1 . I work at a grocery store in Montreal's Plateau neighbourhood, which gets a lot of regulars. On March 12, the Quebec government announced to close all public places to stop the spread of the pandemic(流行病)of coronavirus.
The next day the store was the busiest I've ever seen. The six cash registers had to be kept open from 10 a. m. until close. It was nuts. I didn't have time to eat lunch, and whenever one of us on cash had to use the bathroom, we’d have to bring in a coworker off the floor to cover for us.
Since then, the atmosphere in the store has been different. Customers are mostly considerate, but whenever someone coughs or sneezes, everyone turns around to make sure that person sneezed into their elbow. I've even seen customers come in wearing some strange get-ups. One guy even came in with a plastic Walmart bag wrapped around his entire head, with a slit cut out for his eyes.
A lot of my coworkers have left to avoid a public-facing job during the pandemic. Grocery store workers across Canada are putting their health at risk every time they come in to work, but a lot of us are still making close to minimum wage. I realized that I feel more exhausted than normal even though I'm working the same hours.
There still have been some moments of kindness in the midst of the chaos. I've overheard people talking on the phone who sounded as though they were organizing grocery deliveries for those stuck at home. And this past weekend a very nice lady thanked us for continuing to work. I know everyone is worried, but it's uneless having the same scary conversations day after day. Instead, tell us a funny anecdote, or about Homething nice. We'll appreciate the distraction, and you'll make our day just a bit brighter.
1. What does the author intend to show by " It was nuts." in paragraph 2?| A．The goods were in short supply. |
| B．The store was having a big sale. |
| C．The cashiers complained about their work. |
| D．The locals rushed to do shopping like crazy. |
| A．They like to shop here in disguise. |
| B．They are panicky about the disease . |
| C．They are more friendly to each other. |
| D．They have taken proper preventive measures. |
| A．Optimistic. | B．Talented. | C．Ambitious. | D．Efficient. |
| A．It is not work but worry that kills |
| B．Helping others is helping ourselves |
| C．Moments of kindness shine in a time of chaos |
| D．Here is what it's like working in the pandemic |
2 . Clothing rental is a hot new industry and retailers (零售商) are demanding to get on board in hopes of attracting green shopper.
But is renting fashion actually more environmentally-friendly than buying it, and if so, how much more? Journalist and author Elizabeth Cline investigated (调查) this question and concluded that it's not as sustainable as it seems.
Take shipping, for example, which has to go two ways if an item is rented — receiving and returning. Cline writes that consumer transportation has the second largest carbon footprint of our collective fashion habit after manufacturing.
She writes, ''An item ordered online and then returned can send out 20 kilograms of carbon each way, and increases up to 50 kilograms for rush shipping. By comparison, the carbon impact of a pair of jeans purchased from a physical store and washed and worn at home is 33.4 kilograms, according to a 2015 study by Levi's.''
Then there's the burden of washing, which has to happen for every item when it's returned, regardless of whether or not it was worn. For most rental services, this usually means dry cleaning, a high impact and polluting process. All the rental services that Cline looked into have replaced perchloroethylene (氯乙烯), a carcinogenic (致癌的) air pollutant, still used by 70 percent of US dry cleaners, with alternatives, although these aren't great either.
Lastly, Cline fears that rental services will increase our appetite for fast fashion, simply because it's so easily accessible. There's something called ''share washing'' that makes people waste more precisely because a product or service is shared and thus is regarded as more eco-friendly. Uber is one example of this, advertised as ''a way to share rides and limit ear ownership.'' and yet ''it has been proven to discourage walking,bicycling, and public transportation use.''
Renting clothes is still preferable to buying them cheap and throwing them in the dustbin after a few wears, but we shouldn't let the availability of these services make us too satisfied. There's an even better step — that's wearing what is already in the closet.
1. What is Elizabeth Cline's attitude toward clothing rental?| A．Approving. | B．Unfavorable. |
| C．Objective. | D．Enthusiastic. |
| A．rental services are on the rise |
| B．clothing rental will be as successful as Uber |
| C．renting clothes might waste more than expected |
| D．renting clothes might make people lose interest in fast fashion |
| A．give up renting any clothing |
| B．purchase inexpensive clothes |
| C．rent clothes rather than buy them |
| D．make full use of clothes we've possessed |
| A．Clothing rental is a new fashion. |
| B．Clothing rental is retailers' preference. |
| C．Renting clothes is not that eco-friendly. |
| D．Renting-clothes business is in a dilemma. |
3 . If there was a subject at school that made me anxious, it was science. Maybe that’s because in my tenth grade, I couldn't understand my physics teacher's instructions, causing me to accidentally set fire to the classroom. So, when my husband and I decided to home-school our daughters, we made a deal: he would teach science, while I would handle everything else. But that’s not how things have been going these past few weeks, since my husband has been too busy to teach the girls.
Recently, while out on my morning hike before starting lessons, I noticed that the sky was a beautiful blue, and the air was filled with the sweet smell of flowers. That s why I decided that the day’s lessons would be taught outside, although I remembered that my daughters hadn't had any science classes from my husband for a while.
I returned to the house to get the girls ready. We headed up into the forest, settling ourselves by a pond that rarely has any visitors. My daughter Saoirse started to pick up pond weeds and catch frogs, while my other daughter Ula looked at me, waiting to be instructed. I handed her a drawing board and colored pencils. "We wait, "I told her, " and see if something comes along. In the meantime, just draw what's around you.”
We worked for more than an hour, hardly speaking. A bird flew across the water, and then settled in a front of a fallen tree. I quickly told Ula, worried that she’d not seen the creature. But she had, and she started drawing it. An hour later, she’d not finished her picture and I stared down at it. She drew the bird on her paper with amazing accuracy. But there was one other interesting fact about this drawing: she also drew me, sitting beside her.
I realized, as I stared at this child's drawing of us watching a bird, how I'd lived for 40 years, gathered 10 years of higher education, and never understood the foundation of science before this moment. The foundation of science is a sense of wonder; it isn't about accurately reciting words from a textbook. It is first and foremost about stepping outside our busy lives and amazing at the world around us.
1. How did the author feel about science when in school?| A．She was nervous about it. | B．She was fond of it. |
| C．She was confused about it. | D．She was eager for it. |
| A．the fallen tree | B．the forest |
| C．the bird | D．the picture |
| A．She's very outgoing. | B．She's good at observing. |
| C．She's very hard-working. | D．She shares interests with her sister. |
| A．Attention to accuracy. |
| B．Curiosity about the outside world. |
| C．Determination to find out the truth. |
| D．Ability to understand teachers' instructions. |
4 . Some teens are disapproving of compulsory BMI (body mass index) （身体质量指数） checks in PE classes. Do BMI checks at school do more harm than good? Two teens take sides.
Maya Meade, a high school freshman in Ohio, says yes. “I understand that schools want to weigh students because they are concerned about their physical health. That’s not a bad thing! But what about their mental health? For many students, appearance and self-image are huge sources of stress. Forcing teens to be weighed at school will only increase the pressure they feel to fit a certain mold (模子)”, says Maya.
In Maya’s opinion, weight is a personal matter that should stay between a doctor and a patient. She says, “Just imagine someone who struggles with body image being told that his or her BMI is too high as classmates look on! Even if other kids can’t hear, no student wants to feel judged by his or her teacher. That’s not why we go to school.”
Maya thinks if a school wants to have an impact on a student’s physical health, there are better ways to do it, such as providing healthy but filling meals, encouraging physical activity and teaching students about nutrition.
Ben Bagbek, a second-year student in a high school in New York, holds a different opinion. “There is no reason why a school should not be allowed to weigh its students and teach them how to calculate BMI! Obesity (肥胖症) is a huge public health concern in our country. And schools are in a position to help students understand what their weight means to their health -- before they’re at risk of life-threatening conditions.”
“A school’s job is to help students reach their full potential, and your health undoubtedly plays a role in your academic performance. BMI is not a perfect measurement, but it can help you identify the need for healthier eating habits or more physical activity.” says Ben.
The bottom line is: When you feel good, you learn better. As long as the actual number on the scale stays private, it should be viewed as an important part of your health education.
1. What are the two teens debating?| A．Whether students are enjoying PE classes. |
| B．Whether schools are body-shaming students. |
| C．Whether students should pay attention to weight. |
| D．Whether schools should help students lose weight. |
| A．Healthy diets. | B．Emotional stress. |
| C．Fierce competition. | D．Positive self-awareness. |
| A．It’s private. | B．It’s important. |
| C．It’s hard to lose. | D．It’s not a big deal. |
| A．Most school students are overweight. |
| B．BMI checks are of little help to students. |
| C．Schools have the right to weigh students. |
| D．It’s not schools’ duty to help students keep fit. |
5 . Skeptics are strange a lot. Some of them refuse to admit the serious threat of human activities to the environment and they are tired of people who disagree with them. Those people, say skeptics, spread nothing but bad news about the environment. The "eco-guilt" brought on by the discouraging news about our planet gives rise to the popularity of skeptics as people search for more comforting worldviews.
Perhaps that explains why a new book by Bjorn Lomborg received so much publicity. That book, The Skeptical Environmentalist, declares that it measures the "real state of the world" as fine. Of course, another explanation is the deep pockets of some big businesses with special interests. Indeed, Mr. Lomborg's views are similar to those of some industry-funded organizations, which start huge activities through the media to confuse the public about issues like global warming.
So it was strange to see Mr. Lomborg's book go largely unchallenged in the media though his beliefs were contrary to most scientific opinions. One national newspaper in Canada ran a number of articles and reviews full of words of praise, even with the conclusion that "After Lomborg, the environmental movement will begin to die down."
Such one-sided views should have immediately been challenged. But only a different review appeared in Nature, a respected science magazine with specific readership. The review remarked that Mr. Lomborg's "preference for unexamined materials is incredible".
A critical eye is valuable, and the media should present information in such a way that could allow people to make informed decisions. Unfortunately, that is often inaccessible as blocked by the desire to be shocking or to defend some special interest. People might become half-blind before a world partially exhibited by the media. That's a shame, because matters concerning the health of the planet are far too important to be treated lightly.
1. According to the passage, which of the following may be regarded as "skeptics"?| A．People who agree on the popularity of "eco-guilt". |
| B．People who dislike the harmful effect of human activities. |
| C．People who disbelieve the serious situation of our planet. |
| D．People who spread comforting news to protect our environment. |
| A．The book challenges views about the fine state of the world. |
| B．Some big businesses intend to protect their own interests. |
| C．The author convinces people to speak comforting worldviews. |
| D．Industry–funded media present confusing information. |
| A．find fault with Lomborg's book |
| B．voice a different opinion |
| C．challenge the authority of the media |
| D．point out the value of scientific views |
| A．To show the importance of presenting overall information by the media. |
| B．To warn the public of the danger of half–blindness with reviews. |
| C．To blame the media's lack of responsibility in information. |
| D．To encourage the skeptics to have a critical eye. |
6 . Being a college student during a pandemic （流行病）means you're probably working from home internship （实习）.Working remotely has become a positive trend （趋势）and more people are realizing that it's not only easy to do, but is also environmentally and economically （经济上）friendly.
Although, there are some challenges and difficulties to overcome when you work from home internship. Interns doesn't have interacting（互动）with the workmates and don't get as much hands-on experience, which can be disappointing at times.
It's important to make connections with your workmates while serving your internship. Normally, this is done by being in the office every day and gathering near the water cooler to chat or in meetings. Making connections and building relationships with coworkers while working from home is a major challenge. This can be done in a couple of different ways.
The first is to stick to meetings with your supervisor （上级）.Plan a weekly, or daily if necessary, meeting to talk about your projects and to build a relationship together. Besides, join in your team meetings when you can contribute something important or meaningful. You can even master the art of small talk so you know that your voice is being heard by every workmate. Il's admirable for a young intern, especially one who works from home, to speak up. Lastly, you can join in any teambuilding exercises or social events. Since working remotely has become the new normal, companies are trying to come up with activities that help coworkers unite together even when they aren't face-to-face.
1. What's the author's attitude towards “working remotely”？| A．Pessimistic. | B．Optimistic. |
| C．Uncertain. | D．Questioning. |
| A．The difficulty in interacting with others. |
| B．Being unable to get working experience. |
| C．Feeling disappointed all the time. |
| D．Losing touch with your supervisor. |
| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
| A．Communicating Much While Working from Home Internship |
| B．Getting the Most from Working from Home Internship |
| C．Combining Office Culture with Working from Home Internship |
| D．Experiencing Working from Home Internship when You Graduate |
7 . Forget about the “post-1995 generation”. Young people born in 1995 or later have another name in English — Generation Z. They are entering adulthood and will soon shape our future, which is why policy makers, as well as employers and marketers, are trying their best to understand these young people. So, how should we pin down the Gen Z-ers?
Most people will agree that the single biggest difference between Gen-Z and other generations is how connected they are. This is a group of people who had access to social media as soon as they were born. Social media has changed the way Gen Z-ers interact with each other and how they get and process information. They read news from Twitter, watch videos from Vine, share experiences in Instagram and post recipes in Pinterest.
“We are the first true digital natives. I can almost simultaneously create a document, edit it, post a photo on Instagram and talk on the phone, all from the user-friendly iPhone,” said Hannah Payne, an 18-year-old UCLA student.
It is noted that young people in the UK are becoming more active in Politics. Young people regard voting as one option among many to show their political engagement that can potentially influence policies. Instead of party politics, they focus more on single-topic issues such as feminism or climate change. And “much of the engagement and organizing they do takes place on social media rather than through traditional political structures,” according to the Guardians.
Gen Z-ers are also culture creators. Growing up with the Internet has freed this generation from traditional cultural expression. They are no longer willing to let their creativity be limited by their parents or traditional rules. “We decide what kind of content we want to experience and choose how we experience it,” wrote Masback, a Huffington Post blogger and a Gen Z-er herself.
1. What does the underlined phrase “pin down” mean in Paragraph 1?| A．Cooperate with. | B．Firmly convince. |
| C．Communicate with. | D．Clearly understand. |
| A．It’s topic-specific. | B．It stresses social response. |
| C．It’s party-based. | D．It has an immediate effect. |
| A．They are socially responsible. | B．They are friendly and generous. |
| C．They are addicted to social media. | D．They are rooted in traditional culture. |
| A．Worried. | B．Suspicious. | C．Objective. | D．Disapproving. |
8 . How good are we at predicting（预测）what people will do? What magazine will they buy, what music will they download, or what shoes will they choose for a party? Probably not nearly as good as we think. When it comes to human behavior, the brain is shown to have two different ways of thinking. So it doesn’t matter how old you are or how confident you are feeling. It’s all about what mood the brain is in!
A common thought process is the automatic and fast way which helps us to react（反应）quickly in dangerous situations. This is known as system I and dates back to the prehistoric times when people lived with a natural awareness of the dangers around them—bad weather, falling rocks and trees, and threatening animals. Nowadays we still have the ability to react so rapidly and naturally to situations that it can feel like you’re not thinking at all. Have you ever found yourself giving in to temptation （诱惑） and unable to say “no” to buying that new jacket in the window? This is because system 1 is in control—a human characteristic which the world of advertising likes to make the most of!
System 2 is the opposite. It’s a slow thought process that requires us to pay attention and concentrate. This way of thinking helps us to make sensible long-term decisions like choosing which university to study at, or what type of car to buy. The problem is that system 2 often starts to feel boring and so system I takes over. How often have you put down your homework or put off doing important jobs to go on Facebook or watch a TV soap?
We like to think that we go through life mainly using system 2. However, sometimes it’s system 1 that makes the right decision but system 2 that gets it wrong. For example, sports teams put a lot of effort into a game plan, but often it’s the unconscious（无意识的）human wish to do something differently that often leads to an unexpected win. This can also lead to the common mistaken idea that your successful decisions show your skill and talent, when in fact they were just luck.
Perhaps one day scientists will be able to predict what decisions people will make by measuring brain activity. In one study, volunteers were monitored with brain-scanning equipment. They were asked to press either a left or a right button whenever they wanted. The researchers found they could predict which button the volunteers would press up to seven seconds before it happened—your brain seems lo know what it will do before you do! Some scientists say our brains are just machines and we are not really in control of what’s going on. Let’s hope they’re wrong! It’s one thing to be able to tell which of two buttons a person will press, but I don’t like the idea that science could one day tell me what decisions 1 will make in my life before I’ve even had the chance to make them!
1. System 1 is more likely to be in control when you ________.| A．choose a university |
| B．plan a birthday party |
| C．buy a jacket in the window |
| D．prepare for a performance |
| A．people are more willing to use system 1 |
| B．we go through life mainly using system 2 |
| C．system 2 usually makes the wrong decision |
| D．system I sometimes makes the right decision |
| A．Unhappy. | B．Uninterested. |
| C．Hopeful. | D．Confident. |
| A．Two Systems of Thought |
| B．Early Brain Development |
| C．The Importance of Planning |
| D．Two Ways of Dealing with Danger |
9 . POETRY CHALLENGE
Write a poem about how courage, determination, and strength have helped you face challenges in your life.
Prizes
3 Grand Prizes:Trip to Washington, D. C. for each of three winners, a parent and one other person of the winner’s choice. Trip includes round-trip air tickets, hotel stay for two nights, and tours of the National Air and Space Museum and the office of National Geographic World.
6 First Prizes:The book Sky Pioneer:A Photobiography of Amelia Earhart signed by author Corinne Szabo and pilot Linda Finch.
50 Honorable Mentions:Judges will choose up to 50 honorable mention winners, who will each receive a T-shirt in memory of Earhart’s final flight.
Rules
Follow all rules carefully to prevent disqualification.
■Write a poem using 100 words or fewer. Your poem can be any format, any number of lines.
■Write by hand or type on a single sheet of paper. You may use both the front and back of the paper.
■On the same sheet of paper, write or type your name, address, telephone number, and birth date.
■Mail your entry to us by October 31 this year.
1. How many people can each grand prize winner take on the free trip?| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Four. | D．Six. |
| A．A plane ticket. | B．A book by Corinne Szabo. |
| C．A special T-shirt. | D．A photo of Amelia Earhart. |
| A．Typing your poem out. | B．Writing a poem of 120 words. |
| C．Using both sides of the paper. | D．Mailing your entry on October 30. |
| A．before October 31 this year | B．after October 31 this year |
| C．before October 31 next year | D．after October 31 next year |
10 . The term modern art sounds like it means art that is popular at the moment, but in fact, modern art is a style that originated over 150 years ago, and includes artists that by now have attained classic status, such as Picasso, Matisse, and Gauguin. And what’s even more ironic (讽刺的) is that the movement they pioneered, considered revolutionary at the time, was inspired largely by an object of a traditional and ancient design.
As far back as the Renaissance, the primary European art movements emphasized conventional representation and adherence (遵循) to classical forms. But that began to change in the late 19th century as artists like Van Gogh and Cezanne expanded the boundaries of painting. Soon, a movement arose that sought to create an entirely new style of art, and one way of doing so was to look beyond Western civilization.
Henri Matisse showed his friend Picasso a mask he had acquired made by the Dan tribe of the Ivory Coast. The mask awoke Picasso’s curiosity, leading him to visit the Trocadero Ethnographic Museum in Paris in 1907. The visit was eye-opening for Picasso, who declared that African masks were what painting was all about. At this time, Picasso had been working on a painting of five naked women in a style that would later come to be known as Cubism. And while three of these ladies show facial features found in ancient Iberian art, a nod to Picasso’s Spanish heritage, the faces of the two on the right closely resemble African masks. Created in 1907 after hundreds of sketches and studies, “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon” has been considered the first truly 20th century masterpiece, breaking with many previously held notions in art.
Inspiration from ancient cultures started one of the most revolutionary movements in art history, but were these artists playing the role of explorers or conquerors, stealing ideas and profiting from cultures they considered primitive? Questions like this deserve scrutiny (审查), as artists continue to redefine standards. Perhaps not too long from now, the bold innovations (单新) of modern art will be overturned by a new set of pioneers drawing inspiration from another unlikely source.
1. The style of European art didn’t experience any changes until__________| A．artists turned to nature for inspiration. |
| B．artists looked beyond western civilization. |
| C．artists began to emphasize self-expression. |
| D．artists expanded the boundaries of painting. |
| A．It combined different cultural elements. |
| B．Its distinctive style invited much criticism. |
| C．It broke away from all conventional styles. |
| D．It was inspired by a visit to the Ivory Coast. |
| A．Artistic creation involves imitation and innovation. |
| B．The pioneering role of modern artists is questionable. |
| C．Drawing inspiration from different cultures is essential. |
| D．It’s vital that the standards of art should change constantly. |
| A．A Glimpse into Modern European Art |
| B．The Pioneering Figures of Modern Art |
| C．Why We Should Redefine Modern Art |
| D．How Ancient Art Influenced Modern Art |
