | B．Lead him up the garden path. |
| C．See him budding. | D．Nip it in the bud. |
| A．You meet a garden-variety problem. | B．You are budding in your career. |
| C．You are in the weeds. | D．You grow like a weed. |
| A．Proud. | B．Angry. | C．Discouraged. | D．Grateful. |
9 . Parrots are prey animals, which means that other predators (捕食者) in the wild, such as hawks or snakes, are looking to make them into a meal. This one factor influences parrots’ behavior in your house more than any other.
Parrots are most easily hurt when feeding on the ground. Membership in a group plays an important function in ensuring their safety and improving their chances of survival from attacks by predators. The most common predators of parrots include hawks, snakes, cats, monkeys, and bats. Some predators make attacks only during the day while others hunt in the night.
As prey animals, parrots are constantly watching out for danger and they instinctively (本能地) react to risks. Their first choice is to take flight. However, if this is not possible, they will fight with their powerful beaks to defend themselves.
Because their biggest enemy is the hawk, parrots are especially reactive to quick movements from above and behind. For this reason, it is wise to avoid quick, sudden movements near your bird. This is a built-in reaction not subject to logic or reason. Simple and relatively harmless household objects can draw extreme fear responses from a bird. For example, a balloon may represent a hawk or a vacuum hose (吸尘器软管) may be the same as a snake in your bird’s mind.
As prey animals, parrots are often frightened by exposure to new household items or strangers. It is important to expose your bird to safe experiences and changes starting at a very young age to build flexibility and improve their adaptability. Variety in diet and toys, travel, and exposure to new people and places all help to make your bird more flexible and adaptable to change.
1. What is important for parrots to better survive from attacks in the wild?| A．Living in a group. | B．Growing beautiful feathers. |
| C．Feeding on the ground. | D．Avoiding coming out at night. |
| A．To attack back. | B．To get away. |
| C．To protect the young. | D．To play dead. |
| A．It may explode suddenly. | B．It may be in a strange shape. |
| C．It may have a strong color. | D．It may move around quickly. |
| A．To explain wild parrots’ behavior. | B．To give advice on raising a parrot. |
| C．To call for action to protect animals. | D．To introduce a study on bird ecology. |
10 . Astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) will soon test a new oven for making chocolate chip cookies. A spaceship carrying the cooking equipment and other supplies was launched on Saturday from the Wallops Flight Facility in the United States. The shipment, weighing 3,700 kilograms, reached the space station on Monday. The goal is to explore the possibility of making freshly baked cookies for space travelers.
American company Nanoracks designed and built the oven and helped with organizing the flight to the space station. Hilton Double Tree hotels supplied the cookie dough (生面团) the astronauts will use.
In the past, space station crews have created their own pizzas using a thin, fiat piece of bread known as flatbread. Astronauts have tried other creative ways to make food, such as creating salads from vegetables grown in the space station. Results have been mixed.
The cookie baking will be a slow process. The oven can heat just one cookie at a time. The test could take weeks before the astronauts have chance to try out freshly baked cookies.
Five unbaked cookies have been in a space station freezer for several weeks. Each is in its own individual clear bag made out of silicone. The oven can heat foods to temperatures as high as 177°C. That is twice the temperature of the U.S. and Russian food warmers on the space station. The oven uses electric heating elements.
Mary Murphy is with Nanoracks. Murphy says she expects a baking time of 15 to 20 minutes for each cookie when the oven is heated to about 163°C. She adds that the smell of baking cookies should fill the space station each time a cookie comes out of the oven.
The oven’s first use will be the real test. Without the force of gravity, the astronauts do not know exactly how the cookie will look. Three of the space-baked cookies are to be returned to Earth for testing.
1. Why were the cooking equipment and other supplies sent to ISS?| A．To promote the products from Hilton Double Tree hotels. |
| B．To find possible ways to make freshly baked cookies there. |
| C．To test the equipment’s cooking efficiency for of baking cookies. |
| D．To discover the potential of making bread by using a special dough. |
| A．They must be heated to over 177℃. |
| B．They were no different from those on the earth. |
| C．All the foods were brought with them from the earth. |
| D．Not all the planting experiments on ISS were successful. |
| A．Environmental-friendly. | B．Energy-efficient. |
| C．Far-reaching. | D．Time-consuming. |
| A．A newly-invented cooker is widely used on ISS. |
| B．A new oven is to be tested to make cookies on ISS. |
| C．Dessert-lovers will soon enjoy cookies coming from ISS. |
| D．Astronauts have found creative ways to make food on ISS. |
