1 . Retired couple May Proctor, 71, and her husband Rod, 73, have transformed their garden into a fairyland(仙境) themed light show for local kids to enjoy. May and Rod came up with the concept last year but this time is to be the biggest display yet. The mystical (神秘的) garden is open for children to walk through and upon entry they will find a “fairy world” filled with pizza shops, very small shops and a magical forest. This year the home itself has been transformed according to Alice in Wonderland.
May says she is a fairy fan and that the huge amount of decoration is worth it for the magic. “I’ve always liked to make a bit of a magical garden, but this year I’ve just been excited.” she said.“Especially it’s just magic at night, absolutely amazing.”
An ex-dinner lady, May Proctor, the native, said she and her husband never planned on doing the light display this year. Then as autumn approached, the couple felt that they had to show something. So they decided again to go on to create a light display.
The topic for this year’s fairy display—Fairy Lane in Wonderland—is inspired by the mystical world of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland.
Throughout the house and garden, visitors will go down a rabbit hole into a fantastic kingdom. “Last year it was just outside, but this year it’s inside, and it’s just amazing,” May explained.
“Outside, I’ve made my own fairies and they were hung with the flowers, so it looks like a real Christmas fairyland. But inside, we’ve got some stage properties—so we’ve got a mirror with all Alice in Wonderland features around it. The kids absolutely love it, but I only let ten to twelve inside at a time due to the pandemic (流行病), where they can sit down and have their pictures taken.”
1. What can we know about May Proctor from Paragraph 1?| A．She lives in a fairy land. |
| B．She is familiar with Alice in Wonderland. |
| C．She has many small shops in the town. |
| D．She has many children and grandchildren. |
| A．Satisfied. | B．Regretful. | C．Worried. | D．Expected. |
| A．Walking through the house. |
| B．Walking through the garden. |
| C．Going down a rabbit hole. |
| D．Going through a magic mirror. |
| A．The garden was really small. |
| B．She was concerned about their health. |
| C．The hole is too narrow to get into. |
| D．There were not many kids enjoying the display. |
2 . A herd of 15 Asian elephants has been making its way North across China since March 2020, and nobody is quite sure why.
The herd has covered more than 500 kilometers since they wandered out of their home in the Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve, located in southwestern China along its border with Laos and Myanmar. Authorities in China have tried to keep the animals away from populated areas with piles of fruit and vegetables and physical barriers. The herd was spotted last week on the outskirts (郊区) of Kunming.
“One potential explanation for the elephant migration is overcrowding in the nature reserve these animals once called home,” says George, an elephant specialist at Colorado State University. Asian elephants are endangered, only around 300 surviving in China, but the population living in the reserves of the Xishuangbanna region has been growing in recent years. George says this wayward (任性的) group might have set out to find a new home with less competition for resources.
“We’ve seen elephants expanding their range for decades now, as their populations increase, and they search for more food for the growing herd,” says Becky Chen, a conservation scientist at the Zoological Society of London who has studied elephant-human interactions. Other experts wonder if this is an example of a herd being misled by an inexperienced leader, or if the decision to roam was an almost random choice.
Authorities have instructed residents along the route to stay inside if the elephants are nearby and avoid disturbing the herd. If the animals can’t be turned back to their former forested home, scientists and land managers may need to make provisions (准备) for the elephants to live permanently in Kunming.
Chen says she hopes the situation will raise awareness of human-elephant conflict and elephant conservation. “What we have to learn is not how to solve the problem, but how to increase tolerance,” she says. “How can we use this event to let everybody pay attention to coexistence between people and animals?”
1. Which is the possible reason for elephant migration?| A．The population of people. | B．Inhabitant loss. |
| C．Annual migration. | D．An act of a misleading head. |
| A．Settle. | B．Wander. |
| C．Leave. | D．Accompany. |
| A．It takes long to live in harmony with animals. |
| B．It is important to reflect on how to live with animals. |
| C．The increasing elephants threaten human’s settlement. |
| D．The endangered elephants migrate due to human development. |
| A．Nature. | B．Health. |
| C．Entertainment. | D．Life. |
3 . The tradition of giving gifts didn’t start with the modern holidays we celebrate. Many ancient cultures celebrated holidays with the exchange of gifts. People who love to give gifts often can’t wait until it’s time for the recipients to open their gifts. If you’ve ever been given a gift, you know that part of the fun is the curiosity that builds as you wonder what the gift is.
The wish to hide the identity of a gift until just the right moment led people to wrap gifts long, long ago. Historians believed wrapping gifts in paper probably started not long after paper was invented thousands of years ago.
Wrapping paper like what we use today, though, is a much more recent invention. More than 100 years ago, gifts were usually wrapped in heavy brown paper. Before that, cloth was often used. The technology to mass-produce wrapping paper didn’t come along until the early 1900s. The first American gift wrap company— Hy-Sill Manufacturing Inc. — was founded by Eli Hyman and Morris Silverman in 1903. It wasn’t as easy to wrap presents back then as it is today, though, because adhesive tape (胶带) wasn’t invented until 1930.
Over the years, wrapping paper has developed into what we see in stores each holiday season. But scientists say that the United States alone produces an extra 5 million tons of waste over the holidays, most of which is from wrapping paper and shopping bags. To cut down on this waste, some people carefully unwrap presents, so that the wrapping paper can be reused. Others have started to use reusable gift bags instead of wrapping paper.
1. What is the interesting part of people giving a gift?| A．Hiding their gifts and their feelings. |
| B．Giving the recipients a surprise. |
| C．Letting the recipients open gifts at once. |
| D．Following a century-old tradition. |
| A．People didn’t know wrapping paper until 1903. |
| B．Heavy brown paper has been used to wrap gifts for 100 years. |
| C．Technology made wrapping paper widely available. |
| D．Adhesive tape was first created by gift wrap companies. |
| A．The future of reusable gift bags. |
| B．The waste produced by Americans. |
| C．Wrapping paper’s influence on the environment. |
| D．People’s admiration for wrapping paper. |
| A．The popularity of wrapping gifts. |
| B．The start of wrapping gifts in paper. |
| C．The problems caused by wrapping paper. |
| D．The story behind wrapping paper. |
4 . How to learn many languages
Speaking a foreign language fluently is very cool. How is it that some people seem to learn a new language easily while other people struggle with their language lessons? If you can speak many languages, you can call yourself a polyglot. A polyglot is a person who can speak several foreign languages. How do they do it?
Accept the culture
Learning a foreign language is not only about the spoken words. You need to put yourself into the lives of the people and learn about the culture of the language you want to learn. There are some polyglots who even act differently when they speak another language. Some behaviour just goes with the language.
Sometimes, when talking in a new language, you may have to make some sounds or noises that sound strange or funny to you. Remember that their sound is not strange to the people you may be talking to. If you make that sound often, as you use the language, soon it will not be strange to you any more either.
Make friends
Most polyglots suggest that you make friends who speak the language you want to learn.
Now that you know these secrets to learning foreign languages and becoming a polyglot, try to have fun with your English language learning. I wish you all of the best!
| A．Encourage yourself |
| B．Ignore the embarrassment (尷尬) |
| C．Don't try to become a master of the language in your first month. |
| D．What are their secrets? |
| E．Time with them will mean that you have the opportunity to practise and learn new words. |
| F．Have you ever seen Italians talk without using their hands? |
| G．Also mistakes are very common as a beginner. |
5 . Living on the Florida Emerald Coast, people view a hurricane as a common thing. So it is not unusual for a family to have several full gas cans and bottled water stored in their houses all summer.
Though unwilling to evacuate from a hurricane, on September 15,my family was forced to leave our home for my grandfather's house several miles away. We spent the early part of that evening watching the hurricane draw closer on the Weather Channel. Around nine o'clock, a loud sound shook the house, turned over the roof and carried it off. Soon came an indoor rainstorm.
Realizing the damage, my grandfather began to be afraid. The storm had started, but he still ran out into the heavy rain and wind to see how much of the roof was left. We got him back inside. I had never seen him so scared. Mom finally asked him to lie down in his room.
The leak had progressed rapidly. It soon became a race against time to protect what was saved. Some people may think it necessary to save material things, but I hoped to save those items with emotional value, such as the photos. I still feared the storm, but I more feared the influence it brought.
The next morning, it started to clear up. Thankfully, my family weathered the storm, though the same could not be said for the house. Only the wooden beams remained, but inside many of his things were safe. My mom and I had worked tirelessly through the night.
It was late, but we were still unwilling to go to bed. We discussed the rebuilding of the house. Under the beautiful sky, we suggested looking after my grandfather more often in the future. After this disaster, I realized the truth that the hurricane itself was not so terrible if we loved each other.
1. Why do the people store full gas cans and bottled water?| A．To save much money. | B．To watch a hurricane easily. |
| C．To protect their houses well. | D．To be prepared for hurricanes. |
| A．Frightened. | B．Surprised. | C．Calm. | D．Angry. |
| A．Prepared well for. | B．Waited patiently for. |
| C．Came safely through. | D．Suffered seriously from. |
| A．Family love is powerful. | B．Take things as they come. |
| C．Good health is over wealth. | D．Lost time is never found again. |
6 . I often find myself drawn to books that explore rural settings. Here are a few books that I've read and loved.
Rush Oh!
by Shirley Barrett
Rush Oh! is one of the most touching books I’ve read. It follows the Davidsons, a whaling family from Wales. After the death of her mother, Mary Davidson has many worries: her five siblings（兄弟姐妹）and caring for her father. The author Barrett’s exploration of this world and her characters are bittersweet and humorous.
Questions of Travel
by Michelle de Kretser
Questions of Travel, is a portrait of Ravi, a Sri Lankan refugee（难民）who flees to Australia after his wife and son’s death, and Laura, a young woman who moves to London and back again. The writing is beautiful and touching. Never before have I read Sydney brought so vividly to life.
The Life and Loves of Lena Gaunt
by Tracy Farr
Lena Gaunt, in her 80s, looks back on her long and fascinating life. She has eventually traveled widely as a player of an instrument. Lena Gaunt reveals the parts of her life that gave he joy—her music, her daughter, Grace, and her lover-as well as those touched by the sadness of loss.
Too Easy
by J. M. Green
Too Easy is an irresistible novel starring Stella Hardy, a social worker in Melbourne. When one of Stella's clients is murdered and a neighbor goes missing, Stella begins to investigate. The plot sets a cracking pace through police investigations and journeys to Western Australia.
1. Which of the following is set in Sydney?| A．Rush Oh! | B．The Life and Loves of Lena Gaunt |
| C．Too Easy | D．Questions of Travel |
| A．Bittersweet teenage experiences. | B．Attractive musical instruments. |
| C．Heart-shaking investigations. | D．Happiness and sorrow in life. |
| A．To recommend excellent writers. | B．To analyze book qualities. |
| C．To introduce good works. | D．To express personal values. |
