1 . A concern raised by some motorists is that, on urban roads without bicycle lanes, cyclists will slow down motorized vehicles and therefore create congestion(拥堵). Researchers evaluated speeds on six roads in Portland at different times of day, including peak traffic hours. They did a detailed comparative analysis of the travel speeds of passenger cars on lower volume urban roads without bicycle lanes, and found that a 1 mph differential in speed caused by the presence of a cyclist would not cause congestion.
The study also found that cyclists riding on a downhill road, and therefore traveling faster, were less likely to be overtaken by motorists. In a Forbes article on the research. "Cyclists Don't Cause Congestion: ‘Must Get In Front’ Maneuvers By Motorists Pointless," Figliozzi agreed that this has possible suggestions for e-bike riders, who can often travel at faster average speeds than cyclists on standard bicycles. "Those on e-bikes are not as affected by uphills, and have better travel performance regarding speed and acceleration. In a low volume and low-speed street, motorists are less likely to overtake e-bikes because the speed differential is smaller or maybe zero,” Figliozzi told Forbes.
"The hope is that our study discourages policymakers from throwing out shared roadways as a practical option because of the viewpoint that bicyclists will slow down the mobility and speed of drivers," Schaefer, another researcher shared. "While the preference is to separate modes through separated, protected bike lanes — that's not always possible in every urban setting. ‘Bike boulevards’, or ‘Neighborhood greenways’ as we call them here in Portland, are great alternatives on low-volume, low-speed roads to build out a safe, well-connected bicycle network.”
Due to limitations regarding similarities among some site characteristics, this study is currently being expanded to include a large number of sites displaying a more diverse range of functional classifications, roadway markings, speed limits, roadway grades, and traffic volumes and compositions. Additionally, the new study will explore how oncoming traffic speed and volume may affect opportunities for overtaking bicycles, and the underlying connection to passenger car speeds on roads without bicycle lanes.
1. What did the research find according to paragraph 1?| A．Urban roads lacked bicycle lanes. |
| B．Urban roads had more speeding vehicles. |
| C．Bicycles didn't cause traffic jam on lower volume urban roads. |
| D．The presence of a cyclist accidentally slowed vehicles in Portland. |
| A．They are always overtaken by motorists. |
| B．They often ignore the road rules while traveling. |
| C．They need to control their speed on an uphill road. |
| D．They go almost as fast as motorists on the low-speed street. |
| A．In one-way streets | B．In high-speed streets. |
| C．On roads with light traffic. | D．On uphill and downhill roads. |
| A．Potential. | B．Unusual. |
| C．Obvious. | D．Demanding. |
2 . What is the most recognizable object in the world? Could it be a football or a big computer? No, the answer is a Coca-Cola bottle. Hundreds of millions of people can recognize a Coke bottle by its shape. Unlike any other famous commercial logo, the famous Coca-Cola logo has not changed in 100 years!
In 1886, John Pemberton, a druggist in Atlanta, Georgia, invented a new type of syrup (糖浆), using coca leaves, sugar and cola nuts, plus a few other secret ingredients. Pemberton sold it as a medicine; and with coca (the source of cocaine), it must have made people feel good! Nevertheless, Pemberton's medicine was not very successful, so he sold his secret formula (配方) to another druggist, Asa Candler, Candler was interested, because he had another idea; he thought that Pemberton's "medicine" would be much better if it was mixed with soda. Candler was thus the man who really invented the drink Coca-Cola. At first he sold it in his drugstore; then he began selling the syrup to other drugstores, where it was used with their soda fountains. Candler also advertised his new drink, and soon people were going to drugstores just to get a drink of Coca-Cola. Before long. other people became interested in the product, including a couple of businessmen who wanted to sell it in bottles. Candler sold them a license to bottle the drink, and very quickly the men became millionaires. Then in 1916 the famous bottle, with its very distinctive shape, was designed.
During the First World War (1914-1918), American soldiers in Europe began asking for Coca-Cola, so the Coca-Cola company began to export it to Europe. It was so popular with soldiers that they then had to start bottling the drink in Europe. Today. Coca-Cola is made all over the world, including Russia and China; it is the world's most popular drink.
As for the famous formula, it is probably the world's most valuable secret! The exact ingredients for making Coca-Cola are only known to a handful of people. And as for the coca that was in the original drink, it was removed in 1903, for it was a dangerous drug. Today's Coca-Cola contains caffeine, not cocaine!
1. What is the second paragraph mainly about?| A．The key ingredient of Coca-Cola. |
| B．The distinctive shape of Coca-Cola bottle. |
| C．The ever-changing logo of Coca-Cola. |
| D．The development of Coca-Cola. |
| A．John Pemberton. | B．Asa Candler. |
| C．An American soldier. | D．A couple of businessmen. |
| A．The formula of Coca-Cola is still a well-kept secret. |
| B．The ingredients for making Coca-Cola is of great value. |
| C．Coca wasn't removed from the drink until the First World War. |
| D．Caffeine has the same effect on patients as cocaine. |
| A．A biology textbook. | B．A life magazine. |
| C．A research paper. | D．A travel brochure. |
3 . How do we model gratitude when we might be struggling with our own frustrations? For adults, Fehr suggests a "gratitude boot camp." This seven-day program can help adults figure out what works best for them.
Day 1: The Three Blessings: Write down three good things that happened to you that day for which you can give another person credit.
Day 2: To Whom for What: Think of three people for whom you are grateful in your life and write about the reasons.
…
Day 5: Absence of Blessing: Think about an aspect of your life for which you are grateful and spend a few minutes writing about what your life would be like without it.
Day 6: Pay It Forward: Show appreciation for another person through quality time spent together or an act of service.
Day 7: Day of Reflection: Spend a few minutes writing about your experiences over the past few days.
Fehr suggests thinking of gratitude as an everyday practice, for both the little and the big things in life, by which we express gratitude in our commonplace interactions with others. Documenting your blessings by using a journal is a good start for developing a gratitude practice, but don't keep it to yourself. "I would encourage people to take the next step in expressing it. It's really when we bring our gratitude into the world with our words and with our actions that its power can be felt. It can impact our relationships and other people's lives — that's where it really matters. "
Gratitude doesn't just encourage us to thank those who have helped us directly; it encourages helping others, in general. "Experiencing gratitude has a spillover effect, making you want to pay it forward," says Fehr.
If we all did that, what a wonderful world it would be.
1. What can we learn about the program?| A．It is designed for teenagers. |
| B．It aims to train adults to be grateful. |
| C．It will last more than seven days. |
| D．It costs less than other camps. |
| A．Think of one person to whom you should thank. |
| B．Imagine losing blessing of something in your life. |
| C．Reflecting your experience in the camp. |
| D．Make three wishes for those you love. |
| A．Write down your blessings in the diary. |
| B．Never give your blessings away. |
| C．Express your blessing freely. |
| D．Pay it forward for love or money. |
4 . There is evidence that just counting money can produce valuable psychological benefits. According to a new study published in the journal Psychological Science, thumbing through your cash can reduce emotional and physical pain as well as increase feelings of internal strength, fearlessness and confidence. The study also finds that when people are reminded of their recent spending, they report higher levels of both psychological and physical distress.
Focusing on the symbolic power of money, researchers started with a simple hypothesis (假设): reminders of money can alter how people experience social interactions — especially so-cial acceptance and rejection.
To test the idea, the researchers took the following approach: 84 students at a Chinese university were divided into two groups. One group counted 80 large-denomination bills: the other group parceled out 80 pieces of plain paper. All participants then played an online video game in which, using game controls, they could throw a ball and play catch with other Internet players. But the game was rigged so that after 10 throws, half the students would no longer get the ball thrown to them, while the rest of the students continued to play catch. When the game ended, participants who had been excluded from the second round of catch rated their level of social distress and how strong they felt. Those who had counted money before being socially excluded reported lower levels of social distress than those who had counted only paper. Additionally, the participants who had counted money also reported greater feelings of inner strength and self-sufficiency.
To see if counting money also reduces physical pain, the researchers repeated the earlier social-exclusion (社会排斥) test, but this time they replaced the ball game with a pain-sensitivity task, in which half the participants were put in a moderate-pain condition(their hands were put in warm water), while the other half were subjected to a high-pain condition (hands were put in very hot water). Again, those who had counted money reported lower levels of pain.
1. According to the text, which of the following behaviors can bring psychological benefits?| A．Throwing coins. | B．Making money. |
| C．Counting money. | D．Checking the bank account. |
| A．Those who counted 80 large-denomination bills. |
| B．Those who counted 80 pieces of plain paper. |
| C．Those whose hands were put in warm water. |
| D．Those whose hands were put in very hot water. |
| A．Playing ball games. | B．Counting plain paper. |
| C．Putting hands in water. | D．Thinking of recent spending. |
| A．A travel guide. | B．A story book. |
| C．A science journal. | D．A fashion magazine. |
5 . According to a survey conducted by The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, the monarch butterfly is facing a sharp population decline that could soon lead to its extinction.
The monarch butterfly is considered the "king of all butterflies due to its extreme beauty, hence the name "monarch". The most popular among the North American butterflies, the grand black-and-orange in vertebrate（无脊椎动物） is known for its yearly mass migration of up to 3,000 miles from the Baja California Peninsula to California's Central Coast every winter, beautifully covering all the trees along their path.
In 1980, its population was recorded to be about 4. 5 million and by the mid-2000's, there were barely 100,000 remaining. In 2018, the number of monarch butterflies fell down to only 28,260, which makes a 99. 4 percent decline in 39 years.
"It's mind-boggling. We're now down below 1 percent of the historic population," Says Emma Pelton, a Xerces Society Conservation biologist.
A variety of factors could be involved to cause the monarch butterflies' near extinction. One could have a co-relation to the lessening of other insects such as bees and other bird species. Another factor could be due to a number of human economic activities such as urbanization and illegal logging which lessens the butterflies' habitat, and pesticides widely used on corn and soybean crops.
Because of these chains of events, an "extinction vortex（旋风）” has occurred where the process of extinction would be near unstoppable since the species won't be able to reproduce and raise their numbers the natural way.
The mass disappearance of the monarch butterfly and other endangered species is a wake up call of our little time remaining to positively shift the direction of the ecological environment for a massive improvement in the near future, in order to help mother nature and all the other living species in this earth.
1. What is the monarch butterfly noted for?| A．Its extreme beauty as king. |
| B．Its special name with monarch. |
| C．Its manner of reproduction. |
| D．Its regular large-scale migration. |
| A．About 20,000. | B．About 150,000. |
| C．About 114,660. | D．About 44,550. |
| A．The growth of cities. |
| B．The popularity of other insects. |
| C．The cleaning of lakes. |
| D．Less crops such as soybean. |
| A．To inform us of something about butterflies. |
| B．To appeal to us to protect the ecological environment. |
| C．To analyze why monarch butterflies have gone extinct. |
| D．To attract visitors to California's Central Coast. |
6 . When you catch the flu and your body temperature rises to fight the virus, that's a form of acute inflammation. So is the redness and swelling that occur when you hurt your ankle. The process is a temporary, helpful response to an injury or illness. It provides the healing chemicals and nutrients your body needs to repair the damage. Once the danger goes away, so does the inflammation.
Chronic low-grade inflammation, on the other hand, is a slow, gradual condition sustained by a misfiring of the immune system that keeps your body in a constant, long-term state of alert, says Dr Robert H. Shmerling, teaching clinician in the department of rheumatology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, USA.
Over time, inflammation damages healthy cells. Here's why: When cells are in distress, they release chemicals that alert the immune system. White blood cells then flood the scene, where they work to eat up bacteria, viruses, damaged cells and pieces from an infection or injury. If the damage is too great, they call in backup cells known as neutrophils, which are the hand grenades of the immune system—they blow up everything in sight, healthy or not. Each neutrophil has a short life, but in chronic inflammation, they continue to be sent in long after the real threat is gone, causing damage to the healthy tissue that remains. The inflammation can start attacking the linings of your arteries or intestines, the cells in your liver and brain or the tissues of your muscles and joints.
This inflammation-caused cellular damage can trigger diseases like diabetes, cancer, dementia, heart disease, arthritis and depression. And because it's low grade, “it’s slow and secret nature makes it hard to diagnose in day-to-day life,” says Roma Pahwa, a researcher for the National Institutes of Health who specializes in the inflammatory response. “You have no idea it is even happening until those conditions show symptoms.”
1. Which can best describe acute inflammation as a response?| A．Lasting. | B．Beneficial. | C．Harmful. | D．Dangerous. |
| A．They function as backup cells. | B．They only damage something bad. |
| C．They will disappear with a real threat. | D．They should cause slight damage. |
| A．We can't be too careful about cellular damage. |
| B．Doctors can identify cellular damage with ease. |
| C．Cellular damage is fast and obvious in nature. |
| D．There exists no effective cure for cellular damage. |
| A．To introduce some ways to keep healthy. | B．To get inflammation known to people. |
| C．To warn people of dangers of cellular damage. | D．To recommend a cure for diabetes. |
7 . Researchers have found depression is linked to areas of the brain shrinking in size but when depression is paired with anxiety one area of the brain becomes greatly larger.
A new study, published in the Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, looked at more than 10,000 people to find the effects of depression and anxiety on brain volume, The study shows depression has a pronounced impact on the hippocampus, the part of the brain linked to memory and learning, shrinking it.
In contrast, the study found that when depression and anxiety occur together, it leads to an increase in size of the part of the brain linked to emotions, the amygdala, “Many studies looking at the effects of depression on brain do not account for the fact that people who have depression often experience anxiety too,” study lead and Ph.D. researcher Ms. Daniela Oyarce said.
Depression is considered a serious medical condition worldwide, and one in six Ausualians currently experience depression, anxiety, or both, “We found people who have depression alone have lower brain volumes in many areas of the brain, and in particular the hippocampus,” Ms. Daniela Oyarce said. “This becomes even more relevant later in life because a smaller hippocampus is a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease and may speed the development of dementia.”
A particularly important finding of this research is that people who had both depression and anxiety had less shrinkage in many brain areas and even an increase in the amygdala. This indicates that the true effects of depression on the brain has been underestimated because of an opposite effect in the amygdala. “Anxiety lowers the effects of depression on brain volume sizes by three percent on average—somewhat hiding the true shrinking effects of depression,” Ms. Daniela Oyarce said.
“More research is needed into how anxiety lowers the effects of depression, but for the amygdala, perhaps anxiety leads to overactivity,” Ms. Daniela Oyarce added.
1. Which aspect of the brain is affected by depression?| A．Surface | B．Function | C．Shape. | D．Volume. |
| A．Repair. | B．Emotions. | C．Learning. | D．Language. |
| A．The risk caused by depression. |
| B．The symptoms of depression. |
| C．The current situation of patients with depression. |
| D．The relationship between depression and anxiety. |
| A．The amygdala will shrink. | B．The amygdala will increase. |
| C．The hippocampus will increase. | D．The brain volumes will shrink. |
8 . Welcome to one-day private Beijing tour
Your private guide will pick you up in your hotel lobby at 8 am. If you'd like to start from the airport or the train station, we're happy to arrange a pick-up there.
Your journey will start at Tian'anmen Square. And your guide will provide you with an introduction to the history and architecture. Enjoy your time, taking photos there.
Later, enjoy the Forbidden City, which was home to 24 emperors in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Here there’ll be plenty of time to take photos, about 2 hours. After that, begin your tour of the Great Wall. You’ll travel for 1.5 hours from downtown to the Great Wall at Mutianyu. Have a rest and enjoy delicious Beijing dishes for lunch at our well-selected local restaurant, Xinshuangquan. Your guide will order the dishes according to your preferences.
Around 1 pm, we will hike on the Mutianyu Great Wall. Your personal guide will walk with you on the Great Wall to give you some information. You’ll have free time to walk around after that. After the hike, we’ll drive back to downtown Beijing and transfer you to your hotel at 6 pm!
Trip Notes:
1. This tour is recommended for business tourists who can only stay in Beijing for one day. If your stop is only for 10-11 hours, we suggest skipping the Forbidden City and just having a day trip to the Great Wall.
2. The price you’re given is only for reference. The price may vary according to the location of your hotel. There’ll also be extra costs if your tour starts from or ends at the air- port or the train station.
1. What's the route of the one-day private Beijing tour in the text?| A．Mutianyu—Tian’anmen Square—The Forbidden City—Xinshuangquan. |
| B．Tian’anmen Square—The Forbidden City—Xinshuangquan—Mutianyu. |
| C．Xinshuangquan—Tian’anmen Square—The Forbidden City Mutianyu. |
| D．The Forbidden City—Tian’anmen Square—Mutianyu—Xinshuangquan. |
| A．Xinshuangquan. | B．The Forbidden City. |
| C．Tian’anmen Square. | D．The Great Wall at Mutianyu. |
| A．People who are tight on time. |
| B．People who enjoy modern construction. |
| C．Foreigners who love anecdotes about Chinese dishes. |
| D．People who study ancient Chinese dialects. |
9 . France will gradually ban the use of wild animals in circuses, phase out orca（虎鲸）and dolphin shows and will ban mink（貂）farming for fur, the environment minister said on Tuesday. The transition will take several years and existing animal shows will receive government support to switch to a new model, Environment Minister Barbara Pompili told a news conference, "Today. I announce the progressive end of the presence of wild animals in travelling circuses, a ban on the presence of orcas and dolphins in dolphinariums not adapted to the needs of marine mammals, and the end of mink farming for fur," she said. She added the measures would affect about 80 circuses, which have some 230 animals, including big cats, elephants, hippos, wolves and others.
France, which has three dolphinariums, will not allow the opening of new ones and wants the closure of existing ones within seven to ten years. She also wants the closure of four mink farms within five years. The state will provide an aid package of more than 8 million euros to help animal shows switch to a new business model. Some European countries have already banned or limited the presence of wild animals in circuses. In France, many cities already do not allow circuses with wild animal shows to put up their tents.
Head of the French animal shows association William Kerwich said the ban is "a knife in the back" of an industry already hurting from coronavirus crowd limits.
"It will put people out of work. And who will take care of the animals, they are born in captivity（圈养）, they cannot be set free in the wild," he said on BFM television, Animal Rights Foundation Brigitte Bardot said in a statement it would welcome all circus animals, "who are currently kept captive and exploited in terrible circumstances".
1. What new regulation has been announced by Barbara Pompili?| A．A ban on pet shows. | B．A ban on fur industry. |
| C．A ban on wild animal shows. | D．A ban on raising marine mammals. |
| A．To help animal shows |
| B．To aid more dolphinariums. |
| C．To support the mink farming. |
| D．To help circuses switch to a new business model |
| A．Many animals will die. |
| B．Many people will get hurt. |
| C．Many animal shows will disappear. |
| D．Many people will be affected by coronavirus |
| A．They will be set free in the wild. |
| B．They will be adopted by famous people. |
| C．They will be raised by the government. |
| D．They will be accepted by Animal Rights Foundation. |
10 . I first discovered Ruskin Bond on a hot afternoon in Agartala. My mother, sister and I were spending the summer with my father, an army officer, who was stationed there.
There wasn't much to do for a young teen in the army cantonment, so I spent most of my days at the library, which housed a various—if modest—collection of books. I casually picked up Bond's Delhi Is Not Far on one such day and was immediately drawn into his gentle, unassuming, non-judgmental world.
Since that day, I've searched for and read quickly and with great enthusiasm every one of Ruskin Bond's works. I think my affinity came from the fact that I identified on some level with him. Like me, he was shy and dreamy and enjoyed the company of the written word above that of people.
A particularly painful theme that runs through Ruskin Bond's work is his relationship with his father. The two were extremely close, more so perhaps because they were each other's sole emotional support systems. Bond's parents divorced when he was little, and so it was just him and his father, and the latter comes across as a sensitive, gentle man who adored his son.
Bond's father died suddenly of malaria at 46, when Bond was just 10—a cruel blow for the young boy. It's remarkable how Bond writes about his father's untimely death with a quiet dignity: It is deeply touching but never maudlin（凄凉的）
Moved as I was by Bond's memories of his father, little did I know that I would soon be experiencing his pain first-hand. When I was 21, my father too suddenly passed away after a brief illness. Looking back at the time immediately after my father's passing, all I remember is a feeling of utter disbelief, of thinking. I sought refuge in my beloved books, and no other author gave me as much assistance and relief as did my beloved Ruskin Bond.
1. Why did the author go to the library?| A．To read Bond's novel. | B．To review his lessons. |
| C．To broaden his horizons. | D．To kill his time. |
| A．Passion. | B．Sympathy. |
| C．Relief. | D．Inspiration. |
| A．Determined. | B．Considerate. |
| C．Wealthy. | D．Intelligent. |
| A．My Father: an Army Officer |
| B．Unforgettable Time after My Father's Death |
| C．Ruskin Bond's Works: My Beloved Books |
| D．My Experience in the Army Cantonment |
