1 . E-cigarettes can damage vital immune system cells and may be more harmful than previously thought, a study suggests. Researchers found e-cigarette vapour disabled important immune cells in the lung and boosted inflammation (炎症).
The researchers caution against the widely held opinion that e-cigarettes are safe. However, Public Health England advises they are much less harmful than smoking and people should not hesitate to use them as an aid to giving up cigarettes.
The small experimental study, led by Prof David Thickett, at the University of Birmingham, is published online in the journal Thorax. Previous studies have focused on the chemical elements of e-cigarette liquid before it is vaped.
In this study, the researchers designed a mechanical process to mimic (模拟) vaping in the laboratory, using lung tissue samples provided by eight non-smokers. They found vapour caused inflammation and impaired the activity of alveolar macrophages cells (肺泡世噬细胞) that removed potentially damaging dust particles, bacteria and allergens. They sail some of the effects were similar to those seen in regular smokers and people with chronic lung disease.
They caution that the results are only in laboratory conditions and they are planning to do more research to better understand the long-term health impact the changes recorded took place only 48 hours.
Prof Thicket said while e-cigarettes were safer than traditional cigarettes in terms of cancer risk, they may still be harmful in the long-term. If you vape for 20 or 30 years, you can suffer from COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), then that’s something we need to know about.
1. What’s the widely held opinion about e-cigarettes?| A．They’re more harmful. | B．They’re less harmful. |
| C．They’re unknown to people. | D．They’re harmless. |
| A．It’s believable. | B．It’s conducted narrowly. |
| C．It’s accepted by most people. | D．It’ s carried out in America. |
| A．They are safer in terms of mental problems. |
| B．They may be little harm in the long run. |
| C．They are safer with regard to cancer risk. |
| D．They can completely replace traditional ones. |
| A．Can e-cigarettes damage vital brain system cells? |
| B．Can e-cigarettes become popular among people? |
| C．Can e-cigarettes be recommended to smokers ? |
| D．Can c-cigarettes damage vital immune system cells ? |
2 . Some Questions About Coronavirus
How long does coronavirus last?
Every case of coronavirus is different, but experts have a general idea of how long the typical course of the illness lasts. Most people can expect to recover within two weeks after the onset of symptoms, but more severe cases could last up to six weeks — and for some, dubbed “Covid long haulers,” symptoms can linger for months.
What are the symptoms of the coronavirus?
Symptoms of the coronavirus can seem a lot like the flu. Initially, a fever, cough, and shortness of breath emerged as the three most common symptoms of COVID-19. Now, other signs such as muscle pain, fatigue, and loss of taste and smell are on the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) symptoms checklist.
How long does coronavirus live on surfaces?
Though the conronavirus is typically transmitted through the air via respiratory droplets (from an infected person sneezing or coughing) rather than by touching objects and materials, the virus can still remain viable on variety of surfaces, according to the CDC, though it’s not exactly clear for how long.
How is coronavirus spread?
According to the CDC, COVID-19 is spread mainly from person to person, usually through close contact (within six feet). Being near an infected person who coughs, sneezes, or talks can expose you to their respiratory droplet carrying the virus — and they can spread the virus even if they don’t have any symptoms yet. If those virus-containing particles are inhaled (吸入) or land in your eyes, nose or mouth, you could become infected.
1. How long does coronavirus stay on surfaces?| A．Two weeks. | B．Six weeks. | C．Months. | D．Unclear. |
| A．contacting close (within six feet) |
| B．being near an infected person |
| C．talking with a healthy person |
| D．inhaling some virus-containing particles |
| A．Entertainment. | B．Health. | C．Education | D．Travel. |
3 . When ads for the Netflix show Stranger Things first appeared in 2016, the shinning, colorful font (字体) that spelled out the title told viewers exactly what they could expect. Hollywood has long known this marketing trick. And in a crowded marketplace, many mainstream consumer brands have placed more focus on fonts as a crucial part of their marketing.
When Southwest Airlines upgraded its brand in 2014, it changed its font and logo as part of the project.
The company wanted to create the image of an airline that cared about customer loyalty. So, Southwest changed its Helvetica font to a thicker, custom﹣made Southwest Sans font, which also added a tricolor (三色的) heart to the logo. All these changes were meant to convey a softer, friendlier tone.
A survey of Southwest customers showed that 95 percent found the new identity appealing. "We've definitely seen an increase in bookings." said Helen Limpitlaw at Southwest Airlines. "We're in a very competitive world and we're trying to avoid that sameness."
The right fonts can help brands stand out in a competitive market. However, they need to know whom they are targeting and what they want to say. Monster Beverage is a good example. In 2002, it rolled out its Monster Energy drink logo, featuring three neon﹣green claw marks in the shape of an "M" on a black background. The eye﹣catching logo and colors connected with fans of sports, who were exactly its target customers. Now, 17 years later, Monster's logo remains valuable and recognizable.
It is not always wise of legacy companies (老牌公司) to make changes in fonts and logo. When the clothing retailer Gap changed its iconic spire-like font to Helvetica as part of a 2010 rebrand, customers pushed back hard. "The new logo lost all the personality the original mark had acquired over the years," said Matt See, senior art director at a branding and communications firm. "And it was released without explanation. It felt like no thought was put into it." The company ultimately switched back to its original logo.
Experts recommended that companies conduct plenty of surveys before making a change to their logos. Done right, fonts allow brands to show their human side and personality, which can then connect with consumers emotionally.
1. The function of Para 1 is________.| A．to introduce the topic |
| B．to promote the Netflix show |
| C．to show the background |
| D．to present the unevenly shaded font |
| A．it deleted its tricolor heart logo |
| B．it conveyed a strong and cooperative tone |
| C．it drew on its experience gained from the real life |
| D．it chose a special font that reflected its personality as a brand |
| A．a company should think twice before rebranding itself |
| B．there is no need for a legacy company to upgrade its brand |
| C．a company should ignore customers' advice when it comes to rebranding |
| D．it's possible for a company to attract new customers by changing its logo |
| A．Fonts should avoid the sameness. |
| B．Fonts matter in upgrading the brand. |
| C．Changes of fonts are out of date. |
| D．Companies need to change fonts. |
4 . We all need waler to survive, but the general recommendation has been to drink more and more, with many guidelines now advising a minimum of eight glasses a day. Is there any evidence showing that this makes sense? The short answer is no. Studies looking at water intakes over 10 years in the elderly fail to show any benefits of extra water on kidney function or lifespan.
Clever marketing from bottled water companies has not only convinced us that we need to drink more water, but also that expensive bottled mineral water is somehow better for us. We now drink more bottled water than ever before, with the global industry growing rapidly at 10 percent a year. By 2025, the global market is estimated to be worth ＄215 billion. But research shows that tap water nowadays is perfectly safe, and with added fluoride （氨化物）, it is also good for our teeth. There have been studies showing that tap water contains traces of common pharmaceutical（制药的）drugs, but they have also found the same levels when testing bottled water. Although water in many areas contains chemicals, the levels are too small to make a noticeable difference to our health.
Bottled water has devastating environmental costs, which is self﹣evident as there are already abundant reports on pollution caused by plastic bottles, and no proven health benefits. And, does it taste better?Probably not. On the contrary, there are even blind tastings showing that tap water scores higher than most mineral water.
So, still hesitate when presented with both bottled water and tap water?Probably you should not now. My advice is to stick with tap water: you will be reducing the global environmental cost of half a trillion plastic bottles piling up each year and taking a stand against the power of marketing.
1. According to the first paragraph，we can know________.| A．eight glasses of water a day does harm to the elderly. |
| B．eight glasses of water a day isn't so scientific as we thought. |
| C．water is essential for us to survive. |
| D．drinking extra water benefits our kidney. |
| A．Tap water contains too much common pharmaceutical drugs. |
| B．Bottled water is rich in various minerals. |
| C．People are influenced by bottled water companies' marketing strategies. |
| D．Tap water is not so tasty as bottled water. |
| A．Potential. |
| B．Beneficial. |
| C．Challenging. |
| D．Damaging. |
| A．The more water we drink， the healthier we will be. |
| B．Tap water should become our first choice of drinking. |
| C．Both bottled water and tap water should be our main choices when thirsty. |
| D．Bottled water and tap water both have a lot of advantages. |
5 . CHINA'S FOUR GREAT NOVELS
China's Four Great Novels came out in the 14th to 18th centuries during the Ming（1368﹣1644）and Qing（1644﹣1911）Dynasties， concurrent with the European Renaissance ﹣ which popularized the use of everyday language in Chinese literature. Professor Andrew Plaks， in his book Four Masterworks of the Ming and Qing Novel， observes that these fictional works used popular storytelling styles to increase societal norms and juxtaposed （把…并列）them against a set of flawed characters in order to raise serious questions about heroism， selfhood， and love.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Luo Guanzhong （1330﹣1400）
Chinese literature's first chapter﹣based novel which draws from the historic power struggle between the Three Kingdoms of Wei， Shu， and Wu （220﹣280）.
Sample line： "The long divided must unite， the long united must divide； thus it has ever been."
Western similarity： Game of Thrones
Journey to the West
Wu Cheng'en （1500﹣1582）
Most widely told story of the four， it is a fictionalized account of the real pilgrimage（朝圣）to India of the Buddhist monk Xuanzang （602﹣664）.
Sample line： "Heaven and earth were once a chaotic whole， borderless and shapeless， without any beings whatsoever."
Western similarity： The Lord of the Rings and Don Quixote （《唐•吉诃德》）
Water Margin
Shi Nai'an （1296﹣1370）
A work of controversial authorship based on the true story of the bandit Song Jiang and his 36 rebels in the late years of North Song Dynasty（960﹣1127）.
Sample line："It's easier to draw a tiger than to sketch its bones；it's easier to know someone's look than the contents of his heart."
Western similarity： Robin Hood
Dream of the Red Chamber
Cao Xueqin （1715﹣1763）
Semi﹣biographical work，on the basis of author's personal experience，with over 600 named characters，about the decline of Qing Dynasty society. Sold over 100 million copies.
Sample line： Pages full of idle words； penned with hot and bitter tears； all men call the author fool；none his secret message hears.
Western similarity： Shakespeare with a dose of Jane Austen.
1. Which novel is released in the Qing Dynasty？| A．Romance of the Three Kingdoms. |
| B．Journey to the West. |
| C．Water Margin. |
| D．Dream of the Red Chamber. |
| A．Robin Hood. |
| B．Game of Thrones. |
| C．Don Quixote. |
| D．Shakespeare with a dose of Jane Austen. |
| A．They are all concerned with the personal heroism. |
| B．Each sample line is the main idea of each novel. |
| C．The four novels more or less draw from true stories. |
| D．The four novels are all related to the authors' lives. |
6 . Audiences may be ready to return. Will they have anything to watch? It is turning out to be a long pause.
Cinemas across the West closed in March and, despite attempts to reopen in the summer, the box office has not recovered. From October 9th Cineworld, the world's second-largest chain, will temporarily shut its 536 Regal theaters in America and its 127 British ones. AMC, the biggest, will cut the opening hours at some Odeon cinemas in Britain.
Early in the pandemic the problem was audiences. In March Disney's "Onward" closed as people refused to breathe the air with a crowd of strangers. Business got harder when governments ordered theaters to shut.
As countries have cased （解除）restrictions and audiences prepared to return, cinemas are finding little to show them. In China, where Covid-19 seems under control, studios have resumed pumping out hits. But Hollywood will not risk premiering （首映）costly blockbusters （大片）while many markets, including New York and California, remain closed, and cinema-goers cautious. Most big titles have been postponed.
Nine months without income would be disastrous （灾难性的）.America's National Association of Theatre Owners predicts that seven out of ten small or medium-sized cinema companies will go bust （破产）,which it has urged Congress to approve.
Both AMC and Cineworld are likely to stop a contract or file for going bust, believes Moody's, a ratings agency; AMC could run out of cash by January. Share prices of Western operators have dropped sharply this year, and are now worth a fifth as much as five years ago. Chinese ones have done better.
1. Which company will reduce the opening hours in Britain?| A．Cineworld. | B．Odeon. |
| C．AMC. | D．Hollywood. |
| A．Government's restriction. | B．Films' attraction. |
| C．Audience's attitude. | D．Operators, signing contracts. |
| A．They are applying for going bust. |
| B．They are complained by the audiences. |
| C．They will offer the audience more big titles. |
| D．They put off premiering most big blockbusters. |
| A．A few famous film companies. | B．Covid-19's effect on the cinemas. |
| C．The global economic situation. | D．Audience's desiring for films. |
7 . Baby Yoda Joins Oregon Firefighters in Battling Wildfires
“Because of all these photos, people are now seeing the human faces behind the wildfires," Tyler Eubanks excitedly told the Washington Post. "It is giving firefighters a huge confidence which is something that's really needed right now."
Sasha agrees, "It's a wonder how one small gesture can create a wave of kindness." She says Carver is excited that everyone likes Baby Yoda and happy that the first responders-many of whom have been unable to see their families for weeks-have a “little friend" to give them a comfort.
The toy, along with a note saying, "Thank you, firefighters. Here is a friend for you, in case you get lonely. Love, Carver," was handed to volunteers on September 12th, 2020. The thoughtful gift brought tears to their eyes. "The fires were close to us, and everyone was really high on emotion," says Tyler Eubanks. "We were all really touched that Carver wanted to give a companion to the people who were out there risking their lives to fight the wildfires.”
Eubanks delivered the toy to a group of firefighters working to contain a 25-acre flames in Colton, Oregon. She had originally intended to take a few pictures of the Baby Yoda in action for Carver, and then bring back the toy to the donation site. However, the firefighters decided to hold on to the doll and share it to lift the spirits of firefighters across the state.
"He's been a really big encouragement” said Jaebyn Drake, a firefighter with the Oregon Air National Guard. "A lot of the people on my crew, I showed them the note and everything, and they just loved it. A couple of people broke down in tears ... It just really meant a lot to us, and it was really emotional for a lot of people.”
1. What is Baby Yoda?| A．A pet. | B．A doll. | C．A card. | D．A baby. |
| A．Embarrassed. | B．Annoyed. | C．Surprised. | D．Moved. |
| A．It was kept by the firefighters. |
| B．It was taken a few pictures. |
| C．It was delivered to Washington Post. |
| D．It was brought back to the donation site. |
| A．Baby Yoda was clever and popular. |
| B．Their work time was very long. |
| C．The firefighters were all homesick. |
| D．Baby Yoda meant a lot to them. |
8 . The minimalist lifestyle needs to be considered only after we own more than we need. Nowadays, the rapid development of the society has brought a lot of wealth and material possessions, which has become a burden for many. In addition, the fast-paced life we have today makes us busier than ever. Therefore, I think a minimalist lifestyle is necessary to help people ease their burden and focus on the best part of life.
Although I'm not a strict practitioner of minimalism, I do benefit a lot from a simpler life. When I got employed in 2018, I wasted my salaries on lots of clothes, shoes, cosmetics, books and food to enrich my life. However, piles of things made my room messy and a lot of stuff things had to be thrown away unused.
About one year ago, I laid my hands on a book named Danshari, which encourages people to cut out or throw away unnecessary things. Following the instructions, I started to change my lifestyle and surprisingly found out that my life is much better with less.
Another bad habit I have worked hard to change is spending too much time on my phone and iPad as a means to free myself from the work stress. A lot of my valuable time was wasted on various time-killing apps which didn't do much good to my self-improvement.
Adopting a simple life can be a bit challenging and needs constant effort. Here are some tips I find helpful. First, concentrate on things that are really important and meaningful. Second, access to information should be simple and well-targeted; reading books is a good alternative to meaningless social interaction and time-killing apps. Third, purchase fewer goods with better quality and tidy up your room regularly.
A minimalist lifestyle isn't equal to austerity (朴素).It's a habit we can form to simplify our life. With less desire both materially and mentally, there will be more room for self-improvement, happiness and inner fulfillment.
1. What does the underlined part mean in Paragraph 3?| A．recommended | B．remembered |
| C．wrote | D．read |
| A．Buying a lot of things we like. |
| B．Concentrating ourselves on the jobs. |
| C．Forming a habit of simple life. |
| D．Spending more time using apps. |
| A．Wealth Is Less | B．Mess Is Simple |
| C．More Is Happiness | D．Less Is More |
9 . 2020 was a really tough year. It affected our lives in many ways and made other serious issues even more difficult to address. There was also social and political unrest in the United States and other places around the world.
All of this added up to some big, stressful year called 2020. In fact, 2020 is a song filled with low, depressing notes.
In English, “low notes” are unpleasant things that happen during an event, any event. So if something ends on a low note, it ends in an unpleasant way. For example, once I took a fun vacation. But it ended on a low note. On the last day, all my money was stolen. Then my flight home was delayed. So, I had to sleep in an airport for two days!
However, we also have another phrase-- a “high note”! In English, a “high note” is something pleasant or gratifying.
So, to end something on a high note is to end it with something pleasant. It can also mean to end something at the best possible point -- for example, at the point when something is most successful.
Anything can be a high note, if you choose it to be. For example, 2020 was a disaster. But for me it ended on a high note. One cold night in late December, I saw on owl in a tree near my house. I love owls but had never seen one so close before! That was a high note for me.
Hopefully, all of us were able to end 2020 on a high note.
1. Which of the following does NOT show the writer’s attitude towards the year of 2020?| A．It’s a year that is filled with low notes. |
| B．It’s a year that ends on a high note. |
| C．It’s a year full of easy issues. |
| D．It’s a year full of unforgettable memories. |
| A．Humorous. | B．Enjoyable. | C．Permanent. | D．Concerned. |
| A．Because it ended on a high note. |
| B．Because it is a song with something pleasant. |
| C．Because the author loves owls that have high notes. |
| D．Because the author love owls and saw one so close. |
| A．The usages of “high notes” and “low notes”. |
| B．Examples about “high and low notes”. |
| C．The change of “low notes” and “high notes”. |
| D．Some serious issues about “high and low notes”. |
10 . For all its drawbacks, aging brings a benefit: social relationships generally improve. Older individuals have fewer but closer friendships, avoid conflicts, and are more optimistic compared with younger adults. Now, 20 years of data on chimpanzees suggest they, too, develop more meaningful friendships as they age.
“The finding challenges a long-standing assumption that humans mellow (成熟) with age because we are aware of our approaching death.” said Zarin Machanda, a professor at Tufts University. But finding the same pattern in chimps suggests a simpler explanation: It could be an evolved trait found in a wider range of species. Zarin and her colleagues gathered data from the Kibale Chimpanzee Project, which has tracked wild chimpanzee behavior in Uganda’s Kibale National Park since 1987. Because chimps are socially similar to humans — they live in large groups and engage in both cooperative and antagonistic (敌对的) relationships throughout their lives — they serve as an ideal test group for studying changes in social behavior. The researchers zeroed in on the males, who had more purely peer-to-peer relationships than females.
Combing through 21 years of behavioral logs on 21 chimps aged 15 through 58, the researchers found that older males (aged 35 and up) had more mutual friendships than younger ones. Older “friends” would sit together and groom one another on a regular basis, whereas younger chimps were more likely to engage in one-sided relationships, in which they groomed preferred elders who rarely returned the favor. As males age and fall in rank, they stop competing for dominance and “tend to give up”. Forming these cooperative relationships with peers could help older males maintain their status, helping them fend off challenges by younger and fitter chimps.
The team are eager to see whether other chimpanzee groups—and female chimpanzees—also experience this mellowing with age. Machanda says the theory could also be tested in other long-lived social species. Next, however, the team will take a deeper look at how social bonds might benefit aging chimps - and whether the same mechanisms could be at work in humans. “There is a lot more to learn,” Machanda says.
1. The author writes Paragraph 1 to ________| A．introduce the topic about the finding on chimps. |
| B．compare chimps with humans in social behaviors. |
| C．show that humans mature as they age is a mere misunderstanding. |
| D．stress that aging is very terrifying not only for humans but also for animals. |
| A．Because chimps look like humans in so many ways. |
| B．Because chimps are easy to track down in the wild. |
| C．Because chimps bear resemblance to humans in social behaviors. |
| D．Because chimps live in large groups together throughout their lives. |
| A．It took the researchers 21 years to study the elderly chimps. |
| B．Older males exhibit mutual friendship among the group. |
| C．Younger males prefer to groom the elders because they respect them. |
| D．Elderly chimps will continue to fight to maintain their status as they age. |
| A．There’s no need to study the female chimpanzees for the theory. |
| B．It would be better to test other species who live a short life as well. |
| C．They have learned fairly enough about how aging affects animal behaviors. |
| D．The study on aging chimps would help better understand human interactions. |
