1 . We talk a lot about air pollution. Here in Hong Kong we always complain about light pollution as well. Then, there is noise pollution. It's the same in many cities around the world, and in Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal, people have been complaining about the noise made by drivers who continually sound their car horns (喇叭). That is until recently, when something was finally done about it.
The Chief District Officer of Kathmandu had received many complaints about horn pollution. He said that everyone felt the use of the car horn in recent years had become excessive. Researchers in Kathmandu found that for about 80 percent of the time, it really was not necessary for drivers to use their car horns. Sounding the horn to make a noise had become more of a habit. It was no longer being used as it was supposed to be used: to warn people of danger.
At the beginning of the Nepali New Year in 2017, the local government passed a law to ban the use of car horns unless used correctly. Within six months, 11,000 fines had been collected by the local traffic police. The fine was about HK $360. A taxi driver in Kathmandu can make about HK $1,000 per day, so he could lose about one-third of his money if he broke the law.
As usual, there were many complaints from drivers. They said that cows and dogs were free to walk on the roads. They always caused danger. Sounding a car horn was the only way to get them to move out of the way. And while there were quite a few traffic lights in the streets of Kathmandu, very few of them worked. This meant there was often a traffic mess.
The ban on using a car horn went ahead, and within a few weeks the streets of Nepal's capital were quieter — even though they were still just as busy. Because of the ban, drivers are a little more careful when they drive. Fewer accidents have been reported. The local government says the horn ban will now be copied in other areas of Nepal.
1. What do Hong Kong and Kathmandu have in common?| A．Both have been troubled by light pollution. |
| B．Both have succeeded in fighting air pollution. |
| C．Both have been faced with the problem of noise pollution. |
| D．Both have received many complaints about horn pollution. |
| A．Too much. | B．Quite simple. | C．Very correct. | D．More dangerous. |
| A．No traffic lights in the streets can work. |
| B．The traffic on the roads is usually very heavy. |
| C．Animals are not allowed to walk on the streets. |
| D．Drivers are required to drive on one-way streets. |
| A．It is unfair. | B．It is worrying. | C．It is interesting. | D．It is successful. |
2 . Do you want something different for dinner? Try some space food. Many scientists are living for months aboard the International Space Station high above the earth. It's too expensive to carry food to feed people living in space. Therefore, people in space will need to grow food for themselves. But how can they grow food without soil and sunlight?
Today, we already have hydroponic vegetables. The science of hydroponics is not new. Many writers believe that the Hanging Gardens of Babylon were actually a large hydroponic system. This system could have used fresh water that was rich in oxygen and minerals for the plants. Hydroponic systems need light. In addition to sunlight, hydroponic farms can use artificial lights. Instead of soil, hydroponic farms use mixtures of chemicals to feed the plants. And in addition to a natural climate, most hydroponic farms often use greenhouses. One advantage of hydroponics is that diseases and insects that travel through the soil are avoided. Another advantage is there are no weeds to pull out.
Farmers know how to grow a few kinds of hydroponic vegetables, such as lettuces, tomatoes, and cucumbers. But in space, people will need to eat more than salad. So scientists are learning how to grow hydroponic rice, beans and potatoes. As they do these experiments, they are analyzing their results and examining how to apply these results to a real life situation providing tasty meals for space travelers.
The scientists make imitation meat dishes, such as carrot drumsticks, made from carrots, garlic, and bread, instead of chicken. How do these unusual foods taste? The scientists have been inviting a group of taste testers into their laboratories. So far, they have tested 200 different recipes. The carrot drumstick dish was a hit. Perhaps soon, people will eat meals made from hydroponic vegetables that are truly out of this world.
1. Why do scientists grow space food?| A．To reduce food costs. | B．To support space travelers. |
| C．To find new varieties of food. | D．To increase agricultural production. |
| A．Sunlight. | B．Warm weather. |
| C．Soil to grow the plants in. | D．Chemicals to feed the plants. |
| A．They don't get diseases. | B．They aren't affected by weeds. |
| C．They can grow in a lightless place. | D．They are bigger than common ones. |
| A．Uninterested. | B．Doubtful. | C．Optimistic. | D．Cautious. |
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1. Which is the feature of the GO?| A．It removes noises. | B．It has separate on/off buttons. |
| C．It includes small batteries. | D．It focuses on practical functions. |
| A．To prove the GO’s popularity. | B．To explain the GO's function. |
| C．To convey the family's amazement. | D．To show the GO's high performance |
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4 . It's the last dream for many to move to a big city and make a shining new life.
But as we all know, metropolitan living comes at a cost, especially if you pick Hong Kong, Paris or London, which are the world's most expensive cities according to a new research.
The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)－which rates 133 global cities, and compares the price of a basket of 138 everyday items in each－has ranked them as joint top of the table.
The European cities have passed Singapore and Osaka, which tied with Hong Kong in the previous Worldwide Cost of Living Survey, carried out in March.
The changes are especially marked this time around, with the report doubling as an assessment of the influence of the Covid-19 pandemic on prices around the world.
Singapore and Osaka are now down to fourth and fifth respective, with Tel Aviv tying with Osaka in fifth place. An exodus of foreign workers during the pandemic is behind Singapore's drop, which saw its population fall for the first time in 17 years, according to the EIU.
The top 10 is completed by Geneva, New York City, Copenhagen and Los Angeles.
The biggest rise is Tehran, which has climbed up the ladder from 106th to 79th, due to US sanctions impacting supplies. Reykjavik, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo show the biggest price drops. The EU owes the Brazilian cities' rankings to “weak currency and rising poverty levels”. Brazil, of course, has suffered hugely during the pandemic.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has caused the US dollar to weaken while western European and north Asian currencies have strengthened against it, which in turn has shifted prices for goods and services " said Upasana Dutt, head of worldwide cost of living at the EIU.
“The pandemic has changed consumer behaviour, as lockdowns such as working from home have increased the prices of consumer electronics and at-home-meals have taken the place of restaurant dining for middle-class families ."
As for the future, things don't look wonderful. The EIU predicts that the trends will continue, with people cautious about spending and sure to struggle to make ends meet during 2021.
1. According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?| A．Living in Hong Kong means living a happy life. |
| B．The pandemic forces people to work at the office and eat meals at home. |
| C．People in Brazilian cities enjoy rising living standards because of the biggest price drop. |
| D．Singapore and Osaka used to tie with Hong Kong in the Worldwide Cost of Living Survey. |
| A．dramatic increase | B．sudden arrival |
| C．leave in mass | D．journey out of Egypt. |
| A．Population fall. | B．The weaken US dollar. |
| C．Transformed consumer behavior. | D．Impact of the pandemic. |
| A．Optimistic. | B．Pessimistic. | C．Indifferent. | D．Positive. |
5 . Morris, a well-known English violinist, had been exhausted from a day of recording at Abbey Road Studios when he exited the Southeastern Railway from London late last month. He was so tired that he didn’t even realize that he had left his beloved violin on the train until the following morning.
The violin is one of the few surviving instruments made by Roman craftsman David Tecchler in 1709. Not only is the violin worth$320,000,but Morris has also been playing the instrument for 15 years.
Feeling panic, Morris contacted the British Transport Police to see if it had been returned; unfortunately, officers checked the footage(录像) and saw that the violin had been picked up by another train passenger. Morris then created social media accounts to beg for the return of his instrument. The footage was shown in the news, and the person responsible for taking the violin was treated as a suspect.
Several days later, Morris received a phone call from someone who recognized the man on the train. Morris was then put in contact with the man who took the violin—and he had apparently been very eager to return the instrument. After promising the man that he wouldn’t be arrested, Morris met him in a parking lot so he could reunite with his beloved instrument.
The man apologized sincerely, saying he wanted to hand it to Morris in person. Morris found the instrument and the contents of its case were still in consummate condition. To his surprise, it was even still in tune(音调准确). Morris was excited and deeply grateful for its return.
“I’m still getting over the shock of its coming back,” Morris admitted in an interview afterwards. Then he played a breathtaking piece of music Amazing Grace on his 310-year-old violin in front of the reporters.
1. What can we learn about the lost violin?| A．It’s valuable and important. | B．It’s a gift from David Tecchler. |
| C．It’s the only violin Morris owns. | D．It’s the oldest violin in the world. |
| A．He spoke to reporters about it. | B．He turned to the police for help. |
| C．He described his situation online. | D．He returned to the train to look for it. |
| A．He knew the violin was unique. | B．He got in touch with Morris directly. |
| C．He was unwilling to return the violin. | D．He felt afraid to be punished for his act. |
| A．Unusual. | B．Poor. | C．Perfect. | D．General. |
6 . Most people agree that eating healthy food is important. But sometimes making good food choices can be difficult. Now, there are apps that can help people learn about the food they eat to improve their health and their dining out experience.
Open Table app
Open Table app helps people choose restaurants when they want to go out to eat. It is a free service that shows users restaurant available based on where and when they want to dine. It gives users points when they make reservations (预定), which can add up to discounts on restaurant visits.
Max McCalman's Cheese &Wine Pairing app
Wine and cheese can be a great combination. But which wines go best with which cheeses? Max McCalman's Cheese & Wine Pairing app can help. It provides information about hundreds of different cheeses and suggests wines to pair with each. Max McCalman's Cheese&. Wine Pairing app is free.
Happy Cow app
Vegetarians do not eat animal meat. Vegans do not eat any animal products. The Happy Cow app is made for both groups. Users can search for vegetarian-vegan restaurants and stores around the world.
Local Eats app
Restaurant chains, like McDonalds, can be found almost anywhere a person might travel. But sometimes travelers want to eat like locals. The Local Eats app is designed for that. It can help you find local restaurants in major cities in the US and in other countries. It costs about a dollar.
Where Chefs Eat app
“Where Chefs Eat” is a 975 page book. Most people would not want to carry that around. But there is a much lighter app version of the same name for just $ 15. Six hundred chefs provide information on 3, 000 restaurants around the world on the Where Chefs Eat app.
1. What do the first two apps have in common?| A．They are both free of charge. | B．Discounts are provided on both. |
| C．Best wines can be reserved on both. | D．They tell you where to find the best restaurant. |
| A．People who love drinking wine. | B．People who don't t eat meat or animal products. |
| C．People who enjoy meat very much. | D．People who often eat in restaurant. |
| A．On a tourism guide. | B．In a students' textbook. |
| C．In a cellphone application introduction. | D．On a scientific discovery TV program. |
7 . It's easy to get defeated completely by something negative in your daily life. Give these apps a try if you want to be more positive instead of being negative in your daily life.
Shine
Shine is a text messaging service based on the idea that sometimes you need some external phrases to guide your internal positive thinking.
Visit the website, and you'll have the ability to sign up to receive a daily text message ——all you need to provide is a first name and a phone number. Then you'll receive one message per day with inspirational quotes from successful people from Monday through Friday.
Kwippy
In many cases, statements that come from other people can be more powerful than ones you make to yourself. That's where Kwippy comes in.
The app Kwippy has a positive, lively community focused on fun while keeping negativity out. It is a new kind of social media platform that will send you random challenges throughout the day, prompting you to take a photo of something in your nearby environment.
ThinkUp
If you're feeling confident and good about your place in life, download the app, come up with some positive statements about yourself and record them for future generations. If you're feeling less creative or don't know what to say, don,t worry 一 the app also has a list of shared positive statements that you can choose from.
Smiling Mind
Smiling Mind, a nonprofit organization, was founded by and is currently operated by psychologists and educators. Everything there is supported by scientific evidence. The app is free to use but you can make a donation if you want to continue supporting their efforts, displaying friendly and thoughtful acts to others.
In the app, you'll find different choices, which can help you remove negative thoughts and focus on the positivity of the present moments.
1. Which app makes people feel encouraged regularly?| A．Shine. | B．Kwippy. |
| C．ThinkUp. | D．Smiling Mind. |
| A．Those who need to face a big life challenge. |
| B．Those who look for a friendly neighborhood. |
| C．Those who long for a great sense of belonging. |
| D．Those who want to live an enjoyable social life. |
| A．To show the power of some advanced apps. |
| B．To introduce some apps for avoiding people feeling down. |
| C．To compare the advantages of some apps. |
| D．To list the wide usage of apps in our daily life. |
