1 . A hotel that calls itself the world's first "polar bear hotel" has opened in northeastern China. The Polar Bear Hotel is part of the Harbin Polarland amusement park in Harbin, the capital and largest city in Heilongjiang province.
It opened earlier this month and promised that guests would be able to see live polar bears from all 21 guest rooms. "Whether you're eating, playing or sleeping, polar bears will keep you company," Harbin Polarland said in a statement on the WeChat messenger service. Photos and videos from Chinese state media showed people watching two polar bears in a closed, indoor space with artificial ice and small pools of water.
Yang Liu is a spokeswoman for Harbin Polarland. She told Reuters that the indoor area is the only part of the bears' total living space. She said they are also let outdoors when temperature and air quality permits. Liu added there has been "very high" interest in staying at the hotel, where rooms cost from about $ 290 to $ 351 a night.
But some animal rights activists have criticized the hotel. Jason Baker is vice president at animal rights group PETA. He told Reuters, "Polar bears belong in the Arctic, not in zoos or glass boxes in aquariums - and certainly not in hotels." He added, "Polar bears are active for up to 18 hours a day in nature，roaming home ranges that can scan thousands of miles, where they enjoy a real life."
In 2016, a shopping center in the southern city of Cuangzhou drew worldwide criticism after videos showed a polar bear named Pizza lying on her side in a glass-walled area.
Harbin Polarland was established in 2005. It calls itself the world's first polar performing arts amusement park.
1. What makes the Polar Bear Hotel in Harbin unique?| A．Guests can watch polar bears in their room. |
| B．Polar bears will play with tourists. |
| C．Tourists have chances to film videos with polar bears. |
| D．Guests can touch polar bears in outdoor space. |
| A．Objective. | B．Critical. | C．Positive. | D．Favorable. |
| A．It's secure for them to stay in the zoo. |
| B．They can enjoy a happy life in glass boxes in aquariums. |
| C．They fall asleep in most of the time in nature. |
| D．The range of their activity can cover thousands of miles. |
| A．A science report. | B．A travel brochure. |
| C．A textbook. | D．A news report. |
2 . As America continued to suffer from the pandemic (流行病), there were some ordinary individuals who held us together.
Here is how one
“We were
| A．story | B．project | C．record | D．saying |
| A．begun | B．finished | C．taken | D．served |
| A．fired | B．helped | C．hired | D．introduced |
| A．go | B．work | C．end | D．come |
| A．called | B．designed | C．advertised | D．closed |
| A．good | B．annoyed | C．grateful | D．sorry |
| A．cooked | B．ordered | C．reserved | D．donated |
| A．tip | B．dish | C．food | D．ticket |
| A．Suddenly | B．Actually | C．Fortunately | D．Generally |
| A．already | B．yet | C．also | D．still |
| A．observe | B．recommend | C．test | D．pay |
| A．anxious | B．smart | C．embarrassed | D．amazed |
| A．resist | B．explain | C．expect | D．recognize |
| A．important | B．necessary | C．obvious | D．lucky |
| A．knowing | B．promising | C．imagining | D．pretending |
| A．equally | B．possibly | C．partly | D．accidentally |
| A．In either case | B．On the contrary | C．What's more | D．Regardless of that |
| A．so | B．but | C．and | D．or |
| A．welcome | B．willing | C．responsible | D．confident |
| A．within | B．for | C．beyond | D．by |
3 . CHARITY HONORS SON’S MEMORY
Nonprofit providing gifts to 18 to 39-year-olds is raising memory
By PAM KRAOEN
RAMONA, Calif. — Before he died from cancer at age 29, Silas River Bennett spent his final months taking photographs of the world around him, emailing friends, buying Christmas gifts for his sisters and encouraging his family to give to the needy. “What was important to him was to have a sense of himself outside of cancer,” said his mom, Lorranie Kerz of Ramona.
Bennett went to the hospital in fall 2007 with severe back pains. He was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer that had spread to his bones. Doctors believed the cancer was environmentally caused, perhaps by exposure to some poisonous gas in the basement where he lived or poisons in the paints he used as a painter.
Kerz said her son was a man with a great sense of humor and a very creative mind. He had an “electric intellect” who loved debating, watching “Jeopardy!” — a game show on TV and telling stories with his photographs. After Bennett died in May 2008, Kerz wanted to honor the creative spirit and generosity of her son, whose nickname was “Sy”. The result was Sy’s Fund, a Romona-based all-volunteer national nonprofit that has fulfilled the wishes of more than 250 people aged 18 to 39 who are battling cancer. Sy’s Fund provides them with small gifts — such as laptops, cameras, guitar lessons, or printers — to lift their spirits and refocus their energies in a positive direction.
The group raises money through three fundraisers each year, such as golf tournaments and 5K races. This year, because of the COVID-19, they’re trying a virtual fundraiser for the first time. After registering online, participants must download the “Let’s Roam” app to their phones to donate. For those who want to apply for a wish grant, visit sysfund.org. The organization is also seeking more volunteer members. For details, email Kerz at lorraine@sysfund.org.
1. Why did Kerz found Sy’s Fund?| A．To honour his son. | B．To get rid of cancer. |
| C．To make his son famous. | D．To gain more profit. |
| A．His cancer was caused by poisonous paints. |
| B．He spent his final months preparing for the fund. |
| C．He was energetic and lived a short but colorful life. |
| D．He died more than one year after he was diagnosed with cancer. |
| A．By seeking more volunteers to tell stories. |
| B．By downloading some apps to the phones. |
| C．By providing cancer patients with small gifts. |
| D．By selling some things to cancer patients at a low price. |
| A．A newspaper. | B．A guidebook. |
| C．An announcement. | D．A diary. |
4 . Though China has increasingly adopted Western influences, the traditional family structure is still highly valued and holds a vital position, in Chinese culture. Both traditional and modern Chinese families have similar values and morals to one another.
In the traditional Chinese family, the man is very important.
Traditional mothers usually stay at home to take care of the home , the children , and the rest of the family.
In many Asian cultures , the elders of the family are respected for their wisdom; In both traditional and modern families, elders are taken care of and looked up to by the rest of the family.
| A．He gains his independence from his family |
| B．Many modern Chinese women have careers |
| C．These have been a part of daily life for many centuries |
| D．Women in modern times are actually completely independent |
| E．He is responsible for maintaining, providing for and protecting his family |
| F．Chinese culture has experienced many dramatic changes in recent years |
| G．In traditional families, including those living in a rural environment, many households include five generations living together |
5 . With advanced communication technologics making the iconic British red telephone boxes expendable（可抛弃的）, a US firm is all set to bring them back to use. Call boxes would be changed into mini-offices for workers on-the-go and will offer free coffee to subscribers（认购者）.
Bar Works Inc's chief executive Jonathan Black, a Briton living in New York, said that his company will renew telephone boxes with fully functional printers, scanners, 25-inch screens and Wi-Fi. Bar Works specializes in offering bar-themed work stations in prime locations, charging customers with a monthly subscription in return for free access to the business and office supplies. The company plans to operate in a similar manner, offering British customers with monthly memberships to "Pod Works" for £19.99（$29）.
The company will refit telephone boxes in five major British cities and has already rented and changed 15 old call boxes in London and Edinburgh. As expected, they are coming into use by the public in the coming months. "Given the prime location, above all else, of the telephone boxes, the launch is expected to gain at least 10, 000 members by the end of 2021. It's an alternative to, say, Starbucks but obviously it provides you with total privacy. " said Black.
Thanks to mobile phones, the red telephone boxes have been effectively made expendable. According to a report by the Daily Mail, retired telephone boxes, especially those damaged deliberately, are sent to a "telephone box graveyard" of sorts, where they take great pains to restore to their former glory before being sold to collectors across the globe. Such is the demand for properly restored telephone boxes, that it is not uncommon for them to be sold for amounts as high as £10, 000.
Despite its setback, in a recent survey, the British red telephone box, which was originally designed in 1920, was voted the greatest British design of all time.
1. What will the red telephone boxes be used for?| A．Mini-offices. | B．Mini coffee boxes. |
| C．Bar-themed call boxes. | D．Leisure rooms for workers. |
| A．They will be put into use next year. |
| B．They offer as much privacy as Starbucks. |
| C．They will be equipped with office supplies. |
| D．They have been rented in five major British cities. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Confident. | C．Cautious. | D．Uncertain. |
| A．To arouse concern for them. | B．To introduce their new role. |
| C．To expand a larger market. | D．To advertise their launch. |
