1 . Most people aren’t particularly fond of needles. But to a significant number of people, the fear of needles goes beyond anxiety into a more dangerous area, in which the fear prevents them from seeking out needed medical care.
And as the world’s hopes of returning to a post-pandemic normal rest largely on people’s willingness to take a COVID-19 vaccine (疫苗), experts and health care professionals are assuring those people that there are ways to overcome a fear of needles. Experts say it is a problem that can be overcome, whether the fear is keeping you from getting the vaccine or just causing your distress. Here are the steps they suggest taking.
A therapist (治疗师) can help people with the most severe fears, using some of the techniques that help people conquer other fears that can affect their lives. Dr. Chambless suggested working on your comfort levels by first looking at photos of needles, then photos of someone getting a shot, and working up to videos. In addition, a therapist can offer a fuller plan. If you can’t see a therapist, self-help books on overcoming fears could be a quicker choice, she said.
The whole thing will be over in seconds, and a distraction can help you get through it. It could be a YouTube video on your phone, or your favorite song playing. You could practice deep-breathing, or move your toes up and down, or look around and count all of the blue items you can see in the room.
The media can do its part by showing fewer images of people looking uncomfortable while a needle goes into their skin, which can increase feelings of anxiety, Dr. Rajapakse said. A good strategy is all of the positive photos appearing on social media of people holding their vaccination cards, she said. The more selfies (自拍), stickers and grateful posts people see, the more likely they are to associate the vaccine with positive feelings, she said.
1. What do experts think of the fear of needles?| A．It may result from anxiety. | B．There are ways to help get over it. |
| C．There’s no need to care about it. | D．It won’t stop people getting the vaccine. |
| A．Suffering. | B．Tiredness. | C．Impatience. | D．Desperation. |
| A．Self-help books are better than a therapist. | B．Counting can help focus attention. |
| C．Positive photos should be encouraged. | D．Having someone with you is a must. |
| A．A research paper. | B．A health magazine. | C．A medical textbook. | D．A news report. |
2 . Self-motivation requires effort, and here are several tips to help us stay motivated.
Setting goals. Our dreams are usually a bit vague. The first step to achieving a dream is to turn it into a series of goals.
Have self-belief. When you are faced with a setback, don’t just let it defeat you. Remember that you have already overcome other obstacles. Believe in yourself and your abilities.
Money. Often our dreams will involve being successful in business and earning lots of money. Great.
| A．Happiness is a choice. |
| B．So it’s easy to realize them. |
| C．There is no harm in thinking big. |
| D．A long-term goal will be the final dream. |
| E．Honestly speaking, you should form the habit of savings. |
| F．It adds to your stress and distracts you from your next goal. |
| G．You can solve the problem facing you because you have done it before. |
3 . A new suburban neighborhood, Oberbillwerder, is being planned just 15-minute outside of Hamburg. It has all the facilities that most neighborhoods have except driveways and cars. Unlike typical American suburbs where houses have driveways and a garage, this community isn’t banning cars but you will not be able to park at home, and you may not want to drive at all.
Karres en Brands is a Dutch design company that is working with the Danish firm Adept on this new community that will have 7,000 homes and 5,000 office spaces. The new planned development will have schools, stores and offices that residents can walk or bike to on the green loops (圈) that connect the neighborhoods with public spaces.
The parking structures will feature ground level community spaces like gyms and indoor farming. These parking areas will also store and collect energy for the community and as demand for parking spaces decrease, the developers expect them to evolve into new structures.
Oberbillwerder will be an exciting urban area that will be built around the existing landscape and will include a series of canals in low lying areas. The water system will become one of the central qualities of the new community. This combines nature instead of blocking or changing it to fit a traditional neighborhood. The community will also be energy neutral and use the most environmental technologies including reusing waste water, green roofs, and farming space for residents who want to grow their own food.
The developers expect to break ground in 2025 and the entire project is expected to be completed by 2040 according to Fast Company. While most people will be driving electric cars by then, this urban plan is more about a more natural use of space and better quality of life rather than just about reducing greenhouse gases from car emissions.
1. What can residents do in the new planned community?| A．Drive cars. | B．Take buses. | C．Walk dogs. | D．Go biking. |
| A．The parking areas. | B．Ground spaces. | C．Parking decrease. | D．Indoor farming. |
| A．The existing canals will be kept. | B．Energy will be provided for free. |
| C．The water system will be a bright spot. | D．Growing food will be forbidden completely. |
| A．Live better. | B．Lower costs. | C．Have more water. | D．Rid car emissions. |
4 . Jonas Deichmann started his round-the-world triathlon (铁人三项) in September 2020. He swam 456km in 54 days along the coast of Croatia, although he admits that he isn’t a great swimmer. “The swim had its good moments, but I don’t want to do it again,” he said.
Then he hopped on his bike —he’s better at that. Last week, the German athlete finished his 10,000km cycle across Russia to Vladivostok. Overall, his self-imposed triathlon covers 40,000km. He is trying to do it with a minimal carbon footprint. Over the distance of 120 Ironmans, he will not use a support vehicle. He will make his way across any oceans on sailboats.
As usual over the 16 months for many of us, COVID-19 restrictions threw a wrench into his travel plans. He wanted to cycle across the Balkans, through Turkey, then Russia, and China. From here, he was going to sail across the Pacific to San Francisco and begin running 5,040km across the U. S. to New York. He punctually cycled through the Balkans (巴尔干山脉), a substantial way across Turkey. But when he arrived in Istanbul in mid-December, he discovered that the coronavirus (冠状病毒) had closed the border between Istanbul and Russia.
A week into Siberia, he caught food poisoning at a truck stop. “I had a delicious dish with chicken and soon realized that this was a mistake,” he said. The next morning, he felt like he was going to collapse so he spent a day recovering.
He reached Vladivostok on May 18,2021. He is now trying to source a ride across the Pacific. From there, the next stage of his route is unclear. He was going to run across America but U. S. borders remain closed. He is now considering running 5,000km across Mexico from Tijuana to Cancun.
1. What does Jonas Deichmann value most during his triathlon?| A．Diets. | B．Fame. |
| C．Environmental protection. | D．Sceneries along the way. |
| A．Ruined. | B．Adopted. | C．Stressed. | D．Reduced. |
| A．He was fooled. | B．He was disappointed. |
| C．Diet was a challenge. | D．The truck stop was unsafe. |
| A．Reached the USA. | B．Ran across Cancun. |
| C．Settled in Vladivostok. | D．Swam across the Pacific. |
5 . Butterflies are the adult stage of an insect belonging to a group called Lepidoptera, which is a Greek word meaning “scaly wings.” The term is appropriate, as the wings of these insects have thousands of overlapping (重叠的) tiny scales. They give the butterfly its super appearance as the scales are set in colorful patterns unique to their species.Butterflies have the typical body of insects: head, thorax, abdomen, and six legs. They also have an exoskeleton (外骨骼) and two feelers.
The first stage of butterfly life is the egg. These shells are tiny and can be roundor oval. Females attach eggs to plant stems or leaves, which serve as food when the larvae (幼虫) hatch.
At the second stage, the larva/caterpillar hatches. The new animal may have a number of legs. Several pairs will be true legs but some will be false legs. The caterpillar has a greedy appetite and spends most of its life eating. It grows a lot during this phase, only the outer skin doesn’t grow along with the rest of its body. Outgrowing its skin, the caterpillar molts, ridding one exoskeleton and replacing it with another. Caterpillars may go through up to five molts.
The third stage is the chrysalis (虫茧). Caterpillars find a spray and make it home. (They may use a wall or other support.) The exoskeleton splits and reveals the chrysalis. The chrysalis shell hangs like a big bag. Inside the shell, the caterpillar breaks down. It rearranges its structure, growing a new body, legs, and wings. Unlike the caterpillar, the chrysalis doesn’t eat. It survives on energy from food eaten during the larval stage. This third step can last from several days to twelve months.
The final stage is the birth of the adult butterfly. The chrysalis splits, and the butterfly emerges.
Most adult butterflies live a week or two. Some species live as long as 18 months.
1. How does the author feel about Lepidoptera?| A．Significant. | B．Typical. | C．Adequate. | D．Specific. |
| A．Changes the old chrysalis into a new one. |
| B．Replaces the original skin with a new one. |
| C．Controls the false legs with the true ones. |
| D．Replaces the old exoskeleton with a new one. |
| A．The first stage of butterfly life. | B．The second stage of butterfly life. |
| C．The third stage of butterfly life. | D．The fourth stage of butterfly life. |
| A．By process. | B．By example. | C．By comparison. | D．By classification. |
6 . To those normal kids, it’s not unusual to hear “Goodnight” when you kiss them, saying “Goodnight” to them. For most parents, it’s just a storm in a teacup. However, for me it’s opposite.
My son James, suffered from the autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a developmental disability caused by differences in the brain. Some people with ASD may have advanced conversation skills whereas James is an exception.
Pre-diagnosis, I’d give James a big kiss and whisper goodnight when putting James to bed. Post-diagnosis, the silence that I received in return was deafening. It had never occurred to me before to be concerned that when I said “Goodnight, James. I love you”, my toddler said nothing in response.
I needed to hear him say something. My husband and I began to promote James to say goodnight back to us. “Say goodnight, Mommy.” For over a year, “Say goodnight, Mommy” was the parting routine of the day. Every night, it made me cry. I never got used to it. But I never gave up hope.
With more efforts, one night, I’d hear something more organic come out of James’s mouth. He dropped the “say”— and his response became “goodnight, Mommy” when James turned four. It was fantastic — but it was still prompted. At six, I got my first unprompted, “Goodnight, Mommy. I love you.” Next to my wedding, and births of my children, this was the most exciting night of my life.
James, now eight, routinely kisses us goodnight and tells us he loves us. The other evening, after giving me a big hug and kiss, James told me, “You’re a great mom! You’re not a mom with feathers, or a mom with colors and markers. I’m glad you’re a... a person!” I don’t know if he had the book Are You My Mother? on his mind, or if this was just one of the many random thoughts that crossed my son’s brain on a daily basis. I do know it was music to my ears.
1. What do most parents think of a kiss goodnight from their normal children?| A．It’s an advanced conversation skill. | B．It’s a precious routine they treasure. |
| C．It’s a privilege they take for granted. | D．It’s a good way to recover from ASD. |
| A．He was too talkative. | B．He couldn’t say anything. |
| C．He daren’t sleep alone. | D．He was lack of security. |
| A．It has evolved over time. | B．It always upsets his parents. |
| C．It benefits face-to-face talk. | D．It helps exercise James’ mind. |
| A．The Cycles of Life | B．A Mom with Feathers |
| C．The Symptoms of ASD | D．Unusual Bedtime-Routines |
7 . My ability of judging a route course is pretty horrific and there was one time I was in a very remote part of Austria and wanted to go to meet up with some of my friends at a lake. I grabbed a bike, and set off, map in hand. All was going well until I realized I was in a really, really remote part of the town, and pretty soon I realized I was on a hill. My failure of direction and my childish relationship with maps accidentally led me up a mountain.
I was 2.5 hours into my voyage, there was no sign of any life around me, there was definitely no lake in sight at all and especially the noises around me got stranger. I looked at my map wondering how it could cheat me and where our relationship took a wrong turn. It was getting darker. I was shitting bricks by the second and any moment now, something was going to jump out and ate me alive.
I eventually stopped caring that my bike would collapse on me and managed to ride the flat-tired bike down a very rocky trail at a pretty fast pace just hoping to get out of there as fast as possible.
Several minutes later, I finally saw a highway, so I got back on a known trail and just a few kilometres up, I saw the sign where I had missed my turn for the lake. After my 2-hour tiring journey, I had no desire to be near anything wet as I was already soaked from exhaustion, so I tried to get reception to call and see if anyone could pick me up. Eventually, I was able to track down some elderly Austrian men who could see my dilemma and handed me their phone, and a large pint of Austrian beer to save the day.
1. What did the author blame the loss of her way on?| A．The rough roads up the hill. |
| B．The darkness in Austria. |
| C．Taking with her a wrong map. |
| D．Her poor sense of direction. |
| A．No sign of life. | B．No lake in sight. |
| C．Strange noises. | D．The disappointing map. |
| A．Extremely frightened. | B．Hitting some bricks. |
| C．Very disappointed. | D．Entirely tired. |
| A．She rode a wrong bus. |
| B．She got a flat tire. |
| C．She abandoned her collapsed bike. |
| D．She was cheated by her poor memory. |
8 . To legally drive in Canada, you will need a valid driver’s licence. With a licence,you can drive anywhere in Canada. You must always make sure that you have the licence on hand.
If you have a valid driver’s licence from your home country, you will be able to use the licence for a short period of time in Canada, though this will depend on your individual province and governmental laws.
If you plan to use your foreign licence, the best thing to do is get an International Driving Permit (IDP) in your home country before travelling to Canada. An IDP will give you a translation of your licence in French and English.
☆The process of getting a driver’s licence in Canada
✔It will depend on the province or community in which you live and on your driving background.
✔You may need to pass a written examination on the rules of the road (study guides are available) and one or two driving tests.
✔You may choose to pay for driving lessons to prepare for the driving tests (you can search online for lessons).
✔Once you have a licence, it will have to be renewed periodically (see the expiry date on your licence).
✔See the transportation department in your province or territory for more information on driver’s licences, exams and driving lessons.
☆Car Insurance
It is illegal to drive a car without insurance in Canada, so if you own a car, you must ensure that you are covered by a reputable insurance company.
☆Driving laws in Canada
Driving laws are strictly reinforced in Canada and breaking the law can be costly and filled with punishments. It is recommended that you research and follow the rules of your particular province in Canada as some of the laws may differ.
☆Safety
As Canada’s weather can be unpredictable and dangerous, it is recommended that you become familiar with safety standards and rules related to driving in winter.
1. If you’re qualified for your home driving, what can you do in Canada?| A．You can always drive in some provinces. |
| B．You can drive within a limited period. |
| C．You needn’t transform it into IDP. |
| D．You can drive anywhere worldwide. |
| A．By buying a driving license online. |
| B．By having a driving lesson every month. |
| C．By passing one driving test or two once every year. |
| D．By passing a written exam before one or two driving tests. |
| A．It’s unnecessary to have your car insured. |
| B．Your license will have to be renewed once. |
| C．It’s necessary to follow Canadian laws. |
| D．You have to drive your car in fine weather. |
9 . If you have a thought in mind that you can achieve the same goal within less amount of time and hard work by cheating to achieve success, then you shall feel bad later in future. You may have achieved a goal but you choose a wrong path. So, always remember that the path you choose in your life chooses your destination and then you shall not have an option to change it.
It is good to fail though it may take you to terrible feelings of life but in return, you will learn many things that life offers. The struggle is true but after that, the sweet of the fruit will build up your confidence to face any kinds of problem in the future. But if you prefer cheating, then you shall always live in fright.
Honour is like a coat, which you can wear confidently. If you cheat to achieve a goal, then you cannot hide it. Billy was lazy in hard work and used to delay all his work. He always thought of taking a fake degree to enter a big company. When the company CEO asked him to write a program for a certain topic, then he was quite shocked as he was unable to do the work, because he had no knowledge on the programming language and had faked his certificate.
Honour teaches you how to be disciplined. Being well-educated people, we should know what is good for us. It is always good to fail because at the end of the day, you will learn something new that will help you grow much stronger rather than cheating to achieve success, which will make you regret sooner or later.
All in all, success can be achieved via shortcuts but honour can never be. It’s better to live everyday with honour than to cheat.
1. Which opinion does the author agree with?| A．No option can be changed. | B．You can’t achieve without cheating. |
| C．Your path determines your end. | D．With a thought in mind you can realize your dream. |
| A．Those things that hurt, instruct. | B．There is honour among thieves. |
| C．You’ll fail if you stop trying. | D．Face the problem and you’ll succeed. |
| A．To make you believe hiding is cheating. | B．To prove honour makes you feel confident. |
| C．To encourage you to wear a coat confidently. | D．To advise you to learn the programming language. |
| A．Growing much stronger. | B．Learning something new. |
| C．Failing at the end of the day. | D．Cheating to achieve success. |
10 . Volunteers are working along the border of Italy and France to keep migrants(越境者)from getting killed or injured by the cold and the mountains.
On both sides of the border in the Alps, the effort is based on humanist and humanitarian ideas. It is grounded in local traditions of not leaving people to face the weather alone. It started in 2016 when mountain workers would not ignore the migrants. The Alpine Mountain helpers arm themselves with hot tea and hand warmers. They believe that their own humanity would be reduced if they left pregnant women, children, and men young and old to struggle in the weather on their own.
The aid grew to hundreds of volunteers. They run migrant shelters, clothe those in need for the dangerous crossing and go out into the mountains. They clear paths in the snow during the day for migrants to follow and wait for them at night to guide them past border police to safety. They also treat them for health problems related to the cold and other medical needs.
Migrants credit the volunteers for saving lives. “If not for them, we would have died of cold,” said Aymen Jarnane, 23, a Moroccan led to safety on a night when the temperature dropped to -15℃. But there have been deaths. Aid groups pushed French officials to provide mountain shelters for migrants and to stop pushing the migrants back into Italy. This happened after a Togolese man died from the cold during an attempted night crossing of the mountains in February 2019.
The Alps are not as deadly for migrants as the Mediterranean Sea, where many hundreds have died or gone missing this year alone.
European opponents of migration argue that aiding migrants gives hope for others to follow. The volunteers however cannot imagine not helping others. Gaboriau said, “Regardless of skin color, political or religious beliefs, everyone has the right to be saved or simply to be welcomed.”
1. What would the volunteers feel if they didn’t help the migrants?| A．Guilty. | B．Disappointed. | C．Angry. | D．Dull. |
| A．They sell clothes to them. | B．They offer some medical treatment. |
| C．They help policemen find them. | D．They help them to go back home. |
| A．Jarnane led some migrants to safety on a freezing night. |
| B．French officials refused to provide mountain shelters for migrants. |
| C．France has agreed to push the migrants back into Italy. |
| D．The volunteers’ hard work helps save the migrants’ lives. |
| A．Hundreds of migrants have died in the Alps. |
| B．Everyone praises the deeds of the volunteers. |
| C．The volunteers will never give up aiding migrants. |
| D．Gaboriau is for European opponents of migration. |
