1 . My students were taking a midterm examination when my phone erupted with an urgent message. “A student is having a panic attack,” texted a teaching assistant. I ran out of my office, ran down a flight of stairs and found the student—a pupil in my 350? person organic chemistry class—lying motionless on the ground outside the exam hall. “Did my exam really trigger a panic attack” I asked myself. “Why am I not prepared for a situation like this”
It was the first time that I had taught the course. But I knew that the subject was challenging for my students. This was a source of stress for premed (医学预科的)students in particular, who feared that a low grade in organic chemistry would keep them from getting into medical schools.
The following day, I was scheduled to deliver a lecture to the same class. I knew that I had to address what had happened during the midterm exam. So, I started by saying, “I want to take some time today to talk about something important. How many of you think that this is a weed out (淘汰的)course？” Half of my students raised their hands carefully. “I’m sorry to hear that,” I continued. “I want you all to know that I do not consider any of you to be weeds; you all deserve to be here.”
I flashed a slide of flowers in various shapes. I smiled at my students and said, “I think of you as flowers—different flowers with different needs. You may not bloom at the same time, but you will bloom！You may not do well in a midterm exam, but you will learn from your mistakes and do better in the final exam. I believe this. I believe in you.”
From that point on, my office hours were packed. Some asked about lecture topics and study strategies; others opened up about personal issues. I was amazed that a simple, frank discussion in a lecture could make such a difference.
1. What made the pupil suffer a panic attack？| A．Hidden personal issues. | B．The stress caused by grades. |
| C．Lacking study strategies. | D．The heavy work of research. |
| A．Cure. | B．Prevent. | C．Frighten. | D．Cause. |
| A．To give the lesson according to the arrangement. |
| B．To apologize and explain to his premed students. |
| C．To give a speech on what happened in the test. |
| D．To persuade all the students to stay in the class. |
| A．In paragraph 1. | B．In paragraph 2. |
| C．In paragraph 4. | D．In paragraph 5. |
2 . A new device works like a solar panel, except that it doesn't harvest energy from the sun. It absorbs energy from the cold night sky.
A prototype(原型)of the device produced enough electricity at night to power a small light bulb. A bigger version might one day light rooms or charge phones. It also could power electronics in remote or low-resource areas that lack electricity.
The device makes use of the temperature difference between Earth and outer space.It then uses that difference to create electricity. As long as one side of it is cooler than the other, the generator can produce electricity.The cooler side faces the sky and is attached to an aluminum plate. That plate is sealed beneath a transparent(透明的)cover and surrounded with insulation(隔热材料)to keep out heat.The bottom of the generator is attached to an exposed aluminum plate. That plate is warmed by the local air. At night, the top plate can get a couple of degrees Celsius cooler than the bottom of the generator.
Researchers tested a 20-centimeter prototype one clear December night in Stanford,California. The generator produced up to about 25 milliwatts of power per square meter of device. That was enough power to light a small light-emitting diode, or LED bulb. Further improvements might increase its production to at least 500 milliwatts per square meter. To do that, the system might need more insulation around the cool top plate.
The device also could help power remote weather stations or other environmental devices,says Aaswath Raman. He is a materials scientist who worked on the device at the University of California, Los Angeles. This may be useful in polar regions that don't see sunlight for months at a time,Raman says. “If you have some low-power load and you need to power it through three months of darkness, this might be a way.”
1. What can we know about the new device?| A．It gains energy from the sun. | B．It 's been widely used in life. |
| C．It is cooler than a solar panel. | D．It'll be popular in special areas. |
| A．Application fields of the device. | B．The developing process of the device. |
| C．The working principle of the device. | D．Significant effects of the device. |
| A．By putting more insulation around the top plate. |
| B．By using it in extremely cold and clear nights. |
| C．By making its bottom cooler than the top plate. |
| D．By powering remote environmental devices. |
| A．A Device Using the Cold Night Sky to Produce Electricity |
| B．A Device Bringing New Hope for Those in the Cold Night |
| C．The Difference Between a Solar Panel and a New Device |
| D．The Temperature Difference Between Earth and Outer Space |
3 . When Simon Cane was in the second grade, he began learning about all the ways humans have an impact on the environment and really took those classroom lessons to heart in a way that set him apart from his schoolmates at his elementary school, P. S. 81, in the Bronx. “He told me we drove too much and made too much pollution,” his dad, Jonathan Cane, told Runner’s World. So Simon convinced his parents to start hanging their clothes to dry, taking the stairs instead of elevators, and other “green” measures.
“For much of kindergarten and first grade I rode my bike to Simon’s school with him on the back,” Jonathan said. “We had a lot of fun being outdoors. We’d stop to give our dog treats and generally enjoyed it.” As Simon got bigger, though, it wasn’t practical for him to ride on his father’s back, but it also didn’t make sense to ride together — both because of safety concerns and because there was no place to put away Simon’s bike. So, most of the time they drove the 1. 5 miles to school.
But in 2019, when Simon was going into third grade, the 8-year-old came up with a new way to help the planet: running the 1. 5 miles to P. S. 81. And Jonathan promised his son he’d join him for as long as he wanted.
“We did a test run one day in August, and decided to give it a go. To be honest, I thought he’d blink (眨眼)after it got really cold or rainy, but he never did,” Jonathan said. He recalled one day when the weather was particularly bad. “It’s really raining out there today,” he told Simon. “And Simon said, ‘Well then we’re going to get wet!’ He took pride in toughing it out, and it became a really fun family routine.”
Since the start, Simon has run with his dad and their black dog, Lola, and has even inspired his mom, Nicole Sin Quee, to join in. They soon became known as “the family that runs to school”.
1. What makes Simon different from his classmates?| A．Washing his clothes by himself. | B．Taking many classes after school. |
| C．Raising strange questions in class. | D．Taking green measures to protect the environment. |
| A．By car. | B．By cycling. | C．By running. | D．By school bus. |
| A．Simon has trouble with his eyesight. | B．Simon is really stubborn and inflexible. |
| C．Simon is much tougher than expected. | D．Simon didn’t get support from his father. |
| A．The Best Way to Go to School |
| B．Father and Son Run for the Environment |
| C．A Teenager Keeps Running to Inspire Father |
| D．Three Inspiring Running Athletes to Protect the Environment |
4 . Rose McGee bakes sweet potato pies for mourning communities all over the country. This year, she found herself serving sweet relief in her own backyard. On the first night of the police curfew in Minneapolis last summer, Rose McGee barely slept. "People I know were out on the streets, says the 69-year-old resident of nearby Golden Valley. "I was worried.” McGee decided to stay up the following night and bake sweet potato pies.
In the morning, goods were first sent to mourners at George Floyd's memorial site. She delivered her baked goods first to just 14 miles away, and then to protestors and volunteers at the Minneapolis branch of the NAACP. The following weekend, she took dozens more to a temporary food distribution center in St. Paul where many grocery stores had been destroyed.
Sadly, McGee has made Sweet Potato Comfort Pies, as she calls them, all too often in recent years. She baked her first pack in 2014, after news of unrest broke out in Ferguson, Missouri, following the police killing of Michael Brown. McGee drove more than 500 miles to Ferguson to personally deliver the 30 pies she had made in the same year. The next year, she shipped more to Charleston, South Carolina, where nine worshippers had been shot dead at the Mother Emanuel AME Church. After two years, McGee's pies comforted those in and around Minneapolis after police officers fatally shot Jamar Clark and Philando Castile. “Looking at those who are in suffering, I am in sorrow. I'm looking forward to comforting them. As people carry these pies, they're able to have dialogues, able to listen to each other.” McGee says, “If we don't start listening more, I don't know how we'll ever be able to move forward. The pies are simply what can promote that.”
1. The reason why McGee was worried on that night is that .| A．her neighbors might stay up too late |
| B．potato pies were not enough to distribute |
| C．many neighbors were arrested by the police |
| D．people hung out together in the night against the curfew |
| A．The police and residents came into battle. |
| B．Nine worshippers were killed by gunshot. |
| C．The police murdered Jamar Clark purposely. |
| D．McGee baked her first sweet potato pies successfully. |
| A．warn the police not to mistreat citizens | B．comfort those who suffered family abuse |
| C．motivate the residents to fight for fairness | D．teach people how to build a good relationship |
| A．People's helping in suffering. | B．The relief from victims in accidents. |
| C．The comfort given to people in hardship. | D．People's being willing to communicate. |
5 . I was speaking to the faculty (全体教师) at John F. Kennedy Elementary School in Canton, Massachusetts, a couple weeks ago. I arrived early and decided to take a walk.
There was a Little League field nearby. I spotted a sign on the fence .
The sign, posted by the Canton Little League, read:
PLEASE REMEMBER
·These are kids.
·This is a game.
·The coaches volunteer.
·You don’t play for the Red Sox (an American professional baseball team).
I had to laugh, especially at the joke about the Red Sox. But I think the sign is a good reminder to everyone connected with youth sports－kids, parents, coaches and the folks who run the leagues－what is important about the games.
First, kids who play are just kids. They are not mini professional athletes. So youth sports leagues and coaches should take it easy on them. Kids don’t need long schedules and lots of faraway games or high-pressure tournaments.
Adults should try to set up youth leagues so more kids play with and against kids from nearby schools and neighborhoods. They should make it easier for kids to play a sport for just a few months so that they can try other sports. Kids shouldn’t play one sport year-round.
And everyone should stop worrying about which team wins or loses. A friend of mine who coached a lot of youth teams once told me, “When you coach kids, it’s not how many you win or lose, but how many sign up for next season.” According to the Aspen Institute’s latest “State of Play” report, fewer kids are signing up. Research indicates a smaller percentage of kids ages 6 to 12 (37 percent) are playing team sports on a regular basis than in 2011 (42 percent).
The aim of youth sports should be to have fun, learn some skills and enjoy being part of a team. When we lose sight of those simple goals, the games suffer, and the kids stay away.
Maybe in 2021 every field or gym where kids play should have a sign like the one in Canton. All you would have to do is change the name of the team.
1. How might the author feel seeing the sign on the fence?| A．Relieved. | B．Worried. | C．Confident. | D．Disappointed. |
| A．Go easy on kids. | B．Choose youth leagues carefully. |
| C．Encourage kids to stick to one sport. | D．Make a year-round schedule for kids. |
| A．Kids today are less athletic. |
| B．Fewer youth leagues are being set up. |
| C．Youth group sports are losing popularity. |
| D．Kids are focusing more on succeeding than trying. |
| A．Give praise. | B．Express a wish. |
| C．Offer sympathy. | D．Show determination. |
6 . Conservationists have long known that using pandas, tigers and other charismatic(有号召力的) species to front their campaigns is a good way to raise money. But some people argue that focusing on these “flagship” animals can ignore equally threatened but less cute ones.
Now Jennifer McGowan at Macquarie University in Sydney and her colleagues suggest that we can have it both ways, after finding that funding for flagship species also helps other threatened species in the surrounding areas. McGowan’s team first drew up a list of 534 flagship species in wildlife-rich hot spots around the world. The biodiversity areas were each split into grids (网格) of 100 by 100 kilometre squares. The researchers then compared two conservation approaches across eight simulated scenarios(模拟场景) which assumed different levels of human activity and protected areas.
The first focused on protecting flagship species, while the second aimed to protect the maximum number of species in an area, regardless of their fundraising potential. Their study has found that targeting grid squares with flagship species also protected 79 to 89 per cent of the non-flagship species in that area. The figure rose to 97 per cent in some scenarios. “The findings could help when choosing which species to promote. Flagship species are very effective at getting the public to care,” she says.
Morgan Trimble, the author of a paper that has found scientists also have a bias towards charismatic animals, says the results don’t surprise her. “While I think it’s important that we don’t lose sight of the bigger picture --- conserving species is about conserving all the component parts of ecosystems, even the not-so-cute species --- I think highlighting flagship species in fundraising and education is a practical idea and appeals to human nature,” she says. Trimble also asks what the alternative to using flagship species would be: randomly picking species? McGowan’s study found a random approach to choosing where to spend conservation funds only protected 39 to 55 per cent of the non-flagship species.
1. What kind of animals do conservationists usually use to raise funds?| A．Less attractive animals. |
| B．Endangered flagship animals |
| C．Threatened but not necessarily cute species. |
| D．Charismatic but not necessarily threatened species. |
| A．It’s fair enough to focus on flagship species. |
| B．There are very few flagship species in grid squares. |
| C．Non-flagship species are poorly protected in general. |
| D．Flagship species are getting more than enough attention. |
| A．It needs to be further confirmed. | B．It is in line with her expectations. |
| C．It is beyond her comprehension. | D．It goes right against human nature. |
| A．How to choose a charismatic species |
| B．The effects of human activity on animals |
| C．How to best channel conservation efforts |
| D．The role of fundraising in saving animals |
7 . Last week, Education Secretary Arne Duncan declared a war on paper textbooks. “Over the next few years," he said in a speech at the National Press Club, “textbooks should be abandoned." In their place would come a variety of digital-learning technologies, like e-readers and multi-media websites.
Such technologies certainly have their place. But Secretary Duncan is threatening to light a fire to a tried-and-true technology that has been the foundation for one of the great educational systems on the planet. And while e-readers and multi-media may seem appealing, the idea of replacing an effective learning platform with a widely hyped (炒作) but still unproven one is extremely dangerous,
An expert on reading, Maryanne Wolf, has recently begun studying the effects of digital reading on learning, and so far the results are mixed. She worries that Internet reading, in particular, could be such a source of distractions for the student that they may cancel out most other potential benefits of a web-linked, e-leaning environment, and while it's true that the high-tech industry has sponsored considerable amounts of research on the potential benefits of Web-based learning, not enough time has passed for longitudinal (纵向的) studies to demonstrate the full effects.
In addition, digital-reading advocates claim that lightweight e-books benefit students' backs and save schools money. But the rolling backpack seems to have solved the weight problem, and the astonishing costs to equip every student with an e reader, provide technical support and pay for regular software updates promise to make the e-textbook a very pricey choice.
As both a teacher who uses paper textbooks and a student of urban history, I can't help but wonder what parallels exist between my own field and this sudden, wholesale abandonment of the technology of paper.
1. What does the underlined part “a tried-and-true technology" in Paragraph 2 refer to?| A．Foundation | B．Paper | C．E-books | D．Platform |
| A．Its price. | B．Its efficiency. | C．Its content. | D．Its weight. |
| A．E-readers and multimedia websites are learning methods that are proved effective. |
| B．the results of digital reading effects are understandable |
| C．digital reading can't provide potential benefits for users |
| D．students may not focus on leaning by digital reading |
| A．Objective. | B．Supportive. | C．Positive. | D．Disapproving. |
8 . Several years ago, Chris Williams was driving home on a Wednesday night in Conroe, Texas, just like he always did. “It was dark and raining hard, and I could barely make out two people walking on the road,” he recalled. Born and raised in Louisiana, Williams often watched his father go out of his way to help people in trouble. So he did something his dad would have done. He asked the two women if they needed a ride.
They jumped in, and Williams learned why they were walking. Their truck had been in the repair shop for nearly three months. “I asked the woman who owned the truck why it was in the shop so long, and the woman hung her head and told me, ‘I can’t afford to fix it,’” Williams continued.
Williams had always dreamed of opening his own auto repair garage that would help women in need. “Right then and there, I decided I needed to figure out a way to get my dream of opening a free garage off the ground,” he said.
As a father of two girls, Williams had a calling to help single moms, widows and military wives. Williams borrowed money and asked people he knew for donations to start his new career, and several months later, he opened The Garage, a nonprofit that repairs vehicles for women in need-at no cost. The organization gives renewed vehicles away, too.
Williams understood the economic difficulty being carless can cause, and how his nonprofit could help. “Car repairs can be expensive, and where I live, it’s very rural.” Williams explained. “So if you don’t have a car, you can’t get a job. And if you don’t have a job, you can’t buy a car. It’s a cruel dilemma.”
The Garage ended that dilemma for a whole lot of women in the surrounding community last year. The nonprofit gave away 146 vehicles and repaired 127. One of those recipients was Jeanne McGowan. “Several years ago, I became ill and could not maintain my job and I lost my car because I could not work,” she told a local TV reporter. “I’m thrilled to be a receiver of one of their cars.”
1. Why did Williams give the two women a lift?| A．He was asked to lend a hand. |
| B．He was doing some voluntary work. |
| C．He wanted to follow his father’s footsteps. |
| D．He was going to the same destination as theirs. |
| A．At a loss. | B．In progress. | C．Out of sight. | D．Beyond reach. |
| A．It was set up by Williams for his daughters. |
| B．It has donated 127 vehicles to those in need. |
| C．It helps poor women repair their vehicles for free. |
| D．It has won financial support from the government. |
| A．She expected local TV to do her a favor. |
| B．She was seriously ill after losing her job. |
| C．She was excited to have a car from The Garage. |
| D．She determined to donate her old car to the poor. |
9 . Alexa is Amazon’s cloud-based voice service available on hundreds of millions of devices from Amazon and third-party device manufacturers. With Alexa, you can build natural voice experiences that offer customers a way to interact with the technology they use every day.
Alexa is always eavesdropping (窃听). (So are Siri, Google Assistant, and any other virtual assistant you invite into your home.) This is and isn’t as horrible as it sounds. Although it’s true that the device can hear everything you say within range of its microphones, it is listening for its wake word before it starts recording.Once it hears that —“Alexa” is the default (默认), but there are other options — everything in the following few seconds is considered to be a command or a request and is sent to (and stored on) servers in the cloud, where the correct response is triggered. Think of a smart speaker like a dog: It’s always listening, but it understands only “cookie,” “walk,” or “Buddy.” Everything else goes right over its head.
Every time Alexa hears a command, Amazon — its parent company — has just learned something about you. Maybe the company learned only that you like to listen to the Police, or that you like funny jokes, or that you turn your lights off at 11 p.m. every night. If you were to say “Alexa, where should I bury the body?” you’re not going to have the police showing up at your door. (I know because I’ve tried it.)
Alexa does make mistakes.Sometimes this can be funny, such as when Alexa hears its wake word in a TV show.Other times it’s more serious, including an instance in 2018 when Alexa mistakenly sent an entire private conversation to a random person’s Echo device. Occasionally there are even humans listening to your request for weather reports or trying to figure out what you meant when you added “mangosteens” to your shopping list. Sound disturbing? You likely already agreed to it in the app’s terms of use when you installed the device.
What bits of privacy are you willing to sacrifice for the convenience provided by a smart speaker? If you trust that Amazon’s intentions are no more immoral than getting a better idea of what you want to buy on Prime Day, then you have your answer. If you worry about your private information falling into the hands of the wrong people, then you have another answer.
1. Why does the author compare smart speakers to dogs?| A．To show smart speakers are life companions like dogs. |
| B．To show smart speakers are sensitive to users’ commands. |
| C．To show smart speakers are woken by specific words. |
| D．To show wake words for smart speakers are different. |
| A．The tech company knows less than users imagine. |
| B．The tech company is spying on users’ everyday life.. |
| C．The tech company turns a blind eye to some crimes. |
| D．The tech company is interested in users’ music taste. |
| A．All-round. |
| B．Imperfect. |
| C．Funny. |
| D．Immoral. |
| A．It is a matter of opinion. |
| B．Privacy is a high price to pay. |
| C．It is part and parcel of life. |
| D．Convenience always comes first. |
10 . A new family moved in next door and I got to meet the mother of the family, Lydia. Lydia is a (an)
It was what came next that
But Lydia was sure that she wanted my help. I was
| A．American | B．Korean | C．native | D．woman |
| A．confident | B．conservative | C．apologetic | D．concerned |
| A．resist | B．adore | C．reform | D．master |
| A．shocked | B．struck | C．challenged | D．grasped |
| A．willing | B．outgoing | C．numb | D．accessible |
| A．recommend | B．fear | C．thank | D．admire |
| A．sad | B．clumsy | C．sure | D．uncertain |
| A．doubtful | B．specific | C．enthusiastic | D．optimistic |
| A．worth | B．adequate | C．fruitful | D．rewarding |
| A．And | B．So | C．Yet | D．Or |
| A．routine | B．language | C．study | D．family |
| A．In addition | B．In turn | C．In return | D．In succession |
| A．cautious | B．curious | C．scared | D．ambitious |
| A．argued | B．combined | C．separated | D．bonded |
| A．skill | B．enterprise | C．manners | D．cooking |
| A．fortunately | B．constantly | C．eventually | D．successfully |
| A．ever | B．never | C．hardly | D．forever |
| A．companion | B．teacher | C．fellow | D．substitute |
| A．ok | B．fine | C．sorry | D．yes |
| A．remain | B．affect | C．regard | D．promise |
