1 . The week-long Spring Festival holiday starting on Feb 11 is usually a busy, moneymaking movie screening season in China. It will see the release of eight movies, all domestic productions, according to the schedule already disclosed by film data platforms.
Detective Chinatown 3, the newest installment in China’s well-received Detective Chinatown film franchise, topped the list of most-anticipated holiday films compiled by movie-ticketing platform Maoyan.
A sequel to the 2018 comedy hit Detective Chinatown 2 that grossed 3.4 billion yuan ($526 million), Detective Chinatown 3 is set for release on the Spring Festival that falls on Feb 12. More than 3.7 million Maoyan users have expressed interest in seeing this film, according to data.
The other six films to be released on the same day are the time travel comedy Hi, Mom starring popular comedians Jia Ling and Shen Teng; the mobile game-turned fantasy film The Yinyang Master that stars Chen Kun and Zhou Xun; Boonie Bears: The Wild Life, the new installment in the domestic animated comedy franchise; Assassin in Red, a fantasy thriller film based on a novel co-starring popular actress Yang Mi; New Gods: Nezha Reborn, a new animated film from Light Chaser Animation (the same production company behind the 2019 animated movie Withe Snake); Ren Chao Xiong Yong, a comedy-drama co-starring singer and actor Andy Lau.
My First Love is Eighteen Years Old, a romance movie, is set to hit theaters on Feb 14.
China’s box office continued robust growth into 2021 after scoring a record high for New Year’s Day earnings. The total box office revenue in the first ten days of 2021 exceeded 2 billion yuan, up by more than 730-million-yuan year on year.
The market’s total earnings in 2020 were 20.4 billion yuan. Of these, the top 10 earners were all domestic productions, according to official figures.
1. Who are the target readers of the text?| A．Movie experts. | B．The general public. |
| C．College freshmen. | D．High school students. |
| A．Six. | B．Seven. | C．Eight. | D．Nine. |
| A．Hi, Mom | B．Detective Chinatown 3. |
| C．Boonie Bears: Tire Wild Life. | D．My First Love is Eighteen Years Old. |
2 . Have you ever wondered if you see the same colours as other people? Most people know what blue is when they see it. They call it "blue” because they were taught the word and connected it with what they saw. But how do you know what you see as blue isn't someone else's red?
The ability to perceive （感知）different colours is up to receptors （接受器）in our eyes. Light waves hit these receptors and they react depending on which colour the light is, sending signals to the brain. The brain then reads these signals to determine which colour light the eyes are receiving.
Some people's receptors are more developed than others. The inability of the receptor to feel the light waves correctly means that some people cannot tell the differences between similar colours. Those with more developed receptors can see more colours. We sometimes hear people having an argument about whether something is dark blue or black. It might be because one person has stronger receptors to feel the light than another.
In the past, most scientists would argue that everyone saw colours in the same way. However, research was conducted on monkeys, in which their receptors were changed. This enabled them to see more colours than usual. Normally monkeys can only see blue and green, but the change allowed them to see red. Their brains automatically got used to new colours. This suggests that our brains may find new colors of the things we see. Colours could be a very personal experience , unique to everyone.
So, the next time you talk about your favourite colour, just remember if yours is blue and your friend says red, you two might actually be thinking about the same colour. What if everyone in the world has the same favourite colour, but just calls it different names?
1. What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?| A．How we perceive colours. |
| B．The inability to see colours. |
| C．What the brain does with signals. |
| D．The connection between receptors and light waves. |
| A．Some people cannot feel colours with their developed receptors. |
| B．The more light people feel, the weaker receptors they have. |
| C．People with poor receptors usually have colour weakness. |
| D．People who have strong receptors can see dark blue. |
| A．To test the monkeys with colours. |
| B．To develop the receptors of humans. |
| C．To enable monkeys to find more colors. |
| D．To prove everyone sees colours in a different way. |
| A．A film review. | B．A science magazine. |
| C．An art journal. | D．A business newspaper. |
3 . The time that cars could go completely driverless is coming “very soon”, according to Jianxiong Xiao, CEO and founder of AutoX, a Shenzhen-based start-up developing autonomous driving technology.
Now, most regulations across various cities in China still require the presence of a safety driver in vehicles, but the company foresees that as more data gets captured over time, that requirement would be reduced, Xiao told CNBC's “Street Signs Asia" on Wednesday.
The autonomous driving tech firm chose to partner with Alibaba's AMAP — a Chinese mapping service provider --- to roll out its RoboTaxi ride hailing service in Shanghai on Monday. AMAP is a "super mobility app" with almost 500 million active monthly users, according to Xiao.
AutoX had received support from Shanghai authorities to roll out a fleet of 100 autonomous ride-hailing cars in Shanghai's Jiading district in September last year.
Earlier this month, AutoX announced that it had set up an 80,000 square feet RoboTaxi operations center in Shanghai to help facilitate (使容易)operations of its driverless fleet, as well as act as a center to collect data from daily operations.
Backed by investors such as Alibaba, Shanghai Motor and Dongfeng Motor, AutoX is one of the players in the trillion U.S. dollar Chinese autonomous driving vehicles market alongside others like DiDi Chuxing.
Xiao said they were working with the technology to ensure the vehicles were "very, very safe" and are carrying out a lot of testing.
Over a hundred vehicles have been arranged on roads daily to obtain enough data needed to validate the software and system, according to Xiao.
He added that the company was also running a hundred times more simulations (模拟)in the car every day, and the “huge amount of data" would help to prove that the vehicles could be used in "full safety".
“Our goal is not to just make (it) as safe as human beings, but going one step forward to really make...a superhuman safety standard; (cars) that (can) drive much safer than any human being ever,“ Xiao said.
1. What will be most required to go driverless according to CEO of AutoX?| A．Traffic regulations. | B．Driving technology. |
| C．Enough data. | D．Mapping service. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Optimistic. | C．Disappointed. | D．Uncertain. |
| A．test | B．invent | C．develop. | D．design |
| A．Driving Technology |
| B．Science Achievement |
| C．No Driver in the Future |
| D．The Development of Driverless |
4 . Like most couples, my husband and I dreamed of becoming homeowners. Sure, apartment living comes with its own set of advantages—less housework, shared comfort, less to clean up and care for, and usually cheaper rent. As a result, we decided to downgrade from our neat five-bedroom, 2,700-square-foot house on the water to a three-bedroom, 1,369-square-foot apartment, with two kids.
Once we arrived in our new apartment, we were surprised to find that things flowed relatively smoothly. There was so much less to keep up with—fewer floors to mop, fewer windows to clean, fewer walls to wipe, etc. Now I think of our home as our little playhouse, since it's much smaller and everything is closer together. That also makes it so much easier for me to keep up with as a mom. I collect laundry all on one floor comparing with having to climb stairs to the house's second floor!
In our new home, we use lots of shoe organizers inside of every closet door for more than just shoes—baby items, office items, and medicines. We also have a functional room that serves as an office and gym. Since both my husband and I work from home, we require at least one room to share as an office with fitness equipment fitted into a corner.
While many people choose to downsize for financial reasons, that actually wasn't a factor in our decision. We wanted to be in a lively area with like-minded young families. That was our first priority. Though we may still buy another house in this area at some point down the line, for now, we're thrilled with the concept of renting an apartment. Let me put it this way: We’re not really the “handy” types, so being able to call maintenance(维修)for any repairs is worth every rent coin!
1. What can we learn from Paragraph 1?| A．Our old house was upgraded. | B．Living in a house has advantages. |
| C．Our new apartment was downsized. | D．Smaller size means more housework. |
| A．Confused. | B．Amazed. | C．Tired. | D．Challenged. |
| A．To build up their body. | B．To create a home office. |
| C．To enlarge all the rooms. | D．To make full use of space. |
| A．Transportation. | B．Neighbourhood. |
| C．Repair work. | D．Money. |
5 . A high level of methane (甲烷) gas on Mars was found by NASA's Mars exploration vehicle. The discovery is exciting because the presence of methane gas could support the case for life on Mars:
NASA's Curiosity vehicle recently recorded the largest level of methane ever measured during its seven-year Mars mission.
Methane has no color or smell. A special instrument on Curiosity's Mars Science Laboratory recorded the increased gas level. Besides methane, the instrument can record levels of water and carbon dioxide.
Nearly all the methane gas found in earth's atmosphere is produced by biological activity. It usually comes from animal and plant life. But it can also be formed by geological processes, such as interactions between rocks and water.
It was not the first time Curiosity has found methane gas in the Martian atmosphere.. About a year ago, NASA announced that Curiosity had discovered sharp seasonal increases in the gas. This time, NASA said the measured methane gas level was clearly larger than any others observed in the past. NASA officials even temporarily stopped Curiosity's other activities to investigate further.
However, Curiosity's team carried out a follow-up methane experiment that showed a sharp drop in levels of the gas. The rise and fall of the methane gas levels left NASA scientists with more questions than answers. The scientists are continuing to study possible causes for the sudden increase.
Curiosity does not have instruments that can exactly identify whether the source of the methane is biological or geological. One leading theory is that methane is being released from underground areas created by possible life forms that disappeared long ago. Even though Mars has no active volcanoes, scientists believe it is also possible that methane is being produced by reactions involving carbon materials and water.
1. Why is the discovery of methane gas on Mars exciting?| A．It was first found on Mars. | B．It's evidence of life existence. |
| C．It can be used in further studies. | D．It proves the existence of water. |
| A．It is colorless and smelly. |
| B．It is mainly created by rocks and water. |
| C．It is as important as water and carbon dioxide. |
| D．It is produced by biological or geological, activity. |
| A．Discovering methane gas several times on Mars. |
| B．The failure of the follow-up methane experiment. |
| C．Having no exact instruments to identify methane gas. |
| D．Sharp changes in the amount of methane gas on Mars. |
| A．Explorations on Mars | B．Methane Level on Mars |
| C．Methane Mystery on Mars | D．The Sources of Methane on Mars |
6 . Many of us mistakenly believe that it's wrong to think we have any good qualities. We may spend a lot of time blaming ourselves for our negative qualities, thinking that self criticism is the key to improving our performance. However, a constant focus on our supposed shortcomings can stop our efforts to make friends with other people. How can we believe that others could like us if we believe our inner being is flawed (有缺陷)?
If someone seems to dislike you, the reason for that dislike might have little or nothing to do with you. The person who doesn't like you might be fearful, or shallow, or busy or shy. Perhaps you and that person are simply a mismatch for each other at this particular time.
Don't take yourself out of the game by deciding that your flaws are bigger than your good qualities. In fact, some of the very qualities you consider to be flaws may be irresistible to someone else. For all the factors that might cause one person to reject you, there are at least as many factors that will work in your favor with someone else.
You might be thirty pounds over your ideal weight, but you may have a wonderful laugh and a real enthusiasm for life. There are many people who don't mind your extra pounds. You may drive a shabby car, but you might be a great dancer and a loyal friend. There are people out there looking for loyalty, or fun, or sweetness, or wisdom, and the package it comes in is not important. If you are worried that you are not beautiful enough to attract friends, keep in mind that not everyone is looking for physical beauty in their friends. You can decide to feel inferior (自卑) because you don't have much money and you don't drive a nice car. You can believe that this is the reason that you don't have many friends in your life. On the other hand, if you are very wealthy you may be suspicious that everyone is after your money and that nobody really likes you as a person.
The point is that you can focus on just about anything and believe it's the reason you do not have friends and cannot make any.
1. According to the author plays an important role in making friends.| A．admitting your shortcomings | B．self criticism |
| C．modesty | D．confidence |
| A．you should find the reason in yourself |
| B．you'd better talk with the person face to face |
| C．you may not be the one to be blamed |
| D．you and that person misunderstand each other |
| A．your good qualities may turn out to be your flaws |
| B．your weakness may also be your strengths in some way |
| C．your negative qualities cause a person to reject you |
| D．you’ll have few friends if your flaws are bigger than your good qualities |
| A．It is important to lose weight. |
| B．It is easier for a wealthy person to make friends. |
| C．Inner qualities are more important than physical appearance. |
| D．If you are not beautiful enough, try to improve your physical beauty. |
7 . What kind of amusing activities will you participate in during your life? Will you be spending your free time doing safe sports with little danger or will you always be one of the first people to try the next popular extreme activity? Scientists have been interested in finding out why some people seem to prefer dangerous activities.
Although there are exceptions, researchers have found that in most cases men are less cautious than women. Men often try to impress women by proving that they are courageous and fearless, and they are more likely to take risks when women are watching them or when they are competing against other men.
Research also shows that as people get older they usually behave more responsibly and avoid taking unnecessary risks. In addition, when people are in stable relationships, they seem to be less attracted to daring activities.
Some people seem to be more daring than others, but there are many different types of risks and some people take one type of risk, but not another Psychologists have identified a number of categories of risk. These include financial risks, risks related to health and safety, amusing risks and social risks. Psychologists discover that some people will take risks in one area, but not in another. Just if a person enjoys bungee (蹦极) jumping, it doesn't mean he or she will take chances when investing (投资) money or that he will tell a joke to a group of strangers.
Interestingly, research shows that women take more social risks than men. They are more likely to make career changes as they get older and to express unpopular opinions in business meetings.
Yet, at the end of the day, the likelihood of particular people taking a risk depends on their personalities. In general, optimistic people are more likely to take risks because they focus on the possible positive outcomes of their actions. On the other hand, those with opposite personality are much more likely to avoid taking a chance.
1. What have researchers discovered about women?| A．They are always changing jobs. | B．They are good at doing business. |
| C．They are more willing to take risks. | D．They are more conservative than men. |
| A．To attract women to watch them. | B．To have favorable effects on women. |
| C．To announce risks are too dangerous. | D．To show their strength to the competitor. |
| A．The potential consequences. | B．Their characters. |
| C．Their problems of finance. | D．The focuses of their work. |
| A．People's sense of taking risks. | B．Risks at people's different ages. |
| C．Different types of people's risks. | D．Risks between men and women. |
8 . Choose Your One-Day-Tours!
Tour A - Bath &Stonehenge including entrance fees to the ancient Roman bathrooms and Stonehenge -￡37 until 26 March and ￡39 thereafter. Visit the city with over 2,000 years of history and Bath Abbey, the Royal Crescent and the Costume Museum, Stonehenge is one of the world’s most famous prehistoric monuments dating back over 5,000 years.
Tour B - Oxford & Stratford including entrance fees to the University St Mary’s Church Tower and Anne Hathaway’s -￡32 until 12 March and ￡36 thereafter. Oxford: Includes a guided tour of England’s oldest university city and colleges. Look over the “city of dreaming spires(尖顶）” from St Mary‘s Church Tower. Stratford: Includes a guided tour exploring much of the Shakespeare wonder.
Tour C - Windsor Castle &Hampton Court: including entrance fees to Hampton Court Palace -￡34 until 11 March and ￡37 thereafter. Includes a guided tour of Windsor and Hampton Court, Henry VILL’s favorite palace. Free time to visit Windsor Castle(entrance fees not included).With 500 years of history, Hampton Court was once the home of four Kings and one Queen. Now this former royal palace is open to the public as a major tourist attraction. Visit the palace and its various historic gardens, which include the famous maze(迷宫) where it is easy to get lost!
Tour D –Cambridge including entrance fees to the Tower of Saint Mary the Great -￡33 until 18 March and ￡37 thereafter. Includes a guided tour of Cambridge, the famous university town, and the gardens of the 18th century.
1. Which tour will you choose if you want to see England’s oldest university city?| A．Tour A | B．Tour B |
| C．Tour C | D．Tour D |
| A．Windsor Castle & Hampton Court | B．Oxford & Stratford |
| C．Bath & Stonehenge | D．Cambridge |
| A．It used to be the home of royal families | B．It used to be a well-known maze |
| C．It is the oldest palace in Britain | D．It is a world-famous castle |
9 . Metro Pocket Guide
Metrorail (地铁)
Each passenger needs a farecard to enter and go out. Up to two children under five may travel free with a paying customer.
Farecard machine are in every station, Bring small bills because there are no change machines in the station and farecard machine only provide up to $ 5 in change.
Get one of unlimited Metrorail rides with a One Day Pass. Buy it from a farecard machine in Metro stations. Use it after 9:30 a.m. until closing on weekdays, and all day on weekends and holidays.
Hours of Service
Open: 5 a.m. Mon — Fri 7a.m. Sat — Sun.
Close midnight Sun — Thur. 3. a.m. Fri — Sat. nights
Last train times vary. To avoid missing the last train, please check the last train time posted in the station.
Metrobus
When paying with exact change, the fare is $ 1.35. When paying with a smatTrip CARD the fare is $1.25
Fares for the Senior /disabled customers
Senior citizens 65 and older and disabled customers may ride for half the regular fare. On Metrorail and Metrobus, use a senior/disabled farecard or SmarTrip card. For more information about buying senior/disabled farecards, farecard or SmarTripR card and passes, please visit MetroOpenDoors.com or call 202-637-7000 and 202-637-8000.
Senior citizens and disabled customers can get free guide on how to use proper Metrobus and Metrorail services by calling 202-962-1100
Travel tips
Avoid riding during weekday rush periods — before 9:30 a.m. and between 4 and 6 p.m.
If you lose something on a bus or train or in a station, please call Lost & Found at 202-962-1195.
1. What should you know about farecard machine?| A．They start selling tickets at 9:30 a.m. |
| B．They are connected to change machines. |
| C．They offer special service to the elderly. |
| D．They make change for no more than $5. |
| A．At midnight | B．at 3 a.m. |
| C．at 5 am | D．at 7 p.m. |
| A．It is convenient for old people | B．It saves money for its users[ |
| C．it can be bought at any time | D．it is sold on the Internet |
| A．202-962-1195 | B．202-962-1100 |
| C．202-673-7000 | D．202-673-8000 |
