1 . The moon may shine white above us most nights of the year, but how much do we know about Earth’s neighbor and what lies beneath its surface? Scientists are aiming to find out.
On Jan 3, 2019, China’s Change 4 spacecraft landed on the far side of the moon a first for humanity. It released a small probe（探测器）,Yutu 2, or Jade Rabbit 2, which began to search beneath the moon’s surface using Lunar Penetrating Radar（探测雷达）. These radio signals can reach 40 meters underground, three times the depth of the Chang’e 3 lunar probe launched in 2013 for the near side of the moon, China Daily reported.
In a study published in the journal Science Advances, researchers found that the lunar soil’s top layer on the far side of the moon was much thicker than expected ﹣ about 40 meters. Other scientists only expected about 6 millimeters of soil based on NASA observations during the Apollo moon landings, according to The New York Times.
“It’s a fine, dusty, sandy environment, said one of the authors of the study, Elena Pettinelli, a physics and mathematics professor at Rome Tre University, Rome.
Yutu 2 is specifically exploring the Von Karman crater（大坑）,a large hole that’s 180kilometers wide and also the landing site of Chang’e 4. It’s part of an even larger, older crater spanning more than 1,770 kilometers.
“The subsurface at the Chang’e 4 landing site is very complex,” said Li Chunlai, a research professor and deputy director﹣general of National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Observations suggest that the subsurface material is totally different than the previous landing site of Chang’e 3, she said.
Radar waves revealed various layers beneath the moon’s surface: grainy（ 颗粒状的）material, boulders（岩石）,and further layers of fine and coarse（粗糙的）particles. This information is helping scientists to gain new understanding of the moon’s history and formation, as well as volcanic activity and lunar impacts.
Yutu 2 is the longest﹣working rover（巡视器）on the moon, but it won’t last forever. China plans to launch the Chang’e 5 probe later this year, Xinhua News Agency reported. The spacecraft is expected to bring pieces of the moon back to Earth for closer study.
1. What can we learn about the Chang’e 4 probe?| A．It was the first to land on the moon’s near side. |
| B．It explored areas as wide as 1,770 kilometers. |
| C．Its signals could reach 40 meters beneath the moon’s surface. |
| D．It is three times as large as the Change 3 lunar probe. |
| A．It looks like a large hole. |
| B．It is about 6 millimeters thick. |
| C．It goes farther down than expected. |
| D．It is covered by boulders and fine and coarse particles. |
| A．It observed material beneath the moon’s surface which is helping scientists to know the moon better. |
| B．It has offered us relevant information on the near side of the moon. |
| C．It told scientists the landing site is very complex. |
| D．It revealed the surface material on the moon which is helpful to know the moon’s activity and impact. |
| A．Explore the Von Karman crater. |
| B．Replace Yutu 2 to explore the moon. |
| C．Identify the moon’s various layers. |
| D．Bring lunar samples back to the Earth. |
| A．A history of Chinese lunar missions. |
| B．How Yutu 2 explored beneath the moon’s surface. |
| C．report on the Chang’e 4 probe’s findings. |
| D．A comparison of the Change 3 and 4 probes. |
2 . Purdue University researchers have engineered flying robots that behave like hummingbirds, trained by machine learning algorithms (计算程序) based on various techniques the bird uses naturally every day. The robot would be able to fly better through collapsed buildings to find trapped victims.
Even though such a robot can’t see yet, it senses by touching surfaces. Each touch changes an electric current, which the researchers realized that they could track. Xinyan Deng, a professor, and her colleagues at Purdue have been trying to decode (破译) hummingbird flight so that robots can fly where larger aircraft can’t. Deng’s group studied hummingbirds themselves for many summers in Montana. They documented key hummingbird actions, such as making a rapid 180-degree turn, and translated them to computer algorithms that the robot could learn from when connected with a simulation (模拟操作).
Further study on the physics of insects and hummingbirds allowed Purdue researchers to build robots smaller than hummingbirds--and even as small as insects-without compromising the way they fly. The smaller the size, the greater the wing flapping frequency, and the more efficiently they fly. The robots have 3D-printed bodies and wings made of carbon fiber. The researchers have built one hummingbird robot weighing 12 grams--the weight of the average adult hummingbird. The hummingbird robot can lift up to 27 grams.
Designing their robots with higher lift gives the researchers more room to eventually add a battery and sensing technology, such as a-camera or GPS. Currently, the robot needs to be tied to an energy source while it flies-but that won’t be for much longer, the researchers say. The robots could fly silently just as a real hummingbird does, making them more ideal for covert (转换) operations.
Robotic hummingbirds would not only help with search-and-rescue tasks, but also allow biologists to more reliably study hummingbirds. In their natural environment through the senses of a realistic robot. This work is part of Purdue’s 1501° anniversary. This is one of the four themes of the celebration’s Ideas Festival, designed to show Purdue as an intellectual center solving real-world issues.
1. The hummingbird robot could be helpful in searching for victims .| A．in a very wide area | B．in a desert |
| C．in a dark place | D．in the sea |
| A．It is as light as an insect. | B．It can fly to any place. |
| C．It can see where to go. | D．The smaller it is, the better. |
| A．It barely lifts its weight. | B．It’s not equipped with a battery. |
| C．It can’t fly too high in the sky. | D．It produces a little noise outside. |
| A．biologists to study hummingbirds | B．biologists to study wildlife |
| C．transport dangerous goods | D．protect birds in the wild |
3 . In 2016, I was part of a group sponsoring a family of refugees（难民）.Marwa Ataya and Salem Ajaj had
Over time, we
In March 2020, my family traveled to Mexico. When we left Canada, North Americans weren't worried about COVID-19. But the situation changed
Partway through our self-isolation I
Later, I
I hope that people will remember how much refugees do for the
| A．fled | B．ruined | C．betrayed | D．reached |
| A．kept | B．arranged | C．settled | D．wandered |
| A．helped | B．directed | C．let | D．watched |
| A．parents | B．employees | C．friends | D．children |
| A．food | B．grocery | C．fruit | D．vegetable |
| A．developed | B．formed | C．hit | D．found |
| A．ate | B．played | C．. shopped | D．worked |
| A．recently | B．slowly | C．quickly | D．finally |
| A．relaxed | B．abroad | C．nervous | D．aboard |
| A．leaving | B．hearing | C．landing | D．returning |
| A．meant | B．announced | C．showed | D．required |
| A．heard | B．got | C．remembered | D．met |
| A．special | B．remote | C．short | D．safe |
| A．moved | B．welcome | C．interested | D．surprised |
| A．smart | B．active | C．ambitious | D．kind |
| A．praise | B．comfort | C．hug | D．smile |
| A．asked | B．argued | C．hoped | D．learned |
| A．secret | B．relief | C．trade | D．challenge |
| A．people | B．world | C．country | D．planet |
| A．preparations | B．contributions | C．congratulations | D．expectations |
4 . All through the long summer vacations, I sat on the edge of the street and watched enviously the other boys on the block play baseball. I was never asked to take part even when one team had a member missing — not out of special cruelty, but because they took it for granted I would be no good at it.
I would never forget the wonderful evening when something changed. The baseball ended about eight or eight thirty when it grew dark. Then it was the custom of the boys to sit at a little stoop (门廊), mostly talking about the games played during the day and of the game to be played tomorrow. Then long silences would fall and the boys would wander off one by one. It was just after one of those long silences that my life as an outsider changed. I can no longer remember which boy it was that summer evening who broke the silence with a question; but whoever he was, I nod to him gratefully now. “What’s in those books you’re always reading?” he asked casually. “Stories,” I answered “What kind?” asked somebody else without much interest.
Nor do I know what drove me to behave as I did, for usually I just sat there in silence, glad enough to be allowed to remain among them; but instead of answering his question, I told them for two hours the story I was reading at the moment. The book was Sister Carrie. They listened bug-eyed and breathless. I must have told it well, but I think there was another and deeper reason that made them so keen an audience. Listening to a tale being told in the dark is one of the most ancient of man’s entertainments, but I was offering them as well, without being aware of doing it, a new and exciting experience.
The next night and many night thereafter, a kind of unspoken ritual (仪式) took place. As it grew dark, I would take my place in the center of the stoop and begin the evening’s tale. Some nights, in order to taste my victory more completely, I cheated. I would stop at the most exciting part of a story by Jack London or Bret Harte, and without warning tell them that that was as far as I had gone in the book and it would have to be continued the following evening. It was not true, of course; but I had to make certain of my new-found power and position. I enjoyed the long summer evenings until school began in the fall.Other words of mine have been listened to by larger and more fashionable audiences, but for that tough and athletic one that sat close on the stoop outside the candy store, I have an unreasoning love that will last forever.
1. Watching the boys playing baseball, the writer must have felt _____.| A．special and different |
| B．bitter and lonely |
| C．pleased and excited |
| D．disturbed and annoyed |
| A．broke the long silence of that summer evening |
| B．liked the book that he was reading |
| C．invited him to join in their game |
| D．offered him an opportunity that changed his life |
| A．the story was from a children’s book |
| B．the boys had few entertainments after dark |
| C．listening to tales was an age-old practice |
| D．the boys didn’t read books by themselves |
| A．experience more joy of achievement |
| B．play a mean trick on the boys |
| C．add his own imagination to the story |
| D．help the boys understand the story better |
| A．Reading is more important than playing games. |
| B．Friendship is built upon respect for each other. |
| C．One can find his position in life in his own way. |
| D．Adult habits are developed from childhood. |
5 . During the outbreak of novel coronavirus, cities are locked down and borders are closed. Science, on the contrary, is becoming more open. And this “open science” is already making a difference.
Soon after the epidemic started in China, a research team from Fudan University in Shanghai successfully sequenced（测定序列）the DNA of the virus. But they didn’t keep the information to themselves. Instead, they placed the sequences on GenBank, an open-access data platform, so researchers around the world could download them for free and start studying the virus.
Due to this openness, pharmaceutical（制药的）companies across the globe are now able to work simultaneously to develop a vaccine. “There may be room for multiple different vaccines for different purposes and different age groups,”Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security in the US, told Al Jazeera.“The bigger menu we have of vaccines, the more resilient（有适应力的）well be against coronavirus outbreaks in the future. ”
Major drug companies around the world are also sharing their study results. Remdesivir, a drug originally developed by US company Gilead Sciences to treat Ebola, s found to be promising in fighting against the novel coronavirus. Currently, two trials of the drug are already underway in China, and the results might be available as soon as April, according to The Verge.
This openness in science is going to be even more crucial in the future. With climate change, increasing globalization, and population shifts, epidemics will not go away, and might even become more frequent, Dan Barouch, a Harvard Medical School professor, told Harvard Magazine.
He said, “No one group can do everything. It has to be a coordinated（合作的）approach. But I do think that the world has a greater sense of readiness this time to develop knowledge, drugs, and therapeutics（疗法）very rapidly.
Every epidemic is indeed a crisis, but it can also be a learning opportunity. One redeeming（补偿的）factor of the COVID﹣19 outbreak is that it is helping science adapt for the better.
1. What does the article mainly talk about?| A．Coordinated efforts to fight the epidemic. |
| B．The significance of openness and sharing of scientific knowledge. |
| C．Something positive we’ve learned from the epidemic. |
| D．What needs to be done to prevent future epidemics. |
| A．They alerted the world to the danger of the virus. |
| B．They helped remove people’s fear of the virus. |
| C．They invited collective efforts worldwide to develop a vaccine. |
| D．They showed the world how to produce a vaccine. |
| A．work at the same time. |
| B．work effectively |
| C．work continuously |
| D．work happily |
| A．To introduce a possible cure for the epidemic. |
| B．To prove that many drug companies readily share their discoveries. |
| C．To compare the treatment of Ebola and the novel coronavirus. |
| D．To show that the novel coronavirus will soon be contained. |
| A．The increase in globalization may worsen future epidemics. |
| B．Epidemics will be less frequent thanks to scientific development. |
| C．No single group can fight against the epidemics independently. |
| D．The world is becoming better prepared to deal with epidemics. |
6 . From talking robots and video phones to rovers （探测器）on Mars, technology has become so advanced that the previously impossible seems to occur on a daily basis. And yet—we still have no cure for the common cold.
Why can't we stop the common cold? According to Peter Barlow, a scientist at Edinburgh Napier University in the UK, the main challenge lies in the many different types of cold viruses that are produced by the rhinoviruses （鼻病毒），Scientific American reported. There are at least 160 types. They mutate so easily that they quickly become resistant to drugs, or learn to hide from our immune systems. In other words, a single cure isn't likely to work on every type of cold.
However, researchers from Stanford University and the University of California, San Francisco, have found a possible answer. They discovered a protein that the viruses need. Without it, they can't spread inside your body.
To identify the gene which produces the specific protein needed by the viruses, researchers used a gene-editing technique to test all genes in the human genome（基因组）one by one for thousands of cell.
These modified （改变的）cells were then exposed to a range of enteroviruses （肠道病毒）， including the rhinoviruses which cause the common cold.
All the viruses were unable to replicate（复制）inside cells without a gene that produces a specific protein, called methyltransferase（甲基转移酶）SETD3.
Then, they tested genetically（从基因方面）modified mice, which were completely unable to produce the protein. The mice were able to live healthy, normal lives without the protein.
"Lacking that gene protected the mice completely from viral （病毒的）infection,” associate professor Jan Carette, from Stanford, told the BBC.
"These mice would always die, but they survived and we saw a very strong reduction in viral replication and very strong protection."
Carette said the plan is to find a drug which can temporarily suppress（抑制） the protein, instead of producing genetically modified humans.
“We have identified a fantastic target that all enteroviruses and rhinoviruses require and depend on. Take that away and the virus really has no chance," said Carette.
"This is a really good first step—the second step is to have a chemical that mimics（模拟） this genetic deletion,” he added.
1. What does the underlined word "mutate” mean in English?| A．To change a new form. |
| B．To identify a new gene. |
| C．To check a modified cell. |
| D．To cure a viral infection. |
| A．Why it is so hard to cure the common cold. |
| B．The possible link between rhinoviruses and the common cold. |
| C．A possible way to stop viral infections that cause the common cold. |
| D．The functions of a protein needed by viruses. |
| A．The slow mutation of some genes. |
| B．The fast speed at which rhinoviruses spread. |
| C．The harm rhinoviruses do to the immune system. |
| D．The wide variety of cold viruses created by rhinoviruses. |
| A．It helps the viruses replicate inside our bodies. |
| B．It allows the viruses to change easily. |
| C．It helps the viruses become resistant to drugs. |
| D．It increases the spread of the viruses. |
| A．Genetically modified mice died because they lacked the protein. |
| B．The modified cells seemed to protect the mice against viral infections. |
| C．More methyltransferase SETD3 was produced after the cells were modified. |
| D．The gene-editing technique was more effective against enteroviruses than rhinoviruses. |
| A．Conduct experiments on genetically modified humans. |
| B．Identify a drug that can help reduce the protein. |
| C．Apply this gene-editing technique to control other viruses. |
| D．Find a chemical that can cure all enteroviruses and rhinoviruses. |
7 . The US Postal Service(USPS) is losing billions of dollars a year. The government company that delivers "small mail" is losing out to email and other types of electronic communication. First-class mail amount fell from a high point of 104 million pieces in 2000 to just 64 million pieces by 2014.
Congress permits the 600,000-employee USPS to hold a monopoly over first-class and standard mail. The company pays no federal, state or local taxes；pays no vehicle fees； and is free from many regulations on other businesses. Despite these advantages, the USPS has lost 52 billion since 2007, and will continue losing money without major reforms.
The problem is that Congress is preventing the USPS from reducing costs as its sales decline, and is blocking efforts to end Saturday service and close unneeded post office locations. USPS also has a costly union-dominated workforce that slows the introduction of new ideas or methods down. USPS workers earn significantly higher payment than comparable private-sector workers. The answer is to privatize the USPS and open postal markets to competition. With the rise of the Internet, the argument that mail is a natural monopoly that needs government protection is weaker than ever.
Other countries facing declining letter amounts have made reforms. Germany and the Netherlands privatized their national postal companies over a decade ago, and other European countries have followed suit. Britain floated shares of the Royal Mail on its stock exchange in 2013. Some countries, such as Sweden and New Zealand, have not privatized their national postal companies, but they have opened them up to competition.
These reforms have driven efficiency improvements in all of these countries. Additional number of workers have been reduced, productivity has risen and consumers have benefited. Also, note that cost-cutting measures — such as closing some post offices — are good for both the economy and the environment.
Privatization and competition also encourage new changes. When the USPS monopoly over "extremely urgent" mail was stopped in 1979, we saw an explosion in efficient overnight private delivery by firms such as FedEx.
The government needs to wake up to changing technology, study postal reforms abroad and let businessmen reinvent（彻底改造）our out-of-date postal system.
1. What does the underlined word "monopoly" in Paragraph 2 mean?| A．The act of solving a problem. |
| B．A duty to deal with something. |
| C．Complete control of a public service/goods. |
| D．The plan of investing money in something. |
| A．Its great competitor is the delivery firm FedEx. |
| B．It is an old public service open to competitions. |
| C．Its employees don't pay federal, state or local taxes. |
| D．It has complete control of first-class and standard mail. |
| A．explain the procedures of reform to the USPS |
| B．show the advantages of private postal services |
| C．set some examples for the government to learn from |
| D．prove the situation is very common around the world |
| A．needs government's protection as ever |
| B．can work together with other businesses |
| C．must be replaced by international companies |
| D．should be sold out and become a private service |
I： Introduction CP： Central point P： Point Sp： Sub-point C： Conclusion
A． | B． | C． | D． |
Headington Oxford Summer School is located in the beautiful city of Oxford, just a short walk from the centre. The summer school takes place at Headington School, one of the UK's top boarding schools.
Ages: 13-16
Dates: Wednesday 15 July — Wednesday 19 August
Location: Headington School in Oxford Certification: Academic Progress Report & Certificate
Academic Program
Headington Oxford Summer School offers students 15 hours of English teaching per week. Students can choose between our General English, Summer Study and Global Young Leaders courses. All classes at Headington Oxford Summer School are multi-national with a maximum of 15 students per class.
Social Program
At Headington Oxford Summer School, students enjoy a varied and fun multi-activity program, with a range of activities in the afternoon and evenings. Students can also choose English Plus+ options, to replace the multi-activity program, oil two afternoons per week for an additional cost. Social program is a supplementary(补充)to the Academic Program.
Excellent Education
At Summer Boarding Courses, our English Summer School programs help students to develop and use their English language skills in a real world setting. With students from over 95 different countries, we limit the number of students that speak the same language so that students are able to communicate with each other in English throughout their stay. Trips, project work and presentations throughout our British Summer School courses, help to develop the students' confidence and use of language in real life situations.
A Key Part of the Educational Journey
Joining a British Summer School is part of a student's educational journey. Whether they're attending one of our summer schools to learn English for the first time, develop their English language skills to study in the UK, or intending to prepare for further study at university, we have courses suitable to meet their needs.
CONTACT US MAKE A BOOKING
+44 (0)1943 878518infb@suinmerboardingcourscs.co.uk
1. What do you know about Headington Oxford Summer School?| A．It is far away from the city centre. |
| B．It offers programs to elementary school students. |
| C．Its programs are open to students from all over the world. |
| D．Its programs last no more than 4 weeks. |
| A．doesn't include English courses |
| B．is conducted during the day |
| C．is an addition to the Academic Program |
| D．allows students to participate voluntarily |
| A．To encourage students to make friends. |
| B．To make students practice English more. |
| C．To build up students' confidence. |
| D．To attract more students to the courses. |
| A．further promotes the summer school |
| B．explains the benefit of joining the summer school |
| C．explains the development of the summer school |
| D．predicts the future of the educational area in the UK |
9 . Scientists say they have developed a system that uses machine learning to predict when and where lightning will strike. The research was led by engineers from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Lightning is a strong burst of electricity in the atmosphere. It can strike between clouds or between a cloud and the ground. Since lightning carries an extremely powerful electrical charge, it can be destructive and deadly. It is difficult to know exactly how many people die of lightning-related causes. European researchers have estimated that between 6,000 and 24,000 people are killed by lightning worldwide each year. The strikes can also cause power failure, destroy property, damage electrical equipment and start forest fires.
For this reason, climate scientists have long sought to develop methods to predict and control lightning. The system tested in the experiments uses a combination of data from weather stations and machine learning methods. The researchers developed a prediction model that was trained to recognize weather conditions that were likely to cause lightning. The model was created with data collected over a 12-year period from 12 Swiss weather stations in cities and mountain areas. The data related to four main surface conditions: air pressure, air temperature, relative humidity (湿度) and wind speed. The atmospheric data was placed into a machine learning algorithm (计算程序), which compared it to records of lightning strikes. Researchers say the algorithm was then able to learn the conditions under which lightning happens.
“Once trained, the system made predictions that proved correct almost 80 percent of the time,” the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology said in a statement. “It can now be used anywhere.”
Amirhossein Mostajabi, a PhD student at the institute, said current systems for gathering such data are slow and complex and require costly collection equipment like radar or satellites. “Our method uses data that can be obtained from any weather station,” he said. “This will improve data collection in very remote areas not covered by radar and satellite or in places where communication systems have been cut,” he added.
The researchers plan to keep developing the technology in partnership with a European effort that aims to create a lightning protection system. Scientists working on the Paris-based project are experimenting with a laser technology that could someday control lightning activity. The idea is that powerful, ground-based lasers can be positioned in the sky to direct energy from lightning.
1. What does Paragraph 2 mainly focus on?| A．The cause of lightning. | B．The forming process of lighnting. |
| C．The destruction of lightning. | D．The difficulty to count the deaths. |
① develop a prediction model.
② learn to recognize weather conditions.
③ collect related data.
④ input the data onto the computer.
⑤ make predictions.
| A．①→②→③→④→⑤ | B．③→④→①→②→⑤ |
| C．①→②→④→③→⑤ | D．③→①→②→⑤→④ |
| A．Satisfied. | B．Doubtful. |
| C．Negative. | D．Neutral. |
| A．accuracy | B．efficiency |
| C．wide coverage | D．reliability |
| A．Identify lighting. | B．Predict lighting. |
| C．Stop lighting. | D．Control lighting. |
10 . The phrase “take a penny, leave a penny” may not have been created by 14-year-old Nomaan “Nomi” Bilal, but he’s taken it to a whole new level.
Bilal collected quite a few pennies and
While finishing up his first year of high school online, Bilal started collecting
Roseann Miceli, director of a charity organization, called Bilal's efforts
“I was just
“It shows that one person can make a difference and how such a small effort can turn into such a big thing,” he said. “And that my community is very helpful and thoughtful throughout these
| A．saved | B．left | C．gathered | D．provided |
| A．raised | B．made | C．expected | D．created |
| A．mentally | B．physically | C．financially | D．socially |
| A．receive | B．deliver | C．pick | D．apply |
| A．slight | B．simple | C．certain | D．loose |
| A．word | B．promise | C．truth | D．news |
| A．drop off | B．put away | C．leave out | D．pass out |
| A．counting | B．balancing | C．sorting | D．marking |
| A．attitude | B．efforts | C．choice | D．task |
| A．routine | B．business | C．process | D．method |
| A．modest | B．convenient | C．available | D．generous |
| A．grow | B．move | C．return | D．expand |
| A．waving | B．nodding | C．coming | D．screaming |
| A．giving out | B．picking up | C．taking out | D．giving away |
| A．beyond | B．across | C．through | D．by |
| A．earning | B．managing | C．studying | D．rolling |
| A．distance | B．movement | C．order | D．scene |
| A．shocked | B．surprised | C．curious | D．relieved |
| A．carried | B．offered | C．said | D．showed |
| A．pleasant | B．essential | C．inspiring | D．tough |
