Wherever she goes, Molly leaves her mark. Without saying a word, she speaks to people with her kind eyes. Even when she walks away, she leaves an impression.Molly’s mark is a smile, stamped into the ground by the horseshoe at the bottom of her false leg.
A few years ago, Molly was badly attacked by a dog.The dog bit all four of Molly’s legs and left large cuts in her face. Molly’s owner, Kate Harris, took her to an animal hospital.Doctors there were able to save Molly’s life, but soon one of her legs became very infected(感染).
At first, doctors thought Molly would have to be put to sleep.But Molly changed their minds. This pony, doctors noticed, shifted her weight, and rested her good leg from time to time. Doctors knew that Molly had amazing intelligence, and that she wanted to live.
Several doctors operated on Molly, and removed her infected leg. A false leg was made for her. The leg was a hollow cast with a pole at the bottom for balance. Doctors gave Molly a special horseshoe at the bottom of the leg. This horseshoe she had had a stamp of a smile face in it!
After the operation, Molly walked around on all four legs, as if nothing had ever happened to her! Now, with every step she takes, she stamps a smile in the dirt.But she leaves her m ark in other ways, too.
Kaye Harris took Molly to the false leg center. There were children there who, like Molly, had artificial arms or legs. They were amazed to see a pony with a false leg. Molly made them smile and gave them hope. Soon, Molly began to visit schools, nursing homes, army bases and hospitals. A book was even written about Molly!Molly is the name of a . .
A.dog | B.horse | C.parent | D.child |
Which of the following is true according to the text?
A.Molly can speak to people in kind words. |
B.Kay Harris took Molly to a children’s hospital after the attack. |
C.In the beginning, doctors had planned to end Molly’s life. |
D.Molly sometimes leaves smiling marks on people’s faces. |
What is unique about Molly?
A.Molly has a false leg with a horseshoe shaped like a smiling face. |
B.Molly ran a race and won the first prize. |
C.Molly often visits places such as schools and parks. |
D.Molly has become a symbol of hope for people of all ages. |
Which is the best title for the passage?
A.A Book on Molly | B.A False Leg |
C.A successful Operation | D.Leaving her Mark |
In recent years,researchers from diverse fields have agreed that short﹣termism is now a significant problem in industrialised societies. The inability to engage with longer﹣term causes and consequences leads to some of the world's most serious problems:climate change,biodiversity collapse,and more.The historian Francis Cole argues that the West has entered a period where "only the present exists,a present characterised at once by the cruelty of the instant and by the boredom of an unending now".
It has been proved that people have a bias(偏向) towards the present,focusing on loud attractions in the moment at the expense of the health,well﹣being and financial stability of their future selves or community. In business,this bias surfaces as short﹣sighted decisions. And on slow﹣burning problems like climate change,it translates into the unwillingness to make small sacrifices(牺牲) today that could make a major difference tomorrow. Instead,all that matters is next quarter's profit,or satisfying some other near﹣term desires.
These biased perspectives cannot be blamed on one single cause. It is fair to say,though,that our psychological biases play a major role. People's hesitancy to delay satisfaction is the most obvious example,but there are others. One of them is about how the most accessible information in the present affects decisions about the future. For instance,you might hear someone say:"It's cold this winter,so I needn't worry about global warming." Another is that loud and urgent matters are given too much importance,making people ignore longer﹣term trends that arguably matter more. This is when a pop star draws far more attention than,say,gradual biodiversity decline.
As a psychologist once joked,if aliens(外星人)wanted to weaken humanity,they wouldn't send ships;they would invent climate change. Indeed,when it comes to environmental transformations,we can develop a form of collective "poor memory",and each new generation can believe the state of affairs they encounter is nothing out of the ordinary. Older people today,for example,can remember a time with insect﹣covered car windscreens after long drives. Children,on the other hand,have no idea that insect population has dropped dramatically.
(1)The author quotes Francis Cole mainly to .
A. |
draw a comparison |
B. |
introduce a topic |
C. |
evaluate a statement |
D. |
highlight a problem |
(2)What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A. |
Climate change has been forgotten. |
B. |
Lessons of history are highly valued. |
C. |
The human mind is bad at noting slow change. |
D. |
Humans are unwilling to admit their shortcomings. |
(3)What does the author intend to tell us?
A. |
Far﹣sighted thinking matters to humans. |
B. |
Humans tend to make long﹣term sacrifices. |
C. |
Current policies facilitate future decision﹣making. |
D. |
Bias towards the present helps reduce near﹣term desires. |
Sitting in the garden for my friend's birthday. felt a buzz(振动) in my pocket. My heart raced when I saw the email sender's name. The email started off:"Dear Mr Green,thank you for your interest" and "the review process took longer than expected." It ended with "We are sorry to inform you…"and my vision blurred(模糊).The position﹣measuring soil quality in the Sahara Desert as part of an undergraduate research programme﹣had felt like the answer I had spent years looking for. I had put so much time and emotional energy into applying,and I thought the rejection meant the end of the road for my science career.
So I was shocked when,not long after the email,Professor Mary Devon,who was running the programme,invited me to observe the work being done in her lab. I jumped at the chance,and a few weeks later I was equally shocked﹣and overjoyed﹣when she invited me to talk with her about potential projects I could pursue in her lab. What she proposed didn't seem as exciting as the original project I had applied to,but I was going to give it my all.
I found myself working with a robotics professor on techniques for collecting data from the desert remotely. That project,which I could complete from my sofa instead of in the burning heat of the desert,not only survived the lockdown but worked where traditional methods didn't. In the end. I had a new scientific interest to pursue.
When I applied to graduate school,I found three programmes promising to allow me to follow my desired research direction. And I applied with the same anxious excitement as before. When I was rejected from one that had seemed like a perfect fit,it was undoubtedly difficult. But this time I had the perspective(视角)to keep it from sending me into panic. It helped that in the end I was accepted into one of the other programmes I was also excited about.
Rather than setting plans in stone,I've learned that sometimes I need to take the opportunities that are offered,even if they don't sound perfect at the time,and make the most of them.
(1)How did the author feel upon seeing the email sender's name?
A. |
Anxious. |
B. |
Angry. |
C. |
Surprised. |
D. |
Settled. |
(2)After talking with Professor Devon,the author decided to .
A. |
criticise the review process |
B. |
stay longer in the Sahara Desert |
C. |
apply to the original project again |
D. |
put his heart and soul into the lab work |
(3)According to the author,the project with the robotics professor was .
A. |
demanding |
B. |
inspiring |
C. |
misleading |
D. |
amusing |
(4)What can we learn from this passage?
A. |
An invitation is a reputation. |
B. |
An innovation is a resolution. |
C. |
A rejection can be a redirection. |
D. |
A reflection can be a restriction. |
The International Olympic Committee(IOC)Young Leaders programme empowers talents to make a positive difference in their communities through sport. Twenty﹣five Young Leaders are being selected every two years for a four﹣year period. They promote the Olympic values,spreading the message of sport for good.
To be an IOC Young Leader,you need to first complete the 4﹣Week Learning Sprint(冲刺).
4﹣Week Learning Sprint
The 4﹣Week Learning Sprint,which will take place during November 2023,is a virtual learning programme. The sessions can be attended live or watched back after they are made available on the IOC channel. Each week,participants will be asked to complete a topic﹣specific reflection task.
The 4﹣Week Learning Sprint is open to anyone,with the target audience aged between 20 and 28.
After successfully completing the 4﹣Week Learning Sprint,you will need to submit a plan for a sport﹣based project,which you will work on if selected as an IOC Young Leader.
Requirements for the Applicants
•You have successfully completed the 4﹣Week Learning Sprint.
•You have completed your high school studies.
•You have at least one year of work experience.
•You have strong public speaking skills.
•You are self﹣motivated and committed.
•You are passionate about creating positive change in your community.
•You are open to being coached and advised by experts and peers(同伴).
•You are able to work with people from different backgrounds.
(1)In the 4﹣Week Learning Sprint,participants will .
A. |
create change in their community |
B. |
attend a virtual learning programme |
C. |
meet people from different backgrounds |
D. |
promote the IOC Young Leaders project |
(2)If selected as an IOC Young Leader, one will need to .
A. |
complete a reflection task each week |
B. |
watch sports on the IOC channel |
C. |
work on a sport﹣based project |
D. |
coach and advise their peers |
(3)Which is a requirement for the applicants?
A. |
Spreading the message of sport for good. |
B. |
Having at least one﹣year work experience. |
C. |
Showing great passion for project planning. |
D. |
Committing themselves to becoming an expert. |
Most of us associate learning with younger people-kids in school and college or recent graduates early in their careers. But at Udemy, an open university offering online courses, Artist Anneke Camstra is engaged in the pursuit of lifelong learning and displays her potential for teaching. She loves the experience of gaining new knowledge and also loves sharing it with others. "I'm retired, but an artist never retires," Anneke said. "The last few years on the internet have been a great joy for me. I've taken so many Udemy courses, and ifs such a great feeling to get my brain working again. I find just as much satisfaction in teaching animation (动画制作) too."
She reaches countless people with her online courses and exposes them to what they can accomplish on their own using animation software, such as GoAnimate and PowToon. Her motivation for teaching on Udemy is "to get the tools to the people." "You can go such a long way to make things that look professional but still have your own voice," she explained.
Most of Anneke's students start out thinking they're not creative and can't draw. Anneke understands how fear can get in the way of so many things people dream of doing. With her five-day challenge courses, she helps them get over the fear. Anneke loves the impact she has on her students. What makes her more proud of them is that they have gone from their first animation to creating their own works.
She encourages people of all ages, especially older people, to cultivate their curiosity for life. Grandparents, for example, can learn to use GoAnimate and make animations together with their grandkids.
"Tm an older woman, teaching and having fun learning again," Anneke said, and she wants others later in their lives to catch up with her on this journey.
56. What does Anneke enjoy doing after her retirement? (no more than 10 words)
57. According to Para. 2, what does Anneke expect her students to do with animation software? (no more than 10 words)
58. What is the main idea of Para. 3? (no more than 15 words)
59. Please explain the meaning of the underlined word in Para. 4(1 word)
60. What do you suggest old people learn to do? Please give your reason(s). (no more than 20 words)
Art is everywhere. Any public space has been carefully designed by an artistic mind to be both functional and beautiful. Why, then, is art still so widely considered to be "the easy subject" at school, insignificant to wider society, a waste of time and effort?
Art can connect culture with commercial products in a way that not many other things can; art generates money and holds significant emotional and cultural value within communities. When people attend a concert, they are paying for music, sure, maybe even hotel rooms, meals, and transport, but they also gain an incredible experience, a unique atmosphere and a memory that will go through the rest of their lives. People don't just want material things anymore, they want to experience life -- the arts are a perfect crossover (交迭) between culture and commerce.
Furthermore, the arts can bring communities together, reducing loneliness and making people feel safer. Social bonds are created among individuals when they share their arts experiences through reflection and discussion, and their expression of common values through artworks in honour of events significant to a nation's experience.
The arts clearly have a pretty positive impact on physical and psychological health. It is found that people who frequent cultural places or participate in artistic events are more likely to gain good health compared to those who do not; more engagement with the arts is linked to a higher level of people's wellbeing. The Royal Society of Public Health discovered that music and art, when used in hospitals, help to improve the conditions of patients by reducing stress, anxiety and blood pressure.
Children who are involved with the arts make greater achievements in their education: those engaged with drama have greater literary ability while others taking part in musical practice exhibit greater skills in math and languages. Kids with preference for the arts have a greater chance of finding employment in the future. Participating in the arts is essential for child development; encouraging children to express themselves in constructive ways could help to form healthy emotional responses in later life.
Vital to human life, art is celebrated and used by nations across the world for various purposes. Life without art would be boring and dead still, for art is a part of what makes us human.
51. Art products differ from most other commercial products because .
A. |
most people purchase them for collection |
B. |
they are more expensive and less accessible |
C. |
they have both commercial and cultural values |
D. |
their prices may climb up as time passes |
52. By sharing their arts experiences, community members can .
A. |
keep the community safe from illnesses |
B. |
develop a stronger tie between them |
C. |
learn to appreciate their own works of art |
D. |
offer honourable solutions to their problems |
53. What can we learn about people who are involved in artistic activities?
A. |
They enjoy better living conditions. |
B. |
They like to compare themselves with others. |
C. |
They are particularly good at both music and art. |
D. |
They tend to be healthier physically and mentally. |
54. How does kids' engagement with the arts benefit them?
A. |
It promotes their academic performance and emotional growth. |
B. |
It gives them more confidence in exhibiting their learning skills. |
C. |
It inspires their creativity in designing their future career. |
D. |
It helps to make responsible people out of them. |
55. What is the best title for this passage?
A. |
How Art Cures Our Hearts |
B. |
Art: A Blessing to Humankind |
C. |
How Art Benefits Communities |
D. |
Art: A Bridge Between Cultures |