1 . When I travel, away from home, especially in India, I feel like Alice in Wonderland; I feel like I’ve fallen into the rabbit hole, or stepped through the looking glass. I felt everything is challenging, including my sense of self in the world and my ideas about how life and people should be.
In India, I meet other foreigners who tell me they think Pahar Ganj in Delhi is “the real India,” and who say the only way to travel in India is by staying in 150-rupee-a-night hotels. I also meet Delhi-born Indians who tell me they think Pahar Ganj is a ghetto(贫困区)and wouldn’t go near it. They prefer Delhi’s five star hotels and the shopping malls of Gurgaon.
I’m familiar with Indian life, but when I travel, I am seen as a foreigner and as if I know nothing about the culture. What’s the truth? The truth lies in the fact that “a mirror in the hands of God. It fell, and broke into pieces. Everybody took a piece of it, and they looked at it and thought they had the truth.”
Perception(认知)is the reason one person loves Thailand and another Rome. The scenery outside of the window depends of our culture, age, and everything else that goes into making us who we are. I have long been into perception and the nature of consciousness. I’ve studied and practiced running for close to 20 years, which told me: truth is in your experience, your experience is coloured by your perception, and you are a co-creator in your perception and thus in your reality of life.
As is written in Talmud, we do not see the world as it is. We see the world as we are.
1. What do we know from this passage?| A．The author finds the travel in India easy. |
| B．All of the Indians love five star hotels. |
| C．The author knows nothing about Indian culture. |
| D．People who love Thailand may not love Rome. |
| A．The god helps those who help themselves. | B．East or west, home is best. |
| C．We see what we are. | D．Experience is the best teacher. |
| A．Perception can influence our understanding of the outside world. |
| B．The people looking at the broken mirror can get the truth from god. |
| C．We should live in the hotel instead of the ghetto when travelling in India. |
| D．If we share the same culture, we will have the same perception of the world. |
| A．How to better understand the Indian culture? |
| B．A colorful experience during a foreign trip. |
| C．India-a different but attractive country. |
| D．Perception is what lies behind our understanding. |
2 . Sports are full of math. It is not just the score of the matches but lots of other numbers. So if you like all the numbers in sports, you may want to check out the National Math Festival (NMF) from 10 am to 4 pm Saturday at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.
The festival—this is the third NMF—will be full of fun activities connected with math for kids. There is a new game called Flagway, in which teams of five to eight players move across a game floor using their speed and knowledge of math.
John Urschel, who once played for a famous American football team, will speak about the physics in football. He is studying advanced math at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
But it's not all sports at the festival. There will be lots of other activities on how math is related to such non-sports activities as dance, music and the environment.
Like magic shows? Magician Mark Mitton will show how you can play tricks (把戏) in front of your friends with everyday objects.
Did you see the movie Frozen? Joseph Teran, a teacher at the University of California, Los Angeles, will speak about the math behind the special effects in the movie. Speaking of movies, the festival will show a film from the science television series Nova called Prediction by the Numbers. It shows how math is used to predict many things, including storms and TV game shows.
Kids and adults will be playing board games during all six hours of the festival. You can bring your favorite game or just join in the fun.
Kirsten Bohl, the project director of the NMF, says she wants kids who come to the festival to think, “Wow! I didn't realize math was so interesting and tied to so many things in my life.”
Maybe you want to know how much money your family will pay to attend the festival. Kids cost zero dollars, zero cents. Adults cost the same. Even if you have a huge family, all those zeros add up to zero.
1. If players want to win Flagway, what should they do?| A．Play in pairs with a teammate. | B．Be good at math. | C．Watch Nova before the game. | D．Use some knowledge of music. |
| A．John Urschel. | B．Mark Mitton. | C．Joseph Teran. | D．Kirsten Bohl. |
| A．It is about fun sports activities only. | B．It offers games to all ages for free. |
| C．It is held to celebrate the birth of board games. | D．It needs every visitor to play at least one game. |
| A．To show the importance of math in our life. | B．To talk about how math is connected with different games. |
| C．To call on young kids to pay attention to math. | D．To introduce a festival at which math and sports come together. |
3 . The official operation of Universal Beijing Resort (UBR) made Beijing the hottest tourist destination recently. After about 20 years’ preparation, China’s first Universal Studios theme park, and also the biggest Universal Studios theme park in the world, has attracted great attention. It marks the entry of another international chain into China’s thriving theme park industry.
China has become the largest market for theme parks across the world. Today there are nearly 3,000 theme parks in China and over 400 among them are large-scale.
The popularity of theme parks partly comes from the intellectual property they have acquired over the years, which can include characters and stories. Take the Shanghai Disney Resort as an example. From Mickey Mouse to Snow White, Disney had a lot of elements to draw from in designing the theme park. A fan of Disney’s animations Mr. Wu said that he had visited the resort so many times because of his love of the characters and themes throughout the park.
Theme parks have played a leading role in promoting tourism and other relative kinds of consumption (消费). For the past five years, the Shanghai Disney Resort has welcomed 83 million visitors, earning over 40 billion yuan in total. Disney’s impressive performance was carefully viewed by other international firms eager to take part in China’s theme park economy, Steinbock pointed out. According to Steinbock, capital investment in China’s theme park projects in the first half of the 2020s could reach $20 billion. “These huge investments show foreign investors’ rising confidence in China’s business environment.”
“Although the COVID-19 pandemic has created a huge impact on the global tourism market, we are still very positive on the business environment of the Chinese market,” said Tom Mehrmann, president and general manager of UBR.
1. What can we learn about the UBR according to the passage?| A．It has been prepared for a decade. |
| B．It is the biggest them park in China. |
| C．It contributes to the popularity of Beijing. |
| D．It marks the theme park industry entered China. |
| A．increasing | B．rewarding | C．entertaining | D．decreasing. |
| A．The pandemic has no impact on Chinese tourism market. |
| B．More international investment will enter Chinese theme park industry. |
| C．Theme park is the one and only way to promote Chinese consumption. |
| D．Shanghai Disney Resort has received more than $20 billion investment so far. |
| A．To advertise the UBR to attract more tourists. |
| B．To praise China’s ability to control the pandemic. |
| C．To explain why theme park is so popular in China. |
| D．To introduce the development of China’s theme park industry. |
4 . Attitudes to industrial espionage (间谍活动)
What do people think about stealing and selling industrial secrets?
A. Sarah J. , an industrial chemist
For some years now I have been engaged in highly secret chemical research. Because there is so much industrial espionage now, I have got used to a certain lack of freedom. There is an atmosphere of suspicion almost everywhere, and I am well aware of the dangers of talking about my work, or even of telling new acquaintances where I work. I know I must keep my work secret.
B. Charles S. , an inventor
There was a time, when I was employed as a scientific adviser to a large company, where I though there was too much secrecy in industry. I have an agent who looks after a part of my business and she has always insisted that I take out patents on all of my inventions, however ridiculous they may look. She also insists on my locking away all plans and technical drawings.
C. Peter L. , a science teacher
I teach chemistry and physics to young people up to the age of 18 to the best of my ability in the hope that they will go to university and eventually go into industry. I hate the whole business of industrial spying. I know it goes on and I warn my students about getting involved in buying or selling secrets. And old friend of mine is a mechanical engineer and although he says he has no important information, he has had his phone tapped (窃听), and he has been approached b a representative of another large company.
D. Laura B. , an advertising executive
Some fellow sales executives and I were discussing the question of industrial espionage in conference recently. While the others felt it only took place in the manufacturing industries, I pointed out that it was just as prevalent in area like sales, advertising, insurance and other service industries. It’s a fact of life: we all have our secrets that other companies would pay a lot of money to see.
1. Who points out that spying takes places even in service industries?| A．Sarah. J. | B．Laura | C．Charles S. | D．Peter L. |
| A．important | B．attractive | C．different | D．common |
| A．a magazine. | B．a poster. | C．a science fiction | D．an ad. |
5 . One day a heavy storm hit a village. Nothing was destroyed, but a rock fell from a nearby mountain. The rock rolled down from the mountain and stopped in the middle of the main road in the village. It was very big and shaped more or less like a ball. The village decided to move it since it was blocking (阻塞) the street. Several of the strongest men in the village came to try to lift it out of the road. No matter how hard they tried though, they couldn’t move it.
All of this time a young boy was watching the men trying to move the rock. “Excuse me,” he said, “but I think I could move the rock.”
“You?” They shouted. “What are you talking about? All of us have just tried, and even together we can’t move it a bit.” They all laughed at the boy.
The next morning some villagers came into the street. To their great surprise, the rock was gone! More people ran out to see for themselves. It was true the rock wasn’t in the road any more.
The little boy stood in the street, smiling. “ I told you I could move it,” he said. “ I did it last night.” Then he walked over to where the rock had been and uncovered some dirt with a shovel (铁锹). “ You see,” he said, “ I dug a deep hole next to the rock, and the rock rolled down into the hole of itself. Then I covered it with dirt.”
1. The village decided to move the rock because ________.| A．it was big and heavy. | B．it was completely useless. |
| C．it was more or less badly shaped. | D．it was in the middle of the road. |
| A．didn’t understand him. | B．got angry with him. |
| C．were pleased with him. | D．didn’t believe him. |
| A．find a way to move the rock. | B．work faster and better. |
| C．give the villagers a surprise. | D．dig a hole for himself. |
| A．pulling it out of the road. | B．breaking it with a shovel. |
| C．burying it in a hole. | D．lifting it out of the road. |
6 . There’s no denying that learning a foreign language is difficult, and when it comes to speaking the language, it can be extremely tough. I remember walking into my first-ever Spanish class at university only to discover that half of my classmates were already fluent in multiple languages. It’s safe to say I felt out of my depth!
At first the thought of speaking Spanish terrified me; not only were my vocabulary and grammar very limited, but I had never spoken another language before. However, I was determined to overcome my fear, and by adopting a few simple methods I have been able to build my confidence and make progress. In fact, it was not as terrible as I thought. Here, I think I will share a few tips with you.
Firstly, it is OK to make mistakes for language learners and that you should accept them. This sounds obvious, but when it comes to language learning we often aim for perfection and feel as though we are not ready to speak until we have "enough" words or grammatical knowledge. The truth is you will never feel ready, and instead it is important to use the knowledge to communicate what you can.
This leads on to my next tip: don’t compare yourself to others. This can be a hard one, especially if you are in a large language class. It is important to remember that we all learn at different speeds and through different styles of learning. Something that really helped me progress was finding a patient language exchange partner. Finding someone whose level of English was similar to my level of Spanish to practice with made me feel much more confident.
Lastly, celebrate the small success and remember how far you have come! Instead of focusing on how far you have to go, focus on the progress you have already made and be proud of your achievements!
1. What does the underlined part suggest in the passage?| A．The author took great pride in his classmates. |
| B．The author wanted to leave university immediately. |
| C．The author failed to join in his classmates’ conversation. |
| D．The author was unable to speak many languages. |
| A．They fail to have a good command of grammar. |
| B．They have a lack of courage to speak the language |
| C．They can’t use the language in right situations. |
| D．They can’t help comparing themselves to others. |
| A．Find a partner whose Spanish is excellent. |
| B．Set long-term goals to improve enthusiasm. |
| C．Learn from an example and pick out weak points. |
| D．Choose a language exchange partner at the same level. |
| A．Mastering Spanish is a chance in a million. |
| B．Learning new languages is not so hard. |
| C．Confidence is the key to speaking a language. |
| D．Don’t ignore what you have achieved in learning. |
Tom and his cousin took a boat trip. When they got on the boat, every passenger should answer a question raised by the keeper. If the passenger answered “yes", he or she got one gift. If the passenger answered “no", he or she got two gifts. Tom and his cousin saw all about this. Now it was their turn. The keeper came up to them and asked, “Are you a good sailor?" Tom wanted to get two gifts, so he answered “no” loudly, at the same time he said, "I have never been a sailor. How could I be a good sailor?" The keeper gave him two gifts. His cousin gave the same answer, so he got two gifts, too.
The boat started off. The passengers began to open their gifts. Tom and his cousin did the same. They found that one of the two gifs was a small bottle of drinking water, the other was a seasick tablet . Tom had a look at a "yes" passenger's gift. It was a nice chocolate. Tom shouted at the keeper, "We are never seasick. Why do you give us seasick tablets?"
1. Tom and his cousin worked as sailors.2. The keeper would ask the passengers questions after the trip.
3. Tom and his cousin answered "no" because they wanted two gifts.
4. Anyone who answered "yes" got a nice chocolate.
5. Tom and his cousin were cheated by the keeper.
8 . Ways to reinvent(重塑) yourself
Hollywood has had a lot of success rebooting superhero movies each year. You can do the same if you are unhappy with your current image.
Make new friends.
You don’t have to turn your back on your existing group of friends.
Find a new hobby.
You can build a circle of friends by picking up a hobby.
We are not trying to sound like your parents, honestly. Just hear us out. Getting a new job will probably allow you to get to know a group of people. You’ll also give yourself the confidence that comes with new-found income, too.
Travel.
New cultures help you change the way you look at yourself. Travelling almost always changes you for special effects to do so . Seeing how other people live gives you a fresh perspective on your own life. This changes you. You will start to carry your daily activities in a different way.
| A．Get a job. |
| B．Find a new image. |
| C．Just get to know new people. |
| D．It can be anything from dancing to painting. |
| E．Give it a few weeks before you call it a failure. |
| F．Here are some simple things you can do to reboot yourself. |
| G．A good trip is one that leaves you feeling enriched in many ways. |
9 . SHANGHAI---Within 48 hours, 61 artists from 13 countries sent their videos supporting China’s ongoing campaign to fight the novel coronavirus (新型冠状病毒) via their Chinese partner---ASK, a Shanghai-based international theater presenter committed to introducing partner theater productions for young audiences to China.
Most of the artists showed in their videos the slogan:”stay strong! We are with you, China !”
ASK planned to introduce top-class performances to a special venue at the Tianjin Grand Theater since this February, but this had to be postponed due to the outbreak of the epidemic(传染病)。
The artists have shown strong confidence in China as well as Tianjin in their efforts to combat(对抗) the virus.
Within the video, Yvette Hardie, president of Assitej, the International Association of Theater for Children and Young People affiliated(隶属的) to UNESCO, took the initiative in responding to the campaign, joined by a large group of artists from leading theater organizations around the world, including the Edinburgh Children’s Festival and Australian Windmill Theater, to name a few.
Shona Reppe, who starred in The Curious Scrapbook of Josephine Bean, a top children’s drama from Britain, said she expects the outbreak of the epidemic will soon be overcome and she is keen to come to China.
Ian Cameron, 73, who started White, also an internationally acclaimed classical piece from Britain, said: My heart is with you, China.”
Helene Ducharme, director of Elisapee and the Northern Lights from the Canadian troupe Motus, led a group of local friends to shoot the video while she was doing a co-production in Africa, using different languages to encourage China’s efforts to combat the virus.
Tony Mack, chairman of Slingsby, an Australian performance troupe(剧团) which is famous for its Emil and the Detectives, said:“The medical workers: You are heroes. Thank you so much for standing on the front line, and you are not only keeping China safe but also the whole world safe!”
The ASK team said it will remain positive and active in connecting with audiences and followers by spreading online content to enhance energy, courage and creativity.
1. How did Helene Ducharme inspire China’s efforts to fight against the virus?| A．By using various languages. | B．By raising some money for China. |
| C．By showing in their videos a slogan. | D．By donating some medical equipment. |
| A．Ian Cameron | B．Shona Reppe |
| C．Yvette Hardie | D．Tony Mac |
| A．Very clear and detailed. |
| B．Praised enthusiastically. |
| C．Existing in thoughts or as an idea. |
| D．Extremely important in a particular situation. |
| A．China’s ongoing campaign to fight novel coronavirus |
| B．Top-class performances to be postponed due to epidemic |
| C．Outbreak of the epidemic in China will soon be overcome |
| D．International kids’ theater artists make videos to support fight against virus |
10 . How to get rid of back-to-school stress
Get organized by visiting the school and meeting the teachers.
It’s great because you get an idea of what the school year will be like and for the rest of the term, whenever your child talks to you about school you can place a face with the name.
Get the teacher’s e-mail address.
This is how most of the schools communicate in today’s society. In addition, ask for a contact number. It will be very useful in case you have a question about anything at all.
Know bus stop routes and bus stop rules.
If your child is riding the bus, don’t forget to walk with them to the bus stop and describe what type of behavior the school expects of your child at the bus stop and on the bus. If your child is not at least in the fourth grade, you may want to stay there until the bus comes. After the age of 10, he is not going to want you there. Never leave your child at the bus stop alone. Make sure other children are there.
Make plans for a tutor right away.
If you know your child will need a tutor, ask the teacher if she is available for tutoring. If she does not offer tutoring, ask for recommendations. Don’t wait until your child is falling behind others. Private tutors are still the best in my book. They are not at all as expensive as most of the learning centers, especially if it is a retired teacher.
1. What’s the most common way to communicate with the teacher？| A．Going to school in person. | B．Talking on the telephone. |
| C．Sending a message on the Internet. | D．Passing on messages by your child. |
| A．the bus doesn’t arrive | B．no other pupils are there |
| C．your child asks you to | D．your child is under 10 |
| A．Don’t wait until the last minute to find a tutor for your children. |
| B．Children are sure to be safe after the age of 10. |
| C．The teachers are organized for you to meet. |
| D．Your call to the teacher will not be answered. |
