1 . The tech industry created many wonders. However, when it comes to how they are used by kids, they usually bring a _________ influence on them.

My kids________ iPhones very early by playing with the old models my husband and I ________ after we got new ones. As a little girl, my daughter learned the English words on her own from an iPhone app. Besides, she was_________ by simple apps that could repeat her facial expressions and read children’s stories to her. At that time, I considered iPhones quite _______ and usually permit her to use iPhone as a reward.

Things were good for a few years ________she discovered YouTube. I   was_________the first time I caught her watching YouTube videos at midnight. The YouTube videos were so ________ to her that she could not resist watching them even at midnight. It should not have surprised me how ________ YouTube would be. After all, I have spent a good part of my career predicting (预测) users’ needs to _______ users’ stickiness (黏着度). We do not want our users to _________ our product. But at no time did we realize that those users might be our ________ one day. Their immature brains and low self-control ability _________ to avoid the influence of those advanced tech products.

After seeing how my kids got lost in YouTube, I ________ my attitude towards iPhones. I took away their iPhones because they stand little chance of disentangling (使解脱) themselves from the _______ tech products.

1.

A．slight

B．personal

C．negative

D．beneficial

2.

A．had control over

B．got exposed to

C．caught sight of

D．got rid of

3.

A．treasured

B．repaired

C．researched

D．quitted

4.

A．amused

B．frightened

C．disappointed

D．confused

5.

A．abnormal

B．private

C．educational

D．expensive

6.

A．because

B．if

C．unless

D．until

7.

A．shocked

B．curious

C．relaxed

D．proud

8.

A．meaningful

B．appealing

C．familiar

D．essential

9.

A．hopeful

B．stupid

C．costly

D．powerful

10.

A．ignore

B．stop

C．improve

D．monitor

11.

A．analyze

B．leave

C．advertise

D．notice

12.

A．children

B．neighbors

C．teachers

D．parents

13.

A．want

B．forget

C．fail

D．manage

14.

A．adopted

B．changed

C．discussed

D．refused

15.

A．efficient

B．latest

C．useful

D．addictive

2 . The days of the bedroom fitting room are numbered. Online retail giant (零售巨头) Boohoo has become the latest in a string of retailers to start charging shoppers for returns.

By offering free returns in the first place, companies, such as Boohoo, created entirely new behaviour around shopping. A 2018 study found that 9% of UK consumers buy clothes to post on social media, only to return them straight after. Almost one in five 35-to 44-year-olds admit to doing it, and men, apparently, do it more than women.

However, when clothes are returned, they’re likely to be thrown away rather than resold. This is because processing returns is time-consuming and costly. Buttons need to be rebuttoned, labels need to be reattached, products need refolding and rebagging, and then they must be put back   into the system for sale. So it is clearly a cheaper and easier solution for businesses to send the whole lot to landfills (垃圾填埋场). It’s really a great waste of resources, not to mention an insult (冒 犯) to the skilled people who put their time into making each product, but it’s the reality of modern fashion.

When clothes don’t become rubbish, there’s still the impact of the extra shipping to consider, as well as the packaging waste. About 180bn plastic bags are produced every year to store, protect and transport clothes, and less than 15% of them are collected for recycling.

The impact of returns is a fairly well-kept secret, likely to keep people shopping guilt-free (没有负罪感地). But even if it was widely known, it wouldn’t guarantee people would stop treating returns thoughtlessly. After all, other environmental and human impacts of fast fashion are out there for all to see and yet the industry continues to thrive.

Hopefully, charging for returns is expected to change people’s behavior. Without free returns on the table, shoppers may think twice about buying 10 items when they know they’ll only keep five or buying clothes purely for social media content. And with the arrival of return charges, the clothes we already have might also start to look a little more appealing.

1. Why do retailers tend to throw away returned clothes?

A．To keep up with the latest fashion.	B．To avoid a huge waste of resources.
C．To let the skilled people feel honored.	D．To save the trouble of processing returns.

2. What does the author think people will do if they know the impacts of returns?

A．They will feel guilty about shopping.	B．They will continue their shopping behavior.
C．They will consider their shopping carefully.	D．They will keep their shopping behavior secret.

3. What does the author say about the move to charge for returns?

A．It puts great pressure on customers.	B．It can influence social media content.
C．It can do little to help reduce returns.	D．It will turn out to be an effective measure.

4. What is the main idea of the text?

A．It is necessary to charge shoppers for returns.	B．It is difficult to control the number of returns.
C．Many retailers are struggling to process returns.	D．People have different opinions on the end of free returns.

3 . Palestinian farmer Salman al-Nabahin was working in his garden in Gaza when he noticed that some of the new trees he’d planted on his land did not root properly. Curious about what might be causing the issue, al-Nabahin asked his son to help him start digging.

His son’s ax (斧子) struck something hard. When the two men began to clear away the dirt, they discovered an item they did not recognize. A little Internet searching provided the answer to their mystery: They’d come across a Byzantine-era floor mosaic (拜占庭时期马赛克地画) featuring birds and other animals.

This happened six months ago. Now, archaeologists (考古学家) are hard at work studying the flooring to learn more about its secrets and civilization values.

The mosaic features 17 images of birds and other animals presented in bright colors. Archaeologists believe artists created the flooring sometime between the fifth and seventh centuries, though they don’t know whether the mosaic had religious (宗教的) origins. In total, the land covering the entire mosaic is about 500 square meters, and the mosaic itself measures about 23 square meters. Some parts of the mosaic appear to be damaged, likely from the roots of an old tree.

“These are the most beautiful mosaic floors discovered in Gaza, both in terms of the quality of the vivid representation and the complexity of the pattern,” says René Elter, an archaeologist in Jerusalem. “Never have mosaic floors of this precision in the patterns and richness of the colors been discovered in the Gaza Strip.”

The Gaza Strip, which is located between Israel and Egypt and was a busy trade route throughout history, is home to many ancient civilizations. The farmer and his son discovered the mosaic about a kilometer from the border with Israel. Archaeologists and other experts are concerned about the mosaic’s future because of the ongoing conflict there and a lack of funding for historical protection.

1. What led Salman al-Nabahin to the unexpected discovery?

A．His son’s constant digging work.	B．His decision to remove some new trees.
C．The improper growth of some new trees.	D．The appearance of some birds and other animals.

2. What can we learn about the mosaic?

A．Its origin has something to do with religion.	B．The time of its creation can be figured out.
C．It has been seriously damaged by digging work.	D．It reflects relationships between humans and animals.

3. What do René Elter’s words in the last but one paragraph show?

A．The history of the mosaic floors.	B．The great value of the mosaic floors.
C．The secrets hidden in the mosaic floors.	D．The difficulty in creating the mosaic floors.

4. What is some experts’ concern about the mosaic?

A．It may not be well -protected.	B．It may be too large to carry.
C．It may cause regional conflicts.	D．It may lose its historical meaning

4 . March 12 was my last typical day in the classroom before COVID-19 changed everything. When my district closed the following day, I assumed, as many did, that this was a temporary move. However, the closure did not end as quickly as we expected. As the closure continued, while I was glad that none of my students was infected with the virus, I began to worry that the growth of reading ability my first-graders and I worked so hard for would gradually disappear.

It is reported that only one-third of students in the US achieved reading proficiency at grade level in 2019. As the years go by, the gaps become larger, and students who are reading below grade level seldom catch up with their peers. These students often encounter significant social and emotional challenges as they become increasingly aware of their differences from their classmates. And school closures caused by COVID-19 have made the situation even worse.

So when my district reopened in the fall, we were faced with difficult decisions about how to best deliver instruction. At our school, all students have to take a series of short screening tests to assess reading ability at the beginning of the school year. Considering that one size cannot fit all, I adjusted my teaching plans in time throughout the year. If a student received a low score in a particular area, I’d conduct a follow-up assessment to learn about the real cause of the difficulty.

I also conducted exercises to help students practice reading skills. Using other online platforms, I created interactive

lessons with other teachers, in which students practiced reading and writing specific words, reading full sentences and answering corresponding comprehension questions. The platforms enabled us to see all students’ screens at once and gauge which students were on target and needed additional support. They also provided information for planning subsequent lessons.

As a teacher, I know I cannot make all children reach proficiency in literacy (读写能力) myself, but I believe what I am doing can really make a difference to their lives, and I will go on with it.

1. What did the author worry about during the closure?

A．The health condition of her students.

B．The decline in her enthusiasm for work.

C．The uncertainty about the duration of the closure.

D．The influence of closure on students’ reading ability.

2. What did the author do to help her students improve their reading ability?

A．She motivated students to analyze their own problems.

B．She adapted teaching strategies to suit her students’ needs.

C．She used technology to make reading exercises more interesting.

D．She instructed students to take screening tests before each class.

3. What does the underlined word “gauge” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Judge.

B．Explain.

C．Control.

D．Change.

4. Which of the following words can best describe the author?

A．Strict and wise.	B．Responsible and flexible.
C．Sensitive and optimistic.	D．Humorous and considerate.

5 . Have you ever imagined being able to communicate with your pet at home and have it understand everything you say? It sounds too good to be true, but scientists have started using artificial intelligence (AI) to help communicate with animals.

Professor Karen Bakker—who is the author of a book called The Sounds of Life: How Digital Technology Is Bringing Us Closer to the Worlds of Animals and Plants—said that AI is already helping humans communicate with bats and honeybees and this could change what we know about nature and our non-human relationships.

Scientists have worked out how bats speak to each other to argue over food and how mother bats communicate with their young.

Professor Bakker explained how researcher Yossi Yovel had used recordings and AI to understand bats.

“Bats argue over food; they actually distinguish between genders when they communicate with one another; they have individual names, or ‘signature calls’,” she said.

“Mother bats speak to their babies in a kind of ‘motherese’.

Bats learn to ‘speak’ with signals from their mothers.

But while human mothers raise the pitch(音高) of their voices when talking to babies，mother bats lower the pitch.

She said it was a great example of how animal patterns could be revealed using sensors and microphones that would otherwise never be heard with the human ear.

AI makes this possible because a computer can be trained to listen like a bat.

With honeybees, the computer combines listening with vision of the bees’ body movements to understand what they are communicating. Researchers now know how be essay things such as “hush” or “stop”.

Researcher Tim Landgraf even created a robot honeybee that entered a hive(蜂房) and was able to communicate with other bees when it wanted them to stop doing something or fly.

1. What is the role of AI in communicating with animals?

A．Allowing humans to speak to animals.

B．Translating human language into animal language.

C．Transforming human thoughts into animal language.

D．Helping humans understand what animals are saying.

2. What do scientists know about bats?

A．They use unique names given by human.

B．They live together like early human groups.

C．They share their food with each other without arguing.

D．They can distinguish between genders when communicating.

3. How do mother bats communicate with their young?

A．By using a kind of “motherese”.

B．By raising the pitch of their voices.

C．By using sensors and microphones.

D．By making body movements.

4. What do we know about the robot created by Tim Landgraf?

A．It can speak with other bats.

B．It can build a hive with bees.

C．It can communicate with other bees.

D．It can teach other bee show to fly and stop.

6 . My son Timmy was born with several rare developmental disabilities. By age 13, he had had at least 10 surgeries on his legs and feet. Balancing and walking was very ________ for Timmy, and he needed a great deal of help with mobility.

Meeting Janice, who ________ treat Timmy, changed Timmy’s life. Janice and Timmy ________ an immediate bond. That bond led us to get our Larry, the biggest dog I’ve ever seen. Janice, being so ________ with my son and her dogs, knew Timmy and Larry would make a perfect ________.Larry, not usually easy to bond with, was ________ like glue to my son the minute they walked in the door.

Larry has changed Timmy, s life so much for the better. Not only does Larry give my son ________ for his mobility issues by keeping him steady on his feet and protecting him from ________, but he is also his best friend. If Timmy is sleeping, Larry does not ________ his side. If Timmy does not feel ________, Larry still will not leave his side, even to ________ or go out.

Larry slows to Timmy’s pace and watches every ________ he makes. They walk along together in perfect steps. It is truly ________ to watch the two of them together. This year, Timmy and Larry began their journey in high school together. The ________ that Larry gives Timmy is priceless. Larry is always there to support Timmy for mobility, for falling, for companionship, and is his best ________.

1.

A．suitable

B．difficult

C．easy

D．perfect

2.

A．used to

B．seemed to

C．had to

D．failed to

3.

A．motivated

B．pushed

C．anticipated

D．formed

4.

A．disappointed

B．strict

C．careful

D．familiar

5.

A．judgement

B．day

C．match

D．task

6.

A．dressed

B．stuck

C．pulled

D．invited

7.

A．support

B．message

C．highlight

D．news

8.

A．bleeding

B．falling

C．following

D．screaming

9.

A．take

B．come

C．leave

D．see

10.

A．sad

B．excited

C．angry

D．well

11.

A．eat

B．drive

C．read

D．laugh

12.

A．plan

B．decision

C．move

D．conclusion

13.

A．amazing

B．shocking

C．boring

D．annoying

14.

A．exercise

B．security

C．account

D．tension

15.

A．doctor

B．journey

C．school

D．friend

7 . WHY SHENNONGJIA?

As we know, in 2016, Shennongjia made it on to the UNESCO World Heritage List. But there are so many important places not yet on this list. So you might ask: why Shennongjia?

UNESCO awarded Shennongjia this status because it meets two criteria required by the list. It contains a naturally-balanced environment that allows the many and various species to live and prosper. It is also one of the rare locations in the world where scientists can observe in real time the ecological and biological processes that occur as the plants and animals develop and evolve.

For the first criterion, Shennongjia is apparently one of the most “complete” natural areas in the world. The region rises from about 400 metres to over 3, 000 metres above sealevel, giving it the name the “Roof of Central China”.

For the second criterion, we can see that Shennongjia has incredible biodiversity. Look at this slide. According to official statistics, over 3, 000 plant species have been recorded there. This represents more than ten percent of China’s total floral richness.

It is a challenge to look after so many species. In winter, scientists brave heavy snow and freezing temperatures to supply food to the Golden Snub-nosed Monkey. Thanks to their efforts, the monkey’s population has doubled since the 1980s.Their number reached over 1, 300 in 2015 and continues to grow.

But the most impressive aspect of Shennongjia is the local people, who take things from nature without causing damage. I visited a local village which is known for its home-made honey. What is special about the honey is that it is produced by the earliest species of Chinese bee. All of this explains why Shennongjia earned—and deserves—its place on the UNESCO World Heritage List, as well as highlighting how understanding, awareness and hard work have contributed towards protecting a unique and wonderful part of our natural world.

1. Why is Shennongjia included in the UNESCO World Heritage List?

A．Because its forests stretch on and on like great green seas.

B．Because it is the legendary father of Chinese herbal medicine.

C．Because it satisfies the two requirements for the status.

D．Because it has the mysterious creature called “Yeren”.

2. Shennongjia is also called the“          ”.

A．Roof of Central China	B．Roof of Northern China
C．Roof of Eastern China	D．Roof of Southern China

3. How does the author think of the scientists in Shennongjia?

A．Patient.

B．Careful.

C．Confident.

D．Hard-working.

4. According to the text, what impressed the author most?

A．A local village.	B．The local people.
C．Some special monkeys.	D．The wild bees.

8 . 2 Days Xi’an-Luoyang Tour by Bullet Train

Tour Overview

Xi’an and Luoyang are two of the four most famous ancient capital cities in China. Taking a bullet train from Xi’an, one will arrive in Luoyang in about 2.5 hours.

Day 1: Xi’an-Luoyang by Bullet Train

AM: At around 7:00, a local driver will pick you up from the hotel. Then you’ll transfer to North Xi’an Railway Station for the bullet train to Luoyang. Upon your arrival in Luoyang, you’ll meet a local guide holding a name board.

The guide will lead you to visit the Longmen Grottoes, which is a treasure house of ancient stone-carving artworks. There are over 100 thousand stone statues along the two banks of the Yi River.

PM: After lunch. you will pay a visit to the Museum of Luoyang Eastern Zhou Royal Horse and Chariot Pits. The Eastern Zhou Dynasty is the last slavery dynasty in Chinese history. The last stop is Luoyang Museum which is a historical museum of China and houses over 1,700 cultural and historical relics in 5 showrooms.

Accommodation: Hotel booked by your own

Day 2: Luoyang-Xi’an by Bullet Train

AM: After breakfast on your own, please meet your driver and guide in the hotel at 9:00 and then drive for about 1 hour 20 minutes to Shaolin Temple, the birthplace of Chinese Zen Buddhism and Shaolin Martial Arts. Here you will see the Kungfu show performed by Shaolin monks.

PM: Finish the sightseeing, you will take the bullet train back to Xi’ an. Your 2 days Xi’ an-Luoyang tour ends here.

Tour Price Per Person

Travelers	1 Person	2 Person	3 Person	4 Person	5 Person
Tour Price	$512	$317	$255	$223	$220
Travelers	6 Person	7 Person	8 Person	9 Person	10+ Person
Tour Price	$205	$192	$185	$178	Contact us

1. Which city does the tour begin from?

A．Xi’an.

B．Luoyang.

C．Beijing.

D．Shanghai.

2. Which is the first stop on Day 1?

A．Shaolin Temple.

B．Luoyang Museum.

C．Longmen Grottoes.

D．Yi River.

3. How much should a couple pay for the tour?

A．$317.

B．$510.

C．$512.

D．$634.

9 . When a woman bought a painting that appeared to bear the signature (签名) of N. C. Wyeth at a store in 2017, she joked that the 4-dollar item might actually be a real work by the Maine painter. Her joke was no laughing matter, and the painting is now estimated to fetch as much as $250,000 at auction (拍卖会) in September.

According to experts at Bonhams Skinner auction house, the seller unknowingly bought the work at a Savers store in Manchester, New Hampshire, while searching for frames to reuse. At that time, the Wyeth painting had been put against a wall along with mostly damaged posters and prints.

The woman took the piece home, and then made a quick Internet search but could not find any information about the work. After hanging the painting in her bedroom for several years, she eventually stored it in her study.

She rediscovered the painting this past May while doing cleaning, and this time posted images of the work on an online page titled “Things Found in Walls”, which is devoted to “stories of things you have found in walls, dug up in your backyard, or in that spare house across the street from your grandma’s”, according to the group’s description.

Comments on the post led her to contact Lauren Lewis, a former curator who worked with paintings by three generations of the Wyeths: N. C. Wyeth, his son Andrew Wyeth and his grandson Jamie Wyeth. So she did.

“After seeing the piece in person, Lewis was 99% certain it was authentic instead of a copy,” she told The Boston Globe. “While it certainly had some small scratches (划痕), it was in remarkable condition considering none of us had any idea of its journey over the last 80 years.”

Wyeth often produced cover art for publishers of periodicals and novels. The painting up for sale in September is one of four he completed for a 1939 edition of Helen Hunt Jackson’s book Ramona, originally published in 1884. In it, Wyeth painted the young title character facing her elderly mother.

1. What was the woman’s joke?

A．The storekeeper was lazy and foolish.

B．The painting she bought might be valuable.

C．The signature of N. C. Wyeth was wrong.

D．The Maine painter would appear at auction.

2. How did the woman deal with the painting shortly after she got home?

A．She put it in her study.	B．She sold it to Lauren Lewis.
C．She sent it to her friend.	D．She searched online about it.

3. What does the underlined word “authentic” in paragraph 6 mean?

A．Real.

B．Damaged.

C．Famous.

D．Stolen.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．A world-famous artist in the US.	B．A novel by Helen Hunt Jackson.
C．A painting getting its recognition.	D．An expert going on a treasure hunt.