1 . Global fast-food giant McDonald's announced it would be phasing out (逐步淘汰) plastic straws in China. From June 30, nearly 1,000 stores in Beijing. Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen began to phase out plastic straws for both dine-in and take-out, expanding to all stores in China by the end of 2020. Diners would drink cold beverages directly through the new cup cover. The move is expected to reduce plastic waste by about 400 tons a year.

Zhang Jiayin, CEO of McDonald’s China, expressed that McDonald's is devoted to building a “beautiful China”. “We believe that taking advantage of McDonald's influence worldwide. reducing straws can be a huge step for sustainable development. In the past decade or so, we have continued to carry out the green packaging action.” Zhang said, “This movement is playing a positive role in the protection of the ecological environment.”

The move is in keeping with China’s national plan to phase out single-use plastics which came into effect in January of this year, in an effort to combat its growing trash problem.

Among other things, the government carries out a nationwide ban on plastic straws and disposable cutlery (一次性餐具) by the end of 2020, as well as a ban on plastic bags in major cities by the end of 2020, and nationwide by 2022.

Plastic has increasingly played a role in global solid waste, and has choked oceans and rivers as well as landfills. Both companies and volunteers in the past few years have taken it upon themselves to respond to this plastic problem in their own ways.

1. What happened to McDonald’s in 2020?

A．It started to gradually get rid of using plastic straws in China.

B．It banned using plastic package in all stores.

C．It became the first company to ban plastic straws in China.

D．It successfully dealt with China’s trash problem.

2. What does the underlined word “combat” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Protect.

B．Separate.

C．Arouse.

D．Fight.

3. What can we know about plastic?

A．It is a kind of poisonous material.	B．It has been solved completely so far.
C．It results in a growing waste problem	D．It should be banned in all fields.

4. What’s the best title for the text?

A．McDonald’s green packaging action	B．Plastic a controversial material in daily use
C．How to control environmental pollution?	D．Devotion to building a beautiful China

2 . Kleon Papadimitriou, a Greek student, had been stuck in Scotland, where he studies, with no way to return to Athens while flights were shut down. So he decided to take a bike.

He began researching what it would take to make the trip on two wheels. He once competed in a race in 2019 and was briefly trained for several weeks — but that was about all the biking experience he carried with him.

Initially, he thought the idea was more of a “dream”— an absolutely hard long journey. But soon he began purchasing the equipment he'd need. He purchased a bike, and told the news to his parents and friends.

Papadimiriou travelled anywhere between 35 and 75 miles per day, crossing initially through England and then onto the Netherlands. He biked along the Rhine in Germany for several days, passed through Austria and cycled down along the eastern coast of Italy before he took a boat to the Greek port of Patras.

Throughout his trip, he set up camp in fields and forests. He spent the last few moments of each day writing down his progress, tracking the next day's path and checking in with family and friends.

“It's just now dawning on me how big of an achievement this was.” Papadimitriou says of his 48-day journey. “And I did learn a lot of things about myself, about my limits, my strengths and my weaknesses. I really hope that the trip can inspire at least one more person to go out of their comfort zone and try something new, something big.”

1. What can we infer about Kleon Papadimitriou?

A．He was forced to leave for Scotland on bike.	B．He had a few biking experience before.
C．He was a famous cyclist in his hometown.	D．He cycled to the Greek port of Patras.

2. Why did Kleon Papadimitriou consider his idea as a dream at first?

A．Because it seemed challenging to complete the journey.

B．Because he had no riding experience at all before.

C．Because his parents and friends didn't support his plan.

D．Because purchasing the equipment would cost too much.

3. According to the text, how many countries has Kleon Papadimiriou been to during the trip?

A．2.

B．4.

C．6.

D．8.

4. What can be inferred from the last two paragraphs?

A．Kleon Papadimitriou hardly communicated with his friends during the trip.

B．It took Kleon Papadimitriou 48 days to return to Greece.

C．Kleon Papadimitriou learned a lot of things about nature from the trip.

D．Many people have been inspired by Kleon Papadimiriou's story.

3 . Many people wake up in the morning and watch their mobile phones first and then they watch their mobile phones last before they go to bed. Our mobile phones are never far away from us. Data show that we watch them every 12 minutes on average. Since we are bound to be inseparable from mobile phones, we should obey the relative “cell phone manners”. The following five things are best avoided.

●   Talk on the phone at mealtimes

An absolute no-no for most (81%) of us. Yet half of us have been with others who've done it. And more than a quarter of young adults admit to it.

Even looking at the screen at the dinner table is not acceptable — for some. More than four in five people aged 55and over think it's unacceptable to check messages, compared with around half (46%) of 18 to 34-year-olds.

●   Listen to loud music on public transport

Three-quarters (76%) of us object to watching videos and playing video games loudly on public transport, as well as listening to music, but it doesn't stop us doing it.

●   Be on the phone when you should be listening

You’re at the cashiers but on the phone mid-conversation. Do you hang up, say a polite “hello” and pack away your bread and goods — or chat on regardless?

It's a source of frustration for many a shop worker, receptionist and waiter. One hotels checkout worker was so annoyed when a customer refused to end her call that she refused to serve her.

●   Walk while looking at your phone

They are always getting their head down, eyes fixed on the screen — and they're right in your path. Twitter user @tiredhorizon has a public warning for them. Put away your phones in public buildings, hospitals and near reversing lorries.

●   Play with devices while watching TV with others

Four 10 (41%) adults think is unacceptable to use a phone while seated with he family on the sofa in front of TV.

For the older generation (those over 55) it's more of an issue — 62% object to it — than for younger adults — only one in five are against it.

1. Which one of the following is unacceptable according to the text?

A．Play with cellphones while watching TV alone.	B．Talk on the phone at mealtimes.
C．Listen to loud music at home.	D．Talk with others while working

2. Which one of the following is NOT true?

A．It's unacceptable for some to stare at the phone screen at the dinner table.

B．Watching videos and playing games loudly on the subway will annoy many people around.

C．Strict bans on playing phones while walking on the road have been made.

D．The old are more against playing a phone in a family get-together than the young.

3. Which column is the passage probably taken from?

A．Art & Movie.

B．Travel.

C．Business.

D．Health & Life.

5 . The sea could be the food bowl of the future. In Jervis Bay, south of Sydney, seaweed, which is rich in fibre and omega 3, is grown and harvested.

Pia Winberg is a marine scientist who runs Australia's first food-grade fanned seaweed company. Her crop is grown alongside mussels (贻贝)and is used as an additive in pasta (意大利面)and other products.

Seaweed is also raised in large tanks, where it absorbs carbon dioxide waste from a wheat processing factory. The business is small, but could help to reduce the ecological footprint of traditional farming.

“We used ten percent of seaweed instead of wheat in breads and pastas, we've eliminated a million hectares of land, we've eliminated all of the carbon dioxide emissions associated with that, and we've also reduced the pressures on very precious fresh water.” said Pia Winberg.

Spiny sea urchins (多刺海胆虫)are another blue economy resource. They can destroy marine habitats, but a recent competition for environmental start-ups in Australia, saw them not as a pest but a delicacy (美味).

Martina Doblin, CEO of Sydney Institute of Marine Science, said, “By 2050 we will have some ten billion people on the planet, and about half the food they eat will come from the ocean. So, we really do need to pay attention to the way that we manage the blue economy-generating wealth from the ocean but in a sustainable (可持续的)way.”

Farming at sea has its challenges. Infrastructure (基础设施)has to be sound, as do supply chains and biosecurity. But get these things right, and the ocean might just be the next great economic frontier.

1. What is the function of the first paragraph?

A．To lead to the main topic.

B．To describe a new kind of seaweed.

C．Tell how important the food safety is.

D．To explain the meaning of blue economy.

2. What can we learn from what Martina Doblin said in paragraph 6?

A．Ocean exploration has made little progress so far.

B．More and more people will die of hunger in the future.

C．More work is needed for a better use of the natural resources.

D．Sea farming will be a good way to solve the coming world food problem.

3. Which word can be used to describe the author's attitude towards sea fanning?

A．Skeptical.

B．Objective.

C．Tolerant.

D．Negative.

4. Which can be a suitable title for the text?

A．How to Protect the Marine Animals

B．Measures to Develop Blue Economy

C．Farming the Sea for the Future of Food

D．Traditional Farming is Gradually Disappearing

6 . Gerardo Ixcoy is a 27-year-old teacher in Guatemala. He teaches in the area where having electricity is something of a luxury（奢侈品）and students have no access to mobile apps or computers, which became a problem when Guatemalan government had to choose distance education for students at home because of COVID-19.

Gerardo Ixcoy felt that he had to teach those children living far from the digital world. After all, education is a universal right and Gerardo Ixcoy thought those children shouldn't be excluded from having the education they needed. There had to be an alternative to distance education. But what was the solution?

Gerardo bought himself a secondhand tricycle（三轮车）with his savings. Once he had the tricycle, the next step was to change it into a classroom on wheels. He put a roof with a solar panel（太阳能电池板）on it, along with a screen to avoid the spread of COVID-19. He fixed a whiteboard on it so he could explain to the students the basics of primary education： math, the local language and the universal national language—Spanish.

The purpose of the solar panel is to provide constant power for a small loudspeaker so he can teach from a distance. It's a matter of respecting the healthy distance required to be safe from the virus. He, the teacher, stays outside, and the student participates from his or her house.

With that enthusiasm for education, he tries to visit his students at least twice a week, riding his classroom-cycle. The children he serves say that, although he visits them for only a few hours a week, they look forward to it. They appreciate his visit and will take advantage of it to learn.

1. What is the problem for the Guatemalan students because of COVID-19?

A．They cannot continue their study any more.

B．They are cut off from the digital world and the Internet.

C．They have no right to get the government's distance education.

D．They have to get distance education but they have no access to it.

2. What does the underlined word "excluded" in Paragraph 2 mean?

A．Chosen	B．Prevented.
C．Protected.	D．Separated

3. What did Gerardo do to help the students with their study?

A．He provided them with a whiteboard to write on

B．He fixed a solar panel on their house roofs to give electricity.

C．He rode his tricycle to their houses and taught them face to face.

D．He transformed his tricycle into a classroom on wheel to give them lessons.

4. What can we learn from Gerardo Ixcoy's story?

A．Love for education breaks down barriers

B．Education contributes to success.

C．Great hope makes great man.

D．Hard work pays off.

7 . I was 17 years old. Along with a dozen other boys I had made a long trip to Iowa in order to see a college that I was thinking of _______. While the trip had been _______ for the most part, I was feeling depressed, alone, and isolated. I was _______ the Appalachian mountains and the forests of my home. I loved _______ the leaves turned a thousand _______ of green in the Spring and then became a _______ of red, gold and orange in the Fall.

Here in Iowa everything was _______. The grass looked burnt and brown. All that I could_______was a mixture of corn, mud and pigs. I walked outside the dormitory of the college and sat on a big rock. I closed my eyes and _______ being back home again. When I finally opened them, however, I saw something that touched my __________. It was a Prairie (大草原) Sunset. It seemed to __________ the sky from horizon to horizon. Gold, red, purple and pink clouds all __________ together in a picture painted by Heaven’s own hand. It was so huge that it took my __________ away. It made our mountain sunsets seem __________ by comparison. I realized that this place too had its own special beauty. This place too was a part of nature’s__________.

1.

A．quitting

B．visiting

C．attending

D．exploring

2.

A．fun

B．hard

C．plain

D．tiresome

3.

A．assuming

B．picturing

C．reminding

D．missing

4.

A．if

B．where

C．why

D．how

5.

A．shapes

B．shades

C．shadows

D．sheets

6.

A．flood

B．cloud

C．sea

D．blanket

7.

A．easy

B．flat

C．beautiful

D．tough

8.

A．hear

B．touch

C．taste

D．smell

9.

A．cared about

B．dreamed of

C．prepared for

D．looked over

10.

A．body

B．hand

C．face

D．soul

11.

A．fill

B．break

C．separate

D．block

12.

A．folded

B．sank

C．flowed

D．escaped

13.

A．pain

B．breath

C．wealth

D．eyesight

14.

A．splendid

B．pale

C．tiny

D．weak

15.

A．creation

B．punishment

C．change

D．reflection

8 . The secret to happiness is keeping busy, research has found.

Keeping the mind occupied with tasks — no matter how meaningless — keeps off negative emotions, the study found.

However, the bad news is that humans are seemingly born to be lazy in order to save energy, according to Professor Christoper Hsee, a behavioral scientist at Chicago University.

In a study, 98 students were asked to complete two surveys. After they had completed the first, they were made to wait 15 minutes to receive the next one. They were given a choice of either handing in the first survey nearby or at a more distant location they had to walk to. Whichever option they chose, they received a chocolate bar. It turned out that approximately two-thirds (68 students) chose the lazy option. Those who had taken the walk reported feeling happier than those who had stayed put.

Prof. Hsee concluded that keeping busy helped keep people happy. He said the findings, reported in the journal Psychological Science, had policy implications.

“Governments may increase the happiness of idle citizens by having them build bridges that are actually useless,” he proposed.

At the individual level, he advised, “Get up and do something. Anything. Even if there really is no point to what you are doing, you will feel better for it.” He added, “Incidentally, thinking deeply or engaging in self-reflection counts as keeping busy, too.”

“You do not need to be running around. You just need to be engaged, either physically or mentally.”

1. Keeping busy can make people happy because________.

A．it can help people get rid of laziness	B．it can make people sleep better
C．it can help get rid of negative emotions	D．it can give people a sense of achievement

2. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The finding may contribute to politics.

B．The officials have taken Prof. Hsee’s advice.

C．In the study half students handed in the first survey nearby.

D．Governments can increase citizens’ happiness by building bridges.

3. What can we infer from the passage?

A．Everybody is born to be happy.

B．Only by keeping working all the time can you gain happiness.

C．Prof. Hsee’s finding was published in Psychological Science.

D．Keeping busy goes against human nature.

4. What is the author’s purpose in writing this passage?

A．To explain what happiness is.

B．To advise people not to sit around.

C．To advise people to do what they like to.

D．To show people how to take life correctly.

9 . Social distancing is not a new concept in the natural world, where infectious diseases are commonplace. Through specialized senses animals can detect certain diseases and change their behavior to avoid getting ill.

In 1966, while studying chimps (猩猩) in a Tanzanian national park, zoologist Jane Goodall observed a chimp named McGregor who had caught a highly infectious virus. His fellow chimps attacked him and threw him out of the troop. In one instance, McGregor approached chimps in a tree. He reached out a hand in greeting, but the others moved away without a backward glance.

“For a full two minutes, old McGregor sat motionless, staring after them,” Goodall notes in her 1971 book In the Shadow of Man. “It’s really not that different to how some societies react today to such a tragedy.”

Not all animals are so aggressive toward their ailing neighbors. Sometimes it’s as simple as avoiding those who may infect you.

When Kiesecker, a lead scientist in America, studied American bullfrog in the late 1990s, he found that bullfrogs could not only detect a deadly smell of infection in other bullfrogs, but healthy members actively avoided those that were sick. Bullfrogs rely on chemicals signals to determine who is sick or not.

Caribbean lobsters also shun diseased members of their community, well before they become infectious. It takes about eight weeks for lobsters infected with the deadly virus Panulirus argus mininuceovirus to become dangerous to others. Normally social animals, lobsters begin keeping away from the diseased as early as four weeks after infection – once the lobsters can smell certain chemicals released by sick individuals.

Overall, it’s important to note that, unlike us, animals don’t realize if they stay home, they might actually reduce the infection rate,” Kiesecker explains. “As humans, we have that ability. It’s a big difference.”

1. What can we learn about the chimps from Goodall’s observation?

A．They kept a distance from one another.

B．They became aggressive when infected.

C．The infected avoided contact with others.

D．The infected were forced to leave the group.

2. What does the underlined word “shun” in Paragraph 6 probably mean?

A．Avoid.

B．Cure.

C．Get rid of.

D．Get along with.

3. How are humans different from animals according to Kiesecker?

A．Humans are more sensitive to virus.

B．Humans are less likely to get infected.

C．Humans treat infectious diseases in a wiser way.

D．Humans can detect chemical signals more quickly.

4. Which might be the best title for the text?

A．Help Me Out

B．Leave Me Alone

C．Stay Away From Us

D．Stay Home Stay Healthy

10 . Hello and welcome to English with Lucy. Today we have another topic:“Four common British expressions.” Now, before we get started, make sure you connect with me on all my social media which is right here. You can subscribe to my YouTube. You can also like me on Facebook. And for my Chinese followers, I have my Weibo account as well.

Four Common British Expressions:

“A piece of cake.”

And this is very similar to “Easy-peasy, lemon squeezy,” which we've discussed in a former video.   And basically, it means very easy.   So I might come out of an easy exam saving, “That exam was a piece of cake. ”

“Break a leg!”

It actually looks really rather cruel, but I promise you it's positive.   And “Break a leg!” means “Good luck!” So before a race, before a job interview, before a test, instead of saying “Good luck!” I might say “Break a leg!”

“It cost an arm and a leg.”

And this basically means something was really expensive.   If I say, “My bag cost an arm and a leg,” I mean it cost a lot of money.

“To call it a day.”

And this means “to end a task”.   So, for example, “I'm feeling a bit tired. I think I'll call it a day. ”That means “I think I'll stop here.   Let's finish.”

Thank you so much for watching this program of “Four Common British Expressions.” I hope you like it, and I hope you've learned something.

1. How can Chinese listeners connect with Lucy?

A．With Wechat

B．Through Weibo

C．On Facebook

D．By YouTube.

2. When John went to an English Speech Competition, you should say “_________” to him.

A．Break a leg!	B．It cost an arm and a leg.
C．To call it a day	D．A piece of cake.

3. What does he/she mean when the teacher says “Let's call it a day.” ?

A．He/She will stop that day	B．He/She feels tired
C．Class is over.	D．It is daytime.