2 . Ice cream is especially popular in the United States. In fact, Americans eat more ice cream than people in any other country. Ice cream is a frozen treat that comes in hundreds of flavors. What’s your favorite flavor? Is it vanilla? That is the most popular flavor by far. Chocolate ranks second in popularity.

Making ice cream is pretty simple. It’s usually made from milk, cream, sugar, and flavorings (调味品). Mix them all together as you freeze them and you get ice cream. As the mixture begins to freeze you can then add fruit, nuts, or chocolate. Soft ice cream is just the ice cream that isn’t fully frozen yet. Some people make ice cream at home in an ice cream mixer, a special kind of home freezer. But nearly all ice cream produced today is made by machines in ice cream factories.

There are many other popular frozen desserts that are similar to ice cream. Sherbet is made from fruit syrup (糖浆) that has milk or egg white added to it. Spumoni is an ice cream with fruits and nuts. Ice milk, also called low-fat ice cream, is a sweetened frozen food made of skimmed milk.

You can even get ice cream made without milk or cream. Soy ice cream and rice ice cream are made without dairy products. They’re made using soy bean milk or rice milk instead.

Ice cream comes in countless flavors. You’ve probably eaten vanilla and chocolate ice cream. Other favorites include strawberry, cherry, peach, butter pecan, and chocolate mint. But have you ever eaten ice cream flavored with garlic or green tea? Some people do. You can even buy ice cream flavored with rose petals.

1. The underlined word “That” in first paragraph refers to “___________”.

A．any ice cream

B．vanilla

C．flavor

D．frozen treat

2. What can we know from the second paragraph?

A．We should add nuts after we freeze the mixture.

B．Most Americans make their cream at home.

C．Soft ice cream isn’t fully frozen.

D．Making ice cream isn’t considered to be simple.

3. The main idea of the third paragraph is __________.

A．other frozen desserts	B．desserts in America
C．ice cream	D．ice cream with milk

4. What is made of skimmed milk?

A．Sherbet.

B．Spumoni.

C．Soft-serve ice cream.

D．Low-fat ice cream.

3 . A program at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is hoping to fight against loneliness brought on by the pandemic by forming friendships between students and seniors in the community. They’re making it possible through weekly calls.

“It’s been a thing I look forward to every week,” Miranda Savioli, a VCU medical student said.

The program is run by students involved with the American Geriatrics Society and pairs medical and health science students with seniors in the community.

VCU education administrator for the School of Medicine, Chuck Alexander, says it was formed to fight against loneliness and give students valuable interaction with that age group — something that’s been missing since training programs stopped earlier this year. “It’s mostly just social — just chatting,” Alexander said. “A lot of times they just need someone to talk to. A lot of times they feel that they have a connection with someone younger who is just entering a new phase in their career and that they have some wisdom to impart to them — medically and socially as a friend.”

So far, the volunteer program has paired around 40 students with seniors.

Every week, Savioli video calls retiree Joan Kerby, who lives in a retirement community in Henrico.

“It’s a really good connection because in lockdown you really don’t have long conversations with anybody,” Kerby said. Those long conversations soon turned into a visit. The two participants decided to meet in person back in November and Kerby said it was a special moment. “We talked for two hours. We probably could have gone on longer but we had to stop,” Kerby said.

Savioli says they plan to keep the program going, and encourages others to pick up the phone and call a loved one who may be isolated. “It was developed to help seniors with isolation, but mean, we all got isolated during this pandemic,” Savioli said. “It’s been nice to talk to someone every week.” The group has no plans to stop the program. “We’re going to keep the program going and as for Joan and I, we’ve established ourselves as lifelong friends,” Savioli said.

1. What can be learned about the program?

A．It is run by college teachers.	B．It asks students to write to seniors.
C．It charges participants for weekly visits.	D．It connects college students with elderly people.

2. What does Alexander say about the program?

A．It should involve families.	B．It should be more professional.
C．It reduces students’ training time.	D．It benefits both students and seniors.

3. What did Kerby feel about the two-hour talk?

A．It was boring.

B．It was stressful.

C．It was wonderful.

D．It was humorous.

4. What does the group want to do according to the last paragraph?

A．Stop face-to-face visits.	B．Reduce conversation time.
C．Inspire people to talk to each other.	D．Switch from weekly calls to daily visits.

4 . He had run for 208 hours and 35 minutes in ten days. So, when Pan Junfan managed to cross the finish line in Guazhou, Gansu Province, on Sept. 18, the tears began to flow.

The 513 kilometers he had completed over rough terrain (地形)in northwestern China would challenge the greatest athletes in the world. The challenge was all the greater for Pan, who pulled off the remarkable feat (功绩) after having part of his right leg amputated (截肢) following a car accident in 2015.

Pan’s challenge was originally the Ultra Gobi, which is considered a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many marathon runners. Unfortunately, the 400-km race was canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. After careful consideration, Pan contacted the race’s organizers and they agreed to reschedule the route and allow him to undertake solo challenge.

During the challenge through the Gobi Desert and the Altun Mountains, the 40-year-ad faced temperatures ranging from—20℃ at right to 30°C by day, wild animals and even a hurricane. Carrying a backpack containing the hare minimum of equipment he would need, Pan battled sleep deprivation(缺乏) and very low body temperature during the journey.

Beginning from the “Mars Camp”in Qinghai Province, the ultra extreme course was expanded to more than 500 km over sand dunes (沙丘), dry valleys, stony plateaus and snowy mountains, finishing in Guazhou.

“I hope that by completing the challenge I can inspire people and tell them that life has limitless possibilities and not to stop trying,” Pan said.

In the last few years, Pan has established a dozen firsts for below-the-knee amputees (被截肢者). These included completing the 2018Ironman 70. 3 Xiamen’s 113 km triathlon (铁人三项) in 7 hours and 26 minutes, finishing the Gangshika Xtrial’s 100 km race in 27 hours and 40 minutes, and successfully conquering the Ironman Western Australia in 2019 which involves swimming for 3. 8 km, cycling for180 km and running for 42. 2 km.   As a result, he has been dubbed “the Chinese blade runner”.

1. When did Pan Junfan start his 513-kilometer challenging race?

A．On Sept. 3.

B．On Sept. 9.

C．On Sept. 15.

D．On Sept. 19.

2. What happened to Pan Junfan in 2015?

A．He had part of his left leg removed.	B．He established a hi-tech company.
C．He was involved in a traffic accident	D．He participated in the Ironman Australia.

3. Which of the following difficulties did Pan Junfan meet during the journey?

A．Losing touch with his team.	B．Getting lost in the desert.
C．Having a high fever.	D．Lacking enough sleep.

4. Which of the words can be used to best describe Pan Junfan?

A．Strong-willed.

B．Warm-hearted.

C．Quick-minded.

D．Cold-blooded.

8 . Soap (肥皂) might seem like a reasonable way to avoid mosquito bites (蚊子叮) on the basis that if mosquitoes can’t smell you, they can’t bite you. However, a recent study has found that rather than protecting you, certain soaps might actually make you more attractive to mosquitoes.

In the study, conducted at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, four volunteers were asked to wear a sleeve before and after washing with four different brands of soap. The researchers then watched female mosquitoes as only females feed on blood landing on the fabric sample to show their preference. They found that some people washing with some brands of soap, increased their attractiveness to mosquitoes, while washing with other brands of soap tended to repel (驱除) mosquitoes. The repellent effect of some soap may be due to its coconut scent, as coconut oil is known to act as a natural mosquito repellent. The reason behind this attraction is believed to be related to mosquitoes’ sugar intake. When mosquitoes are not feeding on blood, they add their diet with plant juice or sweet water from flowers, “The fact we are taking those flowery and fruity smells and putting them on our bodies means that now the same object smells like a flower and a person at the same time,” said Clément Vinauger, who led the study. It would be like waking up and smelling the smell of coffee and bread, very attractive.

Interestingly, the effects of the soap varied among people, possibly due to the interaction (相互作用) between the soap and each person’s unique body scent. “It’s remarkable that the same person that is extremely attractive to mosquitoes when he is unwashed, but he becomes even more attractive to mosquitoes with one soap, and then become repellent to mosquitoes with another soap,” said Vinauger. Further research is needed to better understand the interaction between different soap and body scents, as well as to develop more effective mosquito repellents.

1. What has the study found?

A．Soap attracts many mosquitoes.	B．Male mosquitoes feed on blood.
C．Some plants drive away mosquitoes.	D．Not all soap can stop mosquito bites.

2. How did the researchers conduct the study?

A．By observing the mosquitoes’ behaviour.	B．By exploring the history of mosquitoes.
C．By interviewing a lot of volunteers.	D．By examining old studies.

3. Why did Vinauger mention coffee and bread?

A．To stress the importance of breakfast.

B．To discuss their probable health benefits.

C．To compare the difference of objects used in the study.

D．To prove the attractiveness of some soap to mosquitoes.

4. In which section of a newspaper may the text appear?

A．Health.

B．Chemistry.

C．Sports.

D．Tour.

10 . A new generation of opioids (阿片类药物) with fewer side effects is being explored by an Australian and Chinese research team.

Professor Maree Smith from the University of Queensland will present research on oliceridine being developed internationally, as well as results of her team’s CYX-6 research project on Saturday at a meeting to be held by Faculty of Pain Medicine (FPM) of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists during October 19-21 in Cairns.

Professor Smith’s laboratory is exploring the new opioid, together with the Chinese researcher, Professor Li Tingyou from Nanjing Medical University. She stressed that while the research project was still in its early stages and would consume much more time and energy, laboratory tests had found that a newly discovered compound (复合物), CYX-6, spared laboratory rats from some of the more common side effects of opioids. Strong opioids that are now used for pain relief can have serious and sometimes deadly side effects, such as breathing problems.

“We’ve seen that in the US there are many people who are dying as a result of taking too many opioids because they stop breathing,” Professor Smith explained. “Though it’s difficult, we are focusing on discovery of new opioid alternatives with a reduced risk of breathing difficulty. It is a hot topic in the research world at present. Our application of the compound would be a very positive step.”

Dr. Meredith Craigie, Dean of FPM, said opioid alternatives with fewer side effects like the one that is being investigated by Professor Smith required thorough study, and research into the possible unknown side effects of new opioids was an especially significant step in the development of potential new treatments for pain.

1. What is oliceridine?

A．An effective treatment.	B．A new opioid.
C．A kind of operation.	D．A piece of equipment.

2. What do we know about CYX-6?

A．It is found in the body of rats.	B．It is a compound used for pain relief.
C．It prevents some side effects of opioids.	D．It is newly invented by Professor Smith.

3. How does Professor Smith find their project?

A．Expensive.

B．Promising.

C．Popular.

D．Risky.

4. What did Dr. Meredith Craigie suggest?

A．Testing the side effects of new opioids.	B．Inventing opioids with better effects.
C．Developing new treatments for pain.	D．Using medicine for breathing difficulty.