My father was a foreman of a sugar-cane plantation i
n Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. My first job was to drive the oxen（牛） that ploughed the cane fields. I would walk behind an ox, guiding him with a broomstick. For $ 1 a day, I worked eight hours straight, with no food breaks.
It was very tedious work, but it prepared me for life and taught me many lasting lessons. Because the plantation 
owners were always watching us, I had to be on time every day and work as hard as I could. I’ve never been late for any job since. I also learned about being respectful and faithful to the people you work for. More important, I earned my pay; it never entered my mind to say I was sick just because I didn’t want to work.
I was only six years old, but I was doing a man’s jo
b. Our family needed every dollar we could make because my father never earned more than $ 18 a week. Our home was a three-room wood shack with a dirty floor and no toilet. Nothing made me prouder than bringing home money to help my mother, father, two brothers and three sisters. This gave me self-esteem(自尊心), one of the most important things a person can have.
When I was seven, I got work at a golf course near our house. My job was to stand down the fairway and spot the balls as they landed, so the golfers could find them. Losing a ball meant you were fired, so I never missed one. Some nights I would lie in bed and dreamt of making thousands of dollars by playing golf and being able to buy a bicycle.
The more I dreamed, the more I thought. Why not? I made my first golf club out of guava limb(番石榴树枝) and a piece of pipe. Then I hammered an empty tin can into the shape of a ball. And finally I dug two small holes in the ground and hit the ball back and forth. I practiced with the same devotion and intensity. I learned working in the field — except now I was driving golf balls with club, not oxen with a broomstick.The word “tedious” in Paragraph 2 most probably means _______.
| A．difficult | B．boring | C．interesting | D．unusual |
The writer learned that_______ from his first job.
| A．he should work for those who he liked most |
| B．he should work longer than what he was expected |
| C．he should never fail to say hello to his owner |
| D．he should be respectful and faithful to the people he worked for |
_______ gave the writer self-esteem.
| A．Having a family of eight people |
| B．Owning his own golf course |
| C．Bringing money back home to help the family |
| D．Helping his father with the work on the plantation |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．He wanted to be a successful golfer. |
| B．He wanted to run a golf course near his house. |
| C．He was satisfied with the job he got on a plantation. |
D．He wanted to make money by guiding oxen with a brooms tick. |
I have worked as a keeper at the National Zoo.paris for 11 years. Spot and Stripe are the first tiger cubs（幼兽）that have ever been born here. Globally， a third of Sumatran cubs in zoos don't make it to adulthood, so I decided to give them round-the-clock care at home.
I've got two children - the younger one, Kynan, was extremely happy about the tigers arriving - but all of us really looked forward to being part of their lives and watching them grow. I wasn't worried about bringing them into my home with my wife and kids. These were cubs. They weighed about 2.5 kg and were so small that there was absolutely no risk.
As they grew more mobile, we let them move freely around the house during the day, but when we were asleep we had to contain them in a large room, otherwise they'd get up to mischief. We'd come down in the morning to find they'd turned the room upside down, and left it looking like a zoo.
Things quickly got very intense due to the huge amount of energy required to look after them. There were some tough times and I just felt extremely tired. I was grateful that my family was there to help. We had to have a bit of a production line going, making up "tiger milk", washing baby bottles, and cleaning the floors.
When Spot and Stripe were four months old, they were learning how to open doors and jump fences, and we knew it really was time for them to go. It was hard for us to finally part with them. For the first few days, Kynan was always a bit disappointed that the cubs weren't there.
I'm not sad about it. I'm hands-on with them every day at the zoo, and I do look back very fondly on the time that we had them.
4.Why did the author bring the tiger cubs home?
| A． |
To ensure their survival. |
B． |
To observe their differences. |
| C． |
To teach them life skills. |
D． |
To let them play with his kids. |
5. What do the underlined words "get up to mischief' mean in paragraph 3?
| A． |
Behave badly. |
B． |
Lose their way. |
| C． |
Sleep soundly. |
D． |
Miss their mom. |
6.What did the author think of raising the tiger cubs at home?
| A． |
Boring. |
B． |
Tiring. |
C． |
Costly. |
D． |
Risky. |
7.Why did the author decide to send Spot and Stripe back to the zoo?
| A． |
They frightened the children. |
B． |
They became difficult to contain. |
| C． |
They annoyed the neighbours. |
D． |
They started fighting each other. |
Things to Do in Yorkshire This Summer
Harrogate Music Festival
Since its birth,Harrogate Music Festival has gone from strength to strength.This year, we are celebrating our 50th anniversary. We begin on 1st June with Manchester Camerata and Nicola Benedetti,presenting an amazing programme of Mozart pieces.
Dates:1 June-31 July
Tickets:£12-£96
Jodie's Fitness Summer Classes
As the summer months roll in, our Georgian country estate makes the perfect setting for an outdoor fitness session. Come and work out with our qualified personal trainer, Jodie McGregor,on the grounds of the Middleton Lodge estate.
We will be holding a free taster session on 23rd May,at 10 am, to demonstrate the variety of effective and active exercises. There are eight spaces available for the taster session. Advance bookings are required(info@middletonlodge.co.uk.paris)
Dates:23 May-11 July
Tickets: £7.50 per session
Felt Picture Making
Working from an inspirational picture,this workshop at Helmsley Arts Centre will teach you the techniques you will need to recreate your picture in wool.
We will also discuss the origins of felt（毛毡），what enables wool fibres to become felt and how the processes we use work.
Dates: 12 June-12 July
Tickets: £40 including materials
Figure It Out!-Playing with Math
A new exhibition in Halifax uses everyday activities to explain the hidden math principles we all use on a regular basis. Pack a bag, cut a cake, guess which juice container holds the most liquid,and much more.Discover how architects, product designers and scientists use similar skills in their work.
Dates:7 May-10 June
Tickets:Free
1.What should you do if you want to attend the taster session of Jodie's fitness classes?
| A． |
Join a fitness club. |
B． |
Pay a registration fee. |
| C． |
Make a booking. |
D． |
Hire a personal trainer. |
2. How much is the ticket for Felt Picture Making?
| A． |
£7.50. |
B． |
£12. |
C． |
£40. |
D． |
£96. |
3.Which of the following starts earliest?
| A． |
Harrogate Music Festival. |
B． |
Jodie's Fitness Summer Classes. |
| C． |
Felt Picture Making. |
D． |
Figure It Out!-Playing with Math. |
Recent research suggests that if an argument gets resolved，the emotional response tied to it is significantly reduced or almost completely erased．Thus，it may be worth bringing up issues with your friends， family members，or classmates rather than holding them back．
There is a difference between arguing and fighting．Arguing is that you and your opponent present your concerns and discuss the feelings and issues related to those concerns．You can engage in an argument respectfully without stirring up（激起） anger．Fighting，however，usually involves personal attacks，raising of voices， and storming out．Discussing your issues and resolving them instead of stuffing them down can improve your emotional health．In a study，2.000 people were asked to record their feelings and experiences for eight days in a row．When people had an argument that they considered resolved， they had half the reactivity （情绪反应） of those who avoided an argument．Reactivity is an increase in negative emotions or a decrease in positive emotions．In other words，resolving an argument cuts your negative feelings by half．One day later， people who had a resolved argument reported no increase of negative emotions compared with those who avoided an argument． This means that resolving an argument can feel like you have reached a state of resolution-and you are less likely to be annoyed．
Moreover，the older you are，the more likely you will come to a resolution after an argument．This may be because more life experience usually leads to more defined priorities．You are more likely to distinguish between what matters and what does not．
It is easier to avoid a discussion，but risking talking about it may eventually lead to a better outcome．
40. According to this passage，what is arguing？
41. Why is it that "the older you are， the more likely you will come to a resolution after an argument"？
42. Please decide which part is false in the following statement，then underline it and explain why．
Resolving arguments can improve your emotional health，because it increases your reactivity and reduces the chance of you getting angry．
43. In addition to improving emotional health，what do you think are some other benefits of resolving an argument？ （In about 40 words）
Early fifth-century philosopher St．Augustine famously wrote that he knew what time was unless someone asked him．Albert Einstein added another wrinkle when he theorized that time varies depending on where you measure it．Today's state-of-the-art atomic（原子的） clocks have proven Einstein right．Even advanced physics can't decisively tell us what time is, because the answer depends on the question you're asking．
Forget about time as an absolute．What if，instead of considering time in terms of astronomy, we related time to ecology？What if we allowed environmental conditions to set the tempo（节奏） of human life？We're increasingly aware of the fact that we can't control Earth systems with engineering alone，and realizing that we need to moderate（调节）our actions if we hope to live in balance．What if our definition of time reflected that？
Recently，I conceptualized a new approach to timekeeping that's connected to circumstances on our planet，conditions that might change as a result of global warming．We're now building a clock at the Anchorage Museum that reflects the total flow of several major Alaskan rivers，which are sensitive to local and global environmental changes．We've programmed it to match an atomic clock if the waterways continue to flow at their present rate．If the rivers run faster in the future on average，the clock will get ahead of standard time．If they run slower，you'll see the opposite effect．
The clock registers both short-term irregularities and long-term trends in river dynamics．It's a sort of observatory that reveals how the rivers are behaving from their own temporal frame（时间框架），and allows us to witness those changes on our smartwatches or phones．Anyone who opts to go on Alaska Mean River Time will live in harmony with the planet．Anyone who considers river time in relation to atomic time will encounter a major imbalance and may be motivated to counteract it by consuming less fuel or supporting greener policies．
Even if this method of timekeeping is novel in its particulars，early agricultural societies also connected time to natural phenomena．In pre-Classical Greece，for instance，people"corrected"official calendars by shifting dates forward or backward to reflect the change of season．Temporal connection to the environment was vital to their survival．Likewise，river time and other timekeeping systems we're developing may encourage environmental awareness．
When St．Augustine admitted his inability to define time， he highlighted one of time 's most noticeable qualities：Time becomes meaningful only in a defined context．Any timekeeping system is valid，and each is as praiseworthy as its purpose．
31. What is the main idea of Paragraph 1？
| A． |
Timekeeping is increasingly related to nature． |
| B． |
Everyone can define time on their own terms． |
| C． |
The qualities of time vary with how you measure it． |
| D． |
Time is a major concern of philosophers and scientists． |
32. The author raises three questions in Paragraph 2 mainly to__________．
| A． |
present an assumption |
B． |
evaluate an argument |
| C． |
highlight an experiment |
D． |
introduce an approach |
33. What can we learn from this passage？
| A． |
Those who do not go on river time will live an imbalanced life． |
| B． |
New ways of measuring time can help to control Earth systems．. |
| C． |
Atomic time will get ahead of river time if the rivers run slower． |
| D． |
Modern technology may help to shape the rivers' temporal frame． |
34. What can we infer from this passage？
| A． |
It is crucial to improve the definition of time． |
| B． |
A fixed frame will make time meaningless． |
| C． |
We should live in harmony with nature． |
| D． |
History is a mirror reflecting reality． |
Hundreds of scientists，writers and academics sounded a warning to humanity in an open letter published last December：Policymakers and the rest of us must engage openly with the risk of global collapse．Researchers in many areas have projected the widespread collapse as"a credible scenario（情景） this century"．
A survey of scientists found that extreme weather events，food insecurity，and freshwater shortages might create global collapse．Of course，if you are a non-human species，collapse is well underway．
The call for public engagement with the unthinkable is especially germanein this moment of still-uncontrolled pandemic and economic crises in the world's most technologically advanced nations．Not very long ago，it was also unthinkable that a virus would shut down nations and that safety nets would be proven so disastrously lacking in flexibility．
The international scholars' warning letter doesn't say exactly what collapse will look like or when it might happen．Collapseology，the study of collapse，is more concerned with identifying trends and with them the dangers of everyday civilization．Among the signatories（签署者）of the warning was Bob Johnson，the originator of the"ecological footprint"concept，which measures the total amount of environmental input needed to maintain a given lifestyle．With the current footprint of humanity，"it seems that global collapse is certain to happen in some form，possibly within a decade，certainly within this century，"Johnson said in an email．
Only if we discuss the consequences of our biophysical limits, the December warning letter says，can we have the hope to reduce their "speed，severity and harm"．And yet messengers of the coming disturbance are likely to be ignored．We all want to hope things will turn out fine．As a poet wrote，
Man is a victi m of dope（麻醉品）
In the incurable form of hope ．
The hundreds of scholars who signed the letter are intent（执着） on quieting hope that ignores preparedness．"Let's look directly into the issue of collapse，"hey say，"and deal with the terrible possibilities of what we see there to make the best of a troubling future．"
28. What does the underlined word "germane" in Paragraph 3 probably mean？
| A． |
Scientific． |
B． |
Credible． |
| C． |
Original． |
D． |
Relevant． |
29. As for the public awareness of global collapse，the author is__________．
| A． |
worried |
B． |
puzzled |
| C． |
surprised |
D． |
scared |
30. What can we learn from this passage？
| A． |
The signatories may change the biophysical limits． |
| B． |
The author agrees with the message of the poem． |
| C． |
The issue of collapse is being prioritized． |
| D． |
The global collapse is well underway． |