1 . Why Subscribe to Reader’s Digest?
The world’s best-loved general-interest publication contains something for everyone. Reader’s Digest magazine is bursting with stories, articles, advice, recipes, reviews, tips, jokes and anecdotes. Each issue is small enough to fit in your handbag or pocket, but big enough to keep you entertained for weeks on end.
From regular columns packed with information to gripping (扣人心弦的) human-interest stories and helpful how-tos, our magazine offers knowledge, positivity and humour. In this month’s issue you’ll find...
An interview with Hugh Dancy:
The newest addition to the cast of Downton Abbey on New York, Law & Order, and the nostalgia (怀旧) of playing an English gentleman.
Saving the sound of the Stradivaius:
Meet the experts fighting to save the unbeatable sound of history’s greatest violins, meeting the love of her life.
Community Power:
Across the UK, communities are coming together to save their pubs, shops, and more.
If Grace Dent ruled the world:
The restaurant critic shares her manifesto (宣言) for world domination.
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1. If readers want to know about an actor, which one should they read?| A．Community Power. | B．If Grace Dent ruled the world. |
| C．An interview with Hugh Dancy. | D．Saving the sound of the Stradivaius. |
| A．£22.99. | B．£3. | C．£47.88. | D．£24.89. |
| A．A part of a fiction. | B．An introduction. | C．An advertisement. | D．A research report. |
2 . On August 15th, in the tiny farming town of Frost, Minnesota, Scott Legried was driving his pick-up truck when a puppy ran in front of him. Changing the direction suddenly to avoid the puppy, Scott’s truck rolled over and he was severely injured.
“I got knocked out and when I finally recovered consciousness, I couldn’t move,” Scott said. “I couldn’t even reach up to get my cellphone from the dashboard of my truck. I remember saying, ‘I’ mgoing to need some help here in the next 5 or 10 minutes.’”
And that help came. A strange driver Tim Steer called 911. He was rushed to the closest hospital, and then airlifted to the Mayo Clinic, where he stayed for the next several weeks. Tim visited Scott in the hospital several times and took him out for a drive after his shoulder surgery in August.
The October harvest was only six weeks away, and Scott had 600 acres of soybeans (大豆) and corn to harvest. Not harvesting them in time could destroy his crops, his sole means of income. Who would maintain and harvest his corn and soybean crops? And because Scott lives alone, who would care for his dogs, and maintain his home and yard? This town of 198people did. While volunteers checked his home, mowed his lawn, and fed his dogs, 18 farmers conducted the harvest. Farmers in Frost, Minnesota, gathered to harvest Scott’s soybean crops on October 4th.
Scott plans to plant his new crops next spring. If he needs help, he knows where to findit. “Frost really is the heartland of America,” he said. “One day, I hope I’m able to pay the favor back.”
1. Why did Scott have an accident?| A．He felt a sudden pain. | B．He didn’t want to hurt a dog. |
| C．He was hurrying to meet Tim. | D．He was not familiar with his car. |
| A．He is a farmer. |
| B．He has known Tim for many years. |
| C．He recovered fully before the harvest time. |
| D．He kept conscious after the accident happened. |
| A．They gathered soybean crops for him. |
| B．They often visited him in the hospital. |
| C．They provided food and clothes for him. |
| D．They offered him soybean seeds for free. |
| A．Drive more carefully. | B．Help other farmers in need. |
| C．Plant no soybean crops at all. | D．Spend more time with his neighbors. |
3 . An antibacterial drug obtained from the liquid of an Australian tree has shown promise for treating chronic (慢性的) wounds in animal tests.
Chronic wounds are common in people with diabetes (糖尿病), because poor circulation and other symptoms slow down healing. Such wounds are painful and have a high risk of infection.
Doctors increasingly want to control the use of antibiotics (抗生素) in order to minimize the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. To look for alternatives, David Thomas at Cardiff University in the UK and his colleagues investigated chemicals obtained from the liquid of the blush wood tree, which grows in Australia.
They tested a gel containing a promising chemical called EBC-1013 in two animals: mice used to model diabetes, with chronic wounds, and milk cows. All milk cows have their horns taken off, so the researchers applied the treatment to this wound.
In the cows treated with EBC-1013, 75 percent of the wounds were recovered after 28 days, compared with just 25 percent of untreated wounds. In the mice, complete wound recovery was observed in five of the seven animals studied, whereas none of the seven wounds was recovered in the control group.
Bacteria in chronic wounds are more likely to form a sticky material called a biofilm. They are resistant to antibiotics, making such wounds difficult to treat. The new drug appears to disrupt the structure of biofilms and cause the production of cells and proteins that promote recovery.
“The next challenge will be to show that these preclinical findings translate into the clinic and that they can be developed into a safe and cost-effective treatment for chronic wounds,” says Matthew Hardman the at University of Hull, UK.
1. What’s the purpose of the research on the tree liquid?| A．To increase the use of antibiotics. | B．To find replacements for antibiotics. |
| C．To reduce the growth of the bacteria. | D．To strengthen the circulation of patients. |
| A．Treat. | B．Destroy. | C．Improve. | D．Arrange. |
| A．They cause safety concern. | B．They enjoy praise from doctors. |
| C．They remain to be further developed. | D．They have offered affordable treatment. |
| A．People with diabetes are sure to recover |
| B．Tree liquid attracts researchers’ attention |
| C．Antibiotics lead to antibiotic-resistant bacteria |
| D．Drug from the liquid could treat chronic wounds |
The Power of Silence
Once a farmer lost his precious watch while working in his bar. It may have appeared as an ordinary watch to others, but held a deep sentimental value for it.
After searching high and low among the hay for a long time, the old farmer got exhausted. The tired farmer did not want to give up the search for his watch and requested a group of children playing outside the bar to help. He promised an attractive reward for the person who can find his beloved watch.
After hearing about the reward, the children hurried inside the barn and went through and round the entire stack of hay to find the watch. After a long time looking for a watch in the hay, some of the children got tired and gave up. The number of children looking for the watch slowly decreased and only a few tired children were left. The farmer gave up all his hope to find the watch and called off the search.
Just when the farmer was closing the door, a little boy came up to him and requested the farmer to give him another chance. The farmer did not want to miss any chance of finding the watch so let the little boy in the barn.
After a little while the little boy came out with the watch in his hand. The farmer was happily surprised and asked how the boy succeeded in getting the watch while everyone including him had failed.
The boy replied “just sat there tried listening to the ticking of the watch. In silence, it was much easier to listen to it and direct the search in the direction of the sound.”
The farmer was delighted to get the watch and rewarded the little boy as promised.
A peaceful mind can think better than a worked-up mind. Once in a while, allow a few minutes of silence to your mind. Sometimes all you need to do is relax and listen.
1. Why did the farmer request the children to help search for the watch?2. How did the boy find the watch?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
The farmer did not want to disappoint the boy, so he let the little boy in the barn search for the watch.
4. In addition to helping us think better, what do you think are some other benefits of having a peaceful mind? (about 40 words)
5 . The cold, wet weather of winter often puts out any wildfires that are still burning, but not in the far North areas, such as Alaska, Canada, and other parts of North America. Some forest fires just don’t die in these places. Think of the fires as “zombies” (僵尸): Scientists do. When summers are warmer than normal, some fires can hide through the winter. They burn dead plant matter and soils under snow. In May 2021, scientists reported their work to a scientific journal. The scientists saw that zombie fires are rare but they could become more common as the world warms, the study warns.
“Some years, new fires were starting very close to the previous year’s fire,” explains Rebecca Scholten. She studies Earth and environmental sciences at Vrije University Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The new fires made scientists wonder how often fires might survive the winter. The scientists started by combing through firefighter reports. Then they compared these with satellite images of Alaska and northern Canada. The scientists looked for fires that began close to fires from the year before. They also focused on blazes starting before the middle of summer. Random lightning or human actions spark most fires in the area, Scholten says. But those fires happen later in the year.
Zombie fires accounted for less than 1 percent of the total area burned by fires from 2002 to 2018. But it changed from year to year. Take 2008, for example. A zombie fire burned Alaska that year. It caused almost one-third of fire damage that year. One clear pattern emerged: Zombie fires were more likely to happen after very warm summers. High temperatures may allow fires to reach more deeply into the soil. Such deep burns are more likely to survive to spring.
The zombie fire threat could grow. The climate is warming. Forests in the far North already are warming faster. “We’re seeing more hot summers and more large fires and intense burning,” Scholten says. Plus, zombie fires could cause more issues. The fires release huge amounts of greenhouse gases. These trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere. The atmosphere is a layer of gases that surround the Earth. Scholten’s research could help fire management. Firefighters would know to check for them after warm summers.
1. What may lead to zombie fires according to the passage?| A．wet weather | B．hotter summers |
| C．low temperatures | D．cold winters |
| A．Where flames broke out provided the clue. |
| B．Changing climate plays a role in the zombie fire threat. |
| C．Zombie fires are less likely to happen after very warm summers. |
| D．It is of little use comparing firefighter reports with satellite images. |
| A．It is important to understand zombie fires. |
| B．Zombie fires are likely to be under control soon. |
| C．Firefighters cannot do much to stop the zombie fires. |
| D．We still have much to learn about the warming climate. |
| A．“Zombie“ wildfires do great damage to land |
| B．“Zombie” wildfires release greenhouse gases |
| C．“Zombie“ wildfires sparked by human actions |
| D．“Zombie” wildfires reappear after wintering underground |
6 . Have you ever felt a wave of anxiety (焦虑) when going out in public? Have you ever felt as if people were talking about you or laughing at you?
Understand the spotlight effect (焦点效应)
Many people assume that they’re being judged all the time but actually it may only be occasional. Keeping this in mind, we can look at others and think to ourselves, “Ah, they’re probably thinking about themselves right now”. Whenever you start feeling anxious outside, you can remind yourself of this.
Use cognitive restructuring (认知重建)
If you always run away from a fear, your body and mind will remember it as something dangerous enough to run away from. But if you face your fears, over time your body will start to accept them as something manageable. And your anxiety should decrease little by little. You can take baby steps here. Start off by saying thank you to people you often meet, such as cashiers or bus drivers. Then when you feel comfortable enough, move on to making small talks with them.
| A．Face your fears |
| B．Talk to people frequently |
| C．You can turn a blind eye to people around you |
| D．Well, you might be suffering from social anxiety |
| E．You can also try to focus more on others than yourselves |
| F．Finally, you can increase the amount and depth of these talks |
| G．This is when you question the beliefs that cause your anxiety |
7 . Truly happy and successful people get that way by becoming the best, most genuine version of themselves they can be. Not on the outside — on the inside. It’s not about a brand, a reputation, a persona (外表形象) .
Sounds simple, I know. It is a simple concept.
That’s what Steve Jobs meant when he said this at a Stanford University graduation speech: Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.
Not only that, but what Jobs talking about, what I’m talking about, requires focus and discipline, two things that are very hard to come by these days. Why?
| A．It’s about reality. |
| B．If you haven’t found it, keep looking. |
| C．Because focus and discipline are hard. |
| D．Nothing worth doing in life is ever easy. |
| E．But the problem is, it’s very hard to make it. |
| F．The only way to do great work is to love what you do. |
| G．Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. |
8 . For decades, Mars, known as the Red Planet, has been an attraction for scientists. Despite the current amount of carbon dioxide in its atmosphere and the incompetence of the planet to support Earthly life forms, research has suggested that the planet was once able to host ecosystems.
Since the beginning of the 1960s, over 40 Mars exploration missions have been carried out. On July 23, China launched Tianwen 1, a Mars probe named after a poem titled The Quest for Heavenly Truth by ancient Chinese poet Qu Yuan (about 340-278 BC). The mission marked China’s first step in planetary exploration of the solar system.
It will take Tianwen 1 six to seven months to reach the Red Planet. The probe is expected to land on Mars around February 2021. Yet the landing process might not be easy. NASA scientists once referred to a Mars landing as “the seven minutes of terror”. During those suspenseful 420 seconds, the Tianwen 1 has to slow down from 4.8 kilometers per second to zero and land on the Red Planet autonomously.
Among the more than 40 Mars missions, only nine have been able to survive “the seven minutes of terror,” Cui Xiaofeng from the Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center said at a news conference. To prepare for the landing, Tianwen 1 will spend two to three months surveying potential landing sites using a high-resolution (高分辨率的) camera.
If the probe successfully lands, a rover with an expected lifespan of at least 90 Martian days(about three months on Earth) will be released to conduct scientific exploration. During this process, “the geological structure, soil characteristics, distribution of groundwater, the climate and environment on the Red Planet will all be studied,” Liu Tongjie, spokesperson of China’s first Mars mission and deputy director of the Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center, told CGTN.
1. What does the word “incompetence” underlined in paragraph 1 refer to?| A．Isolation. | B．Hospitality. | C．Unpopularity. | D．Inability. |
| A．It was launched by China on July 23, 1960. |
| B．It pioneered in China’s planetary exploration. |
| C．It was named after ancient Chinese poet Qu Yuan |
| D．It spent more than seven months reaching Mars. |
| A．A probe drops down at the speed of 4.8 kilometers per second in 7 minutes. |
| B．There is still a risk of Tianwen 1 failing in landing on the Red Planet. |
| C．Over a quarter of the probes sent to Mars have landed successfully. |
| D．Tianwen 1 will spend two to three months surveying potential landing sites |
| A．To survive at least 90 Martian days. | B．To provide insight into mysteries of Mars. |
| C．To find habitable places for earthly life forms. | D．To conduct a variety of scientific researches. |
9 . Please put your donation in this envelope, seal it, and hand it to the cabin crew. Thank you!
Please provide contact details if you would like to learn more about UNICEF (or visit：www. unicef. cn) ：
Name： ____
Contact email： ____
Mobile number： ____
“Change for Good” is an innovative partnership between UNICEF and the inter-national airline industry. Established in 1991, it is one of UNICEF’s best-known and longest-running partnerships. This project appeals to travelers to donate onboard the aircraft, to help UNICEF to improve the lives of poor children.
Hainan Airlines is the first airline company from mainland China to support this program. Since commencing operation (开航) in 1993, HNA has vigorously promoted the principle of “do something for the society, do something for others”. Hence, HNA actively bears the social responsibility, participates in social welfare and serves the society with gratitude.
We would like to call on everyone to join in this onboard fundraising to make this, world as best we can for children. We sincerely thank you for your generous support.
Change for Good*
1. How can you deal with your onboard donation?| A．Give it to an air hostess. |
| B．Provide your contact details. |
| C．Mail this envelope with donation. |
| D．Visit www. unicef. cn. |
| A．The project of “change for good”. |
| B．The international airline industry. |
| C．The staff of UNICEF. |
| D．Hainan Airlines. |
| A．Everyone onboard the aircraft has to join in this program. |
| B．HNA is the only airline company to support the program. |
| C．HNA is willing to help UNICEF to raise money. |
| D．Hainan Airlines was established in 1991. |
10 . THE COLLEGE APPLICATION PROCESS
It takes hard work to guarantee your college application stands out. Make it rise to the top of the pile by becoming familiar with the application process and getting organized.
HOW MANY SCHOOLS TO APPLY TO
There are a ton of schools out there, but applying to too many colleges is a common mistake. Submitting your application to between five and eight colleges is suggested. Of that list, you should include a variety of dream schools, safety schools and possible schools.
EARLY DECISION AND EARLY ACTION
Early Decision and Early Action are options that allow you to apply to a college early and receive the admissions department’s decision in advance of traditional applicants. However, there are also restrictions that are important to understand. Early Decision, for example, is binding; if you submit Early Decision to a college and they accept, you must attend that college. You will also not be able to apply for more financial aid after this point. Early Action, on the other hand, is not binding; you can submit Early Action to a college, get accepted and have until the following spring to decide whether or not you want to attend.
WRITING A COLLEGE ESSAY
A good college essay is a critical part of the application process. A college essay is really just a way for admissions advisors to get to know you more, hear your perspective and relate to you on a personal level. This is one area you know a lot about, so just remember to infuse as much of “you” as possible into your essay.
NAILING YOUR COLLEGE INTERVIEW
A college interview is an opportunity for you to make a personal impression on an admissions officer and increase your chances of acceptance into a college. It’s a way for you to differentiate yourself from others and show your personality in a way that you can’t on a piece of paper. Practice and preparation will help you do well during your college interview.
1. Who is the text intended for?| A．College freshmen. | B．Educational institutions. |
| C．High school students. | D．General public. |
| A．Apply for another safety school. | B．Apply for more economic support. |
| C．Start to prepare for your college. | D．Start to prepare your college essay. |
| A．By applying to as many colleges as possible. |
| B．By submitting Early Decision or Early Action. |
| C．By praising the target colleges in the essay. |
| D．By showing your personalities in the interview. |
