1 . Every festival has its own meaning. Labor Day, for example, celebrates the value of hard work. Thanksgiving is about showing thanks to people around you. And Valentines’ Day is a time when you express love to your loved ones. But somehow it now seems that all festivals we just care about one thing — shopping. And that can be a big problem.
“In a way, over-consumption (过度消费) is the mother of all our environmental problems,” Kalle Lasn once told CNN. Lasn is the organizer of Buy Nothing Day, a day set up in Canada in 1992 to fight against unhealthy spending habits, and has now become an international event. It’s held on the day, which is known as Black Friday — a famous shopping day in the US and Canada.
You can see the irony (讽刺) here.
Even though the idea of Buy Nothing Day was brought up 26 years ago, we seem to need it now more than ever. It’s just as Lasn said, all the different kinds of pollution in our lives today — bad air quality, the reduction of forest area, endangered animal species, and plastic bags found in the ocean — seem to be the same cause: over-consumption.
The latest example is the Singles’ Day shopping craze of Nov 11, which saw a new sales record. But as Nie Li, a campaigner at Greenpeace, told Reuters, “Record-setting over-consumption means record-setting waste.” And it was reported that last year the Singles’ Day packages left more than 160,000 tons of waste, including plastic and cardboard. The Collins Dictionary has also just named “single-use” its Word of the Year, pointing out the problem that there’re too many things we tow out after only using them once.
So, Buy Nothing Day might only be here for one day a year, but it’s not just to remind us to the a break from shopping on that day, but to change our lifestyle completely, focusing on fun “with people we care about” rather than wasting money on useless things.
1. What’s the authors purpose of writing the first paragraph?| A．To express the people’s love for all festivals. |
| B．To talk about the meaning of the festivals. |
| C．To appreciate the value of the festivals. |
| D．To bring out the topic of the passage. |
| A．To help people save money. | B．To cut the cost for daily life. |
| C．To prevent over-consumption. | D．To set up a new sales record. |
| A．Opposed (反对的). | B．Supportive. |
| C．Unknown. | D．Neutral (中立的). |
| A．Creating a New Lifestyle | B．Buy Nothing Day |
| C．Festivals Around the World | D．A Change in People’s Life |
2 . Keeping fit often means sharing a busy pathway with cyclists,runners and walkers,but imagine facing the task of doing it all without being able to see or hear.It is a challenge many disabled athletes face,unless someone agrees to be their eyes and ears.
Newly formed group Achilles Brisbane pairs visually and audibly impaired (视觉和听觉受损的) athletes with people who would like to guide them.
Jane Britt,president of Achilles Brisbane,who is—vision and hearing—impaired,said,“When we go out,it’s much less frightening to have someone beside us that has full hearing to listen for us and tell us what’s there.”
Ms.Cullen and Ms.Britt meet up most Saturday mornings to take part in the five-kilometer park run.Their partnership is built on trust,but Ms.Britt said that it took time to develop.
Ms.Britt said it took an unexpected storm for her to trust Ms.Cullen completely.“There was violent rain,my glasses were broken and we were walking together.I suddenly had to tell her I couldn’t see anything,and I was going to have to completely trust her.From that time I knew it was going to work because she was so good about dealing with the special situation we both found ourselves in,” she said.
Isabella Allen and her seeing eye dog Tatum are two new additions to the Achilles Brisbane.Ms.Allen kept active by rowing,running and cycling but found it difficult to keep going as her vision became worse.After nearly giving up completely,she worked up the courage to ask Achilles Brisbane to find someone to share a boat with her.
Ms.Allen said the fear of not finding anyone to row with almost stopped her from reaching out to Achilles Brisbane.“But,they found people and matched me to them,” she said.“It’s the best thing I’ve ever done.”
1. How does Jane Britt feel about going out alone?| A．Relaxed. | B．Excited. | C．Worried. | D．Bored. |
| A．She developed a strong sense of teamwork. |
| B．She led Ms.Cullen forward on the road. |
| C．She began to rely on Ms.Cullen as her guide. |
| D．She fell down on the ground. |
| A．Asking Achilles Brisbane for help. |
| B．Working in Achilles Brisbane. |
| C．Exercising non-stop. |
| D．Meeting Tatum. |
| A．The danger of walking on a busy road. |
| B．The difficulty the disabled athletes face. |
| C．The exercise people do to keep fit. |
| D．The necessity of building roads for the blind. |
3 . An executive was driving his new car on a street.He was
He jumped out of the car,
“Thank you,” the little boy
After that, he never did
| A．looking | B．watching | C．caring | D．waiting |
| A．Before | B．Although | C．As | D．While |
| A．spot | B．situation | C．surface | D．lounge |
| A．saw | B．found | C．stuck | D．grabbed |
| A．Remaining | B．Growing | C．Building | D．Making |
| A．cost | B．spend | C．use | D．cause |
| A．begged | B．required | C．asked | D．wondered |
| A．get | B．light | C．lift | D．put |
| A．Worried | B．Depressed | C．Moved | D．Surprised |
| A．chew | B．melt | C．spit | D．swallow |
| A．medicine | B．handkerchief | C．belt | D．money |
| A．demanding | B．expecting | C．checking | D．wanting |
| A．push | B．bring | C．hand | D．raise |
| A．recovery | B．repair | C．reform | D．record |
| A．information | B．hope | C．attention | D．noise |
4 . Kids and science seem to be made for each other!
The basic science is a combination of thought and experiment called the scientific method. It’s where you start with an idea, create a way to prove or disprove your idea, and show what you learned based on facts. Learning to follow this process helps you think logically and carefully. These important thinking skills can be used in many areas of study. To give a child practice with these thinking skills is like giving vitamins to a developing mind.
One of the greatest things we can teach our children is to love learning. Learning science is a great way to do so. Children are easy to be interested in science. Because much of science is hands-on, it attracts most children. Nothing makes a child sit up and take notice like the “WOW!” of a great science showing.
Science opens doors to many subjects at school. Building love for science can be helpful in other areas of study. For example, one cannot love science for very long without becoming good at its language-math! So science encourages children to study math. An interest in science is an interest in how things were once understood compared to how they are understood now. Thus studying science lends itself easily to studying history. And after you do an experiment, you need to write a lab report. Therefore, writing becomes an important part of science.
Science is the basic thing for much of our life. The science of farming shows how our food is produced; biomedical science keeps us healthy; even our beds these days are designed according to scientific facts. We almost eat, sleep and breathe with the help of science! When we prepare the next generation of voters, creators and policy makers, it is important to make sure they are not only comfortable but also good at science.
1. According to Paragraph 2, what does learning the scientific method mean to kids?| A．Learning to do experiments. | B．Learning many areas of study. |
| C．Helping them develop thinking skills. | D．Refusing any ideas that are not logical. |
| A．Science is too difficult for children. | B．Children usually consider science boring. |
| C．Science can arouse children's interest in learning. | D．Children who are careless shouldn't learn science. |
| A．He usually has no time for other subjects. | B．He usually loses interest in other activities. |
| C．He is usually bad at such subjects like history. | D．He is likely to learn many other subjects well. |
| A．Why Kids Should Learn Science | B．Why Science Is Important |
| C．How Kids Can Make Use of Science | D．What Kids Should Learn at School |
5 . Although problems are a part of our lives, it certainly doesn't mean that we let them rule our lives forever. One day or another, you'll have to stand up and say—problems, I don't want you in my life.
But good news is that all problems can be dealt with. Now read on to know how to solve your problems.
Talk, it really helps. What most of us think is that our problem can be understood only by us and that no talking is going to help.
Write your problems.
Don't lose faith and hope. No matter what you lose in life, don't lose faith and hope. Even if you lose all your money, family…you should still have faith.
Your problems aren't the worst. No matter what problem you get in life, there are another one million people whose problems are huger than yours.
Go about and solve your problems because every problem, however big or small, always has a way out.
| A．Of course, we've been fighting troubles ever since we were born. |
| B．When we have a problem, a pressing, critical, urgent, life-threatening problem, how do we try and solve it？ |
| C．Having a personal diary can also be of huge help if you don't want a real person to talk with. |
| D．But the truth is that when you talk about it, you're setting free the negative energies that have been gathering within you. |
| E．We can often overcome the problem and achieve the goal by making a direct attack. |
| F．Tell yourself：when they can deal with them, why can't I？ |
| G．With faith and hope, you can rebuild everything that you lose. |
6 . The widespread use of Internet technology has made our lives easier but causes a big challenge to senior citizens(长者), who are not always comfortable with smartphones and so many new apps.
Only a few senior citizens are able to enjoy the benefits that new technologies offer. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the number of people aged 60 and above was 253.88 million in 2019, about 18.1% of China's population. But only 23%of the senior citizens were able to use the Internet. That means more than three-fourths of the elderly are deprived (剥夺) of the digital benefits.
Many senior citizens who can't use smartphones are facing difficulties during this pandemic (流行病). Even with a smartphone in hand and Internet available, many of them still feel helpless. They don't know how to call a taxi through the apps. There have been reports of many shops turning away elders who don't know how to pay using smartphones, instead of letting them pay with cash. Worse still, as they don't know how to get the Internet-based health code (健康码), they are refused to enter many public places. Presenting individual health code is part of the epidemic prevention (防疫) and control measures.
New technologies become popular because they are often of great use in our daily lives. But many senior citizens, especially those living in the country-side or those whose grown-up children don't live with them, are not able to use the Internet or smart-phones, either because of financial (经济的) problems or because they cannot learn new things beyond a certain point. The digital gap between the elderly and the young is becoming more obvious.
However, the senior citizens should not become a silent group deprived of digital benefits. It is our responsibility to help them bridge the digital gap, and be patient with them when they face difficulties catching up.
1. What do the statistics show in Paragraph 2?| A．There are a small number of senior citizens in China. |
| B．Only 23% of the senior citizens can use the computer. |
| C．Three fourths of the eldly are unwilling to use smartphones. |
| D．Many elders fail to enjoy the convenience of the digital devices. |
| A．Cash is no longer accepted in most shops. | B．It's a must for everyone to have a health code. |
| C．Most elders need guidance on how to use the apps. | D．Many shops now refuse to offer service to the elderly. |
| A．their living areas | B．their financial conditions |
| C．their relationship with children | D．their difficulty in learning new things |
| A．They should not use modern technology. | B．They should keep silent using digital products. |
| C．The young should help them patiently. | D．The young should persuade them to pay with cash. |
7 . “Even though one out of three American children live within a mile of their schools, almost not half of those students often bike or walk to class,” scientists report.
“Children who live in the South, in country are-as, or who have college-educated parents, are among those least likely to bike or walk to school,” notes the report, which was published in July.
Sarah Martin and her workmates at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) studied materials from more than 7,000 children be-tween 9 and 15 years of age.
They found that almost 35 percent of the children lived within one mile of their schools. Children between 11 and 13 years old were more likely to walk or bike than 9-year-olds. Children whose parents had a high school education were more likely to bike or walk than children with college-educated parents.
“The majority of children are missing an opportunity to increase daily physical activity,” Martin said in a prepared statement.
According to the CDCP, nearly one in five(18.8 percent) children between 6 and 11 years old are overweight(超重的). Increasing daily physical activity is one of the methods the CDCP gives to help deal with obesity(肥胖) in children.
Martin said that there are all kinds of reasons why children in city areas might be more likely to bike or walk. He said the fact is that schools in city areas may be in mixed-use neighborhoods where it is more likely to bike or walk, compared with other places where there may be fewer safe sidewalks.
1. What did Sarah Martin and her workmates find in the research?| A．Younger children would like to bike or walk to school. |
| B．Older children are much stronger than younger children. |
| C．Kids whose parents received less education walk more. |
| D．Some children are becoming much lazier than others |
| A．Children should receive a better education. |
| B．Some children don't bike or walk because there are fewer safe sidewalks. |
| C．It is unnecessary for children to walk to school. |
| D．Children in country areas have more chances to bike or walk than those in cities. |
| A．Education. | B．Culture. | C．Sports. | D．Health. |
In modern society there is a great deal of argument about competition. Some value it highly, believing that it is responsible for social progress and prosperity (繁荣). Others say that competition is bad, that it sets one person against another and that it leads to unfriendly relationship between people.
I have taught many children who held the belief that their self-worth relied on how well they performed at tennis and other skills. For them, playing well and winning are often life-and-death affairs. In their single-minded pursuit (追求) of success, the development of many other human qualities is sadly forgotten.
However, while some seem to be lost in the desire to succeed, others take an opposite attitude. In a culture which only values the winner and pays no attention to the ordinary players, they strongly blame competition. Among them are youngsters who have suffered under competitive pressures from their parents or society. Teaching these young people, I often observe a desire to fail in them. They seem to seek failure by not trying to win or achieve success. By not trying, they always have an excuse, “I may have lost, but it doesn’t matter because I really didn’t want to try.” What is not usually admitted by them is the belief that if they had really tried but lost, that would mean a lot.
Such a loss would be a measure of their worth. Clearly, this belief is the same as that of true competitors who try to prove themselves. Both are based on the mistaken belief that one’s self-respect relies on how well one performs in comparison with others. Both are afraid of not being valued. Only as this basic and often troublesome fear begins to dissolve (缓解) can we discover a new meaning in competition.
It's time to reconsider food. Around the globe, food problems threaten wildlife, wild places and the planet itself. Today, 7. 3 billion people consume 1. 6 times
So how do we produce more food for more people without
In the near- term, food production is enough to provide for all, but it doesn't reach everyone who needs it. About 1. 3 billion tons of food
By improving efficiency and productivity while reducing waste and shifting consumption
10 . Australia, France or… Mars? When considering a place to emigrate to, Mars might not be the best choice in your list, but according to an online survey, more than one in ten of British would accept a one-way ticket there. Yes, you read that correctly —because the Mars One mission is looking to emigrate to Mars, the first voyagers will not be able to return back to Earth. The organizers suggest applicants think over their applications, because the agreement didn’t come with a return ticket. But still thousands of people agreed to it.
The Mars One aims to construct a human settlement on Mars. Thankfully, applications for the program are entirely voluntary and potential astronauts can back out at any time during the strict selection process.
In order to apply, the candidate must be over 18, have A2 English level and be adaptable and curious. The following selection process consists of four rounds.
The first round is an online application including general information and a one-minute video in which the applicant answers some given questions and explains why he or she should be among the first humans to set foot on Mars. At the end of the first round, a team of Mars One experts will decide which applicants will pass to the next round.
The remaining applicants must then provide a medical statement from their doctor stating that they have met all the requirements. Successful candidates will then be briefly interviewed by Mars One’s chief medical officer Norbert Kraft.
One-hundred healthy, smart candidates are then in the third round which will test their team work ability and communication skills through a series of group challenges.
The final part of the testing process is the ability to stay alone. Even the best astronauts in history can hardly enjoy the silent space. Following this challenge, the forty remaining candidates will be reduced to thirty who will then undergo the Mars Settler Suitability Interview. Following on from the first selection series, international crews of up to six groups of four will become full time employees of Mars One.
1. What is the organizers’ attitude towards the online survey result?| A．Understandable. | B．Satisfied. | C．Unexpected. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．Stop carrying out the agreement. | B．Move out of space backwards. |
| C．Drive aircrafts backwards and leave. | D．Fail to pay attention to the advertisement. |
| A．Test the candidates’ English level. | B．Check the basic information of participants. |
| C．Interview the candidates and collect the forms. | D．Determine whether candidates are eager to learn. |
| A．Their skills to communicate with others. | B．Their excellent physical health at present. |
| C．Their abilities to cooperate with the team. | D．Their long-time adaptability to being alone. |
