1. What is Miss Johnson calling Mr. Zhang for?
| A．Asking him to a dinner. |
| B．Asking him to visit the factory. |
| C．Discussing an important business matter. |
| A．Rose Garden Hotel. | B．Rose Garden. | C．Garden Hotel. |
| A．Miss Johnson is a businesswoman from Canada. |
| B．Mr. Zhang is the manger of the factory. |
| C．Miss Johnson has not been to the city. |
1. How much did the woman’s package post cost?
| A．$10.81. | B．$12. | C．$5.94. |
| A．First class. | B．A cheaper way. | C．An expensive way. |
| A．12 days. | B．2 weeks. | C．10 days. |
3 . At first glance, Huaguoshan kindergarten in Zhuzhou, a city in the southern province of Hunan, looks much like any other schools for kids in China. But it has a year-long waiting list, because of its widely advertised guoxue.
Children at Huaguoshan are taught how to bow, and how to greet each other politely. In some rooms they learn ancient techniques. In others, they recite poems, perform tea ceremonies and play Chinese chess. The school says that mastering skills is secondary to building character. “For example, our children learn to respect their rivals (对手) and accept defeat in chess,” explains one of the teachers.
Of course, the school charges hefty fees. Actually, the guoxue trend has already created a huge demand for education in kindergartens across China. Frost & Sullivan, a data firm, estimated that the market for preschool children was worth $73 billion in 2020, almost doubled its value in 2018.
Strictly speaking, guoxue content has long been part of the curriculums from primary to high schools in China. In 2014, the number of classical texts to be taught in primary schools increased from 14 to 72. In 2017, the government put out new guidelines for more comprehensive guoxue curriculums in primary and secondary schools by 2025. In 2020, more guoxue content was added to the university entrance exam. In May, 2021, the education ministry approved more guoxue classes to strengthen “a sense of belonging to and pride in the Chinese nation”.
Guoxue is the ancient system of thought that emphasizes respect for authority and usually involves learning traditional morals, thoughts, and classical Chinese texts, especially those associated with Confucius, who thought that such values were essential to achieve moral excellence as individuals. He thought that such upstanding citizens would form the basis for social harmony and stability.
After decades of welcoming foreign trends, many Chinese people are now interested in Chinese traditions. Television shows include “Chinese Poetry Conference”, in which participators are quizzed on classical poems. Young people wear traditional clothes in public.
1. Why is Huaguoshan kindergarten so popular?| A．It has the best teachers. | B．It has very pretty buildings. |
| C．It focuses on skill learning. | D．It stresses character building. |
| A．Various. | B．Low. | C．Extraordinary. | D．Reasonable. |
| A．The study burdens on students. | B．The increasing trend of guoxue. |
| C．The effects of guoxue education. | D．The huge guoxue market potential. |
| A．Classical poems. | B．Traditional morals. |
| C．Modern technology. | D．Confucian thoughts. |
4 . In 2000, Andréa Speranza achieved her dream of becoming a firefighter joining the Halifax Regional Fire Service. Her job was exactly as satisfying as she imagined it would be, except for one thing: she still hadn’t seen another woman in her role — not in a magazine, not on television, not in real life. Even today, less than five percent of firefighters in Canada are women. Speranza decided that she wanted to help young women see that they, too, could have a career like hers.
The result is Camp Courage, a program for girls aged 15 to 19 who want to learn more about firefighting. In 2006, Speranza and about 20 volunteers welcomed their first 17 participants, recruiting (招募) attendees through advertising in schools and recreation centers. Over the course of eight days, the girls discovered the ins and outs of being first responders: learning how to put out fires, deliver first aid and even use the jaws of life (救生钳) on a car.
Camp Courage now runs one session every year in Halifax and is free to attend. To offset costs, Speranza and her fellow campers fundraise by holding everything from car washes to comedy nights. Hopeful campers must also submit an essay describing how they plan to help their community, or a specific individual in need. And they have to deliver on the plan—from building a bench (长椅) for a senior at a bus stop to launching a local chapter of the Kids Help Phone.
Hundreds of girls have passed through Camp Courage, and 36 percent are doing exactly what 52-year-old Speranza hoped they would: working as first responders across the country. This past summer, the camp held its first session for young women in Halifax, as well as its first national camp in Calgary with plans to roll out more in 2023.
1. What was probably Speranza’s wish in 2001?| A．To see more female firefighters. |
| B．To make contact with more teenage girls. |
| C．To be recruited to the Halifax Regional Fire Service. |
| D．To work part-time in schools and recreation centers. |
| A．Risks. | B．Chances. | C．Details. | D．Purposes. |
| A．It is a nonprofit international organization. |
| B．It teaches the value of being helpful to others. |
| C．It requires its campers to write an essay every week. |
| D．It introduces boys and girls to the emergency services. |
| A．She had a burning ambition to play comedy. |
| B．She used to be reserved and disciplined. |
| C．She is intellectual and scholarly. |
| D．She is brave and inspiring. |
5 . Dogs and humans clearly have a special bond. But do dogs, like humans, produce more tears at times when they are flooded with emotion? A new study, which may be the first to look at this question, says that, indeed, the eyes of dogs do well up with tears. In fact, it happens regularly when they’re reunited (团聚) with the owners.
“We found that dogs produce tears associated with positive emotions,” says Takefumi Kikusui of Azabu University in Japan. “We also made the discovery of a chemical, oxytocin, as a possible mechanism (机制) behind it.”
Kikusui and his colleagues made the discovery after one of his two dogs had babies 6 years ago. He noticed that, when his dog was nursing the babies, something changed in the dog’s face — there were tears. Those tears don’t fall as they often do in humans but they do get teary eyes. “That gave me the idea that oxytocin is likely to increase tears,” Kikusui says.
They decided to run a reunification experiment and see if oxytocin brought dogs to tears. First, they used a standard test to measure dogs’ tear volume (量) before and after reuniting with their owners. They found that tear volume indeed ascended when they got back together with the familiar human and not with a person they didn’t know. When they added oxytocin to the dogs’ eyes, their tear volume also increased. That finding supports the idea that the release of oxytocin plays a role in tear production when dogs and their owners get back together. They also asked people to rate pictures of dogs’ faces with and without artificial tears in them, and it turned out that people gave more positive responses when they saw dogs with teary eyes. These findings suggest that dogs’ tear production helps to develop stronger connections between people and their dogs.
Kikusui says they had never heard of the discovery that animals produce tears in joyful situations, such as reuniting with their owners, and that they were all excited that this would be a world first!
1. What’s the author’s purpose in raising the question in the first paragraph?| A．To compare different ideas. |
| B．To express his personal doubt. |
| C．To lead in the topic for discussion. |
| D．To introduce the rich emotions of dogs. |
| A．A lesson at university. | B．An experience of his own. |
| C．The interaction with a dog. | D．A reminder from his colleagues. |
| A．remained unchanged | B．rose |
| C．became zero | D．decreased |
| A．came as a big surprise | B．required further evidence |
| C．were within their expectation | D．were contrary to previous ones |
6 . Scientists once thought bigger brains made smarter animals. But birds fly in the face of that logic: with a brain smaller than a walnut, they can develop complicated tools and remember where they hid food. Now research published in Current Biology suggests birds can pull this off because their brain neurons (神经元) use less energy than those of mammals (哺乳动物), letting their bodies support a higher proportion of these cells.
A 2016 study showed that bird brains are denser (密度大的) than those of many other animals. For example, a parrot’s 20-gram brain holds as many neurons as a squirrel monkey’s 30-gram brain.
In the new research, when compared against the neuronal energy budget of mice, humans and other mammals, a pigeon neuron used three times less energy than the average animal’s neuron―a “really surprising” result, says the bird scientist Kaya von Eugen of Ruhr University Bochum in Germany. Although bird neurons are likely smaller than a typical mammal’s, she adds, the difference in energy use “is so big that this cannot be the only explanation. “Perhaps, she suggests, bird brains are organized so that neurons can more easily exchange signals, or maybe birds’ warmer body temperatures let neurons function faster. The author guesses that complex mental needs such as song and flight could have pushed the evolution of more efficient brain cells.
The finding is “pretty remarkable,” says Vanderbilt University scientist Suzana Herculano-Houzel, who worked on the 2016 study but was not involved in the new research. Based on the density difference between mammal and bird brains, she says, the energy difference is “exactly the math you’d expect.” Birds may have evolved this feature simply to work with their limited energy supply, rather than to consider advanced processing needs.
1. What does “pull this off” underlined in paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．Stop flying whenever they want. | B．Have brains smaller than walnuts. |
| C．Recall the hiding place of food. | D．Develop bigger brains. |
| A．By comparing energy consumption of different species. |
| B．By referring to the previous research result. |
| C．By asking different scientists’ opinions. |
| D．By studying diagrams and numbers. |
| A．Bird brains exchange signals more easily. |
| B．Neurons function faster in birds’ warm body. |
| C．Birds have more efficient brain cells. |
| D．Pigeons use much less energy than average. |
| A．Birds eat less to become smarter. |
| B．Bird brains are becoming bigger than before. |
| C．Birds become smarter due to the insufficient food supply. |
| D．Birds become smarter to consider how to process food. |
7 . Close to the king’s palace stood a little house. In it lived a
The king wondered, “I wish I could be as happy as him.”
One evening the king found the gardener packing up his tools after
“Why should I be unhappy when I get two meals a day and have a
“But what if tomorrow you fall sick! Shouldn’t you think of the future too?” the king asked.
“And start
“You said it. Thank you,” the king nodded and
| A．silly | B．lazy | C．cheerful | D．rich |
| A．rarely | B．immediately | C．uncomfortably | D．jokingly |
| A．starting | B．finishing | C．missing | D．studying |
| A．shot | B．arrested | C．ignored | D．approached |
| A．secret | B．use | C．price | D．goal |
| A．exchange | B．divide | C．appreciate | D．share |
| A．garden | B．palace | C．bed | D．kitchen |
| A．money | B．strength | C．time | D．company |
| A．sad | B．weak | C．tired | D．hungry |
| A．get up | B．roll over | C．lie down | D．break out |
| A．carefully | B．instantly | C．occasionally | D．painfully |
| A．energy | B．hate | C．meaning | D．ambition |
| A．chance | B．day | C．dream | D．meal |
| A．sings | B．listens | C．matters | D．prefers |
| A．respectfully | B．awkwardly | C．shyly | D．humorously |
| A．celebrating | B．arguing | C．learning | D．worrying |
| A．love | B．lose | C．change | D．forget |
| A．afford | B．fail | C．decide | D．plan |
| A．refused | B．pretended | C．threatened | D．determined |
| A．power | B．wealth | C．present | D．talent |
8 . As a photographer, have you thought about entering photo competitions? Which photo competition should you enter? If you’ve found yourself asking the questions, you’re in the right place. This article will induce some of the most famous photo competitions to you.
World Press Photo Awards
If you want to test your photojournalism (摄影新闻报道) skills against other more than one competition, consider joining the World Press Photo Awards. The competition has been hosted each year since 1955 and there are regional and overall winners.
Deadline: January
Entry Fees: Free
Prizes: Regional winners: €1,000. Global winners: € 6,000.
Istanbul Photo Awards
The Istanbul Photo Awards is hosted each year by Anadolu Agency, Turkey. But you don’t need to have a base in Istanbul to enter the competition.
You can apply for several categories, including single news, story news, and categories ranging from sports to nature. The competition is organized mainly for news photographers.
Deadline: February
Entry Fees: Free
Prizes: Category winner: $ 3,000. Runners-up (亚军):$1,500. Third-placed: $1,000.
Amateur Photographer of the Year
The Amateur Photographer of the Year award is held every year. You’ll have the opportunity to enter several rounds throughout the year, each of which has a different topic.
Deadline: Varies
Entry Fees: Free
Prizes: Winner gets £500 (each round); £1,000 for the overall winner. Second-placed get £1,000.Third-placed get £50.
Landscape Photographer of the Year
If you live in the UK and want to show your country beauty, you might want to consider entering the competition. The competition has several categories, including city life, black and white, and classic view.
Deadline: May
Entry Fees: £9.99
Prizes: Winner: £10,000 and a book. Category winners: £1,000 and a book. Category runners-up: a book.
1. Which competition can a photographer enter several times in a year?| A．Istanbul Photo Awards. | B．World Press Photo Awards. |
| C．Amateur Photographer of the Year. | D．Landscape Photographer of the Year. |
| A．They require entry fees. |
| B．They set three levels of prizes. |
| C．They are hosted in the same month each year. |
| D．They are mainly held for news photographers. |
| A．€2,000 | B．€1,000 | C．€3,000 | D．€10,000 |
9 . Looking for your next culture fix? Here are some must-see exhibitions that need to be on your radar.
Lucie Rie: The Adventure of Pottery, Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge
4 March-25 June
It showcases potter (陶艺师) Lucie Rie’s ground-breaking practice across six decades. The potter was a key figure in British post-war art, having moved away in 1938 from Vienna. Her technical innovations permanently extended the language of studio pottery. Her achievements range from functional tableware to elegant bowls and vases decorated with sgraffito.
Soutine |Kossoff, Hastings Contemporary, East Sussex
1 April-24 September
It’s the first show to explore the relationship between Leon Kossoff, whose thickly applied paint landscapes of post-war London are well known, and Paris trained artist Chaim Soutine. Kossoff discovered Soutine’s works in the early 1950s and was greatly influenced by it. The two artists shared an Eastern European Jewish heritage, and both created excellent works from the stuff of everyday life.
Luxury and power: Persia to Greece, British Museum
4 May-13 August.
It examines the political power of luxury goods in the Middle East and Southeast Europe between 550-30 BC. This was a period when the Persian Empire was in conflict with the cities and kingdoms of Greece before being occupied by Alexander the Great. Loans to the exhibition include the Panagyurishte Treasure from Bulgaria.
Audubon’s Birds of America, Compton Verney
1 July-1 October
On tour from the National Museums Scotland, Audubon’s Birds of America examines the artistry and legacy of one of the world’s rarest, most coveted and largest books. Published as a series between 1827 and 1838, and nearly 1 metre high, Birds of America by John James Audubon achieved international renown due to its epic scale and the book’s spectacular, large-scale ornithological illustrations. Compton Verney’s grounds are a wildlife shelter, so make the perfect setting for the show.
1. How long did Lucie Rie work on pottery?| A．About 80 years. | B．About 70 years. | C．About 60 years. | D．About 50 years. |
| A．Audubon. | B．Soutine. | C．Lucie. | D．Kossoff. |
| A．Compton Verney. | B．Hastings Contemporary. |
| C．British Museum. | D．Kettle’s Yard. |
1. Where are the speakers?
| A．At a travel agency. | B．At a train station. | C．At school. |
| A．By car. | B．By plane. | C．By train. |
| A．Italy. | B．Germany. | C．France. |
