1 . Andrew Orkin was taking a break from his evening jog to sit by Prospect Park Lake when he was frightened to see a mass of snakes. They turned out to be swamp eels(黄鳝) that had escaped from one of two large plastic bags that split open as a man dragged them to the shoreline. After dumping the eels in the lake, the man walked away, explaining to bystanders that “I just want to save lives.”
The illegal release became a curiosity on social media, but the dumping of exotic(外来的) animals in urban parks isn’t new. New Yorkers free thousands of non-native animals every year. “People like animals and they sometimes think they’re doing a good thing by letting them go,” said Jason Munshi-South, an urban ecologist at Fordham University. “Most will die. Some will become a problem, and then there’s no going back.”
New York state and city officials say it’s too soon to know how the eels in Prospect Park might affect local species. The eels eat almost anything including plants, insects, frogs, turtles and other fish. And they could prey(捕食) upon or compete with the park’s native species for however long they survive.
There are no plans to eradicate the eels. Since they’re active at night and spend most of their time in the mud of lakes and rivers, spotting and removing them from the lake could be impossible. Officials say they will look for swamp eels during the agency’s next survey in the spring, but don’t expect them to make it through the winter. However, University of Toronto freshwater ecologist Nicholas Mandrak said, “Even if they don’t survive, they could have negative short-term effects.”
1. Why did the man pour the eels into the lake?| A．To challenge the law. | B．To increase the local species. |
| C．To keep the eels alive. | D．To become a web celebrity. |
| A．They might get caught once again. |
| B．They might not adapt to the new environment. |
| C．They might frighten the joggers by the lake. |
| D．They might pose a threat to local species. |
| A．Get rid of. | B．Look after. |
| C．Sell. | D．Examine. |
| A．It is risky. | B．It is tricky. |
| C．It takes patience. | D．It requires legal support. |
2 . They say everything is bigger in Texas. While that may be true, some of the best things in Texas are quite small. Case in point: tiny Mount Vernon, a town of just under 3,000 people. But if you do come across Mount Vernon, you might just get an intention to stay. That happens a lot around here, and it’s worth noting how remarkable that is.
Tom Wilkinson was born in Mount Vernon 87 years ago and moved back after he retired from his career as a college English professor in Dallas. Like many of his neighbors, Wilkinson can track his ancestors back to the pioneers who settled here in the 1870s. And like many, he values the simple life you can’t easily find in big cities. “People are still polite. They hold the door open for you.” he says, “We grow strong roots here!”
Preserving and honoring the past has been key to helping Mount Vernon survive. The residents have restored and reopened some of the empty stores, including the old barbershop, built more than 100 years ago. An old general store was turned into a combination space. Wander in on any given day and you might find a book club discussion, a Coffee Ladies meet-up, or a work session for the local genealogy(家谱) group among the tables of people chatting over cups of coffee and plates of food.
Mount Vernon has the kind of big hearts you tend to find in a small town. For instance, when a local policeman was diagnosed with cancer last year, ten-year-old Lola McKellar set up a lemonade stand to raise money for his treatments. In 2015, when a 350-year flood sent water rushing into local homes, an army of volunteers showed up to get a wheelchair-bound neighbor and his wife to higher ground, and then came back to help rebuild.
1. What does the author think of Mount Vernon?| A．Remote. | B．Wealthy. |
| C．Primitive. | D．Attractive. |
| A．He preferred the simple and natural life. | B．He could continue his language teaching. |
| C．He could live together with his ancestors. | D．He could meet more neighbors of his age. |
| A．It is in danger of extinction. | B．It is quickly changing over time. |
| C．It is conservative but harmonious. | D．It is being disturbed by the outside world. |
| A．The history of Mount Vernon. | B．The humanity of Mount Vernon. |
| C．The volunteers of Mount Vernon. | D．The reconstruction of Mount Vernon. |
3 . The scientists who re-engineered the plastic-eating enzyme(酶) PETase have now created a new enzyme called “cocktail” , which can digest plastic up to six times faster.
PETase breaks down PET back into its building blocks, creating an opportunity to recycle plastic and reduce plastic pollution. PET is the most common thermoplastic(热塑性塑料) used to make single-use drinks bottles, which takes hundreds of years to break down in the environment, but PETase can shorten this time to days. The initial discovery set up the prospect of a revolution in plastic recycling, creating a potential low-energy solution to tackle plastic waste.
Now, the same trans-Atlantic team have combined PETase and its “partner”, a second enzyme called MHETase, to generate much bigger improvements: simply mixing PETase with MHETase doubled the speed of PET breakdown, and engineering a connection between the two enzymes to create a “super-enzyme”, increased this activity by a further three times.
The team was co-led by the scientists who engineered PETase, Professor John McGeehan and Dr Gregg Beckham. Professor McGeehan said: “Gregg and I were chatting about how PETase attacks the surface of the plastics and MHETase chops things up further, so it seemed natural to see if we could use them together. Our first experiments showed that they did work better together, so we decided to physically link them. It took a great deal of work, but it was worth the effort — we were delighted to see that our new enzyme is up to three times faster than the separate enzymes.”
The original PETase enzyme discovery indicated the first hope that a solution to the global plastic pollution problem might be within grasp, though PETase alone is not yet fast enough to handle the tons of PET bottles. Combining it with a second enzyme, and finding together they work even faster, means another leap forward has been taken towards finding a solution to plastic waste. PETase and the new combined MHETase-PETase both work by digesting PET plastic. This allows for plastics to be made and reused endlessly, reducing our reliance on fossil(化石) resources.
1. What can we learn about “cocktail” from the text?| A．It doubles the breakdown of plastics. |
| B．It takes hundreds of years to break down. |
| C．It contributes to breaking down plastic quickly. |
| D．It deals with the plastic waste three times faster. |
| A．A new study of PET. | B．The breakdown of PET. |
| C．The discovery of PETase. | D．The functions of PETase. |
| A．Co-leading the trans-Atlantic team. | B．Combining PETase and MHETase. |
| C．Attacking the surface of the plastics. | D．Talking about conducting experiments. |
| A．PET pollution is no longer a difficult problem to deal with. |
| B．New enzyme is speeding up our reliance on fossil resources. |
| C．MHETase-PETase makes the world free from plastic pollution. |
| D．Plastic-eating enzyme “cocktail” promises new hope for plastic waste. |
4 . Twice every month, Miranda Sam, a 66-year-old Ghanaian, visited the China Traditional Herbal Hospital, a private herbal facility at Pokuase, a suburb of the Ghanaian capital, for treatment.
“I was squeezing lemons, and when I finished, I could not get up or even move my legs, so I went to the hospital and did an X-ray examination, but they saw nothing. Meanwhile, I could not walk and was in a wheelchair,” the retired worker said. Hence Miranda decided to visit the herbal facility. “On two occasions, I had to do acupuncture(针灸), and I have found great relief. Now I walk unaided, so I keep coming for treatment,” she said.
As Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is gaining popularity in Ghana, many acupuncture clinics run by Chinese doctors pop up in the country. However, the China Traditional Herbal Hospital was established by 52-year-old Ghanaian business owner Bediako, after his fruitful encounter with the effects of TCM in 2012. With the help of a Chinese lady, Bediako set up a small clinic specializing in TCM. Years on, the facility has subsequently grown into a bigger herbal hospital. The hospital treats patients with a combination of local and Chinese herbal formulas. It supports this with the application of traditional Chinese medical methods.
Strokes(中风) account for 1.3 percent of all hospital admissions in Ghana, and 6.3 percent of all hospital deaths. But Bediako is confident that as more people with these conditions turn to the natural methods of healing, the pain and death rates would subside. “A gentleman was brought here three weeks ago, who could not sit, stand, or walk. He was first taken through acupuncture. I observed him on camera 30 minutes later, squatting(蹲), standing, and walking. You come here with your pain but will leave with a smile. That is our feature,” he said.
The hospital has started a second facility in Ashaiman near the capital, with plans to open other branches across the country to meet the growing demand.
1. What can we learn from Miranda’s words in Paragraph 2?| A．Her illness is not a bit severe. | B．Squeezing lemons is a risky job. |
| C．She is feeling better now. | D．She is unsure about what to do next. |
| A．It is located in the downtown area. |
| B．It was originally a specialized clinic. |
| C．It was established by a Chinese doctor. |
| D．It uses nothing but Chinese herbs. |
| A．Decline. | B．Remain. |
| C．Climb. | D．Change. |
| A．Negative. | B．Optimistic. |
| C．Uncertain. | D．Concerned. |
5 . If you’ re after cheap UK train tickets, check the suggestions below and see how you could bag yourself a bargain. We'll even highlight the cheapest prices!
·Booking in advance
Train tickets in the UK usually go on sale 3 months before the date of travel. Look out for advance tickets, as these tend to be cheaper when they 're first released. Be quick though, as they may sell out on busier routes.
Find out more about our advance ticket alert tool.
·Traveling off-peak
When travelling by train in the UK, you can benefit from reduced fares by choosing the time periods of day that are less busy. When searching for tickets with us, we'll display all available tickets and options, highlighting the cheapest ones.
Learn more about off- peak train time from our website.
·Using the price prediction tool
Our clever little price prediction tool will predict the future and let you know when ticket prices are about to go up, meaning you’ll never miss out on the best value fares. Beat the rush and save on price too (Currently available in the UK app only).
Discover the magic of price prediction.
·Choosing the season ticket calculator
If you travel on the same route more than three times a week, then season tickets could help you to save both valuable time and money. Besides that, they're also available in a number of flexible options to suit different time frames.
Check out our season ticket calculator today to get started.
1. What is the feature of traveling off- peak by train in the UK?| A．The trains are too crowded. |
| B．Train tickets are often sold out. |
| C．There are more passengers at this time. |
| D．The travel time periods are relatively unoccupied. |
| A．Call ahead and ask. |
| B．Check the American app. |
| C．Refer to the price prediction tool. |
| D．Download the season ticket calculator. |
| A．To advertise train services. |
| B．To encourage passengers to travel abroad. |
| C．To help visitors spend less money on railway tickets. |
| D．To offer services to the train passengers on the way. |
6 . Small words may help you beat stress and improve your relationships. Use these tips to teach yourself a helpful and useful vocabulary.
I get to
“Many of us begin our day with the phrase ‘I have to’,” says Catherine Grace O’Connell, a self-development expert. “Changing this to ‘I get to’ has the possibility to change the way our day goes. “Even if you may not be happy about going to work or cooking dinner, saying that you “get to” do those things changes your attention to the positive aspects of those things.
Thank you
A lot of research has been done on why people — especially women — often don’t accept compliments smoothly. Language in Society found that women only accepted compliments 40 percent of the time, and Harvard Business Review found that almost 70 percent of people connected receiving compliments with a little shame or embarrassment. Does this sound familiar? She says, “I love that dress.” You say, “Oh this? I’ve had it for years.” Or,” You think? I’m not crazy about the color.” We often demean (贬低) ourselves while doing this. A better way to respond: Look the person in the eye and simply say, “Thank you.”
Not yet
Adding “yet” to the end of your words, especially when talking about abilities and goals. is a small but good way to change your attitude to life. “Add the word ‘yet’ to limiting comments,” suggests Kyndall Bennett, another self-development expert. “When we do this, we allow ourselves to accept the limiting thoughts as truths,” Bennett says. “Examples of this would be like, ‘I can’t speak a second language... yet’ and ‘I don’t know how to run my own business... yet.’” This works for everything from weight loss to relationships; it’s a way to add a certain optimism to your words.
1. What had you better do when receiving compliments?| A．Show modesty. | B．Explain reasons. |
| C．Say “Thank you”. | D．Present facts. |
| A．We will try to do that. | B．We have tried our best. |
| C．We apologize for a delay. | D．We have to cancel the plan. |
| A．To relax ourselves. | B．To stay positive to life. |
| C．To strengthen family ties. | D．To learn new vocabulary. |
7 . Google has announced plans to stop supporting tools designed to follow Internet users across the web in order to target them with specific advertising.
Such tools are known as cookies-small data files that are stored on an Internet user's computer as they browse （浏览）different websites. This data can be read by web servers to identify web browsing behaviors of the user. Cookies make it possible for users to avoid having to repeatedly enter their user names and passwords to get access to websites they use often. But the use of cookies raises major privacy concerns, with critics saying a user's browsing history should not be recorded just to target them with ads.
Google announced in 2020 it had decided “to remove support for third-party cookies" from its Chrome browser. In another online announcement, Google repeated this promise, saying it will not build new tools to replace current cookie technology.
In explaining its decision, Google referred to a Pew Research study that found 72 percent of Americans feel that almost all of what they do online is tracked by advertisers. Google's decision to remove third-party cookies also followed increasing efforts to protect privacy in Europe and the United States. Google said the current Internet advertising model needs to change to answer “the growing concerns people have about their privacy and how their personal identity is being used.”
In January, however, Google's plan was questioned by British competition regulators. The country's Competition and Markets Authority announced it had launched an investigation into whether the changes would give Google an unfair advantage over competitors in Internet advertising. The agency said it received objections to the plan from Marketers for an Open Web, a league of technology and publishing companies. The group accuses Google of “abusing its dominant position” by attempting to create a new advertising model.
In its latest statement, Google said, “We will not build alternate identifiers to track individuals as they browse across the web, nor will we use them in our products.”
1. According to the text, what do you know about cookies?| A．Cookies are inconvenient for web users. |
| B．The users should repeat their passwords to enter websites. |
| C．Google uses Cookies to monitor the web users' private life. |
| D．The tracks of the web users can be followed by the web servers. |
| A．To use a alternative tool. |
| B．To get more personal information, |
| C．To respond to concerns about privacy. |
| D．To create a fair Internet advertising platform. |
| A．It was organized by an agency of the US. |
| B．All people don't accept the Google's plan. |
| C．Google has the biggest advantages on the Internet. |
| D．Marketers for an Open Web is in favor of the Google's plan. |
| A．Privacy should be protected. |
| B．Google will change advertising model. |
| C．There should not be many advertisements on the web. |
| D．Cookies will be removed from Google for privacy protection. |
8 . When Dr. Stanley Fineman started as an allergist, he reminded patients to start taking medications and prepare for pollen season in the middle of March. That was about 40 years ago. Today , he tells them to start around the middle of February.
Since 1990, pollen season across the United States and Canada has been starting earlier, about 20 days earlier. And pollen loads, the amount of pollen released by plants, are 21 percent higher. The main reason for this, a new study found, is global warming.
Other studies have demonstrated North America's allergy, season getting longer and worse. But this one, published in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences, is the first study to make scientific connections between an earlier and more intense pollen season with human-caused climate change. The study says the warmer the Earth gets, the earlier spring starts for animals and plants, especially plants that release pollen. Additionally, plants yield more pollen when they drink in carbon dioxide.
Since 1990,about half of the earlier pollen seasons were linked to climate change — mostly from warmer temperatures. And carbon dioxide played a part. Since the 2000s, about 65 percent of earlier pollen seasons can be blamed on wanning. And about 8 percent of the increased pollen loads can be blamed on climate change. Bill Anderegg, the lead writer of the study, said, u climate change is here and it's in every breath we take. This is clearly warming temperatures and more carbon dioxide, giving rise to more pollen in the air. ”
Chris Downs of St. Louis, Missouri already has problems with breathing, headaches, and red itchy eyes. His allergies usually hit in March. But the last two years, they came in early February. "As a kid I never saw anything start blooming in February, " Downs said, "Now I see a handful of years like that. " This is not just a matter of sneezing and watery eyes. There are more serious health concerns. A University of Maryland scientist said the pollen is a risk for other diseases including asthma.
1. Why is Dr. Stanley's advice mentioned in paragraph 1?| A．To arouse the readers’ interest. |
| B．To define the term "pollen season”. |
| C．To caution the readers about global warming. |
| D．To emphasize his capacity as an allergist. |
| A．Carbon dioxide is the main reason for earlier pollen season. |
| B．Warming temperatures account for more carbon dioxide. |
| C．Half of the increased pollen loads are due to climate change. |
| D．The impact of climate on early pollen seasons has been increasing. |
| A．His allergies have been more severe. |
| B．He sees more blossoms than before. |
| C．His symptoms were ahead of time since two years ago. |
| D．He has suffered from allergies since he was a kid. |
| A．causes of asthma |
| B．measures of preventing global warming |
| C．connection between asthma and pollen season |
| D．advice on how to protect yourself against pollen |
9 . The star here is 70-year-old Chen Jifang, who used to be a saleswoman in a local food company before retirement, with 3 million likes on her Douyin videos.
“The main group that I wanted to encourage was people aged 30 to 50," says Chen, “They will be motivated to work out in the gym after seeing that a granny like me can. The message I want to convey is that it is never too late to pursue good health. In the past, whenever I felt uncomfortable, I would lie at home for an entire day.”
Chen had been in a poor physical condition since she was a child. She even had to give up her job after giving birth to her daughter because her health was severely affected by the pregnancy. Her husband shows his approval by doing most of the household chores.
An overweight Chen started with light jogging, but a fitness coach later advised her to rehabilitate her knee before running. Because of this, Chen entered a gym for the first time on Dec 29,2018.
“Everyone in the gym was young. They were giving me weird looks," recalls Chen, who made it a point to walk 3. 5 kilometers to the gym every day.
Her daily training started at 8 am with 50 pushups, mountain-climbing workouts, running and weightlifting. After a short break at 9 am, Chen continued working put until 3 pm. She hit the gym every day in 2019. For Chen, her passion for exercising was born out of a need instead of desire to become famous.
When her health and fitness improved, Chen embarked on high-intensity training sessions and dealt with the more challenging workouts like kettlebell swings, battle ropes and deadlifts. Three months later, she lost a whopping 28 kilograms. Her body mass index also returned to normal.
1. Which words best describe Chen Jifang?| A．Elegant and resistant | B．Ambitious and tough |
| C．Independent and considerate | D．Passionate and dutiful |
| A．survive | B．restore |
| C．revive | D．protect |
| A．Chen was poor when she was young. |
| B．Chen, as a saleswoman, gained 3 million fans. |
| C．Chen's decision largely comes from her husband. |
| D．Chen managed to sustain her workouts for about 6 hours per day. |
| A．A granny can lift | B．An idle youth, a needy age |
| C．A fall in a pit, a gain in your wit | D．Good health is the best wealth |
10 . Shortly before Christmas last year, Brazilian piano player Joao Carlos Martins invited his friends to a bar near his home. He wanted to show them the best gift he had received in many years: A new pair of gloves.
They are not just gloves, however. The specially made bionic devices are letting the 79-year-old play with both hands for the first time in more than 20 years.
By his retirement last March, he had undergone 24 medical procedures to try to reduce pain caused by a progressive disease and from a series of accidents. Before the gloves, which were especially developed for him, Martins could only play songs slowly with his thumbs and, sometimes, his pointer fingers.
However, one designer believed Martins' retirement had come too early. That designer, Ubirata Bizarro Costa, created special bionic gloves for Martins' hands. The gloves help move his fingers up after they press on the piano keys. Costa said he created early models based on images of Martins’ hands. But he said those models were “far from ideal”. He then decided to tell Martins about his efforts. Costa and Martins then spent several months testing different models. The perfect match came in December, and cost only $ 125 to build.
These days, Martins never takes off his new gloves—even when he goes to sleep. Martins said he has received more than 100 devices in the last 50 years as possible solutions to his hand problems. None worked well or long enough. “But these gloves do,” he said.
The new gloves have given Martins a new goal. He hopes to play the piano at New York's Carnegie Hall in October. He is already set to conduct a concert celebrating the 60th anniversary of his first appearance there.
1. What can we guess about Joao Carlos Martins?| A．He enjoyed playing the piano in a bar. |
| B．He has received the most valuable gift in his life. |
| C．He has just retired from a music company. |
| D．He often discussed with his friends about music. |
| A．It has existed for over 20 years. |
| B．It was developed mainly for the disabled. |
| C．It can be worn to reduce the physical pain. |
| D．It realizes Martins' dream to play the piano with two hands. |
| A．By pressing Martins’fingers against the piano keys. |
| B．By conducting many tests to find the ideal model. |
| C．By working with other designers and companies. |
| D．By repeatedly examining images of Martins’ hands. |
| A．Technology Improves People's Life |
| B．Magic Gloves Let Brazilian Pianist Play Again |
| C．Costa Creates the Special Gloves for Martins |
| D．Martins Receives the Best Christmas Gift |
