1 . The 2020 Nobel Prize in literature has been awarded to former U.S. Poet Laureate（桂冠诗人）Louise Gluck. The prize committee cited “her unique poetic voice that with plain beauty makes individual existence universal”. Gluck is the first American woman to win the award since Toni Morrison in 1993. Gluck, 77, joins a list of literary giants and previous Nobelists who include, in this century, Canadian short-story master Alice Munro, Chinese magical-realist Mo Yan, etc.
Gluck’s work includes 12 collections of poetry and a few volumes of essays on literary writing. “All are characterized by a striving for clarity（清晰）. Childhood and family life, the close relationship with parents and siblings, is a theme that has remained central to her,” Anders Olsson, the chairman of the Nobel Committee for Literature, said. “She seeks the universal, and in this she takes inspiration from myths and classical motifs,” Olsson added, citing her 2006 collection Averno, which the committee described as “masterly” for its “visionary interpretation of the myth of Persephone’s (珀尔塞福涅) fall into hell in the captivity (囚禁) of Hades(哈得斯), the god of death”.
Being a professor at Yale and a resident of Cambridge, Gluck also served as U.S. Poet Laureate from 2003 to 2004 and is no stranger to awards. She won the Pulitzer Prize in 1993 for her collection of poems titled The Wild Iris, in which “she describes the incredible return of life after winter in the poem Snowdrops,” the Nobel literature committee said Thursday. She also won the 2014 National Book Award for the poem Faithful and Virtuous Night. In 2016, President Obama awarded the National Humanities Medal to Gluck in a White House ceremony.
The publicity-shy Gluck did not immediately issue any comment about the latest honor for her body of work, which spans more than half a century. In a 2012 interview, she acknowledged that prizes can make “existence in the world easier” but did not amount to the immortality(不朽) of a true artist.
1. What can we know about Gluck from Paragraph 1?| A．She is as popular as the Chinese novelist Mo Yan. |
| B．She won the Nobel Prize for her special literary style. |
| C．She is the first American to win a Nobel Prize in literature. |
| D．She is the only Poet Laureate in modern American history. |
| A．Daily life. | B．Nature. |
| C．Careers. | D．Classical myths. |
| A．To show Gluck’s contributions to literature. |
| B．To prove Gluck’s great passion for writing. |
| C．To present Gluck’s outstanding achievements. |
| D．To stress Gluck’s influence on other poets. |
| A．She is content with it. |
| B．She takes it very seriously. |
| C．She deserves a higher honor. |
| D．She doesn’t attach great importance to it. |
2 . The grey squirrels(松鼠)and Mary Krupa became friends during Mary Krupa's first week at Penn State University. After seeing them running around, she wondered what they would look like with tiny hats on their heads. Today, everyone at the university knows her as the “Squirrel Girl".
Mary started bringing them food, and gradually they began to trust her. She managed to put a hat on a squirrel and take a picture. Thinking that her friends could use something to lift their spirits, she started posting those photos on Facebook. The response(回应)was greatly positive, and before long Mary and her squirrels became very famous on the Internet.
Growing up in a neighbourhood outside State College, Mary was always fond of birds and animals around her home, but she didn't communicate with people very much. She was later diagnosed(诊断)with Asperger's syndrome(埃斯伯格综合征)，but the squirrels changed that. “Being together with the squirrels is actually a good way to break the ice, because I'll be sitting here touching a squirrel and other people will come over and we'll just start like feeding the squirrels together and chatting about them," she said. “I am a lot more outgoing.
Perhaps you're wondering how Mary is able to get the squirrels to do what she wants for her photos. Actually, it has a lot to do with food. For example, whenever she wants them to hold or play with something, she puts peanut butter on a plate, and they'll grab(抓住)it. But getting to that part took a while. In the beginning, she would throw peanuts up the trees on campus and invite the squirrels to come down and get them, but they didn't want to approach(接近)her. She had the patience to earn their trust, though.
This year, Mary graduated with a degree in wildlife science. She wants to be a science writer and educate people about how to protect the environment. As for her furry friends, Mary plans to stay in the area and visit them as often as she can.
1. How did Mary manage to make the squirrels trust her?| A．By playing music for them. |
| B．By providing them with food. |
| C．By playing together with them. |
| D．By building a small house for them. |
| A．She is friendlier to others. |
| B．She is more interested in animals. |
| C．She is more outgoing than before. |
| D．She is more willing to share her secrets. |
| A．She is studying medicine in the university. |
| B．She is making a study on the life habits of squirrels. |
| C．She is very patient when getting close to the squirrels. |
| D．She likes animals because she can take photos of them. |
| A．The Squirrel Girl of Penn State University |
| B．How Mary Made Friends with Wild Animals |
| C．How Mary Helped Squirrels in Her Neighbourhood |
| D．Mary's Studying Experience in Penn State University |
3 . Later this month, Tate Britain will host its first Van Gogh exhibition since 1947. Here we've rounded up 4 of his best paintings before the show.
Potato Eaters
Potato Eaters was Van Gogh's first major work and, despite a distinct lack of colour, it was one that he was most proud of. His aim was to represent the difficulties of country life, so the farmers are painted in earthy tones with rough faces and bony hands. He was more concerned with conveying his message than achieving technical perfection in this painting.
Irises
Van Gogh finished almost 142 pieces during his stay in the Saint Remy de Provence asylum (精神病院), where he was a voluntary patient from 1889 to 1890. This piece was started shortly after he arrived there. The hospital garden provided much inspiration for the artist during his stay there. Originally, the flowers in this work were painted purple but the red pigment (色素) faded over time and has now turned blue.
Cafe Terrace at Night
Despite being painted more than 130 years ago, this cafe still exists in France and has since been renamed the Cafe Van Gogh. This artwork marks the first time Van Gogh's famous post-impressionistic star-filled sky was seen in a piece, and it was painted on the ground, in person, rather than from memory. While the artwork doesn't bear his signature, it's widely known to be Van Gogh's, as he mentioned Cafe Terrace at Night in a number of his letters.
Wheat Field With Cypresses
This piece was inspired by the view from Van Gogh's asylum window and was finished on the spot. The work was the title of three paintings that offer an insight into his stay at the hospital.' Van Gogh was 80 pleased with the summer landscape that he made three copies there, one of the same size—which hangs in the National Gallery and two smaller copies which he planned to gift to his mother and sister.
1. Which painting did Vincent van Gogh take most pride in?| A．Irises. | B．Potato Eaters. |
| C．Cafe Terrace at Night. | D．Wheat Field With Cypresses. |
| A．Purple. | B．Blue. | C．Red. | D．Yellow. |
| A．They were the same in size. | B．They had more than one copy. |
| C．They were signed by the artist, | D．They were painted on the ground. |
4 . Since apps like Uber and Lyft came on the scene, ridesharing services have dramatically changed the way people get around. A new study out of Columbia University reveals a downside of these services. It turns out that ridesharing trips cause an increase in the number of accidents involving motorists and pedestrians at pick-up and drop-off locations.
Previous studies on the relationship between ridesharing services and vehicle crashes compare cities where ridesharing services are available with cities where they are not, and this makes results somewhat ambiguous. In this study researchers analyze individual trips to make the picture a little clearer.
Researchers analyzed data from 372 million ridesharing trips in New York City between 2017 and 2018. Whenever a crash occurred in the city, they calculated the number of ridesharing trips that began or ended in the area at the time of the accident. They compared this with the number of trips that took place in the same location one week before and one week after the crash. Researchers did the same calculations for regular taxi rides as part of their analyses. Also, separate analyses were performed based on the type of people injured in the crash: pedestrians, motorists or cyclists.
The results of the analyses show that the rise in ridesharing trips is associated with an increase in the number of accidents involving pedestrians and motorists, but not cyclists. Furthermore, they did not find this same association between taxi trips and accidents.
“Ridesharing is changing the way we move around cities.” says first author Christopher Morrison. “It is becoming clear that the technology reduces alcohol-related crashes, but these benefits do not seem to extend to the overall number of crashes. These findings help explain why that might be---- because the reductions in alcohol-related crashes are offset (抵消) by increases in other types of crashes.”
Researchers hope that cities and ridesharing services will use the results of this study to take measures that might reduce the number of crashes. “In crowded areas with large numbers of rideshare pick-ups and drop-offs, cities could consider building taxi-rank style infrastructure (基础设施) to protect pedestrians and prevent crashes, ”concludes Morrison.
1. What do we know about previous studies on ridesharing services?| A．Their analysis is hardly reliable. |
| B．Their findings are rather ridiculous. |
| C．Their research method is out-of-date. |
| D．Their research sample is not wide enough. |
| A．The increase in ridesharing trips can lead to an increase in accidents between cyclists and pedestrians. |
| B．When there is a high number of ridesharing trips, there is usually an increase in the number of accidents. |
| C．Ridesharing is changing the way we move around cities. |
| D．Cyclists are always safe. |
| A．Ridesharing reduces alcohol-related crashes. |
| B．Ridesharing doesn’t increase accidents involving cyclists. |
| C．Various types of crashes increase with ridesharing services. |
| D．Overall crashes don’t decrease along with alcohol-related crashes. |
| A．Improving infrastructure to expand taxi services. |
| B．Banning ridesharing services in crowded places. |
| C．Constructing some stops for ridesharing vehicles. |
| D．Reducing the number of pick-ups and drop-offs. |
5 . Earthquake rescue robots have experienced their final tests in Beijing. Their designers say with these robots, rescuers will be able to buy more time to save lives during an earthquake.
This robot, looking like a helicopter, is called the detector (探测器) bot. At about 4 metres long, it took about 4 years to develop the model. Its main functions are to collect information from the air, and deliver goods of up to 30 kilos to people trapped by an earthquake.
This robot is equipped with a high 360degree panoramic (全景的) camera. It can work day and night and also be able to send the latest pictures from the quake area.
Dr Qi Juntong, from Chinese Academy of Sciences, said, "The most important feature of this robot is that it doesn't need distant control. We just set the information on it, and then it takes off, and lands by itself. It flies as high as 3,000 metres, and as fast as 100 kilometres per hour."
This robot has a different function — it can change as the environment changes. Its main job is to search for any signs of life in places where human rescuers can't go.
The robot is equipped with a camera that can work in the dark, as well as a detector that not only finds people, but can also detect poisonous gas.
Another use for the rescuers is the supply bot, with its 10metrelong pipe. People trapped in the ruins will be able to get supplies including oxygen and liquids.
Experts have said that the robots will be produced, and serve as part of the national earthquake rescue team as soon as next year.
1. We can learn from the passage that the earthquake rescue robot ________.| A．is unable to deliver goods | B．is designed to predict the earthquake |
| C．can send pictures even at night | D．can be used to clear away poisonous gas |
| A．has a unique shape |
| B．has more functions |
| C．is equipped with more advanced cameras |
| D．can work by itself once given the information |
| A．a remote control | B．a detector |
| C．a long pipe | D．a helicopter |
| A．Some information about earthquakes. |
| B．How to build earthquake rescue robots. |
| C．An introduction to a kind of earthquake rescue robots. |
| D．Different earthquake rescue robots in the world. |
6 . After the season for giving, it is the one for throwing away. Each year in late December and early January a massive amount of plastic packaging is discarded (丢弃) worldwide. In Britain alone households generate 30% more waste, an extra 3m tonnes, in the month over Christmas. Most is destined for landfill. Lithuania will do less damage than many, though. The country now recycles at a record level. Almost three- quarters (74%) of plastic packaging waste was recycled there in 2017, the highest proportion in Europe.
Much of Lithuania' s success is due to a deposit refund scheme (方案). Customers pay €0.10 extra when buying drinks containers. After use, these can be fed into reverse vending machines (反向自动售货机) installed in shops, which spit the deposit back out. The machines’ contents are sent directly to recycling centers. By the end of 2017, 92% of all bottles and cans sold in Lithuania were being returned. The overall plastic packaging recycling rate increased by almost 20%.
The Lithuanian government says the scheme has fueled a potential love for recycling in its citizens. Nearly 90% of Lithuanians have used the machines at least once. However, Lithuanians do not generally describe themselves as eco-fighters. A 2017 survey by the European Commission found they were less likely than most other Europeans to regard environmental issues as “very important”.
The eagerness of Lithuanian recyclers may stem not from a love of the Earth but from a low net worth(资本净值). A tenth of the population live on less than €245 a month. In big cities it is common to see people scooping recyclable items out of bins to take to the machines.
Less litter and money for people who need it seems like a win-win. But it might not in fact be best for the environment in the long run. In Germany ----where a similar, widely used refund deposit scheme has been in place since 2003 --- the earnings from keeping the deposits from unreturned bottles seem to have discouraged producers from switching to more sustainable packaging.
1. What might most Lithuanian customers do under the deposit refund scheme?| A．They send their drinks containers directly to recycling centers. |
| B．They spend more on drinks than other European customers. |
| C．They return their used drinks containers. |
| D．They use vending machines to buy drinks. |
| A．Lithuania beat many countries in plastic recycling. |
| B．Lithuanians were less aware of environmental conservation. |
| C．Lithuanians made much money from recycling. |
| D．Lithuania had an unequal income distribution. |
| A．Positive. | B．Unfavorable. |
| C．Ambiguous. | D．Uninterested. |
| A．How and why Lithuanians recycle their trash. |
| B．How waste turns into treasure in Lithuania |
| C．Who are recycling plastic bottles in Lithuania |
| D．Where Lithuanians throw away their plastic packaging |
7 . Online Free Courses
English Grammar and Style
We’ll present materials that cover grammatical principles, word usage, writing style, sentence and paragraph structure and punctuation. We’ll challenge you with quizzes and writing activities that will give you strategies to enhance the quality of your writing, and invite you to participate in discussions and assess the work of your peers (同龄人).
Length: 8 weeks
Instructor: Roslyn Petelin from the University of Queensland
Academic Writing Made Easy
From structuring and organizing an academic text to avoiding common mistakes that can negatively affect your credibility, this course offers a guide for those who want to improve their writing. Each week is comprised of video lessons, followed by exercises and tasks of assessing your peers' work.
The course requires upper-intermediate (中高级) to advanced English.
Length: 6 weeks
Instructor: Heidi Minning from the Technical University of Munich
Preparing to Network in English
Networking in the business world is key to career success. But what is networking? And how do you do it in English? This course helps you understand the basics of networking and why it’s important. You’ll identify the key qualities you should focus on developing. Most importantly, you’ll grow and expand your business network and professional connections.
Length: 6 weeks
Instructor: Joel Ozretich from the University of Washington
Using Emails for Networking in English
In this course, you’ll learn important strategies for writing effective emails. You' II learn how to write messages for different audiences and understand when to be formal or direct. You' II also learn how your choice of words can change the way people view your message.
Length: 4 weeks
Instructor: Daphne Mackey from the University of Washington
1. What do the first two courses have in common?
| A．Both last for one and a half months. |
| B．Both involve some peer review tasks. |
| C．Both require upper-intermediate English. |
| D．Both are offered by the same university. |
| A．Roslyn Petelin. | B．Heidi Minning. |
| C．Joel Ozretich. | D．Daphne Mackey. |
| A．Improving email-writing skills. |
| B．Giving tips on academic writing. |
| C．Exploring grammatical principles. |
| D．Introducing the basics of networking. |
8 . How did the ancient Chinese keep food warm in winter?
Facilities like electric rice cookers, microwaves, and electric kettles, make it easy for people to keep food warm and enjoy a comfortable winter. So how did Chinese people in ancient times keep food warm in winter without these? In fact, ancient Chinese people used their own methods of heat preservation as early as the Shang and Zhou dynasties.
● “Wen Ding”, ancient rice cooker
One of the major functions of an electric rice cooker is to keep food warm. The “Wen Ding”, an ancient cooking container, served the same purpose, but instead of using electric energy, the ancient cooking container preserved heart by burning fuels like charcoal(木炭).
● “Ran Lu”, ancient small hot pot
The “Ran LU” is a small size cooking vessel(器皿) made of bronze, which can be divided into three parts. A charcoal stove forms the main structure, with a bottom tray to hold charcoal ashes, and a movable cup at the top. Some experts have concluded that the vessel’s structure suggests it may have been used as a small hot pot and that these vessels became popular in the Warring States Period(475—221 BC)
●“Bronze You”, ancient kettle
The Bronze You was one of the most common wine containers during the Shang and Zhou dynasties. The Bronze You can also be used to warm wine. For example, the Bronze You with beast mask design, unearthed in Jiangxi province, has an opening where charcoals could be placed. Just as people today can’t do without an electric kettle, the Bronze You allowed people to enjoy a hot drink.
●“Bronze Yan”, ancient steamer
Although the “Wen Ding” was effective at keeping food warm, the ancient Chinese people later found that its burning produced pollution. As a result, the “Bronze Yan ”was made with a two-tier structure and used to steam rice and other grains. After the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 25-AD 220), further improvements to the“Bronze Yan” led to the modern-day steamer.
1. When did the “Ran Lu” become popular?| A．In the Zhou Dynasty. | B．In the Warring States Period. |
| C．In the Eastern Han dynasty. | D．In the Stone Age. |
| A．place charcoal | B．pour water | C．store wine | D．hold charcoal ashes |
| A．It is warm. | B．It is convenient. | C．It is environment-friendly. | D．It is useful. |
9 . A group of scientists have studied the fossil (化石) of an animal, called Kongonaphon kely, which they said is an ancestor of the dinosaurs. The four-legged animal can even fit in man's hand. Scientists say it lived about 237 million years ago in what is now Madagascar, an island country off the east coast of Africa.
The researchers believe the animal came before dinosaurs. The study notes that much remains unknown about the history of dinosaurs and their winged relatives, pterosaurs (翼龙). Scientist Christian Kammerer of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, who led the study, told a news agency that based on the body size suggested by the fossil, “we argue that dinosaurs and pterosaurs evolved from a modest-sized ancestor. " John Flynn, of New York's American Museum of Natural History, was a co-writer of the study. He said the Kongonaphon's teeth showed signs of use in a way that suggested this animal ate insects.
The team examining the fossil also found evidence of soft skin coverings, including feathers. Usually, animals use fur or feathers to hide themselves from enemies or help to hunt for food. To some, fur or feathers even protect them from insect bites. But the researchers said feathers of Kongonaphon would have been especially important in the extreme climate of the early part of the Mesozoic Era (中生代). The days were hot, and the nights cold.
“Some of these things would have been quite cute animals,” said Kammerer on the light side. Looking like a dinosaur that could be held in a person’s cupped hands, it “would probably make a great pet”. Of course, no humans were around when Kongonaphon was wandering in the wild, jumping around with its strong legs and hunting for food Kammerer said.
1. What do the researchers find about Kongonaphon?| A．It has no wings. | B．It lived in unknown places. |
| C．It is very tiny in size. | D．It lives longer than dinosaur. |
| A．To protect it from insect bites. | B．To help control body temperature. |
| C．To assist it to hunt for food. | D．To defend against enemies’ attack. |
| A．Academic. | B．Humorous. | C．Surprised. | D．Excited. |
| A．To introduce an ancient animal. | B．To compare different kinds of dinosaurs. |
| C．To explore the history of dinosaurs. | D．To share a discovery about the origins of dinosaurs. |
10 . No matter what type of top free Android app you are searching for, there are many similar apps that can puzzle you when it comes to choosing the best one. Here are some apps you should give a try in 2020.
Zomato
Zomato lets you discover restaurants near you to go and eat out or order food online and get it delivered. This Android app has multiple other unique features that address customer needs like a takeaway, table booking and discoveries. You can also find many discounts and offers on the restaurants.
CamScanner
CamScanner is a great app for students and we know that life can get rather busy as college students especially if they are holding a part-time job. This platform uses your phones camera to scan documents and provides assistance in the form of proofreading and editing your work.
Spotify
Spotify is one of the best music apps for Android that you shouldn’t be missing out on. It helps you to access world music－both streaming and downloading music of high quality. You would be able to listen to all your music favorites, albums, and also create your own playlists.
Groupon
Groupon is a platform that finds available deals in varied categories like electronics, entertainment, fashion, and many more. The physical store deals are displayed on an interactive map for an easier-to-see selection, online store deals also included. Extra discounts for students.
1. What can students do with CamScanner?| A．Record their college life. | B．Learn editing skills. |
| C．Find a part-time job. | D．Correct their work. |
| A．Zomato. | B．Spotify. | C．Groupon. | D．CamScanner. |
| A．To introduce some free Android apps. | B．To provide guidance on choosing apps. |
| C．To stress the popularity of Android apps. | D．To show the advantages of Android apps. |
