Maybe there is a Father Christmas!
Anna stood anxiously staring at the pouring rain while little Molly looked up at a pretty doll in the window of the toy shop on the edge of town. "Mummy, "Molly said, "that's the doll I would like Father Christmas to bring me." A tear rolled down Anna's cheek and she knew it would be impossible this year. They were supposed to start a new life in Spain one and a half years ago before her husband Tim was cruelly taken from them by a car. Their small amount of savings were quickly spent on Tim’s funeral costs and necessities, leaving her in heavy debt.
To her relief, the local people had helped to support her through these difficult times and especially Juan, owner of the local grocery store, a single man, who would often put something special into her shopping bag, even though he himself had been going through a difficult period — his mother died of cancer and he was busy handling the sale of his mother’s house on the edge of town.
As the rain stopped, Anna and Molly started walking home. She was thinking about buying an umbrella after paying the rent with her upcoming wage when Molly shouted excitedly, "Mummy, what’s that on the road?" Anna looked down and saw a bag lying in the water, which was obviously lost because of the sudden rain.
They got home and dried themselves before Anna focused on the bag. Opening it and seeing bundles of money inside, she stood back in shock and cried, "Is this a present from kindness? I can pay off my debt, buy Molly’s favorite doll and my new umbrella ...” Then reality set in, Anna was a very moral person and would never steal even the slightest little thing, let alone bundles of money. She went to bed with all thoughts in her mind.
Paragraph 1：
Early next morning, Anna headed where she decided to go.
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Paragraph 2：
At supper, Anna had an unexpected visitor—Juan with gift boxes in his hands.
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2 . When considering places to visit in China, thoughts invariably drift to the same old sites, like the Great Wall, the Terracotta Army and the Bund. Look a little farther, however, and you can find some truly fascinating scenery and settings you’ve probably never heard of.
Houtouwan — A village like no other
Located on Shengshan Island, Houtouwan was once home to a fishing community. In the 1990s, however, much of the population left as the fishing routes dried up and opportunities arose on the mainland. Left completely to Mother Nature’s designs, Houtouwan has been transformed into a truly fascinating ghost village over the years, like the set of a horror movie!
Houtouwan is not an easy place to get to. From Shanghai, you will need to transfer between land and water vehicles several times to finally reach there.
Crescent Lake — An oasis in the desert
Out west, there’s a whole different world to be explored — Crescent Lake. It is part of a literal oasis in the desert that surrounds Dunhuang in Gansu. The crescent-shaped body of water has been preserved so visitors can enjoy one of nature’s true rarities.
Crescent Lake is located just a 15-minute taxi ride from Dunhuang.
Old Dragon’s Head — The Great Wall you’ve never seen before
One of the most unusual places to explore the Great Wall is Old Dragon’s Head, where the wall meets the sea in Qinhuangdao. The waves crashing against the stones stirs up a certain poetry. After checking out the wall, you can relax yourself on the beach.
Old Dragon’s Head is part of the Shanhai Pass section of the wall. It can be reached by taxi from Qinhuangdao train station.
Panjin Red Beach — The world’s most beautiful marshlands
Red Beach, located in Panjin, Liaoning province, forms part of what is the biggest wetland in the world. The weeds of the beautiful marshland area are flaming red. Stilted walkways have been installed so visitors can explore without harming the otherworldly weeds.
From Panjin train station, bargain with the local taxi drivers to take you directly to Red Beach.
1. Why did the villagers leave Houtouwan?| A．To look for another fishing route. | B．To preserve its natural beauty. |
| C．To seek a better life on the mainland. | D．To make room for a film base. |
| A．Houtouwan. | B．Old Dragon’s Head. |
| C．Crescent Lake. | D．Panjin Red Beach. |
| A．They’re all wonders of nature. | B．They’re all not-so-famous. |
| C．They’re all inconveniently located. | D．They’re all well-preserved. |
3 . It’s never too late to achieve your goals. After more than half a century since his last class at the University of Cincinnati, Paul Blom, aged 94，
Blom first
Back in May, Blom’s daughter, Paula Baxter, reached out to UC to
“It’s very
| A．travelled | B．jumped | C．walked | D．drove |
| A．received | B．recognized | C．exchanged | D．chose |
| A．turned in | B．took over | C．put away | D．applied for |
| A．practice | B．process | C．service | D．movement |
| A．career | B．business | C．challenge | D．argument |
| A．flew | B．happened | C．waved | D．skipped |
| A．result | B．goal | C．function | D．reason |
| A．test | B．expect | C．see | D．watch |
| A．necessary | B．special | C．practical | D．traditional |
| A．noticing | B．requiring | C．deciding | D．discovering |
| A．credits | B．pleasure | C．prizes | D．gifts |
| A．donate | B．sell | C．issue | D．show |
| A．entertaining | B．inspiring | C．interesting | D．puzzling |
| A．holiday | B．operation | C．experiment | D．celebration |
| A．realized | B．imagined | C．predicted | D．reminded |
4 . China just successfully landed its first rover (探测器) on Mars, becoming only the second nation to do so. Tianwen-1 arrived in Mars’ orbit (轨道) in February 2021 after being sent into space on a Long March 5 rocket in July 2020.
After circling the Red Planet for three months, the Tianwen-1 lander, with the rover attached, separated from the orbiter to begin its going down toward the planet’s surface. Once the lander and rover entered Mars’ atmosphere, the spacecraft went through the “seven minutes of terror” before attempting soft landings on Mars. A heat cover protected the spacecraft during the landing. After that the spacecraft safely parachuted (用降落伞投放) down to the Utopia Planitia region, a plain in the planet’s northern part. Tianwen-1’s landing platform fired some small, downward-facing rocket engines to slow down during the last few seconds of its landing.
China’s Mars rover, called Zhurong, is expected to spend at least 90 Mars days roving around on Mars to study the planet’s composition and look for signs of water ice.
Zhurong will study the Red Planet, and the orbiter will serve as a data station for communications between Zhurong and mission controllers on Earth. The orbiter is designed to last for at least one Mars year, or about 687 Earth days.
China is also planning a Mars mission in 2028, much like a joint NASA and ESA mission scheduled to begin that same year. China is also working with Russia on another mission scheduled to start in 2024.
1. It took Tianwen-1 _______ to land on the surface of Mars.| A．3 months | B．5 months |
| C．7 months | D．10 months |
| A．The landing of Tianwen-1. | B．The seven minutes of terror. |
| C．The working principle of rockets. | D．The plain in the planet’s northern part. |
| A．To look for fresh water. | B．To find living places for humans. |
| C．To research the make-up of Mars. | D．To learn how to land on Mars safely. |
| A．Unique. | B．Promising. |
| C．Overheated. | D．Unbeatable. |
5 . Spending less time in REM sleep is related to a greater overall risk of death from any cause as well as from heart disease and other diseases except for cancer, a new study finds.
REM, which stands for rapid eye movement, is the stage of sleep in which we dream and information and experiences are consolidated and stored in memory. “The effect of short REM time on death has not been previously shown,” said Dr. Vsevolod Polotsky, who directs Sleep Basic Research at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
The study, published Monday in JAMA Neurology, studied the sleep patterns of 2,675 men who participated in the research “Outcomes of Sleep Disorders in Older Men” (MrOS), which followed male sleep disorder between 2003 and 2016. Sleep was measured in an at-home sleep study at the beginning and again over a four-day period via a sleep watch.
Men in the MrOS study had a 13% higher heart and overall death rate over a dozen years for every 5% loss of REM sleep, even after adjusting for sleep and health variables. Results were mirrored in the Wisconsin study, even though study participants were younger, followed for a longer time—over 20 years.
“However, it is important to realize these findings are not a cause and effect but a connection,” said Polotsky, adding that there was also no control group, a key element of gold standard experimental studies.
Polotsky said the study did not include a representative sample of African Americans and other races, and may have not fully controlled for depression. Many of the participants were on medicine for depression, which he said are known to affect REM sleep. “I would take the study results with a grain of caution. Further studies needed to consider a possible contribution of depression and to examine this relationship in other races,” Polotsky said.
1. What does the underlined word “consolidated” mean in paragraph 2?| A．Removed. | B．Weakened. | C．Strengthened. | D．Reduced. |
| A．By measuring adults’ sleep in the lab. | B．By studying the sleep patterns of men. |
| C．By adjusting for sleep and health variables. | D．By tracking both men and women’s sleep time. |
| A．REM is the main reason of death. |
| B．The samples of the test groups were limited. |
| C．Depression was seriously examined in the test. |
| D．Drugs and medicine had little influence on REM. |
| A．REM and Heart Diseases | B．The More REM, the Better |
| C．MrOS, a Main Threat to REM | D．Less REM Sleep, Higher Risk of Death |
6 . BOX GALLERIES
Established by Emma Moir in 2012, Box Galleries is a contemporary art gallery on the Kings Road in Chelsea, London. Here are some shows we offer.
ILLUMINATI
WEDNESDAY 04 NOV TO WEDNESDAY 18 NOV, 2021
Box Galleries is proud to announce its forthcoming focus on ‘ILLUMINATI’ by London-based artist, Illuminati Neon. It will be open to the public from 4th to 18th November 2021. The work will showcase how the power of Punk has created a whole dynamic (有活力的) method of expression.
FAITH
WEDNESDAY 09 SEP TO WEDNESDAY 30 SEP, 2021
Box Galleries is proud to present FAITH, an important focus on the exciting and dynamic work of Tommy Fiendish. This will be the first time for Box Galleries to shine its spotlight on the youngest artistic talent born in the UK. It will be open to the public from 9th to 30th September 2021 with private appointments with both Fiendish and the gallerist available on request.
NOW WHAT
THURSDAY 02 JUL TO FRIDAY 31 JUL, 2021
Box Galleries are delighted to be showcasing the last ever titles from the well-known PULP FICTION series by The Connor Brothers. The series is an incredibly rich body of the artworks of 1950’s dime novels (廉价小说), giving them a new meaning. We are expecting these pieces to sell out extremely quickly.
WOOF
SATURDAY 10 AUG TO SATURDAY 31 AUG, 2021
Box Galleries are holding a special exhibition WOOF from 10th to 31st August, offering 10% of all sale intake to the charity, Animal Rescue Kefalonia (ARK), by which over 350 cats and dogs have been rescued. It will feature a collection of stone dog sculptures. We will be holding a doggy day on the 10th August from 11am to 2pm. All dogs are welcome and will be gifted with a doggy treat bag.
1. Which show will last the longest?| A．ILLUMINATI. | B．FAITH. |
| C．NOW WHAT. | D．WOOF. |
| A．It has saved over 350 cats and dogs. |
| B．It will donate all the income to ARK. |
| C．A doggy day will last through the show. |
| D．It will exhibit some dog figures made of stone. |
| A．Artist’s nationality. | B．Private appointment. |
| C．Time length. | D．Theme. |
9 . Different types of volunteer opportunities for teenagers exist in a wide range of time periods and fields.
After school opportunities can help teenagers develop a sense of responsibility and a good work attitude. Volunteer opportunities for teenagers looking to volunteer after school include private teaching and volunteering as an instructor.
During the holidays, a wide variety of volunteer opportunities exist to help give back to the surrounding community during times of need.
Volunteering to help pets is an option for teenagers with a love of animals.
| A．Options may also vary according to a child’s age. |
| B．Volunteers can help keep animals clean, fed, and exercised. |
| C．Working with the elderly is another opportunity for teenagers. |
| D．It’s necessary to do some research to find volunteer opportunities. |
| E．They are available after school, during the summer, and over the holidays. |
| F．These opportunities can often be found through local schools or community centers. |
| G．Volunteering at food banks and homeless shelters is a good way to help the less fortunate. |
10 . I am from Argentina, and I started to study Chinese in 2009 out of curiosity about Chinese characters. During the learning process, although I had to wake up early every weekend and take a two-hour bus ride to class, learning Chinese every time was an enjoyable experience for me. Chinese characters not only look very beautiful, but also have deep meanings.
In 2014, I was given an opportunity to study at Jilin University in China and was surprised by everything I saw when I first came to this beautiful country. During my study, I met lots of friends from all over the world, and visited a lot of famous places in China. After I returned to Argentina, I wanted to share my experience of learning Chinese with more Argentine people, letting them know the beauty of China.
Fortunately, my application for a Master’s degree of Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages (MTCSOL) at Jilin University was approved and I came to China for the second time. During my two years of studying for my Master s degree, the joy of learning Chinese became the pleasure of studying Chinese. In 2019, I joined the PhD program of the China Studies Program at Jilin University, trying to achieve my PhD to study Chinese in greater depth.
When the COVID-19 broke out, I created my own bilingual official account online to share my views of life and learning experience. As for me, the joy of studying Chinese became that of spreading Chinese.
Chinese has created unlimited opportunities in my life and opened the door to a new world for me, making my dream come true. I hope you will join me to learn Chinese, to understand Chinese culture, to feel the charm of Chinese language and Chinese culture, and to give yourself a chance to create unlimited possibilities.
1. How does the text mainly develop?| A．By providing examples. | B．By following time order. |
| C．By making comparisons. | D．By giving explanations. |
| A．He introduced China to more Argentines. | B．He toured around places of interest. |
| C．He met many foreign friends. | D．He started to learn Chinese. |
| A．To visit Jilin University. | B．To apply for his PhD degree. |
| C．To join in the China Studies Program. | D．To begin his study for Master’s degree. |
| A．It satisfies his curiosity for the future. |
| B．It shows him the history of Chinese culture. |
| C．It provides him with more chances to change his life. |
| D．It offers him the possibility to spread his native language. |
