1 . By now, most people know they should be eating more vegetables. But are there ways to get more from the vegetables you already eat? A research shows that when it comes to vegetables, it’s not only how much we eat, but also how we prepare them, that decides the vitamins and other nutrients that enter our body.
Many studies show that people who eat lots of vegetables have less heart disease, and eye problems and even cancer. But raw vegetables are not always best. The researchers found that 198 Germans who eat raw food were short of lycopene, the matter found in tomatoes and other red vegetables. “There is an idea that raw foods are always going to be better,” says Steven K. Clinton, a professor at Ohi o State University. “For fruits and vegetables, sometimes a little bit of cooking can be helpful.”
A number of factors decide how the vegetables do good to people’s health before they reach the table, including where and how they were grown and stored before being bought. No single cooking way is best. Some nutrients are easily lost in cooking if they are cooked in different ways.
Vitamins C and B are often lost. In January, another report said that boiling was better for carrots than frying or serving them raw. Frying was the worst way to cook.
What cooked with the vegetables can also be important? When the vegetables were cooked with fat, the diners can get more nutrients. Fat can also make the taste of vegetables better, meaning that people will eat more of them. Putting on some other things that make it taste better—a little salt—can make the food taste better.
1. The writer mainly wants to tell us that ________.| A．people should eat more vegetables |
| B．the way people eat vegetables is important |
| C．eating vegetables is good for us |
| D．how much vegetables one should eat |
| A．have the eyes problems | B．have heart disease |
| C．be in need of lycopene | D．hate eating tomatoes |
| A．the place where the vegetables are grown |
| B．the way how the vegetables are stored |
| C．the way how the vegetables are prepared |
| D．the price at which the vegetable are sold |
| A．It’s better to cook vegetables with fat |
| B．the more fat in the cooking, the fewer vegetables people will eat |
| C．It’s better to cook the vegetables without salt |
| D．the fat will increase the nutrition of the vegetables |
2 . People are often surprised by my fear of blood and needles. Working in a public health unit, I probably have more daily interaction with syringes (注射器) than the average person. But the truth is, having my blood drawn scares me.
When I was 9, I had an extremely high temperature. A nurse rudely stuck the needle into my arm, causing a sharp pain. I avoided having blood taken from my body for the next years. A few months before I turned 30, my doctor ordered a blood test as part of my physical exam. I am frightened. Sensing my fear, she gently suggested I see a psychiatrist (精神科医生). “Dr. M helped my other patients with the same fear,” she said.
When Dr. M called to set up an appointment, I hesitated. Talking about personal problems to a medically licensed stranger was uncommon in my family. “A psychiatrist?” Mother asked. “He’ll just put you on drugs. Can’t you get over this yourself?” I almost listened. But I went to Dr. M’s clinic finally. “Phobias (恐惧症) are pretty easy to treat,” he said. I wasn’t convinced of his words. But despite my doubts, I was running out of options.
We started with basic exposure treatment. I watched videos of blood being drawn every day. As I started to feel more at ease with needles, Dr. M suggested drawing blood. As he gently pressed the needle into my flesh, I felt dizzy and breathed deeply. After a few minutes, I looked at the needle. It wasn’t so bad. I didn’t pass out.
I still find it unpleasant getting blood drawn, but thanks to several months of treatment, I’m less scared. I hate to admit it, but Dr. M is right — phobias can be treated. Sometimes, we have to leave our comfort zone and face our fears. And this can lead to freedom in the end.
1. What caused the author’s phobia?| A．Her sensitivity to pains. |
| B．Her bad blood drawing experience. |
| C．Her anxiety about the physical exam. |
| D．Her regular contact with syringes. |
| A．Positive. | B．Supportive. |
| C．Negative. | D．Objective. |
| A．It cost the author a great deal of money. |
| B．It eased the author’s pain totally. |
| C．It centered on watching videos. |
| D．It was smoother than expected. |
| A．Bravery brings us a happier life |
| B．Walk toward what scares us |
| C．Ups and downs make one strong |
| D．Nurse our mental health carefully |
3 . I find it humorous sometimes that even the most common occurrences can have an
My wife, daughter, and I
We did the best we could with what we had to work with and
I still do all of my own
Last summer I had
Weeks passed and as I
That’s when I
First, we need to believe in ourselves knowing we have the capabilities in achieving our desires.Like the Sunflower, it knew it had the capability to overcome its obstacle because it trusted in the Universal Truth and had faith it would succeed.
Stand tall like the Sunflower and be proud of who and what you are and the environment will begin to support you. You will find a way to go under or around your big obstacle in order to reach your desires.
1.| A．personality | B．impact | C．fortune | D．job |
| A．forecast | B．expressed | C．moved | D．determined |
| A．looking like | B．heading to | C．turning to | D．looking into |
| A．other than | B．along with | C．apart from | D．instead of |
| A．as if | B．even if | C．although | D．while |
| A．built | B．called | C．limited | D．changed |
| A．ground | B．green | C．color | D．light |
| A．school | B．factory | C．farm | D．yard |
| A．cleared | B．reached | C．crossed | D．climbed |
| A．admit | B．know | C．identify | D．acknowledge |
| A．either | B．too | C．neither | D．also |
| A．sink | B．stop | C．finish | D．continue |
| A．broke out | B．figure out | C．brought out | D．put out |
| A．whistle | B．signal | C．made | D．warning |
| A．look after | B．look for | C．look up | D．look down |
| A．regular | B．common | C．usual | D．unusual |
| A．suddenly | B．actually | C．especially | D．specially |
| A．specialized | B．organized | C．recognized | D．realized |
| A．potential | B．disability | C．capability | D．reality |
| A．attain | B．admire | C．accompany | D．support |
4 . Amazon’s Alexa might soon replicate the voice of family members — even if they’re dead. The capability, announced at Amazon’s Re: Mars conference in Las Vegas, is in development and would allow the virtual assistant to reproduce the voice of a specific person based on a less than a minute of provided recording.
Rohit Prasad, senior vice president and head scientist for Alexa, said at the event Wednesday that the desire behind the feature was to build greater trust in the interactions users have with Alexa by putting more “human qualities of empathy and affect.”
“These qualities have become even more important during the ongoing pandemic when so many of us have lost ones that we love,” Prasad said. “While AI can’t get rid of that pain of loss, it can definitely make their memories last.”
In a video played by Amazon at the event, a young child asks “Alexa, can Grandma finish reading me the Wizard of Oz?” Alexa then acknowledges the request, and switches to another voice imitate the child’s grandmother. The voice assistant then continues to read the book in that same voice.
To create the feature, Prasad said the company had to learn how to make a “high-quality voice” with a shorter recording instead of hours of recording in a studio. Amazon did not provide further details about the feature, which is bound to spark more privacy concerns and moral questions.
1. Which one can best replace the underlined word in paragraph one?| A．reproduce | B．reduce | C．rebuild | D．review |
| A．To make Alexa easier to use. |
| B．To get rid of users’ pain of losing their family member. |
| C．To develop more trust in the communications between users and Alexa. |
| D．To make Alexa more like human. |
| A．To tell the reader how the child misses his grandma. |
| B．To show Alexa can read stories for young children. |
| C．To show the significance of Alexa during the pandemic. |
| D．To give an example on how the new feature works. |
| A．Amazon’s Alexa will bring back your lost beloved ones. |
| B．Amazon’s Alexa will replicate the voice of lost family members. |
| C．Amazon’s Alexa will make your memories last. |
| D．Amazon’s Alexa will get rid of your pain of loss. |
5 . Large numbers of employees in the United Kingdom will begin a four-day work week from Monday without cutting their pay in the largest trial of its kind. The pilot, which will last for six months, involves 3,300 workers spanning 70 companies, ranging from providers of financial services to a fish-and-chip restaurant.
During the program, workers receive 100% of their pay for working only 80% of their usual week, in exchange for promising to maintain 100% of their productivity. The program is being run by not-for-profit 4 Day Week Global, Autonomy, a think tank, and the 4 Day Week UK Campaign in partnership with researchers from Cambridge University, Oxford3 University and Boston College.
Sienna O’Rourke, brand manager at Pressure Drop Brewing, an independent brewery5 in London, told CNN Business that the company’s biggest goal was to improve the mental health and well-being of its employees. “The pandemic has made us think a great deal about work and how people organize their lives,” she said. “We’re doing this to improve the lives of our staff and be part of a progressive change in the world.” Given the company manufactures and ships products, workers have less flexibility about when and where they work, O’Rourke said. But any difficulties in navigating holiday and sick leave would be tackled as a team.
Until now, Iceland had conducted the biggest pilot of a shorter working week between 2015 and 2019, with 2,500 public sector9 workers involved in two large trials. Those trials found no corresponding drop in productivity among participants, and a dramatic increase in employee well-being.
Calls to shorten the working week have gathered steam in recent years in several countries. As millions of employees switched to remote work during the pandemic — cutting onerous commuting time and costs — calls for greater flexibility have only grown louder.
Government-backed trials are set to take place in Spain and Scotland later this year, the 4 Day Week Campaign said in a press release.Joe O’Connor, CEO of 4 Day Week Global, said that the workers have shown they can work “shorter and smarter.”
1. What does the underlined part refer to in paragraph 1?| A．The trial to carry out a four-day work week in large scales. |
| B．The trial to cut workers’ pay. |
| C．The trial to increase workers’ productivity. |
| D．The trial to defeat the pandemic. |
| A．To allow workers to work more flexibly. |
| B．To decrease workers’ time and costs in traffic. |
| C．to improve workers’ mental fitness and boost their happiness. |
| D．To cut workers’ work hours and pay. |
| A．UK | B．Scotland | C．Spain | D．Iceland |
| A．culture | B．society | C．politics | D．sports |
6 . Liu Shuqi broke up with her boyfriend two months ago and has now found a new companion.
The handsome “man” is dressed in a white suit with a stylish haircut. He understands her emotions and feelings perfectly and gives her comfort, encouragement and support. “He is very humorous and offers some comfort when I am in a bad mood,” the 26-year-old bank employee said. The only problem is he is a virtual being and not a real boyfriend.
Liu is not alone in her choice of companion. In a digital era where people are heavily reliant on their smart devices, many of those who live alone increasingly turn to the virtual field to seek companions.
The artificial intelligence-powered digital humans, who are similar to real humans in appearance and behavior, are capable of providing 24-hour online companionship, humanlike conversation and emotional support.
They will likely become an essential part of people’s daily lives, industry experts said. Lin Kaikai and Ye Youyou, two companion-oriented virtual beings, were recently launched by Chinese tech giant Baidu Inc. Powered by Baidu’s Plato, an AI model for dialogue generation that is trained on over 10 billion parameters collected from social media conversations in both English and Chinese, the two digital humans have a smooth, more humanlike interaction.
For instance, they can participate in conversations through various forms such as texts, voice and emojis. They offer customized wake-up call services and learn about the preferences of their users, mainly through increased frequency of chats and interactions, Baidu said.
Other tech companies have also jumped on the companion-oriented virtual being trend.
Xiaoice is an AI-powered chatbot that seems to redefine the conceptions of romance and relationships among young Chinese. It has helped to comfort lonely hearts through more than 17 million virtual “girlfriends” and “boyfriends” in China.
“The rise of digital humans that serve as emotional companions is a result of technological innovation, such as the improvement in appearance, functions and interactive experience of digital humans, fueled by the enhanced deep-learning capacities based on massive user data,” said Chen Duan, director of the Digital Economy Integration Innovation Development Center at the Central University of Finance and Economics.
A set of problems though have also emerged. They include ethics, morals, data security and personal privacy protection in the industry, Chen said, while calling for efforts to formulate relevant laws and regulations on the ownership of digital characters and standardizing their behaviors.
1. What is Liu’ new companion like according to Liu Shuqi herself?| A．Handsome and stylish | B．Humorous and helpful |
| C．Perfect and supportive | D．Clever and understanding |
| A．Because virtual companions look very like real humans. |
| B．Because virtual companions can offer a whole-day online companionship. |
| C．Because these people rely on their digital devices heavily. |
| D．Because these people need emotional support very much. |
| A．Texts | B．emojis | C．voice | D．eye-contact |
| A．Making relative rules and laws. | B．Regularize the behaviors of virtual companions. |
| C．Stop producing virtual companions. | D．Both A and B. |
7 . Pacific Coast Holiday
4 Days Coach Tour of Los Angeles - Malibu - Santa Barbara - Central Coast - Monterey - San Francisco
Day 1 Arrival in Los Angeles
Thanks for choosing us and welcome to join our USA group tours. After arriving in Los Angeles, the “City of Angels”, please go to our pre-booked hotel and check in by yourself. In the evening, meet our tour director and fellow travelers at the hotel. The tour director will give a brief introduction about the following schedule.
Accommodation: Sonesta Los Angeles Airport LAX 
Day 2 Have a leisure day in Los Angeles
You are free to travel around throughout the day. Griffith Observatory, Getty Center, Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens, and Hollywood Bowl are all popular attractions. Besides, Grand Central Market is a great place to enjoy the food and get cheap pupusas, carnitas tacos and aguas frescas. You can also choose to take an optional full-day tour to the world’s largest film studio and theme park: Universal Studios. There, you may take a look at Wisteria Alley in the hot-selling TV series “Desperate Housewives”, visit the actual behind-the-scenes production and special photography skills of the movie, and take the tour bus on the spot to experience the exciting scenes in the movie and other interesting activities.
Meals: Breakfast.
Day 3 Transfer to visit Malibu, Santa Barbara and Central Coast
On the third day, enjoy a motor coach tour. We’ll head north along the beautiful Pacific coast, pass by the famous Santa Monica and Malibu beaches, and have a stop at the historic end of the Route 66 - Santa Monica Beach. Route 66 established on November 11, 1926, popularly known as the Mother Road, holds a special place in American consciousness. The highway ultimately stretched 2,448 miles from Chicago to Los Angeles. Remember to take a photo in front of the California Lifeguard Tower, which is famous for “Beach Ambulance”. Then, we’ll arrive in Santa Barbara, where a walkway lined with palm trees meets the white sandy beach in distance. After, enjoy the self-paid lunch and admire the Spanish architecture of the city, and then continue going to a quaint central coast town and stay for one night there.
Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites Santa Maria 
Day 4 Continue the journey to Carmel and Monterey, Get to San Francisco and say goodbye
This is the last day of the tour. We will head north to Carmel to visit the shops and galleries where famous artists gather. Then, continue northward to visit the old Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterey. Stroll along the wharf to Cannery Row, famous for the novel by John Steinbeck. In the afternoon, we will drive through the fertile Casterville and Santa Clara Valleys to the “city of the bay” — San Francisco.
The trip will be over after we arrive in San Francisco. If you need, we can book a hotel in San Francisco or arrange other visits for you. Hope you have had a wonderful time with us and look forward to serving you again in the near future.
Meals: Breakfast.
1. Which statement is not true according to the passage?| A．Only breakfast will be served by the tourists agency. |
| B．The travelers will go to the pre-booked hotel and check in guided by their tour director on Day 1. |
| C．Day 3 will be ended in a quaint central coast town. |
| D．San Francisco is the last stop of this travel. |
| A．Appreciate some art works. |
| B．Enjoy the food in Grand Central Market. |
| C．Play a role in the TV series “Desperate Housewives”. |
| D．Experience some exciting scenes in the movie. |
| A．Day 1 | B．Day 2 | C．Day 3 | D．Day 4 |
8 . A start-up company backed by tech giants IBM and Microsoft plans to build thousands of artificial reefs across the globe to fight climate change by restoring coral reef (珊瑚礁) ecosystems.
The Reef Company plans to have its first reefs in the water by December 2022, and is encouraging more companies to fund reefs to offset (抵消) their carbon footprint. “We’ve calculated we need to build 2,500 reefs, each measuring 4 square kilometers, over the next 10 years to absorb the extra carbon we have on the planet at the moment,” says Jeroen van de Waal, founder of The Reef Company.
Coral reefs are home to 25% of all marine life. They provide a source of income for millions of people through fishing and tourism and protect coastal communities by reducing the power of waves before they reach the shore. Yet they’re under threat from global warming and 90% of all coral reefs could be lost by 2050 if nothing is done to protect them.
As well as improving biodiversity and storing carbon, The Reef Company, which is based in Portugal, hopes to give a boost to local economies and collect real-time data for researchers.
The artificial reefs are constructed from eco-friendly concrete made from recycled industrial waste and will feature consoles (控制台) filled with sensors that can measure how salty, warm and acid the ocean is. “The reefs will provide a continuously expanding set of connected sensors to gather and analyze data, generating insights in real time,” says Andrés Ortolá, managing director of Microsoft Portugal.
To act as a sink for carbon dioxide, the artificial reefs will need to support plants such as seagrass and mangroves alongside coral. While coral reefs use carbon to grow, the process also lowers the pH in the water, which results in the release of CO2. Benjamin Horton at the Earth Observatory of Singapore says artificial reefs will need to be well maintained to prove successful. “If the ecosystems are damaged, their carbon sink capacity will be affected, and the carbon stored will be released.”
1. What does the author mainly try to do in paragraph 3?| A．Warn more companies of the extinction of coral reefs. |
| B．Emphasize the economic benefits of artificial coral reefs. |
| C．Show coral reefs play a role in fighting global warming. |
| D．Tell why the efforts of The Reef Company are important. |
| A．To help natural coral reefs recover. | B．To monitor new industrial resources. |
| C．To keep track of ocean animals’ health. | D．To collect real-time data of the ocean. |
| A．He shows no interest in the plan. | B．He is worried about the project. |
| C．He finds artificial reefs useless. | D．He is hopeful about ecosystems. |
| A．An attempt to fight climate change. | B．A company devoted to studying reefs. |
| C．A creative way to build artificial reefs. | D．An international cooperation in science. |
9 . Hearing aids will become more accessible thanks to a new rule. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on Tuesday that people can now buy hearing aids directly from a store or online, said FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf. Before, Americans could only get a hearing aid with a prescription, visiting a hearing health professional and having a custom fitting. The new rule will help those with hearing loss to buy hearing aids over the counter.
Dr. Robert Califf said, “Today’s action will not only help those with hearing loss gain access to more affordable and innovative production options, but it’ll release the power of American industry to improve the technology in a way it’ll impact the heavy burden of disability from hearing loss that affects the world.”
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) lauded the new rule made by the FDA. “ASHA fully supports the creation of this new category of over-the-counter hearing devices, which will increase the availability and affordability of hearing aids for many Americans,” said Janice R. Trent, a leader of ASHA.
The new rule still doesn’t ensure hearing aids are covered by insurance. Hearing aids often burn a huge hole in people’s pockets with a pair costing $4,000, according to a study published in JAMA. Considering that five large companies control 90% of the global marketplace for hearing aids, FDA is counting on the new rule to bring down prices by inviting more players into the market.
“I have a big smile on my face right now,” said Dr. Frank Lin, director of the Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health. “In 1977, the only way for hearing aids to be safe and effective was that they were programmed, fitted and professionally adjusted by a licensed provider. Now the new rule could change the market. This allows more companies that are already making innovative earbuds to enter the market.”
1. What does Dr. Robert Califf focus on about the new rule in paragraph 2?| A．The background of making it. | B．Its possible positive influences. |
| C．His worries over its acceptance. | D．His explanations of its contents. |
| A．Challenged. | B．Rejected. | C．Praised. | D．Adjusted. |
| A．There is little competition. | B．They are in great demand. |
| C．They are of excellent quality. | D．More insurance is required. |
| A．More and more companies will be well monitored. |
| B．Hearing aids will be much safer and more effective. |
| C．The market of hearing aids will be more dynamic. |
| D．The process of making hearing aids will be simpler. |
10 . Well, your questions have taken me back to the past and inspired me to reflect on my current work.
I became interested in plants when I was about six years old. I grew up in Hubei Province in central China, which is well-known for medicinal plants. My grandfather was a local herbal doctor, and had much knowledge about plant diversity. He went to the mountains to pick plants, and I helped him. So I’ve always had that appreciation for green diversity.
But because I was his granddaughter, I was not allowed to inherit his medicinal knowledge — he was supposed to pass that knowledge on to his son or his grandson. But I was guided and attracted by the plant diversity I saw every day in the forests. In college, I was studying forestry, and a professor would take us on field trips. In the mountains near my college, there must be 300 species of trees. So I asked him, “How can these plants come together in this place so well?” He looked at me, saying, “That’s a good question. You can devote yourself to studying that question.” That was the moment when I knew I wanted to be a plant biologist.
So today I’m a plant biologist who’s focused on studying plant diversity. Now I work on describing new species — I’m working on describing a new ginseng (人参) species from Thailand and have also begun to describe a new grape species from Yunnan Province in southwest China.
I am a lucky scientist. Plants hybridize (杂交) like crazy in the wild. These kinds of processes, without proper tools, are impossible to figure out. Now we actually have various advanced tools to test our hypotheses (假设), to understand the patterns and the processes of plant evolution.
Some people may think my work is boring. But for me, it’s not. We’re trying to understand how humans can benefit from this vast plant diversity. Our science can teach us to conserve that plant diversity, so it can benefit not only us, but future generations. Also, our research encourages the new generation to carry on the torch.
1. What made the author decide to be a plant biologist?| A．Her early school life. | B．Her grandfather’s guidance. |
| C．A teacher’s encouragement. | D．A wonderful childhood adventure. |
| A．She is good at hybridizing various plants. |
| B．She has lots of opportunities to work in labs. |
| C．She is allowed to propose hypotheses in public. |
| D．She has many good tools to study plant evolution. |
| A．Boring. | B．Simple. |
| C．Impractical. | D．Meaningful. |
| A．A journal entry. | B．An interview. |
| C．A biography. | D．A science report. |
