1 . The Covid-19 pandemic has forced millions of us to participate in one of the biggest social experiments of our time: what would happen if office workers largely abandoned their workplaces and began working from home?
One thing seems clear: more people working remotely has brought some benefits for the environment. Wildlife has be enable to reclaim urban spaces while people have been tapping away at their home keyboards, with less commuter (通勤者) traffic.
Many people have also been able to get more done while working remotely.
As vaccines help to control Covid-19, many organizations are hoping to reap the best of both worlds by letting employees work from home on some days and travel to the office on others.
| A．But what about the benefits to people? |
| B．More than 2 years in, it is time to reflect. |
| C．After a severe period, there is no turning back. |
| D．However, the experiment hasn’t been all positive. |
| E．It is time to reset and rethink how we actually work. |
| F．Many managers have also reported declines in innovation. |
| G．The productivity level is found to rise as they work from home. |
2 . One New Year’s Day, ecologist Rob Wolton came up with an unusual resolution—to spend the next 12 months studying a hedge(树篱) 40 metres from his house in the middle of Devon. He wanted to make a list of every plant, animal and fungus(真菌)that used it. After a year of observations he had found 2, 000 species—far more than he imagined. Wolton says he enjoyed it hugely and his findings contribute to the growing body of evidence that hedges should not be overlooked.
“There is increasing recognition that much of the wildlife finds shelter in the hedges. But they’re much more than just wildlife passages—they are really important as habitats in their own right,” he says. The European commission’s Joint Research Centre recently argued that as the climate crisis worsens, hedges are expected to play more roles as they move in response to environmental change. Their deep roots help sequester carbon(固碳), and they also reduce the likelihood of flooding downstream, suck nutrients and pollutants out of water, and prevent soil loss. Alongside these functions, there is a cultural benefit to hedges too—I think lots of us who live in England think of the hedge landscape as being quite typical, says Wolton.
After the Second World War many hedges were removed to create more productive land. Only about one in three hedges in England are in good condition, according to the most recent research done in 2017.
The main issues are hedges being cut too severely and too frequently, which leads to loss of wildlife and gaps. A squirrel, for example, will turnaround if there is a gap of five metres. New hedges are being planted with single species, instead of many, which decrease the wildlife they can support.
It’s hard to say if interest in hedges will translate into action on a national scale，and much depends on what landscape features Environmental Land Management scheme.
1. What is the significance of Wolton’s study of the hedge?| A．It makes Wolton’s resolution come true. |
| B．It shows Wolton’s fondness of the hedge. |
| C．It indicates the important role of the hedge. |
| D．It points out the number of animals and plants. |
| A．Hedges provide home for wildlife. |
| B．Hedges are used to fight climate crisis. |
| C．Hedges area typical symbol of England. |
| D．Hedges have advantages in different aspects. |
| A．To show the diversity of wildlife in hedges. |
| B．To explain the bad effect of gaps in hedges. |
| C．To call for more species of plants in hedges. |
| D．To present what the loss of wildlife is like. |
| A．The favorable policy on hedges is undecided. |
| B．Public attention in hedges will be intensified. |
| C．A national scale protection is soon underway. |
| D．Environmental Land Management will fund hedges. |
Blood: Water Mission is founded by the Grammy Award-winning band, Jars of Clay.
The results of our efforts paint a new picture in these communities. There has been a remarkable improvement in the water situation and community health.
It’s a beautiful story. We invite you to be a small part of a larger, beautiful story.
| A．Clean water wells have been built. |
| B．Most children get the opportunity to go to school. |
| C．There is a vital link between HIV/AIDS and clean water. |
| D．Meanwhile, the 1,000 Wells Project has expanded along the way. |
| E．Blood: Water Mission has also created social effects in the United States. |
| F．Blood: Water Mission has developed a close friendship with these communities. |
| G．There are many projects providing much-needed assistance to African communities. |
4 . Chinese speakers have got a new thing to be proud of. The language they are speaking is more difficult than English.
Understanding Chinese requires both sides of the brain, but English speakers listen with only half their minds on the job, UK scientists say.
UK psychologist Sophie Scott and researchers from hospitals in Oxford and London performed brain scans on volunteers as they listened to their native languages. When English speakers heard the sound of their language, the left parts of their brains lit up on screen. When Chinese speakers heard their native tongue, there was an action in both the right and left sides.
“We were very surprised to discover that people who speak different sorts of languages use their brains to decode speech in different ways.” said Scott.
The left side is normally connected with putting sounds together into words; the right with processing melody (音调) in music and speech, so this part “lights up” when English speakers hear music. The researchers do not yet know whether the right side is active in English speakers when they hear Chinese.
In Chinese, a different intonation (语调) delivers a different meaning, the syllable (音节) “ma”, for instance, can mean mother, hemp (麻), horse or scold according to its musical sound.
“Speech really is a complex sound,” said Scott. “As well as understanding words, the brain uses the way in which words are spoken, such as intonation and melody, to turn spoken language into meaning.”
“We think Chinese speakers interpret intonation and melody in the right sides of their brains to give correct meaning to the spoken words.”
The study suggests that language itself might affect the way the brain develops in a young child. It could explain why native speakers of English find it so extraordinary hard to learn Chinese.
1. What does the underlined “volunteers” in paragraph 3 refer to?| A．Chinese speakers. | B．English speakers. |
| C．People who speak different languages. | D．Researchers and Chinese and English speakers. |
| A．Music. | B．Meanings. |
| C．Intonation and melody. | D．The way the brain develops. |
| A．The left sides of their brains are not used for language. |
| B．They can hardly understand words when there is music. |
| C．The right sides of their brains are never used in childhood. |
| D．They can hardly understand words in the right side of the brain. |
| A．How the Brain Responds to Music |
| B．How the Brain Responds to Chinese |
| C．The Brain Responds to Languages Differently |
| D．The Two Sides of the Brain Work Differently |
5 . When drawing scientists. U. S. children now depict (描画) female scientists more often than ever, according to new Northwestern University research, which has analyzed five decades of “Draw-A-Scientist” studies conducted since the 1960s.
This change suggests that children’s stereotypes (刻板印象) linking science with men have weakened over time, said the researchers, consistent with more women becoming scientists and children’s media depicting more female scientists on television shows and other media.
In the first study, conducted between 1968 and 1979, less than one percent of 5,000 children drew an image resembling a woman when asked to draw a scientist. Almost all their artwork depicted men working with laboratory equipment, often with lab coats, glasses and facial hair.
But in later studies (1988 to 2019), 28 percent of children drew a female scientist, on average. In addition, both girls and boys drew female scientists more often over time, though girls overall drew female scientists much more often than boys.
“Our results suggest that children’s stereotypes change as women’s and men’s roles change in society.” said study lead author David Miller. “Children still draw more male than female scientists, but that is expected because women remain a minority in several science fields.”
The researchers also studied how children form stereotypes about scientists across child development. The results suggested children did not associate science with men until grade school; around age 5, they drew roughly equal percentages of male and female scientists. During elementary and middle school, the tendency to draw male scientists increased strongly with age. Older children were also more likely to draw scientists with lab coats and glasses, suggesting that children learn other stereotypes as they mature.
“These changes across children’s age likely reflect that children’s exposure to male scientists accumulates during development, even in recent years.” said Miller.
“To build on cultural changes, teachers and parents should present children with multiple examples of female scientists across many contexts such as science courses, television shows and informal conversations,” Miller said.
1. What is the change in children drawing scientists?| A．Children draw more male scientists. |
| B．Children draw more female scientists. |
| C．Girls draw more scientists than boys. |
| D．Children draw more female than male scientists. |
| A．It’s not surprising. | B．It’s not reasonable. |
| C．It’s unexpected. | D．It’s not acceptable. |
| A．How children develop their drawings. |
| B．How children’s stereotypes change with age. |
| C．Why children draw more male scientists. |
| D．What scientists look like in children’s drawings. |
| A．By encouraging children to attend science courses. |
| B．By encouraging children to become scientists in the future. |
| C．By giving children an example of drawing female scientists. |
| D．By making female scientists known to children in various situations. |
6 . Lunch hour is crazy at SAME Café, the restaurant my husband, Brad, and I run in Denver.
One day a woman dressed in a business outfit (套装) stepped in. “Hi, Libby.” she said. I recognized her. The first time she came two years ago, she had no money to pay for a meal. No problem. Like many customers, she volunteered to work. After her meal, she washed dishes. Look at her now. I stole a glance at Brad, in the kitchen. Wasn’t this what we’d hoped for?
In 2015, on a flight home from Texas, we’d hatched this crazy dream. We’d both done a lot of volunteering at soup kitchens. It was something we felt called to do, feeding the poor.
“I wish we could start our own place,” I said. “No cash register (收银机). Just a donation box on the counter.”
“Why don’t we?” Brad said.
It would be a charity, but we didn’t want our diners to think of it as a charity. “If they can’t pay.” Brad said, “they can help wash dishes or sweep the floor. We must treat people with dignity.”
Our first customer was a woman in her forties. She told me she was recently divorced and she and her two kids had no place of their own. “Could I have a salad?” she asked. I brought her a plate of greens with fresh fruit and nuts. Her eyes grew wide. “These are the first fresh vegetables I’ve had in four months,” she exclaimed. That alone made our struggles to open the café worth it.
SAME is short for our belief: So All May Eat. Customers came for Brad’s cooking. But they also liked what our café stood for.
“What do I owe you?” one customer asked. “Whatever you think the meal’s worth,” I said, “and whatever you can afford.” Most customers gave what they could, even if it was just a dollar.
Something was different about the woman that day. Something besides her outfit. She stopped at the counter and ordered greens with sun-dried tomatoes, and a ham and pineapple pizza
“I have something to tell you.” she said. “The last time I was here, I started talking to a woman I’d met here before. She said. ‘There’s an opening in my office. Why don’t you come in and apply?” I did—I got the job!” I knew what was different about her—confidence.
She opened her purse. “I can pay now. How can I ever thank you?”
“You just did,” I said.
1. What did the author and her husband do at soup kitchens in Texas?| A．They learned how to cook. | B．They helped feed the hungry. |
| C．They trained the volunteers. | D．They made a living there. |
| A．With respect. | B．With pity. | C．With care. | D．With effort |
| A．Customers can pay as they like. | B．Customers needn’t pay for a meal. |
| C．Customers help with charity work. | D．Customers get paid for what they do. |
| A．The woman paid for her meal. |
| B．The woman expressed her thanks. |
| C．The woman helped to wash dishes. |
| D．The woman gave her what she had hoped for. |
7 . One Earth Award
About this award
Sponsored by the One Earth Fund, the One Earth Award offers $1,000 scholarships for four students whose works address the pressing issue of human-caused climate change.
Why should I create art or writing about climate change?
Some consequences of climate change include: sea-level rise, increase in air pollution, hurricane, droughts, extreme weather, and rising temperatures, among others. Your work can advance our thoughts about climate change and our understanding of solutions. It can also improve awareness of actions that we can take, in order to reduce the harm that human action has on our environment.
How do I apply?
Enter your work to any category in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. When selecting the category of your work, choose the One Earth Award. You will be required to include a personal statement on your work.
What should I write for the personal statement?
Your personal statement should be 50 words or more and answer the following questions:
What specific aspect of climate change does your work address?
What is your personal connection to this aspect of climate change, and why do you think talking about climate change is important?
Getting started on your work
These resources can help you learn about climate change and create your own art and writing about it.
Consider how poets talk about climate change with the Poetry Foundation.
Explore visual art activities and writing activities from the Teacher’s Climate Guide.
Try writing exercises developed by English Teachers Concerned about Climate Crisis.
1. What is the first thing to do to get the One Earth Award?| A．Choosing the One Earth Award. |
| B．Contacting the One Earth Fund. |
| C．Presenting the personal statement. |
| D．Visiting the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. |
| A．What action you will take. | B．What you are concerned about. |
| C．Why your work is important. | D．What suggestion you will make. |
| A．How do I apply? |
| B．About this award |
| C．Getting started on your work |
| D．What should I write for the personal statement? |
8 . “What will you do if a person you don’t know wants to give you a ride?” I asked my children. “What if he says Mom is hurt, and you have to come to the hospital with him?” I knew they pretended to listen to me, because I interrupted their TV time.
Here I also want to ask some parents, “Have you ever told your children how to protect themselves?” If you haven’t, I would like to give you four words to help you teach your children how to protect themselves.
No! If a stranger walks to the children, they should keep their distance from the stranger. If the stranger keeps walking to them in a terrible manner, they should run quickly and shout “No!” as loudly as possible.
Go! If the shout does not change the situation, they should run as quickly as possible to a safe place. It is helpful for children to know some safe places such as schools, restaurants and gas stations.
Yell! It means that the children should shout loudly. They can yell out, “Stranger!”
Call! Once they get to a safe place, they should call their parents, teachers or other persons they trust.
1. The underlined word “pretend” means in Chinese.| A．故意 | B．假装 | C．喜欢 | D．讨厌 |
| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
| A．a teacher | B．a policeman | C．a mother | D．a doctor |
| A．In a travel guide. | B．In an ad. |
| C．In a storybook. | D．In a newspaper. |
9 . Have you ever imagined the life in space? The following will show you the astronauts’ daily life.
Eating in space
If you go camping for more than a week with some friends, you will make sure you have plenty of foods and keep them properly. At the end of your camping trip, you would deal with your rubbish properly before the ride home.
Astronauts almost do the same thing when they go to space. Preparation changes with the food type. Some foods can be eaten in their natural forms, such as chocolate cakes and fruits. Other foods require adding water, such as cheese. Of course, an oven is provided at the space station to heat the food. But there are no fridges, so space food must be kept properly.
Sleeping in space
After a long day at work, nothing is better than a good night’s sleep! Just like on the earth, in space astronauts go to bed at a certain time, then get up and prepare for work again. When going to sleep, they have to attach themselves, so they don’t float (漂浮) around or hit their bodies against something. They usually use sleeping bags located in small crew cabins (乘员舱). Each crew cabin is just big enough for one person. Generally, astronauts have an eight-hour sleep each day when they finish their task.
Doing sports in space
Exercise is an important part of every astronaut’s daily life to prevent muscle loss (肌肉萎缩). Usually, astronauts exercise two hours every day. Lifting 200pounds on the earth may be a lot of work. But lifting that same object in space would be much easier. That means the things for exercise need to be specially designed, so astronauts can receive the exercise needed.
Living in space is not just all work and no play. Astronauts have fun, too. They like to look out the window and play with their food. Fun plays an important role in the quality of their life.
1. Which food can’t be brought to the space?| A．Apples | B．Chocolate cakes |
| C．Ice-cream | D．Cheese |
| A．To have fun | B．To keep healthy |
| C．To sleep well | D．To prevent muscle loss. |
| A．The life in space | B．The food in space |
| C．The work in space | D．The sports in space |
10 . Do you know that some kinds of foods you are eating every day are harming you slowly? Maybe you have a number of these foods on your menu. Let’s see if you need to start making changes in your diet.
If you have tooth decay (蛀牙) , you should avoid sugar as much as you can to reduce a risk of diabetes, cancers, obesity, heart disease and some other diseases. There are a lot of healthier ways to satisfy you. You can enjoy a bowl of fruit instead of some sweet snacks.
Cooking oil is a necessary part of your cooking. However, it has a high fat content, which can cause cardiovascular disease, obesity, cancers and Alzheimer’s disease. It’s a good idea to choose olive oil, coconut oil or avocado (牛油果) oil.
Alcohol is high in calories, which can cause physical damage, weight gain and skin problems, not to mention the bad decisions you make when you are drunk. Therefore, if you want to damage your system, just believe marketing and drink alcohol daily. Otherwise, avoid it.
Too much carbohydrate can suddenly and greatly increase your blood glucose level, which can speed up the aging process and give you wrinkled (有皱纹的) skin. You’ll age faster and be prone to diabetes, which is a big problem.
If you eat too much salt, you may have high blood pressure which is one of the leading causes of death in the world. However, don’t be too nervous and cut out all salt as your body still needs it. Just limit the amount of salt. 3.75 grams of sodium (钠) per day is a safe amount. Anything that has above 6 grams causes a high risk of heart disease.
1. According to the second paragraph, you’d better to ________ keep healthy.| A．eat fruit instead of snacks |
| B．eat less cooking oil or salt |
| C．drink a little alcohol every day |
| D．enjoy sugar as much as possible |
| A．Don’t eat a lot of snacks |
| B．Eating no salt for a long time. |
| C．Don’t put a lot of salt in the soup. |
| D．Cooking food with olive oil or avocado oil. |
| A．Coconut oil and alcohol | B．Carbohydrate and alcohol |
| C．Sugar and coconut oil | D．Sugar and salt |
