1 . 1. Scenic landscapes on stamps: A nine-day tour in the cities of Xuzhou,Suqian and Huai'an in northern Jiangsu province.
This route is associated with local culture, characteristics, and creativity. It offers a taste of the famous canal cities.
2.Life on the Grand Canal: A seven-day Jiangsu tour through the cities of Nanjing, Suqian, Huai'an,Yangzhou and Suzhou.
This route presents the most authentic, economic, cultural and entertainment-focused activities along the canal from both ancient and modern times.I allows visitors to ride in boats and observe local fishermen fishing.
3.Food,culture,leisure and health;Seven-day experience of local life in Zhenjiang Changzhou,Wuxi and Suzhou
To increase tourists’ interest in the traditional culture and crafts of Jiangsu, the route will include pottery,embroidery(刺绣), paper-cutting, cooking and other hands-on experiences. It includes scenic spots along the Beijing-Hangzhou Gran Canal, ancient water towns, historical streets and ancient fishing villages.Visitors can join in the recreational farmhouse experience and pick up both fruits and vegetables
4．A walk into history: Six-day tour in Xuzhou, Suqian,Huai’an,Yangzhou, Zhenjiang, Changzhou and Wuxi
The Beiing-Hangzhou Grand Canal runs through the entire province and has been a part of Jiangsu's culture for thousands of years. Inspired by the canal, the route includes historical cities Xuzhou, Suqian, Huai'an,Yangzhou along with Zheniang Changzhou and Wuxi.
1. Which of the following do the four travel routes share?| A．A time duration of less than a week. |
| B．Ancient towns in southern Jiangsu. |
| C．The Grand Canal. |
| D．The city of Suqian. |
| A．Route 1 | B．Route 2 | C．Route 3 | D．Route 4. |
| A．Rowing a boat. | B．Trying on paper-cutting. |
| C．Growing vegetables. | D．Fishing with local villagers. |
2 . In a study published in Nature Machine Intelligence, researchers at Ohio State University show how artificial intelligence（AI）can follow clinical trials to identify drugs for repurposing, a solution that can help advance innovative treatments.
Repurposing drugs is legal and not unusual. When doctors prescribe(开处方)drugs that have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration(FDA)for purposes different from what is printed on the labels, the drugs are being used “off-label” Just because a drug is FDA-approved for a specific type of disease does not prevent it from having possible benefits for other purposes.
For example, Metformin, a drug that is FDA-approved for treating type 2 diabetes, is also used to treat PCOS(a disease of women), and other diseases. Trazodone, an anti-depressant with FDA-approval to treat depression, is also prescribed by doctors to help treat patients with sleep issues.
The Ohio State University research team created an AI deep learning model for predicting treatment probability with patient data including the treatment, outcomes, and potential confounders(干扰因素).
Confounders are related to the exposure and outcome. For example, a connection is identified between music festivals and increases in skin rashes(红疹). Music festivals do not directly cause skin rashes. In this case, one possible confounding factor between the two may be outdoor heat, as music festivals tend to run outdoors when the temperature is high, and heat is a known cause for rashes. When working with real-world data, confounders could number in the thousands. AI deep learning is well-suited to find patterns in the complexity of potentially thousands of confounders.
The researcher team used confounders including population data and co-prescribed drugs. With this proof-of-concept, now clinicians have a powerful AI tool to rapidly discover new treatments by repurposing existing medications.
1. What do we know about a drug used off-label?| A．It is sold without a label. |
| B．It is available at a low price. |
| C．Its uses extend beyond the original ones. |
| D．Its clinical trials are rejected by doctors. |
| A．are used off-label |
| B．treat rare diseases |
| C．result in sleep issues |
| D．are medical breakthroughs |
| A．They are possible treatments. |
| B．They are environmental factors. |
| C．They can be easily recognized in real-world data. |
| D．They should be taken into serious consideration. |
| A．AI examines benefits of existing drugs. |
| B．AI identifies off-label uses for drugs. |
| C．AI finds new drugs for common diseases. |
| D．AI proves the power of drug research. |
3 . Answering the Community Needs of Our City
The Siver City Council recognizes that citizens have certain needs. To better meet your needs, we have made several changes to community facilities in 2020. The followings shows how we have tried to make your life better.
Transport
☆Three stations for the suburbs have been added to the western train service.
☆20 new buses for the southern line were purchased in January.
☆50 per cent of city bus-stops have been upgraded.
Communication
☆Broadband cableis now available to ll parts of the city.
☆All of the new Government buildings are smart-wired for better computer service!
Medical Facilities
☆The new state-of-the-art Nightingale Hospital was opened in June.
☆To overcome a shortage of trained medical staff at Dover Hospital, 10 doctors have been employed from overseas.
☆Some facilities at Station Street Hospital have been upgraded.
Education
☆Textbooks will be free to all primary students in 2020!
☆Rental for private schools has been reduced.
Protection and Security
☆Extra police now patrol(巡逻)the tourist areas.
☆50 new police officers graduated in July and have taken up duties in the city area.
Entertainment/Recreation
☆The new Central Community Building opened in May.
☆5,000 new fiction books were bought for the Silver City Library.
1. What’s the notice mainly about?| A．The work carried out by the people of Silver City. |
| B．The facilities available in Silver City. |
| C．Some improvements in Silver City. |
| D．Information for interested tourists. |
| A．Travel books are provided in the new library. |
| B．More bus lines and stops are bought in Silver City. |
| C．Free medical treatment is available at Station Street Hospital. |
| D．There are more police officers on duty now. |
| A．the community | B．the local government |
| C．the Silver City Library | D．a travel agency |
4 . A books-for-food program in Guatemala is helping feed needy children as hunger rates rise during the pandemic(疫情). It is run by a local nonprofit organization that aims to feed nearly 400 children.
The program is simple. People choose a book they want from a list of donated titles, and in return give bags of Incaparina, a high-protein drink mix. Bonifaz Diaz works for the program. By bringing the books-for-food program directly to people's homes, Diaz makes sure donations keep flowing. He has traveled more than 2,000 kilometers on his bicycle, delivered loads of books and carried back thousands of kilograms of Incaparina for the nonprofit group 32 Volcanoes. Diaz sometimes pulls a small cart that helps him carry up to 57 kilograms of product. He has traveled as far as 60 kilometers for a delivery to a town in the Western Highlands, where road conditions are poor.
Nearly a year into the books-for-food program, two more cyclists have joined Diaz and donations keep flowing in. Ana Castillo is a 29-year-old high school teacher who recently received the sociology book from Diaz. She donates to the program often. The 1.8 kilograms of Incaparina she provided will help one family eat for a month.
Castillo looks forward to choosing her books from the titles Diaz posts on social media. She also loves the feeling of a "growing circle" of giving and receiving. "You might not get to those places, but your help can. "she says.
Diaz says he plans to continue cycling against hunger as long as the need exists. He has faced his own economic difficulties since the theater company he co-founded closed last spring. But the program has kept him active. "It's an opportunity to serve in which we all benefit. "Diaz said.
1. What is the purpose of the program?| A．To serve the readers. |
| B．To produce Incaparina. |
| C．To offer poor children food. |
| D．To fight the pandemic. |
| A．He set up a social media. |
| B．He made donations frequently. |
| C．He rented a cart to carry goods. |
| D．He traveled to deliver books and food. |
| A．More people are involved in it. |
| B．Only two cyclists work for it. |
| C．Over 400 adults benefit from it. |
| D．Financial difficulties put it to an end. |
| A．Indifferent. |
| B．Supportive. |
| C．Tolerant. |
| D．Unwilling |
5 . With paper flowers and music hanging around in the air, Lyu Jun was hosting a small farewell ceremony at an industrial zone in Shenzhen, Guangdong province. It was a funeral for a pet dog. Lyu came up with the idea of becoming a pet mortician (殡葬师) four years ago when he was preparing to start a business.
“At that time, there was only one brick-and-mortar(实体的) business that provided funeral services for pets in Shenzhen, but hundreds of pets die every day in this city,” he said. According to Lyu, many pet owners used to bury the remains of their beloved animals near their homes , which had a harmful impact on the environment and created the risk of spreading disease.
He saw a gap in the market for someone able to properly handle the death of pets. “A pet funeral service provides treatment of the bodies that is harm-free, and it is the greatest comfort to pet owners,” Lyu said.
He takes good care of the remains of the pets and tidies up their appearance before the funeral. In addition, he prepares funeral addresses and selects suitable tombs for the pets. He also films funerals for owners who cannot attend the ceremonies, and provides paper and pens for those who want to write down their blessings and hang the notes on the wishing tree.
Over the past four years, Lyu has bid farewell to more than 2,000 dogs, cats and other kinds of animals. He also does volunteer work in his spare time to promote responsible dog raising. “The pet funeral service industry is still in its babyhood, and I hope there will be a set of strict standards for people who take on this job and a belter environment for the industry,” Lyu said.
1. Why did Lyu start the business on pet funeral service?| A．Because he could earn a lot of money from it. |
| B．Because he thought it met the market requirement. |
| C．Because he thought it would be a unique and challenging business. |
| D．Because he could help owners bury their dead pets near their homes. |
| A．He delivers speeches to mourn the pets. |
| B．He gives best wishes to the pets' owners. |
| C．He makes films of the pets for their birth. |
| D．He nurses and cares for the pets carefully. |
| A．Lyu volunteers to raise pets on his own. |
| B．The pet funeral service has got a big success. |
| C．More strict standards should be set for pets' owners. |
| D．There remains a potential in the pet funeral industry. |
| A．A research report. | B．An advertisement. |
| C．A novel. | D．A magazine. |
6 . Cecilia Chiang, whose San Francisco restaurant, the Mandarin, introduced American diners in the 1960s to the richness and variety of authentic Chinese cuisine, died on Wednesday at her home in San Francisco.
Ms. Chiang was not a chef, nor was she a likely candidate to run a restaurant. She was born near Shanghai in 1920 as the seventh daughter in a wealthy family. After her parents died, Cecilia managed the businesses' finances while still in her teens.
Ms. Chiang came to the United States from China to flee the Japanese during World War Ⅱ, traveling nearly 700 miles on foot. Once in San Francisco, she met two Chinese acquaintances who wanted to open a restaurant. Ms. Chiang agreed to put up a huge deposit. But when the two women quit, Ms. Chiang found to her honor that the deposit was not refundable（可退还的）. She took a deep breath and decided to open the restaurant herself. "I began to think that if I could create a restaurant with Western-style service and the dishes that I was most familiar with -the delicious food of northern China — maybe my little restaurant would succeed," she wrote in her book.
The Mandarin , which was opened in 1962 as a 65 -seat restaurant, introduced customers to mainly Sichuan9 Shanghai and Canton dishes. The early days were difficult. But little by little, Chinese diners, and a few Americans, came regularly. Overnight the tables filled and became a huge success.
Ms. Chiang continued to work as a restaurant consultant into her 90s. " I think I changed what average people know about Chinese food," Mrs. Chiang wrote. "They didn't know China was such a big country. "
1. When did Ms. Chiang start to manage the businesses' finances?| A．In the 1920s. | B．In the 1930s. | C．In the 1950s. | D．In the 1960s. |
| A．When Ms. Chiang came to the US. | B．How Ms. Chiang earned her deposit. |
| C．What Ms. Chiang wrote in her book. | D．Why Ms. Chiang opened her restaurant. |
| A．It survived the early hardships. | B．It provided all kinds of Chinese dishes. |
| C．It could seat less than 60 people at first. | D．It attracted many Americans once opened. |
| A．Smart but stubborn. | B．Devoted and brave. |
| C．Adventurous but careless. | D．Enthusiastic and ambitious. |
7 . 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 |
8 . Researchers studied a group of black-legged kittiwakes that nest in an abandoned radar tower on Middleton Island, Alaska. They attached GPS-accelerometers onto kittiwakes to track their flight performance and discovered that they sometimes travel as far as 155 miles (250 kilometers) a day to find food.
By combining data from the GPS tracker with minute muscle samples from some of the birds, the researchers found that — despite beating their wings less frequently — birds with larger muscle fibers were able to fly as fast as those with smaller fibers. The team also found that birds that flew faster had a higher number of nuclei — which produce the proteins to power flight — in their muscle cells, allowing the birds to increase more muscle fibers to power their flight.
Athletes exercise to maintain muscle tone. The same may be happening with kittiwakes, with those individuals that exercise the most — that is, fly the most — having better developed muscles than those that move less.
“Past studies have focused on hormone levels, body mass, or levels of red blood cells as a predictor of flight performance. We found that muscle structure and body mass together predict performance, says study coauthor Kyle Elliott, an assistant professor in McGill University's department of natural resource sciences in the Bieler School of Environment.
“With the data from the GPS-accelerometers, we can understand a lot about these birds, like where they're going to find food, how fast they're flying, and how frequently they're beating their wings in flight," says Kristen Lalla, the first author of the paper, which she co-wrote as an undergraduate student under Elliott's guidance. “In the past, one of the challenges of measuring muscle structure in small birds was that it usually requires dissecting (解剖)the muscle."
1. What do the first two paragraphs tell us about kittiwakes?| A．They nest in an abandoned Island of Alaska. |
| B．With smaller muscle fibers, they can fly faster. |
| C．They often travel as far as 250 kilometers a day. |
| D．Muscle fibers play an important role in their flight. |
| A．Body mass. |
| B．Hormone levels. |
| C．Levels of red blood cells. |
| D．Muscle structure and body mass. |
| A．The influential factors of kittiwakes' flight performance. |
| B．The importance of protecting kittiwakes. |
| C．The reasons for Kittiwakes flying so far. |
| D．The process of kittiwakes' flying. |
| A．Sport. | B．Nature. | C．Health. | D．Entertainment. |
9 . For several months, Cara has been working up the courage to approach her mom about what she saw on Instagram. Not long ago, the 11-year-old girl, like all the other kids in this story, discovered that her mom had been posting her photos for much of her life.“I’ve wanted to bring it up.It’s strange to see myself up there, and sometimes there are pictures of myself I don't like,”she said.
Like most other modern kids, Cara grew up in social media. While many kids may not yet have accounts themselves, their parents, schools, sports teams, and other organizations have been organizing online presence for them since birth.The shock of realizing that details about your life have been shared online without your permission or knowledge has become an important experience in the lives of many teenagers. Recently a parenting blogger (博主) wrote in an essay of The Washington Post that despite (尽管)her 14-year-old daughter’s horror of discovering that her mother had shared years of highly personal stories and information about her online, she simply could not stop posting them on her blog and social media. The writer said that promising her daughter that she would stop posting things about her publicly on the Internet “would mean shutting down an important part of myself, which isn't necessarily good for me or her”.
But it’s not just crazy mommy bloggers who construct their children’s online identity; plenty of average parents do the same. There’s even a special word for it: sharenting (晒娃成癖). Almost a quarter of children begin their digital lives when parents upload their photos to the Internet, according to a study conducted by the Internet-security (安全)firm AVG. The study also found that 92 percent of kids under the age of 2 already have their own unique digital identity.
1. How does Cara probably feel about her mom’s behavior?| A．It’s aggressive. | B．It’s appropriate. |
| C．It’s annoying. | D．It’s favorable. |
| A．It filled up her blog. | B．It showed off her success. |
| C．It recorded her stories. | D．It meant a lot to her. |
| A．A quarter of students. | B．Many ordinary parents. |
| C．Kids under the age of 2. | D．Some crazy bloggers. |
| A．Children’s New Trouble |
| B．Social Media |
| C．Kids’ Online Performance |
| D．Mommy Bloggers |
10 . Poaching has been threatening the survival of the African black rhino for long. But thanks to conservation efforts, the population of this endangered animal is slowly increasing, according to a recent update of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.
Between 2012 and 2018, the number of black rhinos in Africa has increased moderately, at annual rate of 2.5%, The population in the wild has grown from approximately 4,845 to 5,630. As IUCN's update suggests, the population models predict the number will continue to rise slowly over the next five years.
The white rhino, Africa's another rhino species that exists in greater numbers, has been on the IUCN Red List categorized as Near Threatened. Compared to the black rhino, the white rhino is at higher risk of being poached as it has larger horns and prefers more open habitats, which makes it easier to spot.
The threat to the two species mainly comes from poaching for the illegal international rhino horn trade. Fortunately, in recent years, a number of groups including range states, private landowners, and communities have been making efforts to protect them, and the measures are working. In 2015, there were at least 1,349 rhinos poached—an average of 3.7 rhinos hunted per day. Since then, the poaching numbers have decreased every year. In 2018, there were at least 892 rhinos poached, meaning approximately 2.4 African rhinos poached per day, or one every 10 hours. The data for 2019 looks promising as the poaching levels appear to have further gone down.
Although the levels of rhino poaching have been declining slightly in recent years due to conservation efforts, the costs of keeping rhinos safe have greatly gone up and sale prices for live rhinos have decreased considerably over the last 10 years, making private landowners and communities less motivated to protect rhinos. This trend could delay the continued progress of expanding the species range and numbers.
1. Which of the following can best describe the number of the African rhinos now?| A．Slightly declining. | B．Slowly expanding. |
| C．Greatly increasing. | D．Considerably decreasing. |
| A．The better situation for the African white rhinos. |
| B．The reason for protecting the African white rhinos. |
| C．The process of the white rhino being on the IUCU Red List. |
| D．The reason why the African white rhino is more likely to be poached. |
| A．In 2015. | B．In 2016. | C．In 2018. | D．In 2019. |
| A．Favorable. | B．Confident. | C．Concerned. | D．Uninterested. |
