1 . 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 |
2 . 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. |
3 . The following are some of the best items on sale you can find on our website.
Martin Clunes：Islands of Australia DVD
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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
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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. |
4 . More than 7,000 runners who raced earlier this month in a half-marathon in London were under the influence of a scientifically designed and powerful stimulant — pop music.
The upbeat music at London's “Run to the Beat” race was chosen based on the research of sport psychologist Costas Karageorghis of Brunel University. He has learned how to design music to be as powerful, if not more so, as some of the illegal stimulant. “Music is a great way to lift spirits both before and during physical activity. A lot of athletes use music as if it's a legal drug,” Costas told LiveScience.
Costas and his team collected data during the “Run to the Beat” half-marathon, allowing them to test on thousands of live runners outside the lab. Despite strong winds and heavy rain during the event, interviews after the race suggested that the runners found the music inspiring and fun.
In the future, Costas expects a fusion of sports and music, where the crowd and the athletes are motivated by music in the race, while motivating one another. “It is beyond the music,” he said. “The music inspires team spirit. One of the key causes of motivation is the feeling of being together with one another. Having suitable music allows you to get this feeling naturally.”
The link between music and athletic performance is just one example of the amazing power that music has over our minds and bodies. Scientists also have confirmed that music improves memories, as we all have experienced, to the point where we don't even have to hear a song. We just think of it and the memories flood in. Music has also been found to relieve pain, make you smarter, and remove bad emotions.
1. What does the underlined word “upbeat” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．Soft. | B．Original. | C．Positive. | D．Traditional. |
| A．Why the half-marathon was held. | B．What the runners think of music. |
| C．How the half-marathon was held. | D．How Costas carried out his research. |
| A．It relieves physical pain. | B．It improves people s memory. |
| C．It removes the effect of drugs. | D．It makes people feel being in a team. |
| A．How Music Has Changed Us | B．The Amazing Power of Music |
| C．How Music and Sports Affected Each Other | D．Music Contributes to a Successful Marathon |
5 . Some of the Oldest Cities in the World
Argos, Greece — 5000 BC
The name Argos came from Argus, the son of Zeus and Niobe. According to Greek mythology, he was the city's king. It was known as being the birthplace of many soldiers who fought in the Trojan War. Historical account of the city describes it as being a cultural center in the Greek empire, being one of the first cities along with Sparta and Paros to hold music competitions.
Jericho, Palestine — 5000 BC
The city of Jericho is in the West Bank in the Middle East. It is believed to be the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. Jericho started as a camping ground for Natufian hunter-gatherers around 10000 BC. People did not begin to permanently settle in the area until around 9600 BC, with the end of the last Ice Age and along with it the end of cold and drought.
Susa, Iran — 4200 BC
Susa began as a small settlement around 7000 BC and became an urban center around 4200 BC. It became an important town mainly because of its position near business center. Susa, located at the base of the Zagros Mountains and east of the Tigris River, was the Elamite Empire's capital until the Assyrians had control of it.
Gaziantep, Turkey — 3650 BC
Gaziantep，also known as Antep, is located in southern Turkey near Syrian. With a long history dating as far back as the Hittites, Gaziantep offers many historical sites to see. Visitors can explore the Gaziantep Fortress and Ravanda Citadel, both of which the Byzantines repaired in the 6th century.
1. What is special about Argos?| A．It was the birthplace of Argus. |
| B．It was named by Zeus and Niobe. |
| C．It was the battle field of the Trojan War. |
| D．It was among the earliest cities to hold music competitions. |
| A．Argos. | B．Jericho. | C．Susa. | D．Gaziantep. |
| A．It was near the business center. | B．It was at the Tigris River bank. |
| C．It was controlled by the Assyrians. | D．It was the biggest settlement of the Elamite Empire. |
6 . 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. |
7 . 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. |
8 . 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. |
9 . For many students today, distance learning has become the new normal. But distance learning means lots of screen time.
Research has shown that kids who spend a lot of time on screens are more likely to have various health problems and trouble with reading and language. Yet in the countries still suffering from the epidemic (流行病)，screens are the only safe way for many young people to learn or socialize. It's difficult for kids and teens to navigate this dilemma.
In one 2019 study, Taren Sanders, a health scientist at Australian Catholic University in North Sydney, looked at how kids spent their screen time. His group then investigated whether the type o£ screen time made a difference in health and school achievements. The researchers sorted screen time into five types: passive (such as watching a movie) , interactive (such as . playing a video game), social, educational or something else.
Educational screen time was linked to doing better in school and had no bad health effects. More passive screen time was linked to worse outcomes in health and school achievements, Sanders' group found, compared with the other categories. But the impact was quite small. Major problems showed up mainly in kids spending more than eight hours a day on screens.
The most serious problem caused by too much screen time is that people usually sit still while they are in front ,o£ a screen. "If students are spending all day sitting on screens, when are they moving?” asks Guerrero, who studies patterns of diseases. “Extended time sitting and not moving around leads to obesity, diabetes, heart disease and other health issues. So an important question to ask yourself is not how much screen time are you getting, but how active are you?"
Sanders agrees. "Overall, I'm not too concerned about the additional screen time kids are having because of distance learning," he says. “The things you should worry about: The amount of exercise they get and the way they spend their free time. "
1. What does the underlined word "navigate, in Paragraph 2 mean?| A．Handle. | B．Assume. | C．Observe. | D．Seize. |
| A．There are mainly five types of screen time. |
| B．Educational screen time damages kids' health. |
| C．Passive screen time has a major influence on kids. |
| D．Too much screen time is the major cause of problems. |
| A．The problem of lacking exercise. |
| B．Kids way of spending their free time. |
| C．The number of diseases related to screen time. |
| D．Distance learning causes additional screen time. |
| A．To guide parents to educate their kids. |
| B．To explain the finding of a new study. |
| C．To discuss the influence of screen time. |
| D．To analyse the effect of distance learning. |
10 . The winter had been busy and long. I desperately needed a getaway from work, so I decided to book a trip to the Caribbean with my wife. But just three days before my trip， the human-resources manager of the company called and asked to speak with me in his office. I sensed something wrong. Just months shy of my ten — year anniversary with the company, I was laid off.
I was in complete shock — too shocked to even cry. But I wouldn't cancel my trip, as I needed it now more than ever. The night before my trip, I had a dream that the suitcase I had brought to the hotel was empty. When I woke, I interpreted this dream to mean that I was leaving all of my “baggage” behind — and I did. I enjoyed my vacation more than any others I had taken. And when I was back, I decided to do one thing I loved but never had the spare time to do: writing.
My works had never been published, but I wanted to try. I wrote a few pieces and sent them out to magazines and newspapers. After several non-responses and rejections, the most-read newspaper in Canada agreed to publish one of my travel stories. I shared the thrilling news with my family and friends. People I hadn't talked to in years contacted me to tell me they read my story. How amazing!
I started writing because I liked it. What I didn't realize was that my first published story would open several doors. Being published in a major publication made my resume impressive and led to interviews for writing positions. It also led to more publications noticing the articles I submitted. I am satisfied that now I work full-time as a corporate writer and my works have been published in a number of magazines.
Getting laid off was an experience that could have been fatal （毁灭性的）,But there was something about that dream after it happened. That dream helped me put everything behind me and gave me the confidence to pursue new possibilities.
1. Why did the author decide to go to Caribbean?| A．To go on a business trip. |
| B．To have a break from work. |
| C．To fill a position in the company. |
| D．To celebrate his wedding anniversary. |
| A．He is gifted in writing. |
| B．He is an optimistic person. |
| C．He gave bad job performance. |
| D．He suffered much from losing his job. |
| A．It tightened his family bond. | B．It brought back long-lost friends. |
| C．It earned him a job in a magazine. | D．It enabled him to become a writer. |
| A．A Trip Has Changed My Future | B．Fill Your Life with Surprises |
| C．Leave the Baggage Behind | D．Dare to Dream; Dare to Win |
