1 . In the 1960s and 1970s, the greatest fear was that the human race, and possibly all advanced life forms on the planet, could be wiped out by nuclear missiles. Today, however, environmental problems have taken over as the greatest risk to life on Earth. Scientists are thinking of ways to lower this risk, such as replacing coal and oil with forms of renewable energy. But they are also preparing for the worst: what can we do if the terrifying scenes in films such as The Day After Tomorrow happen in real life? What is our plan B for Earth?
One option is to explore other planets to see if we could live on them. The most likely choice is Mars, which is relatively close to Earth and has an environment less hostile than that of other planets. Mars has fascinated people since ancient times, and today our interest in Martian exploration is greater than ever before. Besides, more governments are making efforts to educate the public on the Red Planet.
There is no doubt that humankind is drawn towards Mars. However, sending people there will require all the skill, courage and intelligence. While the Moon can be reached within days, it would take months to reach Mars, travelling through dangerous solar radiation. And even if the first settlers do reach Mars safely, they may not be able to return to Earth — ever. Staying alive will be a daily challenge, but as proved by the Biosphere 2 experiment, not impossible. As early as the 1980s, scientists were building Biosphere 2 in the Arizona desert, consisting of a closed space in which people, animals and plants could live together. Although the two-year experiment was not a success, it did provide us with a better understanding of how humans might be able to live on another planet.
For now, human settlement of Mars is still decades away. Until we are finally able to live on another planet, we need to take much better care of our own. Right now, it's the only one we have!
1. What was the biggest threat to humans in the 1960s and 1970s?| A．Human race themselves. | B．All advanced life forms. |
| C．Nuclear missiles. | D．Environmental problems. |
| A．It's closest to the earth. |
| B．It has relatively appropriate living conditions. |
| C．It has drawn the public's attention in recent years. |
| D．It has a more hostile environment. |
| A．Humans have visited Mars. |
| B．The Biosphere 2 experiment proved to be valueless. |
| C．Humans will have to go and live on another planet. |
| D．Our Plan A includes developing renewable energy resources. |
| A．The Traveler. | B．Environmental Concerns. |
| C．All About Space. | D．Biology for Fun, |
2 . Digital health refers to the system of interconnected devices that can monitor and report important health information. Doctors can use that information to ensure that your treatment is tailor-made to your situation.
The most useful aspect of digital health is the ability to constantly and accurately monitor vital information. Wearable devices can record your blood pressure or the rhythm your heartbeat. The information is then accessible remotely through the Internet , so your doctor has a wealth of information about your daily health. Your doctor can use that information remotely to make changes to your treatment at any time.
A survey conducted by the company Lightico in March 2020, reveals how satisfied consumers are with this type of remote care. Forty-one percent said that the remote treatment they had received by means of digital devices and the Internet was either “good” or “excellent”. The same positive attitude toward digital health can be seen among investors. In the first quarter of 2020 , 3.1 billion dollars in new investment poured into the digital health industry , setting a new investment record.
Advances in digital health, however also bring privacy concerns. Information regarding your health could be used for advertising or marketing , for example. If health records are accessible online, protecting your information from theft and unauthorized use might be difficult. But if managed properly, the benefits of digital health could certainly outweigh the risks.
1. What is this article mainly about?| A．The current state of health care training |
| B．Health conditions that need urgent attention |
| C．A technological trend in health care |
| D．Rising pressure on health care workers |
| A．It polled(民意调查) individuals to obtain their opinions |
| B．It launched a popular social media platform. |
| C．It forced a corporation to release the facts |
| D．It studied articles published in journals |
| A．A growing number of digital devices were called. |
| B．Funding for digital health increased considerably. |
| C．Some digital health firms nearly went out of business. |
| D．Many institutions devoted effort to medical research. |
| A．Worries about the side effects caused by modern drugs. |
| B．Rising manufacturing costs in the health care industry. |
| C．Government regulations limiting the use of digital devices |
| D．The danger that personal health data could be stolen. |
3 . Legend suggests that, in the late 16th century, Martin Luther (the founder of the Protestant religion) was the first to decorate an indoor tree with candles when he attempted to recreate the stars shining over a forest of evergreens.
The first mention of decorated trees being taken indoors came in 1605 in Germany ---- a country with a long Christmas tree history! The trees were initially decorated with fruit and sweets together with handmade objects such as quilted snowflakes and stars. German Christmas Markets began to sell shaped gingerbreads and wax ornaments which people bought as souvenirs of the fair and took home to hang on their trees.
Tinsel was also invented in Germany in about 1610. Up until fairly recently real silver was used, which was pulled into wafer thin strips by special machines. This was durable but tarnished quickly and many experiments took place to try and find an alternative - including a mix of lead and tin, which was too heavy and kept breaking. It was only in the mid 20th century that a viable alternative was found.
Artificial trees were invented in the 1880's in a bid to try and stop some of the damage being caused to real trees due to people lopping the tip off large trees, thus preventing the trees from growing any further. It got so bad in Germany that laws had to be brought in to prevent people having more than one tree.
1. The best title for the passage may be “_______”.| A．Martin Luther Was The First to Decorate an Indoor Tree |
| B．The Origin of the Christmas Tree |
| C．German Christmas Markets Began to Sell Shaped Gingerbreads |
| D．Artificial Trees Were Invented in the 1880s |
| A．in the late 6th century ,Martin Luther was the second to decorate an indoor tree with candles |
| B．the first mention of decorated trees being taken outdoors came in 1605 in Germany |
| C．German Christmas Markets began to buy shaped gingerbreads and wax ornaments |
| D．artificial trees were invented in the 1880s in a bid to try and stop some of the damage being caused to real trees |
| A．Silver products. | B．Wood products. |
| C．Iron products. | D．Plastic products. |
| A．Germans could buy more and more artificial trees if they want |
| B．we use artificial trees because that will increase the damage caused to real trees |
| C．the writer doesn’t like these artificial trees because he thinks they aren’t beautiful |
| D．artificial trees were invented but German government made the law which limits the number of the trees |
4 . “You’ll get square eyes!” my mother used to say as I sat for hour after hour glued to the TV. I ignored her, of course. Past-forward a few decades and now I’m the parent. My 5-year-old lives in a world where screens aren’t fixed pieces of furniture. You can’t even avoid them by going outside. Screens are not only in our pockets; they’re everywhere.
The concerns have grown with the screens. In the past decade, we have heard that they will damage our mental health. Many of us feel more distracted by them, feeling guiltier and more tired as a result.
The apps and websites we can access on our phones have also sparked widespread concern. Big tech companies are also good at making use of our need for social recognition, hooking us on likes, retweets and follower counts. Social media has created a culture of mass narcissism (自恋), which has led many to worry about the emotional stresses on teenagers. A quick online search brings up dozens of papers linking screen use or social media with harmful effects on mental health, including depression and suicide.
Such statements are alarming. They are also widely believed, thanks to popular books like iGen by Jean Twenge, which claims that digital technology has ruined a generation. Yet, Amy Orben at the University of Oxford, who studies the impact of digital technology and social media in particular on mental health, holds different views. She claims that the underlying data can be used to tell different stories. She also spotted shortcomings in several large studies that claimed to show correlations (相关性) between the use of devices with screens and depression in users.
Twenge stands by her own finding, pointing in turn to what she considers flaws in Orben’s research methods. For David Max, at Royal College of Child Health in London, the effect of screen time and social media use on mental health remains speculative. “We cannot regard social media overall as good or bad,” says Davie. “We don’t know whether in individual cases social media is not responsible,” he says.
The explosion of mobile phone use has revolutionized our lives. I can download movies, write articles, communicate with my family and broadcast to the world all at the push of a button. Rather than impose constraints (限制), we should take a look at our use of screens and ask how they fit with the activities and lifestyle.
Every new technology with widespread impact has given rise to new fears. So the best bet may simply be to ask yourself what level of screen use makes you and those around you happy and try to stick to it. If you find yourself over addictive, don’t panic—and certainly don’t feel guilty. Nobody knows anything worth getting scared about.
1. According to the passage, people give likes, retweet or count followers to __________.| A．share one’s lifestyles | B．show respect for others |
| C．seek social recognition | D．relieve emotional stresses |
| A．doubtful | B．specific |
| C．important | D．abstract |
| A．Teenagers are more affected by screen use both physically and mentally. |
| B．Orben claims it is far too early to blame screen use for ruining a generation. |
| C．Big tech companies help to produce many research papers on mental health. |
| D．Twenge mainly introduces the overall benefits of digital technology in her books. |
| A．encourage readers to reduce the time of screen use |
| B．share different opinions on the effects of screen use |
| C．explain why screen use may have negative effects on people |
| D．relieve people’s concerns and worries about the use of screens |
