山东省济宁市邹城市兖矿第一高级中学校2022-2023学年高二上学期迎期中线上线下衔接测试英语试卷

The London Eye

One could spend months walking through the streets of London and still not see the whole city. But thanks to the London Eye, visitors can now have a bird's-eye view of London's skyline.

And by riding in one of its 32 capsules (乘坐舱)，visitors can see up to a distance of 40 kilometers, or even as far as Windsor Castle (on a sunny day, of course).

The London Eye Highlights

Inside the capsules, you can use the touch screen devices to read more information on the different buildings and landmarks you'll be able to see during your visit. Also included in your ticket is the London Eye 4D Cinema Experience, where visitors can watch a four-minute video to see the London Eye in 4D in its special theatre.

Special Tips

◆Make sure you bring a set of binoculars (双筒望远镜) with you!

◆A ride on the London Eye is not advised for anyone who is extremely afraid of heights.

◆If you plan to travel by coach, you will need to book coach parking and pay in advance before your arrival. The service is free, and the booking allows parking for twenty minutes before and after drop-off time.

Opening Hours and Ticket Prices

The London Eye is open every day (except Christmas). However, opening and closing times change depending on the time of the year you visit. So you'd better check out the London Eye's official website before you visit.

There are Saver Tickets (priced at £21. 20 per adult), but if you want to avoid the long lines, it may be a good idea to buy a Fast Track ticket which is priced at £28 for an adult. It is highly suggested that you buy these tickets from the official website and save 10% on the total ticket costs.

During my university years in the early 2000s, I worked part-time with kids at a neighborhood YMCA, which mainly focused on child care. Each year, we hosted a Christmas party for the community.

Most of the people working there were women, so we had to search for a male volunteer to play Santa Claus. We didn't have many choices. John was a tall, twentyish man who was much too thin to be Santa Claus. No amount of stuffing (填充物) could possibly make him look like a common Santa Claus. He was, however, available.

On the day of the party, John put on his costume (戏装) and waited for the children. Many of the children who knew John said, "It's just you, John." If they didn't know him, they said, "You're too thin to be Santa." We thought it might be a bad decision, but then everyone seemed to enjoy their time there, so it didn't really matter.

Then, a lovely little girl entered the room. She was dressed beautifully to see Santa and seemed a little shy. Her mother brought her up to our Santa. "She's deaf," the mother explained." If she could just sit on your lap (大腿) and have her picture taken, she would be happy." John, the skinny Santa, smiled at the little girl, and she sat on his lap.

Then, the skinny Santa began using hand gestures to communicate with the girl fluently, and the little girl smiled happily and answered him quickly with her hands. Their conversation lasted quite a while. When I looked at the mother, I saw that she was crying. In fact, I don't think there was a dry eye in the room. Santa Claus really was there.

There was so much we didn't know about what was happening. This girl had never met John before, and few of us were aware that he knew how to sign—it all added up to a magical surprise.

Walking over water might sound like something unbelievable. In fact, people do it all the time. How? Almost all of the world's liquid fresh water lies underground. This stash beneath our feet is called groundwater.

Earth is a water planet, but most of its H2O is in the oceans. Only about 2. 5 percent of the planet's water is fresh water. Of that, nearly 69 percent is frozen in glaciers (冰川) and ice caps. And about 30 percent is groundwater —— much more than the 1. 2 percent that flows through rivers and fills lakes.

Groundwater is found almost everywhere on Earth. It hides under mountains, plains, and even deserts. Tiny gaps between rocks and soil grains take in and hold this water like a sponge, forming buried bodies of water called aquifers (地下蓄水层). Together, they hold about 60 times as much water as the world's lakes and rivers combined. Groundwater is a key part of the earth's water cycle. Rain and melted snow go down into the ground. The water can stay there for thousands of years. Some groundwater naturally runs out onto the earth's surface through. springs. It also flows into lakes, rivers, and wetlands. People get groundwater through wells for drinking, watering crops, and other uses. People draw more than 200 times as much groundwater from the earth as oil every year.

As human-caused climate change dries out parts of the planet, demand for groundwater may rise. At the same time, climate change may intensify (加剧) storms. Heavier rain is more likely to rush straight into streams and storm drains, instead of going into the soil. So, there may be less groundwater around.

Many of the world's aquifers already seem to be drying up. Twenty-one of the earth's 37 biggest aquifers are becoming smaller, satellite data show. The most dried-out aquifers are near big cities, farms, or dry regions. As groundwater stores dwindle, they hold less water to refill rivers and streams, thus threatening freshwater ecosystems. In California, drying up the ground may even be causing small earthquakes.

Sports play a key role in the physical and mental development of children. While it's great to see a child succeed in one sport, it's important to keep their activities in balance. Participation in multiple sports enables children to build a solid foundation of movement skills. Aside from this, here are some other good reasons why kids should be encouraged to play multi-sports.

Repetitive (重复乏味的) movements can overstress growing bodies which later on can lead to injuries. With multi-sports, each sport works the body slightly differently. This will lead to fewer overuse injuries. Also, kids who overspecialize in one sport may end up losing interest and eventually quit. Specializing in a sport raises expectations and may put too much pressure on young kids. Having a variety of experiences will keep children interested and motivated, and even make them enjoy sports without any pressure.

Multi-sports also allow kids to experience different roles. Being a goalkeeper in a football team is very different from being a point guard in basketball. Being exposed to baseball develops better hand-eye coordination (手眼协调). Soccer develops better footwork. Volleyball develops jumping and hand-eye coordination. Martial arts develop strength, mobility, and discipline (自制力). Swimming develops full-body coordination and strength. The list goes on and on!

Participation in multiple sports broadens a child's developmental, social, and situational experience. It opens opportunities to become a better competitor and a promising athlete flexible and energetic.

Many sports superstars like Stephen Curry achieved their standing today by playing multiple sports. Curry played basketball, but he also played baseball, football, soccer and everything else in a sports buffet. What worked for Curry, experts say, could work for most of us.

Aside from developing a wide range of sports sill, more important, multi-sports provide opportunities for children to discover their liking. With the help of the right coaches, sports become fun, inspiring kids' interests. So if you can't decide whether your child should focus on one sport or try some different sports, I hope you can make a better decision now.

Sometimes, the pace of modern life barely gives you time to stop and rest. It can make getting a good night's sleep on a regular basis seem like a dream. Good sleep improves your brain performance, mood, and health.

People often think that sleep is just downtime when a tired brain gets to rest, but that's wrong. For example, sleep helps prepare your brain to learn, remember, and create. Besides, certain repair processes occur in the body during sleep. If you don't get enough sleep, those processes are going to be disturbed (干扰).

One is that adults need less sleep as they get older. This isn't true. Older adults still need the same amount, but their sleep quality can get worse as they age. Another one is that you can catch up on your days off. However, researchers say that the weekend catch-up sleep doesn't always help.

Some people have conditions that prevent them from getting enough good quality sleep, no matter how hard they try. These problems are called sleep disorders. The most common sleep disorder is insomnia (失眠症). Insomnia happens when you have repeated difficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep, although you have the time to sleep and a proper sleep environment.

If you're having trouble sleeping, hearing how important it is may be discouraging. But don't worry too much. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can help many people with insomnia get better sleep. Medicine can also help some people.

My father started his own business in the 1980. For a breadwinner with seven children, it was a1decision.

To improve himself, my father spent his evening2a business school that offered two-year programs for people interested in becoming3and administrative assistants. Besides, my father read the town newspaper every morning, and I4he would inevitably read the classified section,5the "help wanted" advertisements. As a kid, I thought such6was only for people seeking a position.

One day, I asked him, "Dad, you have a job. Why do you read the 'help wanted' section every day?" "Well," he replied, "it's7for me to know what the employers want for their jobs and what are the things they're8." A light bulb went off in my mind. Yes, he obviously wasn't looking through the" help wanted" section for himself. He wanted to stay9with a hiring mindset. Meanwhile, he10something new to develop his own business.

Recently, as a runner, I was11by an article about On, a company manufacturing athletic shoes. It won net sales of $345 million in the first six months of 2022 and it receives about 70,00012per year. One of the key13the owners seek in new hiring is "an explorer mindset", which is just what my father owns.

The explorer mindset sought by On can14people outside of the "help wanted" sections of life. As a saying goes, "In so many ways, comfort is the enemy of15."