1 . In fairy tales, it’s usually the princess that needs protecting. At Google in Silicon Valley, the princess is the one defending the castle. Parisa Tabriz is a 31-year-old with perhaps the most unique job title in engineering-“Google Security Princess”. Her job is to hack into the most popular web browser ( 浏览器 ) on the planet, trying to find weaknesses in the system before the “black hats” do. To defeat Google’s attackers, Tabriz must first think like them.
Tabriz’s role has evolved dramatically in the eight years since she first started working at Google. Back then, the young graduate from Illinois University was one of 50 security engineers- today there are over 500.
Cybercrime ( 网络犯罪 ) has come a long way in the past decade-from the Nigerian Prince Scam to credit card theft. Tabriz’s biggest concern now is the people who find bugs in Google’s software, and sell the information to governments or criminals. To fight against this, the company has set up a “Vulnerability Rewards Programme”, paying anywhere from $100 to $ 20,000 for reported mistakes.
It’s a world away from Tabriz’s computer-free childhood home in Chicago. The daughter of an Iranian-American doctor father, and Polish-American nurse mother, Tabriz had little contact with computers until she started studying engineering at college. Gaze across a line-up of Google security staff today, and you’ll find women like Tabriz are few and far between ( 稀 少 的 )- though in the last few years she has hired more female tech geniuses. She admits there’s an obvious gender disequilibrium( 性别不平衡 ) in Silicon Valley.
Funnily enough, during training sessions, Tabriz first asks new colleagues to hack into not a computer, but a vending machine ( 自动售货机 ). Tabriz’s job is as much about technological know-how as understanding the psychology of attackers.
1. What do “black hats” refer to in paragraph 1?| A．Castle residents. | B．Princesses. | C．Google’s attackers. | D．Security engineers. |
| A．She was the first female engineer at Google. |
| B．She uses both technology and psychology while working. |
| C．She grasped much computer knowledge in her childhood. |
| D．She must think differently from attackers to defeat them. |
| A．Causes of cybercrime. |
| B．A security engineer’s routine. |
| C．Google’s new job. |
| D．Tabriz, the “Security Princess” at Google. |
2 . By the time Robert Porter Allen was born in 1905, the whooping crane was already in trouble. The beautiful bird was once commonly found across North America. By 1941, the whooping crane population had dwindled to the double digits. The tallest species in North America were critically endangered.
In the 1940s, the remaining cranes migrate every year from the Gulf Coast of Texas to somewhere in the north of Canada to breed. The conservation community didn’t know where the birds went. The wetlands where they used to spend winters were growing rarer and rarer as the tiny, non-migrating group of whooping cranes was alive in Louisiana in 1941, but the group had disappeared by the time Allen started his research.
In 1942, Allen undertook the whooping crane project over the next three years, he did almost constant fieldwork that took him from Texas up the cranes’ migration route to Nebraska, and on into Saskatchewan in search of the nesting ground of the birds.
Studying the bird in its breeding habitat and seeing how many birds were born would allow conservationists to understand how to help the birds on their journey. But finding the whooping cranes’ nesting site meant difficult and fruitless air searches over northern Canada.
In 1952, Allen wrote a report on the whooping crane. The report was a warning call to the conservation community: only 33 migratory “whoopers” remained, and their nesting site still hadn’t been found. Two years later, the whooping cranes breeding grounds in Canada’s Wood Buffalo National Park were finally found, and Allen headed north to study them personally, an “incredibly difficult journey,” in Sprunt’s words, Allen’s work laid the groundwork for conservationists to save the birds.
Their efforts paid off as the numbers reached 57 by 1970 and 214 by 2005. Today, the whooping crane is still listed as endangered, but there are roughly 600 birds alive.
1. What is the passage mainly about?| A．It is a story about Allen’s searching for a lost bird. |
| B．It is a story about conserving the whooping crane. |
| C．It is a story about the cranes’ long migration flight. |
| D．It is a story about the crane surviving the winters. |
| A．Reduced. | B．Stayed. | C．Increased. | D．Limited. |
| A．Deadly diseases. | B．Habitat loss. | C．Natural disaster. | D．Illegal hunting. |
3 . Landslides ( 山体滑坡 ) occur when large amounts of wet debris ( 碎片 ), including rocks, earth, and trees, slide down a slope ( 斜 坡 ). They may occur as a result of fires, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, storms, or human activities. Landslides are particularly dangerous because they strike suddenly, move at extremely high speeds, and travel long distances. Although landslides are often difficult to predict, you can prepare for a landslide by following proper safety rules, ensure that you’re familiar with the warning signs, and making an emergency plan.
Become familiar with the land around where you live and work so that you understand your risk in different situations.
Learn about local emergency response plans.
Stay alert and awake in danger. Many deaths from landslides occur while people are sleeping.
Listen for unusual sounds that might indicate moving debris, such as trees cracking ( 爆裂声 ). If you are near a stream or river, be watchful for any sudden increase or decrease in water flow and notice whether the water changes from clear to muddy. Such changes may mean there is debris flow activity upstream, so be prepared to move quickly.
Listen to local news stations on a battery-powered radio for warnings of heavy rainfall.
Consider leaving if it is safe to do so.
If you suspect a danger, evacuate ( 撤退) immediately. Inform your neighbours if you can, and contact your public works, fire or police department.
Be especially alert when driving-watch for collapsed pavement, mud, fallen rocks and other indications of possible debris flow.
Talk to everyone in your family what to do if a landslide occurs. Create and practise an evacuation plan for your family and your business.
1. Which of the following is true about landslide?| A．It strikes slowly. |
| B．It can be easily predicted. |
| C．Too much debris causes damage. |
| D．You needn’t prepare for it. |
| A．Trees cracking. |
| B．Heavy rainfall. |
| C．Sudden increase or decrease in water flow. |
| D．Water changing from clear to muddy. |
| A．Listen to local news stations. |
| B．Create an evacuation plan. |
| C．Leave at once with your family. |
| D．Stay in your neighbour’s house. |
4 . In a natural disaster—a hurricane, flood, volcanic eruption, or other catastrophes—minutes and even seconds of warning can make the difference between life and death. Because of this, scientists are working to use the latest technological advances to predict when and where disasters will happen. They are also studying how best to analyse and communicate this information once it is obtained.
Hurricane Georges made landfall in Biloxi, Mississippi, after damaging Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and several islands of the Caribbean badly with torrential rains and winds up to 160 km per hour. Few people lost their lives along the Gulf Coast of the United States, although hundreds died in the Caribbean. This was a very different outcome from 1900, when a powerful Gulf Coast hurricane made an unexpected direct hit on Galveston, Texas, killing at least 6,000 people.
Vastly improved hurricane warnings explain the different circumstances-residents of Galveston had no advance warning that a storm was approaching, while residents of Biloxi had been warned days in advance, allowing for extensive safety precautions.
While people in Biloxi were thankful for the advance warning, some residents of New Orleans, Louisiana were less satisfied. A day before Georges made landfall, forecasters were predicting that the hurricane had a good chance of striking New Orleans. Because much of New Orleans lies below sea level, the city is at risk for flooding. Emergency management officials must begin evacuations well before a storm strikes. But evacuation costs money: businesses close, tourists leave, and citizens take precautionary measures. The mayor of New Orleans estimated that his city’s preparations for Georges cost more than 50 million. After Georges missed New Orleans, some residents questioned the value of the hurricane forecasts in the face of such high costs.
The different views on the early warnings for Hurricane Georges show some of the complexities related to predicting disasters. Disaster prediction is a process of providing scientific information to the government officials and other decision-makers who must respond to those predictions.
1. Which of the following areas suffered the most severe damage?| A．Puerto Rico. | B．Galveston, Texas. |
| C．Biloxi, Mississippi. | D．New Orleans. |
| A．the forecast hurricane did not hit the city. | B．the hurricane warning arrived rather late. |
| C．their preparations were made in vain. | D．they suffered from a heavy hurricane attack. |
| A．The different ways of disaster prediction. |
| B．Technological advances in disaster prediction. |
| C．The importance and uncertainty of disaster prediction. |
| D．The benefits and preparations of disaster prediction. |
5 . Have you ever heard loud honking calls and looked up to see geese flying in a V-formation?
Geese are among the animals that travel south for the winter. In spring, they return to their summer homes in the north. Their journeys are known as migrations.
Monarch butterflies make amazing journeys too. Each autumn, millions of monarch butterflies in North America migrate. Monarchs from west of the Rocky Mountains fly to California. Monarchs in the east of the Rockies fly to Mexico. The butterflies’ journeys may take a month. During and after the long flight, the butterflies gather together. Thousands of monarch butterflies cover the trees in these gathering places. Most adult monarchs migrate south only once. The females lay their eggs and then die. The young butterflies make the return trip back north in the spring.
Green turtles also migrate to lay their eggs. Some kinds migrate long distances. They swim across the Atlantic Ocean from South America to lay their eggs on Ascension Island. It’s a distance of about 1,300 miles (2,000 kilometres). After the eggs are laid, the adult turtles return to Brazil’s coastal waters. They leave their young to hatch on the beach and find their way to the sea. Two years later, the young turtles swim back to the beach of their birth to lay their own eggs.
No one understands exactly how migrating animals know when to migrate or how they find their way. Some experts think that the shortening days in fall or the lengthening days in spring may act as a signal to birds and other animals. Such signals indicate that it is time to start their long journey.
Once on their way, birds are thought to navigate by the Sun and stars. Research shows that birds also may be sensitive to Earth’s magnetic field-the space around Earth where a magnetic force is felt. Fish and turtles may find their way back to their breeding grounds by remembering the smell of the water.
1. The question placed at the beginning of the text is to _____.| A．surprise the readers |
| B．serve as the theme |
| C．introduce the topic |
| D．express a puzzlement |
| A．Their round-trip takes about a month. |
| B．They settle in the new places forever. |
| C．They fly back after they lay eggs. |
| D．Young monarch butterflies return north. |
| A．find food | B．lay eggs | C．leave their young | D．find their mates |
| A．how animals find their ways |
| B．where animals go for winter |
| C．when to migrate |
| D．why migration happens |
6 . More and more English-educated Chinese Singaporean parents are realizing the importance for their children to be not only good at the all-important English language, but also at Chinese. China has become a great political and economic superpower and they want their children to become bilingual.
It is well known that, to master any language, especially one’s mother tongue, one must begin from childhood. But there are challenges and barriers for children of English-speaking homes to succeed in their journey towards bilingualism.
Take my family as an example. While my wife and I are products of English education, we had some foundation in Chinese which we kept up in our working life. But the language of communication in our home is mainly English.
We are glad that our three children had between 8 and 11 years’ Chinese schooling before switching over to English schools. Their foundation in Chinese has become an advantage in their adult life. They can hold their own in the spoken language, but would find it hard to write a business letter in Chinese for lack of usage.
We have a grandson who will be two years old shortly. His parents have given us the unenviable task of making him bilingual. It is a very tough assignment, as we are with him only a couple of hours on most days. For the rest of the time, he is being surrounded by English sounds by his busy parents.
Fortunately, our perseverance is paying off. After eight months, he has been used to hearing Chinese sounds, and even he can now quite comfortably identify common everyday objects in Chinese.
1. Why is it becoming necessary for some Chinese Singaporean children to learn Chinese?| A．Because most of the Singaporeans come from China. |
| B．Because their parents are missing their motherland. |
| C．Because China has become a great political and economic superpower. |
| D．Because Chinese is the official language in the UN. |
| A．a person who knows English | B．a person who knows Chinese |
| C．a person who knows only one language | D．a person who knows two languages |
| A．there are challenges for children of English-speaking homes to learn Chinese |
| B．his foundation in Chinese is a big advantage in teaching his grandson |
| C．he is quite good at teaching small children Chinese |
| D．learning Chinese is very popular in Singapore |
| A．all the children in Singapore need to learn Chinese |
| B．understanding Chinese is becoming an advantage in Singapore |
| C．the author’s children know nothing about Chinese |
| D．the author feels it easy to teach others Chinese |
7 . I had been in the city for some time and was coming home.I missed my boat and decided to travel on an old ship.I knew that it would not be a comfortable journey but I had no time to wait for another boat.
Hardly had we left the port when I saw the dog Gulliver，the captain’s favourite dog，for the first time.What a big dog it was！I had never seen one that could frighten me so much!
On the third day the ship caught fire.Nobody tried to put it out.The ship began sinking and all the men rushed to the lifeboats.I saw no chance of getting away in a boat.Suddenly I remembered there was a life raft (橡皮救生筏) on the ship.I had no time，so I immediately rushed towards the raft and pushed it into the water.
In jumping down onto the raft I hurt myself badly and was unconscious for some time.When I came to，I found there was no sign of a lifeboat.Every man who had been on board the ship must have gone down with her.I was the only one who was saved.
Then I saw Gulliver was coming fast towards the raft.It struggled a long time before it managed to get onto the raft.I wanted to push it back into the water but did not dare to move.The dog shook itself，went to the other end of the raft and lay down.I did not dare to sleep that night.I must watch it.In the moonlight I could see its eyes were open.It was watching，too.
1. The author first met the dog in the course of ________.| A．leaving the port |
| B．travelling in the city |
| C．waiting for the boat |
| D．getting onto the ship |
| A．got on a lifeboat |
| B．got away with a raft |
| C．jumped into the water |
| D．tried to put out the fire |
| A．It was friendly. |
| B．It had a good sleep. |
| C．It frightened the author. |
| D．It enjoyed the moon. |
8 . What is the greatest threat to mankind? Maybe different people come up with different answers. However, there is no denying the fact that the only threat to humankind, apart from humankind itself, is, without any doubt, the nature. Natural disasters are the result of natural environmental processes that have a damaging effect on people. Natural disasters can come in many forms: such as geological events like earthquakes, tsunamis or mud-rock flows, climatic events like storms, hurricanes or tornadoes and fire events like forest fires and wildfires.
The damage done by natural disasters is mainly as a result of our inability to predict exactly when they will happen. Although great progress has been made in designing and developing forecasting models for some natural disaster, complete certainty is still impossible. Even to be pessimistic there is a possibility that human beings will never achieve accurate prediction of the happening of all natural disasters.
What's more, even though we were able to predict these disasters from nature, preventing them is equally impossible. So we only have two ways to both prevent injuries or deaths and reduce economic losses to the least. These two methods are to prepare before a natural disaster comes to hit, and to manage the necessary resources and public services after a natural disaster strikes.
These two things have always been at the leading position of the projects of both national governments and international organizations. In the United States, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is responsible for the "preparedness, response and recovery planning" of both man-made and natural disasters.
Most natural disasters cannot be prevented, and both emergency preparation and good disaster management are the best ways to deal with them. Although natural events may appear to serve no purpose but simply to punish and destroy, natural disasters, a perfect symbol of the great power of the nature, are display of our planet's evolution and its state of change.
1. Which can't be regarded as a similarity between tornadoes and earthquakes?| A．They can not be prevented. |
| B．They are both geological events. |
| C．They cause damage to people. |
| D．They are both the result of natural environmental processes. |
| A．it is very difficult to predict when exactly they will happen |
| B．our forecasting equipment is too old for many natural disasters |
| C．we don't do enough preparation before natural disasters strike |
| D．we don't have the necessary public services to use after natural disasters strike |
| A．natural disasters can not be predicted at all |
| B．human beings are pessimistic to the future |
| C．being well-prepared can avoid economic losses |
| D．good preparation and disaster management are advisable. |
| A．a symbol of the power of nature | B．the greatest threat to mankind |
| C．Natural disasters and mankind | D．reduce losses to the least |
9 . By now, most of us have picked up at least one pandemic hobby. And there's a seemingly common pandemic hobby trend: People who haven't been able to go anywhere are making imaginary travel plans. Maybe you're among those who have spent hours researching locations-even though you're not actually planning to travel.
It turns out that you aren't alone. People who seem to be sticking to public safety recommendations are still planning trips they don't intend to book. And, when I suddenly found myself addicted to an imaginary girls' trip to Joshua Tree, I wondered whether this was a healthy distraction.
"It's an escapist imagination," said Regine Galanti, a psychologist, adding that there's nothing wrong with escapism during a global pandemic.
On the one hand, distractions are often beneficial right now. We are a full year into living with COVID-19 as a pandemic, and that means you've probably had to navigate a range of emotions like discomfort, sadness, or even boredom. So any hobby that doesn't harm anyone or endanger your well-being is probably a worthy attempt.
Even if vacation planning is your happy place, Dr. Galanti suggests you "actually think about what you're trying to achieve." Why? "Maybe what you're saying is, I need a vacation from work," Dr. Galanti explains. "Then take three days off even if you are not going anywhere. "When you figure out what you're looking for, you might be able to find a small socially distanced adventure in your backyard or a quiet place. Vacation planning is a good way to spend some time, but there might be an even better way to get what you're desiring.
Anyway, when uncertainty is all around us, creating things to look forward to isn't a terrible idea. And when things are safer, you'll have all your plans in place.
1. Why do people make imaginary travel plans during the pandemic?| A．To develop a new hobby. | B．To stay safe and sound. |
| C．To be distracted from reality. | D．To get ready for future travel. |
| A．Express. | B．Balance. | C．Adapt to. | D．Deal with. |
| A．Objective. | B．Negative. | C．Supportive. | D．Unclear. |
| A．Figures. | B．Lifestyle. |
| C．Food and recipe. | D．Science and technology. |
10 . In 1998, people in Na Doi, a quiet village in northwest Thailand, noticed that their fish catches in the nearby Ngao River were declining. The fish they did manage to net were also getting smaller. Together, Na Doi’s 75 households decided to try a new solution: they would set aside a small stretch of river to be strictly off-limits to fishing.
The rules are usually simple: no fishing of any kind in an agreed-upon area marked by flags or signs. While freshwater reserves won’t solve everything, in places where fish populations are under pressure, they can give species much-needed breathing room to rebuild their numbers, ultimately making them better able to weather other environmental problems.
Na Doi was the second village in the Ngao River valley to adopt this pioneering approach to freshwater fisheries management. Since the late 1990s, at least 50 other villages there have done the same. As a whole, the entirely grassroots-led reserves have been surprisingly successful, according to findings recently published in Nature. Most importantly, the Thailand case provides probably the best real-world proof that fisheries reserves can benefit not just oceans, but freshwater, too
In 2012. Aaron Koning, then a doctoral student at the University of Wisconsin, began investigating the Ngao River valley reserves to see how widespread and successful they truly were. Koning found, not surprisingly, that older and bigger reserves were more successful, because they offered more time and space—including more kinds of habitat—in which to rebuild fish populations and re-establish rare species. But even reserves established in the last couple of years showed clear benefits from being spared intense fishing pressure. “Reserves that were located closer to a village tended to have an advantage,” Koning says, “probably because villagers were better able to enforce the rules.”
By comparing different systems and approaches around the world, Koning and his colleagues hope to identify common factors for success that could be tailored to diverse rivers and lakes.
1. What drove Na Doi to create freshwater reserves?| A．The declining of the freshwater. |
| B．The success of the nearby villages. |
| C．The increasing fish populations. |
| D．The worsening of the fishing conditions. |
| A．Fisheries reserves are helpful in freshwater. |
| B．Thailand is a pioneer in fisheries management. |
| C．The Thailand approach has been applied worldwide. |
| D．Many fish species need to rebuild their numbers, |
| A．had better rules | B．were bigger and older |
| C．had more fish populations | D．were created more recently |
| A．Grassroots-led Reserves Inspire the Worlds |
| B．Fisheries Reserves Benefit Thailand Rivers |
| C．Investigate the Ngao River Valley Reserves |
| D．Na Doi Is Leading Thailand to a Better Future |
