1 . Teaching children in a way that encourages them to empathize (产生共鸣) with others is of great significance to children’s creativity, new research suggests.

Pupils at two inner London schools were involved in the study. Pupils at one school spent the year following curriculum-prescribed lessons, while the other group’s lessons used a set of engineering design thinking tools which aim to develop students’ ability to think creatively and to cause empathy, while solving real-world problems.

Pupils at the intervention school were asked to design an asthma-treatment “pack” for children aged six and under. Pupils were given various creative and empathetic “tools” in order to do so: for example, they were shown data about the number of childhood asthma deaths in the U.K., and a video which describes a young child having an attack. They also explored the problem and tested their design ideas by role-playing various stakeholder (参与方) — patients, family members and medical staff.

Both sets of pupils were assessed for creativity at both the start and end of the school year. The results showed a statistically significant increase in creativity among pupils at the intervention school, where the thinking tools were used. At the start of the year, the creativity scores of pupils in the control school, which followed the standard curriculum, were 11% higher than those at the intervention school. By the end, however, the situation had completely changed: creativity scores among the intervention group were 78% higher than the control group.

Nicholl, the leading researcher of the study, said, “Teaching for empathy has been problematic despite being part of the National Curriculum for over two decades. This evidence suggests that it is a missing link in the creative process, and vital if we want education to encourage the designers and engineers of tomorrow.”

1. What were pupils at the intervention school asked to do?

A．Watch the process of an asthma attack.

B．Gather data about asthma deaths in children.

C．Show sympathy for the young asthma sufferers.

D．Test their asthma-treatment “pack” on patients.

2. What does the research find about the pupils in the control school?

A．They preferred to study the standard curriculum.

B．They were smarter at the beginning of the school year.

C．They had little empathy for the young children with asthma.

D．There were less creative than those at the intervention school in the end.

3. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．Empathy education and creativity go hand in hand.

B．Empathy education was neglected in the creative process.

C．Empathy education is a must for future designers and engineers.

D．Empathy education hasn’t been included in the National Curriculum.

4. What’s the passage mainly about?

A．The standard curriculum limits pupils’ creativity.

B．Teaching pupils empathy improves their creative abilities.

C．Solving real-world problems promotes pupils’ all-round development.

D．An asthma-treatment “pack” was created by pupils at a London school.

2 . Teens shifting their focus from parents to peers is normal. The self-protective urge to pull away at this stage of parenting can be strong. After all, they don’t seem to need me or want me around, right?       1    

Stand back and remember that this is not personal.

Children are trying to figure out what their relationship with their parents as an adult is going to look like.     2     It’s really painful to parents who are savoring every last moment with their teen under their roof to get their teenager annoyed at any proposal that the parent is using to try to pull them close. Nobody’s doing anything wrong. This is normal development.

Be a lighthouse.

Parents should reach an ideal balance —— “lighthouse parenting”. The adolescent years are a unique opportunity to support and influence our kids, if we can see through their apparent lack of interest in us and recognize how important we really are. As they’re growing, adolescents have a big job to try to answer this fundamental question, “Who am I?”     3     As our teens struggle to imagine themselves without us, they will sometimes actively push us away or give us the silent treatment.    4    

Remember that the lame duck experience will be temporary.

Interdependence often looks like once again living under one roof. So parents shouldn’t start counting down the days to that perfectly clean home just yet. Beneath teenagers’ too-cool-for-this exterior, there are soft spots that occasionally show themselves.    5    

A．Part of parent’s job is to wait patiently and non-judgmentally for them to appear.

B．And part of the answer is: ‘I am someone distinct and separate from my parents.’

C．Normal and even desirable as this stage is, it can be surprisingly hurtful for parents.

D．But the transition for parents from all-important to more of a barrier is often overlooked.

E．You should be a stable force for your children to measure themselves against and always return to.

F．But we shouldn’t take that outward expression of their struggle toward independence as evidence that we’re no longer needed.

G．But just as any parent at this stage may feel powerless, maybe this is a time to be more hands-on, just in a different way.

3 . The age of 18 is when a person legally reaches adulthood. But does this truly stand for our maturity? The very word “ADULT” can be broken into 5 parts containing qualities necessary for your personal development.     1    

A-ACCOUNTABLE (负责任的)

    2     But no matter what, our parents would come and take care of us and wouldn’t hold us accountable for these acts. However, as an adult, we are totally in control of our life, including all our decisions and actions.

D-DETACHMENT FROM EGO (脱离自我)

EGO — A small 3-letter word that has the power to damage a big 12-letter word — RELATIONSHIP. Getting attached to one’s ego has a harmful effect similar to holding a beautiful red rose firmly.     3     So it is time for us to get rooted to the ground and set our ego on fire.

U-UNDERSTANDING

In a world population of about 8 billion, each of us is 100% unique. We communicate with different kinds of people on a daily basis. Collective decisions for various issues involve interacting with people to reach an agreement. It is necessary to understand and respect each other’s beliefs.

L-LISTEN

When we listen to others, thoughts and ideas from them are directly transmitted (传达) to us.     4    Listening effectively with the intention to understand and not to reply is the need of the hour.

T-TAKE A STAND

We collect data in the form of parents’ suggestions on careers, friends’ advice on relationships or content that we read on social media. This data should be analyzed and questioned before reaching our own conclusions.     5    

So you think you are an A-D-U-L-T?

A．This will help us to broaden our minds.

B．Check and see how many of these we have!

C．The stronger a person’s hold, the deeper the wound.

D．Our minds should be trained to work in the same manner.

E．An information system performs the following functions.

F．As a baby, we would cry unnecessarily or even mess up the place.

G．It’s time we stop spoon feeding of opinions by others and learn to take our own stand on matters.

4 . My mother put the golden butterfly pendant (吊坠) on my neck. In her eyes, I saw pride for the first woman of our family to achieve a university education.

My grandmother loved to tell us stories of her first years at primary school on the small island of Chios, Greece: her beautiful handwriting, much praised by her teachers and her good marks. All this changed in Grade 4 when one day my grandmother’s nose started to bleed as she was doing her homework. It scared my great-grandmother, because in those years, many were dying from tuberculosis (结核病). Spending hours indoors studying was associated with growing weak and pale, a sign of that terrible disease. The family prohibited Grandma from finishing primary school and sent her to a local factory.

My mother was able to finish high school on Chios. She was an excellent student and her parents encouraged her to pursue her dream of becoming a teacher. Unfortunately, the Second World War clipped her wings. She ended up marrying and looking after her family’s businesses.

As I grew up, my mother always urged me to get the university education that she was denied. Sometimes I remember wanting to help her out with cooking or baking. “No,” my mother would say. “Go back to your homework! That takes priority!” My father, following the Greek tradition, would tell her: “Teach Sophia to cook! What is she going to feed her family?” I also remember relatives telling my parents to hurry and arrange a marriage for me as soon as I finished high school. “There is time for all that! Later on! First, she will get a degree!” my mother always hurried to reply.

On my university graduation, my mother presented me with my grandma’s special pendant. “But this is the pendant Grandma used to say she would only give me on my engagement day!” I reminded my mother. “A degree is better than an engagement ring; that’s what I told Grandma and she agreed,” my mother replied.

1. Why did Grandma fail to continue learning when she was young?

A．She suffered from tuberculosis.

B．She was forced to drop out of school.

C．She dreamt of becoming a teacher.

D．She worked very hard to support her family.

2. What does the underlined part “clipped her wings” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Damaged her arms.	B．Reminded her of her duty.
C．Expanded her career path.	D．Stopped her from achieving her goal.

3. What can we infer about the author’ s mother from paragraph 4?

A．She taught the author cooking skills.

B．She faced much pressure for the author.

C．She got on poorly with family members.

D．She was living up to the Greek traditions.

4. What might the author’s mother want to tell her by gifting her the pendant?

A．She had already come of age.

B．She should remember her origins.

C．She should think about getting married.

D．She had made the family dream come true.

5 . Are flash floods becoming more severe? Natural disasters are generally getting worse—and that's true for floods, too.

As climate change warms the atmosphere, extreme rainfall is rising, which increases the risk of flash floods. Heavy precipitation(降水) events are predicted to increase by 2 to 3 times the historical average. The Federal Emergency Management Agency expects the nation’s floodplains to expand by 45 percent by the end of this century, as the agency reported in a recent study. A study in early 2021 found that increased precipitation—resulting partially from climate change—costs the US an additional $ 2.5 billion each year in flood damage. And some studies show that flood frequency was increasing in the Mississippi River valley and across the Midwest in the last century, as well as in the Northeast over the past 50 years.

There are several steps you can take to prepare for flash floods

First, know the level of risk by looking at flood maps. You may be required to have flood insurance if you live in a high-risk area.

Pay attention to flash flood watches, which the National Weather Service issues to indicate when conditions could result.in flash floods. People in these areas-should be-ready to take action—particularly if the NWS announces a flash flood warning. That’s issued when flash floods are approaching and, at that point, people should immediately leave the area.

But be particularly careful when travelling by car. Don’t drive through flooded streets—it's difficult to judge the water depth, and roadways hidden below the water can collapse. If floodwaters cause your vehicle to lose control, abandon it and seek the higher ground. Rapidly rising water can sweep the vehicle away. Know your surroundings and head to the higher ground, and listen to the radio updates when in a flood.

It’s also important to develop an emergency prepared plan with your family or those you live with to have a few days’ worth of resources.

1. Why does the author ask the question in paragraph 1?

A．To confirm an idea.	B．To conclude the text.
C．To introduce a topic.	D．To express some doubts.

2. How does the authors support the theme of the second paragraph?

A．By analyzing causes.	B．By listing relevant data.
C．By describing processes.	D．By making comparisons.

3. What are the drivers especially advised to do in the text?

A．Purchase insurance.	B．Look at flood maps.
C．Have an emergency plan.	D．Avoid the flooded streets.

4. Which of the following could be the best title for the text?

A．What Is a Flash Flood?

B．Do Flash Floods Need Controlling?

C．How Do We Prepare for Flash Floods?

D．Are Flash Floods Becoming More Severe?

6 . The only thing separating my two worlds is the Rio Grande river— it might not be much, but it’s enough for me to feel a big difference in customs and values. People who are not from El Paso, Texas, United States or a border city might not understand what it's like to grow up between two places at once.

I grew up in a Mexican household. My dad was born in El Paso but lived nearly his entire life in Ciudad Juárez until I was born, and my mom was born and raised in Mexico. She didn’t move to the US until she had me, when she was 28. My first language was Spanish, but my parents did not want me in bilingual classes. So, instead, it was all English for me at school.

English was all I spoke among friends at school, while Spanish was the designated language with family, and I hardly ever mixed them. I also spent a lot of time with my maternal grandparents, who lived in Juárez and you could say helped raise and shape who I am today. It's thanks to them that I perfected my Spanish, learned to read and write in that language — despite never taking classes—and fell in love with my Mexican culture by traveling to Mexico City and around the country.

Along with being bilingual came a sense of having a double identity. I enjoyed watching Spanish TV series with my grandma as much as American series such as The Amanda Show. And the same went for music. I loved listening to Spanish singers, as much as American pop singers.

It wasn’t until high school that I began to meet other people whose backgrounds I could relate to. I was introduced to friends with whom I identified because they were Mexican American and who had also been raised in El Paso but often visited family in Juárez. It was also during these years that I started going out to party in Juárez.

Growing up on the border is pretty special. Thanks to my bicultural upbringing, I learned to enjoy and appreciate both sides of me without ever questioning who I am, because the truth is that I need both of those relationships and cultural identities to feel complete.

1. What do we know about the author’s upbringing background?

A．He was born in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.

B．He attended school in the US from a young age.

C．His parents were both born and raised in Mexico.

D．He showed his bilingual ability to his classmates at school.

2. Who helped the author learn to read and write in Spanish?

A．His grandparents.

B．His parents.

C．His teachers.

D．His friends.

3. Why does the author mention the Spanish TV series and American series?

A．To contrast the two styles of TV series.

B．To illustrate the author's wide interests.

C．To prove the author fits into both cultures well.

D．To show grandma and the author have the same hobbies.

4. How does the author feel about his bicultural identity?

A．Proud.

B．Confused.

C．Worried.

D．Awkward

7 . ISA Summer Camps of Figure Skating in Prague 2023!

Thanks to our considerable experience in organizing international figure skating camps for children, we have again prepared special programs for our summer training camps. The summer figure skating program has been developed with the requirements of international standards in mind, taking into account the age and physical abilities of young figure skaters.

Training week schedule

Monday to Saturday

22 hours of training: 11 hours on ice and 11 hours of training off ice.

On Saturday-shortened program, demonstration performances on ice, awarding all participants with memorable diplomas (奖状) and cups   (costumes required).

* Group workouts on ice 2 hours a day.

* Group off-ice training 2 hours a day.

* The possibility of individual lessons on ice 2 hours a day (optional).

What you need to have with you at ISA Summer Camps

On ice: Tremo suit on the ice, a few gloves for a change.

For training off-ice: Air sneakers, sportswear for training off-ice.

Price

Package price for a week stay in ISA Summer Camps for a skater: € 550 (Price per day € 92)

Package price for a week stay in ISA Summer Camps for an accompanying (陪同的) person: € 350 (Price per day € 58)

Package price includes: 7 nights at the hotel, 3 meals a day.

Health insurance

Participants signing up for this event agree that the price does not include insurance and that the organizer is not responsible for any injuries. Each participant must have health insurance concluded with one of the insurance companies valid (有效的) in the Czech Republic and a certificate of good health provided by the parent. Participation in this event is at your own risk.

1. Which of the following is included in the schedule of the training week?

A．22 hours of training on ice.

B．Group off-ice training 3 hours a day.

C．Individual lessons off ice 1 hour a day.

D．Demonstration performances on Saturday.

2. How much should a child and his mother pay for a package for the camp?

A．€ 900.

B．€ 644.

C．€ 550.

D．€ 406.

3. What must participants of this figure skating camp have?

A．Professional diplomas.

B．A recommendation letter.

C．Health insurance provided by the camp.

D．A certificate of good health provided by a parent.

8 . Snuggling (偎依) up with your little one from an early age and diving into a book together is always a great way to spend time.     1     They will give your little one a flying start in life.

Firstly, it’s a great introduction to reading, writing and vocabulary. Seeing an adult reading out the words and linking them to the shapes on the page begins to build literary building blocks that the children will use for the rest of their life.     2     It helps them build up their understanding of language as well as the wider world.

    3     It boosts children’s minds and develops their social awareness and skills. At a time when they are perhaps stuck indoors more than ever before, reading is the best way to spark children’s imagination. You can travel to the moon, meet the Gruffalo and pop into a chocolate factory! This means children will have a solid creative base and develop their own story-telling skills while enjoying adventurous days at home. Fantastic lands, stories and characters can inspire play ideas for children too. However, you’ll find books fit for children are limited on your bookshelf. Don’t worry!     4    .

Reading time is a brilliant bonding tool with parents or carers, which builds up confidence and a sense of security for little ones.     5     It can even help them sleep better. Now is the perfect time to build up a library of remarkable reads ready for children to enjoy now and in the future.

A．Turning to the Internet is a good idea.

B．These stories can encourage future leaders and thinkers.

C．Reading to your children from day one has a lot of benefits.

D．Secondly, there are many brilliant effects of hearing stories.

E．It can also make them get difficult feelings, like loss or sadness.

F．Reading aloud introduces children to new words they might not hear daily.

G．A regular bedtime story create s routine which small children especially love.

9 . A decadelong study of older adults in China has found that a healthy lifestyle is linked to slower memory decline even when people carry a risky gene for Alzheimer’s.

Memory loss is a common part of aging. While there is no cure for most conditions that cause cognitive decline, lifestyle has received increasing attention as it is relatively easy to manage with potential benefits for overall health, including memory.

In a report in the latest issue of British Medical Journal, researchers from China’s National Center for Neurological Disorders and other medical institutes followed 29,000 people aged at least 60 years with normal cognitive abilities for up to 10 years. Forty-nine percent of the participants were women.

The participants were from 12 provinces from the north, south and west of China, representing the geographical characteristics, degree of urbanization, economic status, dietary patterns, and cultural and social differences in China.

At the beginning of the study in 2009, the researchers tested participants’ memory function with the Auditory Verbal Learning Test, one of the most widely used word-learning tests. They were also tested for the APOE gene, the most common gene linked with Alzheimer’s. Around 20 percent of the participants were carriers of the risk gene.

The participants received assessments in 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2019. In the follow-ups, six healthy lifestyle factors were analyzed: a healthy diet (adherence to recommended food items), regular physical exercise (at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercises per week), active social contact (for example, seeing friends and family at least twice a week), active cognitive activity (for example, reading, writing, playing chess at least twice a week), non-smoking and never drinking alcohol.

1. According to the study, what can help us reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s?

A．Regular mental training.

B．A healthy diet.

C．Non-smoking habit.

D．All of above.

2. How does the author support the theme of the text?

A．By giving examples.

B．By stating arguments.

C．By explaining statistical data.

D．By providing research results.

3. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Causes of memory loss.

B．Lifestyle to rate of memory decline.

C．The study about memory decline.

D．Healthy diet and memory loss.

10 . For many kids in Africa, the colorful PlayPump (踏水车) is the first playground thing they have ever seen. When the children give it a push and jump in for their first ride, smiles of wonder appears on their faces.

The fun of going round and round in a circle is just part of the wonder. The wonderful invention doesn’t only change the kids’ play time, but also makes a big difference to the people’s lives.

As the merry-go-round starts, it pumps (用泵输送) clean water up from deep underground and keeps it in a huge tank (桶). People are welcomed to come and help themselves to get the water for free. They are very happy these days.

In the countryside of Africa, very few people could drink clean water. They don’t have machines that can get water in their homes. Instead, they often walk a long way to carry water back.

Patricia Molope, a fifteen-year-old girl, explains that before her village in South Africa got a PlayPump, people would pay a taxi driver to take them to a well far from their homes. “Sometimes the taxi drivers were so busy that we would have to stop taking showers in order to save water. It was so far to walk there, but at present we have our own clean water in the village, and the life is better, too.”

The hard job of carrying water usually is done by women and girls. Carrying water for miles and hours each day is such a heavy job that it sometimes prevents girls from being able to go to school.

Thanks to the PlayPump, getting water is quicker and easier-and even boys join in. The pumps have become a new activity. Kids and adults seem to love playing with them while collecting water.

A boy named Khumalo, twelve years old, says, ”I have seen many kinds of water pumps, but have never seen one that can keep water. When I grow up, I want to be an inventor so I can also invent clever things like the PlayPump that will help my country.“

So far, more than 800 PlayPumps are being operated in schools and neighborhoods in four African countries, providing water for almost two million people.

1. What do people need to do to get water from a PlayPump?

A．Walk for a long way.

B．Give it a push.

C．Make it in a circle.

D．Use a big tank.

2. What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 3 refer to the ________.

A．Pump

B．Merry-go-round

C．PlayPump

D．Underground

3. Why getting water used to be hard for Patricia Molope?

A．Because she didn’t know how to use a PlayPump.

B．Because she had no money to pay a taxi driver.

C．Because the only place to get water was far away from home.

D．Because there was not enough water in the well.

4. What is the main idea of the story?

A．The PlayPump can bring people together.

B．The PlayPump helps turn work into play.

C．Every country in the world is thirsty.

D．The PlayPump is a great invention in the world.