1 . The email hit me like a punch in the gut. It came from my
But despite my
But then, I surprised myself by quickly
Sometimes life sucks and things happen, and we cannot
A.housekeeper | B.parents | C.editor | D.customers |
A.desperately | B.unfortunately | C.hopefully | D.thankfully |
A.initial | B.endless | C.various | D.regular |
A.moved | B.committed | C.disturbed | D.thrilled |
A.laid off | B.approved of | C.seen through | D.looked into |
A.remarkably | B.ambitiously | C.identically | D.negatively |
A.promotion | B.threat | C.column | D.application |
A.boundary | B.failure | C.tendency | D.distance |
A.switching | B.objecting | C.adding | D.comparing |
A.self-defense | B.self-respect | C.self-doubt | D.self-approval |
A.suggestion | B.perspective | C.assistance | D.breath |
A.commanded | B.allowed | C.warned | D.inspired |
A.discover | B.track | C.forget | D.control |
A.routine | B.dream | C.reflection | D.principle |
A.goner | B.victim | C.delay | D.rank |
2 . Before this COVID-19 pandemic, family vacations were simple. They consisted of a trip to Disneyworld, a week at a resort, or perhaps a booking on a cruise line that every family member was excited about, The only thing many had to worry about was forgetting the passports or a child forgetting the toothbrush or losing the favorite toy somewhere between the airport and the hotel. Now, the days of vacations look completely different and for those who have taken one during the pandemic, many things have changed.
Many families have routine (例行的) vacations that they take every year and this year. But due to the pandemic, many vacations didn’t happen as planned, So, vacations were put on the back burner and weren’t taken until much later in the year and for many people, change in their work lives allowed this. With more parents working from home and more kids taking part in homeschooling at home, families found going on vacation became much easier without the physical need to be somewhere else. This was also the year that many people remembered that they’re surrounded by nature. Rather than booking the typical vacation to the most-visited destinations or popular theme parks, many people-families especially-chose the lesser-crowded destinations. This meant that more families chose vacation activities such as camping, preferring to connect with nature rather than walk the busy streets. This also meant that vacation rentals (租用的房屋或汽车、设备等) were up in popularity and even in popular destinations, such as beach towns, The possibility of small crowds didn’t stop some families due to the fact that they rented the whole place.
It now looks like these changes might be here to stay, at least for some time longer, before the world returns to a state of normality.
1. What is the author’s purpose in writing the first paragraph?A.To reach a conclusion. |
B.To make a comparison. |
C.To introduce a new topic |
A.Completely ruined. |
B.Out of the question. |
C.Put aside for the time being. |
A.They preferred to take part in physical activities. |
B.They wanted to avoid the crowds while travelling |
C.They made careful preparation before the vacation |
A.They may continue into the future. |
B.They’ll bring families closer together. |
C.They might not last longer than expected. |
3 . If you’ve always wanted to grow your own fruits and vegetables but could never quite make the time for it-technology is here to help you.
At first glance, technology and farming don’t go hand in hand, but that’s old school thinking. In this day and age, technology and farming are a perfect match. With cheap sensors (传感器), simple phone apps, and available equipment, you can build your very own farming robot.
Give it power, water, and Wi-Fi, and it will take care of the rest. FarmBot can plant water, weed, and monitor the soil and plants with an array of sensors. All you need to do(is harvest the produce once it’s done.
FarmBot is an open-source robot developed by a company. It runs on tracks, and uses game-like open-source software. Everything is customizable (可定制的) and adaptable. You design your land and drop plants onto a virtual map of your land, The seeds are spaced automatically, and you can apply different growing plans. It can be controlled by a phone, tablet, or computer.
FarmBot is an example of precision farming-a series of tools and techniques that enable farmers to optimize (充分利用) their resources and increase harvest, while also (being more sustainable. For instance, a soil humidity sensor lets you know when it’s time to water the plants, or a nutrient detector lets you know which areas (if any) need anymore nutrients.
Back in the day, precision farming would require heavy and expensive equipment. But recently, the miniaturization (小型化) of sensors, together with the use of smartphones; Internet, and apps, has made it much more accessible, FarmBot is taking that idea and applying it-no green thumb (特殊园艺才能) required.
1. What is playing an important part in transforming the traditional farming?A.Farmer. | B.Robot. | C.Technology. |
A.It can do all kinds of farm work |
B.It can work according to your plan |
C.It can adapt well to a new environment |
A.It’s an easy process. |
B.It’s highly competitive |
C.It’s productive and environmentally friendly. |
A.Robots can grow crops for people. |
B.There is no need to grow your own fruits. |
C.Technology is making life hard for farmers |
4 . Super Space Seeds
How to grow food in space if humans will one day live there. A recent experiment at the Tiangong space station makes a big step forward.
Chinese astronauts have successfully grown rice seedlings (幼苗) during the Shenzhou XIV mission. Since the rice experiment began on July 29, the seedlings of the tall shoot rice variety (高秆水稻品种) have reached a height of 30 centimeters. The seedlings of the dwarf rice variety (矮秆水稻品种) have grown to 5 centimeters, China Daily reported on Aug. 30.
While there have been other rice experiments in space, this one is the first of its kind to produce the complete life cycle of a plant — it begins with a seed and ends with a mature plant producing new seeds.
Such food-growing experiments are not just for astronauts. They can also solve food problems on Earth. By sending seeds to space, we can create mutated (突变的) seeds, thanks to micro-gravity, lack of air and cosmic rays (宇宙射线). The seeds can then produce higher yields (产量) on Earth.
For more than 30 years, China has developed over 260 new types of seeds in space. They are planted every year in fields that cover tens of millions of hectares.
According to an engineer from Hainan Aerospace (航天) Engineering Breeding Research Center, 30 percent of strawberries sold in Beijing are “space strawberries”, which are as big as eggs. The center has also produced “space tomatoes” with yields increased by 30 percent, and “space bananas” with a growth cycle shortened from 13 months to 9 months.
1. How high did the tall shoot rice variety grow for the first month?A.5 cm. | B.25 cm. | C.30 cm. | D.35 cm. |
A.The dwarf rice variety. | B.The tall shoot rice variety. |
C.The last rice experiment in space. | D.The rice experiment on Shenzhou XIV. |
A.Its seedlings have successfully come up. |
B.It goes through a complete life cycle. |
C.Its seedlings are growing very well. |
D.It uses completely new rice varieties. |
A.Space planting is benefiting us. |
B.Space planting has disadvantages. |
C.People will never run out of food. |
D.People are afraid of food bred in space. |
5 . Mr. Guo is a teacher from Xi’an. He asked his students to hand in their homework through a QR code(二维码). “We spent an hour or two in class learning how to generate (产生) the codes, and in the end everything gets easier” said Gao. “When students finish the homework, they keep it on WeChat. Then, each student makes his own QR code and gives it to me. So I can check their work everywhere using my computer or telephone.”
The QR codes can be sent to Mr. Guo by email, QQ and WeChat. When Guo scans(扫描)his students’ QR codes, their homework appears on his phone. He finds that their homework becomes more creative, with many pictures, music and even videos.
Guo’s students like the new way and think it is interesting. “We are living in the information age. Many students like to work with computers, which makes learning more fun,” said Tingting, a student of Guo’s.
“The paper is not easy to keep, but the code is easy to keep and share,” Guo said. “It is worth trying to use new technology in education. Education itself is a kind of creation. I don’t want my students to fall behind the times.”
However, some parents are worried. They are afraid that their children will spend too much time on computers and less time communicating with teachers. But in fact, it’s unnecessary. Students still need to look up information in books and write it down when they do their homework. They only use the code when they hand in their homework, which doesn’t take them too much time. Also for teachers, it allows them to check the Students’ work at any time. And it’s also an easy way to share homework with other students.
1. According to the passage, students can keep their homework on________.A.WeChat | B.QQ | C.e-mail | D.blog |
A.strange | B.boring | C.interesting | D.unnecessary |
A.talk with teachers face to face |
B.spend too much time on computers |
C.not like the new way of handing in homework |
D.find the QR codes too difficult to use |
A.Teachers needn’t check homework any more. |
B.Students needn’t hand in homework any more. |
C.Using QR codes makes checking homework easier. |
D.Some parents are worried about their children. |
6 . Paris is the capital of the European nation of France. It is also one of the most beautiful and most famous cities in the world.
Paris is called the City of Light. It is also an international fashion center. What women are wearing in Paris will be worn by women all over the world. Paris is also a famous world center of education. For example, it is where the headquarters of UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
The Seine River divides the city into two parts. Thirty-two bridges cross this beautiful river. The oldest and perhaps most well-known is the Point Neuf, which was built in the sixteenth century. The Sorbonne, a famous university, stands on the left bank of the river. There are many other famous places in Paris, such as the famous museum, the Louvre, as well as the Notre Dame. However, the most famous building in this city is Eiffel Tower.
Paris is named after a group of people called the Parisii. They built a small village on an island in the middle of the Seine River about two thousand years ago. This island, called the lle de la Cite, is where Notre Dame lies. Today around eight million people live in the Paris area.
1. This article mainly tells us about ________.
A.the buildings in Paris | B.the general situations of Paris |
C.the center of the world | D.the famous buildings along the Seine River |
A.tall buildings | B.research center | C.important areas | D.main office |
A.the clothes worn by women in Paris are liked by women all over the world |
B.women in Paris sell their clothes all over the world |
C.women from all over the world go to Paris and wear their own clothes |
D.women from all over the world like to go to Paris to buy clothes |
A.UNESCO | B.the Pont Neuf | C.Eiffel Tower | D.Notre Dame |
A.Paris is the capital of the European nation of France. |
B.Paris is called the City of Light. |
C.The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is located in Paris. |
D.The most famous building in this city is the famous museum., the Louvre. |
7 . A new app promises to help Barcelona residents find the shadiest route between two places to avoid extreme heat.
Users can choose the most direct route, a shady route that may take a little longer, or they can set the app to a special mode, which avoids direct sunlight at all costs. Users can also use the app to find drinking fountains, or places to shelter from the sun.
The app uses a tool called Lidar to create high-resolution models of ground, accurate to within 10 cm. This information is combined with data on the sun’s path to work out where is in shade at any given time of the day.
Barcelona is looking to use green spaces and trees as part of its efforts to relieve the effects of global heating. The city’s 20-year tree planting plan aims to increase the proportion of land covered by trees from 25% to 30%.
Heatwaves kill more people than any other climate risk. According to C40,a climate leadership group made up of 97 cities around the world, extreme heat events in cities can lead to a 14% increase in death rates, as well as lower workforce productivity and damage infrastructure (基础设施) such as roads and rail lines.
Jon Burke, who was responsible for a massive expansion of tree planting in the district, said. “I think we should view this particular kind of app as a temporary measure to reduce the impacts of extreme heat... while cities rapidly invest in urban canopy (树冠层) cover and broader green infrastructure.”
1. What does Paragraph 2 mainly talk about?A.The designer of the app. | B.The function of the app. |
C.The potential users of the app. | D.The working principle of the app. |
A.Predict. | B.Feel. | C.Consider. | D.Reduce. |
A.The app is as a ever-lasting measure to reduce the effect of extreme heat. |
B.Jon Burke was responsible for a large scale of tree planting. |
C.The app stresses the importance of road construction. |
D.The app warns people of more upcoming disasters. |
A.The district needs to be expanded. |
B.Jon Burke has a great sense of duty. |
C.Investment in tree planting is a wise choice. |
D.The app is powerful enough to cope with heatwaves. |
8 . It was the final part of the 2016 World Triathlon (铁人三项) Series in Mexico. With just 700 metres to go, Alistair Brownlee was in third place and his younger brother Jonny, was in the lead. Alistair pushed himself towards the finish line in the burning heat, but as he came round the corner, he saw his brother about to fall onto the track. Alistair had to choose brotherly love, or a chance to win the race.
For Alistair, the choice was clear. His brother was in trouble. He had to help. Alistair ran towards Jonny, caught him and started pulling him towards the finish line. Alistair then pushed his brother over the line. The move put Jonny in second place and Alistair himself in third. It was an unexpected end to the race, but Alistair did not want to discuss it with the media. He just wanted to see his younger brother, who had been rushed to the medical area.
The Brownlee brothers have been doing triathlons since they were children. “Obviously, when your older brother is doing it, you think it’s a cool thing to do,” says Jonny. Alistair says that they encourage each other as much as they can when they train. Though there are arguments over “stupid things” now and then, Alistair agrees that having a brother is an advantage. “Throughout my entire life, I’ve had my brother trying to beat me at everything I do. It has been a fantastic driving force.”
Watched by millions, the ending to the race has different opinions: should the brothers have been disqualified (取消资格) or highly praised for their actions? But for Alistair, his decision was easy to explain:“Mun wouldn’t have been happy if I’d left Jonny behind.” At that moment, he was no longer an athlete aiming for a medal——he was just a brother.
1. Why did Alistair get third place only?A.He fell onto the track accidentally. | B.He was overtaken by another athlete. |
C.He stopped to give his brother a hand. | D.He struggled with the burning heat. |
A.An inspiration. | B.An authority. | C.A competitor. | D.A follower. |
A.Unfavorable. | B.Supportive. | C.Uninterested. | D.Varied. |
A.The Finish Line | B.Just a Brother | C.To Win or Not | D.Life Is a Race |
A.Life. | B.Health. | C.Sports. | D.Community. |
9 . Wild beavers (河狸) are back! Experts say that the wild beaver families are doing well. The beavers are even boosting wildlife and the environment!
Over ten years ago, a family of beavers turned up in a part of the river Otter, in Devon. No one knew exactly where they came from. It was a big surprise wild beavers hadn’t lived in England for around 400 years!
In 2015, the government allowed the beavers to stay there as part of a test. They wanted to see if these animals could be reintroduced to the wild. The test ends in February. Some scientists from the University of Exeter already say the beavers help the wildlife in the area. One scientist called it “an amazing story”.
A lot of this is because of dams (水坝). Beavers build dams along the river. This creates deep pools in the riverbed and slows the water down. Scientists say this is perfect for many different types of plants and animals! Many plants are growing near the beavers. Different types of animals are also becoming more and more in the river. Beavers also help make flooding less, scientists say. The beavers’ dams slow down the speed of the river, especially after heavy rain.
Beavers aren’t the only animals that are being reintroduced to the wild! In 2019, red squirrels were brought back to an area of the Scottish Highlands. Further away, the world's rarest (罕见的) duck, the Madagascar pochard, is making a comeback. It was set free into the wild on the African island in 2019 and is doing well.
Who knows what other animals might be making a comeback?
1. The underlined word “boosting”in Paragraph 1 probably means “______”A.building | B.spreading | C.helping | D.creating |
A.To reintroduce animals to the wild. |
B.To introduce the beavers to the wild. |
C.To build dams for the beavers in the river. |
D.To grow more different plants along the river. |
A.They help plants grow. | B.They eat up the plants. |
C.They do harm to animals. | D.They bring heavy floods. |
A.One. | B.Two. | C.Three. | D.Four. |
A.Worried. | B.Disappointed. | C.Tired. | D.Pleased. |
A.that | B.what | C.how | D.why |
A.we | B.they | C.you | D.people |
A.loving | B.taking | C.making | D.thinking |
A.have | B.get | C.do | D.offer |
A.everyday | B.every day | C.each day | D.some day |
A.widely | B.wide | C.great | D.deeply |
A.either | B.all | C.both | D.every |
A.producing | B.ordering | C.making | D.building |
A.take | B.look at | C.draw | D.put |
A.one day | B.a day | C.any day | D.the other day |
A.when | B.that | C.how | D.while |
A.chose | B.get | C.take | D.make |
A.a | B.an | C.the | D./ |
A.often | B.never | C.always | D.sometimes |
A.with | B.under | C.by | D.for |