1 . As new technology is introduced, there are many who worry about its influence on our current and future lifestyles－particularly when it comes to jobs. It is a current belief that with the rise of automation and artificial intelligence (AI), many people’s jobs, and therefore their livelihoods, are likely to be lost.

Automation in the workplace is nothing new. Machines have been performing dull tasks on our behalf for years, allowing us to escape many repetitive jobs. A recent report from the McKinsey Global Institute states that nearly two thirds of all jobs could have at least 30% of their activities automated by 2030. However, McKinsey also believes that this new technology will also ‘create new occupations that do not exist today, much as technologies in the past have done.’ As the horse gave way to the car, hostlers (马夫) became mechanics and mechanised fields drove up wages and created more long-term roles than it destroyed.

“It’s an evolution of work,” says Ian Barkin, a robotic process automation specialist. As low-skilled jobs are taken on by AI, people will need to learn new skills. “This calls on us to focus on up-skilling. Technology can lead to job reductions but it doesn’t have to,” says Barkin.

Whether or not robots and AI will leave us all jobless remains to be seen. Current views on the subject are mixed. Increased automation could indeed lead to a loss of some jobs, but at the same time is likely to create many more as new skills are required. Will they balance out?

1. How do many people feel about the influence of AI?

A．Quite delighted.	B．Quite surprised.
C．A sense of fear.	D．A sense of pride.

2. What might be McKinsey’s attitude to the rise of automation?

A．Doubtful.	B．Negative.
C．Critical.	D．Approving.

3. What does the underlined word “up-skilling” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Taking risks.	B．Improving ourselves.
C．Adapting to the world.	D．Thinking positively.

4. Which can best express the author’s view on automation?

A．Every coin has two sides.

B．Where there is life, there is hope.

C．It’s better to do well than to say well.

D．A bad workman quarrels with his tools.

2 . Most of us marry creativity to our concept of self either we're "creative" or we aren't, without much of a middle ground. "I'm just not a creative person!" a frustrated student might say in art class, while another might blame her talent at painting for her difficulties in math, giving a comment such as, "I'm very right-brained."

Dr. Pillay, a tech entrepreneur and an assistant professor at Harvard University, has been challenging these ideas. He believes that the key to unlocking your creative potential is to ignore the traditional advice that urges you to "believe in yourself." In fact, you should do the opposite: Believe you are someone else.

Dr. Pillay points to a 2016 study demonstrating the impact of stereotypes on one's behavior; The authors.   educational psychologists Denis Dumas and Kevin Dunbar, divided their college student subjects into three groups, instructing the members of one to think of themselves as "romantic poets" and the members of another to imagine they were "serious librarians" (the third group was the control). The researchers then presented all the participants with ten ordinary objects, including a fork, a carrot, and a pair of pants, and asked them to come up with as many different uses as possible for each one. Those who were asked to imagine themselves as romantic poets came up with the widest range of ideas, whereas those in the serious-librarian group had the fewest. Meanwhile, the researchers found only small differences in students' creativity levels across academic majors.

These results suggest that creativity is not a fixed individual characteristic but a "malleable product of context and perspective, as long as he or she feels like a creative person. Dr. Pillay argues that, besides identifying yourself as creative, taking the bold, creative step of imagining you are somebody else is even more powerful. So, wish you were more creative? Just pretend!

1. According to the passage， who is more likely to unlock his creative potential?

A．An art major who always believes in himself.

B．A math major who has excellent academic performance

C．A physics major who likes to imagine himself as a poet.

D．A history major who works as a librarian on weekends.

2. What does the Study conducted by Denis Dumas and Kevin Dunbar focus on?

A．The creativity of the college students.

B．The stereotypes of the college students.

C．The impact of stereotypes on one's behavior

D．The influence of creativity on one's behavior.

3. The underlined word in the last paragraph probably means__________?

A．stable

B．sustainable

C．predicable

D．changeable

4. Dr Pillay may agree with the statement that__________.

A．there is no doubt that we are either creative or not

B．a student who doesn't do well in art class is not creative

C．right brain determines whether a person is creative or not

D．if we pretend to be creative， then we might be really creative

3 . The Assassin's Creed series has been about building immersive （沉浸式的）and accurate historical worlds. As their newest game releases _f Assassins Creed Origins, they have also released their Discovery Tours. These tours give players a chance to walk the streets of ancient Egypt, explore Alexandria and the pyramids, and learn about wildlife and geography. For students, experiencing the ancient world in this interactive way can be more interesting and effective than just reading a textbook or watching a documentary about what they are studying.

Assassins Creed is not the only game series that can be educational either. What is important about the role of historical games is the level of choice. When watching a film, students are passive receivers of content. However, when playing a game students have an active role to play in history. A focus on choice and consequence is an important element of teaching and understanding history, so historical games can be a valuable teaching tool even if they aren't completely historically accurate. They have the power to immerse students in faraway worlds and allow them to think critically about cause and consequence, think about why historical events unfolded the way they did, and even think about possible alternative outcomes. All of these are critical for historical thinking processes. No longer do students need to rely only on reading textbooks or on instructors for knowledge.

When carrying this out in your class, remember that not all students enjoy playing video games, but they can still be a valuable learning tool. The instructor also needs to be an active facilitator and taking note of teachable moments. A video game is not going to teach a class ； it requires an awesome instructor to make everything come together. With the power of video games, ancient worlds no longer need to be limited to the pages of a textbook.

1. What does the underlined phrase “this interactive way“ in paragraph 1 refer to?

A．Walking an ancient street.	B．Playing a new game.
C．Reading a textbook.	D．Watching a documentary.

2. What does paragraph 2 mainly tell us about Assassins Creed?

A．Why it is different from the film.	B．Why it gains popularity.
C．How it benefits teaching.	D．How it came into being.

3. Who plays a core role in game-aided teaching?

A．The teachers.	B．The players.
C．The designers.	D．The audiences.

4. What's the key message of this text?

A．A vivid description of ancient architecture.

B．An account of a new history learning method.

C．A detailed explanation of a social problem.

D．An online advertisement of a stylish trend.

4 . The biggest and the smallest of the world’s animals are most at risk of dying out, according to a new analysis, with vertebrates (脊椎动物) in the so-called “Goldilocks zone”—not too big and not too small—winning out. Action is needed to protect animals at both ends of the scale, they say. The research adds to evidence that animals are dying out on such a scale that a sixth extinction is considered under way.

One clue is body size. Research on birds and mammals has shown that those with larger bodies are more likely to go extinct. Yet, when the researchers made a database of thousands of birds, mammals, fish, amphibians (两栖动物) and reptiles (爬行动物) at risk of extinction, they found disproportionate (不成比例的) losses at the large and small ends of the scale.

“Surprisingly, we found that not only the largest of all vertebrate animal species are most threatened, but the very tiniest ones are also highly threatened with extinction,” Prof. Ripple told BBC News.

Large animals, such as elephants, rhinos (犀牛) and lions have long been the target of protection efforts. However, fish, birds, reptiles and amphibians that are the giants of their kind, such as the whale shark, Somali ostrich (鸵鸟) and the Chinese giant salamander (蝾螈), tend to be overlooked. Meanwhile, small species at risk--such as frogs and shrews (鼩鼱)--receive very little attention.

“I think, for the smallest species, first of all we need to bring higher awareness to them, because the larger ones get a lot of attention, but the smaller ones get very little,” said Prof. Ripple.

In the study, vertebrates with the smallest and the largest bodies were found to be most at risk of disappearing, whether they were on land or living in oceans, streams or rivers.

Heavyweights are threatened mainly by hunting, while featherweights are losing out to pollution and cutting down forests. “Ultimately, reducing global consumption of wild meat is a key step to reduce negative impacts of hunting, fishing, and trapping on the world’s vertebrates,” they write in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

1. What made the researchers feel surprised?

A．A sixth of animals are dying out.

B．Small animals are in great danger.

C．Great losses of birds and mammals.

D．Big animals are at risk of disappearing.

2. What should we do first for the smallest species according to Prof. Ripple?

A．Transform our habits.	B．Change our concepts.
C．Find ways to save small animals.	D．Take measures to stop pollution.

3. What presents the great threat to vertebrates according to the last paragraph?

A．Loss of forests.	B．Climate change.
C．Human activities.	D．Environmental pollution.

4. What would be the best title for the passage?

A．Size Matters When It Comes to Extinction Risk

B．Large Animals Are Badly in Need of Protection

C．Why a Great Number of Animals Are Dying out

D．What We Should Do to Protect Endangered Species

5 . Minh Best, born without arms, loves to paint and she's found a unique way to approach her work. To ____ her paintings, she uses her foot to hold the brush. The girl has not let anything   ____ her back, especially from doing what she loves: painting.

Her paintings have ____ from an artistic hobby into a way for Minh and her parents, Sarah Best and Justin Best, to raise money for her to ____ Camp No Limits. " Camp No Limits is a camp for children with limb (肢体) differences, " Sarah Best said. We are trying to ____ to West next year as there are campers like Minh and we want her to ____ them.”

Online and direct messages with specific requests are ____ ways Minh's paintings have been sold. “Several people have told us, with tears in their eyes, how ____ they are to get to see her do what she loves. “ Sarah Best said.

The family has already raised more than $5,000, helping pay for travel ____ to two camps just this year. “ ____ she attends these camps, she’ll know she’s just one of the crowd, ” Sarah Best remarked.

As her drawings continue to ____ the shelves, Minh's family would love to be able to help other kids attend these camps and offer financial assistance through these _____. “Attending these camps, she’s already ____ others as well,” Best said. “Again, her love for life is just catching and it gives people of all ages ____, even at these camps.”

Minh will continue to paint, cook, dance and do everything that brings her joy ____ limitations.

1.

A．sell

B．enjoy

C．promote

D．make

2.

A．hold

B．call

C．bring

D．give

3.

A．risen

B．grown

C．ranged

D．stayed

4.

A．attend

B．witness

C．experience

D．deliver

5.

A．move

B．walk

C．travel

D．cycle

6.

A．argue with

B．catch up with

C．fit in with

D．agree with

7.

A．normal

B．common

C．original

D．unique

8.

A．blessed

B．annoyed

C．considerate

D．adorable

9.

A．plans

B．books

C．aims

D．expenses

10.

A．Since

B．Though

C．When

D．Because

11.

A．run into

B．pass down

C．apply for

D．fly off

12.

A．lessons

B．classes

C．donations

D．comments

13.

A．hurt

B．inspired

C．prevented

D．offended

14.

A．money

B．hope

C．experiences

D．paintings

15.

A．without

B．despite

C．over

D．through

6 . The last complete ice shelf in the Canadian Arctic has collapsed(倒塌).The Milne Ice Shelf is _______ Ellesmere Island,Canada.The shelf lost _______ 40 percent of its area in just two days at the end of July.

Above normal air temperatures,offshore winds and open water in front of the shelf are all parts of the _______ for its break-up.The shelf area shrank(缩小）by about 80 square kilometers.By comparison,the island of Manhattan in New York _______ about 60 square kilometers.Temperatures in the polar area have been _______ intense(强烈的).Summer in the Canadian Arctic this year has been 5 degrees Celsius_______ the 30-year average.That has _______ smaller ice caps,_______ can melt quickly.As a glacier disappears,more bedrock is left _______.This then speeds up the melting__________. A research camp,including instruments for measuring water flow through the ice shelf,was lost when the shelf at Ellesmere Island collapsed.

＂It was only a __________ of time,"said Mark Serreze,director of the National Snow and Ice Data Center. His study showed the ice caps were__________ to disappear within five years.Their disappearance was __________ last month,when NASA satellite images of the area showed a complete lack of snow and ice.Serreze's __________ trip to the Arctic was many years ago."When I was there in the 1980s,I knew every square inch of those ice caps,"Serreze said."You have the good __________.It's like your first girlfriend.I want her back."

1.

A．at the edge of

B．in front of

C．at the back of

D．at the end of

2.

A．rather than

B．less than

C．other than

D．more than

3.

A．situations

B．conditions

C．elements

D．problems

4.

A．combines

B．covers

C．evaluates

D．obtains

5.

A．seriously

B．especially

C．naturally

D．nearly

6.

A．down

B．below

C．up

D．above

7.

A．reduced

B．broken

C．threatened

D．brought

8.

A．which

B．that

C．where

D．whose

9.

A．uncovered

B．discovered

C．predicted

D．spotted

10.

A．program

B．progress

C．project

D．process

11.

A．question

B．thing

C．matter

D．concept

12.

A．possibly

B．likely

C．probably

D．surely

13.

A．simplified

B．launched

C．confirmed

D．accompanied

14.

A．research

B．search

C．culture

D．business

15.

A．dreams

B．ideas

C．attitudes

D．memories

7 . China is determined to land its astronauts on the moon and set up a scientific station there,according to a project leader.

Zhou Yanfei,deputy chief designer of China's manned space program,said on Friday that China wishes to use the manned lunar missions to carry out scientific surveys and technology demonstrations,explore ways to develop lunar resources and strengthen the nation's space capabilities.

＂A new wave of lunar explorations has been emerging in the world,with participants aiming to make sustainable missions to deepen knowledge of the moon and exploit resources there,"he said in a report delivered at the 2020 China Space Conference in Fuzhou,Fujian province."Unlike other nations,China must depend on its own science and technology to realize our goals."

The country is independently able to land its astronauts on the moon because it has the technologies,a group of well-trained,innovative professionals and high-efficiency research and management systems,Zhou said."However,our existing carrier rockets can't perform landing missions to the moon because they are not powerful enough.The Shenzhou- series manned spaceships are not suitable for lunar expeditions.We don't have a lunar landing capsule,"he said."Our ground support system was designed for operations in low-Earth orbit rather than on the lunar surface.

To solve the problem, we set out to produce a powerful launch vehicle. Zhou said researchers thought about two approaches-making a new heavy-lift rocket,or adjusting the next-generation rocket designed to carry astronauts,which is under development.Researchers prefer the latter approach because it would be easier to design and make and would become operational earlier.

The new rocket is being designed at the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology.Its main body will be 87 meters tall,with a diameter of 5 meters,which would make it almost twice as tall as the Long March 5,currently the biggest of China's rockets.

1. Which is NOT the goal of the manned lunar mission?

A．To explore lunar resources.

B．To perform scientific experiments.

C．To set up a scientific station.

D．To strengthen the national space power.

2. What is the main idea of paragraph 4?

A．China is not capable of pursuing the manned lunar program.

B．There are still difficulties in pursuing the manned lunar program.

C．There are a series of steps in the Manned Lunar program.

D．It is manageable to carry out the Manned Lunar program.

3. What can we infer from the passage?

A．Nations must depend on themselves to explore the moon.

B．The Long March 5 is the biggest of China's rocket.

C．The newly-designed rocket will not carry astronauts.

D．Producing a powerful launch vehicle is the most difficult part in the program.

4. What do the figures in the last paragraph imply?

A．The new rocket is big enough to perform landing missions.

B．The new rocket is being made to launch lunar spaceship.

C．China's scientific power has improved.

D．The new rocket will be put into use soon.

8 . I was walking my dog Snoopy one evening while the last light of the setting sun _________ the clouds purple and pink. I looked up at the sky and smiled. After a minute Snoopy started _________ at her leash. She was more than ready to head inside for a bowl of dog food and a bacon   _________. I wasn’t quite ready to go in, however, so I _______ her. I was waiting for my friends the Little Blinkers to appear.

It wasn’t long either _______ I saw them switching their lights on and off. They were fireflies, of course, also known as lightning bugs. Over all the years that I have lived here they have never failed to appear at this time during the summer. They have never failed to _______me. They have never failed to make the world a little brighter. It has always been such a _______ too knowing that such wonderful creatures can shine their own light and make the _______ meadows look like the starry skies above. They make me want to share my own light as well, even if it isn’t that bright and even if it does _______ to blink now and then.

Robert Fulghum wrote, “I know some people who ________a lot of light. Because they have absorbed a lot of light themselves. They shine.” I don’t know how much light I have ________the years, but I do know that I won’t keep it ________ under a basket. I will shine it. I will share it. I will use it to ________as much goodness, love, joy, and wisdom into this world as I possibly can.

May you always ________ your light as brightly as you can. May you always share it with others as well. Remember that you are not asked to ________the whole world up. What you need to do is just to make your little corner of it a bit brighter.

1.

A．printed

B．dyed

C．colored

D．pictured

2.

A．pushing

B．pulling

C．dragging

D．waving

3.

A．food

B．thing

C．treat

D．feast

4.

A．comforted

B．approved

C．pleased

D．blamed

5.

A．unless

B．before

C．when

D．once

6.

A．delight

B．disappoint

C．satisfy

D．touch

7.

A．chance

B．surprise

C．curiosity

D．joy

8.

A．green

B．ordinary

C．vast

D．dark

9.

A．intend

B．plan

C．tend

D．manage

10.

A．give out

B．give off

C．give away

D．give in

11.

A．absorbed

B．appealed

C．applied

D．collected

12.

A．stayed

B．remained

C．changed

D．hidden

13.

A．cause

B．appear

C．bring

D．require

14.

A．hold

B．shine

C．spread

D．offer

15.

A．build

B．deepen

C．light

D．brighten

9 . My journey to isolation (隔离) was somewhat accidental.

I saw an advertisement for a job as a leader for an expedition (探险) to Antarctica-and I have to_________it was the penguin in the ad that_________my attention. The ad noted that they were looking for someone to lead a_________of expeditioners in one of the most_________and isolated places on the planet. I took part in an_________and then got a job that I knew I would regret if I didn’t_________it. Leading 18 strangers for a full year-through months of darkness and with no_________from the freezing cold -----I learned some_________lessons.

After the journey, I wrote two best-selling books and became a motivational speaker. Being in isolation meant I had to do lots of self_________.I kept a__________, and every day I would think__________of how I had operated as a leader. That discipline of__________myself taught me how to tell right from wrong.

I often think back to__________I saw the picture of the penguin that__________me to look at the ad for the job. It’s a moment that__________my life completely.

1.

A．admit

B．believe

C．indicate

D．realize

2.

A．demanded

B．deserved

C．caught

D．needed

3.

A．flood

B．couple

C．team

D．handful

4.

A．awful

B．remote

C．promising

D．disturbing

5.

A．experiment

B．interview

C．election

D．investigation

6.

A．make for

B．prepare for

C．register for

D．go for

7.

A．escape

B．departure

C．protection

D．defence

8.

A．hard

B．powerful

C．private

D．terrible

9.

A．service

B．repair

C．study

D．reflection

10.

A．pet

B．secret

C．journal

D．promise

11.

A．clearly

B．carefully

C．highly

D．badly

12.

A．evaluating

B．forgiving

C．behaving

D．enjoying

13.

A．where

B．why

C．when

D．how

14.

A．enabled

B．permitted

C．allowed

D．inspired

15.

A．improved

B．formed

C．ended

D．changed

10 . My local supermarket is always busy. The first parking space I found was convenient, but I’d noticed a woman in a blue car _________ for a while. As I was _________, I let her have it. On the _________ of the car park I backed into the next available spot — it was a tight fit.

Pretty soon, I’d made my way through the supermarket and was back in the fresh air. Feeling good, I _________ my purse change into the hands of a homeless man and helped a _________ woman reverse park (倒车).

Just as I _________ my car, I saw the woman I’d let have my car space _________. She was giving a mean odd _________— half puzzled, half intent (热切的). I smiled and wished her a pleasant day. As I squeezed back into my car, I _________ the same lady looking in at me. “Hello,” she said, hesitantly. “This might sound crazy but I was on my way to ____________ some of my mother’s things off at the charity bins.” “You are just so much like her. You helped those people, I noticed, and you seemed so happy.” She looked at me meaningfully and passed a box in through the ____________, “I think she would like you to have it.” Shocked, I took it from her ____________. She smiled and walked away.

After a pause, I opened the box. ____________ was a beautiful gold necklace with a large grey pearl. It was the nicest gift I’d ever received, and it was from a complete ____________. The necklace was around my neck, a warm ____________ of human kindness.

1.

A．watching

B．circling

C．running

D．crossing

2.

A．in a hurry

B．in a dilemma

C．in a good mood

D．in panic

3.

A．edge

B．barrier

C．stage

D．point

4.

A．turned

B．broke

C．divided

D．emptied

5.

A．struggling

B．trembling

C．wandering

D．whistling

6.

A．started

B．approached

C．parked

D．entered

7.

A．former

B．later

C．ago

D．earlier

8.

A．explanation

B．look

C．answer

D．coincidence

9.

A．located

B．caught

C．spotted

D．sought

10.

A．sell

B．wipe

C．drop

D．send

11.

A．back seat

B．car

C．items

D．window

12.

A．automatically

B．accidentally

C．eventually

D．unwillingly

13.

A．Inside

B．Around

C．Beneath

D．Nearby

14.

A．friend

B．companion

C．relative

D．stranger

15.

A．award

B．expectation

C．reminder

D．view