1 . Remote work, especially in a world affected by COVID-19, naturally leads to "flex time". Employees with small children might be getting the majority of their work done at night after the kids are in bed. Working early, you quit early. Starting late, work late.
With your teammates working during different hours, you may be getting messages at all hours of the day, night, or weekend, making you always available. That might be necessary in some industries during these challenging times, but certainly not in every industry and not for everyone in any industry. Once this takes root in your company culture, it becomes difficult to "reset" later. Besides, “always-on” isn't sustainable (可持续的), which increases pressure and quickly turns your company into an unpleasant place to work.
If your company adapts "flex time", how can you accommodate your employees’ needs while still protecting your culture and your team's work-life balance? The key is to encourage flex time while also setting clear "communication hours" (for example, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.）. Outside of those hours, employees should be encouraged to change their settings to "Do Not Disturb" and to use the “schedule send” feature of their email client so that messages only get delivered during communication hours.
If messages must happen outside of the set communication hours, such as for urgent or time-sensitive issues, make employees phone or text only. This way people can comfortably close down all other communication channels like email, WeChat, WeCom, etc. The act of having to call or text someone is usually enough to give the sender a pause to think, "Do I really need this person now, or can the communication wait?" This allows everyone on your team to work whenever is appropriate for them, but not feel like they have to work all the time to accommodate everyone else's schedule. A word of “Thanks for being so responsive” to someone answering an email outside of the defined communication hours definitely brings empathy (同理心) which smooths the urgency while also cultivating the trust and culture.
1. What may result in the phenomenon of "always-on"?| A．COVID-19. | B．Some industries. |
| C．Increasing pressure. | D．Flexible working time. |
| A．The phenomenon of "flex time". | B．The disadvantages of “flex time”. |
| C．The necessity of “flex time”. | D．The company culture of “flex time”, |
| A．It helps to make up for the shortcomings of “flex time". |
| B．It should be set from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
| C．Employees mustn't be disturbed within the hours. |
| D．Employees are still responsive outside of the hours. |
| A．Neutral. | B．Supportive. |
| C．Opposed. | D．Indifferent. |
2 . The AI project intends to use artificial intelligence to create an innovative (创新的) theatrical performance, which is expected to premiere (首演) early next year. Head of the research team Rudolf Rosa said: “The main idea behind our study came from Tomáš Studeník, an innovator who noticed the centenary of the play ‘RUR’ is approaching. “This was a key moment for robotics, as the idea of a robot, including the word ‘robot’ itself, was invented by Karel Capek and his brother Josef wrote this play.
“Tomáš believed this should be properly celebrated and formulated the idea of turning the story around: 100 years ago, a man wrote a play about robots; what if today, robots wrote a theatre play about men?”
While there are now numerous papers focusing on machine-produced art, including some where computational techniques were used to produce dialogues or story ideas for plays, the automatic generation of an entire theatrical performance is an extremely complex task never-before attempted.
Rosa’s team decided to split the production of their play into several sub-parts. Although other research teams have used this approach to generate dialogues, few have attempted to produce an entire play. Dr Rosa said: “Thanks to the approaching anniversary, our main target is clear and fixed: by January 2021, we need to have a play ready for premiere. As it will be performed by a professional theatre group, we need to have the script ready in September, so that there is enough time for rehearsals (彩排).”
The researchers started experimenting with pre-trained language model called GPT-2. Once adequately trained, GPT-2 is able to complete unfinished texts using similar language and covering related themes. For example, if GPT-2 is fed the first paragraph of a news article, the model will try to continue to write a few additional paragraphs on the same topic, using the existing text for inspiration, while generating sentences about new concepts.
1. How did Rosa’s team plan to do the project?| A．By cooperating with other research teams. |
| B．By dividing their work into few small sections. |
| C．By exploring the possibility of creating dialogues using AI techniques. |
| D．By staging an entire play directly performed by professional theatre group. |
| A．The play will be on show in September. |
| B．GPT-2 can perform an entire play with ease. |
| C．Machines are still not smart enough to create art. |
| D．AI techniques have been applied to create dialogues for plays. |
| A．GPT-2 can practice continuation writing. |
| B．The play RUR was written by Karel Capek. |
| C．The idea of a robot was born half a century ago. |
| D．The word “robot” was coined by Tomáš Studeník. |
| A．“Robotre” Staged Successfully |
| B．“Mechatre” Trained Inadequately |
| C．“Mantre” Story Completed by Humans |
| D．“AItre” Play Written Entirely by Machines |
3 . The American Bumblebee—a species once more commonly seen around Southern Ontario—is endangered, according to a new study led by York University.
The finding, published in Journal of Insect Conservation, found the native North American species, one of bumblebee species, is facing upcoming local extinction(灭绝) from Canada. Many bumblebee species are rapidly declining across North America, but are important pollinators(传粉昆虫) needed to grow Canada's crops including apples, tomatoes, and blueberries, as well as countless types of trees, shrubs, and wildflowers.
“This species is at risk of extinction and it's currently not protected in any way despite the sharp decline,” said Assistant Professor Sheila Colla, an expert in bees and endangered species in the Faculty of Environmental Studies.
“Now that we have assessed the degree of the decline and located where the remaining populations are, we can look more closely at habitat(栖息地) requirements to design an effective conservation management plan so that this species does not disappear from Canada forever,” said Colla, who co-authored and helped design the study.
Colla has been studying bumblebees in Southern Ontario since the mid-2000s. This study relies on the annual data that she and her fellow researchers have collected.
The study's research team used data from three sources. They analyzed Southern Ontario data from the citizen science program, Bumble Bee Watch, a collaboration(合作) of volunteers who submit bumblebee photos through a website or phone app for experts to identify. The researchers used the Bumble Bees of North America database to obtain records of bumblebee species in Ontario and Quebec dating back to the late 1800s. They also used their own field survey work which allowed them to evaluate the status of the species within its Canadian range, using the globally recognized International Union for the Conservation of Nature（IUCN）Red List assessment criteria.
1. What can we learn about the American Bumblebee?| A．It is commonly seen around Ontario. | B．It is threatened in danger of extinction. |
| C．It is under protection from the government | D．It is to blame for the poor harvest of crops. |
| A．their habitat requirements | B．their remaining populations |
| C．the degree of their decline | D．the local climate condition |
| A．By taking photos of them. | B．By observing their behavior. |
| C．By analyzing the collected data. | D．By establishing global database. |
| A．New ways to protect bumblebee species | B．The American bumblebee at highest risk |
| C．Devotion to studying endangered species | D．Three sources used to study the bumblebees |
4 . Most of our everyday plastic items end up in landfill, left to rot away for many years. But some of it blows away, spoiling the countryside and causing damage to the natural environment and harming wildlife. The problem is most severe in our oceans. Research has found a deserted island in the South Pacific is littered with the highest density (密度) of plastic waste anywhere in the world.
The study described how remote islands act as a ‘sink’ for the world’s rubbish. They become collecting points for fishing items and everyday things including toothbrushes, cigarette lighters and razors-things that we throw away. Dr Jennifer Lavers from the University of Tasmania says “Almost every island in the world and almost every species in the ocean is now being impacted one way or another by our waste.”
This highlights the potentially deadly effect of our disposable (用后即丢弃) culture. When we throw something away, it doesn’t just disappear, it goes somewhere and because of the nature of plastic, it takes a long time to rot away and stays there causing great damage to the ocean’s ecology (生态). And worse still, plastic is broken down into tiny particles over a long period by the wind and the waves, then sea creatures at the bottom of the food chain swallow them. These creatures are eaten by the fish that we eventually consume.
The solution to this problem would be to use less plastic. Several countries now charge for using plastic carrier bags which reduces the amount used and some products now use natural and recyclable materials.
1. What does the author really want to tell us in the first parapraph?| A．It is a good idea to end plastic items in a landfill. |
| B．Plastic items blow away easily in the strong wind. |
| C．It is a bad habit to throw away plastics everywhere. |
| D．Plastic pollution in oceans is a most serious issue. |
| A．The islands begin to sink with much rubbish on them. |
| B．The islands have become gathering places for rubbish. |
| C．The islands are ideal places to hide the plastic products. |
| D．The islands are inaccessible due to the white pollution. |
| A．Impact on sea species. | B．Thrown-away rubbish. |
| C．The nature of plastic. | D．The ocean’s ecology. |
| A．Breaking the balance of ocean ecology. | B．Causing many sea creatures to die out. |
| C．Presenting potential risks to our health. | D．Cutting off the food chain of sea creatures. |
5 . Zhang Guimei, a rural teacher in Huaping county, Lijiang, Yunnan province, breaking cycle of poverty in mountain areas realizes potential of students.
It was a chance meeting that revealed the reality of one life as it changed another. About 20 years ago, while on the way to visit a student’s house, Zhang Guimei noticed a girl sitting on the hillside. She was staring blankly into space. She was completely preoccupied. The girl, 13, told Zhang she was about to get married. It was arranged by her parents. “But I want to go to school,” the girl says. Zhang went to her house and tried to persuade her parents to let the girl return, to school and promised to pay for her tuition herself. However, they didn’t agree.
Zhang says she feels sorry not being able to help “We always say, each child should stand on the same starting line, but these girls didn’t even have a chance to get on the track,” she tells Xinhua News Agency.
That fateful encounter persuaded Zhang to build a free big school for girls, aiming to help break the cycle that saw women drop out of education, marry early and spend their whole life in the remote mountain. The priority of less well-off families was to spend whatever scarce resources they had on educating their sons.
After years trying to raise funds, in 2008, Huaping High School for Girls, a free public high school, was founded at the foot of the Shizi Mountain in Huaping, where Zhang is the principal.
Over the decades, the principal walked thousands of kilometers, visiting students’ families in the deep mountain, talking to villagers, persuading girls to go back to school. She donated her wages and bonus to support rural education and poor people. It has been worth it. More than 1. 800 graduates have been admitted to college, which is regarded a “miracle” in the remote area, as most students didn’t perform well in academic study before the school was established.
In early December. she was named a national outstanding member of the Communist Party of China for her dedication to education in rural China. She was also given the honor of the country’s “role model for teachers”, advanced worker “and” outstanding woman”. Her moving stories inspire thousands of people.
1. What does the underlined word “preoccupied” probably mean in paragraph 2？| A．Cautious. | B．Regretful. | C．Worried. | D．Merciful. |
| A．Women are poor in academic fields. | B．There are few women schools in China. |
| C．Few girls are admitted to universities. | D．Girls in rural areas receive little education. |
| A．Independent and tough. | B．Faithful and honest. |
| C．Inspirational and generous. | D．Determined and conventional. |
| A．Zhang Guimei helps change the life of girls from poor families. |
| B．Zhang Guimei creates a miracle in advanced technology. |
| C．Zhang Guimei is awarded as an international heroine. |
| D．Zhang Guimei devotes her life to fighting poverty. |
6 . Randy Kraus was disabled. His left side was useless. He'd been a police officer before, and he was strong and able. Now, he felt he could do nothing.
His trouble started with Parkinson's disease, but it didn't end there. In July, 2002, the 60-year-old Kraus went into the hospital for an operation on his brain to control the shaking. But during the operation，he had a stroke. He was paralyzed. The doctor said, “You may never walk again and you might not even be able to talk.”
Kraus found that he couldn't lift a fork or take a drink by himself. Physical treatment was so painful and slow. What did he have to live for? So Kraus held the gun against his head. Feeling the cold metal on his skin, he began to consider the pain he would cause for his wife, daughters and grandchildren. He didn't pull the trigger (扳机)．
Andrew Garud, his exercise physiologist, told him, “You are where you are. The pace would be slow；the pain would be real. But as long as you are alive, you will have the ability to get better.”
After three months of working with Garud, Kraus wanted to see if he could stand.
He could. Then he took three steps, sat down and cried like a baby.
One step, as they say, led to another. Next he managed a short walk along the edge of a boxing ring (拳击台) in the health club. It was the hardest fight of Kraus's life. People at the gym cheered him on. Garud kept saying he could do more. Now, Kraus can brush his teeth，shave himself and get around the house with a walker. Only the disabled can fully understand little success.
1. According to the passage，we can learn that ________.| A．the stroke during the operation on his brain led to Kraus' disability |
| B．Kraus' operation in 2002 was performed by Andrew Garud |
| C．doing exercise can help cure Parkinson's disease |
| D．Kraus will lead a normal life as a healthy person in the future |
| A．Everyone in the world has the right to be alive. |
| B．It's necessary for people to do exercise to keep healthy. |
| C．One should try to lead a better life. |
| D．As long as a person is alive, he will have a chance to be better. |
| A．Optimism. | B．Strong mindedness. |
| C．Sympathy. | D．Generosity. |
7 . Secret shower singers are pleased: a new water-powered Bluetooth speaker from Ampere could help arrange your morning routine.
Shower Power attaches to your shower head, making your water flow power a hydroelectric generator(水力发电机) that charges the battery of its Bluetooth speaker. The device(器件) is similar to earlier water-powered speaker Hyquadio, but Ampere offers more options for controlling its speaker, with physical playback controls on the device and a battery-powered remote if the speaker is out of reach.
When the speaker is attached and water is flowing, its 2500mAh battery should offer over 80 hours of playback at max volume(音量). With water off, that number falls to around 17 hours at max volume. Ampere explains that due to the size of Shower Power’s impeller(叶轮) it’s only able to meet the demands of the speaker’s battery at around 60-70 percent volume.
Droplet, Ampere’s additional speaker accessory(附件), could help create a wider range of possible sounds. It’s the same speaker as Shower Power, but not water-powered. The device can be connected to Shower Power and it can be placed anywhere, filling out the sound in places Shower Power might miss fixed on your shower head, if you’re willing to purchase the device separately of course.
Standalone water-proof speakers can also easily play music in your shower, but unlike Shower Power they’d have to be removed every time you need to charge them. Shower Power never has to leave your shower; its advantage is that it never requires you to remember a wire.
For interested shower singers and podcast devotees, Shower Power launches today on Kickstarter for $59. You can add on the water-proof remote for $15 or an additional Droplet speaker for $20. Pre-orders will follow on Ampere’s site on November 15th and the device will go on sale in December.
1. What differs Ampere Shower Power from Hyquadio?| A．Being water-powered. | B．Being water-proof. |
| C．A playback remote. | D．A physical battery. |
| A．Points when you use it. | B．Places where you fix it. |
| C．Varieties of its sounds. | D．Sizes of its impeller. |
| A．To assist its sounds. | B．To expand its volume. |
| C．To save its energy. | D．To remove it easily. |
| A．$99. | B．$74. | C．$89 | D．$35. |
8 . Beijing-born Chloe Zhao made a historic win, becoming the first Asian woman director to take home the Golden Globe Award for Best Director on Sunday night in Los Angeles, causing a stir among domestic netizens.
Nomadland, Zhao's third film, grabbed two top awards, including Best Picture, at the 2021 Annual Golden Globe Awards, making her the second filmmaker of Chinese descent after Ang Lee to get the top directorial prize of the 78 year old event, widely considered as an indicator of the Oscars.
Adapted from American journalist Jessica Bruder's 2017 non-fiction book Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century, the film stars the actress Frances McDormand as a 62-year old woman who travels in the vast lands of America in order to explore life as a modern-day nomad (流浪者).
With a short yet glittering resume (简历), Zhao, who was born in 1982 and sent to study overseas in 1998, has gained attention from the first film directed by her Songs My Brothers Taught Me in 2015 before accumulating more popularity for the award-winning The Rider in 2017. The latter helped her to seize the attention of McDormand, who then chose the rights of the Nomadland book.
After being released in international film events since autumn last year. Nomadland has been a favorite of many major festivals, including its victorious win of the Golden Lion Award as the best film at the 2020 Venice International Film Festival.
So far, the film has received more than 90 awards, making it a sought-after competitor in the upcoming Oscars.
Song Dandan, a famous actress and the stepmother of Zhao, sent her greetings on SinaWeibo saying every award won by Zhao has surpassed (超过) the family’s expectations, bringing them huge joy. She added that she hopes Zhao’s success will encourage more Chinese youth to pursue their dreams.
1. What can we learn about Nomadland, the film directed by Chloe Zhao?| A．The film has won no more than two awards |
| B．The film will surely win the Oscar award for Best Picture |
| C．The film is about an old woman exploring life in America as a nomad |
| D．The film was inspired by American journalist Jessica Bruder's fiction book |
| A．her road to success is smooth |
| B．Chloe Zhao is a successful woman |
| C．all her three films are well-received |
| D．the two films contribute to her historic success |
| A．Chloe Zhao makes history at Golden Globes |
| B．Nomadland directed by Chloe Zhao wins awards |
| C．Chloe Zhao wins glory for her family and netizens |
| D．Chloe Zhao’s success will inspire Chinese teenagers |
9 . According to statistics published by the BPI (Buying Power Index) a couple of months ago, digital streaming (流媒体) now accounts for 80 percent of the music consumption in the UK. Despite the incredible growth of online streaming platforms like iTunes, Apple Music and Tidal over the past 15 years, a more traditional medium has also seen a return of interest and sales in the music industry. In 2020, almost one in five of all albums purchased in the UK is vinyl (黑胶唱片), and it has once again become the most popular physical musical medium.
With digital streaming so easy and convenient, why are so many people drawn to traditional records? Some experts claim that vinyl is a physical medium for experiencing music, something tangible (有形的) to hold and own. For most people, having something tangible and interacting with it gives depth to the experience of music. Listening to an album and touching it the way the artist intended can make them feel more connected to the music and the artist. Records are physical products that can be not only displayed but also gifted, shared, traded and passed down through generations.
Sound quality is another hot topic. A lot of music lovers feel that the analogue sound (模拟声音) vinyl offers is superior to modern digital audio, particularly with regards to the compressed formats streaming platforms use. There’s a common belief that old-school analogue audio has a warmer, fuller sound than digitised music. For vinyl followers, the very defect traditional recorders often have, such as the familiar crackle (劈啪作响) when the record starts, bring the music to life in a different way.
There’s a ritualistic aspect to vinyl that a lot of people are drawn to, too. The act of putting a record on—carefully removing the record from the sleeve, placing it on the record player and gently dropping the needle on the right groove (凹槽)—is a more assiduous (一丝不苟的), mindful way of engaging with music. When you’re listening to vinyl, you can’t tap a button and go about your day while the streaming service provides hours of music. You need to stay close to the record player to move the needle and flip the record over.
It’s clear that the vinyl interest is well underway, and vinyl records are truly making a comeback. In an increasingly digital society, there’s something to be said for analogue experiences. Perhaps one of the great things about being alive in the 21st century is our ability to have the best of both worlds—the timeless appeal of physical records alongside the easy access to vast music libraries that streaming offers.
1. What are the statistics published by the BPI used to show?| A．An increase in music consumption. |
| B．The recovery of music industry. |
| C．A comeback of a physical medium. |
| D．The acceptance of online streaming. |
| A．It attracts people by its realistic feel. |
| B．It offers simple access to different music. |
| C．It shares a new way to enjoy music. |
| D．It provides people with perfect sound effect. |
| A．Overlooked by society. |
| B．Updated very frequently. |
| C．Performed as part of a ceremony. |
| D．Kept for a long time without changing. |
| A．Traditional records will get underway. |
| B．The analogue experiences may matter more. |
| C．Vinyl sales will boom with technological advance. |
| D．There should be a good mix of old and new. |
10 . As more and more people speak the global language of English, Chinese, Spanish, and Arabic, other languages are rapidly disappearing. In fact, half of the 6,000-7,000 languages spoken around the world today will be likely to die out by the next century, according the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
In an effort to prevent language loss, scholars from a number of organizations — UNESCO and National Geographic among them — have for many years been documenting dying languages and the cultures they reflect.
Mark Turin, a scientist at the Macmillan Center, Yale University, who specializes in the languages and oral traditions of the Himalayas, is following in that tradition. His recently published book, A Grammar of Thangmi and Their Culture, grows out of his experience living, working, and raising a family in a village in Nepal.
Documenting the Thangmi language and culture is just a starting point for Turin, who seeks to include other languages and oral traditions across the Himalayan reaches of India, Nepal, Bhutan, and China. But he is not content to simply record these voices before they disappear without record.
At the University of Cambridge Turin discovered a wealth of important materials —including photographs, films, tape recordings, and field notes — which had remained unstudied and were badly in need of care and protection. Now, through the two organizations that he has founded — the Digital Himalaya Project and the World Oral Literature Project — Turin has started a campaign to make such documents, found in libraries and stores around the world, available not just to schools but to the younger generations of communities from whom the materials were originally collected. Thanks to digital technology and the widely available Internet, Turin notes, the endangered languages can be saved and reconnected with speech communities.
1. Many scholars are making efforts to ________.| A．promote global languages | B．rescue disappearing languages |
| C．search for languages communities | D．set up language research organizations |
| A．having detailed records of the languages | B．writing books on language users |
| C．telling stories about language speakers | D．living with the native speakers |
| A．The cultural studies in India. | B．The documents available at Yale. |
| C．His language research in Bhutan. | D．His personal experience in Nepal. |
| A．Write, sell and donate. | B．Record, repair and reward. |
| C．Collect, protect and reconnect. | D．Design, experiment and report. |
