2020年浙江省中考英语真题——阅读理解

    Tomatoes taste great. With a lot of vitamins, they are good for you, too! People all over the world enjoy this amazing fruit.

    Not all tomatoes are red. They can be yellow, orange, pink, or white. All tomatoes are green before they are ready to be picked. Then the tomatoes turn their true color. That's when they're ready to eat!

    Tomatoes first grew in the Americas. The Incas grew them over 1, 000 years ago. They were introduced to Europe by the Spanish in the early 16th century. The Spanish and Italians seem to have been the first Europeans to accept them as food. In France, people grew tomatoes in the garden just to enjoy their beauty. Many people there thought tomatoes would make them sick. It was years before some of them would eat tomatoes.

    Tomatoes are fruits. They grow from seeds. They won't grow in cold weather. But with water, sunlight and warmth, tomatoes grow fast. They can grow in pots or in the ground. As the plant grows taller, people may tic it to a stick. Next is the blooming stage.

    Flowers appear. The flowers turn into fruit. Some kinds of tomatoes can be picked in about six more weeks. Some tomatoes are large. One kind of tomato can weigh as much as two pounds.

    You can eat raw tomatoes. First, wash them. Then, cut them up for salads or sandwiches. Tomatoes can be cooked, too. They can be grilled, boiled, or even fried. Do you use ketchup? It is made from tomatoes. Tomatoes don't have a smell. But they taste great in foods around the world. Many dishes from India use tomatoes. Spaghetti sauce and pizza from Italy use them, too. Raw tomatoes are in Mexican salsa.

    My father, who was always drunk and angry, beat me more and more every day. He always locked the door when he went away and kept the key in his pocket. One day I found. an old saw (锯子)that he hid in the roof. When I was alone in the house, I started to make a hole on the floor under the big table.

    The next day my father said, "Huck, go to the river and catch some fish for breakfast.

Quickly! And don't try anything. Remember, I'm watching you!"

    While I was fishing by the river, I saw an empty boat nearby.

    "A boat!" I thought, happily, "This is my chance to escape. I'll hide the boat near some trees and use it tonight!"

    When my father went to town that afternoon, I got my saw and started to work on the hole. It was late afternoon when I finished making the hole.

    "I did a good job, "I thought, looking at the hole. "Now I'll get my father's gun. I have a plan. "

    I looked outside the window and there was nobody there. I quickly escaped through the hole. Then I ran into the woods to hunt a wild pig. Luckily, I found one. I shot it and took it back to the house and let the pig's blood fall on the wooden floor of the house. Then I pulled some of my hair out and put it on my father's ax(斧子)with some of the pig's blood.

    I took the pig's body outside and put it in a big bag with some rocks, and threw it into the river.

    "This way people will think      ▲  !" I thought. "They'll come and look for my body in the river." This idea made me smile.

    I waited until it was dark and got into the boat and went to Jackson's Island. I knew about Jackson's Island because Tom, Ben, Joe and I had a lot of fun adventures there.

    (Adapted from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain）

    On a June afternoon in 1752, the sky began to get dark over the city. As the storm broke, most people surely hurried inside, but not Benjamin Franklin. He decided it was the perfect time to fly a kite.

    Franklin had been waiting for a chance like this. He wanted to show the connection between lightning(闪电)and electricity, and to do so, he needed a storm.

    He walked into a field, and flew a kite with a piece of rope tied to it. A key was tied to the rope. The lightning hit the kite, and electricity passed through the rope to the key. Franklin then touched the key with his finger and got an electric shock(电击). This, he said, proved(证明)the electrical nature of lightning.

    For many years, schools have taught the story of Franklin's experiment. Millions of schoolchildren have been amazed by his courage and his scientific spirit of looking for the truth. However, new research suggests that the story may be fiction instead of fact.

    Although Franklin's experiment took place, more than one scientist has questioned what really happened. It's true that he did the experiment with the rope and the key. But scientists all agree that if Franklin had actually touched the key, he would certainly have died from the electric shock.

    Scientists often question accepted ideas because they want to find out the facts. Some have even questioned the story about the apple that fell on Newton's head. Many reports suggest that although the falling apple certainly provided ideas, there is nothing to show that the apple actually hit him on the head.

    In fact, fiction is often more interesting than the truth. People have been more encouraged by Franklin's spirit than by the facts themselves. But in science, facts should be tested by experiments and research, and we should not always believe everything we read or hear— even if it is a great story.

    How would you feel if someone decided to take away your park? Well that's what's happening in my community. There's a park that some people want to turn into a golf course (高尔夫球场). Let me tell you why I think it's a bad idea.

    First, a park is meant to be for the whole community. Not everyone likes golf, so not everyone will get to use the park. This isn't fair. A community park should have open spaces for everyone to use.

    Second, to make way for the golf course, lots of playground equipment (设施) will have to be moved or knocked down, which is a waste of time and money. It's also a waste of perfectly good equipment. The swings, for example, will probably just end up as litter.

    Third, what about giving young people something to do? Not all kids are crazy about golf. At the moment, the park has a skating place and a playground. These attract lots of kids from the community. If you turn the park into a golf course, these kids won't have anywhere to go and they won't have anything to do.

    This means that they will stay at home and turn on a video game rather than get some exercise. It also means that they might be out on the street causing trouble. Wouldn't it be better to give them something to do at the park?

    Finally, golf is expensive. Building a golf course and maintaining (维护)it costs a lot of money. Who is going to pay to maintain the golf course? What about those people who can't afford to join a golf club? That means that the golf course will only be available to people with lots of money.

    Turning our park into a golf course is a bad idea. I suggest we have a community meeting before plans go any further.

    Traffic lights are red, yellow and green. They are very important signals (信号). Traffic lights are usually placed at busy street corners to help control traffic. Sometimes, they are on streets near schools and shops, too. Most young children are taught what each of the colored lights means, so everybody can stay safe.

    The first traffic signals were used for trains. The signals were put alongside railway tracks (轨道). The color red was used to mean "stop" because it warned people of danger. A red light was also the easiest color to see from a distance. Train drivers could see the red "stop" light ahead and had enough time to slow down and stop their trains. A green light was used to mean "take care" and a white light meant "go".

    However, there were many dangerous accidents on the train tracks. Some train drivers thought a star shining in the night sky was a white light that meant "go"". So the signals were swapped. The "go" light was changed to green and the "take care" light was changed to white.

    During these times, people travelled by train or in carts pulled by horses. Years later, when cars were built, people began to drive them because they could travel much faster than horses. However, the road rules for drivers were not very clear and many people were hurt crossing the roads. Yellow warning signs had to be placed beside the roads to remind drivers to take care and allow people to cross safely.

    Today, towns and cities all over the world have traffic lights. Red and green lights match the signals used on the railways. Yellow lights are easy to see, so they are used to warn drivers that they should slow down and prepare to stop.

    A lot of animals travel from one place to another. We call this migration.

    In Africa, large animals, like elephants and zebras, migrate to find food and water. They usually follow the same ways every year.

    A lot of birds migrate to find food and better weather, too. They are usually birds that eat insects. They spend the summer in northern Europe, because there are lots of insects there. In the winter there aren't any insects, so the birds fly south to southern Europe and Africa.

    Some insects migrate, too. In North America, millions of monarch butterflies fly south to spend the winter in Mexico, California and Florida, where it's warmer. They travel 50-65 km each day and they travel about 1, 125 km.

    Some fish migrate to breed (繁殖). Salmon (鲑鱼) can swim over 20, 000 km in their life. They are born in rivers in Ireland, Scotland and other places in northern Europe. The young fish swim down the river to the sea and into the Atlantic Ocean. They live in the ocean until they are adults. Then they return to the river where they were born. They lay their eggs in the river and then they usually die. Salmon do this, because their eggs are safer in the river. Other fish can't eat them.

    Arctic terns (北极燕鸥) travel the furthest when they migrate. They spend the summer in the Arctic, but when winter comes they fly to the Antarctic, because it's summer there. The next year they fly back to the Arctic again. In one year these small birds travel 36, 000km from one end of the earth to the other and back again. Nobody knows how they do it.

    Do you believe in green living? Read the following blog (博客)and replies about a fun, easy and creative way to make your lifestyle greener.

    Every night, just after the sun goes down, Ruth Medjber talks with her neighbours in Dublin, Ireland, and takes a picture of them at their windows. 

These photos, in some way, show people's lives during the global pandemic (大流行病).

    "I started out taking photos of just friends and family. In this way, I could connect with them during this special time when people have to stay at home, " the photographer explained. "I live alone, so I was missing the days when we were free to communicate with friends. Every evening, on my way to seeing friends, I had a sense of purpose."

    Now she's making new friends.

    The photo project has taken off online, and she has opened it up to volunteers. But they must be the people who live within 5 kilometers of her home- the Irish government doesn't allow people to go farther out than that.

    "I pick a street each night and try to take photos of volunteers, "Ruth said. "I usually take about four photos before it is completely dark, but two if I'm talking a lot- which I love to do."

    She said more and more neighbours are joining in her photo project and it has now got a name, Love at Home.

    "I think people like knowing that they're not alone even if they have to stay at home, and they really try to pick out those who are similar to themselves in the photos. "she said. "It's also a different view(视角) of the pandemic: the more human view. Instead of showing what the pandemic has taken from us, it shows that it has given us more chances to be with family and friends and spend time together."

"I think we'd love most to find something nice, even in the most serious situation as it is now," Ruth said.

    Very often, when we see young people sitting there, looking at the screen of a mobile phone and smiling, we may think nothing is wrong. But when we come to the question "how much time do they actually spend on media(传播媒介) daily?", the answer is surprising: young people spend about nine hours every day using media, and this only includes media used for enjoyment.

    Today's young people seem to have become crazy multitaskers, They often use media when doing other activities. Some watch TV when doing homework, some text (发短信), and some others listen to music. But what do young people think of this? A research showed that two thirds of them believed watching TV or texting had no influence schoolwork. Half of them thought using social media made no difference. However, researches have given a different answer:" media multitaskers" did worse in tests.

    Scientists did a research among more than 400 students. It shows that those who text a lot have more trouble sleeping and do worse in their study. In another research, students who didn't text during a lesson took down a lot more notes than those who were texting. A similar research also found that students who texted when doing schoolwork had lower overall(总体的) grades.

    According to a research, if a kid uses social media a lot, especially at night, he or she will sleep worse and feel more nervous and depressed (消沉的). On the one hand, young people stay up late to check messages and information. They may also be woken up by messages they receive. On the other hand, even the light from a screen could influence their sleep. Some other researches also show that children who use media at night go to bed later, get fewer hours of sleep each week, and become sleepy more easily during the daytime

    Basketball, running and swimming are popular events (项目) at the Olympics. But there are also some events that are not as popular. Some are even very strange. Let's see if you have any knowledge about the following events.

	Tug-of-war     This event started in 1900 and left the Olympics in 1920. The team wins if they pull the rope past a certain point first. Interestingly, more than one team from a country can enter in this event. This makes it possible for one country to win several medals
	Rope climbing     It first appeared as an Olympic sport in 1896. The climber who spends the shortest time reaching the top is the winner. The rope used to be 15 meters long. Years later, it was shortened to 8 meters, for some reason. After 1932, there was no rope climbing in the Olympics.
	Race walking     In race walking, walkers have to win the race by walking. To make sure that they do not run, race walkers must have one foot on the ground at all times. Race walking has been an Olympic sport since 1904. Men enter in 20 kilometer and 50 kilometer races; women only race 20 kilometers.

    My dear boys and girls, good morning. Today I'm going to talk to you about my understanding of learning history.

    Many of you may think it is a terrible thing to study history. You may often wonder why we students should study something that has nothing to do with our own lives. If you think that way, I should say you are far from the truth.

    In fact, if we study history, we can learn quite a lot about personal stories and events (事件) of people just like us. The people who came before us helped build and develop the country we are living in. Their ideas often solved many of our problems and troubles. Studying the past helps us to understand what our ancestors' (祖先) lives were like. And it also helps us to see how their experiences have shaped our own life.

    To be honest,     ▲     . Some of what we study in history helps us understand the mistakes of the past. And these mistakes will help people not to do the same wrong things. People often learn from the past to have a better future.

Whether we like the subject of history or not, we must understand the importance of the events and the people who came before us. Our ancestors' decisions have influenced our own life. Similarly, the decisions of our own generation (一代人) will finally influence those who come after us. In this only way, the world is truly connected.

    History is not just a study of the past. History is the study of people, places, and events that can influence the future.

    Now do you still think studying history is a sad thing? Or do you have any doubt about learning history? If you have any question, just feel free to ask.

    In the future, people may travel to Mars (火星) by water-powered spaceship! Today's spaceships are fine for getting things into space, but they are not so good at travelling long distances. These spaceships burn chemical fuels (燃料) and they are very expensive. Scientists say that a water-powered spaceship could make the trip to Mars much cheaper. The idea is just in the planning stages now, but scientists think such a spaceship could be developed soon.

    The key to the water-powered spaceship is the engine (发动机) Regular engines push spaceships by burning fuel. The water engine will use steam, created by solar panels (太阳能板) that heat water to a high temperature. Of course, the spaceship will have to carry a lot of water for the long trip to Mars.

    Today's spaceships could not cay that much water But scientists think that a spaceship blown up like a balloon will be able to

    One US company has already developed a spaceship like this. These spaceships are made of a strong material. Two of them have already been sent up into space, using rockets and then later filled with air. "Balloon" spaceships could be very large and carry enough water for a long trip. With the "Balloon" spaceships, enough water could be carried to power the engines and grow food during the trip. And the people on the spaceship might even get to take a hot bath!

    Scientists say the biggest advantage of such a spaceship would be cost. The "Balloon" spaceship uses water to push it through space and costs about one thirtieth of a normal spaceship. Such savings naturally encourage continued research into balloon spaceships and water engines. If these scientists are correct, we may soon be on our way to Mars in a spaceship powered by water.

    Long long ago, there lived a man and a woman who had seven sons. The couple wanted a daughter very much, and finally, they had a girl She was very pretty and her parents loved her very much. One day the father needed water for the child, so he sent the seven brothers to a well (井) in the forest to get it. Once there, though, the boys began to fight and the water jug (壶) fell into the well. The boys looked into the well and thought of their father. They were afraid to go home.

    Hours passed. "Where are those boys?" shouted the angry father. "They are probably playing a game and have forgotten about the water. I wish they were all turned into ravens (乌鸦) !"And when he looked up, he saw seven black birds flying away. The father was shocked. "What have I done? he thought. But it was too late. He could not take back his words.

    Later, the girl grew up and discovered she had brothers. The story of their bad luck influenced her deeply, and she decided to find them. For years, she searched and did not stop. She made up her mind to find them. Finally, she found their home. To enter, she needed a special key made from a chicken bone, which she did not have. The girl thought for a moment, and then took a knife and cut off one of her fingers. With it, she opened the front door and went inside. On a table, there were seven plates and seven cups. She ate and drank a little from each of them. In the last cup, she accidently dropped a ring that her parents had given her.

    Later hat day, the ravens returned for their meal. The girl hid behind the door and watched. When the seventh raven drank from his cup, something hit his mouth. The raven recognized it at once-it was his parents' ring. "I wish our sister were here, "he said, "and then we could be free." At that moment, their sister ran o them, and suddenly the ravens were human again. The brothers kissed their sister and all eight of them went home together happily.

    Monday, January 21st

    I'm a virus (病毒) for the common cold. It has been a long time since I infected (感染) humans last time. Today I tried to infect a boy in a primary school all day.

His name is Sam. I waited on his desktop, and when he touched the desk I jumped on his finger. Unluckily, Sam didn't touch his eyes, mouth or nose. Then, right after class, he washed his hands. Now I'm full of soap and sitting in a sink!

    Tuesday, January 22nd

    This morning I jumped into the nose of Sam's best friend, Bill. Unluckily, the mucus (粘液) in his nose caught me. I thought it was over for me, when suddenly Bill sneezed while he was talking to Sam.

    I knew that would send me right into Sam's face! However, Sam quickly gave Bill a tissue, and Bill sneezed into that instead! Infecting people is harder than I imagined.

    Wednesday, January 23rd

    I'm feeling very unhappy today. Some scientists caught my friend Harry and put him under a microscope. Harry is a flu virus and he's a dangerous little guy. Besides, Sam at all his vegetables today. He's exercising, ad he's getting eight hours of sleep every night. His body is too strong for me!

    Thursday, January 24th

    I tried to infect Sam again today, but he washed his hands five times and never touched his face! He also gave tissues to every student in his class who was sneezing. It's impossible to give him a cold! So I have to give up and I'm moving to another school.

    A Chinese song could be heard in a classroom in Sana, the capital of Yemen(也门), where around 20 Chinese-learning schoolchildren were singing

    "I love to learn the Chinese language because it is very nice, important and I want to travel to China to complete my studies there," Karim al-Areqi, a student of the private Languages Model School in Sanaa, told Xinhua.

    Teacher Mohammed al-Ansi, who learnt the language in China and received a university degree, stressed(强调）the importance of learning the Chinese language. "It is the language of the future and it is necessary for all people to get advantages from the great development in China," he said.

    Like many other private elementary and secondary schools in Yemen, the Chinese language is a basic part of the Languages Model School's courses, where the students study Chinese as actively as math and science subjects. "In teaching the Chinese language, I succeeded in educating students in a simple way that fits everyone," al-Ansi said proudly, stressing that teaching Chinese has changed his life without doubt.

    Al-Ansi expects that Yemen and China will work together to set up centers and schools for teaching the Chinese language in Yemen so that many young Yemenis can learn. "I hope that a branch of the Confucius (孔子学院),could be built in Yemen to teach the language and spread the Chinese culture to many years who are interested in learning the Chinese culture and language," he said. see that learning a foreign language may open a way of hope to a new life, such as getting ,more money and paving(铺平)the way to a bright future in the country that has experienced war for almost five years,

    On February 12, 2019, Brendon Fontaine blew out five candles on a birthday cake. "He loved the cake so much," says his mother, Faith, who lives in Winnipeg with Brendon. "I had to hide it in the back of the fridge. 3

    Brendon's surprise came from Cakes for Kids, a group of home bakers(烘焙师)who know that a simple birthday cake can be uncommon for poor families like the Fontaines.

    The group was set up three years ago by Christy Rogowski, a 40-year-old who works in health care software, and her partner, Wendy Singleton. "Imagining a child who wasn't going to have a birthday cake was really upsetting," Rogowski says.

    A Facebook call-out for volunteers finally added 150 bakers to their name list. When volunteers first apply(申请), they're asked why they want to do so. "Some people have said that they didn't have a cake on their birthday growing up, and they know how important it is," says Singleton. More commonly, though, they say they want families in need to know that their neighbors care about them.

    The names of the cake receivers are provided by community organizations and Winnipeg Child and Family Services. A child might receive a cake because the family is poor. Sometimes a child is sick, leaving the family too busy to make the treat themselves. Cakes also go to children living in foster care（寄养). Jodi Korolyk, a worker with Winnipeg Child and Family Services, has so far ordered birthday cakes for five of the almost 800 kids in their system. "It shows the child they have a lot of people there to support them," she says.

    By the end of last year, Cakes for Kids had baked over 575 cakes to mark kids' birthdays, and the baking continues. Rogowski and Singleton are even considering developing the program nationally and also providing cakes for old people who live alone. After all, there's no age difference when it comes to the positive role of a well-timed cake.

    With schools closed and restrictions(限制)on public activities, it can be a difficult time for young people, who suddenly can't spend time with their friends and family in person.

    However, the situation has already led to some creative ways of using technology to keep in touch with those people, from video calls and group chats (聊天)to online games. Experts say that young people might find the social restrictions on seeing their friends in real life stressful, which is why technology can be helpful.

    "Keeping relationships is very important for health," says Dr Amanda Gummer, creator of Dr Gummer's Good Play Guide. She adds that this is more important the older you get. "Not maintaining these friendships can make it more difficult for you to get back into school when the time comes," she says. Chezy Kennedy, from a training program called Confident Kids, agrees. "Staying connected to those we care about is even more important now than ever before," she says. "We can suddenly feel quite lonely."

    Messaging apps and video calls are good for checking in with friends, or organizing group chats to keep in. touch. "Video chats are a great way to keep connected with your wider friendship group," says Gummer.

    Experts agree that there are plenty of ways to be creative with video chats besides talking to friends. Gummer suggests, "A virtual (虚拟的) film-and-pizza night can work well.

    Sharna Jackson, an expert on young people and technology, has lots of ideas too. She suggests taking turns to teach friends something you're really good at- such as painting and drawing, perhaps. She also thinks that online games, including Fortnite and Minecraft, can play a really good role.

    "It's good to play together. It's social, there's problem-solving and turn-taking, and it helps you develop different skills," she says.

    Whenever Fm invited to somebody's house for the first time, I'll take a close look at their bookshelves. What they keep on their shelves, in my eyes, is a reflection (反映)of their personal tastes and interests. The books on a bookshelf tell the story of a life.

    My own shelves are a kind of roadmap through my life, telling a chronological tale. First up come my favorite childhood reads, like Watership Down and His Dark Materials. The collection then moves on to teenage things I read in school — Nineteen Eighty-Four, The Handmaid's Tale and A Clockwork Orange. Finally, we come out of full-time education and enter the real world, and this part is a reflection of my professional (职业的)life, from the first exciting days of work experience to the present.

    If you pointed to any book on my shelves, I could name the year I got it, where I was working, and probably where I was living at the time.

    __▲  It is an easy way to get to know about his hopes, dreams and interests. And a big part of that story is how we arrange (排列)our books, and get on with them. Ifs such a personal thing, different from each other. Some want to be with their books in every room, others have them on shelves, behind glass or simply lining their floors. Each home has a story to tell through the way they live with their books.

    It's often said that what we read says something about who we are. The way we fill our bookshelves might also send a message about ourselves. From the pile of books on your bedside table to your well-organized shelves, whether we notice it or not, our book collections are telling a story before a single page has been turned.

    It was last January, when I'd just finished a charity(慈善)and was on the train back home, that I put down my phone and started writing thank-you notes to people who had helped.

    When I got off the train, I felt amazingly good. The next day, I wrote more thank-yous and the same feeling of happiness hit me again. I suddenly had the idea: Why not keep on doing this for every day of the year?

    To keep on task, I decided to pick out a different theme for each month. January was charity.

    February would be neighbors, I decided. And I thought of a number of names right away: the owner of our local bookstore, who let me and my little son in before the store opened and offered to play his favorite songs; our babysitter, who dropped off a bag of old board games for our kids to play;….

    While wring the notes, I realized how often I had spent my time on the phone moving from app to app, appreciating(欣赏)other people's lives. Writing thank-you notes allowed me the time to do something different, paying more attention to my own life.

    In the following months, I wrote to my friends, doctors, teachers and parenting role models. In July, my "food" month, I wrote to Julie, who used to cook at my favorite restaurant. It went like this:

Dear. Julie,

    I've been finding myself missing you lately. Thank you for hosting and cooking beautiful and thoughtful food. Jake and I will never forget when you sent out biscuits shaped into the number VI for our sixth anniversary (周年纪念日). We talk about it every year.

    Thank you. We miss you.

Love,

Gina

    I was happy to receive a note back from her. Julie replied, "I don't think I've ever received such a touching letter before. I'm going through a hard time right now, and this helps. "

    On December 31, I wrote my last card—to Jake, my husband, and our two kids. And I took a picture of us, so I could remember the feeling welling up inside me. Gratitude.

    Is there a connection between music and language? According to recent studies, the answer is yes: Music helps develop certain language abilities in the brain.

    A study from Northwestern University shows that playing a musical instrument can improve a person's hearing ability. As a part of the study, two groups of people listened to a person talking in a noisy room. The people in the first group were musicians, while those in the second group had no musical training. The musicians were found to be able to hear the talking person more clearly.

    Musicians hear better, says study leader Nina Kraus, because they learn to pay attention to certain sounds. For example, when the violinists play in an orchestra（管弦乐队）, they must listen closely to what they are playing and ignore(忽视)the other sounds. In this way, musicians can hear certain sounds better, even in a room with lots of noise.

    Gotfried Schlaug, a doctor at Harvard Medical School, works with stroke(中风)patients.

    Because of their illness, these people cannot say their names, addresses, or other information normally. However, they can till sing. Dr. Schlaug was surprised to find singing words helped his patients finally speak. Why does this work? Schlaug isn't sure. Music seems to be able to make different parts of the brain active, including the bad parts. In some way, this helps patients use those parts of the brain again.

    So music is not only enjoyable, but also good for us in many other ways. Playing an instrument or singing, says Nina Kraus, can help us do better in school and keep our brain sharp as we get older.

    It's late evening in the middle of the winter. The snow is deep, but off I go into the wild.

    Suddenly, I hear it: the howl(嚎叫)of wolves. Excitedly, I walk faster in the direction of the howling.

    I've been working as a volunteer wolf tracker in Yellowstone National Park for over a year It's my job to follow wolves to record information about them. Like wolves, however, I don't work alone. I'm one of a team of people who have been in a project to help reintroduce wolves to the park.

    Humans have always feared wolves. From fairy tales to movies, the wolf is always the bad guy —a danger to humans and other animals. In the 1920s, the organizers of the park shared this view about wolves and made the decision to drive them away from the park. As a result, the number of elk (麋鹿)in the park increased. The elk started looking for food near river banks since they didn't have to worry about wolves. This, in turn, stopped trees from growing along the rivers, doing great harm to the environment there.

    The return of wolves has already made a big difference. To begin with, the elk soon learned to stay away from the rivers, so new trees have been able to grow there. The trees become home to new wildlife, such as birds, and provide food for more animals.

    The park is now becoming more and more popular with those who want to see wolves in their natural environment. It has also helped the local people make more money. Tourists visit the area, stay in the local hotels, and eat in the local restaurants.

    Looking at the wild animals and the beautiful sceneries around me, I am amazed at the changes the wolf has made to Yellowstone. And happily, it is playing a good guy in this story.

     Seven years ago, Joyce Akinpe moved to Australia to start a new life, finding an exciting job in Sydney. After the outbreak (爆发) of COVID-19, she suddenly lost her job.

     Seeing that there were many others like herself in trouble from the outbreak, Akinpe and her two roommates, Michele Gomez and Maureen Lee, brainstormed ideas for how to help their local community. They came up with a street pantry (储藏柜). Gomez said the idea was very simple, "Take what you need and leave what you can."

     With the help of Gomez's father, they built the Blessing –Box – a a street pantry, with shelves and hanging baskets and two doors made from old furniture.

     It sits just at the back of the three girls' home, so they can look after it. They put some information notices into their neighbors' mailboxes, and the Blessing Box was quickly filled with the donations (捐赠)from the community, "It is the community's strong support that keeps the project alive, " Akinpe said.

     We now have hundreds of people visiting our box every day. It might only a hours for the box to be full and next hour it might become empty again. We are now h others to carry out similar projects in their own communities, too, "Gomez said.

     Lee said things in the box were mostly convenience foods. as well as some necessary life things such as spaghetti and toilet paper. "Few people take everything at once. They think there are other people who need them more. "Lee added.

     There were many people rushing there for donations. The three girls needed to sanitize (消毒)all the donations and make sure all food packages were not broken. Gomez said that they had no time for rest, but what they did was well worth.

     Imagine this. There's an apple and a piece of cake on a table. Which one would you like? The delicious cake or the healthy apple? A bestseller, Willpower: Rediscovering Our Greatest Strength, suggests that willpower(意志力)is the ability to make decisions that are better for us in the long term, rather than in the short term.

     Here is a famous experiment in the book: The Marshmallow Test. In 1972, Professor Walter Mischel tested the willpower of 600 four-year-olds to six-year-olds. In the experiment, each child was left alone in a room for fifteen minutes with a marshmallow(棉花软糖）on a table in front of them. They were given two choices: they could either eat it or, if they waited fifteen minutes, they'd be given a second one(and then they could eat both).

     So, what did the kids do? Well, as you can imagine, 70% ate the first marshmallow within the fifteen minutes. But the other 30% showed willpower—they controlled themselves and waited for the second marshmallow. But then Mischel discovered something really interesting. Twenty years later, he got in touch with the children, who, by then, were in their early twenties. And he found that those who'd shown strong willpower were getting better marks at university and were more popular.

     Willpower is like a muscle (肌肉), and the more you exercise it, the stronger it gets.

     So, if you do daily "self-control exercises", such as making your bed or brushing your teeth, you'll improve your overall willpower. And daily willpower exercises will help you with those bigger goals, such as studying for an exam or training for a marathon.

     Be careful though. Just like any muscle, your "willpower muscle" can get tired. If you've had to do lots of things that require willpower, take a break or give yourself a treat.

     That way, you'll build up your willpower again.

And one last thing, the writer mentions people who learn foreign languages usually have a lot of willpower. So, congratulations!

     Living on an island might sound wonderful. But what it you left for a trip and found you could never return? What if your home, and even the land it stood on, was gone forever? For people living in the Pacific Islands, this is really possible.

     Why? Climate (气候)change. Climate change is causing the sea to rise. That's bad news for the Pacific Islands. Young people on the islands are even starting to wonder: Will they be the last generation(一代人)?

     Not if the islanders have anything to do about it. These people are deeply connected to their homelands. The Pacific Islands are made up of 1l different countries: the Marshall Islands, Fuji, Samoa, and others. But now, those countries are working together. They're joining forces to fight climate change.

     Why is climate change such a huge threat to this part of the world? Islands are low elevations(海拔). So they are among the first places influenced by rising sea les. That's why countries of the Pacific Islands are working together to do their part.

     But these are small countries. When it comes to climate change, can they make a big difference? They can, because most of the things that people on islands buy are brought by ships. This is very harmful to the environment. After all, ships put out almost3penatof the world's carbon emissions (碳排放), That makes climate change worse.

     Pacific Islanders realize the problem. So, in 2019, six countries got together: Fuji, the Marshall islands, Samoa, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands and Tuvalu, They came up with a plan. They agreed to cut carbon emissions from shipping by 40nercent by 2030. And by 2050, they expect zero-carbon shipping.

     How will they pull this off? They plan to use some really to use some really cool carbon-free technologies. They'll make use of solar and wind energy.

Sea levels are rising, but hopes aren't sinking in the Pacific Islands.

     Tide is the regular rise and fall of the ocean level caused by the movement of the sun, the earth and the moon. It is considered a promising source of green energy to produce electricity in coastal areas.

     To make use of tidal energy, we need to build tidal power stations. The bays* and the river mouths where the tide is high (the tidal range is more than 10 metres) are usually perfect sites to build tidal power stations. There are many such places in the world. According to the IRENA (the International Renewable Energy Agency), by just using 2% of our coastlines, we can produce 4, 383TWh of ocean power each year, enough to meet 16. 4% of the world's electricity needs.

     To build a tidal power station, we need to build a dam. In the dam are many turbines and on each turbine there is an electric generator*. When the tide rises, water comes through the dam, the turbines turn and the electric generators work, producing electricity. When the tide fall, water goes out through the dam, the turbines turn again. The electric generators continue to work.

     Tidal energy has it advantages. Using tidal energy to produce electricity is much cheaper than using the traditional energy, like coal or gas. For example, the Rance Tidal Power Station in France has been there for over 50 years, producing around 540, 000TWh of electricity each year. The cost is only 1.3 cents/TWh. Tidal energy can be used nearly 24 hours a day. As long as the sun, the earth and the moon exist, we can use it to produce electricity. But without sunshine, here is no solar energy. When there is no wind, electric generators will not work In addition, with the development of modern technology, tidal energy can be stored and used to produce electricity continuously. However, we still have some problems to solve. It is difficult to build a dam in the sea, and the cost is very high. Moreover, it's expensive to keep a tidal power station in is best condition.

Scientists are working on them.

    A few months ago I was nominated for Governor of the great state of New York, to run against Stewart L. Woodford and John T. Hoffman. I really felt dirty to run against them for all their shameful crimes that were reported on newspapers. However, as a candidate, I had no choice.

    The next morning, as I was looking listlessly over the papers at breakfast, I came across his paragraph:

    PERJURY- Mr. Mark Twain, a candidate for Governor, was convicted of perjury by thirty-four people, in Wakawak, in 1863. He intended to rob a poor woman of her land, her only stay and support after her husband died. For Mr. Twain himself, as well as the public, he needs to clear this matter up. Will he do it?

    What a lie! I never had heard of Wakawak!

    During the rest of the time, I got a title "the Infamous Perjurer Twain" on this paper.

    Next came "Gazette", with this:

   WANTED TOKNOW -When Mfr. Twain was in Montana, his workmates lost small valuables from time to time, until at last, these things having all been found on Mr. Twain's person or in his suitcase. Will he explain this to his fellow-citizens?

    I got a new title, "Twain, the Montana Thief". But I never was in Montana in my life.

    Then another newspaper article:

    DELIRIUM TREMENSTWAIN-Mark Twain, who was to make a speech at the mass meeting of the Independents last night, didn't come to time! He argued that he had been knocked down by a runaway team and his leg broken in two places. But a certain man who was very drunk was seen to reel into Mr. Twain's hotel last night. It is his duty to prove that this person was not Mark Twain himself WHO WAS THATMAN?

    I did not drink!

    In the following weeks, I got more titles like "Delirium Tremens", "Body-Snatcher", "Filthy Corruptionist ", etc. Then one morning:

    Mr. Mark Twain sill maintains SILENCE. He dare not speak Dare he open his mouth to explain?

Before I could reply, more dirty charges poured up on me. One day they even taught nine little children of all shades of colour to rush on to the platform at a public meeting and call me Pa(father)!

    I gave up. I sent them a letter to state that I gave up, and in bitterness of spirit I signed it,

    "Truly yours, Once a decent man but now MARKTWAIN, IP. , M. T. , D. T. , B. S. and FC. "

Do you want to have fun in Oxford? Take a bus tour!

     The balalaika, also called the "Russian guitar", is a traditional Russian musical instrument. It has a long neck, a wooden triangle-shaped body and strings. It is usually used to play Russian music by plucking* the strings with fingers or a pick.

Russians like the balalaika. The music played with it can be cheerful, as if the farmers were dancing happily to celebrate their harvest It can also be energetic, as if the workers were working hard to make their country richer and stronger. If a Russian moves to live or work abroad, he will probably take a balalaika with him. When he feels lonely and sad, he will play it to cheer himself up.

     The balalaika was originally played by the poor in Russia. At that time, balalaikas were made by the players themselves. They were rough, simple and cheap with different numbers of strings, from two to even six. Later a Russian musician Vasily Vasil'yevich Andreev (1861-1918) improved the balalaka. He created a whole family of balalaikas of different sizes, all with three strings. The smallest balalaika is called Prima. It is 60-70cm long. The biggest, Contrabass, is almost 2metres high with a leg to sit on the floor. Andreev founded the first balalaika orchestra* in the world, mainly using balalaikas to perform. He gave concerts at the Universal Exposition in Paris in 1889, which was a great success.

     Today, there are blalaika groups performing around the world. More and more people get to know the balalaika and are attracted by its Russian style music.

    Stephen Hawking, one of the world's most famous scientists, believed that humans will one day have to move into space, "Once we step into space, our future should be safe," he said.

    Today, many countries are all planning to send astronauts to Earth's closest neighbor: the moon. Some of these countries want to create space stations there within the next 10 years. These stations will prepare humans to visit and later live on Mars or other earthlike planets.

    __①__ Robert Zubrin, a rocket scientist, thinks humans should colonize(殖民) space. He wants to start with Mars. Why? He thinks sending people to Mars will allow us to learn a lot of things—for example, the ability of humans to live in a very different environment. Besides, any progress we make in the fields of science, technology, medicine and health will do good to people here on Earth.

    __②__ Elon Musk, the CEO of Space X also believes we should colonize Mars. His long-term goal is to put one million people there if something bad happens to us here on Earth.

    __③__ Many people say it's too expensive. Also, most space trips are not short. A one-way trip to Mars, for example, would take at least six months. People traveling this kind of distance could face many health problems. Besides, these first people would find life especially difficult in space. On the moon's surface, for example, the sun's rays are very dangerous. People would have to stay indoors most of the time.

    __④__ No matter what different concerns there are, sending people into space seems certain. In the future, we might see cities on the moon or even new human cultures on other planets. First stop: the moon.

Top Global Cities

    What makes a city great? To answer this question, the creators of The Global Cities Index(全球城市指数)" look at the following areas:

    The 2018 Global Cities Index

    The Global Cities Index is a list of the world's most powerful and important cities. Here are the top 10 cities on the 2018 index. Some top cities are strong in five areas.

   
   Future Leaders

    Which cities will become more powerful in the future? Creators of the Global Cities Index predict the most growth in the following places:

    Asia: Beijing and Shanghai are both business centers and will continue to grow. In a few years, they will be as powerful as New York. Some Indian cities have a lot of business potential(潜力), too.

    South America: Some cities in Brazil and Colombia will become more powerful. In these cities, life for many people is improving.

    The Middle East: Istanbul in Turkey, Cairo in Egypt, etc. will hold more power in international politics and business—especially in helping East and West work together.

    In 10 years, the top cities on the index may be different, but one thing is certain: tomorrow's global cities will be more powerful than ever.

    It's a school holiday today. It's warm and the sun is shining. It's the perfect day for an outing. Zack, Vera, Kelly and Tim are discussing what they are going to do. Let's listen and see what happens...

Zack: Hey you guys, it would be a shame to stay inside on a day like this. How about taking the bus to Stanley and going to the beach?

Tim: [excitedly] That sounds great.

Kelly:I'm in! But can we go to the mall first so I can get some suntan oil?

Zack: [hesitantly(犹豫地)] Well, Kelly, I suppose we've got time...

Vera: And we can stop off in Tsim Sha Tsui and get something to eat first. I'm sorry, but I don't think I'll be able to get anything good once we get there.

Zack: I don't know, Vera —it's already eleven o'clock.

Tim: Actually, why don't we have a look at Stanley, Market before we go to the beach? The bus stops right in front of the market. I want to look for some casual shirts and trousers.

Kelly: Oh, yes, Tim, let's do that. Maybe they have some trendy swim suits, and some jewellery...

Zack: [to himself] This is really awful! [to the others] Look, I don't want to go to a restaurant or go shopping—I just want to go to the beach on a nice day. You all said you'd go with me, but if you don't want to, you don't have to. See you later. [sound of a door opening and closing ]

Vera: Somebody's not glad!

Tim: Well, it was his idea to go out, after all.

Kelly: Oh, dear, poor Zack. I'm going to call him. [on the telephone] Hi, Zack? Look, just wait at the bus stop for me. I'm coming now. I won't go to the mall.

Tim: Tell him I'm coming too. We don't need to stop at the market.

Vera:[sighs(吸气)] Oh, all right. I can risk having lunch at the beach, I guess.

Kelly:[on the telephone] Zack? We're all coming now. We should all enjoy this great day together. [to the rest] OK, let's go. We shouldn't keep Zack waiting.

Tim:[hurriedly] OK, come on, everybody...[fade]