1 . Sharks may be able to smell blood from miles away, but they probably don't know how red it is. It is likely that they only see the world in black and white according to a study that is the first to look into sharks’ visual systems.
A team at the University of Western Australia studied the visual systems of many different species of sharks and what they have found is diversity in eye design that mirrors the ecological and behavioral diversity of the shark species. The team looked at the retinal cells of 17 species of sharks caught from Queensland and Western Australia and found out that the cells are responsible for sharks’ color blindness.
According to the study, these animals are color-blind due to the light receptors they have got in their eyes. There are two main types of light-sensitive ceils to allow animals to see: rod cells help measure brightness because they are highly sensitive to light and allow night vision but cannot tell colors apart, while various types of cone cells help distinguish colors. They looked at the structure of sharks' rod and cone cells in the retina. Human eyes come with red, green and blue cone variations, while sharks appear to have just one kind of cone cell.
The study suggests that contrast against the background, rather than color itself, might be more important for object detection by sharks. Costumes that camouflage swimmers’ bodies in sea water are less likely to draw a shark’s attention than ones with bright, solid colors that emphasize their outline. “It’s the high contrast against the water rather than the color itself which is probably attractive to sharks,” said Professor Nathan Hart who led the study.
1. What does Paragraph 2 mainly talk about?| A．Stressing the importance of the study. |
| B．Showing the features of sharks’ eye design. |
| C．Giving the process and the result of the study. |
| D．Telling the functions of sharks’ visual systems. |
| A．Their less sensitive rod cells. | B．Their lack of various cone cells. |
| C．Their inability to tell apart colors. | D．Their strong sensitivity to brightness. |
| A．The color plays a key part in sharks' detecting objects. |
| B．You should make your outline stand out in the sea for your safety. |
| C．You should be dressed in bright color to avoid sharks’ attention in the sea. |
| D．Sharks are more interested in sharp contrast against the water rather than your body. |
| A．To challenge a traditional belief. |
| B．To inform us a scientific discovery. |
| C．To amuse us with interesting information. |
| D．To raise our awareness of protecting wild animals. |
2 . For companies around the world and across industries, sustainability(可持续发展) has rapidly gone from a nice-to-have to a must-have. Some famous companies have announced ambitious plans to remove single-use plastics, reduce carbon release and otherwise shrink their environmental footprint in various ways.
Newlight Technologies hopes to speed up that process. The company has spent more than a decade developing a material called AirCarbon, which functions exactly like plastic but is completely biodegradable(可生物降解的). Newlight developed the material using microorganisms found in the ocean that feed on methane and carbon dioxide-two-greenhouse gases among the biggest contributors to climate change. The organisms turn those gases into a natural polymer(聚合物) that can be shaped just like plastic.
“We call that AirCarbon because it's air and carbon that can mix with and become part of water,” CEO Mark Herrema said. “We have this pure white powder that we can then melt and form in all kinds of parts and pieces.” The company's new production facility is filled with large saltwater tanks that recreate ocean conditions, allowing the organisms to make the polymer from which AirCarbon can be obtained.
Newlight recently began rolling out its first set of products made from the material, launching two-brands. Its foodware brand, Restore, sells biodegradable straws, knives, forks and spoons, while its fashion brand Covalent sells handbags, wallets and sunglasses. And because the process of developing AirCarbon uses gases from the atmosphere, the products are carbon negative, meaning they take out more pollutants than they produce. Newlight has received carbon negative certifications from several organizations for its products.
Newlight’s current products are costlier than some traditional products available on the market, since the company has just one facility, which makes it hard to keep prices down. At present, Newlight’s AirCarbon products can remove 100 million pounds of carbon dioxide per year. But Herrema's goal is to build more facilities as quickly as possible and eventually increase that number to 20 billion pounds, which he says is how much plastic ends up in the ocean each year.
1. What is the advantage of AirCarbon?| A．It is more flexible than plastic. |
| B．It can partially break down. |
| C．It helps reduce greenhouse gases. |
| D．It is an artificial polymer like plastic. |
| A．Its products are of good quality. |
| B．Its products are energy-saving. |
| C．It develops two sustainable brands. |
| D．It removes more carbon than it releases. |
| A．Limited production. | B．Low profits. |
| C．Few customers. | D．Poor marketing. |
| A．New technology that reduces carbon release. |
| B．Greenhouse gases that can be used for products. |
| C．Ocean microorganisms that feed on greenhouse gases. |
| D．A plastic alternative that might help solve climate change. |
3 . Early on Saturday morning, parents and viewers walked in a line into the gym at the Einste Academy, a school in Illinois in the US. After the coach
While this sounds like the typical setting of a US sporting event, this one had a high-tech twist, was a competitive robotics
“Most students experience multiple-choice questions.” said Jonathan Weiland, who works f FIRST Tech Challenge in Illinois. “In FTC, there are hundreds of solutions to a problem and they see which solution
“Founded by a not-for-profit organization, FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science ai Technology) events are modeled after traditional sports like basketball to generate
During a FIRST Tech Challenge, Robotics teams either
The robotics teams compete in games within a league, getting points throughout the season
“Judges
“One of the best things you can do with your
| A．delivered | B．wrote | C．reviewed | D．corrected |
| A．sent | B．called | C．applied | D．rose |
| A．references | B．notebooks | C．positions | D．responsibilities |
| A．meet | B．example | C．design | D．creation |
| A．Blamed | B．Guided | C．Warned | D．Praised |
| A．switches | B．responds | C．appears | D．works |
| A．disappointment | B．violence | C．excitement | D．power |
| A．purchase | B．damage | C．throw | D．store |
| A．political | B．industrial | C．financial | D．agricultural |
| A．bring up | B．turn in | C．stick to | D．qualify for |
| A．model | B．material | C．performance | D．location |
| A．hopefully | B．randomly | C．skillfully | D．actively |
| A．coach | B．judge | C．roommate | D．teammate |
| A．discourage | B．beat | C．greet | D．join |
| A．intelligence | B．right | C．life | D．hobby |
4 . Fun Activities for Children That Are Stuck Inside
Make Your Own Clothes
There are plenty of things you can do to improve your regular clothes. While you might want to use a cheap white T-shirt, there’s so much you can do to it. You can use tie-dye, spin art, or fabric markers to create your own unique clothes. All of the other students will be jealous that their parents aren’t as fun as you!
Bring the Outdoors Inside
Something a lot of kids like to do, even if it’s just in the yard, is camping. It’s a good way for children to enjoy something out of the usual while they’re also using their imagination. So, if you’re in a situation where you’re stuck inside, bring the feeling of camping indoors. You can do this by setting up a real tent. You can also make traditional camping food inside to really feel like you’re out in the wilderness!
Have an Indoor Treasure Hunt.
If you are having a treasure hunt, whether it’s inside or outside, you and your young ones are sure to have fun. Choose items (物品) around your house and write them down as a list on a piece of paper. Then, let your little ones run around the house to see who can collect all of the items first. Don’t forget to give the players a special prize once they have found all of the items.
Fingerprint Art Is Always a Hit
One of the extremely popular arts to do inside is known as fingerprint art. Children put their fingers in paint and place them on a piece of paper. They can then draw on and around their fingerprint to create whatever they feel like. Furthermore, there are also books on how to make a variety of fingerprint art in the form of animals that could be fun for children to learn as well!
1. What does Bring the Outdoors Inside offer to children?| A．Delicious food. | B．Safety in the yard. |
| C．Pleasure of camping. | D．Searching skills in the wild. |
| A．They have something to do with art. | B．They create proper clothes. |
| C．They make clothing attractive. | D．They improve the drawing skills. |
| A．Make Your Own Clothes. | B．Bring the Outdoors Inside. |
| C．Fingerprint Art Is Always a Hit. | D．Have an Indoor Treasure Hunt. |
5 . The first time my grandma came to visit us in Canada, she was a little upset. She
Before my grandma arrived, I used to tend the flowers in our garden. But while I was at school and my parents were at work, my grandma, feeling
Grandma was
Different times
| A．believed | B．confirmed | C．complained | D．agreed |
| A．bored | B．curious | C．amused | D．delighted |
| A．removed | B．surrounded | C．decorated | D．replaced |
| A．trees | B．flowers | C．grasses | D．vegetables |
| A．useless | B．complicated | C．expensive | D．natural |
| A．picked up | B．let down | C．brought up | D．reached out |
| A．Thus | B．Otherwise | C．However | D．Instead |
| A．create | B．inform | C．combine | D．explain |
| A．loss | B．experience | C．blessing | D．love |
| A．gradually | B．naturally | C．rarely | D．immediately |
| A．achievement | B．independence | C．guideline | D．gentleness |
| A．attach | B．break | C．threaten | D．help |
| A．direct | B．accurate | C．essential | D．impressive |
| A．escaped | B．battled | C．folded | D．adapted |
| A．provide | B．contribute | C．influence | D．gain |
6 . Years ago, I appeared on stage with the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Choir in the Town Hall. There I was, my feet in plain shoes, sweat dirtying my clean white shirt, singing my heart out in front of the big organ. I still have a tape recording of that performance somewhere, where I swear I can hear myself singing, high and thin and possibly off-key.
But life got in the way and I stopped singing. Then, in the summer of 2019, I found myself facing some shadows in my own life. It felt as if it had been a long time between songs, as if there was something unsung, some absent music in my ears. I began to fear I might be making myself ill and unable to breathe in a normal way.
Could singing help me reclaim my voice and calm my fast-beating heart? Research from the Royal Society noted that "group singing can improve physical and mental health, as well as promote social bonds”. So, rather than letting my unsung tunes strangle me, I decided to take on a new choral experience, one being in the Big Feminist Sing, a community choir.
“If you don’t know what to sing,” the choir director said, “find someone who looks confident, and go and stand next to them. Find a friend if you're in trouble; take a risk; use your voice; be part of something bigger than yourself.” I've been singing in the choir ever since, because group singing gives me a sense of security-and each rehearsal is a lifeline, a connected thread, an intake of air working toward a collective voice. It doesn't matter if I am a bit off-key to start with. Decades of unsung situations have changed, and I have flown.
1. How did the author feel during her performance in the Town Hall?| A．Thrilled. | B．Nervous. | C．Confident. | D．Curious. |
| A．Reach. | B．Blind | C．Cheat | D．Choke. |
| A．Finding a true friend is never easy. | B．Teamwork has benefited her a lot. |
| C．The choir director's position counts. | D．Singing alone improves her health. |
| A．The Amazing Power of Group Singing | B．Confidence Out of Lasting Singing |
| C．Changes from Stage Experiences | D．A Taste of Music in a Choir |
7 . Honeybees can’t swim, and when their wings are wet, they can’t fly, either. But Chris Roh and other researchers at the California Institute of Technology found that when bees drop into bodies of water, they can use their wings to produce little waves and slide toward land-like surfers who create and then ride their own waves.
As with many scientific advances-Isaac Newton’s apple or Benjamin Franklin’s lightning bolt-Dr. Roh’s experiment began with a walk. Passing Caltech’s Millikan Pond in 2016, he observed a bee on the water’s surface producing waves. He wondered how an insect known for flight could push itself through water.
Dr. Roh and his co-worker, Morteza Gharib, used butterfly nets to collect local Pasadena honeybees and observed their surf-like movements. The researchers used a wire to restrict each bee’s bodily movement, allowing close examination of their wings. They found that the bee bends its wings at a 30-degree angle, pulling up water and producing a forward force. Bees get trapped on the surface because water is roughly three times heavier than air. But that weight helps to push the bee forward when its wings move quickly up and down. It’s a tough exercise for the bees, which the researchers guess could handle about 10 minutes of the activity.
The researchers said the surf-like movement hasn’t been documented in other insects and most semiaquatic insects use their legs for propulsion, which is known as water-walking. It may have evolved in bees, they-predicted.
Dr. Roh and Dr. Gharib have imagined many practical applications for bees’ surfing. One plan is to use their observations to design robots able to travel across sky and sea. “This could be useful for search and rescues, or for getting samples of the surface of the ocean, if you can’t send a boat or helicopter,” Dr. Gharib said.
1. What does the author intend to show by mentioning Newton and Franklin?| A．Roh’s admiration for them. | B．Roh’s chance discovery about bees. |
| C．Their outstanding talent for science. | D．Their similar achievements in discovery. |
| A．The air weight. | B．Its leg extension. |
| C．The water movement. | D．Its continuous wingbeat. |
| A．Fast flight | B．Driving force. | C．Pulling speed. | D．Explosive power. |
| A．Honeybees can surf to safety. | B．Bees help scientists make inventions. |
| C．Insects can adapt to the environment. | D．Nature is a helpful guide for discovery. |
8 . Below is some advice on how to sleep better.
1. Maintain a regular bed and wake time schedule
Go to bed at the same time every night. Choose a time when you normally feel tired， so that you don’t toss or turn. Try not to break this routine on weekends when it may be tempting to stay up late. If you want to change your bedtime， help your body adjust by making the change in small daily increments， such as 15 minutes earlier or later each day. As with your bedtime， try to maintain your regular wake time even on weekends.
2. Fight after dinner drowsiness （睡意）
If you find yourself getting sleepy before your bedtime， get off the couch and do something mildly stimulating to avoid falling asleep， such as washing the dishes， calling a friend， or getting clothes ready for the next day. If you give in to the drowsiness， you may wake up later in the night and have trouble getting back to sleep.
3. Keep your room dark and cool
When it’s time to sleep， make sure that your environment is dark. Even dim light—especially those from TV or computer screens—can confuse the body clock. The temperature of your bedroom also affects sleep. A bedroom that is too hot or too cold can interfere with quality sleep.
4. Turn off your television
Many people use the television to fall asleep or relax at the end of the day. You may even have a television in your bedroom. However， television actually stimulates the mind， rather than relaxing it. Part of this is due to content. Late night news and prime time shows frequently have disturbing， violent material. Even non-violent programming can have commercials that are jarring and loud.
5. Exercise early
Exercise helps promote restful sleep if it is done several hours before you go to bed. Exercise can help you fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly—as long as it’s done at the right time. Try to finish exercising at least three hours before bed or work out earlier in the day.
6. Consult your doctor
Use a sleep diary and talk to your doctor. Note what type of sleep problem is affecting your sleep or if you are sleepy when you wish to be awake and alert. Try these tips and record your sleep and sleep related activities in a sleep diary. If problems continue， discuss the sleep diary with your doctor. There may be an underlying cause and you will want to be properly diagnosed. Your doctor will help treat the problem or may refer you to a sleep specialist.
1. To prevent yourself from sleeping too much on weekends， you should ________.| A．go to bed at usual time | B．go to bed 15 minutes earlier than usual |
| C．go to bed at any time | D．make an adjustment to your bedtime |
| A．Watching violent programmers before going to bed. |
| B．Using heavy curtains or an eye mask to block light. |
| C．Changing your bedtime only a little every day. |
| D．Completing your workout just before bedtime. |
| A．making a telephone call | B．doing some washing |
| C．having a rest on the sofa | D．getting clothes ready for the next day |
| A．move into a new house | B．turn to the doctor for help |
| C．change your present job | D．discuss it with your family |
9 . Online Bachelor's Degrees and Programs
The overview
Colleges offer online degrees in a range of fields. Click on a degree program to explore what courses you take, how long the program takes to complete, career options and average salary. For example, to earn an online health science bachelor's degree, you would take courses in public health, health communications and epidemiology(流行病学).
The benefits
Pursuing an accredited(官方认可的)online bachelor's degree can help you take the next step in your career. Through your program, you'll attend online lectures, study from home manage a busy schedule and interact virtually with professors and classmates.
The applicants
An online college degree may appeal to those who want more flexibility in completing their education, or who want to take classes while working full time or parenting. Choosing where to register online will likely be challenging, but below you'll find tools, advice and other resources to make your search easier.
Best online bachelor's programs
U. S. News evaluated several factors to rank the best online bachelor's degree programs, including graduation rates and support services available remotely.
| School name | Tuition per credit | Application deadline | Financial aid available |
| University of Georgia | $ 326 | May 1 | Yes |
| Georgia Washington University | $ 615 | June 10 | No |
| University of Arizona | $ 525 | July 12 | Yes |
| North Carolina University | $ 900 | February 15 | Yes |
To see the full ranking list, please click here.
1. What will you do after attending online degree programs?| A．Get a degree for free. | B．Attend lectures in a hall. |
| C．Take some related courses | D．Talk with teachers face to face. |
| A．Georgia Washington University. | B．University of Georgia. |
| C．North Carolina University. | D．University of Arizona. |
| A．On the Internet. | B．In a magazine. |
| C．In a textbook. | D．In a newspaper. |
10 . Japanese artist Ei Wada discovered that old television sets made great percussion instruments(打击乐器) by mistake, but he managed to turn this inadvertent discovery into an art. Today, his unique Braun Tube Jazz Band is famous all over the world.
Wada first became interested in percussion music at the age of four, after attending a Gamelan music performance in Indonesia. He was impressed by the sound of the percussion instruments, recalling that he felt “taken to another world”. This memory stuck with him, and a few years later, while playing some old cassette tapes, he realized that the sounds they produced were very similar to the Gamelan music that had made such a big impression on him. Since then, he has been focusing on producing sounds with old devices that people usually throw away.
While attending university, Wada met three other boys who shared their love for unconventional musical instruments, and together they founded Open Reel Ensemble—a band that specializes in making music with other old tech. And that’s how the Japanese musician discovered his most successful instrument—the old TV sets.
Wada said it happened completely by mistake. After plugging a sound cable into a composite(复合的) video connector port and seeing the sound on the screen as an image, he started pairing many TVs with PC-controlled video decks at different pitches(音高), thus turning them into percussion instruments. Then, he connected the guitar to his feet and started touching the TV screens to produce buzzing noise. Today, he can make the old television sets sound like electric drums.
The Japanese artist uses old TVs to transform light into sound. It sounds strange, but just take a look at the video of Wada performing and you'll see it's actually pretty cool.
1. What does the underlined word “inadvertent” in paragraph l mean?| A．Wonderful. | B．Mysterious. | C．Accidental. | D．Creative. |
| A．He began doing scientific experiments. |
| B．He became interested in percussion music. |
| C．He began making percussion instruments himself. |
| D．He formed his own band—Braun Tube Jazz Band. |
| A．After he graduated from college. |
| B．Before he attended a Gamelan music performance. |
| C．When he played some old cassette tapes. |
| D．When he was studying at a university. |
| A．Ei Wada’s passion for music. |
| B．The influence of Braun Tube Jazz Band. |
| C．Ei Wada’s impression on the Gamelan music. |
| D．How Ei Wada turned old TVs into percussion instruments. |
