1 . A Japanese company has created a “smart’’ mask to improve communication for people wearing face coverings to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The use of face masks has become the new normal in parts of the world still trying hard to reduce spread of the coronavirus. However, masks and other kinds of coverings can affect the quality of communication between wearers.
It can be more difficult to hear voices through the coverings. Many business and public spaces also have social distance barriers in place, which also make it harder for people to be heard and understood.
The wearable electronic device is designed to help improve speech interactions in such conditions. The Japanese startup company Donut Robotics calls its invention the “e-mask”. The device is worn over other common face masks.
The e-mask is made of soft plastic material. It has a built-in microphone and holes in the front to let air in. When it is turned on, the mask uses Bluetooth technology to connect to a mobile device. An app then helps users perform several actions, including turning speech into text, completing telephone calls and making the user’s voice louder. If needed, when people speak, the text of the conversation can also be displayed on a large computer screen, which makes modern online meetings possible. During a company meeting, minutes can be created and translated without typing.
Donut Robotics plans to create a world where people can connect with each other from a distance better. The e-mask will be equipped with a Wi-Fi router. And the company is planning to install AR function as well.
“About 6,000 e-masks have been sold in Japan since a year ago.” Taisuke Ono, the head of Donut Robotics said, “I have received strong interest in the product and I believe it will sell well in China, the United States and Europe.”
1. The e-mask was invented in order to ________.| A．tell people to keep social distance | B．help people to be heard more clearly |
| C．change people’s ways of communication | D．improve the quality of the common mask |
| A．A mobile app | B．An hole in the front | C．A microphone | D．The plastic material |
| A．e-masks are very popular in the world now |
| B．electronic devices will be replaced by e-masks |
| C．people will buy more e-masks than common ones |
| D．Taisuke Ono is sure of the bright future of e-masks |
| A．the ways to use the e-mask better | B．the invention and function of the e-mask |
| C．the ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19 | D．the advantages and disadvantages of the e-mask |
Like all mammals, we humans are only able to see light in the visible spectrum, which include all of the colors of the rainbow. This is because the photoreceptors in our eyes are only able to notice light with a wavelength of around 400 to 700 nanometers. That means we can’t see infrared or near-infrared light, which has a wavelength a little bit longer.
And that got scientists thinking. “We’re always curious about if we can use any method to allow us to be able to see near-infrared or infrared light,” said Tian Xue of the University of Science and Technology of China. He reached out to his workmate Gang Han at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, who engineered a really small object he named “up-conversion nanoparticle”. The nanoparticle can be activated by infrared light.
Then they tested their system in mice’s eyes. The nanoparticles fix themselves to photoreceptors in the animal’s retina. There, they take in infrared light and change it to visible green light. This green light is then taken in by the retina and is analyzed by the brain as regular visible light. The improved super-sight allows the animals to not only see in infrared, but also to recognize different infrared patterns. They can use the patterns to guide their behaviors very correctly and effectively.
Han says the improved nanoparticle system did not appear to affect the animal’s original visual abilities. “The treated mice were able to see the light patterns in the daylight conditions, clearly suggesting that nanoparticles work at the same time as usual visible sight.”
The technology, in addition to its possible use in law or military, might even be a cure for color blindness. “And best of all,” Xue notes, “___________, because the nanoparticle can be directly activated by the infrared light itself, and it will remain active for as long as two months before it is replaced.”
A similar infrared improvement could someday allow us humans to break through our natural visual limitations and see things in a whole new light.
1. The visible spectrum includes light with a wavelength of _________ nanometers.| A．100 | B．300 | C．600 | D．900 |
a. The retina takes in green light.
b. The brain analvzes the green light.
c. The nanoparticles stick to the retina.
d. The nanoparticles take in infrared light.
e. The Infrared light is turned into green light.
| A．c-d-e-a-b | B．c-d-e-b-a | C．d-c-e-a-b | D．d-c-e-b-a |
| A．it doesn’t need other kinds of energy sources | B．it works for several years once put in the eyes |
| C．it doesn’t affect human’s abilities to see things | D．human eyes work in a similar way as the mice’s |
| A．The light in the visible spectrum can activate the nanoparticle. |
| B．The nanoparticles have been widely applied in law and military. |
| C．The nanoparticle system may allow humans to see infrared light. |
| D．The blind will see things clearly with the help of the technology. |
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? |
4 . Make silver shine again
Things made of silver often get tarnished after being used for a long time. In fact, to make it shine again, you only need some simple materials. Here’s how to make them shine again.
You’ll need
| A large pan |  | Aluminum foil |  |
| A stove |  | Soda |  |
You should follow the steps：
① Cover the bottom of the pan with aluminum foil and put the silver object in it.
②Boil the water on the stove and then add soda to the hot water.
A couple of tablespoons of soda will work. Be careful of the hot soda water. It might hurt your eyes or your skin.
③Put hot water and soda mixture into the pan with the silver object. If the water cools, add hot water.
What will happen?
The dark tarnish will quickly disappear in a few minutes and the silver object will shine again.
So next time you see your tarnished silver object, don’t just replace it with a new one.
1. The passage helps to clean ________ objects.| A．plastic | B．silver | C．glass | D．wooden |
| A．Keep adding hot water into the pan. |
| B．Put the tarnished object into the pan. |
| C．Pour hot water and soda mixture to the pan. |
| D．Cover the bottom of the pan with aluminum foil. |
| A．It saves water. | B．It saves money. |
| C．It is harmless to you. | D．It makes you healthier. |
5 . Your brain controls everything you do. It makes it possible for you to think, learn, create and feel; to blink and breathe and for your heart to beat—this fantastic control center is your brain. It is so amazing that a famous scientist once called it “the most complex thing we have yet discovered in our universe”.
Can this small grey organ, which weighs less than one and a half kilos, really do so much? Amazingly, your brain contains about 100 billion neurons, it would take you over 3000 years to count them all. Believe it or not, the activity in your brain never stops. Your neurons create and send more messages than all the phones in the world. And although one neuron creates only a little electricity, all your neurons together can produce enough electricity to power a light bulb.
So exactly how fast does your brain work? Well, imagine this: a bee lands on your foot. Neurons in your skin send this information to your brain at a speed of more than 240 kilometers per hour. Your brain then uses other neurons to send the message back to your foot to shake the bee off quickly. These neurons can send this information at more than 320 kilometers per hour. No computer has your brain’s unbelievable ability to deal with the amount of information coming from your eyes, ears and other sensory organs.
But how does your brain allow you to learn things that you will use in the future? The structure of your brain changes every time you have a new thought, remember or learn something. For example, riding a bike seems impossible at first, but soon you are able to do it. How? As you practice, your brain sends “bike riding” messages again and again. Soon, the actions are learnt and you are able to ride a bike easily from then on.
1. From the passage we know that neurons ________.| A．receive messages very slowly | B．are only found in your skin |
| C．send messages to your brain | D．need electricity to work |
| A．compare them with the human brain | B．show how fast they have become |
| C．say that computers have no abilities | D．ask people to use computers more |
| A．your brain will power a light bulb | B．your heart beats faster |
| C．you remember something | D．the structure of your brain changes |
| A．all the steps when your brain learns things | B．what an unbelievable organ the human brain is |
| C．how the brain makes people smarter than computers | D．the things you can do to make your brain work faster |
It’s a pity that deaf people or those who have hearing problems can’t enjoy music. Now a vibrating suit brings them hope—it can allow them to “feel” music through their skin, rather than hear it.
Designed by the US technology company Not Impossible Labs, the suit consists of a body harness, ankle and wrist straps.
Music is sent to the suit wirelessly. Then the suit is able to translate it into a range of vibrating pulses, which can be felt at a total of 24 contact points all over the body. The users can adjust the intensity of the vibrations.
Chase Burton, 33, a deaf filmmaker from Texas, has been testing out the suit for four years. He understands that a deaf person’s experience with music is very different. “When I was a kid, I’d sit on the floor above our garage so I could feel the vibrations from my brother’s band rocking out below my body.”
Now when he wears the vibrating suit, he says the sound hits different parts of his body. “Maybe it will strike me down in my ankles first. And then I’ll start to feel the vibrations in my back. And then I’ll feel some pulsations in my wrist,” Burton said.
The designers have been working on extending the tactile musical experience to a larger deaf community. In 2016, a dozen prototype suits were tested at Lady Gaga’s concert in the US. The suit was also tested at a special concert in Las Vegas in 2018. It was given to 150 audience members at the concert, where half the audience members were deaf and half could hear.
At the same time, the company has been improving the technology, saying it’s ready to go to market soon. The suit may be used in live sports broadcasts.
“We truly think that anything that has an audio element can also have a vibrational experience associated with it as well,” the company’s talent and business development director, Jordan Richardson said.
1. ________ on a vibrating suit can help deaf people “feel” the music.| A．Wrist straps | B．A body harness | C．Ankle straps | D．24 contact points |
| A．the lab got the idea of making the suit from him |
| B．Burton thinks the suit makes him uncomfortable |
| C．the working method of the suit is suitable for the deaf |
| D．the suit needs improvement for better musical experience |
| A．By listing numbers. | B．By making comparisons. | C．By giving examples. | D．By making explanations. |
7 . Let’s look at different China from their perspective.
| Book | Author | Nationality | Finished writing |
| The Problem of China | Bertrand Russell | British | 1922 |
| Shark’s Fin and Sichuan Pepper | Fuchsia Dunlop | British | 1994 |
| River Town Peoer | Hessler | American | 1998 |
| When China Rales the World | Martin Jacques | British | 2009 |
Some excerpts from each book.
I believe that if the Chinese are left free to fully accept what they want of our civilization, and to refuse what is bad, they will be able to achieve a rapid growth from their own tradition, and to make a very great result, combining our strengths with theirs.
For someone with a natural curiosity about food, Chengdu in the mid-nineties was a kind of paradise. It was all there, under your nose. In the backstreets, people cooked dinner for their family. The pleasant smell of Sichuan pepper hung in the air on warm autumn nights. The most common restaurant would often be serving Chinese food better than any you could find in London.
When I read their works there was a freshness. I had never seen that before from any other student of mine. For example, I had no idea that classical Chinese poetry often makes scallions of women’s fingers, and they had no idea Shakespeare’s poems had been reviewed so many times that they nearly died. Our exchange suddenly made everything new.
When the Chinese use the term “China”, they usually refer to Chinese civilization—its history, the dynasties, Confucius, the ways of thinking, their relationships and customs, the guanxi (the network of personal connections), the family and the values...
1. If a student wants to give a report about China in the early 1920s, he can read ________.| A．The Problem of China | B．Fin and Sichuan Pepper |
| C．River Town | D．When China Rules the World |
| A．was the work of an English writer | B．may be written by a college teacher |
| C．describes the freshness of Chinese food | D．shows the meaning of Chinese civilization |
| A．knew a lot about Chinese people | B．believed China had a bright future |
| C．were satisfied with their life in China | D．introduced China in their eyes to the West |
8 . ①The COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread around the world. The newly found COVID-19 variant（变种）, Omicron, is causing new concerns. Since vaccinations（接种疫苗）are still an important tool to help build protection, more countries in Europe are targeting（针对）the unvaccinated.
②Greece. It will be the first country in the European Union to fine unvaccinated people. The country plans to make COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory（强制的）for all people aged 60 and over. Those who have not gotten their first shot（第一针）by Jan 16, 2022 will face a monthly fine of 100 euros（about 718 yuan）. The money goes to fund（资助）hospital services. Since November, the unvaccinated have been banned from going to many indoor places such as museums, theaters and gyms.
③Germany. On Dec 2, Germany carried out a nationwide lock-down for the unvaccinated. Unvaccinated people will be banned from going to all but the most necessary businesses, such as supermarkets and drugstores. Unvaccinated people can only meet up with two people from another household, CNN reported.
④Austria. In Austria, unvaccinated people aged 12 and older have been under a lock-down since Nov 15. They can only leave home for work, medical reasons or to get groceries（生活用品）. If anyone goes against the rule, he or she will be fined up to 500 euros.
⑤Italy. Unvaccinated people are banned from dining indoors in restaurants and bars as well as from attending shows, sports events and public ceremonies（典礼）. The rule came into effect on Dec 6 and will last until Jan 15. But those who have a negative（阴性）COVID-19 test result will be allowed to go to work.
1. Starting from Jan 16, 2022, people who will be fined in Greece.| A．break the rule of lock-down | B．haven’t gotten a second shot |
| C．refuse to see a doctor | D．are unvaccinated and older than 60 |
| A．Greece. | B．Germany. | C．Austria. | D．Italy. |
| A．won’t be able to go to work | B．will be fined up to 500 euros |
| C．will be forced to get vaccinated | D．can leave home for medical purposes. |
| A．友好 | B．罚款 | C．善良 | D．问候 |
The sun shows its face every day, but an amazing new telescope is showing a whole different view of it. And guess what? Our familiar friend in the sky has some impressive features! Seen from the earth without a fancy telescope, the sun looks like a big sugar cookie shining in the sky. However, in detailed photos and videos got by the new telescope, the sun’s surface looks lumpy and bumpy.
These amazing images are taken by the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST), the most powerful solar telescope in the world. As a project of the National Science Foundation (NSF), the telescope is named after a U.S. politician who represented the state of Hawaii, which is home to the high-tech, high-resolution wonder.
The DKIST is at the top of Haleakalā on the island of Maui, which is…a volcano! While that might sound like a risky place for a $344-million telescope. What’s more, the combination of high elevation, low air disturbance, and deep blue skies make it an ideal location to study the sun. Modern astronomers aren’t the first to recognize that Haleakalā has a special connection to the sun—ancient Hawaiians were far earlier than them. The top of Haleakalā is admired by native Hawaiians, who gave the place its name “House of the Sun.”
Now, after ten years’ construction, the DKIST is sunbathing in this high spot. When the telescope’s first videos and photos were posted, they attracted wild media attention like a superstar, but the NSF has much bigger goals. The astronomers want to study the surface of the sun to better predict solar weather.
Why would people want a weather forecast for a place that’s over 145 million kilometers away? Because events on the surface of the sun can end up affecting us right here at home. Solar weather can disable satellite systems and GPS tracking systems and even cause blackouts, in which large areas temporarily lose electricity. In 2017, solar flares disabled radio communications as three hurricanes were attacking the Caribbean. As you can imagine, that was a terrible shock to emergency response capability.
By studying the images the DKIST captures, scientists hope to learn how to predict solar weather in time for people to plan in advance and prevent disasters. Meanwhile, we can all enjoy getting an eye-opening new view of the sun!
1. Which of the following is TRUE according to the first three paragraphs?| A．The sun looks like a big sugar cookie in the DKIST’s image. |
| B．The telescope is named after a famous U.S. astronomer. |
| C． The top of Haleakalā is an ideal place for the solar research. |
| D． Modern astronomers named the top of Haleakalā “House of the Sun.” |
| A．sight | B．memory | C．electric power | D．GPS system |
| A．take amazing pictures and videos of the sun |
| B．attract more public attention of the sun |
| C．show the rapid progress of the solar research |
| D．better predict solar weather and prevent disasters |
| A．New View of the Sun | B．A Prediction of the Solar Research |
| C．Weather Forecast for the Sun | D．The Best Location for Solar Research |
Many social study books and articles have graphs to go with the text. A graph is a kind of picture that shows amounts, or numbers clearly. A graph can show the same information that is in the text, but it helps you “picture” the information and makes it easier to understand and quicker to read. A circle graph, also called a pie graph, is divided into “slices”. It shows how the parts fit into the whole. Here are some suggestions on how to read it.
Step 1 Read the title to find out what the graph is about. The circle graph above shows the population of Washington, D. C.
Step 2 Look at the slices. This graph has seven “slices”. Each shows one group of people. You can see how each part compares to the whole-how each group compares to the total population.
Step 3 Use the label to find out what is being compared. The labels on the graph name the group of people who live in Washington, D. C. A line connects to the correct part of the graph.
Step 4 Read the introduction to the graph. The passage beside the graph may offer some more detailed information of the topic.
1. Which group of people makes up more than half of the population of Washington, D. C.?| A．Caucasian. | B．Asian. | C．Latino. | D．African American. |
| A．telling a story | B．giving an example | C．listing reasons | D．asking a question |
| A．To teach readers how to read social study books. |
| B．To ask readers to compare different slices of a graph. |
| C．To help readers find out the best way to read an article. |
| D．To give readers some suggestions on how to read a graph. |
