Like many young people, Jessica wants to travel the globe. Unlike most of them, this 25-year-old is doing it 1 . She and her husband have spent the last two years traveling the world, stopping everywhere from Paris to Singapore. It might sound like one long, expensive 2 , but the couple has an unusual way to make their travel 3 .

They’re part of a new form of the 4 economy: an online group of house sitters. Throughout their no-cost stays in 5 homes, they feed pets and water plants in the homeowner’s 6 .

It’s not all sightseeing. The two travelers carefully 7 their trips, scheduling their days around the pets that are sometimes difficult to 8 . But house sitting also offers a level of 9 they can’t find in a hotel. “It’s like 10 at a friend’s house,” Jessica says.

The couple has a high 11 rate in getting accepted as house sitters and they always go beyond the homeowner’s 12 . For Jessica, that means 13 plenty of pictures of happy pets, keeping the house 14 and leaving a nice small gift before heading to the next house. “You want to make the homeowner feel that they made the right 15 ,” she says.

1 ． A ． indoors B ． online C ． single-handed D ． full-time

2 ． A ． game B ． service C ． vacation D ． procedure

3 ． A ． safe B ． busy C ． helpful D ． affordable

4 ． A ． local B ． private C ． sharing D ． agricultural

5 ． A ． strangers’ B ． parents’ C ． co-workers’ D ． neighbors’

6 ． A ． favor B ． defense C ． honor D ． absence

7 ． A ． plan B ． explain C ． compare D ． complete

8 ． A ． buy B ． transport C ． choose D ． please

9 ． A ． support B ． comfort C ． control D ． attention

10 ． A ． cooking B ． staying C ． waiting D ． studying

11 ． A ． success B ． survival C ． growth D ． unemployment

12 ． A ． budget B ． abilities C ． expectations D ． understanding

13 ． A ． admiring B ． donating C ． sending D ． borrowing

14 ． A ． clean B ． open C ． simple D ． empty

15 ． A ． guess B ． decision C ． response D ． impression

Children’s Discovery Museum

General Information about Group Play

Pricing

Group Play $7/person

Scholarships

We offer scholarships to low-income schools and youth organizations, subject to availability. Participation in a post-visit survey is required.

Scholarships are for Group Play admission fees and/or transportation. Transportation invoices ( 发票 ) must be received within 60 days of your visit to guarantee the scholarship.

Group Size

We require one chaperone ( 监护人 ) per ten children. Failure to provide enough chaperones will result in an extra charge of $50 per absent adult.

Group Play is for groups of 10 or more with a limit of 35 people. For groups of 35 or more, please call to discuss options.

Hours

The Museum is open daily from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm.

Group Play may be scheduled during any day or time the Museum is open.

Registration Policy

Registration must be made at least two weeks in advance.

Register online or fill out a Group Play Registration Form with multiple date and start time options.

Once the registration form is received and processed, we will send a confirmation email within two business days.

Guidelines

●Teachers and chaperones should model good behavior for the group and remain with students at all times.

●Children are not allowed unaccompanied in all areas of the Museum.

●Children should play nicely with each other and exhibits.

●Use your indoor voice when at the Museum.

16 ． What does a group need to do if they are offered a scholarship?

A ． Prepay the admission fees. B ． Use the Museum’s transportation.

C ． Take a survey after the visit. D ． Schedule their visit on weekdays.

17 ． How many chaperones are needed for a group of 30 children to visit the Museum?

A ． One. B ． Two. C ． Three. D ． Four.

18 ． What are children prohibited from doing at the Museum?

A ． Using the computer. B ． Talking with each other.

C ． Touching the exhibits. D ． Exploring the place alone.

We journalists live in a new age of storytelling, with many new multimedia tools. Many young people don’t even realize it’s new. For them, it’s just normal.

This hit home for me as I was sitting with my 2-year-old grandson on a sofa over the Spring Festival holiday. I had brought a children’s book to read. It had simple words and colorful pictures — a perfect match for his age.

Picture this: my grandson sitting on my lap as I hold the book in front so he can see the pictures. As I read, he reaches out and pokes ( 戳 ) the page with his finger.

What’s up with that? He just likes the pictures, I thought. Then I turned the page and continued. He poked the page even harder. I nearly dropped the book. I was confused: Is there something wrong with this kid?

Then I realized what was happening. He was actually a stranger to books. His father frequently amused the boy with a tablet computer which was loaded with colorful pictures that come alive when you poke them. He thought my storybook was like that.

Sorry, kid. This book is not part of your high-tech world. It’s an outdated, lifeless thing. An antique, like your grandfather. Well, I may be old, but I’m not hopelessly challenged, digitally speaking. I edit video and produce audio. I use mobile payment. I’ve even built websites.

There’s one notable gap in my new-media experience, however: I’ve spent little time in front of a camera, since I have a face made for radio. But that didn’t stop China Daily from asking me last week to share a personal story for a video project about the integration of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province.

Anyway, grandpa is now an internet star — two minutes of fame! I promise not to let it go to my head. But I will make sure my 2-year-old grandson sees it on his tablet.

19 ． What do the underlined words “hit home for me” mean in paragraph 2?

A ． Provided shelter for me. B ． Became very clear to me.

C ． Took the pressure off me. D ． Worked quite well on me.

20 ． Why did the kid poke the storybook?

A ． He took it for a tablet computer. B ． He disliked the colorful pictures.

C ． He was angry with his grandpa. D ． He wanted to read it by himself.

21 ． What does the author think of himself?

A ． Socially ambitious. B ． Physically attractive.

C ． Financially independent. D ． Digitally competent.

22 ． What can we learn about the author as a journalist?

A ． He lacks experience in his job. B ． He seldom appears on television.

C ． He manages a video department. D ． He often interviews internet stars.

Over the last seven years, most states have banned texting by drivers, and public service campaigns have tried a wide range of methods to persuade people to put down their phones when they are behind the wheel.

Yet the problem, by just about any measure, appears to be getting worse. Americans are still texting while driving, as well as using social networks and taking photos. Road accidents, which had fallen for years, are now rising sharply.

That is partly because people are driving more, but Mark Rosekind, the chief of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said distracted （分心） driving was "only increasing, unfortunately."

"Big change requires big ideas." he said in a speech last month, referring broadly to the need to improve road safety. So to try to change a distinctly modern behavior, lawmakers and public health experts are reaching back to an old approach: They want to treat distracted driving like drunk driving.

An idea from lawmakers in New York is to give police officers a new device called the Textalyzer. It would work like this: An officer arriving at the scene of a crash could ask for the phones of the drivers and use the Textalyzer to check in the operating system for recent activity. The technology could determine whether a driver had just texted, emailed or done anything else that is not allowed under New York's hands-free driving laws.

"We need something on the books that can change people's behavior,” said Félix W. Ortiz, who pushed for the state's 2001 ban on hand-held devices by drivers. If the Textalyzer bill becomes law, he said, "people are going to be more afraid to put their hands on the cell phone."

23 ． Which of the following best describes the ban on drivers' texting in the US?

A ． Ineffective. B ． Unnecessary.

C ． Inconsistent. D ． Unfair.

24 ． What can the Textalyzer help a police officer find out?

A ． Where a driver came from. B ． Whether a driver used their phone.

C ． How fast a driver was going. D ． When a driver arrived at the scene.

25 ． What does the underlined word "something" in the last paragraph refer to?

A ． Advice. B ． Data. C ． Tests. D ． Laws.

26 ． What is a suitable title for the text?

A ． To Drive or Not to Drive? Think Before You Start

B ． Texting and Driving? Watch Out for the Textalyzer

C ． New York Banning Hand-Held Devices by Drivers.

D ． The Next Generation Cell Phone: The Textalyzer-

As we age, even if we’re healthy, the heart just isn’t as efficient in processing oxygen as it used to be. In most people the first signs show up in their 50s or early 60s. And among people who don’t exercise, the changes can start even sooner.

“Think of a rubber band. In the beginning, it is flexible, but put it in a drawer for 20 years and it will become dry and easily broken,” says Dr. Ben Levine, a heart specialist at the University of Texas. That’s what happens to the heart. Fortunately for those in midlife, Levine is finding that even if you haven’t been an enthusiastic exerciser, getting in shape now may help improve your aging heart.

Levine and his research team selected volunteers aged between 45 and 64 who did not exercise much but were otherwise healthy. Participants were randomly divided into two groups. The first group participated in a program of nonaerobic ( 无氧 ) exercise—balance training and weight training—three times a week. The second group did high-intensity aerobic exercise under the guidance of a trainer for four or more days a week. After two years, the second group saw remarkable improvements in heart health.

“We took these 50-year-old hearts and turned the clock back to 30-or 35-year-old hearts,” says Levine. “And the reason they got so much stronger and fitter was that their hearts could now fill a lot better and pump ( 泵送 ) a lot more blood during exercise.” But the hearts of those who participated in less intense exercise didn’t change, he says.

“The sweet spot in life to start exercising, if you haven’t already, is in late middle age when the heart still has flexibility,” Levine says. “We put healthy 70-year-olds through a yearlong exercise training program, and nothing happened to them at all.”

Dr. Nieca Goldberg, a spokeswoman for the American Heart Association, says Levine’s findings are a great start. But the study was small and needs to be repeated with far larger groups of people to determine exactly which aspects of an exercise routine make the biggest difference.

27 ． What does Levine want to explain by mentioning the rubber band?

A ． The right way of exercising. B ． The causes of a heart attack.

C ． The difficulty of keeping fit. D ． The aging process of the heart.

28 ． In which aspect were the two groups different in terms of research design?

A ． Diet plan. B ． Professional background.

C ． Exercise type. D ． Previous physical condition.

29 ． What does Levine’s research find?

A ． Middle-aged hearts get younger with aerobic exercise.

B ． High-intensity exercise is more suitable for the young.

C ． It is never too late for people to start taking exercise.

D ． The more exercise we do, the stronger our hearts get.

30 ． What does Dr. Nieca Goldberg suggest?

A ． Making use of the findings. B ． Interviewing the study participants.

C ． Conducting further research. D ． Clarifying the purpose of the study.