1 . DanceSport Club’s Summer Dance Camp
Welcome!
DanceSport Club kids’ summer programs help keep kids active, happy and learning. Kids get to enjoy different activities with other kids while learning new skills or knowledge. The camp provides dance and other fun, healthy and educational activities for boys and girls ages 6-10.
During this camp, your child will be introduced to several activities, such as fitness, different styles of dance such as Ballet, Hip Hop, Ballroom and Latin dance, and musical skills such as rhythm (节奏) and timing. The club has satisfied COVID-19 stricter requirements.
Time: 9 am-3 pm, Monday-Friday, July 26-30, 2021
Ages: Boys and Girls 6-10 years old
Prices: Early Bird Special Price $249 is ready through May 7, 2021. Starting May 8 regular (平常的) price $499.
Dance Camp Schedule:| 8:45-9:00 am | Drop-Off at DanceSport Club (11758 Southwest Fwy, Houston, TX 77031) |
| 9:00-9:55 | Dance Fitness, Dance Education (Vocabulary, Musicality, Rhythm Exercises), Snack (小吃) time, organized activities |
| 10:00-10:55 | |
| 11:00-11:55 | |
| 12:00-1:00 pm | Lunch and Fun time |
| 1:00-1:55 | Dance Fitness, Dance Education (Vocabulary, Musicality, Rhythm Exercises), Snack time, organized activities |
| 2:00-2:55 | |
| 3:00-3:15 | Pick-Up at DanceSport Club |
Warm-up begins at 9:00 am. If students arrive late, please go with them to the training center. Our camp closes at 3:00 pm. There is a 15-minute period for you to pick up your children. If you are running late, please call 281-933-2623 to tell us. If you need to make arrangements for after-hour care, please tell us in advance of the beginning of your camp. We would be happy to help you make special arrangements.
For more information, please visit www.dancesportclub.com.
1. What does the price for the camp depend on?| A．Kids’ ages. | B．Kids’ levels. |
| C．The time kids will pay for it. | D．The activities kids will choose. |
| A．Less than three hours. | B．Three hours. |
| C．Four hours. | D．More than four hours. |
| A．Ask the club to wait for him. | B．Tell the club at the start of the camp. |
| C．Ask a relative to pick up his kid. | D．Pay the club more to send his kid home. |
2 . Mogao Caves
Regarded as the largest Buddhist cave site with the greatest amount of cultural relics in the world, the Mogao Caves, also known as the Caves of the Thousand Buddhas, is a large palace of art combining different ancient architectures, incredible painted sculptures and extraordinary varied wall paintings.
Most caves found in the Mogao Caves are examples of rock-cut architecture of different styles in terms of building and function.
Dating back to over one thousand years ago, the wall paintings in the Mogao Caves, with an area of 450,000 square feet, are valued for their size and richness of content as well as their art techniques.
There are around 2,400 painted sculptures in the Mogao Caves.
| A．Most of the sculptures are constructed on the hillside in wooden frames. |
| B．The two earliest porches belong to the wooden architecture of the Song Dynasty. |
| C．The amazing wall paintings are colourfully and vividly painted on the walls and ceilings. |
| D．It is well known for a great number of colourful wall paintings and a variety of vivid statues. |
| E．Additionally, the wall paintings adopted artistic features from Iran, India, Greece, and other places. |
| F．The caves are of different sizes, among which the biggest one is 40-metre high and 30-metre wide. |
| G．They illustrate the magnificent history and wonderful artistic and cultural achievements of several dynasties. |
3 . In China, over 162 million children in rural areas lack sufficient educational opportunities. Founded in 2008, Teach For China (TFC) attempts to close the gap in educational quality and achievement between cities and rural areas in China. To reduce the shortage of teachers in rural China, TFC enlists the most promising young graduates from top universities in China to ensure that one day, all children in China will enjoy access to quality education.
In partnership with local governments, TFC first identifies high-need schools and then introduces the concept to school officers to ensure local buy-in. Participating teachers, who are titled as "fellows", are trained to serve as full-time teachers in rural areas where they work for two years to equip students with academic and life skills they need to succeed in life.
Before placement, TFC's intensive Summer Institute prepares fellows to be effective teachers, strong cross-cultural communicators, and meaningful, long-term contributors to their placement communities. Fellows are placed in under-resourced schools selected for demonstrated student need. Fellows share their knowledge and brainstorm solutions to local challenges. Additionally, fellows receive the support of full-time instructional coaches who engage in joint problem solving to boost student achievement. TFC also provides online teaching resources to help fellows improve their teaching level.
Since its founding, TFC has trained and placed a total of more than 2,200 fellows. After the programme, they work in the field of education, business, public welfare, and government non-profit organisations, etc. In the long term, TFC seeks to develop a network of leaders working across a variety of sectors to end educational inequality in China. More than 540,000 students from Yunnan, Guangdong, Gansu, Guangxi, and Fujian provinces have benefited from the programme, and the number is still growing. For example, during the 2018–2019 school year, fellows helped students make significant progress in academic performance. About 52% of the classes got a higher average score on major tests. About 55% of the classes have improved the pass rate on major tests. And about 61% of the classes achieved a higher excellent rate.
1. What is the aim of Teach For China?| A．To train the Chinese graduates to be better teachers. |
| B．To bridge the gap between Chinese and foreign education. |
| C．To help students in China be admitted by universities more easily. |
| D．To resolve the problem of imbalance between city and rural education in China. |
| A．The schools accept their ideas and support them to teach there. |
| B．The schools need to prepare some facilities to meet their needs. |
| C．The local people have to buy the necessary things for their children. |
| D．The local government offers them money and other aid for teaching. |
| A．receiving the support of full-time instructional coaches |
| B．receiving opportunities to find teaching resources online |
| C．receiving opportunities to study abroad to improve teaching |
| D．receiving opportunities to attend a summer training institution before teaching |
| A．It has expanded the teaching areas in Yunnan Province. |
| B．The number of students receiving its education has grown to 540,000. |
| C．The pass rate of 61% of the classes on major tests has been improved. |
| D．It has successfully placed 2,200 fellows to teach in Guangdong Province. |
4 . In December 2019, Lauren Robinson walked into science class. “My throat started closing,” she remembers. “They called an ambulance (救护车), and I had to go to the hospital.” It wasn't the first time that Lauren had to be rushed to the hospital. That's because Lauren, 15, has a food allergy (过敏症).
Many people have food allergies. But Lauren's allergy is much worse than most. She can't eat food that contains milk. When she was younger, Lauren could stay safe by choosing food carefully. That changed in middle school. By eighth grade, Lauren couldn't be in the same room with dairy products (乳制品). That's what happened in Lauren's science classroom. Earlier that day in 2019, students had held a pizza party. Cheese particles (微粒) still hung in the air. Lauren never returned to school after that.
In 2020, Lauren got great news. She could go to school and stay safe by driving a robot to class. Lauren controls it from home over the Internet, using a computer. She uses the keyboard to drive the robot from class to class. A video camera on the robot lets Lauren see what is going on in school. A video screen on the robot let students and teachers see her. It has microphones(话筒) so that everyone can talk to Lauren, too.
At first, Lauren thought that using the robot was “a weird idea”. No one went to school like that. "I kept knocking into walls at first," says Lauren, laughing. “I'd keep falling!” But she got used to it quickly. Using the robot feels natural now. Lauren even created a way to “raise her hand” using the robot's headlights. “I can turn them on and off until the teacher sees me,” she explains.
Lauren looks forward to going to college. She'd like to work in a medical job.
1. Why was Lauren sent to the hospital and never returned school in December 2019?| A．She accidentally drank some milk. |
| B．She carelessly touched some pizza. |
| C．She ate some dairy food. |
| D．She breathed in cheese particles. |
| A．Lauren's throat was totally damaged because of it. |
| B．It becomes better as Lauren gets older. |
| C．It often puts Lauren in a dangerous situation. |
| D．Lauren was born with it. |
| A．strange | B．clever | C．wrong | D．big |
| A．was easy to control at first |
| B．becomes friends with Lauren |
| C．can communicate with others all by itself |
| D．makes Lauren feel like she's really in school |
5 . As a young black kid living in a poor community(社区), if someone told me that I would grow up to become an author, I would have laughed. In Valdosta, Georgia, where I grew up, my community encouraged two ways to a better life for little boys like me. Being a sportsman, and being an actor were the two ways. Both do not require much of a traditional education for success. I was no different than the other kids living in my neighborhood, so I did what felt natural: playing football and neglecting(忽视) school.
However, deep down inside, I knew I was as smart as everyone else. I also knew that I really liked stories and the pictures that went with them in some books. Fortunately, through athletic scholarships (奖学金) and people who believed in me, I was able to go to college. That's when my reading difficulties began to show up. Trips to the store were discouraging because there was so much reading involved in the simple act of buying food. I didn't understand labels (标签) and took the wrong goods.
I realized that I needed to make an important decision. I wanted to be a better version of myself, which meant becoming a stronger reader. I began by practicing reading as much as I practiced football. At first, some words were too big, some sentences too long and some books too thick, but I kept at it. I always had a book on me and read every free moment I could find. Through effort and hard work, my reading, step by step became limitless. I read fiction and nonfiction and finally began writing.
Today I'm a published author. My new book, My Very Favorite Book in the Whole Wide World, comes from my personal experience as a struggling reader who found a way to start loving books. Both my story and the main character Henley's story are examples of the magical power that books have whether you're the reader or writer. And I want my little readers to know that.
1. What can we learn about the author when he was young?| A．He lived in a rich community. |
| B．He didn't show much interest in sports. |
| C．He was quite different from other boys around him. |
| D．He wasn't encouraged to receive a good education. |
| A．He had difficulty in reading. | B．He wasn't trusted by others. |
| C．He wasn't as smart as others. | D．He could hardly afford the costs. |
| A．To write a book. | B．To have a stronger body. |
| C．To give up practicing football. | D．To spend much more time on reading. |
| A．To prove himself to others. | B．To introduce a book to others. |
| C．To tell readers how to be a writer. | D．To encourage children to read more. |
Singapore
Singapore Zoo allows animals to walk around in spacious environments that are similar to their natural habitats (栖息地). Kids can join in learning about the animals of Singapore Zoo in educational programs, guided tours and camps, including the Sleep with the Beasts Family Camp. wrs.com.sg
Chester Zoo
Cheshire, England
The most visited zoo in the United Kingdom, Chester Zoo asks a team of experts (专家) who do research on six key areas around the world to develop programs that hope to prevent animals from dying out. The zoo runs a number of activities, such as Sing for Songbirds, a partnership with singer/songwriter Ashley Fayth, which tries to make people notice the danger facing songbirds in Indonesia. chesterzoo.org
Wellington Zoo
Wellington, New Zealand
Wellington Zoo is green in more ways than one. The zoo works very hard to reduce (减少) waste and reuse rain water. The zoo supports conservation (保护) programs, and its animal hospital, The Nest TeKōhanga, has treated over 3,400 wildlife patients since its opening in2009. wellingtonzoo.com
San Diego Zoo
San Diego, USA
Over 3,500 endangered animals call San Diego Zoo home, but the biggest achievement of this zoo is the number of endangered animals that are sent back into the wild. The zoo's breeding (饲养) programs provide valuable information on the behavior and health of endangered species in over 45 countries. San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research also asks over 200 conservation scientists to protect some animals from dying out. zoo.sandiegozoo.org
1. Where can people camp with their family?| A．At Wellington Zoo. | B．At San Diego Zoo. |
| C．At Singapore Zoo. | D．At Chester Zoo. |
| A．wrs.com.sg. | B．chesterzoo.org. |
| C．wellingtonzoo.com. | D．zoo.sandiegozoo.org. |
| A．It has been the most popular zoo in the USA for years. |
| B．It runs an animal hospital to treat wild animals. |
| C．It has helped some animals go back to nature. |
| D．It helps American endangered animals only. |
7 . Cat lovers finally have the chance to understand what their pets are saying thanks to a smart collar that can interpret meows and translate them into human speech. Named Catterbox, the collar supposedly has a digital sensor that detects meows, and uses a special program to interpret the meaning behind them.
Developed by London ad agency adam&eveDDB, for Temptations cat treats, the invention comes preloaded（预装）with a dictionary of cat meows and several other sounds to make the interpretation as accurate as possible. “We're fascinated by cats, so we set out on a mission to get to know them better.” said Pete Simmons, global brand director of Temptations.
The promotion video of the smart collar claims that Catterbox, the world's first talking cat collar, is designed to finally help humans understand the meaning of meows. “Cats are often thought of as independent pets quite hard to get to know, so we set up The Temptations Lab to find creative ways to inject even more pleasure into a cat and owner's relationship,” said Richard Brim, executive creative director of adam&eveDDB.
“Studies show cats only meow in order to communicate with humans,” the video adds. “So we set out on a mission to get to know them better. By analyzing different cat meows, we've designed a digital sensor that detects a cat's meow and uses a unique program to turn it into a human voice.” So by using the collar, owners can speak to their cats and expect a meaningful response. The responses are delivered in a British accent, in a voice of the owner's choice, selected through a smartphone app paired with the collar.
A few sample responses are shown on the company's YouTube channel-they are quite funny, but obviously not very convincing. In all probability, Catterbox is useless though it has a very clever marketing means.
1. Why did the researchers set up The Temptations Lab?| A．To help cat lovers get more fun in keeping cats. |
| B．To tell cat lovers how to get along with cats. |
| C．To do some research on cat's habits. |
| D．To prove cats are really difficult to understand. |
| A．It is selling well among cat lovers now. |
| B．It can also help cats understand their owners' languages. |
| C．It can translate meows into different languages. |
| D．It can be set by a paired smartphone app. |
| A．Positive. | B．Uncaring. | C．Doubtful. | D．Opposed. |
| A．A smart collar that translates cat meows into human speech. |
| B．Cat lovers who want to understand what cats say. |
| C．Scientists who are devoted to inventing a smart collar. |
| D．A dictionary of cat meows and other sounds. |
8 . 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. |
9 . “Is it art?” Tyka, an artist and software engineer, asked the audience at Christie's 2019 Art + Tech Summit in New York in June 2019. The event's theme was “The A. I. Revolution”, and Tyka was referring to artwork created using artificial intelligence. He flashed an image of urinal （小便池） on two large screens at either side of the stage —Marcel Duchamp's famous and controversial sculpture Fountain. The audience laughed. “Obviously, it can be,” he said.
However, many in the art community are wrestling with several unanswered questions after an algorithm-produced （演算法） print that resembled 19th century European portraits was sold for $432, 500. For example: when artwork is accomplished by means of the algorithm, who is the artist—the programmer or the computer? Because many works of AI art are digital, how do you value a creation that's designed to live natively on the Internet and be widely shared? There are few clear answers.
Claire Marmion, the founder and CEO of Haven Art Group, says collectors are still trying to figure out where the market for AI art is heading, and that it may not be the disruptive （破坏性的） force that some think it will be. Or, at least, the industry will adapt to it.
Mario Klingemann, whose work was sold by Sotheby's, prefers the term “generative art”, which includes all works created using algorithms, and believes the current buzz will eventually die down, otherwise AI art isn't going anywhere. Instead, he thinks it will one day be viewed as simply another tool of the artist.
“Just like photography never goes away, or making movies doesn't, I'm pretty sure it will establish itself as a new media format,” he says. “Right now, of course, it's all this mystery about AI, but I expect this to become really just a normal thing, where people will focus on what artists are actually saying with their art.”
1. What's the function of the first paragraph?| A．To show what art is. | B．To entertain readers. |
| C．To explain the event's theme. | D．To lead to the topic of the passage. |
| A．Who is the real creator of a piece of AI artwork. |
| B．Where people can by AI artwork. |
| C．How to sell AI artwork at a high price. |
| D．How to share AI artwork. |
| A．Excitement. | B．Objection. |
| C．Revolution. | D．Argument. |
| A．Its future is unclear. |
| B．It will disturb the traditional art industry. |
| C．It will be as common as photography and movies. |
| D．It will be applied to photography and film industry. |
10 . As a little girl, one of my favourite family traditions was held on the first day of May. Along with my sister, my mother and I would make simple rower baskets by making paper into cones (圆锥形). Then, we filled the bottom of the cone with small candies before putting some flowers into it
With our May Day baskets in hand, my sister and I became anonymous gift-givers. After hanging a basket on the front door of a neighbor or friend, we rang the doorbell and ran away. The goal was to remain secret givers.
Historically, the first day of May, often referred to as “May Day”, has been recognised as a celebration of spring, of life and growth. Parades (游行) and dances are ways that the day has been — and continues to be — celebrated in many parts of the world. Although formal May Day celebrations may be less common now, it is always worth celebrating. Here are some simple and lovely ways to celebrate May Day in our homes and with those we love:
Making a May Day basket is always a great choice. Although the May Day basket we made as children was simple, the making of the basket was a joy in itself. Consider making or buying some flowers for friends. Fill the basket with a few sweets and write a note thanking your friend or neighbour for their kindness, their presence, and their love.
On May Day, we also take flowers to a local hospital or nursing home. Flowers are always welcome in places that are too often full of sadness. Stopping to have a conversation with a patient and thanking a nurse would be an additional gift — to the receiver and to us!
Besides, we always give friends small gifts to celebrate May Day. A small book or magazine with a note, an art print celebrating spring — the choices are endless. When your friends are far away, an unexpected gift can reawaken friendship across the miles.
1. The underlined part “anonymous gift-givers” refers to people who ________.| A．are serious about gift-giving |
| B．don't know the value of gifts |
| C．are careful about every small detail |
| D．give gifts but don't want their names to be known |
| A．It is celebrated all over the world. |
| B．The date of its celebration has changed. |
| C．It traditionally celebrates the arrival of spring. |
| D．There is an increase in formal May Day celebrations. |
| A．express thanks |
| B．visit faraway friends |
| C．read a book or magazine |
| D．stay with family members |
| A．The history of May Day. | B．Great family traditions. |
| C．Celebrating May Day. | D．Flowers for festivals. |
