1 . This may sound like a joke about a lazy person’s dream job. Earn big money by staying in bed and watching TV. But this is really happening, and it’s a project of NASA and two European space agencies the Institute of Aerospace Medicine at the Cologne-based German Aerospace Center and the European Space Agency. I’s called Artificial Gravity Bed Rest Study, aimed at studying how the body adapts to weightlessness in space.

Scientists are seeking 12 women to spend two full months in bed in the fall at a German lab,plus an additional month there for preparation and recovery, The first 12 test subjects, all men, already have started the study.

Participants spend two entire months in bed and remain lying down even to do everyday things like eating, drinking and exercising. They also answer nature’s call and shower, but it’s unclear from the NASA website how those tasks are accomplished in bed.

“Daily routine showering, getting dressed, eating, exercising takes much time when you cannot stand up to do them,” says the website, adding that there is “continuous data collection”, including blood pressure, heart rate, nutrient absorption and also the participants’ feelings. Study subjects will spend the 60 days with their heads tiled down six degrees, which imitates conditions in space.

Participants are encouraged to pass the time by watching TV, taking online courses, reading and any other activities they can perform while lying down alone in bed to relieve what could be boredom. Family and friends are allowed to visit.

The high $ 18,500 payment for two months of lazing about is probably a major motivation for people willing to go through something this extreme. However, if you’re an American who really needs the money, you probably can’t afford it. Candidates need to travel to Cologne four times at their own expense for the employment process between April and July. Plus, they need strong German-speaking skills Also participants need to be nonsmokers between ages 24 and 55, in good health, with normal body weight.

1. What are participants expected to do during the study?

A．Report their feelings regularly.	B．Complete their daily routines in bed.
C．Keep their bodies tilted down six degrees.	D．Record their physical responses every day.

2. What data about the participants will the researchers collect?

A．The changes in their weight.	B．Their behaviors to weightlessness.
C．The ways they do their daily things	D．Their physical and mental reactions

3. What will be a challenge for the participants?

A．The language skills they need.	B．The difficulty meeting family.
C．The possibility that they feel dull.	D．The slow discovery of their health.

4. The requirements for potential participants are__________.

A．challenging for Americans	B．tailored to thin persons
C．easy for the youth to satisfy	D．suitable for most people

2 . Corals are often described as undersea forests, but they are declining far more quickly than the Amazon. The coral reefs( 珊 瑚 礁 )are likely to be among the first ecosystems to be wiped out by climate change.

A temperature rise of just 1 to 2℃ can lead to the death of the algae( 海 藻 ) upon which corals depend, draining them of color and making the structure more fragile. These bleaching( 褪 色 的 ) events can be temporary if waters cool, but the more frequent they are and the longer they last, the greater the risk of damage is.

But that’s exactly what is happening. Bleaching was first observed in 1983. It was seen on a   global level in 1998, then 2010, and then from 2015 to 2017. Most available scientific evidence tells us that unless we do something to limit warming to 1.5℃, we will lose 99% of the world’s coral reefs in coming decades.

But there are other threats beyond warming. Off the Philippine island of Palawan, its old reefs have been badly damaged by dirty water from the tourist holiday center, pollution from boats and overfishing. The area ought to be a shelter because it’s one of the ocean regions most tolerant of climate change. “Even here, we are losing our corals,” said David Obura, chair of the Global Specialist Group in the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. “We need to reduce stress from overfishing, coastal development, pollution and tourism.”

“I am a generation of scientists watching them disappear. It is very depressing.” Obura said. “Above 1.5℃, in about 50 years, they will be a treasure of historic movies and pictures, but very little to see in real life. Children born today may be the last generation to see coral reefs in all their glory.”

1. The rising temperature affects corals by .

A．darkening their color

B．harming their structure

C．cutting their food sources

D．narrowing down their living area

2. What happened after 2015 according to the text?

A．Coral bleaching first became a global issue.

B．The ocean temperature went up steadily.

C．We lost 99% of the world’s coral reefs.

D．Worldwide coral bleaching lasted longer.

3. What factor that threatens corals is stressed in Paragraph 4?

A．Illegal fishing

B．Climate change

C．Ocean pollution

D．Global warming

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Experts worry about global warming.

B．Philippine coral reefs are under threat.

C．Record undersea forests before it is too late.

D．The next generation may never see coral reefs.

3 . A landlord in Maine announced he will not be collecting rent from his tenants(租户) in April due to the COVID-19virus outbreak. Nathan Nichols ,of South Portland,______on Facebook that the tenants liv-ing in the two units he______are service and hourly workers, who may be out of______in the coming months.

“Because I am______enough to afford it and I have the privilege(特权) of being in the owner class, I just let them know I would not be______rent in April,” Nichols wrote. “I ask any other landlords out there to take a______look at the situation and______giving their tenants some______relief as well.” Nichols said.

Nichol's post has more than 22,000 shares and hundreds of______praising his decision. In an up-date______on Facebook, he revealed that it had______at least one other landlord to do the same. He added: “Every so often, however, there is a comment from a landlord who would like to______the tenants ,but simply can't, or from a tenant who______wishes the landlord would help him, but______whether they will. To these people, I say: I don't know your______and I don't want to judge that a landlord who is still collecting rent is somehow a______person.

In these______times of the COVID-19 virus outbreak. It’s great to see individuals who are______the spirit of kindness. Let's hope that Nichols's kind______will inspire more landlords to______help to their tenants!

1.

A．wrote

B．sang

C．deleted

D．abandoned

2.

A．decorates

B．owns

C．borrows

D．chooses

3.

A．shape

B．work

C．order

D．sight

4.

A．happy

B．panic

C．proud

D．fortunate

5.

A．increasing

B．changing

C．collecting

D．returning

6.

A．boring

B．rough

C．serious

D．positive

7.

A．consider

B．appreciate

C．avoid

D．suggest

8.

A．mind

B．tax

C．disaster

D．rent

9.

A．articles

B．comments

C．likes

D．pictures

10.

A．news

B．report

C．program

D．post

11.

A．inspired

B．persuaded

C．forced

D．allowed

12.

A．reflect

B．teach

C．help

D．find

13.

A．generally

B．really

C．usually

D．actively

14.

A．trusts

B．shouts

C．tells

D．doubts

15.

A．situation

B．income

C．marriage

D．trouble

16.

A．rich

B．bad

C．healthy

D．disabled

17.

A．great

B．dangerous

C．sensitive

D．challenging

18.

A．copying

B．making

C．spreading

D．preparing

19.

A．act

B．lesson

C．lecture

D．heart

20.

A．receive

B．arrange

C．offer

D．create

4 . Looking for work?Tutors Wanted:Math/Science/Humanities+Test Preparation

JOB OVERVIEW:

JOB POSTED:2 days ago

WAGE:$27-30 per hour

JOB TYPE:Part time

SCHEDULE:Afternoons,evenings,weekdays,weekends

JOB DESCRIPTION:

We're looking for tutors to join us before the next school year starts.

Our ideal candidate(候选人）will be able to assist middle and high school students with test preparation and academic work in math,science and/or the humanities(人文学科）。

We'll pay for your training before this fall and can also offer flexible summer tutoring opportunities(including the chance to teach group classes).

Once our fall semester starts on Aug 21,we'll have even higher demand for tutoring sessions on Sundays from 12 am to 8 pm as well as from 3 pm to 9 pm Monday-Thursday.

What we offer:

●Flexible scheduling.Tutors work from 15 to 30+ hours per week depending on availability and student demand.

●Free Sunday dinners during the academic year.

●Health insurance reimbursement(医疗保险报销）for staff working over 30 hours per week.

●We are five minutes' walking distance from the Menlo Park Caltrain station.

Applicants must:

●Be able to show mastery of the subjects they tutor.

●Be willing to tutor students through the full academic year.

Application instructions:

●Email us your resume.

●Let us know your scheduling preferences and potential start date.

●Tell us which of the subjects you are able to tutor-Mathematics,Sciences,Humanities, or Foreign Language.

1. Which period of time needs the most tutors during the academic year?

A．Weekday mornings.

B．Sunday afternoons and evenings.

C．Friday afternoons and evenings.

D．Saturday and Sunday mornings.

2. A tutor who works more than 30 hours per week can enjoy        .

A．free job training every month

B．free lunches and dinners during the academic year

C．health insurance reimbursement

D．accommodation near Menlo Park Caltrain station

3. According to the text, the ideal candidate        .

A．is good at one or more academic subjects

B．will work every evening throughout the academic year

C．has the opportunity to become a full-time tutor

D．must have previous tutoring experience

5 . Everywhere I look outside my home I see people busy on their high-tech devices, while driving, walking, shopping, even sitting in toilets. When connected electronically, they are away from physical reality.
People have been influenced to become technology addicted. One survey reported that “addicted” was the word most commonly used by people to describe their relationship to iPad and similar devices. One study found that people had a harder time resisting the allure of social media than they did for sleep, cigarettes and alcohol.
The main goal of technology companies is to get people to spend more money and time on their products, not to actually improve our quality of life. They have successfully created a cultural disease. Consumers willingly give up their freedom, money and time to catch up on the latest information, to keep pace with their peers or to appear modern.
I see people trapped in a pathological (病态的) relationship with time-sucking technology, where they serve technology more than technology serves them. I call this technology servitude. I am referring to a loss of personal freedom and independence because of uncontrolled consumption of many kinds of devices that eat up time and money.
What is a healthy use of technology devices? That is the vital question. Who is really in charge of my life? That is what people need to ask themselves if we are to have any chance of breaking up false beliefs about their use of technology. When we can live happily without using so much technology for a day or a week, then we can regain control and personal freedom, become the master of technology and discover what there is to enjoy in life free of technology. Mae West is famous for the wisdom that “too much of a good thing is wonderful.” But it’s time to discover that it does not work for technology.
Richard Fernandez, an executive coach at Google acknowledged that “we can be swept away by our technologies.” To break the grand digital connection people must consider how life long ago could be fantastic without today’s overused technology.
1. The underlined word “allure” in Paragraph 2 probably means ______.

A．advantage	B．attraction
C．adaption	D．attempt

2. From the passage, technology companies aim to ______.

A．attract people to buy their products

B．provide the latest information

C．improve people’s quality of life

D．deal with cultural diseases

3. It can be inferred from this passage that people ______.

A．consider too much technology wonderful

B．have realized the harm of high-tech devices

C．can regain freedom without high-tech devices

D．may enjoy life better without overused technology

4. What’s the author’s attitude towards the overusing of high-tech devices?

A．Neutral.	B．Skeptical.
C．Disapproving.	D．Sympathetic.