1 . That artificial food dyes (染料) are unhealthy is not news. Some are known to cause hyperactivity (多动症) in some children, affecting their ability to learn. But regulatory agencies (监管机构) around the world don’t necessarily agree on which food dyes are a problem, or why. That may soon change. A 2021 peer-reviewed report by California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment concluded that artificial food dyes “cause or worsen neurobehavioral (神经行为的) problems in some children” and that the current levels that are regarded safe for consumption by the federal government are too high.
California is now considering requiring warning labels on food products and dietary supplements containing the seven most commonly used artificial dyes. The warning label requirement would put California on par with the European Union, which since 2010 has required food products containing certain artificial food dyes to carry warning labels about their negative effect on activity and attention in children.
Artificial dyes are used in foods for one reason: to make products look prettier. Bright colors make candies appealing, especially to kids. But dyes are also in chocolate cake mixes, salad dressings and other products that don’t seem to cry out for a color boost.
In Europe, it was the 2010 label lawmaking that triggered (引发) companies’ decisions to reformulate. “If you’re a company, you do not want to put a warning label on your product.” says Lefferts, an environmental health consultant. Warning labels are why European Starburst Fruit Chews are now colored with natural products, not the artificial dyes that brighten their North American counterparts (同类商品).
Given that artificial food dyes are used far more than needed, we need to be more cautious. After all, we don’t dye fresh fruits and vegetables, but we do dye candy and sprinkles, points out Joe Schwarcz, a chemistry professor at McGill University in Montreal. “The foods in which you find food dyes are foods that are poor in nutrition,” he says. “If you limit foods that contain food dyes, you automatically make your diet better.”
1. What can we learn about artificial food dyes from paragraph 1?| A．A 2021 report confirmed their negative effects. |
| B．The fact that they are harmful is newly revealed. |
| C．Regulatory agencies consider them a serious problem. |
| D．The Federal government thinks their current standard too high. |
| A．In opposition to. | B．In line with. | C．Ahead of. | D．Behind. |
| A．Food companies will stop coloring their products. |
| B．More fresh fruits and vegetables will appear in the market. |
| C．Food companies may replace artificial dyes with natural products. |
| D．It will be hard to find packaged foods without warning labels of dyes. |
| A．Approving. | B．Neutral. | C．Tolerant. | D．Concerned. |
2 . Born in Anhui Province, Tao Xingzhi (October18, 1891-July 25, 1946) was one of the greatest educationalists, social activists and patriots in modern China. When he was young, Tao lived in a poverty-stricken area and had witnessed miserable life of Chinese people, especially that of the peasants who accounted for 80% of the nation’s population, under the suppression of foreign invaders (外国侵略者的压迫) at that time.
After graduating from Nanjing University as the top student with the highest scores in all courses, Tao set out for the US to further his education. At first, he studied politics in University of Illinois but soon he found that politics offered no help for saving the country, and then he changed his major into education.
Six-year experience abroad let Tao Xingzhi come to realize the sharp contrast between China and developed countries, and drove him to make up his mind to change the situation in China. Tao declined a number of invitations from many famous universities and gave up high salaries as a college professor. Instead, he set up Xiaozhuang Normal School in the countryside of Nanjing to develop educational cause in rural areas. When he returned to China from Japan in 1939, Tao set up Yu Cai School in Sichuan Province for the kids who lost their family in Anti-Japanese War (抗日战争). He picked out those with special talents and trained them to be useful men for the nation. Zhou Enlai, former Chinese premier, once paid a visit to this school and gave a high praise.
As an educationalist, Tao devoted his entire life to the educational-cause for Chinese. Quite different from other major educationalists at that time, Tao carried out life education and said that “life education means an education of life, by life and for life”. Because of overtoil (积劳成疾), he died on July 25, 1946 in Shanghai. Chairman Mao praised him as “a great educationalist for the people”. In memory of this great man, Tao Xingzhi Museum was built in Shanghai in 1986.
1. The underlined phrase “accounted for” in the first paragraph has the same meaning of the phrase “______”.| A．depended on | B．took up | C．carried out | D．put off |
| A．Mr Tao returned from Japan to China |
| B．Mr Tao set up Yu Cai School in Sichuan Province |
| C．Mr Tao picked out some with special talents and trained them |
| D．Mr Tao established Xiaozhuang Normal School in Nanjing |
| A．Tao Xingzhi’s great contribution | B．Tao Xingzhi’s diseases |
| C．Tao Xingzhi’s daily life | D．Tao Xingzhi’s educational theories |
| A．a tourist website | B．an entertainment website |
| C．an educational website· | D．a scientific research website |
3 . The amount of plastic pollution in the oceans is rapidly increasing. This is problematic, as at least 700 species of sea animals may mistake it for a tasty snack. While we know that some species seem to eat plastic because it looks like jellyfish or some other food sources, less research has been carried out into what plastic smells like to marine animals.
But now, a study from the University of North Carolina has found that the coating of algae that naturally builds up on ocean plastics causes the rubbish to give off the scent of food.
The researchers took 15 loggerhead turtles, each around five months old, and placed them in a laboratory tank. They then piped in clean water, clean plastic, turtle food, and plastic that had been immersed in the marine environment for five weeks.
The turtles showed no reaction to the smell of clean water or clean plastic. But when they were exposed to the smell of ocean-soaked plastic or turtle food, they exhibited food-seeking behaviours like reaching their noses out of the water or showing increasing activities.
“This finding is the first demonstration that the smell of ocean plastics causes animals to eat them, ” said Dr Kenneth J. Lohmann, who took part in the study. “It’s common to find loggerhead turtles with their digestive systems fully or partially blocked because they’ve eaten plastic materials. There are also increasing reports of sea turtles that have become ill and stranded on the beach due to their ingestion (摄食) of plastic.”
According to the researchers, areas of the ocean with dense concentrations of plastic may trick turtles and other marine animals into thinking that there is an abundant food source. “Once these plastics are in the ocean, we don’t have a good way to remove them or prevent them from smelling like food,” said Lohmann.
1. Why is plastic pollution posing a threat to marine animals?| A．It may eat up all jellyfish. |
| B．It may mislead them as food. |
| C．It may kill them with its smell. |
| D．It may trap 700 species of sea animals. |
| A．Sea water. | B．Clear water. |
| C．Brand-new plastic. | D．Sea-soaked plastic. |
| A．Turtles should be trained to be more intelligent. |
| B．Plastics should be kept from getting into the ocean. |
| C．An abundant food source should be offered to sea animals. |
| D．Researchers should come up with a solution to the current problem. |
| A．Ways Found to Remove Plastic |
| B．Loggerhead Turtles Faced with Food Shortage |
| C．Ocean Plastics Smell like Food to Turtles |
| D．Plastic Pollution — Compromise or Control? |
4 . Israel was accused of using white phosphorus bombs (白磷弹), a banned bomb, in the Palestine-Israel conflict in October. However, the Israeli military later claimed in a statement that it didn’t use such a weapon, reported Reuters.
White phosphorus is a highly free burning chemical that can create intense heat, light and smoke, reaching over 1,000°C when burned. The flame it produces is difficult to put out, leading to deadly burns on the human body.
The chemical is also poisonous. Those coming into contact with it may suffer heart, kidney or bone damage. And bomb-hit areas are likely to be polluted by white phosphorus, resulting in long-term environmental damage.
This news sparked public concern about destructive weapons. International humanitarian law (IHL) bans any weapon “of a nature to cause overmuch injury or unnecessary suffering”. Such a weapon can cause indiscriminate harm, injuring or killing soldiers as well as civilians.
The Geneva Conventions (《日内瓦公约》) and their Additional Protocols, which form the core of international humanitarian law, have set requirements for all countries to follow about how wars are carried out. For example, the use, production, stockpiling (储备) or selling of biological and chemical weapons are forbidden.
Chemical weapons, such as mustard gas, are poisonous. They can cause temporary or permanent damage to people and have various effects, such as severe eye pain, breathing difficulty, and blistering (起水泡) of the skin. Biological weapons, usually developed from viruses or bacteria, attack the human immune system, often with deadly consequences.
Other international conventions also have made related rules, which apply to the countries that have agreed to them. For example, according to the IHL database, any actions expected to result in widespread, long-lasting destruction of the environment are prohibited.
“During the Vietnam War, the US military employed a highly effective defoliant (落叶剂) called Agent Orange,” Zhang Gaosheng, are searcher at China Institute of International Studies, told CCTV News. “This resulted in the destruction of about 20 percent of Vietnam’s forests, leading to significant damage to the ecosystem.” The usage of the chemical was subsequently banned, he added.
1. What is the primary concern regarding the use of white phosphorus bombs in wars?| A．The intense heat and light produced. |
| B．The difficulty in putting out the flame. |
| C．The harm to people and the environment. |
| D．The damage to buildings and infrastructure. |
| A．The development of biochemical weapons. |
| B．The long-lasting impact of biochemical weapons. |
| C．The urgency of prohibiting biochemical weapons. |
| D．The consequences of using biochemical weapons. |
| A．Favorable. | B．Opposed. |
| C．Indifferent. | D．Approving. |
| A．To call on public not to use weapons. |
| B．To appeal for peace between Palestine and Israel. |
| C．To give the reasons why some weapons are being stopped. |
| D．To introduce the chemical weapons used in the Israeli military. |
5 . The contestant Jane Marczewski, whose stage name is Nightbirde, recently entered the TV reality show America’s Got Talent. Looking small on stage, but with an attractive smile that filled the auditorium, the 30-year-old woman introduced herself to the judges.
It was when she planned on devoting herself to music that the singer from Ohio found out she had cancer. On stage she said that she was battling cancer. Pretty casually she said that at her last check-up she had some cancer in her lungs and liver. While she professed (自称) to be okay, she explained that she wanted people to see her as being “so much more than the bad things that happen to me”. Getting out there on stage with her own song It’s OK, she was able to pass on this message.
The name “Nightbirde” itself is significant. She chose it after many night s dreaming of birds singing in the darkness. She woke one night to hear birds singing by her window as if it were the morning. For her this represents hope and her life at the moment. “I want to be that way, even when I am in the middle of a dark time and there are no signs that it will end. I want to be the bird that sings in anticipation of the good things that I trust are coming,” she shared with Liberty Journal.
Finally, her actual performance was quite triumphant. It wasn’t surprising that everybody was visibly amazed by it. And it didn’t take long for Simon Cowell, one of the judges to send Nightbirde directly through to the final. Nightbirde’s song has already stormed up the charts and is now number one on US iTunes.
1. Why did Jane Marczewski choose Nightbirde as her stage name?| A．She dreamed of singing beautifully like a bird. |
| B．The singing of birds always made her refreshed at night. |
| C．The singing of birds reminded her there is always hope. |
| D．She thought birds are a source of inspiration for her songs. |
| A．Strong and optimistic. | B．Modest and ambitious. |
| C．Confident and adaptable. | D．Creative and considerate |
| A．Sedate | B．Imperfect | C．Remarkable | D．Susceptible |
| A．Nightbirde’s way to her huge success. |
| B．Nightbirde’s faith shines on America’s Got Talent. |
| C．Nightbirde’s unusual experience in a TV interview. |
| D．Nightbirde’s devotion to music helps her fight against cancer. |
6 . The idea behind the Internet of Things (IoT) is that the world would be a better place if all sorts of electronics would be computerized. Billions of tiny computers could monitor air quality and traffic patterns. It is estimated that there could be a trillion connected devices in the world by 2035 — more than 100 for every person..
With continued growth in the IoT, regularly replacing a trillion batteries would be inconvenient. Researchers have built chips that get energy from light or heat. But such sources producing only a small amount of power can’t be used to replace a battery, the maintenance of which can be difficult and costly, especially in places where a battery is hard to reach.
Aline Eid and her colleagues proposed a better idea. Using a piece of equipment called a Rotman lens, they have designed a small, flexible antenna (天线) to harvest electrical power from signals of 5G mobile phone towers. Rotman lenses, which were invented in 1963, focus and redirect electromagnetic (电磁的) radiation. “Most people use Rotman lenses in the transmission (发送) mode,” says Dr. Eid. “We decided to change that concept, and use them in the opposite mode.”
Her lens is able to collect electromagnetic radiation from all directions. Letting it work in urban environments in which waves spread unpredictably improves the amount of harvest able power greatly. And 5G also offers more power in the first place. The standard on which it is based covers communications on a wide range of frequencies. Furthermore, 5G’s frequencies ranging between 24GHz and 100 GHz are rarely used, so 5G networks are unlikely to suffer from the disturbance from a huge number of devices.
According to the team, their antenna can harvest useful quantities of power even at a long distance, Feeding their work into computer models suggests it should be able to harvest around six microwatts of power at a distance of 180 meters from a tower. That is enough to let the sort of simple, low-power chips that will make up the IoT do useful work. If more power is needed, a bigger antenna can be used.
1. What has been a barrier in the development of IoT technology?| A．How to efficiently power IoT devices. | B．How to monitor a mass of tiny computers. |
| C．How to reduce the cost of maintaining IoT chips. | D．How to computerize different sorts of electronics. |
| A．They can send radio signals to 5G towers. | B．They can communicate with 5G frequencies. |
| C．They can receive electromagnetic radiation. | D．They can broadcast radiation waves in all directions. |
| A．Having stricter standards. | B．Consuming less power to operate. |
| C．Supporting a wide range of devices. | D．Having little risk of being disturbed. |
| A．Transmission distance is a potential challenge. |
| B．The goal of constructing the IoT can be achieved. |
| C．There is a long way to go in terms of 5G technology… |
| D．New generations of mobile phones are power-consuming. |
7 . The maleo (塚雉), a bird with black feathers and a pink chest, is native to Indonesia’s Sulawesi island and a few neighboring ones. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which identifies wildlife across the world currently facing threats, estimates only 800 to 1,400 adult maleos remain in the wild. Experts do not know how many maleos still live across West Sulawesi island. They were only able to record the presence of nesting grounds in 23 villages based on reports from locals in the area. But of those, only 18 are considered active nesting areas.
Recently, the birds have been faced with new threats, which accelerate their decline. The Indonesian government plans to move the nation’s capital from Jakarta to a new city on Borneo island, which is just a six-hour boat trip apart from Sulawesi island. The island takes on the building of new roads and seaports to be used to transport materials to the new capital. Activities also include tree clearing, digging, and removing stones. The process already has changed the forest environment on West Sulawesi and is harming maleo nesting areas near the beach. These changes have made the trip for maleos to lay their eggs increasingly difficult.
Another problem has been poachers. The Associated Press reports that, regardless of official ban, they steal maleo eggs that the males’ parents have hidden in the sand, and sell the eggs for about $1 to people as food. The eggs are a traditional gift for many people in Mamuju and other parts of Sulawesi.
“As far as I know, maleo birds are in decline,” said Andi Aco Takdir, chief of the West Sulawesi Forestry Agency. He pointed to several reasons for the decline, including destruction of beach areas, and expanding human development activities. He added that government officials there are prepared to take steps to protect the maleos even with the new capital development. Andi said, “Nature conservation must be used as an achievement and must not be built leaving behind problems.”
1. Which word can be used to describe the maleos?| A．Endangered. | B．Adaptable. |
| C．Widespread. | D．Extinct. |
| A．The sudden changes of climate. |
| B．The disappearance of the forests. |
| C．The development of Sulawesi island. |
| D．The supporting work for the new capital. |
| A．People who hunt maleos for their meat. |
| B．People who live by selling maleo eggs. |
| C．People who engage in illegal hunting. |
| D．People who regard maleo eggs as gifts. |
| A．The new capital development might be stopped at once. |
| B．The government will balance conservation and development. |
| C．There seems to be a tough way for the new capital to develop. |
| D．The government will concentrate on solving urban problems. |
8 . Falcons are powerful birds that may be trained to hunt in cooperation with humans. The art of training falcons as “hunting dogs of the skies” is called falconry (训鹰术). It was developed in the ancient Arabian Desert around 4000 B. C. In the past, falconry mainly involved hunting with falcons to supplement one’s diet. But now, it has become the favorite sport and pastime in the Arabian Peninsula.
Falconry includes three major processes: acquiring the falcons, training them, and hunting with them. Every year, falconers begin capturing wild falcons in June and July, the migration season. The best birds to catch are the ones with naturally nurtured hunting skills, aged one or two years. Once the falcons are captured, their heads are immediately covered with a leather hood. This is essential because they imprint as their master whomever they see first after the hood is removed. Right after a bird is caught, the training process starts. It begins by depriving (剥夺) the bird of food to make it easier to tame. The birds are taught to know their own name and respond to their master when called. Arab falconers live with their birds day and night in order to build a strong relationship with them.
By the end of October or mid-November, the trained falcons are ready to hunt in the desert. They have excellent vision, 2. 6 times greater than that of a human. They are also the fastest divers on the planet. One hunting technique that sets them apart from other animals is that they can be trained to deliver their prey, without killing it first. This is vital in Islamic culture because animals used for food must still be alive to ensure that the meat is halal, that is, properly prepared according to Islamic law.
Falcons have played such a crucial role in traditional Islamic cultures that a number of countries in the Middle East have made them their national bird. Falconry has grown so popular that specialist hospitals have been established to take care of these magnificent birds. Falcons are even issued their own passports. They are the only animals in the United Arab Emirates that are legally allowed to travel inside planes, enjoying a level of luxury that some humans can only dream of.
1. What is the main reason for Arabic people to hunt with falcons today?| A．To serve as entertainment and exercise. |
| B．To supplement their diet. |
| C．To replace the practice of hunting with dogs. |
| D．To honor their national bird. |
| A．Falconers don’t give food to falcons in order to capture them. |
| B．Falcons are not allowed to see their masters during the training process. |
| C．Wild falcons with natural hunting skills are ideal for falconers to catch. |
| D．The trainers’ names are written on the hoods covering the birds’ heads. |
| A．Falcons keep their prey alive before delivering it to falconers. |
| B．Falcons can form a strong bond with their owners quickly. |
| C．Falcons’ vision is particularly suitable for hunting in deserts. |
| D．Falcons are relatively easy to train for specific hunting. |
| A．Free air ticket. | B．Passports issued by the King. |
| C．Expensive meals. | D．Access to specialized medical care. |
9 . My aunt Cindy has her own cake shop. She can make nice cakes for special occasions, such as weddings and birthdays. I spent a week last summer helping her in the shop. Making a nice cake is harder than I thought it would be.
I practised for hours in Aunt Cindy’s shop. I made little colored dots (圆点) on a piece of wax paper (蜡纸). Unluckily, I could not get the dots to be the same shape or size. I decided to take a break from making the dots, so I helped move cakes. However, that was not easy for me, either. I dropped a cake when trying to take it out of the freezer (冰箱) by myself. Luckily one of Aunt Cindy’s assistants (助手) was there. He saved the cake from hitting the floor.
It takes a whole team to make a huge cake. That’s one of the most important things I learned. Each person on the team has to be great at his or her job. Aunt Cindy designs the cakes on paper, Larry does the mixing and baking, and assistants carve and put frosting on the cakes. Aunt Cindy and Larry do most of the decorating while the assistants help make small parts like flowers and figures. Building a big cake is like playing a team sport. If one person doesn’t do his or her job well, the whole team pays for that.
Even though I was not much help to my aunt, I’m glad I spent the week in Aunt Cindy’s shop. Designing cakes takes more than just baking skills. It takes art and painting skills too. Now when I see a really nice cake, I don’t think of eating it first. Instead, I look at it and wonder how many hours it took to make.
1. What does the underlined word “occasions” mean in this passage?| A．events | B．needs | C．months | D．ideas |
| A．Because she practised for hours and became bored. |
| B．Because she could not make the dots good enough for a cake. |
| C．Because Aunt Cindy did not want her to make any more dots. |
| D．Because Aunt Cindy wanted her to help somewhere else. |
| A．Aunt Cindy. | B．Larry. | C．Assistants. | D．The writer. |
| A．She got to practise making coloured dots. | B．She learned the importance of teamwork. |
| C．She got to take a cake out of the freezer. | D．She learned art and painting skills. |
10 . Grace Hemingway gifted her son, Earnest, a copy of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s epic poem Hiawatha on his sixth birthday. While it’s hard to say how much her choice of gift influenced Earnest Hemingway at the time, he grew up to become one of the most famous writers in history.
Books can make for charming gifts. Giving a book as a gift to someone is much more than a simple exchange of goods.
When giving books, think about your recipients’ (接受者) favorite. It is worth the time to try and find a rare copy, like first editions or signed copies. They’ll be delighted by the effort. Are your friends stuck in a dullness and in need of some motivation? You can gift them a book that offers inspiration. Also, not mainstream yet useful guides related to their career are helpful.
A book when received as a gift has meaning to the recipient by itself if you’ve put some thought into it. An inscription (题词) adds to the appeal of your gift by making it more individualized. Without an inscription, although still meaningful, the book is just a book indistinguishable from hundreds of thousands of copies out there. A case for not penning down an inscription is that it makes it easier for them to pass it on to someone else if they don’t like the book.
Wondering if you should give your recipient a hardcover or a paperback? There is no universal preference among readers. Some like the paperbacks because of the convenience, easy to carry around and travel with. But many people, including me, prefer hardcovers because they’re more traditional and last much longer. A study designed to find a relation between the weight of wine bottles and their prices found that in most cases the weight of a wine bottle related positively with the price. The weight helped consumers perceive the wine as better.
In a word, books can make for memorable gifts. A good book gifted thoughtfully will create a pleasant memory.
1. Why is Earnest Hemingway mentioned in the first paragraph?| A．To share a book. | B．To present a fact. |
| C．To introduce the topic. | D．To make a comparison. |
| A．Who the gift should be given. | B．How a book should be presented. |
| C．Where a proper book can be found. | D．What kinds of books can be chosen as gifts. |
| A．To make the book more personal. |
| B．To record the giver’s reading experience. |
| C．To make the content of the book more appealing. |
| D．To allow the book to be more pleasing to the eye. |
| A．Good wine is all in heavier bottles. |
| B．The weight of a book determines its price. |
| C．A hardcover book is often valued more as a gift. |
| D．The price of wine depends on the quality of its bottle. |
