1 . Ann started to work last summer. In order to have a holiday, she saved as much as she could and, this January, she booked a package tour to Spain. She left London airport early on the morning of the first Saturday in August. She was very excited, as this was her first trip abroad. When she arrived at Barcelona airport, the weather was beautiful.
At the hotel, she found that her Spanish money wasn’t in her handbag. All she had was a small purse with ten English pounds in it!
Ann found a place to change her English money for Spanish money. She would stay here for two weeks. After changing her money, Ann bought some cheese, some bread and some oranges. When she got back to the hotel, she told the tour guide that her doctor had told her not to eat much food, so she’d just have breakfast each day. This was all right, as she knew breakfast was included in the price of hotel.
For the rest of her holiday, Ann swam in the hotel or lay on the beach. She also went for long walks with Jane, a Scottish girl. However, when the others went to interesting places, Ann always said she wasn’t well. In fact, her holiday wasn’t bad, except that she was always hungry.
On the last day, Jane asked her why she never ate with them in the hotel restaurant. The food was excellent. Ann told her all about her money problem. Jane looked at her for a minute, and then said, “But didn’t you know? The price of this tour includes everything!”
1. Why was Ann so excited about the trip?| A．Because she had never been abroad. |
| B．Because she had saved enough money. |
| C．Because she had booked a cheap tour. |
| D．Because she had found a good job. |
| A．She didn’t find her purse. |
| B．She couldn’t find a place to change money. |
| C．She couldn’t find her Spanish money. |
| D．She didn’t understand Spanish. |
| A．she wanted to see a doctor. |
| B．she doubted the price of the hotels. |
| C．she had bought some food for her meals. |
| D．she would only take breakfast. |
| A．Ann was not allowed to eat much. |
| B．Ann’s Spanish money was stolen. |
| C．Ann missed some meals included in the tour. |
| D．Ann didn’t like the restaurant and the holiday. |
2 . I recall when I was a young girl back in Canada, I was sitting and watching a baseball game on TV with my father and we started to debate the importance of sports. Different from my father, I argued with all the overconfidence of a teenager that sports is more than just a hobby to keep us physically healthy and went as far as claiming that" There would be more wars if we didn't have sports!"
As an adult, my teenage tendencies of exaggeration(夸张) may have faded but I still firmly believe that sports is more than just a hobby for both participants and audience. The challenging times we are all living through right now with coronavirus is proof to this. The effect of cancelling all sports from professional leagues right down to amateur budding athletic programs, can be felt by millions of people worldwide. To many the social emotional impact is stronger than the physical. The loss of the sense of community, of belonging, and of an extended family is real for many girls, boys, men and women everywhere. Others are feeling physical challenges as well as they are struggling to stay active during these times.
But the human race is incredible and adaptable in tough situations, and sports once again is playing a role. Sports teams are staying in touch online and are a source of much needed support, love and laughter in these times. So many professional athletes are playing vital roles through this crisis by sharing their messages of support and at times, making valuable monetary donations to the cause. Even in areas of isolation(隔离), people are coming out on their balconies and leading their neighbours through a workout programme to help them stay active. Others are turning to online workout programmes to follow. Once again, sports is finding its way.
So, in challenging times such as now, people are still empowered to continue their sports journey and stay strong and healthy.
1. What may the author's father agree about sports?| A．It is a personal hobby. | B．It boosts confidence. |
| C．It affects social relations. | D．It helps avoid wars. |
| A．They lack family connection. | B．They have lost their hobbies. |
| C．They feel bored more than lonely. | D．They suffer both in body and mind. |
| A．Struggle to be athletes. | B．Try to stay physically active. |
| C．Make donations to good causes. | D．Design new sports programmes. |
| A．Sports reduces risks in our lives | B．Sports continues to offer strength |
| C．Sports makes the impossible possible | D．Sports has new functions in the pandemic |
3 . An amateur fossil hunter has unearthed a new type of prehistoric “sea dragon” on the beach of the UK's Dorset Coast. The new 2m-long ichthyosaur is named “Etches sea dragon”,after fossil collector Dr. Steve Etches, who found it buried head-first. Ichthyosaurs are called sea dragons for their usually very large teeth and eyes. He thought its teeth were unusual,so he passed it on to experts at the University of Portsmouth to identify(鉴定).There,a Masters student, Megan Jacobs, who has spent several years working on ichthyosaurs, identified it as a new species, which lived 150 million years ago.
The find is the UK's fifth known ichthyosaur from the Late Jurassic periods,and by far the smallest so far.
The fossil was found near Kimmeridge Bay—part of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site. When it died, the seafloor would have been very soft mud, allowing the front half of the animal to sink into the mud, before other animals came along and ate the tail end.Being buried in a bed of soft mud meant it was preserved in exceptional condition and even some of its soft tissues were preserved.
Megan said, “Fossils of Late Jurassic ichthyosaurs in the UK are extremely rare. I did some research,comparing it with those known from other Late Jurassic fossils found around the world. It was very exciting that I didn’t find a match. Steve's extraordinary collection contains many new and exciting animals, and it was a real honor to have the chance to describe this ichthyosaur.”
Professor David Martill,who leads the palaeontology(古生物学)research,said, “Steve is an exceptional fossil collector and although he is sometimes referred to as an amateur collector, he has done so much for palaeontology that he has been awarded an MBE, Member of the British Empire, and is truly a professional.”He added, “If it were not for collectors like Steve,scientists would have very few specimens(样本)to work on. ’’
1. What did Steve Etches do after finding the ichthyosaur?| A．He spent years studying it. | B．He sent it to a university. |
| C．He named it after himself. | D．He announced it’s a new species. |
| A．The largest sea dragons once lived there. |
| B．Fossils found there usually have soft tissues. |
| C．It is very popular among fossil hunters worldwide. |
| D．The seafloor there was once covered with soft mud. |
| A．Confirming the uniqueness of the fossil. |
| B．Admiring Steve’s extraordinary collections. |
| C．Finding a matching name for the new ichthyosaur. |
| D．Seeing other Late Jurassic’s fossils around the world. |
| A．He had a good taste of collections. |
| B．He contributed a lot to palaeontology. |
| C．He set an example for other amateur collectors. |
| D．He did better than professional palaeontologists. |
4 . Fired bricks are a universal building material, produced by thousand-year-old technology, which throughout history has seldom served any other purpose. But researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have found a new use for bricks:as energy storage units. A team of engineers and chemists have found a way to transform an ordinary house brick into a battery (电池) — allowing it to conduct (传导) and store electricity.
The researchers connect an LED light bulb (灯泡) to the bricks. They are powerful enough to illuminate it and cost only about $3 to make.
“I love the idea of adding value to things that are inexpensive, things that are affordable, things that we see every day,” said Julio D'Arcy, an assistant professor of chemistry at Washington University and one of the researchers on this project.
The new invention relies on something known as iron oxide, a form of matter in bricks that gives them their red colour. The scientists pumped the bricks with several gases that react with iron oxide to produce a network of plastic fibres. These fibres coat the empty spaces inside the bricks — and conduct electricity.
“What we’re trying to do is:we're trying to make specialized plastics and then we can actually put those plastics inside construction materials,”D’Arcy says. “In the future, a brick wall could potentially serve two purposes at one time:providing structural support and storing electricity produced from renewable energy sources,such as solar panels.”
The technology is still at least a few years away from being ready for the market. And right now the energy that the bricks can store is still not much. Hut the team is now testing ways to improve brick performance — because it looks like you can find a new purpose for an old brick.
1. What did the researchers turn bricks into?| A．Lighting equipment. | B．Construction materials. |
| C．An electricity-storage item. | D．A new form of green energy. |
| A．Store. | B．Light. | C．Conduct. | D．Transform. |
| A．Iron oxide. | B．The stored gases. |
| C．The produced fibres. | D．The empty spaces. |
| A．Old Bricks, New Tricks | B．A Bright Future Is on the Way |
| C．A New Way to Produce Electricity | D．Recycled Batteries,Renewable Energy |
5 . At least three times a week. Louise and David Sample prepare three-course meals in their home and then give them away.
Louise prepares the meats the night before she cooks them. Vegetables matter, too.She once spent an entire Saturday cooking greens. Each “regular”(which is how the couple refers to those their meals are intended for) gets a fresh salad. This means David needs to shop multiple times a week.Together the couple prepare,cook,clean, package,and deliver containers full of food to their neighbors in need.
“They're always making food for people,making sure everybody is taken care of,always giving,said Sha’Laina,35. “It’s just something they do.”The Samples, who are retired（退休的）,say it’s no big deal spending hundreds of dollars and unknown hours each month in service to others.
Louise got a dangerous cancer in November 2018, and there were moments when those around her worried she wouldn't make it. Last year on Valentine's Day, she was very sick. But right up until she received her operation last August at Albert Einstein Medical Center, she made food for the regulars and for every employee who took care of her. “I was cooking the night before my transplant (移植).David took me to the seventh floor of the hospital” —to her patient room—“then took the food to them,’’she said. Even during her post-transplant hospital stay, Louise found a way to help others. Shekel separate the untouched food from her meal, and give it to David to take home. “We’d give it to the regulars,so she didn’t have to waste it,” said David.
Two months after leaving the hospital, Louise was back in the kitchen.“When someone goes through something traumatic (创伤的),continuing any part of your life where you know what you're doing is very beneficial. It puts you in a place where you're in control,’David said. “She loves cooking. Just doing it gave her part of her life back.”
1. What is mainly talked about in Paragraph 2?| A．The couple went shopping a lot. |
| B．It takes great effort to prepare the food. |
| C．The meals from the couple are well balanced. |
| D．The couple take good care of their neighbors. |
| A．They are fond of giving. | B．They are good at treating strangers. |
| C．They are exhausted from the cooking. | D．They prefer serving others to cooking. |
| A．was too sick to see the doctor alone | B．usually cooked food in the hospital |
| C．continued her acts of giving | D．received several operations |
| A．Louise's bravery helped her survive. |
| B．Cooking benefits Louise's recovery. |
| C．Everyone will go through hard times. |
| D．Louise should spend more time cooking. |
6 . The following are some of the best items on sale you can find on our website.
Martin Clunes：Islands of Australia DVD
Item NO. XA9692
Price：$24.99
Martin Clunes makes delightful documentaries for British television. His latest journey takes him down under to places most of us will never see. Australia is surrounded by more than 8,000 islands, and Clunes flies, sails, and kayaks to 16 of the best, finding spectacular scenery, interesting history, amazing creatures, unusual pastimes and local people.
NATURE：Cuba’s Wild Revolution DVD
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Cuba is an island teeming with great biodiversity:from the world’s tiniest hummingbird to thousands of migrating crabs,to the jumping crocodiles of the Zapata swamp. Decades of a socialist, conservation-minded government, American embargoes (禁运)and minimal development have left the island unchanged for 50 years.
American Experience:Mr. Tornado DVD
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Tetsuya Fujita spent ten months studying The Super Outbreak of 1974,which was the strongest tornado outbreak on record. Mr.Tornado is the amazing story of Tetsuya Fujita. His research helped save thousands of Americans, whose lives are threatened by dangerous weather conditions.
World War One:The Peopled Story DVD
Item NO. XD3362
Price:$24.99
Through original diaries, letters, and personal stories, this unforgettable documentary tells how the lives of regular British men and women were transformed by the Great War, told in their own words. The war was cruel: hundreds of thousands would never return, and those who did would carry physical or emotional wounds forever. Along with historical footage, an outstanding group of actors act out the first-hand accounts.
1. What do Item NO.XA9692 and Item NO.WC5582 have in common?| A．They introduce the same place. |
| B．They can get viewers close to nature. |
| C．They focus on the history of a place. |
| D．They cost the same amount of money. |
| A．By studying a super tornado. |
| B．By collecting amazing stories. |
| C．By tracking dangerous tornadoes. |
| D．By working with thousands of Americans. |
| A．The bravery of British people. |
| B．The causes of World War One. |
| C．The historical achievements of British people. |
| D．The influence of World War One on ordinary people. |
7 . This is the moment a cleaner at a British university burst into tears after students raised $ 2,063 to send him to Jamaica on vacation to see family.
Herman Gordon, who has worked at Bristol University for more than a decade, is described as “one of the most loved” members of its cleaning staff. He is so well liked that a group of students raised money to give him a holiday. A video shows a student hands an envelope of cash to the surprised Gordan with tears rolling down his cheeks. He wipes away tears with a cleaning cloth and hugs the student who gave it to him. Gordan said: “I want to thank every one of you and God bless every one of you.”
The group of students started the fundraising because they liked Gordon so much. A post said: “The Jamaican cleaner in the biomedical library is the jolliest man I have ever met; he makes me smile even when I’m in the deepest depths of sorrow, if you want a reason to smile, go talk to him for a minute or two.”
Anyone who has been to the biomedical library knows who Herman the cleaner is. Simply put, Herman is the epitome（典范）of happiness, “All year round, this man works hours on end to provide us with a clean working space in which to study. But most importantly, his everlasting positive attitude has managed to turn many students’ dark days into positive ones filled with joy,” said a student. Whether you’re just feeling generally down or stressed out due to exams, Herman is always there to encourage you.
This legend proves that happiness is not about what you own, what job you have or how much money you’ve got, but about appreciating what you currently have in life even if it’s small.
1. What was Herman Gordon’ reaction when receiving the fundraising?| A．grateful. | B．stressed. | C．delighted. | D．astonished. |
| A．most miserable. | B．most cheerful. | C．most generous. | D．most glorious. |
| A．Building confidence. | B．Developing exam skills. |
| C．Learning self-control. | D．Gaining biomedical knowledge. |
| A．A biomedical library cleaner. . | B．A group of warm-hearted students. |
| C．Money-raising to send a cleaner on vacation. | D．The most loved cleaning staff. |
8 . Moving can be daunting – whether it’s to a new city or an entirely new country. The good news? Volunteering can be a great way to settle into a new community, meet people, and learn valuable skills.
Kajal Patil moved to the United States from India in February 2017. Having previously volunteered for two years as an assistant yoga teacher in her home country, Kajal was enthusiastic about volunteering and began looking for volunteer opportunities that match her interests. She was drawn to a volunteer opportunity to review applications on behalf of the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI), which aims to help Latin American and Caribbean business to bring positive changes to their societies and contribute more fully to economic development, prosperity and security in those places.
After connecting with the opportunity and successfully completing the application process, Kajal got to work. Her role involved reviewing 44 in-depth applications from potential candidates across Latin America and the Caribbean for a four-week fellowship in the U.S.. She was responsible for describing the business ideas presented by these candidates, assessing the social impact of their businesses, and determining the strength of candidates to carry out their plans. With almost 4,000 applicants in 2017, volunteers like Kajal were important members of the YLAI team.
Kajal says that this volunteer opportunity super-charged her existing skills, while helping her build new ones such as time management, business analysis, decision-making, planning, and presenting.
She is now looking for her next volunteer opportunity and reflects positively on her experience with YLAI. “A new country brings in a lot of new experiences and volunteering helped me to settle into a new environment,” adds Kajal. “By helping others, I felt needed in society. It promoted my confidence, and other people benefited too. Volunteering is a great opportunity to improve yourself, others, and the whole society.”
Whether you recently moved to a new place or are looking to expand your influence on your current community, find a volunteer opportunity to empower yourself, and others.
1. What do we know about Kajal?| A．She is an experienced volunteer. |
| B．She received education in the U.S.. |
| C．She founded a volunteer organization. |
| D．She worked as a professional yoga teacher. |
| A．Carrying out the selected business plans. |
| B．Assessing the applications of candidates. |
| C．Helping candidates think up business ideas. |
| D．Simplifying candidates’ application process. |
| A．It contributes to local economy. |
| B．It focuses on skills development. |
| C．It helps develop people’s interests. |
| D．It benefits individuals and society. |
| A．To share experience of volunteering. |
| B．To recognize the contribution of YLAI. |
| C．To suggest a way to settle into a new place. |
| D．To evaluate the benefits of volunteering abroad. |
9 . Robots are getting better at doing human jobs. That's probably good for the economy—but there are some serious downsides, too.
Machines are expected to displace about 20 million manufacturing jobs across the world over the next decade, according to a report released by Oxford Economics, a global forecasting and quantitative analysis firm.
That means about 8.5% of the global manufacturing workforce could be displaced by robots. The report also notes that the move to robots tends to create new jobs as fast as it automates them; however, it could contribute to income inequality. The use of robots is on the rise: at this point, every new robot that is installed (安装) displaces 1.6 manufacturing workers on average, according to the Oxford Economic model.
Robots are becoming cheaper than many human workers, in part because of the falling costs of machines. And they are increasingly capable of functioning in more complex processes and varied contexts. On top of that, the demand for manufactured goods is rising.
One potential downsize to the robot revolution: automation could increase income inequality. "This great displacement will not be evenly distributed around the world, or within countries," according to the report. "Our research shows that the negative effects of robotization are disproportionately (不成比例地) felt in the lower-income regions compared with higher-income regions of the same country."
The workers who drive knowledge and innovation within the manufacturing industry tend to be concentrated in larger cities, and those skills are harder to automate. That's why urban areas will deal better with the increased automation, according to the report.
On the whole, the increased use of automation will likely create new jobs at a pace comparable to the jobs that will be lost, which cancels out fears about permanent job destruction, according to the Oxford study. That said, the poorer regions that are expected to lose the most jobs will probably not benefit equally from this new job creation due to a gap in skills. That will lead to increased income inequality between cities and rural areas, as well as between regions.
1. What "downside" does the author mainly discuss?| A．People will not be able to find jobs in the future. |
| B．Robots will finally take the place of people. |
| C．Displacement by robots will increase income inequality. |
| D．Robots are becoming cheaper than many human workers. |
| A．To make robots help them with the harder work. |
| B．To improve their innovative ability and knowledge. |
| C．To move to larger cities or more developed countries. |
| D．To make their skills faster and easier to be automated. |
| A．The increased use of automation will create more jobs. |
| B．People needn't worry about permanent job destruction. |
| C．The poorer countries will not benefit from automation. |
| D．The income gap between cities and rural regions will widen. |
| A．Robots should be banned in the future because of the disadvantages. |
| B．Robots can do more and better than humans in complicated processes. |
| C．The increasing need for manufactured goods partly contributes to robotization. |
| D．The negative effects of robotization will be evenly distributed around the world. |
10 . The definition of community has evolved (升华)for me from childhood to the young adult I am now. My mom was born in America but both her parents were from the Bahamas. It was their culture to take care of the elderly and the sick. And my mom has taught me to be caring to those around us because we're all a part of the "community" , an extension of family.
When I was 9 years old, my family moved to Cape Coral, Florida. Both mom and dad worked full-time, so they registered me to attend an after-school program at the Youth Center. Youth counselors (辅导员) would help me with my homework and play games with me and this was where my interest took root. Community service started with me giving back at the Youth Center.
Then illness struck at home. My grandmother had to have heart surgery and needed hospital treatment. This experience brought me to volunteer at Cape Coral Hospital. I asked if I could learn from the nurse how to give my grandma her medicine and it started here.
I loved being at Cape Coral Hospital. I would bring paperwork to other doctors, bring food to the patients, and make sure the patients were attended. I would help direct visitors to see patients. I would always tell what would cheer the patients up because I had built a relationship with them and their loved ones. I grew to feel the hospital was a part of my community.
After volunteering at the Youth Center and at the Hospital, I've learned that people become sort of an extended family when you care about them. Now I am more considerate of those close to me, neighbors and even strangers who share my resources.
1. Who might be the first to expose the author to the sense of community?| A．Counselors at the Youth Center. |
| B．Nurses at Cape Coral Hospital. |
| C．Her grandparents. |
| D．Her mother. |
| A．They were too busy to take care of her. |
| B．They wanted her to do community service. |
| C．The author couldn't finish her homework on her own. |
| D．Becoming a counselor was the author's childhood dream. |
| A．Cheer the patients up. |
| B．Bring food to the patients. |
| C．Help direct visitors to see patients. |
| D．Serve medicine to her grandmother. |
| A．I Love Volunteering | B．Community Is Family |
| C．My Volunteer Experiences | D．My Community and My Family |
