1 . Which are the better pets, cats or dogs? Staff from New Horizon network team have carried out a study which lasted a fortnight and they published their conclusion on their home page last Friday — dogs are better pets than cats by a whisker.
Staff from New Horizon first listed the areas where cats fared better. These included having bigger brains compared to their body size, which is said to make them do better in complex functions such as memory and attention than dogs. Cats’second point was given for being more popular, with 204 million living in the top ten cat-owning nations compared to 173 million dogs in the ten countries where dogs are favored. Cats also get more attention from humans, with purrs (呼噜声) and miaows easily to be noticed. Although dogs can vary their barks, they cannot match the attention-seeking of cats. Additionally, cats can see in lower light than dogs and have a far wider hearing range and a sharper sense of smell. They are also said to be “greener” pets because their smaller appetites mean less area of land required to farm the food.
But in the other six categories examined — many of which related to getting on with humans — dogs had the edge.
Dogs have a longer shared history with humans, maybe as long as 135,000 years. Cats are relative newcomers to our homes. Similarly, dogs have a greater ability to bond with the 订masters. Even four-month-old puppies choose a human companion over another dog. Dogs scored a third point for their better powers of understanding and following human gestures. One study found that a dog called Rico had mastered the meaning of more than 200 words. The ab 山 ty to perform roles such as being a guide dog for the blind meant dogs were rated better than cats when it came to their problem-solving abilities. And they are easier to train.
With the scores tied at five-all, the deciding point fell on usefulness — with dogs coming out on top.
Dogs, studies show, help cut human stress, while taking them for walks keeps their owners fit and helps them meet new people. New Horizon says: “Dogs can hunt and guard. They can sniff out drugs and bombs; they guide blind and deaf people, find someone buried in ruins, and possibly even predict earthquakes.”
The study conducted by the staff and their conclusion went viral the moment it was released and has caused a heated discussion among pet owners. Some frowned at it, arguing that it had only involved character, intelligence and usefulness.
1. Which of the following is cats’advantage?| A．They are better at grasping their owners’ instructions. |
| B．They have larger brains than dogs. |
| C．They have a sharper sense of taste. |
| D．They affect the environment less. |
| A．considerably | B．in some aspects |
| C．a little bit | D．exactly the same |
| A．the study lasted a week |
| B．four-month-old puppies are more capable of picking a human companion |
| C．all the pet owners didn’t agree with the conclusion |
| D．people pet dogs to predict earthquakes |
| A．Cats beat dogs | B．Fight like cat and dog |
| C．Befriend with cats and dogs | D．Cats versus dogs |
2 . On October 1, 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was officially established. Since its inception, NASA has been interested in exploring outer space. However, in the face of climate change, NASA’s most important task might be its exploration of the earth.
Although it’s not as historic as a moon landing, NASA has been collecting valuable information about the earth for decades-since at least 1968, when Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders took his “Earthrise” photo of the earth from the moon. Soon after, in 1972, NASA launched (发射) the Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS). Later known as Landsat 1, it was the first earth-observing satellite to be launched in order to observe and study the earth.
Karen St. Germain, director of NASA’s Earth Science Division, said, “For nearly 50 years, Landsat satellites have provided continuous and timely data, which can help us understand the earth and plan for the future in a changing climate.”
50 years later, Landsat 9 was successfully launched from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base. Landsat 9 features two sensors (传感器) that will measure 11 wavelengths of light appearing on the surface of the earth. The first sensor, a camera known as the Operational Land Imager 2 (OLI-2), will take pictures of the earth. The second, the Thermal Infrared Sensor 2 (TIRS-2), will measure the heat from the earth’s surface.
“Landsat 9 will be our new eyes in the sky when it comes to observing our changing planet,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for science at NASA. “By working with the other Landsat satellites, we’ll have observations of any given place on our planet every two days. This is very important for tracking things like crop growth and helping decision-makers observe the earth and its natural resources.”
“Launches are always exciting, and today was no exception,” said Jeff Masek, NASA Landsat 9 project scientist. “But the best part for me, as a scientist, will be when the satellite starts delivering the data that people are waiting for.”
1. What does “inception” underlined in paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．Establishment. | B．Publishing. | C．Failure. | D．Disappearance. |
| A．Jeff Masek. | B．Karen St. Germain. |
| C．Thomas Zurbuchen. | D．William Anders. |
| A．The launch of Landsat 9. | B．The two sensors in Landsat 9. |
| C．The data collected by NASA. | D．The pictures taken by Landsat 9. |
| A．Landsat 9: New Eyes in the Sky |
| B．NASA: the Home of Astronauts |
| C．Space: the Focus of International Attention |
| D．Landsat 1:The First Earth-Observing Satellite |
3 . In recent years, Britain has seen a rise in interest in learning and teaching Chinese as a second language. In 2015, Britain’s Department for Education devoted 10 million pounds to Chinese teaching in state schools across the country. Hundreds of pupils are taking part in the program, which aims to make at least 5, 000 young people fluent in Chinese by 2022.
A Chinese-English nursery named Hatching Dragons was established in London in 2015, accepting babies from as young as 6 months to 5 years old. Two years later, the first bilingual (双语的) English and Chinese primary school was opened at Kensington, London.
Petts Wood Mandarin-English Preschool, which opened Friday at Bromley in southeastern suburb of London, is the first Chinese immersion (沉浸式) preschool founded in Britain. After three years of planning and preparation, the school has drawn expert opinions on Chinese immersion learning from Europe, the US and China. It offers Chinese and English bilingual immersive education for children aged 2 to 5.
Bromley Councillor Kim Botting, who has visited China three times, is very interested in Britain-China education exchanges. He called the school a wonderful and fantastic thing for the community while attending the opening ceremony on Friday.
The local community showed huge interest and support to the newly established preschool. Xu Zhi, head teacher of Petts Wood, said the preschool offered up to 25 places and six children registered (before the opening, with many families signed up for trial lessons in the next few weeks.
“I had the idea of establishing a bilingual preschool three years ago when I realized that more and more British families wanted an earlier start for their children’s Chinese learning,” Xu said. “Many high school students in Britain also learn Chinese at school for two or three hours each week, but that is not enough and also a bit late for language learning.”
1. What do we know about Petts Wood Mandarin-English Preschool?| A．It opens to all children aged 2 to 6 in the community. |
| B．It requires all students to register before the opening. |
| C．It is the first Chinese immersion preschool in Britain. |
| D．It employs teachers from Europe, the US and Japan. |
| A．Positive. | B．Doubtful. | C．Unconcerned. | D．Unclear. |
| A．To show the difficulty of learning Chinese. | B．To stress the importance of bilingual learning. |
| C．To praise high school students for their efforts. | D．To explain the necessity of a bilingual preschool. |
| A．A short story. | B．A book review. | C．A news report. | D．A research article. |
4 . As vulnerable (易受伤害的) states suffer, US is blamed for not donating its required money for the Green Climate Fund, or GCF.
In Kenya’s countryside, people are facing one of the most serious droughts in memory. Some regions have been without rain for two years, and more than half the crops and most of the farm animals have died. Up to 4 million people may require food aid in the coming months.
Kenya isn’t the only country to suffer the fallout from climate change in recent years. Countries least responsible for the climate crisis are most vulnerable to its effects. In South Asia, Bangladesh already spends $2 billion each year on climate-related damage, according to a report from the International Institute for Environment and Development. A dozen island nations are at risk of disappearing entirely.
The international community has realized the urgency. In 2010, the United Nations created an institution, the Green Climate Fund, or GCF, to support developing countries that aren’t historically responsible for causing the climate crisis to cut their emissions (排放物) and deal with climate impacts.
However, the UN climate fund now has warned that carbon-cutting projects in developing countries would have to be cut without more money coming in.
Campaigners have blamed the United States—one of the GCF’s founders—for the potential cuts. “If the GCF needs to limit its operations in the near future due to lack of funding, it’s hard to find any single country more at fault than the US,” Action Aid’s policy director Brandon Wu told Climate Home News.
In 2014, then-US president Barack Obama promised the GCF $3 billion but gave only $1 billion before the end of his term. His successor, Donald Trump, didn’t give any money to the fund and, so far, neither has President Joe Biden. The US owe s the fund $ 2 billion.
Last year, 46 climate and green groups signed a letter that urged the White House to give the $2 billion to the GCF. The climate and green groups also asked the administration to commit an additional $6 billion to bring the US in step with other donor countries.
In 2019,1 3 countries—mostly in Europe but including South Korea and New Zealand—announced a doubling or more of their contributions to the GCF to help fun d green projects for 2020-23.
1. Why is the situation in Kenya mentioned in the second paragraph?| A．To tell us the impact of climate change. |
| B．To tell us the living conditions in Kenya, |
| C．To tell us how Kenya deals with climate change. |
| D．To tell us how the crops and the farm animals have died. |
| A．Disease. | B．Poverty. | C．Mistake. | D．Consequence. |
| A．$3 billion. | B．$ 6 billion. | C．$8 billion. | D．$9 billion. |
| A．UN creates Green Climate Fund | B．GCF needs to limit its operations |
| C．GCF to help fund green projects | D．UN climate fund starved of cash |
5 . After a magnitude 6.8 earthquake hit Luding county in Southwest China’s Sichuan province on Monday, rescuers from across the province have rushed to the hardest-hit areas to help affected local people.
During the search and rescue operations, the photo of a young rescuer holding a 2-month old baby in his arms has pulled the heartstrings of many people. Zhang Zili and fellow members from the Forest Fire Brigade of Aba Tibetan and Qiang autonomous prefecture (自治区) discovered the baby and her grandmother trapped at their home in a village on Tuesday. The rescuers have carried the baby, who suffered as light head injury, and his grandma to safety. The baby’s father is also a firefighter who was participating in rescue operations after the quake hit the area. His mother and grandfather were seriously injured and sent to hospital.
The photo of Zhang holding the baby moved many people. Zhang was lovingly referred to as “brother Wen chuan” for the characters of “Wenchuan” on his armband, which indicates that he is from the Wenchuan squadron (中队) of the Aba forest fire brigade.
The 20-year-old is a native of Maoxian county, which is close to Wenchuan county, the epicenter(震中) of a 7.8-magnitude earthquake that killed more than 69, 000 people in 2008. 14 years ago, Zhang witnessed the devastating earthquake, which brought down his family’s house. He and his family lived in a temporary, shelter setup at a school playground. “I remembered the tent we lived in was dark, and I was scared,” Zhang said. Here called how emergency supplies were air-dropped from” helicopters and how soldiers of the People’s Liberation Army and rescuers helped locals get over the difficulties. “Then a uncle of the PLA came to me. He taught me songs to sing and played with me. He kept saying, “Don’t be afraid. We are here now.” The words left a deep impression on the boy’s heart.
This year, when he learnt that the local forest fire brigade was recruiting (招聘) firefighters, he did not hesitate to join it. Since then, in less than four months, he has taken part in several forest firefighting missions and rescue operations of the latest earthquake.
1. Who was injured slightly in the family during the earthquake according to the second paragraph?| A．The baby’s father. | B．The baby’s mother. |
| C．The baby’s grandpa. | D．The 2-month-old baby. |
| A．Rather usual. | B．Quite frequent. |
| C．Extremely harmful. | D．Very weak. |
| A．By treating his injuries. | B．By calming and comforting him. |
| C．By taking him to safety. | D．By offering him some food. |
| A．14 years on, rescuer passes on love and kindness |
| B．A magnitude 6.8 earthquake hit Luding county in Sichuan |
| C．Volunteers rush to Luding county to help affected people |
| D．20-year-oldman takes part in rescue operations in Luding |
6 . Cody McCasland is a double above-knee amputee(被截肢者) .He was born with a rare birth weakness that caused his legs to form both missing tibiae(胫骨) and knees. He has been receiving care at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children (TSRHC) since he was just two months old. After discussions, doctors decided that it was in Cody’s best interests to amputate(截肢) his legs to give him a chance to walk freely using artificial limbs. This surgery was completed when Cody was just 15 months old, and he received his first set of artificial limbs when he was 17 months old.
Over the past few years Cody has continued to challenge himself physically. Cody has competed in many athletic competitions, winning gold medals in running and swimming. He once ran the last part of the Team Cody Relay at, the Dallas White Rock Marathon. He competes as a double amputee on a normal competitive USA swimming team. He also enjoys horse riding, playing baseball and many other sports.
Team Cody was formed in 2014.Through the years, Team Cody has raised nearly $92, 000 for TSRHC, and in 2018, it also raised over $3, 500 for Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF). In 2019, Cody was asked to be a spokesperson for CAF. Cody attends events to help further the mission of CAF by supporting physically challenged persons to reach their athletic goals. Cody also serves as a teacher for new challenged athletes.
Cody has been enable to train, travel, compete in various athletic events and act as an inspiration for others. He has taken opportunities to meet some disabled people, spend time with them and-encourage them.
1. How can we describe Cody according to the text?| A．Funny and gentle. | B．Friendly and strong-willed. |
| C．Honest but shy. | D．Awkward but sympathetic. |
| A．He is quite good at swimming and running. |
| B．He joined a normal USA swimming team in 2014. |
| C．He managed towing old medals in world-class competitions. |
| D．He has been supported by CAF to compete for so many times. |
| A．He gives CAF chances to hold competitions. |
| B．He can train the disabled people to win races. |
| C．His experiences encourage others, especially those who are disabled. |
| D．He offers money to those who are poor or disabled through Team Cody. |
| A．The surgery for his legs was completed when he was just 15 months old. |
| B．He once ran a full Dallas White Rock Marathon by himself. |
| C．He has been disabled since he was a young teenager. |
| D．He became a spokesman for CAF in 2018. |
7 . Former UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill (1874-1965) once said, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” These are certainly words that millions of volunteers around the world could agree with.
In the US, April is National Volunteer Month, which recognizes and thanks volunteers who lend their time, talent, and support to causes (事业) they care about.
Volunteering means choosing to work without being paid for it. People who volunteer spend their time doing things they feel strongly about. For example, animal lovers may volunteer at an animal shelter to help improve the treatment and well-being of animals.
For students, valuable lessons may also be learned by volunteering. Take Andrew Makhoul, a sophomore (大二学生) at the University of Pennsylvania, as an example. Makhoul didn’t spend the 2012 spring break partying. Unlike his classmates, who planned on relaxing after a term of hard work, the 19-year-old decided to do something for people less fortunate than himself.
He traveled to an orphanage (孤儿院) in Guatemala in Central America. The orphanage is in one of the poorest and most violent parts of the country, and depends on volunteers to stay open.
Makhoul doesn’t speak much Spanish, but he found communication wasn’t a problem: “You communicated with love,” according to an article on his university’s website, “You could see love when you looked in their eyes.”
Makhoul’s first time as a volunteer only lasted a week, but by the end of that week, he knew he’d be back soon – because he saw love and hope.
US author Sherry Anderson once wrote, “Volunteers don’t get paid, not because they’re worthless, but because they’re priceless.” And this is perhaps why volunteers all around the world keep doing what they do.
1. Why is Winston Churchill mentioned in the first paragraph?| A．To teach readers a lesson. | B．To sum up the main idea. |
| C．To lead in the topic. | D．To involve readers in a story. |
| A．To collect money for the volunteers. | B．To offer care about the causes of volunteers. |
| C．To appreciate the work of volunteers. | D．To encourage more to become volunteers. |
| A．He threw a party. | B．He relaxed himself. |
| C．He went to an animal shelter. | D．He visited an orphanage. |
| A．warm-hearted | B．lovely | C．brave | D．energetic |
| A．Worthless. | B．Priceless. | C．Highly-paid. | D．Badly-needed. |
8 . Born and raised in Hawaii, I learned to appreciate and respect a diversity of cultures as a member of its very successful Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. Most of my classmates stayed in Hawaii for college or went to schools on the West Coast, but I decided to broaden my horizons by attending Purdue University in Indiana. While there, I discovered I was a minority — something I had never experienced back home.
Being a minority for the first time, I felt like an outsider. My ideas, interests and values were constantly considered not as important as my heritage (传统). After sharing an alternate point of view, I would often hear “What do you know? You’re from Hawaii.” These responses eventually made me less enthusiastic about telling people where I was from; I had lost pride in my heritage.
That summer I went home to work for a political non-profit in Honolulu, where I discovered a love for working on laws. Slowly, my pride in my heritage came back. I came to the realization that everyone is raised differently, and the people who had previously thought little of me were so forced on their ideas of where I came from — a remote, beautiful island — that they were ignorant of my culture and the value that other views and opinions can offer.
I returned to Purdue with a newfound love for my background, I decided to share my culture with everyone I could and, after I did, I found people were more willing to hear my ideas. I changed my major to political science and decided I wanted to be a civil servant, with the goal of helping people of Asian American Pacific Islander backgrounds. I strongly believe if more AAPIs are given opportunities to expand their horizons by attending universities across America and the globe, the ignorance will go away and more voices will be heard.
1. Why did the author go to Purdue University?| A．Because she was tired of life in Hawaii. |
| B．Because she wanted to go out and expand her mind. |
| C．Because her classmates chose to study on the West Coast. |
| D．Because she was interested in the variety of cultures there. |
| A．Her ability was challenged. |
| B．Her identity was questioned. |
| C．She was made fun of because of her accent. |
| D．She was laughed at owning to her background. |
| A．Being a lawyer in Indiana. | B．Being a civil servant for AAPIs. |
| C．The work for a political non-profit. | D．Her major to political science. |
| A．Proud. | B．Cautious. | C．Upset. | D．Depressed. |
| A．Live My Minority Life | B．Overcome Culture Shock |
| C．Live with Others’ Pride | D．Fit into a Different Society |
9 . Being blind is hard. But things were even harder for those disabled kids who were born in a small village in India, where most people thought that kids with disabilities were useless. Srikanth Bolla was one of them. Luckily, Srikanth’s parents loved their son and refused to give in to social pressure. They encouraged the blind boy to reach for the stars.
Srikanth didn’t disappoint his parents. The 24-year-old young man is the founder and CEO of Bollant Industries, a successful company that makes environmentally friendly packaging.
Of course, getting here wasn’t easy. As a young boy, Srikanth went to a regular school. But the students and teachers there didn’t accept his disability. As a result, the young boy often was largely ignored.
Worried about Srikanth’s study, his parents finally sent him to a special needs school. The young boy soon rose to the top of his class, but he was not allowed to study sciences, because it was believed too dangerous for a blind student. This was a big setback since it meant that he couldn’t take the entrance exams for any of India’s top engineering colleges to realize his dream.
Not one to give up, Srikanth managed to study in the University of Cambridge in the UK. After graduating with a degree in computer science and business management, Srikanth decided to return to India and devoted himself to helping the country’s disabled people.
In 2012, he built Bollant Industries. In just four years, Bollant Industries has become a success with over 450 workers, 70% of whom are physically disabled.
Srikanth owes his success to his parents. Though being poor and uneducated, they encouraged Srikanth to realize his dreams and taught him that true happiness comes from helping others.
1. Why do the disabled kids in the small village lead a difficult life?| A．They are often looked down upon. |
| B．They can do nothing for society. |
| C．Their parents are too poor to support them. |
| D．They have no chance to realize their dreams. |
| A．He was the top of his class. |
| B．He made no friends and felt lonely. |
| C．He wasn’t allowed to learn science. |
| D．He was encouraged to start his own business. |
| A．Support. | B．Difficulty. |
| C．Fault. | D．Chance. |
| A．He builds schools for them. |
| B．He supports them to study aboard. |
| C．He lets them manage his company. |
| D．He provides job opportunities for them. |
10 . As a qualified teacher of art and design, Theresa Harwood offers short online courses on drawing and painting to help students both young and old develop into confident artists.
Academic drawing course
This course is for absolute beginners of any age who are not sure on what to do or how to use a pencil. The course will be limited to only six participants, 5 sessions, once a week.
Start date: June 5
Time:10:00 am～11:00 am
Price: $380
Water color painting course
This course is for anyone who is interested in developing skills for water colour painting. Through a series of 6 projects we learn wet on wet and wet on dry. The course will be limited to only twelve participants. 6 sessions, once a week.
Start date: April 23
Time:4:30 pm～5:30 pm
Price: $380
Landscape drawing course
This course is suitable for anyone from 11 to 90 years who are interested in developing skills for landscape drawing. The only requirement of the course is that you want to learn to draw! The course will be limited to only ten participants. 5 sessions, once a week.
Start date: May 24
Time:8:00 pm～9:00 pm
Price: $380
Western art history course
This course is for students, aged between 9 and 12 years. It looks at the fun facts of the key artworks of each art movement and explains why the artists painted certain views or people. The course will be limited to only eight participants. 6 sessions, once a week.
Start date: May 7
Time:10:30 am～11:30 am
Price: $380
These courses have limited spaces and are often sold out quickly, so do book your spot soon!
1. How many students are admitted for each academic drawing course?| A．6. | B．8. | C．10. | D．12. |
| A．On April 23. | B．On May 7. | C．On May 24. | D．On June 5. |
| A．Water color painting. | B．Western art history. |
| C．Landscape drawing. | D．Academic drawing. |
