Word came that the annual school sports meet would take place next Friday through Saturday. At the exciting news, the whole class burst into cheers. Without any hesitation, we set about making
With the sports meet approaching, we could hardly concentrate on our daily routine. Every day, we spent much of our spare time
Time was ticking away. Before I knew it, it was my turn to step onto the track. But all of
Now two weeks have passed, but the memory still stay fresh in my mind. Disappointed as I am, I never regret taking part in the race. After all, being part of the sports meet is what I really care about.
2 . Environmental Books For Kids
City Green, by DyAnne DiSalvo-Ryan (1994)It is a great book on how anyone can take action and make a difference. In it, Marcy, a young girl, wants to plant a garden in the vacant lot(空地) of her city block. The book describes every step of building a community garden for everyone to share. It comes with a handy guide on how you can start your own community garden!
Kate, Who Tamed the Wind, by Liz Garton Scanlon (2018)This book is a wonderful story of problem-solving and perseverance (坚持不懈), as it tells the story of a young girl who decides to stop the wild wind from blowing by planting trees. It is a great read explaining the important role of trees in our lives and the planet as well as the importance of nature-based solutions.
We Are Water Protectors, by Carole Lindstrom (2020)If you want to learn more about native people and the importance of protecting water, this is the book for you. It is a story of a young girl who stands up for environmental justice (正义) and becomes an activist who fights to protect the world from pollution.
Pangolina, by Jane Goodall (2021)A pangolin is to be unlawfully sold at the market. Luckily for her, a little girl, who knows that pangolins are friendly animals with feelings just like humans, asks her mother to buy Pangolina and set her free. If you love animals and you want to learn more about the problems of wildlife traffic as well as the importance of protecting endangered animals, this wonderful book is a good choice.
1. Which book would you recommend to someone interested in gardening?A.City Green. | B.Pangolina. |
C.We Are Water Protectors. | D.Kate, Who Tamed the Wind. |
A.In 1994 | B.In 2018. | C.In 2020. | D.In 2021. |
A.DyAnne DiSalvo-Ryan. | B.Liz Garton Scanlon. |
C.Carole Lindstrom. | D.Jane Goodall. |
3 . Carman Kelly, 82, needed a walking stick to push shopping carts (购物车) back to a certain area daily at an Arizona supermarket. Elizabeth Rizzo, a customer, wondered why the lady was still
After
The video has been widely
“I was
Kelly doesn’t know how to
Rizzo says she has a
She
A.traveling | B.working | C.shopping | D.exercising |
A.dream | B.view | C.decision | D.life |
A.learning | B.promising | C.showing | D.doubting |
A.interest | B.suggestion | C.situation | D.choice |
A.spread | B.sold | C.produced | D.rented |
A.relatives | B.designers | C.doctors | D.followers |
A.worried about | B.surprised at | C.sorry for | D.careful with |
A.confidence | B.courage | C.goodness | D.honesty |
A.touch | B.comfort | C.discover | D.value |
A.protect | B.answer | C.introduce | D.thank |
A.strong | B.new | C.strict | D.busy |
A.returned | B.failed | C.died | D.changed |
A.remembers | B.imagines | C.admits | D.continues |
A.look for | B.think of | C.trip over | D.talk about |
A.challenge | B.patience | C.saving | D.giving |
4 . California’s snowpack is more than two-and-a-half times larger than average (平均水平) right now, according to the state’s Department of Water Resources. As the weather gets warmer, it’s going to melt (融化). Scientists say there’s no question we need the snow.
“The melting of snow has always been important every single year in California,” said scientist Dr. Pat Abbott.
This comes as the latest U.S. Drought Monitor report shows almost two-thirds of the state is not experiencing drought (干旱), a huge improvement over the past few months. Unluckily, the snowpack can’t make certain that we’ll stay that way.
“Drought is part of California,” said Dr. Abbott. “We’ve had a temporary respite. That doesn’t mean it has gone away completely. It will be back sooner than we would like.”
The snow can be a valuable protection against wildfires, but only if it melts slowly. “Plants stay healthy. They have taken in enough water and are less likely to catch on fire for a longer time,” said Dr. Abbott. “If it becomes too hot, say in early June, and all that snow is melted and gone, the plants don’t get more water and start drying out. By the time we get to the end of the summer, it’s easier for them to catch fire. The bigger the fires are, the greater the challenge is for our firefighters.”
A quick melt can also flood places near the Sierra Nevada (a mountain range in eastern California) that got more rain than they could deal with this winter. That includes places like Tulare Lake (in the Central Valley of California), which was dry for years until this winter. Now, it’s more than 100 square miles in size and flooding communities around it.
The area is expecting even more flooding when the snowpack melts. But Dr. Abbott says floods like this are a necessary risk for water the state has needed for years. “The snow we’ve gotten this winter is highly positive,” said Dr. Abbott. “On the other side, nothing is ever 100%.” Dr. Abbott says the snow is also helping to fill Northern California’s man-made lake, which helps provide water we need.
1. What do the underlined words “temporary respite” in paragraph 4 mean?A.Close look. | B.Short break. | C.Clear goal. | D.Long history. |
A.The snow’s melting speed matters. |
B.It is costly to reduce the risk of wildfires. |
C.Some plants died because it was too dry. |
D.Plants will be hurt if the snow melts slowly. |
A.It calls for more attention. |
B.It does good to California. |
C.It may cause unnecessary worries. |
D.It will cause danger in the long run. |
A.California’s snowpack: a wonderful view |
B.Snowpack in California: a record snowfall |
C.Snowpack in California: advantages and risks |
D.California’s snowpack: the past and the present |
1. Why does the speaker give the talk?
A.To express thanks. | B.To introduce a project. | C.To make an invitation. |
A.The sports day. | B.The reading evening. | C.The music competition. |
A.Children with family problems. |
B.Children with health problems. |
C.Children with learning difficulties. |
1. Where is the new skatepark?
A.Opposite the cinema. |
B.Behind the man’s house. |
C.Near the swimming pool. |
A.It’s noisy. | B.It’s large. | C.It’s clean. |
A.£3 | B.£5 | C.£7. |
A.Having lunch at the skatepark. |
B.Staying at the skatepark until 1 pm. |
C.Leaving early for the skatepark. |
7 . In the 1997 movie Contact, a scientist, played by actress Jodie Foster, detects a radio signal — the first communication from an extraterrestrial (外星的) civilization. That story, composed by Carl Sagan, is a fiction. But the search for such a signal is not a crazy story. Real scientists look to the sky, using powerful radio telescopes, hoping to hear even a whisper of a radio signal from one of our neighbor planets.
Indeed, a recent report of a transmission originating from Proxima Centauri, the closest star to our own, was reported by the British newspaper The Guardian in December. The source of the story is not a scientific paper, but instead it seems to have been leaked by an unknown source. The claim of a signal, if it turns out to be truly a sign of extraterrestrial intelligence, would be one of the most important discoveries of all times.
In April and May of 2019, the 64-meter-wide Parkes radio telescope, located in Australia, was recording radio transmissions from the direction of nearby star Proxima Centauri. Over the course of hours, the telescope documented data from the star every half an hour, before staying away to look at a different direction. This procedure, called “nodding” was used to make sure that any observed signal is coming from a particular direction, rather than just random radio noise.
This signal was not immediately noticed; it was over a year after the data was recorded that Shane Smith, an assistant with Breakthrough Listen, found it buried in the telescope’s recordings. This was in late October 2020. So, what exactly was seen? It was a radio signal at a single frequency, specifically 980.002 MHz. It was observed to have originated in a small patch of the sky, about half the diameter (直径) of the full moon, centred on Proxima Centauri.
First and foremost, it is important to note that astronomers think it is highly unlikely that the signal is caused by space aliens trying to communicate with us. However, astronomers mentioning the significance of the signal cannot be ignored.
1. Why is the movie Contact mentioned in Paragraph 1?A.To show the close connection between fiction and signals. |
B.To introduce the topic of a radio signal from a near planet. |
C.To stress the importance of the extraterrestrial civilization. |
D.To persuade people to pay more attention to radio signals. |
A.By recording the data every 30 minutes. | B.By staying away at a different direction. |
C.By analyzing the direction of the signals. | D.By focusing on some random radio noise. |
A.It was sent by some space aliens. | B.It lay in the centre of Proxima Centauri. |
C.It was noticed as soon as it was observed. | D.It changed rapidly with the passing of time. |
A.How aliens think about the radio signal. | B.The potential results of the radio signal. |
C.The importance of finding the radio signal. | D.How other countries react to the radio signal. |
8 . Do you feel bitter about others’ personal integrity around?
They Touch or Cover Their Mouth
If the person you’re talking to put their hand over their mouth, it’s a good signal indicating (表明) they are unwilling to answer a direct question or reveal something true.
They Repeat Words or Phrases
When a person is telling the truth, they can recall everything without thinking about it. On the other hand, when someone is telling a half-truth or a total lie, they often repeat themselves over and over to convince you of their words.
They Use Inconsistent Gestures
Inconsistent gestures bring a visual element to the concept you’re trying to convey, like shaking your head when you say no, or nodding to indicate yes. Inconsistent gestures, therefore, are those that don’t go with this concept.
Keep in mind that there is no fixed proof that someone is lying.
A.They tend to avoid direct questions by looking around. |
B.It is common for liars to use rude gestures like pointing. |
C.Big liars may expose the truth through their body language. |
D.Surely you do since they are dishonest with you involuntarily. |
E.They’re unconsciously putting a barrier between themselves and you. |
F.It’s also a strategy to help the liar buy time to compose the next part of their story. |
G.Nevertheless, it is a good place to start if you want to learn to recognize small clues. |
9 . A wise driver keeps an eye on the fuel indicator (指示器), to make timely stops at filling stations. For drivers of electric cars, though, those stations are scarce. The facility needed for refilling batteries has yet to be developed, and the technology that facility will use is still not available at the moment. Most electric cars are equipped with plugs. But plugs and their connected cables and charging points bring problems. The cables are easy to trip passers-by. The charging points lead to more street jams. And the copper wire involved attracts thieves easily. Many engineers would, therefore, like to develop a second way of charging electric cars—one that is wireless and can thus be buried underground.
Electromagnetic induction (电磁感应), the fundamental principle behind wireless charging, was discovered by Michael Faraday in 1831, and is widely used in things such as electric motors and generators. Faraday observed that moving a conductor through a magnetic field generated a current in that conductor. Further investigations showed that this also works if the conductor is fixed and the magnetic field is moving. Since electric currents generate magnetic fields, and if the current changes so does the field, a changing current creates a field that is constantly moving. This means that running such a current through a conductor will generate a similar current in another, nearby, conductor. That generated current can then be used for whatever purpose an engineer chooses.
In the case of electric car charging, the first conductor is a length of copper wire. This is rolled up around a piece of ferrite (铁氧体) that strengthens the magnetic field generated. The whole device is packed in a flat case that can be easily buried underground. When a car equipped with a suitable “pickup” stops or parks above this device, and changing current is fed into it, a similar current is generated in the pickup. This is then turned into direct current, and is used to charge the car’s battery. The principle is thus pretty simple. But only in recent years has it become practical to use in electric cars.
1. What does Paragraph 1 mainly talk about?A.The charging facility is in urgent need currently. | B.The wise drivers must observe the fuel indicator. |
C.The disadvantages are various for vehicles to charge. | D.The importance of wireless charging cannot be ignored. |
A.No current will be generated without magnetic field fixed. |
B.Electric induction is of great importance to wireless charging. |
C.A changing current hardly creates a constantly moving field. |
D.Wireless charging was put into use in all cars in recent years. |
A.The current generated in the pickup charges the car. |
B.The underground ferrite gives direct electricity to the car. |
C.The rolled conductor produces electricity to charge the car. |
D.The whole device conveys direct electricity through the wire. |
A.The Principle of Wireless Cars | B.The Present Use of Wireless Charging |
C.The Wireless Charging Is Approaching | D.The Generation of Current in Electronic Cars |
10 . The summer holidays have just begun, but it is a busy morning at Cadoxton Primary School, in Barry, an industrial town in Wales. It runs a summer programme for hard-up (拮据的) children, providing meals and activities over the holidays with the aim of helping kids to spend the time more meaningfully. As young people run laughing and screaming into the school cafeteria for breakfast, their parents hung out, some visibly relieved. Just three days into the six-week school holidays one mother says her nine-year-old daughter has already asked five times to go bowling. “Without the school’s help,” she says, “it would be a long and expensive six weeks.”
In the popular imagination, school summer holidays conjure up (使……呈现于脑际) a picture of carefree youthful exploration. But many parents rely on the term-time services that schools give their kids, such as tutors and meals. If the holidays approach, they can suddenly find their schedules and budgets stretched. Researchers also say that the long break often sets back children’s learning, and that children from poorer backgrounds are desperately affected due to their shortage of money.
Many poor children fall behind their wealthier peers over the holidays. “Summer is the most unequal time of the year,” says Matthew Boulay of the National Summer Learning Association. “Well-off parents can fill the gap left by school and consolidate (使巩固) their children’s unfamiliar knowledge well, keeping their children stimulated with summer camps, trips abroad or private tutors. Poorer families, apparently, find this harder, since their income is relatively low and demand for sponsored activities offered by governments,” he adds.
Holidays can be a financial stress, which is absolutely true. In countries where some children receive free school meals, summer means bigger grocery bills for hard-up families. Households where both parents work have to pay for extra childcare, too. The Family and Childcare Trust, a charity, says that in Britain, where childcare costs are the highest in the OECD, a club of mostly rich countries. Parents will spend an average of 33 per child per week on childcare this summer, mainly because of the sharp shortage of governmental funding sponsor.
1. What is the purpose of the summer programme?A.To lengthen students’ school life. | B.To keep students busy all the time. |
C.To provide students with free meals. | D.To enrich students’ summer holidays. |
A.Rich. | B.Tight. | C.Reasonable. | D.Affordable. |
A.Badly-off parents are likely to give up sponsoring their kids. |
B.Well-off parents are unwilling to offer their kids extra tutors. |
C.Students from poor family can well deal with the peer pressure. |
D.Students from rich family can strengthen their learned knowledge. |
A.Because of insufficiency of free tutors. | B.Because of shortage of social sponsor. |
C.Because of shortage of free school meals. | D.Because of lack of governmental support. |