1 . Donna Edmonds certainly knows a thing or two about getting children outside of the classroom. Having been a teacher for 23 years, she’s now in charge of Farms For City Children, a program enabling children in cities to explore the farms in the British countryside. Visiting children can take part in the farm tasks: growing and harvesting in the gardens; caring for chickens and looking after the land; and cooking up a home-grown meal in the farmhouse kitchen.
Donna’s connection with the charity led to a life-changing experience. She explained, “In November 2000, my headteacher said we’d got this trip going to a farm. I didn’t want to do that. I’m from south London and had no interest in farming.” But the week at Farms For City Children changed Donna’s entire life.
Donna said, “Quite honestly, the nature connection gap in our society is embarrassing; there are so many children who haven’t been to the countryside. I remember asking them what cows drank and they replied “milk”. Seeing them fall in love with nature was incredible to my life.”
Donna believes there is a strong need for teachers to bring city children into close contact with nature. Farms for City Children was founded in 1976, and it has now embraced a new direction — more children from different backgrounds can get into the countryside and they may one day even make a career from it.
1. What is paragraph 1 mainly about?| A．It praises an excellent teacher. | B．It introduces a school program. |
| C．It tells the adventure of a field trip. | D．It shows the difficulty in education. |
| A．They badly need to connect with nature. | B．They felt embarrassed in the countryside. |
| C．They are unlikely to fall in love with nature. | D．They know nothing about biology knowledge. |
| A．Help with young people’s career plan. | B．The right direction of farming development. |
| C．Improvement of children’s school performance. | D．Better ways to improve farmers’ living conditions. |
Citywalk is a new travel trend for youngsters to explore different cultural spots. Gather together a couple of good friends and take a walk through the streets — this is
In China, the Citywalk trend is spreading from the first-tier cities like Beijing and Shanghai
3 . If a scientist’s first language is not English, would it be truly difficult to publish an article in an international journal? Recent study looked at tons of scientific journals in the field of biology and found that they don’t do much to help scientists who are not native English speakers. The study found most of these journals judge articles based on how well they are written in English. This can be a problem for scientists who are not fluent in English because they have to work harder to make sure their papers can be published in international journals.
“The role of journals is huge because they can be a source of language barriers (障碍), but they also have the ability to solve many of the barriers,” says Tatsuya Amano, a biodiversity researcher. He added that though some journals have started to offer tools to help scientists whose first language is not English, such examples are still rare.”
Another study by Amano found that non-native English speakers are more likely to have their papers rejected because of writing issues compared to native English speakers. This shows that the language unfairness in journals can have serious consequences for scientists who are not native English speakers.
So apart from waiting for the journals, what can non-native scientists do? One solution is to work with other scientists from English-speaking countries. They can help to check the writing skillfully to double the possibility of being published by the international journal.
1. What do most international journals judge articles based on?| A．The nationality of the author. | B．The influence of the scientists. |
| C．The fluency of English writing. | D．The quality of the research result. |
| A．Published. | B．Praised. | C．Refused. | D．Recognized. |
| A．Work with native English scientists. | B．Ask publishers for help to check errors. |
| C．Improve English before writing a paper. | D．Practice reading and writing in daily life. |
| A．A Success in the Field of Biology Study |
| B．Scientists Unfairly Treated by Language Issues |
| C．The Advantages of Publishing Papers in English |
| D．Scientists’ Growing Interest in Learning a Language |
4 . The evidence for harmony (和睦) may not be obvious in some families. But it seems that four out of five young people now get on with their parents.
An important new study into teenage attitudes shows that their family life is more harmonious than it has ever been in the past. “We were surprised by just how positive today’s young people seem to be about their families,” says one member of the research team. “They’re expected to be rebellious (叛逆的) but actually they have other things in their minds; they want a car and other material goods, and they worry whether school is serving them well. There’re more negotiations (协商) between parents and children, and children expect to take part in the family decisionmaking process.”
So it seems that this generation of parents is much more likely than parents of 30 years ago to treat their children as friends. “My parents are happy to discuss things with me and willing to listen to me,” says 17 year old Daniel Lazall. “I always tell them when I’m going out. As long as they know what I’m doing, they’re fine with it.” Susan Crome, who is now 21, agrees. “Looking back on the last 10 years, there was a lot of what you could call negotiations. For example, as long as I’d done all my homework, I could go out on a Saturday night. But I think my grandparents were a lot stricter with my parents than that.”
One of the researchers comments, “Our astonishment that teenagers say they get along well with their parents comes because of a brief period in our social history when teenagers were regarded as different beings. But that idea of rebelling and breaking away from their parents really only happened during that one time in the 1960s when everyone rebelled. Now, the situation has changed.”
1. What does the new study show?| A．Teenagers are more rebellious. |
| B．Teenagers worry more about studies. |
| C．Teenagers dislike making family decisions. |
| D．Teenagers have more negotiations with families. |
| A．They are stricter than before. |
| B．They are more independent. |
| C．They give their children more freedom. |
| D．They care less about their children’s life. |
| A．Surprise. | B．Aim. |
| C．Memory. | D．Option. |
| A．Discussion in family. |
| B．Harmony in family. |
| C．Teenage trouble in family. |
| D．Teenage education in family. |
5 . Nearly half of us make New Year’s resolutions, but less than ten percent of us actually keep them. This can be due to lack of motivation or loss of interest, but it’s time for us to figure out ways to finish what we’ve started.
Lack of honesty
Are you truly devoted to running a marathon, losing weight, or whatever else you are promising to do? Be honest with yourself. We often find ourselves committing to things because we think we should.
While you may have the best intentions with your resolution, you could be putting unnecessary pressure on yourself. Rather than associating the New Year with resolutions or changes you need to make, consider it a time for reflection on things you wish to work on throughout the year.
If your goal was to send out ten resumes (简历) for a new job and you only sent out five, don’t beat yourself up for it. Rather, congratulate and reward yourself for making the effort toward your goal. That will give you the energy to continue working towards your initial (最初的) goal.
Giving up too easily
Whether you get discouraged or simply lose interest, giving up too easily is a big resolution breaker. Many people make their resolutions believing they can accomplish them.
| A．Wrong perspective (视角) |
| B．Narrow your resolution |
| C．Don’t waste your time on that. |
| D．But the excitement wears off and other priorities appear. |
| E．They thought they could stick to it because it’s what they want. |
| F．Here are reasons people don’t stick to their New Year’s resolutions. |
| G．Stop thinking about what you have not accomplished and focus on what you will accomplish instead. |
6 . Textile(纺织品)waste is a growing problem for our environment. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported the US throws away more than 11 million tons of clothing every year. That is why some small businesses spotting the problem are beginning to recycle in ways they haven’t before.
Create Good Company is a clothing company that tries to produce sustainable clothing and repurpose older clothing into updated fashionable items. Maggie Hendricks, the owner of Create Good Company, said, “If you can improve what you find, why wouldn’t you do that instead of buying new things? It’s a big issue not to create new waste. I would say we are 90% recycled materials.”
According to the EPA, the average consumer(消费者)throws away 81.5 pounds of clothes every year. “Anywhere between 10%-17% of the waste that’s going into landfills(废弃物填埋场)is made up of things like textiles and clothing,” said Danny Katz with the CoPIRG Foundation. “A lot of the clothing that we’re producing doesn’t even get worn, so it’s going right to the landfill or even being burned and contributing to pollution that way. It’s really worrying.”
This is why businesses like Create Good Company exist — to use outdated clothing and turn it into dresses or jackets. “There’s just so much waste and so many big companies that might not think about it,” Hendricks said. “Just standing with other like-minded people who are interested in sustainability is important.”
Another important element Hendricks has focused on is creating these items and selling them at an affordable price. “Sustainability sometimes is green washed in companies and they make things more expensive,” Hendricks said. “That’s not how we become a sustainable world. I think making products affordable is important to me. I want to buy things that are better for the environment without throwing my pocketbook in the fire.”
1. What makes Danny Katz worried?| A．The use of old clothing. | B．The cost of textile pollution. |
| C．The effect of clothing waste. | D．The future of the textile industry. |
| A．Its price. | B．Its sales. |
| C．Its producer. | D．Its quality. |
| A．The EPA’s measures to reduce textile waste. |
| B．Consumers being aware of the seriousness of textile waste. |
| C．Textile businesses’ social responsibility and their waste. |
| D．Small businesses working to prevent textile waste. |
7 . In recent years, the number of young adults returning to their parents’ homes after leaving has risen. This is the Boomerang Generation, becoming independent only to return to their parents’ homes like boomerangs. A boomerang is a curved(呈弯曲状的) stick that, when thrown in a particular way, comes back to the person who threw it.
One of our family members had a college roommate who dropped out(辍学) and went back to her parents because she was unable to wash her clothes. This is quite a funny example, but stories like these are plentiful. The dropout and many other young adults are often short of basic life skills, so they move out of the family home for a time and then boomerang right back.
We believe having more real-life learning in high school may solve young adults’ inability to become independent. This can be achieved through simply including extra Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills requirements for life skills. The TEKS would include learning about taxes(税), banking, health, voting(选举), job interviews, cooking, and many other important skills.
These areas of study happen to go with required courses. For learning how to do taxes, we would want to include a TEKS in math classes. In an economics class, we would require students to learn about banking and housing. In history class, students would have to learn about the importance of voting. In English class, students could learn about jobs. Cooking would be added to health class.
If in high school we can teach these skills, graduates going to college or trade school won’t need to worry about their living skills and can focus on their education. More students can finish their studies and get degrees. And once out of college or trade school, young people can focus on their jobs and responsibilities as adults. Thus jobs will be done better, people will better understand their role in society and be better rounded as both students and individuals(个人).
1. Which of the following best describes the Boomerang Generation?| A．They depend on their parents. | B．They show great interest in sports. |
| C．They like to take on new challenges. | D．They want to leave their parents’ homes. |
| A．To attract readers with a funny story. |
| B．To offer some advice for college dropouts. |
| C．To explain the cause of boomeranging back. |
| D．To show the Boomerang Generation’s influence. |
| A．It is easy for students to learn the TEKS. |
| B．They can be included in required courses. |
| C．More life skills should be added to the TEKS. |
| D．The TEKS proves to be important to students. |
| A．Teach students life skills. | B．Work together with parents. |
| C．Accept the Boomerang Generation. | D．Offer more support to trade schools. |
8 . If you have a hobby or idea that currently does not fit into an existing club in your school, starting one may be a great idea.
Think
The first step of starting anything is to think.
Judge interest
The next step of starting a club is judging interest of others. It is important to talk to friends and other students at school, because they will be the ones who finally will choose to join or stay away from your club. If they have no interest, you have no club.
Think about details
Make it official
Then you can head to the teacher’s office and tell this teacher what your club is about, along with all details. Once he or she agrees, you will likely have to fill out some paperwork to make the club official.
| A．In this case, brainstorming will be very helpful. |
| B．Then you may want to reconsider your idea for the club. |
| C．It’s a great way to practice leadership and organizational skills. |
| D．Now you can spread the word and attract others to join your club. |
| E．Next, it is important to think about the behind-the-scenes aspects of your club. |
9 . A small recording studio in Communication University of China (CUC) is a movie production center, which creates movie audio descriptions to serve the visually disabled. From the landscape in the background to the movements of the characters, and even emotional changes of the roles, these creators describe every detail in the movies, so visually disabled people can “watch” them like every other normal moviegoer.
However, as there are over 10 million people living with visual disability in China, the number of theaters providing the service falls short of demand. At the same time, challenges still exist. The first issue that movies are now facing is the varying levels of quality, which has resulted in the failure of some projects. Copyright can be another huge problem. To expand the range of movies that can add audio descriptions, China has applied for entry to the Marrakesh Treaty, an international treaty about copyright permission for specially adapted literature works for people with visual disability.
“Soon we can make more movies for the disabled. Our next goal is to make these audio descriptions of films available at the same time as their main cinemas release, so people with visual disability can walk into the cinemas with their families and friends to cry and laugh together. They also enjoy art, life and movies equally like the rest of the world,” Fu Haizheng, project dean from CUC, told Global Times on Wednesday.
1. How does the studio help the visually disabled watch the movies?| A．Introducing the main plot. | B．Offering background music. |
| C．Providing special languages. | D．Adding detailed descriptions. |
| A．To make Chinese movies go global. |
| B．To improve the quality of the films. |
| C．To have permission to adapt more movies. |
| D．To get sponsorship from an international organization. |
| A．A news report. | B．A research paper. |
| C．A movie review. | D．A theater poster. |
10 . Some of Hawaii’s most popular musical artists have appeared before an unlikely audience, who are from a small elementary school on Oahu’s coast.
They all come with a purpose: The headmaster dreamed up the virtual concerts, presenting artists like internationally famous ukulele player Jake Shimabukuro, as a way of bringing together a community struggling with the pandemic. “We have probably the best ukulele player — one of the best ukulele musicians in the entire world — come and play for you guys tonight,” said Headmaster Keoki Fraser as children and parents tuned in from home computers. Fraser is trying to organize concerts every several weeks as his school, like most public schools in Hawaii, continues to educate its students remotely.
Tabitha Persaud, mom of three students, remembers Fraser coming to the parent-teacher association with the idea of approaching big names. “Can we do that?” she wondered. “Will they do that for us?”
“They’re in the same situation as we are. So, I mean, they don’t have to go anywhere or leave their home. We just hit them up,” said Fraser, who graduated from the local high school. “We love to get people that are influential and the kids look up to.”
During a recent Friday concert, Fraser invited former student Dylan Kunz, now a seventh grader, to play ukulele as one of the student performers to open for Shimabukuro. Kunz, who likes Shimabukuro, was excited. “He’s the reason I started playing,” he said. “It keeps me motivated to keep playing.”
The concerts are open to all. For one performance, about 1,200 viewers tuned in. “I think it’s so much fun to see the smiling, happy faces of all the kids,” said Amy Kunz, Dylan’s mom. “I think Headmaster Fraser, in doing this, is really hitting home from social and emotional aspects. Even though we’re not in school, we can still make these connections and have fun.”
1. What’s Headmaster Fraser’s purpose in organizing the concerts?| A．To encourage his students to learn from the musicians. |
| B．To develop closer ties between educators and kids. |
| C．To get his community united in the pandemic. |
| D．To strengthen the parent-teacher relations. |
| A．Whether her family would be allowed to attend it. |
| B．Whether players like Shimabukuro would show up. |
| C．Whether Headmaster Fraser would agree with her idea. |
| D．Whether the parent-teacher association would break up. |
| A．Cheer them up. | B．Ask them for help. |
| C．Teach them a lesson. | D．Compete with them. |
| A．Grateful. | B．Curious. | C．Doubtful. | D．Worried |
