1 . Many children’s hospitals already have storytelling programmes that aim to cheer up patients. However, this research, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggests that it also has physiological benefits.
“Until now, the positive evidence for storytelling was based on ‘common sense’ and it can help children reduce psychological suffering,” said Dr Jorge Moll, of D’Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR), Brazil, “But there was not enough scientific evidence.”
The team, from IDOR and the Federal University of ABC, Brazil, studied 81 children between the ages of 2 and 7, all of whom were in the health care unit at Luiz Jabaquara Hospital in Sao Paulo. They were divided into two groups. One group of 41 children each had a 25-30 minute session with a storyteller, however, the control group had the same amount of time with the same professionals who told riddles instead.
Before and after the sessions, the team took saliva samples from each child and checked their pain level. The saliva samples allowed the researchers to measure levels of the hormones cortisol—which is related to stress.
Both groups of children benefited from the interventions: they all had less cortisol in their saliva, suggesting they were less stressed, and they reported less pain and discomfort. However, the results were twice as strong for the storytelling group than the control group.
The team reported that while children from the control group responded to the image of a hospital with “this is the place that people go when they are sick”, the storytelling group responded with “this is the place that people go to get better”. Similarly, children from the control group said “this is the bad woman who comes to give me an injection” in response to a doctor or nurse, while the storytelling group said “this is the woman ”.
“As it is a low-cost and highly safe intervention, I consider this study to be one of the most important I have participated in.” said Moll.
1. In the research, how many children are there in the control group?| A．81. | B．41. | C．40. | D．30. |
| A．Researchers played some light music to the children of the control group. |
| B．Researchers noticed less cortisol in the storytelling group than the control group. |
| C．Researchers discovered only the storytelling group benefited from the interventions. |
| D．Researchers found the control group had as much pressure as the storytelling group. |
| A．who tell me stories | B．who gives me medicine |
| C．who works in a hospital | D．who comes to help me |
| A．Storytelling reduces children’s pain and stress in hospital. |
| B．We need better doctors and nurses in children’s hospitals. |
| C．The children who are good at telling stories feel less pain. |
| D．Storytelling and riddles are important for children’s education. |
2 . It looks like a steak. It cooks like a steak. And according to the scientists who made and ate it, the thick and juicy meat smells and tastes like a steak. But appearances can be deceptive. Unlike any steak found on a menu or store shelf today, this one didn’t come from an animal.
Scientists printed it with a bioprinter, a new kind of 3D printer. The difference is that this type uses cells as a form of living ink. “The technology involves the printing of actual living cells,” explains biologist Neta Lavon, who helped develop the steak. Those cells are grown in a lab. They arc given nutrients and kept at a temperature that lets them keep growing. Using real cells this way, she says, is a real innovation over earlier “new meat” products. This allows the printed product to look, smell and taste much like a real steak.
Researchers call this meat “cultured”. Interest in it has grown in recent years, partly because the technology shows it is possible. Supporters say that if meat can be printed, then no animal would need to lose its life to become human food.
But don’t look for these products on the store shelves just yet. Making meat this way is much harder—and therefore costs more—than raising and killing an animal. “The technology will need to reduce the cost greatly before cultured meat will be widely available,” says Kate Krueger, a cell biologist in Cambridge, Mass.
One of the most expensive parts, says Krueger, is the cell-growth medium. This mix of nutrients keeps the cells alive and dividing. The medium contains expensive ingredients called growth factors. Unless the cost of growth factors drops, says Krueger,“cultured meat can’t be produced at comparable prices to animal meat.” If scientists can find lower-cost methods, this technology may stand a chance of giving beef without the moo.
1. The underlined word “deceptive” in Paragraph 1 probably means _________.| A．changeable | B．misleading | C．traditional | D．imperfect |
| A．is grown from living cells in a lab | B．is made by raising and killing animals |
| C．has more nutrients than animal meat | D．keeps growing by changing temperatures |
| A．It will reduce the cost of meat. | B．It will help to stop killing animals. |
| C．It needs to be further improved. | D．It may be put into the market soon. |
| A．A New Discovery of Cells | B．A Useful and Low-Cost Method |
| C．Ways to Sell Cultured Meat | D．No Killing Animals to Make Meat |
3 . With labels such as “zero sugar, zero fat, zero calories'', diet drinks have been placed in places that are easily seen on supermarket shelves. But how do these drinks taste sweet without sugar?
One of China’s most popular drink brands, Genki Forest, apologized on April 10 for deceptively* advertising its products as having no sugar. In a statement, the fast-growing company said that the difference between “sugar-free” and “sucrose-free” was not well explained in the product advertising and packaging, leading to a “misunderstanding”.
Now the company has changed the words from “sugar-free” to “low sugar” on the bottles. But many internet users don’t buy the apology and feel like they’ve been tricked into gaining weight. The event has pushed “sugar-free” drinks to consumers’ attention.
In fact, there are many kinds of sugar. Sucrose is just one of them. Other kinds of sugar, such as fructose and sugar alcohol, are still in Genki Forest drinks. These types of sugars are used as sweeteners*. They offer little energy, but a small amount of them can make drinks taste sweet. That’s why diet drinks like Genki Forest are popular among people who want to lose weight.
However, these sweeteners might make people eat more. When you eat sweet-tasting things, it sends your brain a “sweet signal", which then tells your body to prepare itself to take in energy. But because diet soft drinks have little energy, the brain will not receive what it is expecting. In this situation, you will feel hungry and start eating more food to get energy, according to Chen Wei, chief physician of Clinical Nutrition Department of Peking Union Medical College Hospital.
According to China Daily, drinking too many diet drinks might lead to obesity*. “Compared with sugar-sweetened drinks, low-sugar drinks are helpful for preventing obesity, but compared with water, low-sugar drinks are not that healthy,” Chen told The Paper.
1. What did Genki Forest lately apologize for?| A．For the bad taste of its products. |
| B．For having too much sugar in its drinks. |
| C．For the misspelling on its packaging. |
| D．For its misleading in advertisements. |
| A．Its drinks have high levels of sucrose. |
| B．Its drinks taste sweeter than other drinks. |
| C．There are sweeteners in its drinks. |
| D．People can lose weight by drinking its drinks. |
| A．They stop the brain from receiving signals. |
| B．They are likely to make people feel hungry. |
| C．They can change peopled taste for food. |
| D．They help the body take in more sugar. |
| A．To introduce Genki Forest for its “sugar-free” drinks. |
| B．To advise readers not to buy diet drinks. |
| C．To compare diet soft drinks with other drinks. |
| D．To explain why drinking too many diet drinks is unhealthy. |
4 . How do you celebrate your own birthday? What gift can you get from your parents? We all know eating long noodles is an important part in China. While what about other countries? In fact, different countries have different traditions on how to celebrate the birthday.
Mexico ① ________
In Mexico, parents often make a pinata for their children’s birthday. They put some candies, toys and other things in it and hang it from a tree. The birthday child is blindfolded(蒙住眼的) and tries to hit the pinata with a stick. He or she will beak it open.
Brazil ②________
The birthday child gets a pull on the ear for each year he or she has lived. The birthday child also gives the first piece of cake to a very special person to him or her, usually Mom or Dad.
Canada ③________
In Canada, people often put butter on the birthday child’s nose.(A) It means the child is too slippery(滑的) for bad luck to catch him or her.
Holland ④________
Special year birthdays such as 5, 10,15,20,21 are called “crown” years. The birthday child gets a large present on a crown year birthday. The family sees this birthday as a time to get together and usually celebrates it with a big family meal. The family also puts flowers or balloons around the birthday child’s chair at the dining room table.
根据文章内容，把相关的信息匹配，将字母代号填写在横线上。
A. Put butter on the nose B. Crown years C. Pulls on the ear D. Pinatas
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5. 从文中找出（A）处画线单词it所指代的内容
6. 根据短文内容回答问题:
(1)Who can get the first piece of cake from the birthday child in Brazil?
(2)What does the family do to celebrate a crown year birthday in Holland? Please list(列举) at least one activity.
7. What’s the best title of this passage?
In English, feeling “blue” makes people think of feeling sad. But in 2021, the word “blue” could be connected to something more hopeful.
The Pantone Color Research Center in the US leads color trends every year. For 2021, it has chosen “classic blue”, a color that reminds people of the sky before night. The reason is that it brings “calm, confidence and connection,” according to Pantone.
In 2020, people all over the world face big challenges, weather change, COVID-19, homelessness.... all of these problems make us feel nervous and worried. But as Pantone President Laurie Pressman said, “The color of classic blue always brings something relaxing.”
Imagine that you are lying down on the ground and looking at the evening sky. Looking at the dark blue sky will make you feel calm and relaxed, as well as make you think on a deeper level.
Pantone said that classic blue connects people everywhere as we all look up at our shared sky. This is a color we can be connected to around the world, no matter where we live. We look outside the door and we see this color, Pressman said.
Classic blue also plays into the sustainability movement, as people think of times when things were simpler and more comfortable.
“Like blue jeans, it’s always there and you’re comfortable with it,” said Pressman, who thinks classic blue is timeless and never out of style. If the color is always in style, people won’t throw “classic blue” things away. We can buy fewer products and save more resources.
So if you want to add some new things, choose something blue to keep up with the latest trend.
1. Pantone chose “classic blue” as the color of 2021 because ________.| A．it is the color of their website | B．it connects with problems in our life |
| C．more people are feeling sad these days | D．it makes people feel calm and confident |
| A．why people love wearing blue jeans | B．when classic blue will be out of style |
| C．why classic blue makes people comfortable | D．how classic blue can protect the environment |
| A．People will face more challenges in 2021. |
| B．People will feel nervous with blue things around. |
| C．There might be many new classic blue products in 2021. |
| D．Classic blue makes it hard for people to feel connected with others. |
| A．Blue Jeans in 2021 | B．Feel “Blue” in 2020 |
| C．Try Feeling “Blue” in 2021 | D．the Blue Sky before Night |
December 27, 2019 was an exciting day for Chinese people. China’s biggest and most powerful rocket, the Long March 5, was successfully launched in Hainan on that day.
The 57-meter-tall rocket is the tallest and strongest rocket in China. Since the Long March 5 is much bigger than others in the Long March rockets, it has been nicknamed “Chubby 5”, according to China Daily.
The rocket is able to carry things weighing up to 25,000 kilograms-the weight of 16 midsize cars, China Daily noted. This payload is about 2.5 times greater than any other Chinese rocket. The Long March 5 is the third most powerful rocket in the world. Our Chinese scientists are really proud of it.
During the December launch, the Long March 5 successfully sent the Shijian 20th satellite, China’s largest and heaviest home-made satellite, into space. In addition to sending the satellite into space, the launch also tested several projects that were used to improve the rocket’s basic skills. It also tested the key project that will be used to take the Change 5 probe to the moon, according to the China National Space Center.
In the future, the Long March 5 will be used for China’s fifth lunar expedition, as well as to place parts of China’s space-station into space. “In 2021, we will use the Long March 5 to launch the Change’s 5 probe to the moon and also send a special probe to Mars,” said Wang Xiaojun, the project manager of the Long March 5.
1. What do we know about the Long March 5?| A．It was launched at the start of 2019. | B．It was launched in Xichang. |
| C．It is the tallest rocket in the world. | D．It is the biggest Long March rocket. |
| A．It’s more than 2,500 kilograms. | B．It’s three times greater than others’. |
| C．It’s up to 25,000 kilograms. | D．It’s the weight of 16 midsize buses. |
| A．improve the satellite’s basic skills | B．have China’s fifth lunar expedition |
| C．send a special probe to the moon | D．send China’s heaviest home-made satellite into space |
| A．How China’s space-station will be built. |
| B．When the Long March 5 will be send to the Mars. |
| C．What the Long March 5 will be used for in the future. |
| D．Why the scientists will send the Long March 5 to the moon . |
7 . “There’s more to life than bills and money.” The sentence comes from the film Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things. The film talks about minimalism, a style that supports the idea of “less is more”, while also questioning the thought that material things bring happiness. The principles* of minimalism show how we can take a serious look at the ways we spend money to live a more purpose-driven, joyful life.
A recent study carried out by Northwestern University shows that people who place greater value on material things have a higher chance of becoming low-spirited. People buy more, earn more in order to buy more, create more stress earning more, and are more likely to be low-spirited because of stress.
Minimalism presents a way out from that. Rather than working to buy more, we can spend less. It focuses on things that improve our lives, serve a purpose, and bring happiness.
Minimalists tell us we can use minimalism in all areas of life: relationships, technology, social media ... It means using not only our money, but our time and attention purposefully so we fill our lives with things that bring us happiness. Minimalism helps avoid things like spending too much or mindlessly checking your phones. It is all about the reexamination of your priorities so you can remove the extra things—the possessions, relationships and activities —that are of little value.
For each of us, different things have their own value. If some artwork brings some meaning to your life, great! If Saturday rides make you happy, then go for it. The minimalist lifestyle won’t look the same for everyone. You can bring more happiness into your life by slowly testing what you can live with and what you can live without. In the end, minimalism is about creating the freedom to enjoy a happier life.
1. A film was mentioned in Paragraph 1 to ________.| A．lead into the topic | B．show what is important in life |
| C．introduce what minimalists are | D．tell us the importance of a simple life |
| A．If people buy more, they can earn more. | B．Low-spirited people are more likely to buy more. |
| C．Spending a lot can put people under great stress. | D．People should spend their money on important things. |
| A．the most important | B．the most powerful | C．the most popular | D．the most diffficult |
| A．Principles of minimalism. | B．Lifestyles that most people enjoy. |
| C．Extra things that we should remove. | D．Advice on living a minimalist life correctly. |
8 . Shanghai is home to a population of nearly 25 million, 47,500 tall buildings and more than 6 million vehicles. If a visitor to the Nanjing Building in downtown Shanghai opens a window and reaches out to take a photo of the area, safety worker Fan Tianyu will receive an immediate alarm on a smart bracelet. He then will rush to the scene of the incident in the seven-storey structure. Fan will tell the visitor to stop taking photos and close the window.
At the start of this year, Shanghai became the first city in China to sign a document covering the development of its digital transformation. The bracelet is part of a smart system being used in the building to sense safety risks that could fall on crowds of passers-by below. For example, when the flow of passers-by on Nanjing Road reaches a risk level, the district urban operation management center lets out a “large passenger flow warning” to shops. And the building’s smart system sends a notice to the safety manager.
The system uses a range of advanced technologies, including big data, artificial intelligence, 5G, and internet of things sensing abilities. It judges the building for visitor flow, fire prevention, noise levels, and use of elevator. The system produces reports that are like health checkups for the building 24 hours.
Xu Huili, director of the center said, “The city, which is a window for the world to see China, is a pioneer in bringing forward the urban digital transformation of the city. It is also trying to use digital urban management, which helps improve governance capability in big cities and finally benefits local people.”
The Shanghai government has announced the use of smart systems will help urban management in office buildings, large supermarkets and so on. The smart system, along with technological support from Huawei, now plays a big role in such work.
1. If a tourist opens a window to take a photo of the Nanjing Road from one of the high buildings, ________.| A．he or she will be honored | B．he or she will get a beautiful view |
| C．he or she will be praised | D．he or she will be warned not to do so |
| A．It is an app which makes you look beautiful. |
| B．It is a metal ring that you wear around the arm. |
| C．It is part of a smart system used in urban management. |
| D．It is a watch which could record the amount of exercise. |
| A．It is used for controlling traffic flow. |
| B．It is impossible to get a real-time data with the smart system. |
| C．It covers various advanced technologies with several advantages. |
| D．It is helpful to the urban management or school buildings. |
| A．Confident. | B．Sorry. | C．Worried. | D．Surprised. |
9 . We’ll finally grow up someday, leaving our parents and facing the challenges in life. Parents may not be able to solve every problem for us. Instead, we should have enough life skills to deal with the problems that come our way.
This is what our country tries to do now: Helping more students get working spirit. To stress the importance of hardworking spirit education among students of different ages, the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council released a guideline in March.
The guideline calls for students to respect work. Students should learn basic life skills and form good working habits through such education.
The government has been trying to stress the importance of hardworking spirit education. But this has been overlooked in recent years. Many teens do not value the importance of working hard and are uninterested in doing so.
According to a study of nearly 3,000 students that was done by Ningbo Evening News in March, only 22 percent of primary and middle school students help with everyday chores around the house.
Schools and families play an important role in teaching students about the value of hard, the guideline says.
Primary and middle schools should provide students with hardworking spirit classes every week, according to the guideline says. Schools can also hold activities to give students real- world work experience. For example, schools can teach children how to plant trees on Tree-Planting Day.
As children’s first teachers, parents should also encourage children to learn how to do chores at home. Students should master one or two life skills every year. These skills can include cooking, washing the own clothes and tidying their rooms.
1. The guideline was released in order to ________.| A．teach students how to do chores at home | B．call for students to respect work |
| C．help students solve life problems | D．ask students to be more independent |
| A．Challenges in life | B．Basic life skills |
| C．The recently released guideline | D．Hardworking spirit education |
| A．Only 3,000 students help with housework. |
| B．Students pay no attention to work spirit. |
| C．About one-fifth of students help with housework. |
| D．Students depend on their parents very much. |
| A．provide students with chances for real work. |
| B．hand out the guideline to every student |
| C．teach students how to plant trees every week |
| D．encourage students to learn to do chores at home |
You have waited 45 minutes for the valuable 10 minutes’ break. But when the bell for the next class rings, you can’t believe how quickly time has passed. If you have this experience, you’ll know how time flies when you are having fun and drags when you are bored. Now scientists have come up with a reason why this happens.
They have found that the brain changes its way to work according to how we direct our attention to a task. When we are bored, we pay more attention to how time is passing. And this makes our brains think the clock is ticking more slowly.
Recently some researchers who want to understand the conditions carried out an experiment. In the experiment, twelve volunteers watched a picture while researchers monitored their brain activity.
The volunteers were told to first notice how long a picture appeared, then the color of the picture, and thirdly, study the both. The results showed that the brain was more active when the volunteers paid attention to more subjects.
It is thought that if the brain is busy noticing many aspects of a task, it has to spread its resources, and pays less attention to the clock. Therefore, time seems to go quickly. If the brain is not so active, it spends its full energy on the passing of time. As a result, time seems to move slowly.
Next time you feel bored in class, perhaps you should concentrate on what the teacher is saying.
1. What does the underlined word “drags” probably mean?| A．passes slowly | B．runs quickly | C．moves actively | D．goes silently |
| A．Time goes by fast when we have nothing to do. |
| B．The ten minutes’ break is important to students. |
| C．The brain works in different ways in different situations. |
| D．Students pay more attention to the pictures than the passing of time. |
| A．We will be full of energy if we’re busy. |
| B．Concentrating on things is a way to make people less bored. |
| C．Time goes slowly when the brain is noticing many things at the same time. |
| D．We should pay no attention to time when we are doing something. |
| A．The best way to save time. | B．The importance of planning time. |
| C．Why time passes quickly. | D．The reason for time flying and dragging. |
