2 . 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.

2. What can we learn about the study?

A．It’s believable.	B．It’s conducted narrowly.
C．It’s accepted by most people.	D．It’ s carried out in America.

3. What can we learn about e-cigarettes from the last paragraph?

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.

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

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 ?

3 . Because the commercial internet has been developed with so little regard for privacy, tech companies have been able to turn personal data into considerable profits, raising billions of dollars off their ability to collect and sell information about anyone who has wandered within shouting distance of their software. This week, Google announced a step in the right direction-but not a huge step, nor one that will stop Google from continuing to collect immense amounts of personal data.

At issue is how online companies track internet users as they browse (浏览) from site to site online, typically through cookies (information that a website leaves in your computer so that the website will recognize you when you use it again). The most harmful version, “third-party” cookies, is the web alternative of a company posting security guards across the internet to monitor what you do, even when you’re on other companies’ sites.

Google declared in a blog post Wednesday that it would no longer use or support third-party cookies, nor would it create or use any other technology that tracks individual users across the web. Given that Google is a main supplier of online advertising technology, its change in approach will impact far and wide.

That’s welcome news, although with huge amounts of warning. As Lee Tien of the Electronic Frontier Foundation noted, third-party cookies were already on the retreat, with Apple and other makers of popular web browsers moving to block them. Meanwhile, Google, Facebook and other Big Tech companies continue to collect personal information in large quantities from people who use their sites and services through first-party cookies and similar techniques.

The concerns about personal data collection are the same whether it’s being collected through first-party or third-party techniques, said Michelle Richardson of the Center for Democracy and Technology. “Companies may use the information to discriminate among internet users, offering different goods, services and even prices to different users.”

Instead of helping advertisers track individuals, Google says, it is improving a technology that assigns users namelessly to large groups with common interests. That’s an improvement, even though it too may be at risk of abuse. But why do any form of tracking at all? Privacy advocates say pitches (兜售) can be targeted effectively by basing them on where the user is at the moment, not where he or she has browsed previously online.

Ultimately, lawmakers are going to have to lay down regulations giving people far more control over whether and how personal information is used online. Ideally the federal (联邦的) government will set a strong floor under online privacy protections, but until then it will be up to state lawmakers or voters to act, as this state has done with its groundbreaking online privacy laws. It’s good to see Google move the ball forward, but there’s much farther to go.

1. What does the underlined phrase “on the retreat” in Para 4 most probably mean?

A．Exposed.

B．Removed.

C．Emerging.

D．Fading.

2. It can be learned from the declaration that Google         .

A．is developing new technologies to stop data collection

B．refuses to work with companies tracking privacy

C．intends to abandon its advertising technologies

D．resolves to stop the use of third-party cookies

3. From the passage we can know that first-party cookies         .

A．are still collecting personal information

B．are blocked by big companies like Apple

C．are mainly used by advertising companies

D．are less concerning than third-party cookies

4. What is the writer’s attitude towards Google’s new move?

A．It is less satisfactory than expected.

B．It needs to be more forceful to be effective.

C．It will accelerate the disappearance of cookies.

D．It has driven lawmakers to make new regulations.

4 . Urban planners may soon have a new way to measure traffic jams. By putting in the different routes by which vehicles can travel between locations, researchers have developed a new computer algorithm (运算法则) that helps quantify regions of jams in urban areas and suggests ways around them.

The study, published in the Journal of Physics: Complexity, used traffic speeds from taxis in New York City to demonstrate how road infrastructure (基础设施) and driver behavior can create complex road networks that differ among cities.

The team approached the issue by designing a computer algorithm to capture the topology-or relationship between the different routes between locations-of road networks. “We found that the most significant traffic bottlenecks in Manhattan seem to arise as a result of the city’s structural layout,” said study co-author Daniel Carmody. “For example, the fact that a bridge enters Manhattan at a range where traffic is already limited due to Central Park slows traffic in the area considerably.”

The researchers performed a comparative analysis using traffic patterns in Chengdu, China, to test if the algorithm works equally well in areas with different layouts. Manhattan has a long and thin structure, while Chengdu is round. There are significant differences in the way traffic moves between these two different setups, the researchers said.

“The bottlenecks in Chengdu seem to arise due to the function of the buildings in a particular area,” Carmody said. “For example, it is hard to travel in and out of the central business district in Chengdu because of the large amount of traffic alone. Beltways, or faster streets around busy areas, have emerged in circles around this area, which is not surprising because this feature was intentionally built into the city.”

In Manhattan, the bridges and underpasses that form the entry and exit points cause traffic slowdowns. However, in lower Manhattan, where drivers seem to obey the lower posted speed limits, traffic moves more smoothly, forming a new traffic beltway with the southern end of Central Park acting as a block between lower and central Manhattan.

“It surprised us that there is an emergent beltway in such a busy area of Manhattan,” Carmody said. “This indicates that, unlike in Chengdu, beltways seem to arise from driver behavior even when they aren’t part of the structural plan of a traffic network.”

“The researchers have imagined that this technology could give urban planners a means to quantify traffic patterns, leading to better traffic,” Carmody said. “As methods of transportation develop, new problems will emerge, and we hope that our tools will give planners new ways to measure what is going on with city traffic.”

1. According to the new study, what contributes to traffic jams in Manhattan?

A．The number of bottlenecks and beltways.

B．The location of bridges and underpasses.

C．Road facilities and driver behavior.

D．Road signs and urban population.

2. Researchers also studied Chengdu in order to         .

A．compare the layouts of the two cities

B．find better infrastructure for one city

C．design traffic patterns with the algorithm

D．assess the effectiveness of the algorithm

3. Why do vehicles move faster in lower Manhattan?

A．Because of lower posted speed limits.

B．Because drivers follow the traffic rules.

C．Because it is planned in the traffic network.

D．Because a beltway has emerged around the area.

4. Who is the target of this new computer algorithm?

A．City planners.

B．Slower drivers.

C．Infrastructure developers.

D．Road sign designers.

6 .

Shooting down an ice-covered track, a bobsled（大雪橇）can go faster than 80 miles an hour, and riders can feel force five times stronger than the pull of gravity. A race can be won or lost by one hundredth of a second. How do bobsleds go faster than cars on a highway? The answer is a combination of athletics and science.

At the start of a race, the crew push their sled, building up speed before they jump in for the ride. For months before the race, the crew have built up power in their legs. The push is the crew's only chance to add speed. All other work goes into keeping friction and drag（摩擦力和阻力）from slowing the sled down.

The design of the sled's runners（滑板）reduces their friction with the ice. The friction of a moving runner melts a little ice right under the runner, and the runner rides on that thin layer of water. The runners are rounded on the bottom. Runners that are too flat may not melt enough ice for fast ride. Runners that are too round may become too warm, softening the ice and slowing the sled down. No amount of rounding is perfect for all races because the hardness of the ice depends on the weather on race day.

Bobsleds used to be open. The riders did not sit inside a hull（外壳）. As the crew sped down the track，the air would create drag. Today, a sled's hull reduces drag by splitting the air in front of the sled and making it flow smoothly along the slides. As with the runners，strict rules apply to the hull. For example，no team may add any part that would create helpful air currents.

Reducing friction and drag creates another challenge: high speeds. “The faster the sleds car travel on the run, the more thrilling the race,” one research team wrote. “But the track must not be too fast: he crew still need to be able to reach the bottom safely.”

1. What's the text mainly about?

A．The shape of the sled.	B．The design of the runners.
C．The safety rules applying to the sled.	D．The elements relating to the sled's speed

2. What can we know from the third paragraph?

A．Proper amount of melted ice is needed for a fast ride.

B．The rounder the runners are, the faster the sled goes.

C．Thin layer of water would drag the runners backward.

D．A sled's movement has nothing to do with weather.

3. What advantage does a sled with a hull have?

A．It's comfortable to sit in.	B．It leads to beneficial air flow.
C．It helps to create a safe ride.	D．It's free from strict rules.

4. What is implied in the last paragraph?

A．Safety is the most important.	B．Keeping high speed is difficult.
C．Riders' desire to win is understandable.	D．The crew's cooperation is necessary.

7 . Accompanied by her father, using a combination of aid and free climbing and taking advantage of some special equipment and ropes for protection, 10-year-old Selah made it to the top of El Capitan on June 12 after five days of big wall climbing.

Climbing the challenging and adventurous Nose route of El Capitan was a labor of love for Selah in more than one way. Her parents , Mike and Joy Schneiter, fell in love on this 3,000- plus-foot huge rock and she has always wanted to feel the way that her parents felt when they were up there together. Selah showed great interest in rock climbing at an early age. She wore her first rock-climbing equipment shortly after she learned to walk. She first dreamed of climbing El Capitan when she was 6 or 7.

El Capitan is a famous mountain-sized rock in Yosemite National Park. Getting to its top is no easy task. It's taller, as reported, than the tallest building in the world-Dubai^’s Buri Khalifa. El Capitan and its difficult Nose route, which runs more than 3,000 feet high up the center of the rock's face, is considered one of the world's hardest big wall climbs and has attracted the best climbers over time. But never before had a youngster accomplished it.

Selah's achievement caught national attention. Outside Magazine called her the youngest documented person to climb the Nose. Ken Yager, president of the Yosemite Climbing Association, said he also couldn't think of anyone younger who has done it.

Selah is humble about her El Capitan accomplishment. "I'm not necessarily a special kid or anything like that, she said. "There were a few times when I would be so worn that it would kind of discourage me from holding on. But overall, it was just great to keep plugging away.”

Selah shared this advice for other young climbers dreaming of big walls, "It doesn't take necessarily a super special person to do something like that. You just have to put your mind to it.”

1. What do we learn about Selah climbing El Capitan?

A．She began her climbing on June 5.

B．She got inspired by her family history.

C．She managed without any external help.

D．She was the first female to reach the top.

2. What is the purpose of paragraph 3?

A．To state El Capitan's height.

B．To prove El Capitan's popularity.

C．To introduce El Capitan's location.

D．To stress the challenge of climbing El Capitan.

3. Which of the following best describes Selah?

A．Determined.	B．Generous.
C．Warm-hearted.	D．Fortunate.

4. What may be Selah's advice for other young climbers?

A．Dream big and aim high.

B．Be committed to your ambition.

C．Chance favors the prepared mind.

D．Nothing is impossible for a genius.

8 . With Heavenly Lake as the center, the Heavenly Lake and Tianshan Mountains Scenic Area consists of four mountain landscape belts, which covers a total area of 380.69 square kilometers. In the mountains by Heavenly Lake, there live many precious plants and animals, such as snow cocks and roe deer. The tops of the mountains are even home to contemporary glaciers and rich in resources such as copper, iron and mica.

Ideal Sightseeing Season: August and September

Opening Hours: 09:00 - 19:30 in peak season, 10:00-18:00 in off season

Ticket Price:

● Admission fee: 95 yuan from April to October, 45 yuan from November to March.

● Temple of Queen Mother of the West: 10 yuan.

● Eco- museum of Heavenly Lake: 10 yuan.

● Cableway: 20 yuan/one-way, 35 yuan/round-trip.

● Other fees: sightseeing bus (60 yuan/round-trip), accumulator car (5 yuan/person each time), painted pleasure boat (50 yuan/person each time), speed boat (35 yuan/person each time), yacht (205yuan/person each time).

Note:

● There is an obvious difference in temperature from day and in night in Xinjiang and temperature in some scenic spots is probably lower due to the high elevation or weather change. Therefore, it is still necessary to take along a coat or woolen sweater to keep warm during the summer.

● Located in the northwest, Xinjiang has a lower average temperature than that in most areas of China, but ultraviolet irradiation in it is commonly higher. The highest temperature in some cities such as Turpan can reach above 40 degree Centigrade, so it is suggested to take along effective sun block and some medicine in case of sunburn and sunstroke prevention.

● Xinjiang is a region of an ethnic minority with a common belief of Islam. Pork is one of the biggest taboos for Muslims, so please do NOT bring porky food into a Muslim restaurant or talk about pork in public areas.

● Although most areas of Xinjiang are located in UTC+6, Beijing Time (UTC+8, national standard time of China) is officially used in Xinjiang. Due to the time difference of two hours later, sightseeing in Xinjiang is usually arranged between Beijing Time 09:00 and 20:00.

1. What can we know from the passage?

A．There are many common plants and contemporary glaciers on tops of the mountains.

B．In spring visitors can enjoy the most beautiful scenery there.

C．Visitors need to carry heavy clothes, sunglasses and some medicine during the visit in summer.

D．Pulled pork is available in Muslim restaurants in Xinjiang

2. How much should a couple pay if they want to visit the Eco-museum of Heavenly Lake by taking the round-trip sightseeing bus in September?

A．165 yuan.	B．330 yuan.
C．70 yuan.	D．140 yuan.

3. Where is the passage take from?

A．A travel review.	B．A travel advertisement.
C．A travel news.	D．A travel guide.

9 . 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.

2. Why did Machanda and her team choose chimpanzee as the test group of their study?

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.

3. What do we know about the findings?

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.

4. Which of the following might Machanda agree with?

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.

10 . In the magnificent range of mountains of northern California, 42 radio telescopes point towards the stars, scanning for signs of life. The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence （SETI） Institute has been listening for a signal here since it was founded in 1984. Jill Tarter, its co — founder, says the programmed aim is not just to communicate with remote civilisations. It is also to remind human beings of its own modest, fragile （脆弱的）place in the universe. Thus, for the first time, SETI is cocking its ear towards Earth to look for a signal that can be sent into space to represent the species.

Felipe Perez Santiago, a Mexican musician and composer, has an idea of what might work.Since songs, like the human voices, are common to all languages and nations, he and Ms. Tarter have designed the “Earthling Project”-a call to people everywhere to upload extracts （精华）of song that he plans to melt into a collective human chorus. An initial composition will be launched into space this summer, recorded on a virtually indestructible disk. Future plans and dreams include an eventual landing on Mars.

Human music has been sent to the heavens in 1977. Distant beings can in theory already enjoy Peruvian panpipes, a Navajo chant, Bach, Beethoven and more. But no previous offering, and perhaps no composition undertaken anywhere, has tried to encompass the entire diversity of human song.

Mr. Santiago says he is thrilled about bringing together contributors from around the globe. Unlike other recordings sent into space, says Mr. Santiago, “Everyone's invited. You don't have to be one of the main composers of our history like Beethoven, just someone singing in their shower.” Download the “Earthling Project" app, sing up to three songs of 30 seconds each, and your voice will be sent into the sky.

1. Why does SETI look for a signal to be sent into space?

A．To stand for species on the earth.

B．To scan for other liveable planets.

C．To respond to the call of the universe.

D．To stress the importance of the earth.

2. What can we infer about the "Earthling Project”?

A．It is a world music organization.

B．It intends to create a human chorus.

C．It tries to develop a universal language.

D．It aims to search for signals from space.

3. What does the underlined word “encompass" in Paragraph 3 mean?

A．Include.	B．Appreciate.
C．Work out.	D．Relate to.

4. What is the purpose of the last paragraph?

A．To inspire people to become composers.

B．To call on people to protect our planet.

C．To encourage people to explore space.

D．To invite people to join a programme.