Just a few seconds later, fourth-placed Navarro caught up with him. Surely, he could simply overtake Esteban and come third. But Navarro slowed down and let Esteban run ahead of him. The two cyclists reached the finishing line with Esteban ahead on foot, Navarro just behind him. Navarro had let Esteban finish in third place, while he came fourth. The audience was amazed at his show of sportsmanship and cheered and clapped for the cyclists. After the race, Navarro said, “I didn’t want to win that way.” Later, Esteban, who won the bronze medal, tried to give his medal to Navarro. However, Navarro refused, and his response was: “Offering me the prize was worth more than what I did for him.”
Why did Navarro refuse Esteban’s medal? What did this gesture show?
2 . The oceans occupy most of the Earth’s surface — about 70% — to the point of giving our planet its unmistakable colour. As such, they can tell the state of the Earth’s health: to observe them is to know where we stand.
In terms of climate, the warming and acidification of the oceans have harmful consequences for marine life and for land: there is of course the rise in water levels which threatens communities settling along the coasts. There is also a risk that is even more worrying since the oceans are no longer able to perform the climate regulation function that they have long fulfilled. As far as biodiversity (生物多样性) is concerned, the diagnosis is even more alarming.
We are well aware of these interacting crises, in particular thanks to the work of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO. We also know where we must act. However, we still have to reflect matters and cooperate widely in order to manage the unavoidable and prevent the uncorrectable.
COVID-19 affords us this opportunity to come together and set up ambitious programmes of action. This is true for climate; it is true for biodiversity; it is also true for the oceans, as the United Nations Special Envoy for the Ocean, Peter Thomson, explained: “If there were ever a tide in human affairs that should be taken, this is it.”
It is indeed our responsibility to seize this moment. We must firstly learn more about the depths, which remain largely unknown to us and still hold many secrets that only we can reveal. Secondly, we must give free rein to imagination and innovation, which we need in order to deal with this worrying situation. This is why we have made innovation the theme of 2020 World Oceans Day. We must also seize this moment to sound the alarm, perhaps more widely than we have done so far, because no technical solution can replace a widespread, personal understanding of the threats to the oceans, their mysteries and their beauty.
1. What has made people worried about the oceans according to Paragraph 2?2. What does the underlined phrase “give free rein to” probably mean?
| A．Place a restriction on. | B．Be in possession of. |
| C．Give complete freedom to. | D．Come up with. |
3 . A new study found that some methods for measuring a species’ generation time might underestimate (低估) the likelihood that some species would die out.
A species’ generation time is how long it takes for a generation to be replaced by its mature offspring (后代). This is different for every species and dramatically impacts how quickly a species can respond to changes in its environment. The generation time of a mouse is only a few months, whereas the African elephant has the generation time of 22 years. The longer the generation time, the slower a species can adapt to environmental changes and therefore it may be more likely to go extinct.
In some risk assessment models, population reduction is measured on the scale of three times a species’ generation time. If a species is believed to mature and produce offspring in five years, then how much its population has declined will be measured over a 15-year interval. But if a species’ generation time is underestimated, so is the threat status of the species.
We tested the influence of errors in different measures of generation time, including those used by the IUCN Red List assessments and found that these errors could potentially lead to an overly optimistic assessment of extinction risk for some species.
To overcome this, we compared different types of errors in seven commonly used measures of generation time. We proposed a new estimate which predicted a species’ generation time from its body mass and reproductive lifespan.
Still, the lack of data is a tough problem for making accurate calculations. We’re planning to explore how to fill some of these knowledge gaps by comparing survival and reproduction data from wild and captive (被关起来的) populations, using data from nearly 1,200 zoos and aquariums over 40 years, on more than 21,000 species.
1. How long do some assessment models need to measure population reduction of the African elephant?| A．15 years. | B．22 years. |
| C．44 years. | D．66 years. |
4 . Nowadays, it is more common for people to express their thoughts in an e-mail or text. In fact, more and more students use technology for written communication in their lives. Even so, research shows that teaching handwriting skills has its benefits (好处). However, are the benefits worth spending valuable classroom time on teaching handwriting skills when students could be learning more about computer keyboarding?
States across the country have good reasons to require students to learn computer keyboarding skills. For one, students are learning a technology that will help them communicate faster with more people and in many different forms, such as e-mails, websites, blogs, and so on. Also, the better a student's computer keyboarding skills, the greater the chance that student has to become a better writer. Computer tools such as the grammar and spell check make correcting quick and easy, although not 100% accurate (准确无误的). With these and many other tools, students gain important computer skills. Furthermore, students no longer have to worry about their writing being graded poorly by teachers. All in all, computer keyboarding skills are a step in the right direction.
Still, the advantages of computer keyboarding skills may not be enough to leave handwriting instruction in the dust. Marlena Hamilton, professor of neurology at University of Pennsylvania, did an experiment with her co-workers to study what happens in students' brains when writing. They found that many of the areas of the brain light up. These are the same areas that are used to learn to read. They then wondered if the same would be true when students looked at letters on a keyboard. “What we found,” she states, “is that brains are much less involved when we just view letters. When we actually use our hands to make things, the brain works much harder.”
Schools across the nation are looking at the evidence and deciding what to do. William McIntyre, a reading coach at Sunshine Elementary School in Albany, New York, says, “What we have learned from the research is that learning handwriting benefits students educationally. What we also know is that students need to be taught keyboarding skills.” Now, it is up to each school to make a decision.
1. What does the second paragraph mainly want to show?| A．The roles of computer tools. |
| B．The importance of communication skills. |
| C．The advantages of keyboarding skills. |
| D．The necessity of developing writing skills. |
| A．Worried | B．Doubtful | C．Supportive | D．Uncaring |
| A．Handwriting is helpful for learning. |
| B．Keyboarding skills are very useful. |
| C．Keyboarding makes our brain more active. |
| D．Handwriting is more difficult than keyboarding. |
| A．Whether schools should still teach handwriting. |
| B．Whether schools should offer computer classes. |
| C．Whether students should learn keyboarding skills. |
| D．Whether students should use the grammar and spell check. |
5 . When consumers see a food, what they expect makes the palate (味觉) taste certain flavors. The strong associations between color and flavor are well established in the scientific community. Research on the subject dates back to the 1970s. For example, consumers expect yellow foods to be sour and black foods to be bitter.
Branding, packaging and color quality of the product itself play a big part in creating and maintaining expectations. Food brands have long understood this and worked to establish standards. Federal regulations grade the color of orange juice. Businesses provide color- matching services for companies to select the right color for a particular product. In some cases, color can overpower other senses and convince people they taste flavors that aren't there.
The Penn State researchers set out to confirm long-standing research into the relationship between color and taste. And they found what consumers see when they eat matters as much as- if not more than- what they taste, and the links could be more flexible than many thought in some cases.
“This might have potential impacts in the food industry if a company were to launch a new flavoured product with a color. Some consumers might not learn or accept a new color and flavor pairing (配对) as well as others," Penn State Food Science doctoral candidate Molly J. Higgins said in a written statement.
But while today's consumers have expectations of flavors of items with different colors, they also have expectations that natural materials are used. While these materials are often preferable, they present a challenge. General Mills changed artificial dyes (染料) to natural ones in Trix cereal. Consumer anger followed. Many found the earthier tones (土黄色) depressing, despite no change in flavor. Chemicals and all, they wanted the original back. The company eventually switched back, choosing to treat color as being more important than other things.
1. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as for creating and maintaining expectations for products?| A．Color quality. | B．Branding. | C．Shape. | D．Packaging. |
| A．An expected food color attracts consumers more. |
| B．Most people choose foods based on their colors. |
| C．Not all consumers welcome a new color-taste pairing. |
| D．Companies should release new products regularly. |
| A．To stress the importance of color in food selection. |
| B．To stress the possibilities facing food companies. |
| C．To stress the difficulty in using artificial materials. |
| D．To stress the difference between color and taste. |
| A．Why do foods have different colors? | B．How deep are color-taste associations? |
| C．What factors affect the flavors of food? | D．Do different colors mean different responses? |
6 . In June 2017, Tiffany Johnson, 34, from North Carolina, was on a ship with her husband, James Johnson, when they decided to take a ten-minute boat ride from Paradise Island to go snorkeling (浮潜) in the sea.
The couple were enjoying their journey, when Ms Johnson was faced with a shark (鲨鱼), which caught hold of her arm and tore it off up to the elbow (肘). Ms Johnson said, “I was able to swim back to the boat with my injured arm lifted up above the water. Once I got to the boat, we used a beach towel as a bandage for my arm.”
She was rushed to the nearest hospital where she underwent an operation that lasted five hours. “Medically, it does not make sense that I am still alive. I didn't even require blood transfusion (输血). When I really had time to digest it all, I cried a lot. Not really tears of sadness, but rather pure thankfulness that I was alive. I had just lived through a near-death experience and I was just so fortunate to still be here,” Ms Johnson said.
In November she had her first robotic hand fitted. She had to learn how to use her arm all over again and admitted that this was very challenging being a mom of three children. “Everything is different. It doesn't function the same way as a hand does; it is more like a tool. So it has been a learning experience and I am still learning more than two years later. This latest version is only a few months old; I can now bring my arm closer to my body. It functions OK, but I'm still learning,” Ms Johnson said.
In the times when she felt unsure, her belief kept her focused on the things she could control. “Finally, I have learned that you don't always have a choice when things happen, but you always have a choice in how you respond. I have been asked to talk with some patients that have had a hard time. It has been good to be able to use this to help, encourage, and spread hope,” Ms Johnson said.
1. What happened to Ms Johnson in 2017?| A．She fell sick on a ship. | B．She got lost on Paradise Island. |
| C．She was attacked by a shark. | D．She was separated from her husband. |
| A．It led to her husband's death. | B．It was lucky and unexpected. |
| C．It was an easy thing to accept. | D．It made her feel hopeless. |
| A．Ms Johnson's real arm. | B．Ms Johnson's useless tool. |
| C．Ms Johnson's youngest child. | D．Ms Johnson's new robotic hand. |
| A．Strong and optimistic. | B．Proud and careful. |
| C．Courageous and talkative. | D．Creative and determined. |
7 . Experts are warning about the risks of extremely picky(挑剔的)eating after a teenager living on a diet of chips and crisps developed lasting sight loss. Eye doctors in Bristol cared for the 17-year-old after his sight had gone to the point of blindness. Tests showed he had serious vitamin deficiency(缺乏). Dr. Denize Atan, who treated him at the hospital, said, “His diet was basically a portion of chips from the local fish and chip shop every day. He also used to snack on crisps and sometimes white bread and ham, and not really any fruit and vegetables.”
The teenager saw his doctor at the age of 14 because he had been feeling tired and unwell. At that time he suffered from vitamin B12 deficiency, but he did not stick with the treatment or improve his poor diet. Three years later, he was taken to the Bristol Eye Hospital because of progressive sight loss.
He was not overweight or underweight, but he had lost minerals from his bones, which was really quite shocking for a boy of his age. In terms of his sight loss, he met the standards of being blind. “He had blind spots right in the middle of his sight,” said Dr Denize Atan, “That means he can’t drive and would find it really arduous to read, watch TV or recognize faces.”
Dr Denize Atan said that parents should learn about the harm that can be caused by picky eating, and turn to experts for help. For those who are concerned , she advised, “It’s best not to be anxious about picky eating , and instead calmly introduce one or two new foods with every meal.” She said multivitamin tablets can supplement(补充) a diet, but cannot take the place of eating healthily. “It’s much better to take in vitamins through a varied and balanced diet,” she said, adding that too many certain vitamins , including vitamin A, can be harmful ,“so you don’t want to overdo it.”
1. What does Dr Denize Atan imply in paragraph 1?| A．The diet of the boy is not balanced. |
| B．Fruit and vegetables are rich in vitamins. |
| C．Picky eating is common among teenagers. |
| D．The cause of the boy’s disease is unknown. |
| A．To improve his poor diet. |
| B．To get some help to lose weight. |
| C．To be treated for his discomfort. |
| D．To slow down his progressive sight loss. |
| A．Important. | B．Easy. | C．Necessary. | D．Difficult. |
| A．Reasons why the boy is seriously ill. |
| B．Suggestions for the boy’s family to care for him. |
| C．Advice for parents worried about picky eating. |
| D．Ways of taking in enough vitamins and minerals. |
8 . The surprising experiment I am about to describe proves that air is all around you and that it presses down upon you. Air pressure is a wonderful force. When you swim underwater, you can feel water push down your body. The air all around you does the same. However, your body is so used to it that you do not notice this. The pressure is caused by a layer of air called the atmosphere. This layer surrounds the Earth, extending to about five kilometers above the Earth’s surface.
The following experiment is an easy one that you can do at home. But make sure that you are supervised, because you will need to use matches. Now for the experiment!
What you need is a hard-boiled egg without the shell, a bottle with a neck slightly smaller than the egg, a piece of paper and a match.
Metheod: check that the paper will sit firmly on the neck of the bottle, tear the paper into strips and put the strips into the bottle, light the paper by dropping a burning match into the bottle and quickly sit the egg on the neck of the bottle.
Astonishingly, the egg will be sucked into the bottle. Your friends will be amazed when you show them the experiment. But be careful when you handle matches.
Do you think it’s a simple and interesting physical experiment? Why did it happen this way? As the paper burns, it needs oxygen and uses up the oxygen (air) in the bottle. The egg acts as a seal in the neck of the bottle, so no more air can get inside. This reduces the air pressure inside the bottle. The air pressure must equalize, so more air from outside must enter the bottle. The outside air presses against the egg and then the egg is pushed into the bottle! This proves that air is all around and that it is pressing down on us.
1. Why is there the need to take care when you are doing the experiment?| A．The bottle could break. |
| B．The egg needs to be shelled. |
| C．You need to light the paper with a match. |
| D．The egg has to be perfectly placed on the neck of the bottle. |
| A．make a seal in the neck of the bottle |
| B．finish up the oxygen inside the bottle |
| C．produce more oxygen inside the bottle |
| D．equalize the air pressure inside and outside |
| A．It became salt without the shell. |
| B．The neck of the bottle was wide enough. |
| C．The oxygen inside the bottle sucked the egg in. |
| D．The outside air pressure forced it into the bottle. |
| A．The air pressure is not equalized around us. |
| B．The pressure of air around us has a powerful force. |
| C．Water pushes on your body when you swim underwater. |
| D．The earth is surrounded by a layer of air called the atmosphere. |
9 . Although vaccines are required for entry into school in most places in the United States, the government does allow for exceptions, like religious reasons.
In the last few years, the rates of vaccine-preventable illness have been on the rise. In most cases, these outbreaks began with children who were unvaccinated. To deal with this threat, some schools in New York have been refusing to allow unvaccinated children to attend school. Several parents thought this was unfair and filed lawsuits. Just recently, though, a court ruled in favor of the city schools.
The court made the right decision. Vaccine policy depends not only on the added protection that vaccines provide for those who get shots, but also on the decreased likelihood that anyone will come into contact with the disease. This is known as community immunity. It refers to the fact that when enough people are immunized, then there really can’t be an outbreak. And if there can’t be an outbreak, then everyone is protected.
This is important, because there are people who cannot be given immunizations for various reasons. For example, small babies can’t be given all vaccines.
In 1995, the chicken pox vaccine was introduced in the United States. Over time, more and more children received it. In 2011, a study looked at how the program affected the number of children who died from the disease.
The first thing noted in the paper was that death from chicken pox went down considerably after the vaccine was introduced. From 2001 through 2007, the rates of death remained much lower, with just a few children dying from chicken pox nationally each year.
What’s more from 2004 through 2007, not one child less than 1 year of age died in the United States from chicken pox. This is important, because we cannot give the chicken pox vaccine to babies. In other words, all those babies were saved not because we vaccinated them against this illness, but because older children were.
Therefore, people who refuse to vaccinate their children aren’t just putting themselves at risk — they’re putting everyone else in danger, too.
1. Whose interest did the judges take into consideration?| A．Students’. | B．School leaders’. | C．Several parents’. | D．Unvaccinated kids’. |
| A．Requiring everyone to be immune. |
| B．Vaccinating babies as early as possible. |
| C．Making sure enough people get vaccinated. |
| D．Separating unvaccinated people from vaccinated. |
| A．The vaccine is safe for every kid. | B．No deaths have been seen since 2004. |
| C．The vaccine has lowered the death rate. | D．The vaccine is more effective among babies. |
| A．No vaccine, no risk. | B．No vaccine, no school. |
| C．Vaccination is a personal choice. | D．Vaccine-preventable illness is dropping. |
10 . New parents who clean their homes very often to protect their babies from bacteria and other organisms might cut back their efforts.
A new study suggests high levels of contact with cleaning products are linked to an increased risk of the childhood breathing condition known as asthma (气喘).
Researchers asked a group of parents how often they used 26 common household cleaners during their babies’ first three to four months of life. By age three, the children who had come in contact with cleaning products the most were more likely to be diagnosed with asthma. The researchers said children who had a lot of contact with cleaners were 37 percent more likely to have asthma than children with the least contact. The study also found a lot of exposure to cleaning products caused children to be 35 percent more likely to have chronic difficulty breathing. In addition, they were 49 percent more likely to have chronic allergies.
Tim Takaro, who helped lead the study, suggested that parents should question the belief that their home is clean only if it smells like chemical-based cleaning products. He also advised them to look for products free of substances like chemical colors. Besides, they should consider natural cleaning products instead of chemical ones.
The American lung Association recommends avoiding cleaning products that contain volatile (易挥发的) organic substances and other irritants (刺激物). But companies in Canada and the United States are not required to list all the chemicals in cleaning products. Some products labeled as environmentally friendly, or "green", may contain harmful substances.
Elissa Abrams, a doctor with the University of Manitoba, admitted the effects of cleaning products are not well understood. But she believed these products and the chemicals they contain act as irritants to growing children "The take-home message is that parents should be careful with cleaning products they use in the home", she added.
1. What is the third paragraph mainly about?| A．The suggestions on using cleaning products. |
| B．The parents’ opinions of household cleaners. |
| C．The conduct of the study and the findings. |
| D．The reason for using cleaning products. |
| A．Have a full understanding of cleaning products. |
| B．Keep their home free of all kinds of cleaning products. |
| C．Use natural cleaning products rather than chemical ones. |
| D．Make their homes smell like chemical-based cleaning products. |
| A．They are environmentally friendly without any harm. |
| B．They are asked to list all the chemicals contained. |
| C．They are free of irritants if labeled "green". |
| D．They are not always safe to be used. |
| A．Arts & Culture. | B．Lifestyle & Health. |
| C．Life & Technology. | D．Climate & Environment. |
