1 . How did the Maya count in ancient times? How many bags of corn did they have? How many did they sell? Did all the crops arrive at the city market? To answer these important daily questions, they used some numbers like this:
The Maya was good at math. They counted in groups of 20, not 10. They wrote numbers in columns going up. The bottom row was the “ls” column, the next row up was 20s, then 400s, and so on. For numbers, they used a dot (
) for 1, a line for 5, and a shell (
) shape to show zero. Numbers 1 to 19 were written with a combination of lines and dots. Can you read the number in the following picture? It’s the number 1209(three 400s + no 20s + nine 1s).
The Maya also kept three different calendars. The first divided the year into 18 months of 20 days each, plus a short month of 5 days. The short month was believed to be unlucky, a time when spirits walked.
The second calendar repeated every 260 days. This was used to plan religious activities.
When talking about events long ago, they used a calendar called “the long count.” This had a span of about 5,136 years. Year 1 on this calendar was 3114 BCE on our calendar.
Each city and village had a calendar keeper, who was in charge of saying when to celebrate holidays and when to expect rain or plant crops. But farmers could probably also tell the time of the year from the sun and stars.
1. The Maya created their way of counting mainly to ________.| A．celebrate local holidays | B．plan religious activities |
| C．keep different calendars | D．solve everyday problems |
A． | B． | C． | D． |
| A．Three kinds of calendars were used for different purposes. |
| B．The first calendar was usually used to plan religious activities. |
| C．“The long count” calendar had a history of about 3,114 years. |
| D．The short month in the first calendar was thought to bring good luck. |
| A．The development of numbers and calendars in Maya. |
| B．The introduction of the Maya numbers and calendars. |
| C．The situation of Maya numbers and calendars nowadays. |
| D．The difference between numbers in Maya and other places. |
In the 1900s in America, kids traveled to school in different ways. Many walked. Others rode in farm trucks or on bikes. Some rode in school buses called “kid hacks.” Kid hacks were wooden horse-drawn carriages. It had two long bench seats with little space in the middle for people to pass. The carriages were open on the sides, so kids might get wet on rainy days!
By the mid-1920s, more cars were on the roads, and some transport companies started to make buses out of steel. But buses still looked different from place to place.
That changed in 1939, when transportation officials from around the country met to come up with a set of standards for school buses. They wanted to make buses safer. Besides, if all school buses looked alike, it would be easier for factories to build them quickly and more conveniently.
The school bus’s color was one of the 44 standards people discussed at that seven-day meeting. After trying 50 kinds of color on the wall, they settled on the orange-yellow. And that’s still what you see on buses today. National School Bus Glossy Yellow, as the color is officially called, has advantages. The color was chosen because studies had shown yellow was the most eye-catching to human beings and because it could be seen clearly in the morning and evening light when school buses usually operated.
And now the yellow bus is about to go green. The American School Bus Council says that over 25 million school children ride more than 480,000 school buses each day, making school buses the largest transport system in America. Fewer than 1,200 of those buses were electric in 2020, but that number could rise to 10,000 by 2026.
So the next time you step onto a school bus, you can feel good knowing that your ride is much safer and drier than it would have been 100 years ago!
1. What was the kid hack like?A． | B． |
C． | D． |
| A．to keep it dry on rainy days | B．to ask more people to take buses |
| C．to build more beautiful buses | D．to make it safer and easier to produce |
| A．chose | B．replaced | C．mentioned | D．collected |
| A．The situation of American school buses nowadays. |
| B．The introduction of ancient American school buses. |
| C．The difference between kid hacks and school buses. |
| D．The development of school buses in the United States. |
In China, people play lion dances on big days like the Chinese New Year, because they think the lion dance can bring good luck.
The lion dance started in China over 1000 years ago. In the Han Dynasty*, people from Central Asia gave lions as presents to the Chinese king. In the Three Kingdoms Period*, people began wearing lion-like clothes to celebrate festivals. It was the first lion dance. In the Tang Dynasty, it became more important.
In China, there are two kinds of lion dances - the Northern kind and the Southern kind. The Northern lion is red and yellow, and it looks dangerous, like a real lion. There is usually a father lion, a mother lion, and sometimes little lions in the Northern lion dance. The Southern lion is like a cat and it has more different colours.
The lion dance needs one man dancing the head and the other man dancing the tail. But in the Northern lion dance, there’s a dancer with a ball standing before the lion. The Northern lion dance is usually for fun, and the music is lively. The music of the Southern lion dance is exciting as well.
The lion dance is always a great art for people all over the world and the value* of it never changes* over time.
1. According to the passage, the lion dance started in ________.| A．China | B．Central Asia | C．the Han Dynasty | D．the Tang Dynasty |
| A．The Northern lion looks like a real cat. | B．Two people play a lion in the lion dance. |
| C．The two kinds of lions both have two colours. | D．There are little lions in the Southern lion dance. |
| A．To tell the history of the lion dance. | B．To teach how to play the lion dance. |
| C．To study the music of the lion dance. | D．To give information about the lion dance. |
One of the best things to do in London, is a classic British pub quiz! The interesting entertainment of quiz nights always include: pictures, a music round and creative challenges so that everyone feels they can take part in. Pub owners say they hold quiz nights because everyone drinks like fish, so it is good business for them.
How does the quiz work? A quiz master is in charge of the quiz and reads questions out loud. The questions are about things they usually don’t pay attention to or “trivia”. For example, you may be asked to answer what the oldest national park is in England. People answer questions in teams. There are usually several rounds and a quiz can go on for 2 to 3 hours!
The quiz covers different topics, including history, geography, science, sport, TV, music and more. In a recent survey, 1,000 people from all walks of life answered the pub quizzes on the Internet. More than half of the people didn’t know the answer to the question: “How many countries make up Great Britain?” About eighty percent people had no idea of the question: “What is the world’s largest desert?”
To win the pub quiz, you need to study. For example, make sure you know the names of the winners of sport matches and TV shows. Besides studying it’s also very important to choose your team. Try to have a mix of men and women, and no more than five people. Once you get your team together, always trust your first answer, don’t think about it too much.
In some pubs if you take part in the quiz, you can get free drinks. But if you’ve paid to be in the quiz, there is usually a prize. Most people only go for the fun of it!
1. English pubs hold quiz nights to __________.| A．buy drinks | B．enjoy music | C．show picture | D．make money |
| A．old stories | B．useful messages |
| C．unimportant facts | D．boring information |
| A．The quiz game is popular. | B．Quiz questions are difficult. |
| C．Geography questions are the hardest. | D．People can choose questions to answer. |
| A．choose a team carefully | B．learn to do well in TV shows |
| C．make sure to get free drinks | D．think about your answer slowly |
HOW TO WEAR A MEDICAL MASK SAFELY
This information describes the correct steps to follow to wear a medical mask. It also lists what you should avoid when putting on and taking off a mask.
Wash your hands before using the mask.
Check the mask and make sure it unbroken.
Find the topside where the metal piece is before wearing.
While wearing, place the metal piece over your nose.
Cover your mouth, nose and chin.
Press the mask to your face without leaving space on the sides.
Take off the mask from behind the ears or head.
Throw away the mask immediately into a closed-bin after use.
Wash your hands after throwing away the used mask.
Do not use a broken mask.
Ensure the colored side outward.
Do not pull off the mask while talking to others.
Avoid touching the mask while wearing it.
Do not leave your used within the reach of others.
Do not re-use the mask.
Masks alone cannot protect you from CODIV-19. Keep at least 1 meter distance from others and wash your hands frequently and completely even while wearing a mask.
1. How many steps do we have to do before wearing a mask?| A．Fifteen. | B．Nine. | C．Six. | D．Three. |
| A．it’s OK to touch the mask while wearing it |
| B．we’d better wash our hands as often as possible |
| C．people who wear masks correctly won’t get COVID-19 |
| D．1 meter isn’t a safe distance to stay away from others |
| A．magazine | B．guidebook | C．website | D．newspaper |
A computer can easily beat a human at chess or even the quiz show Jeopardy. But questions that seem obvious trip them up. Read these two:
1. The trophy would not fit in the suitcase because it was too big. What was too big?
2. The father punished the son because he was so mad. Who was mad?
Of course you know the answers. But how do you know so easily? And why might a computer or robot have trouble? That’s the interesting part. There’s a lot more to these sentences than meets the eye. For example, in question 1, the word “it” can refer to either the “trophy” or the “suitcase”. You know which one is too big only because you understand that something has to be smaller than a space to fit inside.
You learned all of these facts (and many, many more) simply from being human and existing in the world. We call that type of knowledge common sense. Computers and robots don’t have it. They don’t know that rope can pull but not push, that rain makes you wet and so much more, unless we program them to know.
Early computer scientists thought they could teach computers common sense by writing code to represent every single rule about how the world works. One project, Cyc, began in 1984 and now contains over 25 million such rules. Other computer scientists have tried to use deep learning, a type of artificial intelligence, to give machines common sense through practice.
These efforts have had some success. But the rules of common sense are seemingly endless. And they often have exceptions. For example, it’s not always true that something has to be smaller than a space in order to fit. A large blown-up trophy could be deflated and folded to fit in a small suitcase. “It is still a big challenge in AI to get a machine that has the common sense of an 18-month-old baby”, says Melanie Mitchell, a computer scientist at the Santa Fe Institute.
1. At the beginning of the passage, how does the writer lead in the topic?| A．By giving examples. | B．By telling a story. | C．By showing a picture. | D．By listing numbers. |
| A．The experimental data on chemistry. |
| B．The numbers we write in the document. |
| C．The order we make when we have dinner in the restaurant. |
| D．The word “it” in “The cat ate the fish because it was hungry”. |
| A．It may take a long time to teach machines more common sense. |
| B．The machines are already as intelligent as an 18-month-old baby. |
| C．The scientists have solved the problems of common sense successfully. |
| D．It is easy for machines to understand the changes of rules of common sense. |
| A．What common sense do robots have? | B．Why do some questions trouble robots? |
| C．How do scientists teach robots common sense? | D．What kind of questions can be difficult for robots? |
In our life, we might cry because of the loss of loved ones or the loneliness of staying at home alone, but we also cry over onions. So where does all that crying come from?
Lauren Bylsma, a researcher at the University of Pittsburgh, explains that crying in humans is an evolution of vocalizations used by young animals to keep parents nearby. In other words, babies would cry to get care from their parents. “But the special thing about humans is that this crying can also continue into adulthood,” she said.
“Of course, they haven’t explained all the tears. There are also tears that help to protect the eyes. Basal tears help keep the eyes wet, and are important for animals to protect their eyes. Reflex tears—like the tears someone might get from cutting an onion—are used to get something out of the eyes. Emotional tears are only for humans. That kind of emotional crying becomes less vocal as humans develop. That could be because less vocal crying is safer compared to vocalizations—the loud crying might catch unwanted attention. After a certain point in development, the tears change from vocal tears to less vocal tears because those are less likely to catch the attention of enemies,” said Bylsma.
We may cry when something good or something terrible happens. We haven’t studied much about crying over happy things because it’s not seen very often. Men are more likely to cry over something good. But in Western cultures, men cry between zero and one time a month, while women cry between two and five times per month. No matter how many times you cry a month, it’s quite natural to cry, as long as it’s not harmful to your health.” said Bylsma.
1. Where does crying in humans come from?| A．The sad things in life. | B．The onions in kitchens. |
| C．The evolution of vocalizations. | D．The loneliness of staying at home. |
| A．Tears that help to protect the eyes. | B．Three different kinds of tears. |
| C．The development from vocal tears to less vocal tears. | D．The reasons why less vocal tears are safer. |
| A．Vocal tears. | B．Less vocal tears. | C．Loud crying. | D．Emotional tears |
| A．dogs will cry when they are sad | B．men are more likely to cry |
| C．only emotional tears are real tears | D．we may cry if we are happy |
8 . China sent a satellite on Oct 24 to carry out technological tests for space debris management. The satellite is going to use technologies to reduce space debris.
Since the beginning of the space age in the 1950s, thousands of rockets and satellites have gone to space. There are more than 500,000 pieces of debris around the Earth. Although your chance of getting hit is extremely small, we are still facing an ever-increasing risk of space junk.
More than 27,000 pieces of debris, or “space junk”, are tracked in space, according to NASA. Much more debris is too small to be tracked but large enough to threaten human spaceflight and robotic tasks. Since a piece of debris can move like a speeding bullet, getting hit by these tiny pieces often leaves huge holes in many satellites, telescopes and other objects around our planet.
Space junk is also a huge danger to spacemen. “This is particularly important. Careful consideration needs to be made about the space junk before we do spacewalk exercises.” Joon Wayn Cheong, a satellite systems expert said.
Scientists are fully aware of the problem, and they are solving it in different ways.
In 2018, the UK's Survey Space Center used a net to catch space junk in an experiment. It was the first successful tryout of space cleanup technology. It included finding debris and catching it with a net and a harpoon.
Another solution is to use robotic arms. Clear Space 1, the European Space Agency’s task to remove space junk, is expected to be sent in 2025, which will use robotic arms to catch the debris, BBC Science Focus Magazine reported. It plans to locate, catch and throw debris into the atmosphere, where it will be burnt up by the strong pressure and friction of reentry into the Earth’s atmosphere.
1. The underlined word “threaten” in Paragraph 3 most probably means “__________”.| A．speed up | B．do harm to | C．slow down | D．catch up with |
| A．Thousands of rockets and satellites have been sent to space. |
| B．People walking on the street get hit by the flying space junk. |
| C．A space telescope gets damaged seriously by a flying satellite. |
| D．Astronauts who are working in space get hurt badly by the junk. |
| A．The scientists successfully caught the debris in the space with nets. |
| B．The space junk flies so rapidly that it can't be tracked by scientists. |
| C．Robotic arms may catch the space junk and send it back to the earth. |
| D．Chinese have taken some steps to deal with the space junk problems. |
| A．Space Age is Coming! | B．Protect the Environment! |
| C．It’s Time to Clean up! | D．Space Travel is Terrible! |
At the Smithsonian Natural History Museum, inside a metal drawer are fossils that are nearly 100 million years old. Inside a rock is an ancient leaf. It’s easy to recognize it is ginkgo which hasn’t changed much in many millions of years.
Ginkgo leaves are special for another reason. Their fossils often contain actual plant material and not just a leaf’s shape. So they may help scientists understand ancient climate systems and as a result the possible future of our warming planet.
Of special interest to scientists are something called “hothouse” periods when carbon levels and temperatures were much higher than they are today. One such hothouse time took place about 100 million years ago. Learning more about ancient hothouse climates can give scientists valuable information to test models that predict future climates. It’s a pity that there is little climate information about the distant past at present.
The AP explains that on a leaf’s underside are very small holes. They are designed to take in carbon dioxide and respire water. This lets the plant turn sunlight into energy. When there is a lot of carbon in the air, the plant needs fewer holes to take in the carbon it needs. When carbon levels drop, the leaf produces more holes.
Now scientists want to know what pores in the fossilized ginkgo leaves can tell them about the atmosphere 100 million years ago. So they are running an experiment in a forest in the state of Maryland, near Washington, D.C. They are growing ginkgo trees in a way that lets them experience natural weather—rain, sunlight, and the changing of seasons. But the team has the ability to change levels of carbon dioxide in the air. Some trees are growing at current carbon dioxide levels. Others are growing at much higher levels—about the same as levels in the distant past, and maybe similar to levels that will be seen in the future.If there are similarities between leaves in the experimental forest and the fossil leaves, the researchers will have a general guide to the ancient atmosphere.
1. Scientists show great interest in Hothouse periods because_______.| A．the first ginkgoes live in hothouse periods |
| B．the climate was much hotter than it is today |
| C．they can help scientists predict future climates |
| D．they want to study further about the climate now |
| A．bigger | B．fewer | C．more | D．smaller |
| A．By leaving them live in hotter natural weather. |
| B．By lowering levels of carbon dioxide in the air. |
| C．By increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the air. |
| D．By getting their leaves look like the fossil leaves. |
| A．Ginkgo Leaves Tell the Ancient Climates |
| B．Scientists Manage to Predict Future Climates |
| C．Scientists Grow Ginkgo Trees in a New Way |
| D．Ginkgo Trees Help Improve the Environment |
With a history of about 5,000 years, Stonehenge is one of the world wonders. It's a circle of stones of different heights. The stones used to be about 200 kilometers away. Now people still wonder how these people moved the huge stones without machines' help.
Louvre MuseumNo visit to Paris is complete without a trip to Louvre Museum, one of the largest and most famous art museums in the world. About 35,000 works of art from different centuries are on show, of which the Mona Lisa is the best-known.
Mount QomolangmaHeavy snow, cold wind and thin oxygen (氧气), Mount Qomolangma seems to say no to any climber who dreams about making it to the top of the world. Tenzing and Edmund were the earliest to arrive at the top, but they were up there for just 15 minutes before coming down.
Lake District National ParkIn the north of England lies Lake District National Park, which is very beautiful, with hills, lakes and forest. Most tourists enjoy walking around the lakes and climbing mountains. Lake District National Park is also a perfect place to paint the beautiful countryside.
1. People are still wondering how ancient people ________.| A．managed to move the stones | B．made different stones |
| C．walked 200 kilometers | D．wrote the history of machines |
| A．Stonehenge has a history of five hundred years |
| B．Lake District National Park is in the south of England |
| C．The works of art in Louvre Museum are from the same century |
| D．Tenzing and Edmund were the first to reach the top of Qomolangma |
| A．Stonehenge | B．Louvre Museum |
| C．Mount Qomolangma | D．Lake District National Park |
| A．heavy snow | B．large lakes | C．cold wind | D．thin oxygen |
| A．a diary | B．a news report | C．a travel guide | D．a poem |
