1 . My 20-year-old daughter, Ann, living in Philadelphia, sent me a message the other day. "I need socks and shampoo." She was actually asking me to prepare those things for her, but I thought she was playing a cell phone game. I decide not to be a helicopter(直升机) mother, because experience as a mother and professor has taught me how badly that can result. Instead, I prefer a more hands-off way. From the time Ann turned 16, I don't want to know her work and life schedule any longer.

But that's not what I see at Drexel University where I teach. Most of my students talk to their parents three times a day or more. One student's mother called her son because she didn't hear from him for a few days. The son was in the library so he whispered "hello". The mother doubted that he was drinking, and insisted on asking him to take a picture of himself. Holding a newspaper with that day's date, the son had to take a photo of himself and sent it to his mother in order to prove that he wasn't telling a lie.

I always think that my students should depend on themselves. I tell them that I will not check whether they miss classes and finish homework or not. Because they are independent thinkers and they should take responsibility for their own choices.

But their parents don't treat them like me. I know a mother. She puts her eyes on her son too much. She hopes he will walk by the camera so that she can know what he is doing. Another mother checks her son's credit card daily. However, I never do that. My daughters only come to me with important things when they need my decision. I think that's because I give them space.

Many parents try to find if their kids are hiding from them. But we have to learn to respect boundaries(界限), even when technology is so powerful now. So I am going to do my best not to be a helicopter parent.

1. The underlined phrase "a helicopter mother" in Paragraph 1 means "________".

A．a mother who treats the child as an independent being.

B．a mother who pays close attention to their children.

C．a mother who prefers a more hands-off way.

D．a mother who gives her children space.

2. What does the author think of the mother and her son in Paragraph 2?

A．They trust each other.	B．They respect each other.
C．They care about each other.	D．They are unhappy with each other.

3. Why does the author mention different ways of mothering?

A．To show how responsible those mothers are.

B．To show that mothers should make decisions for their children.

C．To show that space is needed for children to become independent.

D．To show that some helicopter mothers love their children so much.

4. What's the attitude of the author towards helicopter parents?

A．Agree.

B．Neutral(中立)

C．Disagree

D．Unknown

5. What will probably be discussed after the last paragraph?

A．Advice on respect boundaries between parents and children.

B．The powerful technologies for helicopter parents.

C．The disadvantages of being helicopter parents.

D．The advantages of being hands-off parents.

2 . Deke Duncan is not an ordinary DJ. He's 73 years old and has spent the last 44 years hosting a radio show from his garden shed to a rather small audience.

In 1974, Deke Duncan created his own radio station in his garden shed. He used high-quality equipment to get that professional radio sound. This was well before the days of the Internet. The only way to reach people with a radio show was by broadcasting it on radio waves. To do this, you needed a licence. Without one, he couldn't broadcast it anywhere outside his house. However, that didn't stop him from following his passion. Every weekend, his radio played pop songs and local news to only one person: his wife! His dream was to one day share his radio show with his home town, Stevenage. With only one listener, it seemed unlikely.

44 years later, this dream is going to come true. BBC Three Counties, a local radio station for Stevenage and the nearby area, heard of his story. They decided to give him his own one-off radio show. Deke Duncan will have a one-hour show over Christmas, playing not just to Stevenage, but to three counties. "This feels really nice. For the first time in my life, I'm speechless," he told listeners on the BBC Three Counties radio station.

Even though he has moved to Stockport, Deke has still kept his radio station going. He has hosted the show with friends and still broadcasts for his family. It just goes to show that a lifelong dream can come true if you work for it and keep going, even if it does take 44 years!

1. Where did Deke create his own radio station in 1974?

A．In his living room.	B．In his garden shed.
C．On the internet.	D．In the BBC County Radio Station.

2. What does the underlined word "it" refer to in Paragraph 2?

A．A licence.

B．A radio wave.

C．A radio show.

D．A radio station

3. According to the passage, when did Deke's dream come true?

A．In 2018.

B．In 2017.

C．In 1974.

D．In 1927.

4. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．Deke was too excited to say a word when his dream came true.

B．There were many ways to reach people with a radio show in 1974.

C．Deke had to stop his radio station because he moved to another city.

D．With the help of BBC, Deke had a show over Christmas only to Stevenage.

5. What does the writer want to tell us from this story?

A．Never too late to mend	B．Never too late to learn
C．Never have a daydream	D．Never give up your dream

3 . Chinese has a long history. It has shaped other languages in Asia the way Latin has shaped languages in the West. With this history, will Chinese have a surprising future?

Over one billion people speak Chinese in the world — far more than any other language. It is the language of the country which is soon to have the world's largest economy (经济). Chinese people are found studying and doing business all over the world.

In fact, Chinese is definitely going to be a world language. Why is this certain? We must look at the economic and political power (政治影响力) of China, which is increasing every day. In the past, world languages have always been the languages of countries with powerful economics. Latin, French and English were important because of the power of the countries that spoke those languages.

Foreign interest in Chinese has developed very quickly together with the development of the Chinese economy. Chinese has become one of the most important and popular languages to learn.

As China develops, more and more people will want to learn about Chinese language and culture, to work and study in China, and to do business with Chinese companies. Chinese will one day become an international language.

1. In which way in Chinese similar to Latin?

A．They both have influenced other languages.

B．Both languages have over one billion speakers.

C．They both have a long history and bright future.

D．Both languages are spoken only by Chinese.

2. What's probably the meaning of the underlined word "definitely" in the third paragraph?

A．Always.

B．Certainly.

C．Never.

D．Possibly.

3. What is the relationship between language and economy?

A．The more important language is, the stronger economy is.

B．The stronger economy is, the less important language is.

C．The weaker economy is, the more important language is.

D．The stronger economy is, the more important language is.

4. Why is Chinese more widely used?

A．Because more and more Chinese go abroad.

B．Because people across the world travel to China.

C．Because many universities in China are world-famous.

D．Because more foreigners are becoming interested in Chinese.

5. What might the writer think of the future of Chinese?

A．Hopeful.

B．Unclear.

C．Dark.

D．Doubtful.

4 . If you are in charge of a project, the key to success is getting everyone to volunteer to help you. As a director, I point. I suggest. I gently push the actors in the direction I want them to go.

In the 1986 movie, Nothing in Common, Jackie Gleason's character, Max Basner, gets fired from his job as a clothing salesman. The scene, shot on a boat, shows Max's despair about being out of work. I was looking for some gesture that would allow Max to show his feelings.

Jackie had far more experience at everything than I did, and at first I was frightened. What could I possibly tell "The Great One" about acting? Out of fear I decided to direct by suggestion, and sat down with Gleason to talk about the scene. "So Max is sad, right?" I said.

Gleason nodded.

"And he's probably still carrying his pens with name on them ﹣ the ones he used to hand out to his customers, right?"

Gleason nodded.

"So what would you want to do with the pens after you were fired?"

He was silent for a moment, "Why don't I throw them overboard?"

I stood up and turned toward the crew. "Hey, everybody, Jackie has a wonderful idea. Let's shoot it."

After filming the scene, Gleason called me over and smiled at me, "Garry, what kind of wonderful idea am I going to have tomorrow?"

You and your team can discover the answers to problems together. When there are no prizes or gold stars for whoever gets the solution first, you'll all benefit when everything turns out right.

1. What did the writer do to achieve success as a director?

A．He gave orders and instructions directly.

B．He pushed his team hard to follow him.

C．He said repeatedly who had the final say.

D．He guided the actors with great patience. .

2. We can infer that Jackie Gleason was ________ of the film Nothing in Common.

A．the director

B．an actor

C．the writer

D．an character.

3. What did Gleason mean by smiling at the writer?

A．He enjoyed the writer's way of directing films.

B．He was self﹣confident about his acting the next day.

C．He had managed to get over his unpleasant feelings.

D．He had discovered the answers to all the problems. .

4. The purpose of the writer's sharing his filming experience is to tell us________.

A．different ways to direct films

B．skills of working with film stars

C．the key to success in a project

D．a wonderful idea of showing feelings.

5 . From video games and museums to medical training, VR（virtual reality, 虚拟现实）has been changing our lives for the better. However, this wonderful new technology has a so-far unsolvable problem: It may make people feel sick from the VR experience. The feeling of sickness, caused by VR, is called cybersickness.

"With modern VR systems, the possibility of cybersickness after only 15 minutes' experience is from 40 to 70 percent," Thomas Stoffiregen, a researcher at the University of Minnesota, US said. This sickness is probably caused by sensory conflict （感觉冲突），explained Stoffregen. When you are wearing a VR headset, your body's motion sensors cannot match the information received by your eyes. For example, when we wear a VR headset and ride a virtual roller-coaster, we think we are going up and down, but our bodies stay still. It leads to the loss of balance. Sickness is from our bodies' natural reaction to the experience. Adding to this problem, women are more likely to feel sick from the VR experience than men.

According to a study by Bas Rokers, a scientist at the University of Wiscons in-Madison, US, one reason could be the headsets. To work properly, VR headsets must match up with your PD （pupil distance, 瞳距）. Since they are designed larger PD, not everyone gets the best experience. Rokers found the larger PD distance is, the greater discomfort will cause. Based on his studies, about 90 percent of women have a shorter PD than the headset is made and that's the reason why women are more likely to have cybersickness.

Cybersickness prevents the widespread use of VR technology. Once it becomes comfortable and easy to use, however, it could play a great role in our lives.

1. Which is Right about cybersickness?

A．It's a common problem with VR technology.	B．It is caused by one's poor sense of direction.
C．It's more possible for young people to feel sick.	D．It only happens to women and children.

2. The example of riding a virtual roller-coaster is used to _________.

A．tell what it is like to have cybersickness	B．explain how cybersickness is caused
C．tell people how to avoid cybersickness	D．show how cybersickness influences people

3. Why are women more likely to have cybersickness?

A．They have a poor sense of direction.	B．VR headsets are only made for men.
C．VR headsets are too large for their PDs.	D．They are easy to lose balance.

4. What does the writer think of the VR technology?

A．The VR technology has already played a great role in our lives.

B．There is still something to do before VR technology plays a great role.

C．The VR technology is comfortable and easy to use for everyone.

D．It's impossible for VR technology to be popular in the future.

6 .

As the novel coronavirus rapidly spreads to a majority of the world's nations, many countries are canceling their major sporting and cultural events. 

Already, major domestic (国内的) events in China, including the National People's Congress and the World Athletics Indoor Championships, have already been postponed (推迟). Now the rest of the world seems to be following suit. 

The world of soccer is also being affected. In February, Italy was the first to play its league games behind closed doors (without spectators), and following the recently announced lockdown measures throughout Europe and the US, all domestic and international games have been placed on hold (暂停), as have Asian soccer leagues, including those of Japan, South Korea and China.  

In addition, Euro 2020 - a major international soccer tournament for European teams - has also been canceled to allow more time for domestic leagues to conclude. When asked about the cancelations, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said, "The health of persons is much more important than any football game."

The outbreak is also impacting cultural events around the world. Facing Europe's largest COVID-19 pandemic, with over 86,000 confirmed cases (确诊病例) by March 28, Italy cut short its iconic Venice carnival (狂欢节) and   Milan Fashion Week show. The latter was being live-streamed from an empty theater.

Internationally, perhaps the biggest cancelation is the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Japanese officials were initially optimistic that the event would continue, but given the rapidly increasing number of worldwide cases, officials had no choice but to postpone the event for the first time in history. The International Olympic Committee approved the request on March 24, delaying the event until the summer of 2021. Speaking at a press conference shortly after the decision, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said, "We agreed that a postponement would be the best way to ensure that the athletes are in peak condition when they compete and to guarantee the safety of the spectators."

Supporting the move, Yvonne Maldonado, an infectious (传染的) disease researcher, told The Washington Post, "If you bring many people together, and then you ship them back all over the world: That's the perfect way to transmit. If you want to disseminate (传播) a disease, that would be the way to do it."

1. What does the underlined phrase "following suit" in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Doing what you want.	B．Doing what you are told.
C．Doing what others are doing.	D．Doing what others don't do.

2. What do we know about some events in different countries?

A．The Venice Carnival was live-streamed this year.

B．Euro 2020 has been canceled for health reasons.

C．Soccer matches in Italy were canceled in February.

D．Soccer leagues in Japan played as usual in February.

3. What decision did Japanese officials make about the Tokyo 2020 Olympics?

A．They decided to put them off.

B．They decided not to host them.

C．They will be held as scheduled.

D．They will be held in another city.

4. The Tokyo 2020 Olympics was postponed is to ________.

A．make the athletes in good health.

B．make the athletes in peak condition and guarantee the safety of the spectators.

C．make the games more popular.

D．respond to the call of the Olympic Games.

5. What's the writer's attitude to the decisions "their major sporting and cultural events were cancelled or postponed"?

A．supported

B．doubtful

C．unsatisfactory

D．worrying

7 . "I just gave birth to 5 babies last weekend." Isn't that exciting? Oh, you don't believe me? "Okay then, I stole some money from a bank on Saturday night." Now do you believe me? Actually, I hope you don't. April 1st, or April Fool's Day is the day when we play jokes on people. Do you have it in your country?

April Fool's Day started in the sixteenth century in Europe. Before that time, New Year's Day was celebrated on April 1st. If they were teased, they were called fools.

Nowadays we play jokes on people on April 1st. For example, someone might put salt in the sugar bottle, so another person could put it in his coffee "by accident". Or someone might change the time on another person's alarm clock so that the person would unknowingly wake up earlier or later than planned. Or maybe a person would tell a lie to make someone else shocked.

After we play the trick, we say "April Fool". Then the poor person realizes he has been fooled. It is generally done in the spirit of fun and doesn't cause any real harm to anyone. Do you have any great jokes to play on anyone? Try it out.

1. Before the sixteenth century, New Year's Day was on _______.

A．April 1st

B．January 1st

C．October 1st

D．February 1st

2. Which of the following situations doesn't make you "April Fool"?

A．Someone might put salt in the sugar bottle, then I could put it in my coffee "by accident".

B．A man might take my bag by mistake, then he could say sorry to me.

C．Someone might change the time on my alarm clock, then I would unknowingly wake up earlier or later than planned.

D．A person would tell a lie to make me shocked.

3. Sometimes people lie to shock someone on_______.

A．New Year's Day

B．Christmas Day

C．April Fool's Day

D．Thanks giving Day

4. In the 2nd paragraph, the closest meaning of the underlined word "teased" is in English.

A．hit

B．criticized

C．laughed at

D．shocked

5. What should be the right attitude(态度) towards "April Fool"?

A．It is generally done in the spirit of fun and doesn't cause any real harm to anyone.

B．It is done for the real fools.

C．We needn't say "April Fool" when we play jokes on people on April 1st.

D．Don't play jokes on others.

8 . As an autistic(自闭的)teen, Niam Jain doesn't speak much. But ever since the 13­year­old picked up a paintbrush last summer, he's found a way to express himself, and the art world is listening. Niam, who lives in Toronto, was diagnosed(诊断)with autism at the age of two. Niam is in special education class and loves school. Last summer Nina Jain bought her son some art supplies to give him something to do.

She never thought it would lead to a passion(酷爱)and a career, but soon after she posted Niam's first paintings online, a lot of people started buying them.Some were from family and friends. But most came from sharp­eyed collectors.

Niam has already sold 46 paintings across Canada and the US. He's made nearly $20, 000, and the number keeps growing.

“I don't know how he can do this because this is the work of a kind of successful mid­career painter, ” says a gallery owner after he pointed out Niam's mastery(精通)of the technique of mixing and layering(分层堆积)colours.

“Since he has paintings and he loves to do what he does, he has a reason to get up in the morning and that's really, really important, ” Nina says.

Morning and night, Niam can be found in his studio, sometimes painting for hours at a time, on more than one canvas at a time.

For this artist, there's no way of knowing what his next creation will be or what will encourage him next. The future is a canvas for his imagination.

1. How old is Niam?

A．Two.	B．Thirteen.
C．Fourteen.	D．Fifteen.

2. When buying Niam some art supplies last summer, ________.

A．Nina wanted Niam to have a career in art

B．Nina hoped painting would cure Niam's autism

C．Nina thought painting would become Niam's greatest passion

D．Nina wanted to find a way for Niam to spend his time

3. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．A large number of people are expecting to buy Niam's paintings.

B．Niam posted his first paintings online by himself.

C．Niam is still learning to master the technique of mixing and layering colours.

D．Niam is unable to paint for several hours at a time.

4. The writer thinks that ________.

A．Niam is a poor victim of autism

B．Niam's story is sad

C．Niam is wasting his life on painting

D．Niam's story is inspiring(激励的)and encouraging

9 . Every child has a dream of what they want to be, right? When Renee Butts was little, her dream was to become a volunteer firefighter because her father was one. Sadly, when she was 14, her father died and she was never able to volunteer with him. Renee's story doesn't end there, however, which is why I think of her as a true hero. She was strong­minded and never gave up, which makes her a good firefighter.

Some days she must be ready to deal with any emergency, like fighting a fire, dealing with a car accident or helping someone who's sick. Other days, she is in the driver's seat. Sometimes, Renee works nine to eleven days a month on 24­hour shifts. She also has a family to take care of. Her husband is a firefighter, too.

Renee remembers the first time she fought a fire. She was awoken early in the morning by the alarm. She said she was very nervous but did what she had to do.

When I asked Renee what the best part of her job is, she replied, “Helping people and saving their lives.” I think that shows signs of being a true hero. She's always glad to do anything for anyone in need. With 140 people in her station, Renee is one of the only three women.

I think she's great. We could never live without people like her who is glad to help others. Renee's deed helps me believe that I can do anything. I hope someday to be just like her: to wake up and help people every day.

1. When her father died, Renee Butts ________.

A．gave up her dream	B．didn't give up her dream
C．married a firefighter	D．became a child without a family

2. What is Renee's husband?

A．A driver.

B．A writer.

C．A doctor.

D．A fireman.

3. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The writer learns a lot from Renee.	B．There are 143 members in the station.
C．Renee works 9 to 11 hours every day.	D．Renee wants to be famous by doing so.

4. What does the writer think of Renee Butts?

A．Clever.

B．Careful.

C．Helpful.

D．Outgoing.

5. What's the best title for the passage?

A．A True Hero

B．A Busy Volunteer

C．A Famous Woman

D．A Sweet Dream

10 .

Hello, this is your gardening adviser. Now, just as our garden are at their most colorful, and most productive time, what do we do? We'll go off on holiday. What I suggest you do is this: invite a friend or neighbor to help you. You can ask him to water the plants in the greenhouse until you return, but first make sure that he knows how to do it. What he should not do is throw water over the leaves of the plants themselves, because if he does that, it will invite diseases. Also for the same reason, ask him if he can possibly water in the morning, rather than in the evening.

If you haven't got a greenhouse, there is one safe and easy way to keep the plants well when you are away, and this is how you do it. Place six-inch-deep newspapers in the bottom of the bath. Yes, the bath! Turn the tap on and keep the water running until the papers are all wet. Now put the flower pots (花盆) to stand on the wet paper, go off holiday, and they should be alive and well when you return in two weeks' time.

Thank you for calling. Goodbye and good gardening!

1. What is the passage about?

A．Holiday.

B．Health.

C．Bathing.

D．Gardening.

2. Which advice does the speaker give?

A．Pouring water to prevent diseases.	B．Watering the plant in the morning.
C．Watering the plants in the evening.	D．Throwing water over the leaves of the plants.

3. What is not the reason the speaker repeats "the bath"?

A．To attract the listeners' attention.

B．To advise the listeners to buy beautiful baths.

C．To make sure the listeners understand him clearly.

D．To remove the listeners' surprise when they hear this.

4. What is the speaker like?

A．Helpful and patient.	B．Stubborn and impatient.
C．Modest and imaginative.	D．Careless and easy-going.