1 . Issues such as global warming and sustainability have become passionate concerns for many of the concert industry’s fans and increasingly for the musicians. Coldplay, a pop band whose members scored their first big hit in 2000 with a song called Yellow, announced in November that it wouldn’t go on tour to promote its latest album, Everyday Life, until it could find a way to make concerts more sustainable and greener to the environment.
It’s not always easy to walk the talk. A growing number of artists, including Peggy Gou, have environmental demands built into their contracts when they tour, such as bans on plastic tableware. But there’s almost no way of avoiding carbon emissions produced by a tour, which involves moving hundreds of people and tons of equipment across large distances.
Lisa Pomerantz, who books travel for acts says that real change will require action by venue owners, concert promoters, and the fans. Major acts like Coldplay can afford to stop touring while figuring out how to lessen their environmental impact. But lesser-known artists can’t stay off the road, since streaming earnings haven’t been able to compensate (弥补) for the collapse in CD and downloaded music sales. Even when concerts are aggressive about being more sustainable, the impact of audience travel can easily swamp (淹没) their efforts. For bigger acts, this can represent as much as 80% of the carbon footprint, according to a 2015 study. Another analysis showed that roughly a third of the tour’s carbon footprint came from a venue’s power consumption.
Still, even the most green-conscious bands must balance their desire to be more sustainable against the financial necessity of touring. “I absolutely think you can go on tour and have a concern about the environment. It’s a matter of just keeping our carbon footprint as low as possible,” says Flavian Graber, lead singer of We Invented Paris.
1. Why did Coldplay stop its promotion tour?A.Because it had already released a hit. | B.Because it wanted a more environmentally friendly concert. |
C.Because its latest album needed further improvement. | D.Because they could afford the money. |
A.Make it. | B.Talk it. | C.See it. | D.Appreciate it. |
A.Stopping bands’ promotion tours. |
B.Downloading music on the Internet. |
C.Cutting down venues’ water and electricity consumption. |
D.Combining efforts of bands, audiences and venue owners. |
A.Achievable. | B.Fruitless. | C.Challenging. | D.Controversial. |
2 . A tragic case of Kitty Genovese, who was killed, happened in New York in 1964. However, subsequent investigations concluded that several people saw or heard what was happening, but did nothing to intervene. This has been termed the “bystander effect” — a well-known psychological phenomenon where individuals are less likely to offer help to someone when other people are present. The more people there are, the less likely they are to help.
None of us like to think we’d walk on by when someone needed our help. But sometimes we behave in ways we wouldn’t expect when faced with a situation we are unsure about. While we might like to think we would rush to someone’s assistance, we know from studies that often people hang back. Research from the British Heart Foundation has suggested that a third of people would not give first aid if they saw someone collapse on the street, with some even admitting they wouldn’t call an ambulance.
There are various factors contributing to this effect — people think that others will get involved. Afterwards people often say they did not feel qualified or important enough to be the one to intervene. It is also partly down to “pluralistic ignorance” — since everyone is not reacting to the emergency, they don’t need to either; it’s not serious because no one else is doing anything.
Other studies have shown that once people are aware of the bystander effect, they are less likely to be affected by it. Self-awareness is the best solution to it. When facing an emergency, think to yourself how you would behave if you were on your own. Ignore everyone else and go with your gut (直觉) — If you’d run for help, do it. If that’s how you would have behaved when you were on your own, then that’s probably the right course of action. The worst that can happen is that you’ll look a little foolish at having overreacted. You might also save someone’s life.
1. What is the author’s purpose of telling about the case of Genovese?A.To show the high frequency of killing. | B.To highlight the indifference of bystanders. |
C.To introduce the topic of the passage. | D.To lead to the investigations. |
A.No one would like to admit the truth. | B.People tend to help when no people are present. |
C.Few people will encounter uncertain situations. | D.Many people will not rush to help in an emergency. |
A.The consequences of the phenomenon. | B.The reactions to different accidents. |
C.The seriousness of an emergency. | D.The reasons for not helping. |
A.Don’t Be A Bystander | B.Life-Saving Response |
C.Importance of First Aid | D.Reactions in Emergency |
3 . It’s been 20 years since a cookbook changed my life. Before reading every page in Nigella Lawson’s Feast, I didn’t give much thought lo what I ate. Cooking was a boring task I wasn’t particularly good at. Moreover, fear of calories and not being able to fit into my jeans left little room for enjoying things like “chocolate cake”. Nigella, the author of Nigella Lawson’s Feast transformed my relationship with food, changing it from a source of panic to one of limitless pleasure. Leafing through the pages of Feast, I began to think of the women who shaped my cooking. They not only influenced me strongly with their words, recipes and passion for the art of eating, but they also left their mark on the culinary (烹饪的) world.
Take Eugénie Brazier, for example, who grew up with barely enough to eat yet with plenty of determination to achieve great things. After years of hard work on farms and later as a humble cook, she used the little savings she had to open La Mère Brazier, a restaurant that would attract the likes of celebrities. A second location followed, and in 1933, she became the first chef ever to hold six Michelin stars simultaneously (同时地). Known as the mother of modern French cooking, Brazier’s simple yet elegant food changed the way Britain ate.
What Brazier did for the UK, the passionate Julia Child did for America. At a time when TV dinners and tinned foods were gaining popularity, she inspired home cooks to try elegant recipes, teaching them about the use of quality ingredients in an approachable way.
While Julia Child tempted us with her recipes, it was the American author Fisher who enlightened us with her fine cooking prose (散文). In her brilliant essays, she praised the pleasures of the table and explored connections between food and culture. One of my favorite books is Love in a Dish, a charming collection of culinary experiences that transport you to French villages and even describe how the love of food can potentially save a marriage!
1. How does the author introduce the topic?A.By giving examples. | B.By raising a question. |
C.By describing his experience. | D.By offering facts. |
A.Friendly and determined. | B.Considerate and brave. |
C.Generous and intelligent. | D.Ambitious and successful. |
A.The ingredients of food. | B.The story behind food. |
C.The significance of food. | D.The origin of food. |
A.To motivate readers to cook at home. | B.To market high-quality cooking books. |
C.To honor some exceptional women cooks. | D.To share his passion for cooking. |
4 . Traveling with a toddler (幼儿) can be exhausting. But rarely is it as painful as Kate Baker’s experience during a flight twenty years ago.
Baker and her husband, Bob, were
“The flight attendants were
One of the flight attendants asked Baker’s husband if the toddler was still breathing. “Just
Then she noticed three women get out of their seats and
They eventually landed in Amsterdam, and Baker and her husband took Neil to a(n)
They went right to a pediatrician (儿科医生), who
A.returning | B.heading | C.moving | D.leaving |
A.secure | B.fortunate | C.wealthy | D.healthy |
A.confused | B.interested | C.occupied | D.trapped |
A.recalled | B.responded | C.reacted | D.reflected |
A.ensure | B.announce | C.acquire | D.doubt |
A.totally | B.commonly | C.barely | D.ordinarily |
A.frightened | B.amazed | C.puzzled | D.embarrassed |
A.attempted | B.prayed | C.approached | D.spotted |
A.legs | B.coats | C.scarves | D.arms |
A.low | B.gentle | C.pleasant | D.weak |
A.airport | B.destination | C.shelter | D.clinic |
A.friendly | B.naughty | C.strong | D.fine |
A.cancelled | B.provided | C.booked | D.considered |
A.blamed | B.discovered | C.appreciated | D.hesitated |
A.supportive | B.adventurous | C.doubtful | D.critical |
5 . Want to buy some gifts for children? See the following ones.
Wonder Crew dolls
Wonder Crew creates dolls for boys. The dolls are aimed at encouraging boys to express kindness and other characteristics not encouraged in their other toys. “I wanted to address the developmental needs of the whole child.” Wider told USATODAY. “Toys have the power to teach.”
Sale for $29.99 on Amazon.
Barbie dolls that use a wheelchair
Mattel created dolls with disabilities to inspire girls to tell more stories. Barbie expanded its Fashion line to showcase dolls in a wheelchair and a removable prosthetic leg (假肢). “We can have the conversation around physical disabilities by including them into our fashion doll line to further Show a special view of beauty and fashion,” Mattel said.
Sale for $19.99.
Dolls inspired by children with autism
Lottie Dolls offers a doll inspired by a boy with autism. The doll kit includes an astronaut’s suit and a companion dog named Cookie. Lottie Dolls, an Irish company, offers a host of dolls that highlight diversity.
Sales for $30 on Amazon.
Plastic Army Women
A 6-year-old girl wanted to play with female plastic soldiers. She got her with when Pennsylvania company BMC Toys agreed to make Plastic Army Women. When completed, a pack of 24 figurines (小塑像) will include six different poses and should be available on the company website and on Amazon. It is available for pre-order at different price points.
1. What can we learn about Mattel’s Barbie dolls?A.They are in old style. |
B.They can move quickly by themselves. |
C.They have no legs at all. |
D.They represent special views on beauty. |
A.Wonder Crew dolls. | B.Barbie dolls that use a wheelchair. |
C.Dolls offered by Lottie Dolls. | D.Plastic Army Women. |
A.It can’t be bought on Amazon. | B.It can be ordered in advance. |
C.It is fit for young kids. | D.It is the most popular. |
6 . Hotter, drier conditions over the past four decades have been decreasing the rainforest birds’ body size while lengthening their wings, a study published in the journal Science Advances said on Friday. “This maybe an adaptation to hotter temperatures. Even in the middle of the primitive Amazon rainforest, we are seeing the global effects of climate change caused by people,” said Vitek Jirinec, lead author on the study.
The scientists have studied measurements and weigh-ins of 77 different bird species in the Amazon rainforest since the early 1980s. Nearly all of the bird species have gotten lighter as time goes on. On average, most species became about 2% lighter every decade. These birds don’t vary that much in size,” said co-author Philip Stouffer, a professor of conservation biology at Louisiana State University. “But when everyone in the population is a couple of grams smaller, it’s significant.”
The researchers found that bird species living in higher parts of the forest—as opposed to closer to the forest floor —saw the most pronounced changes in terms of body composition. Those are the species most exposed to high temperatures. Longer wings and smaller bodies mean that birds have to useless energy to move around, helping them stay cool.
Brian Weeks of the University of Michigan in 2019 researched the average sizes of 52 species of migratory birds in North America from 1978 to 2016. He also found all of them had smaller bodies and longer wings in 2016. This is another example of climate change-human actions globally—affecting a fundamental thing such as the size and shape of the birds. The same effect is likely to be true of other species across the world living in extreme environments.
1. What does the new study find about the birds in the Amazon rainforest?A.They are flying much higher. | B.They have been physically longer. |
C.They are more flexible than adaptable | D.They have got smaller and longer-winged. |
A.By analyzing the collected data. | B.By referring to historical records. |
C.By observing birds in the forests. | D.By cooperating with other research groups. |
A.Less food available. | B.Decreased forest area. |
C.Most exposure to the heat. | D.Inadequate shelter from storms. |
A.To introduce a new topic. |
B.To further stress bad effects of humans. |
C.To popularize some knowledge about birds. |
D.To tell the difference between the two studies. |
7 . Starting a daily running routine needs determination. Looking back on my old running routine, it wasn’t so much the passion that affected my sticking to a regular schedule — but it was the environment. There had to be no rain pouring down, there had to be not many people on the basketball court and the ambient (周围的) temperature had to be just right. Or maybe I was just making an excuse for myself not to get up at 5 in the morning?
I was quite successful at doing so when I was 15 and when it was summer. When I was overweight, I ate more snacks than the actual full meals in a day, and I hardly got off the sofa. One summer day, I decided that it was time to put a stop to the idea that I was just the fat kid. I didn’t want to put in that box anymore. There was a tipping point (临界点) where inspiration happened, and discipline (自律) just took over from there. I needed to make sure that I ran 10 laps of the park a day — this was the contract (契约) I made with myself that summer. And if I achieved that, I knew I’d be closer to my goal of being just a kid with normal weight.
Ten laps, six days a week — sometimes no breakfast, hardly a bite at dinner, one snack a day—this lasted two months. I’d lost over 30 pounds that summer, which was roughly a quarter of my body weight. Some days, I didn’t have the motivation. But the contract I made with myself kept reminding me — if I’d break it, would I even bother making future self-contracts anymore? There were sleepy days, and there were days when I should have rested my trembling knees, but discipline won over them all.
1. What do we know about the author’s past running routine?A.It was made by the author’s parents. | B.It mainly depended on the environment. |
C.It referred to many people at site. | D.It failed in the end. |
A.The author didn’t live a healthy lifestyle. |
B.Summer is a season for people to be fat. |
C.Good eating habits could make one put on weight. |
D.Getting up late made him a fat kid. |
A.He felt looked down upon when he was fat. |
B.He couldn’t find a right word to describe his size. |
C.He made up his mind to achieve his goal of losing weight. |
D.He was too fat to find the right size of clothes or shoes. |
A.My Running Routine Was Affected by the Environment. |
B.It Was Unpleasant to Be Overweight. |
C.I Made a Contract on Running. |
D.Discipline Helps Achieve My Goal. |
8 . It was January 2016, and Jeremy and his girlfriend, Molei, were leaving Denver for a weekend of fun with friends on the slopes in Colorado.
The snow came earlier than they’d
“Life was really great,” he says. Then, within a blink of an eye, everything
A truck that came out of nowhere hit them. One minute, Jeremy’s Ford SUV was
Statistically, Molei should have died. Inside her neck, the vertebrae (脊椎) had basically been crushed. Her head was attached to her shoulders by
Henry Rodriquez, an officer on holiday, was driving on the same road not far behind the Ford and
For 45 minutes, Rodriquez
A.observed | B.expected | C.enjoyed | D.realised |
A.slope | B.tunnel | C.route | D.town |
A.exactly | B.surprisingly | C.specially | D.correctly |
A.grateful | B.terrible | C.difficult | D.awesome |
A.happened | B.disappeared | C.moved | D.changed |
A.driving | B.rolling | C.jumping | D.running |
A.pinned | B.lay | C.sat | D.placed |
A.terror | B.pain | C.panic | D.frustration |
A.something | B.everything | C.nothing | D.anything |
A.drove away | B.drove on | C.pulled back | D.pulled over |
A.Since | B.After | C.While | D.Although |
A.kept | B.left | C.appealed | D.improved |
A.laid | B.rushed | C.dragged | D.walked |
A.shook | B.touched | C.pounded | D.felt |
A.rescue | B.check | C.response | D.arrival |
9 . Music is not just a set of sounds and rhythms. Its influence on the brain is much deeper than any other human experience. Keep on reading to know all those amazing powers of music.
A recent study suggests that preterm (早产的) babies appear to experience less pain and feed more when listening to music. Experts led by Dr. Manoj Kumar of the University of Alberta, Canada, found that music had a beneficial effect on reducing pain for preterm babies experiencing painful medical tests. It also appeared to benefit full-term babies during operations.
Many people experiencing brain damage have speech and movement-related problems. Music can help recover from brain injuries. As a different and effective treatment, doctors often advise such patients to listen to good music to improve the parts of the brain responsible for these two functions. When people with neurological (神经系统的) disorders hear a musical beat, it helps them to regain a balanced walk.
Though music cannot make deafness disappear, it really can stave off the loss of hearing. There was an experiment involving 163 people where 74 were musicians. Participants were asked to pass some listening tests. Musicians heard the sounds better than non-musicians, and this difference gets clearer with age. This means that a 70-year-old musician bears better than a 50-year-old non-musician, even in a noisy environment.
Besides, music mends a broken heart. It is not about a thrown-away love, but about a heart attack. The matter is that music can help people recover from a heart attack or heart operation by reducing blood pressure, slowing down the heartbeat rate, and reducing anxiety. Listening to the quality music produces positive emotions, improves the movement of blood, and expands blood vessels, thus, promoting quick recovery of the whole cardiovascular (心血管的) system.
1. How does music affect preterm babies?A.It helps reduce their pain. |
B.It helps develop their potential in music. |
C.It helps improve their hearing systems. |
D.It helps repair their neurological systems. |
A.导致 | B.增强 | C.延缓 | D.促进 |
A.It has a positive effect on human body systems’ work. |
B.It can help people prevent diseases caused by anxiety. |
C.It helps make a person feel optimistic about life. |
D.It can help patients recover in a slow way. |
A.Who can benefit from music | B.The best time to listen to music |
C.The way to choose quality music | D.How music affects our mind and body |
10 . Chocolate is good for your heart, skin and brain. Usually, people think that chocolate is bad for their health. They describe chocolate as “something to die for” or say “death by chocolate”. Now they should bite their tongues! Evidence (证据) is showing that some kinds of chocolate are actually good for you in the following ways:
A happier heart
Scientists at Harvard University recently examined 136 studies on cocoa — the main ingredient (成分) in chocolate and found that it does seem to strengthen the heart.
Better blood pressure
Jeffrey Blumberg from Tufts University recently found that people with high blood pressure who ate 3.5 ounces (盎司) of dark chocolate per day for two weeks saw their blood pressure drop quickly.
Muscle magic
Chocolate milk may help you recover after a hard workout (锻炼). In a small study at Indiana University, people who drank chocolate milk between workouts did better on a tiredness test than those who had some sports drinks.
Better for your skin
German researchers found that chocolate helped protect and increase blood flow to the skin, improving its appearance.
1. What’s the meaning of “bite their tongues” in the first paragraph?A.Think of it. | B.Speak up. | C.Stop talking. | D.Listen to it. |
A.Sports drinks are better than chocolate milk. |
B.Sports drinks can make people easy to be tired. |
C.Drinking chocolate milk can keep you energetic at work. |
D.Milk is useful to fight against tiredness during our work. |
A.Scientists at Harvard University believe. |
B.Jeffrey Blumberg from Tufts University believes. |
C.Scientists at Indiana University believe. |
D.German researchers believe. |
A.Chocolate, a Healthy Food. | B.More Chocolate, Less Health. |
C.Chocolate and Blood Pressure. | D.Advice on Eating Chocolate. |
A.a health magazine | B.a travel guide |
C.a fiction book | D.a biology textbook |