1 . The company SpaceX has already launched hundreds of its Star-link satellites, with plans to put as many as 42,000 of them in Earth orbit. Its goal is to provide high-speed Internet to billions of people. Moving toward that kind of access is important, but it comes at a cost. Glittering with reflected sunlight, these first orbiters, sent up in the past year, are brighter than 99 percent of the 5,000 or so other satellites now circling Earth, and obviously there are going to be a lot more. This sudden increase is bad for astronomy: the probability of a Star-link satellite crossing a telescope’s field of view and ruining an observation will be quite high near sunset. For that reason, my fellow astronomers have signed a petition (请愿书) calling for governments to protect the night sky from this invasion.

In response to protests, SpaceX has promised to address the visibility problem by, for example, applying experimental coatings — essentially painting the satellites black — but the company’s aggressive launch schedule remains unchanged. And the satellites’ illuminated (被照亮) surfaces are mostly their solar panels — exactly the part that cannot be painted over.

Unfortunately, at present no regulations govern how bright a single satellite can be, let alone thousands of them together. Even if there were such regulations, one nation’s laws can not hinder (阻碍) another country’s launches. Space literally has no borders, and the sky will need to be protected at an international level. As a consequence, we hope that the United Nations will find a way to think outside of the box to save the sky for everyone.

When I was growing up in Montana, it was a game to be the first to find a moving satellite among the host of stars in the night sky. Soon it could be a game to recognize the constellations (星座) behind a swarm of moving points of light.

1. What is the writer’s attitude toward Space X’s launching plans?

A．Indifferent.

B．Doubtful.

C．Optimistic.

D．Disapproving.

2. Why have my fellow astronomers signed the petition?

A．SpaceX plans to send too many Star-line satellites into space.

B．The Star-line satellites will possibly ruin an observation near sunset.

C．The first orbiters are brighter than most of other satellites circling Earth.

D．Space X fails to provide high-speed Internet to people around the world.

3. According to the author, who should shoulder the responsibility to save the sky?

A．The United States.	B．The United Nations.
C．The company SpaceX.	D．Just one nation.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Preserve the Night Sky	B．Ban Star-line Satellites
C．Observe the Stars Attentively	D．Protest against Space X

2 . Do you like running enough to make it a habit? Tierney Wolfgram does; she has made running a lifelong career and isn't stopping.

In February, the 16-year-old from a high school, US, competed at the 2020 US Olympic Trials. She finished the marathon(42.195 km)with a time of 2:42:47 as the youngest competitor in the race and ranked 76th out of 390 runners. However, the cross-country(越野的)season was postponed to winter because of the COVID-19. So she jumped at the opportunity to train for another race-the Parkway Marathon in California. In November, Wolfgram broke the Women's American Junior marathon record with her time of 2:31:49. The old record was 2:34:32, which had stood since 1984.

“I'm completely stunned, ”said Wolfgram's coach.   “I knew she was going to break it, but she really showed out！”

During the run, Wolfgram once hit a wall pretty hard, but she overcame it to finish. “I guess I can say I gave it my all, ”she told Runner's World. “When I finished, all I was thinking was I felt super happy,” Wolfgram said This was only her third marathon. In 2018, when Wolfgram was 15 years old, she ran her first marathon just because she wanted to see if she had the ability to do it. “I believed that I would get faster as the distances got longer. . . I'm still glad that I did it. ”

When preparing for that first marathon, she ran up to 120 miles per week. Although her parents didn't have any background in running, they helped Wolfgram train. At first, her dad would take her out in the morning and run about 13 miles. The distance would gradually increase each day. On top of her runs in the morning, she would do cross-country practice after school.

Now Wolfgram will consider attending the Olympics Games in 2024 after it's scheduled.

1. What can we learn about Wolfgram from Paragraph 2?

A．She was the champion at the 2020 US Olympic Trials.

B．She put off the cross-country season for the COVID-19.

C．She broke an Olympic marathon record in November.

D．She prepared for the Parkway Marathon in California.

2. What does the underlined word “stunned”in paragraph 3 refer to?

A．Doubtful

B．Worried.

C．Shocked.

D．Interested

3. What inspired Wolfgram to run her first marathon?

A．Her parents' encouragement.	B．Her desire to prove she could do it.
C．Her coach's support and help.	D．Her hope to break the national record

4. Which section of a newspaper does the passage probably come from?

A．Sports.

B．Lifestyle

C．Culture.

D．Opinion

3 . Reducing, reusing, and recycling is a way of life in Sweden. Recycling is required by law and garbage is sorted at home before if goes to a recycling center. Recyclables are sorted into seven categories and recycling stations are within just 300 meters of all residential areas. " Recycling almost everything is a must in Sweden now. It actually feels very uncomfortable when you visit another country and cant find easy ways to recycle, " said Owen Gaffney, an expert at Stockholm Resilience Centre and Future Earth.

But not all of its garbage is recycled. Sweden uses alternatives that include incineratinggarbage to make electricity instead of using fossil fuels（化石燃料）to heat 1.2 million homes. About half of household garbage   is sent to one of the 33 waste﹣to﹣heat plants. Sweden is importing garbage from other countries to keep these plants running. Sweden is also a world leader in turning food waste into eco﹣friendly biogas（沼气）. It has made food waste collection compulsory beginning in 2021. There is a food waste biogas plant, which allows biogas to be used to run public buses and to heat apartment buildings.

Sweden now wants to deal with those remaining items that cannot be recycled by using a circular（循环论证的）economy approach. It means that products can be reused and only recycled when absolutely necessary. The Swedish government formed an advisory group to find a way of making this part of its environmental policy.

This will not work effectively unless people are taught to change their behavior. Now the government is reforming its tax code so that people could get cheaper repairs or buy used things. The large Swedish clothing retailer（零售商）H&M operates a recycling program that gives customers discounts when they bring back old clothing.

Sweden is fighting climate change by doing all the right stuff. Waste recycling and the plans to switch to a circular economy will go a long way in reducing its carbon footprint and will help stop global warming.

1. What do we know about Sweden？

A．Sweden imports household garbage for biogas.

B．It is convenient to recycle things in Sweden.

C．Half of garbage in Sweden is used to produce heat.

D．Everything is recycled after being used in Sweden.

2. What does the underlined word in paragraph 2 mean？

A．Burning.

B．Treating.

C．Throwing.

D．Reusing.

3. What does the advisory group do？

A．Teach people how to save fossil fuels.

B．Conduct a survey about the local economy.

C．Offer advice on environmental policy.

D．Make sure the citizens recycle wisely.

4. How does the government encourage its citizens to reuse？

A．It provides various recycling programs.

B．It cuts down taxes on new products.

C．It gives discounts to regular buyers.

D．It offers lower prices for repairs.

4 . For many parents, raising a teenager is like fighting a long war, but years go by without any clear winner. Like a border conflict between neighboring countries, the parent-teen war is about boundaries: Where is the line between what I control and what you do?

Both sides want peace, but neither feels it has any power to stop the conflict. In part, this is because neither is willing to admit any responsibility for starting it. From the parents’ point of view, the only cause of their fight is their adolescents’ complete unreasonableness. And of course, the teens see it in exactly the same way, except oppositely. Both feel trapped.

In this article, I’ll describe three no-win situations that commonly arise between teens and parents and then suggest some ways out of the trap. The first no-win situation is quarrels over unimportant things. Examples include the color of the teen’s hair, the cleanliness of the bedroom, the preferred style of clothing, the child’s failure to eat a good breakfast before school, or his tendency to sleep until noon on the weekends. Second, blaming. The goal of a blaming battle is to make the other admit that his bad attitude is the reason why everything goes wrong. Third, needing to be right. It doesn’t matter what the topic is—politics, the laws of physics, or the proper way to break an egg—the point of these arguments is to prove that you are right and the other person is wrong, for both wish to be considered an authority—someone who actually knows something—and therefore to command respect. Unfortunately, as long as parents and teens continue to assume that they know more than the other, they’ll continue to fight these battles forever and never make any real progress.

1. Why does the author compare the parent-teen war to a border conflict?

A．Both are about where to draw the line.

B．Both can continue for generations.

C．Neither has any clear winner.

D．Neither can be put to an end.

2. What does the underlined part in Paragraph 2 mean?

A．The teens tend to have a full understanding of their parents.

B．The teens agree with their parents on the cause of the conflict.

C．The teens cause their parents of misleading them.

D．The teens blame their parents for starting the conflict.

3. Parents and teens want to be right because they want to ______.

A．give orders to the other

B．know more than the other

C．gain respect from the other

D．get the other to behave properly

4. What will the author most probably discuss in the paragraph that follows?

A．Solutions for the parent-teen problems.

B．Examples of the parent-teen war.

C．Causes for the parent-teen conflicts.

D．Future of the parent-teen relationship.

5 . It's tough to see or hear of a friend in crisis. One idea to keep in mind is that it is healthy for the distressed person to feel what he or she feels in the moment. When a person in crisis feels understood, he or she feels less alone and connected to the person who understands.

A person who experiences empathy(同理心)from a friend who can “go there”for a few minutes in order to authentically understand while still maintaining a strong and supportive attitude may be relieving and healing. While a friend is telling you about the circumstance, the first and most important step is to listen for feelings, not ways to solve the problem.

For example, a friend is terribly upset because her husband is threatening to leave her. After fully honoring the feelings, it is important to ask the friend what would help. Maybe it is a good cry and some ice cream. Perhaps it's a glass of wine and a walk. Everyone has different ways of dealing. Be respectful and ask the friend what she needs or wants, not what you prescribe.

Take a second example, say a close friend is being misrepresented by other friends. The friends are gossiping about her. During a conversation with her, listen for feelings. Honor her hurt and shock. The same equation is useful with a partner.

Helping a friend or partner in crisis not only helps the person, but creates closeness and trust in the relationship, making opening up in the probable future. In addition, the person who is empathizing feels positive because he or she was able to help. When a person is truly able to comfort and reassure a loved one, he or she feels vital and useful, strengthening the relationship.

1. What should we do first when we know a friend is in crisis？

A．Keep away from him/her.

B．Buy him/her a glass of wine.

C．Understand how he/she feels.

D．Show him/her ways to solve the problem.

2. What does the underlined word “it” in paragraph 3 refer to？

A．A way to solve the crisis.	B．A way to relieve a bad mood.
C．A way to listen for feelings.	D．A way to honor the feelings.

3. How does the author prove his/her idea？

A．By listing data.	B．By quoting sayings.
C．By giving examples.	D．By conducting surveys.

4. What does the text mainly talk about？

A．How to keep a loved one.	B．How to make new friends.
C．How to work with your partner.	D．How to help a friend in trouble.

6 . Are people happier in nature with blue skies overhead and fresh green grass underfoot? Could noisy streets, crowded with cars and people, make us unhappy?

The possible mental health problems of city living affect a lot of people. The World Health Organization estimates(估计)that 56 percent of the world's population lived in urban areas in 2019. The WHO adds that that amount will increase to 66 percent by 2050. People often move to cities for better jobs and more cultural activities. But are they putting themselves at risk? Maybe. Experts at the American Psychiatry Association say that “natural environments or green spaces” do much good to our mental health.

Many studies have shown that nature can calm us and make us feel happy. Nature, experts say, can also help us learn better. And experiencing nature helps people recover from the mental tiredness that comes from day-to-day work. On the other hand, mental health experts say some research suggests that city living might hurt our mental health. But they cannot say exactly why.

What are the specific aspects of the urban environment which causes some people to develop mental illness? Andrea Mechelli, a doctor at Kings College, London, states, “There have been studies where people were literally taken out of an urban environment into a rural (乡村的) environment and their symptoms would improve. And we also see that the greater the city is, the greater the risk is.” Mechelli say that someone who lives in a city is three times more likely to develop psychological problem than someone living in the country.

Kings College researchers, along with city planners, land and building designers and others wanted to learn more about city living and mental illness. So, they created a smartphone app called Urban Mind. They say they wanted to understand how different parts of the urban environment affect mental wellbeing(健康).

The researchers found that being outdoors, seeing trees, hearing birdsong, seeing the sky, and feeling in contact with nature were associated with higher levels of mental well-being. They also found that these seeming effects of nature were especially strong in those individuals at greater risk of mental health problems. The Urban Mind Project team says it hopes “the results will inform future urban planning and social policy aimed at improving design and health.”

1. Why is the question raised in the first paragraph?

A．To introduce the topic of the text.

B．To show the background of the text.

C．To ask the readers to learn the study.

D．To raise the readers' interest in happiness.

2. What does Mechelli find during his study?

A．People are attracted by the blue skies and green grass.

B．People are more content with their city life.

C．More and more people are interested in taking risks in cities,

D．City people are more likely to develop mental problems than country people.

3. What is expected of the Urban Mind research result?

A．More people will choose to live in the countryside.

B．It will bring more concern about people s mental health.

C．It will contribute to future urban planning and social policies.

D．People will be helped to improve their mental illness.

4. What is the main idea of the text?

A．Urban Mind measures the level of mental wellbeing.

B．City living may be harmful to people’s mental health.

C．Living in the countryside is better than in the city.

D．Different scientists hold different opinions on the effects of city living.

7 . How do you know if your home is an easy aim for thefts(偷窃)? Around the holidays, many families don’t consider taking proper measures to prevent their homes from suffering holiday thefts. With just a few simple steps, you can better make sure of the safety of your home during all of the holiday celebrations. Here are a few tips for making it difficult to tell you are away from home.

● Either have a trusted neighbor pick up your mail and newspapers, or tell your mailperson to hold your mail until you return. Nothing says “Hey, we are not home!” like when your postbox is filled with all kinds of mails and you have many different newspapers in your driveway.

● Set several different lights in your house on random timers (随机定时器)。Don’t leave your outdoor lights on all the time. Instead, put your outside lights on timers to be on during the nights.  If an outdoor light remains on for days at a time, it means that nobody is home to turn it off.

● If you have pets that you are not taking with you on vacation, leave them with a friend, rather than having someone come into your house every day to take care of them. When thefts see a neighbor or friend entering your house every day, they will know you are not home.

● Close all your curtains when you leave town. This is effective to deter possible thefts, as no one can see what is in your house. If they don’t know what there is to take, then the risk is even greater for them to break in.

● This article just has suggested a few tips to help you keep your house safe while you are on holiday. Nothing can truly protect your home unless you have it monitored by a professional home security system.

1. What is the main idea of the passage?

A．to tell us how to prevent the thefts around the holidays

B．to let the outdoor lights on all the time

C．to tell us many families suffering from the thefts while they are on holiday

D．to tell you to have your neighbor go to your house to take care of your pet.

2. If you are on holiday in other places, the lights in your house should________.

A．be kept on all the night	B．be lit in an irregular way
C．be replaced by random timers	D．be turned on only once one day

3. To make your home   well protected, what does the writer advise you to do?

A．Have all the curtains closed

B．Equip your home with security system

C．Turn to your close neighbors or friends

D．Stop your mail service at once

4. Most of the tips mentioned in the text seem to ______.

A．give a false impression on thefts

B．have no effect on preventing thefts

C．be very popular with families

D．be a little hard to be brought into effect

8 . A simple, yet powerful UK program has been fighting elderly loneliness by recruiting young adults as volunteers to read to seniors with vision problems and mental diseases.

Lily has benefited from the program having her vision “restored” by 15-year-old Amy, a school girl who was paired with Lily through the Reading Friends project. Lily was a librarian and enthusiastic reader who would read “two to three books every week”. After developing a terrible disease, however, Lily found herself unable to read or watch television for any length of time without her eyes hurting. Not only have Lily’s regular reading sessions with Amy helped to reconnect her with her passion for literature, they have also built a song inter-generational friendship between the two ladies. “I chose a book and she would come along and read it to me,” Lily said. “But we have only got through two books so far because we end up catting too much. We have read two historical novels and get on very well.” Research shows that reading together can help older people to build social networks and connect with others. Evidence also shows that reading has a positive impact on the elderly’s will-being and can reduce the risk of developing mental diseases.

Rose, a teacher, is responsible for connecting school children like Amy with the program—and she says that it has had an amazing impact on the youngsters. “We have wonderful young people at our school and we wanted to get then into the community,” Rose said. “It has been fantastic to see them blossom as well as improving their literacy and social skills. They are meeting community members like Lily that they are making friendships with and library staff can help them, not only with education but outside as well.”

1. What is the main responsibility of volunteers according to the passage?

A．Read books to seniors.	B．Have a chat with seniors.
C．Fight diseases for seniors.	D．Make friends with seniors.

2. What can we learn from Lily’s reading sessions with Amy?

A．They benefit Lily a lot by restoring her vision.

B．They help Amy pick up her love for literature.

C．They help Lily volunteer in the reading project.

D．They build up the friendship between two ladies.

3. How does the program mostly benefit the elders?

A．By reducing elderly loneliness.

B．By curing the elders of vision problems.

C．By improving their literacy and social skills.

D．By enabling them to read books for a long time.

4. What does the underlined word “recruiting” in paragraph one mean?

A．forcing	B．employing
C．separating	D．promoting

9 . Staying connected

When Central Bucks South became one of the first Philadelphia-area high schools to close because of the fear of novel coronavirus exposure in early March, 16-year-old sophomore Andrew Chen knew that things were not going to return to normal as quickly as some of his peers hoped.

But still, the change from seeing his friends on the swim team during daily practices to learning alone at home was jarring.

“I only have three years here at South, and it pains me to see one of them being wasted,” Chen said.

The coronavirus has changed everyone’s lives, but for students, the disruption feels particularly serious. Schools closed and graduation ceremonies were put off. Summer plans, such as camps, are up in the air.

But right now, many students are trying to stay connected, struggling with false information, and finding out the best ways they can help – through online method.

For Josh Harycki, 17, a senior student at the Shipley School in Philadelphia, the best way to help was to create a “social distancing promise” for young people.

“I saw a lot of young people not paying attention,” he said. “They were … still going out, hanging out with others. I thought that there had to be a way to reach younger people, who were possibly not watching the news.”

Harycki started a call to action on social media and then built a website with a map that followed and kept the locations of people who’d signed the promise. The site also shares links to accurate sources of information like the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Harycki knows that his peers are worried they can’t connected with their friends in the same way, so he created the social distancing promise to strengthen that although everyone might be physically distant, they’re still connected.

“Part of what we’re showing is that you might feel like you’re the only one taking this seriously, but our map shows that you’re not alone,” he said.

1. What does the underlined word “jarring” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．natural

B．necessary

C．worrying

D．reasonable

2. Who does Harycki mainly want to reach?

A．Friends who are worried and bored.

B．Young people not aware of the situation.

C．Younger students trying to help.

D．People taking the coronavirus seriously.

3. What’s Harycki’s purpose in creating the “social distancing promise”?

A．To order young people to stay at home.

B．To follow those infected with the coronavirus.

C．To tell young folks of latest news about the coronavirus.

D．To show young people that they are still connected.

4. Why does the author describe Andrew Chen’s experience in the text?

A．To explain what worried students most when schools closed.

B．To show the different views of students toward the coronavirus.

C．To show how the coronavirus affected students’ lives.

D．To explain the proper reaction to the close of school.

10 . Many people heard about the “Little Free Library”, which was a movement that let people swap a book for another or take it and bring it back. Now, people are joining in the “Little Free Pantry” idea, which shares a similar value of spreading kindness with mini pantries.

One family who live in Boise, Idaho, have a three-year-old son who wanted to build something for his third birthday, so they decided that they would build a community pantry box that they would share with their neighbors. They felt that they had everything they wanted, so they wanted to give a little something back to the community and help the people in need.

The idea is that the family fill this box up with non-perishable (不易腐的) items, which include tins, toiletries, and other goods. However, it’s meant to be a community give and take, so other people would also contribute to adding to this mini-pantry.

It seems that the idea has taken off in other communities who also want to give a little something back and help those in need. It’s the kind of movement that helps the struggling members of the community, allowing them to live knowing that they can have a can of soup for dinner if they have nothing else. Or that sanitary products are available.

The Millers keep their little pantry going, realizing that it’s emptiest toward the end of the month, so they know that it’s really helping people. They don’t believe that anyone has taken advantage of it and that it’s only helped people.

Various other communities have taken on the mini pantries project in order to spread a little kindness within their community.

1. Why is “Little Free Library” mentioned in the first paragraph?

A．To show the striking difference between it and “Little Free Pantry”.

B．To help readers have a better understanding of “Little Free Pantry”.

C．To encourage people to take “Little Free Library” as an example.

D．To prove that most people are just so kind as to help those in need.

2. Why did the family build the “Little Free Pantry”?

A．To let others know about their son’s birthday.

B．To show that they lived in great abundance,

C．To egress gratitude and offer help to others.

D．To test if people in the community are honest.

3. Whom is Free Pantry most helpful to?

A．Those who can’t go shopping often.	B．Those who want to show kindness.
C．Those who want to celebrate birthdays.	D．Those who live in great poverty.

4. How is the “Little Free Library” idea going?

A．The community pantry box is always empty.

B．People take advantage of others’ kindness.

C．More items are badly needed to refill the box.

D．It is gaining more and more popularity.