1 . Masks that helped save lives are proving a deadly danger for wildlife, with birds and sea creatures trapped in the shocking number of thrown-away facial coverings. Single-use masks have been found around pavements, waterways and beaches worldwide. Worn once, the thin protective materials can take hundreds of years to decompose. “Face masks aren't going away any time soon—but when we throw them away, these items can harm the environment and the animals,” Ashley Fruno of animal rights group PETA said.
In Britain, a gull was rescued by the RSPCA after its legs became tangled in the straps of a mask for up to a week. The animal welfare charity took it to a wildlife hospital for treatment before its release.
The biggest impact may be in the water. More than 1.5 billion masks made their way into the world's oceans last year, accounting for around 6,200 extra tonnes of ocean plastic pollution, according to environmental group Oceans Asia.
Conservationists in Brazil found one mask inside the stomach of a penguin after its body was washed up on a beach, while a dead pufferfish was discovered caught inside another off the coast of Miami. French campaigners found a dead crab trapped in a mask near the Mediterranean. Masks and gloves are “particularly problematic” for sea creatures, says George Leonard, chief scientist from NGO Ocean Conservancy. “When those plastics break down in the environment, they then enter the food chain and impact entire ecosystems.” he added.
There has been a shift towards greater use of reusable cloth masks as the pandemic has worn on, but many are still using the lighter single-use varieties. Campaigners have urged people to bin them properly and cut the straps to reduce the risk of animals becoming trapped. Oceans Asia has also called on governments to increase fines for littering and encourage the use of washable masks.
1. What's Paragraph 1 mainly about?| A．The problem of littering masks. | B．The long time to break down masks. |
| C．The threat of masks to wildlife. | D．The protective use of masks to people. |
| A．They gave first aid to the bird. | B．They released the bird at once. |
| C．They kept the bird for about a week. | D．They sent the bird to hospital. |
| A．By providing examples. | B．By giving explanations. |
| C．By making comparisons. | D．By analyzing causes. |
| A．Forbidding the use of single-use masks. | B．Wearing reusable cloth masks. |
| C．Cutting the masks up before throwing. | D．Increasing fines for binning masks. |
2 . We have studied in Songpu High school for several months. When I first went into the school gate and saw my new classroom and teachers, I thought I would have a new start. The school life is very busy and exciting. There are many activities in our school, such as Sports Meeting, Science Week, Art Week and so on. We all take an active part in them. I have made many new friends and we often help and learn from each other in study.Our teachers have taught us a lot. They not only teach us how to study but also teach us how to be a useful person in society. They tell us which thing is worth doing.Habit is a second nature.Our teachers often remind us to form a good habit.
People often said: There is no royal to learning. Now I feel it is true. The study now is far more different than before. I often find there is something difficult to understand at once. At this time, you must spend a lot of time studying by yourself or you won't make progress. Of course study is hard but when you make progress you'll find it is interesting.
Our school is clean and beautiful. There are many trees and flowers around it.In order to make our school more and more beautiful we should try our best to keep it clean.
Today we are proud of Songpu. Tomorrow Songpu will be proud of us.
1. ________ is also important besides studying hard according to this passage.| A．Being a useful person | B．Good studying habit |
| C．Taking part in activities | D．Making progress |
| A．thankful | B．enthusiastic |
| C．loving | D．exciting |
| A．boring | B．harmonious (和谐的) |
| C．terrible | D．quiet |
| A．An Attractive School | B．My School Life |
| C．I Like My School | D．My Teacher |
3 . New York Walking Tour
♦Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Walking Tour
Start this exciting guided 4-hour tour by getting early Reserve Line Access boarding on the ferry to Liberty Island. Once there, go inside the base of the statue and head to the observation decks for an awesome view of New York City and its surroundings. Then come back on the ferry to Ellis Island to learn about the history of immigration to America that took place here between 1892 and 1954.
♦Central Park Walking Tour
Walk through Central Park’s most picturesque highlights on a 2-hour tour with a professional photographer. Remember your New York City adventure with unforgettable images of you with family or friends as you circle the towers at Belvedere Castle, walk through paths with flowers in the Conservatory Garden, or feed the swans by the Loeb Boathouse.
♦New York City Architecture Walking Tour
Learn about the history of the buildings that define the New York City skyline on a 3-hour walking architecture tour. Walk down the famous 42nd Street corridor with a longtime New York resident and architectural expert, stopping along the way to learn about Midtown Manhattan’s most iconic structures like the Chrysler Building, Ford Foundation, Grand Central Station and the New York Public Library.
♦Greenwich Village Walking Tour
Greenwich Village is one of New York City’s most beautiful and famous neighborhoods. Take a guided 3-hour walking tour of this legendary Lower Manhattan space. Hear about the famous artists who once lived here, from Edgar Allan Poe to Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix and countless others. Walk the winding streets and visit popular Washington Square Park, reliving more than 200 years of history.
1. Why do tourists visit Ellis Island?| A．To know about American immigration history. | B．To explore the surroundings of the island. |
| C．To get a whole view of New York City. | D．To observe Statue of Liberty closely. |
| A．Central Park Walking Tour. | B．Greenwich Village Walking Tour. |
| C．New York City Architecture Walking Tour. | D．Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Walking Tour. |
| A．Take unforgettable pictures. | B．Come across Bob Dylan. |
| C．Visit New York Public Library. | D．Learn about well-known artists. |
4 . Eve was having a party! She had been given a karaoke set for her birthday, so she invited all her friends round for a special competition evening. The best singer would win a prize of a huge box of her delicious cookies.
Everyone came along: Helen, Jane, and Peter, who looked a bit nervous. “Don’t worry, Peter. We’re only here to have some fun,” said Eve kindly. Jane was first up on stage (舞台). The minute she began to sing, everyone could tell she’d been practicing! Next, it was Helen’s turn. Her voice was not as strong as Jane’s, but she had a great sense of rhythm (节奏) and seemed to enjoy being on stage. All the girls took their turn singing. There were a few wrong notes, but all in all, everyone had a wonderful time.
“Come on, Peter. It’s your go now!” said the girls. But Peter shook his head. “No thanks. I’d be totally hopeless!” he said. “If you like, we can sing together. It won’t be as scary (可怕的) that way!” offered Eve. Peter gave in. He and Eve shared the microphone (话筒) and they began to sing a rock song. At first, you could hardly hear the voice of the shy boy but slowly, encouraged by his friends, he forgot his stage nervousness. Soon, Peter was holding the microphone on his own and singing his heart out! His singing was a bit off-key (走调的), but he made up for that by his performance. He danced around the stage like a real rock star!
At the end of the song, the girls all cheered. Eve stepped forward and handed him the big box of home-made cookies. “Peter, we all agree that you’ve won the prize!” she said. “OK, you may not exactly sing like an angel, but you really know how to put on a show!”
1. How was Jane’s singing voice?| A．Warm. | B．Fresh. | C．Funny. | D．Powerful. |
| A．Perfect. | B．Worrying. | C．Quite poor. | D．Generally good. |
| A．The girls asked her to do so. |
| B．There was no other microphone. |
| C．It could help fight Peter’s nervousness. |
| D．Peter was too nervous to hold the microphone. |
| A．He had the best voice. | B．He loved eating cookies. |
| C．He helped the girls a lot. | D．He held the stage very well. |
5 . Goolsbee, now a professor at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, said the rising number of Americans out of work forever paints a troubling picture about the recovery (恢复).
“If we are on path to only be two-thirds recovered,” Goolsbee wrote, “and then have millions of businesses closed down and the jobs there lost fast, there will be years for us to try to get back onto the path we were on before.”
And those everlasting job losses will influence the economy. People out of work may cutback spending or even stop it. They are at risk of falling behind on car payments, credit card bills and bank loan (贷款). Those risks are magnified by the fact that the government has so far failed to provide additional economic recovery policies (政策) — even though the US economy is in great need of them.
“Good insurance (保险) policies for people out of work have helped them pay the loan much more easily,” Principal’s Shah wrote, “but with everlasting job losses clearly rising and still no sign of an additional economic recovery package, the trouble will become more widespread and obvious.”
The hope is that those recognized as jobless at present will in the end get a job somewhere else. Even though some restaurants, shops and small businesses have shut down, new companies are opening each day here and there. But there is a time limit at play because the time of continuously out of job influences the chances of getting another job. “The longer you’re out of the job market,” said PNC’s Faucher, “the more difficult it becomes to find a new one.” Many Americans who had a job loss or had a too long vacation without any payment are eagerly looking forward to another job.
1. What does the underlined word “magnified” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?| A．Reduced. | B．Enlarged. |
| C．Avoided. | D．Unchanged. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Confused. |
| C．Disappointed. | D．Uninterested. |
| A．Losing jobs gets them out of the job market. |
| B．They have more opportunities to have vacations. |
| C．They successfully get offers from new companies. |
| D．Losing jobs for long makes it harder to find a new one. |
| A．The jobless usually spend less. |
| B．Insurance companies offer necessary loans. |
| C．More job losses suggest a dark economy future. |
| D．The economy recovery depends on the government. |
6 . Affordable Beach Vacation in Corfu
Corfu, an island off the coast of Greece, offers visitors sunkissed shores with clear water and lots of beaches.
Finding the Perfect Beach
Our first pick is Sidari Beach. It’s a blue flag beach perfect for couples looking for a more private feel, as it’s far from bigger tourist destinations. Issos Beach makes for the perfect place for watching the sunset. Dassia Bay has a bit more water sports. Paleokastritsa is an amazing West Coast village with six beaches on offer, including Rovinia Beach.
Getting around Corfu
Corfu offers bike rentals and bus service as a cheaper alternative (替代) to taxis. The best time to visit Corfu is during the “shoulder season” in April/May. The weather isn’t as warm as the high seasons but it remains perfect. It is not crowded in this period, but you still need to book ahead of schedule as Corfu stays popular throughout the year.
Eating Out For Less
There are a lot of well-priced restaurants but street food is also a big winner. Some popular choices are Souvlakia and Pita Gyros. There are also many cheeses special to Greece, including Tirokafteri and Ladotyri. Corfu also has many unbelievable desserts (甜食). Stazei Meli is a tourist favourite to give them a try.
1. Which place is probably the best choice for couples?| A．Sidari Beach. | B．Dassia Bay. |
| C．Issos Beach. | D．Rovinia Beach. |
| A．Rent a bike. | B．Book in advance. |
| C．Wear warm clothes. | D．Set off in April/May. |
| A．It cooks popular dishes. | B．It severs well-priced food. |
| C．It produces special cheese. | D．It sells amazing desserts. |
7 . Everyone needs friends.There is an old saying, "Friends are God’s way of taking care of us." But how do you find real friendship and keep it?
The American writer Sally Seamans tells young students some smart ways to make friends.Sally says finding friendship is just like planting a tree.You plant the seed(种子)and take care of it to make it grow.
First, you should choose a friend.What makes a good friend? It is not because a person has money or good looks.A good friend should be kind and patient(耐心).For example, if you have a bad day, a good friend should listen to your complaints and do his best to help.To make a good friend, you cannot be too shy.You should make each other happy and share your lives.
But things cannot always be happy.Even the best friends have fights.What should you do when you have a fight with your friend? You have to talk to him or her.When there is no one around, have an honest talk.If he or she doesn't want to talk, you could write a letter.
There are three steps to being friends again:
Tell him or her how you are feeling; say what your friend has done wrong, and explain why you did this or that.Remember that friendship is the most important thing in your life.
1. Sally wants to tell students the ways to .| A．make friends | B．plant trees | C．get happy | D．keep fit |
| A．be lovely and cool | B．have good looks |
| C．have lots of money | D．be kind and patient |
| A．buy a present for | B．never say a word to |
| C．write a letter to | D．have dinner with |
| A．Teenagers and friendship. | B．Finding and keeping friendship |
| C．The trouble of growing up. | D．Good friends around you. |
8 . At Englands University of Plymouth, Professor Eduardo Miranda has been programming pairs of robots to compose music. Miranda's robots have simple “ vocal cords”(声带)and are programmed to sing and to listen to each other. The robots' unique warbling sounds (颤音) do not perfectly match the human voice, but each machine is exactly sharing music with the other in a new and unique way.
Each robot is equipped with speakers, software that mimics the human voice, a mouth that opens as it “sings,” a microphone for ears, and a camera for eyes. The robots also move. Miranda hopes that by studying his robot vocalists, he can discover something about how and why humans create, perform, and listen to music.
When the robots sing, first one robot makes six random sounds. Its partner responds with more sounds. The first robot analyzes the sounds to see if their sequences (序列)) are similar. If they are, it nods its head and commits the sounds to memory, and the second robot notices and “memorizes” the musical sequence, too. If the first robot thinks the sounds are too different, it shakes its head and both robots ignore the sounds. Then the process continues.
Miranda set up an experiment in which he left the two robots alone in his study for two weeks. When he returned, his little warblers had, by imitating each other, not only shared notes but combined them. The product of their cooperation was far from symphonic, but the robots had begun to combine the notes into their own self-developed “songs”.
With the help of his warbling robots, one of Miranda's goals is to create music that no human would ever compose. Miranda believes the robots are ideal for this purpose because they would not be influenced by any existing musical styles or rules.
1. Which is closest in meaning to the underlined word “mimics” in Paragraph 2?| A．Substitutes. | B．Interrupts. |
| C．Controls. | D．Copies. |
| A．They interacted with each other. |
| B．They ignored the unique sound. |
| C．They learned to sing better than humans. |
| D．They committed random sounds to memory. |
| A．Sing as well as humans do. | B．Create new styles of music. |
| C．Memorize a variety of music. | D．Promote traditional musical forms. |
| A．Future robots. | B．Special songs. |
| C．Music by robots. | D．Experiments by Miranda. |
9 . On a hot summer weekend, Jorge Ayub saw the public beach north of Boston already crowded with nearly 1 million people drawn to the annual sand sculpture festival. Traffic on the nearby road was heavy, bands played music loudly, and later that night fireworks would light up the beach.
And on the sand were four pairs of tiny shorebirds. These chicks(小鸟) were still too young to fly and a precious addition to the national endeavor to save a bird once down to 139 pairs in Massachusetts. It was Mr. Ayub’s job. “Everyone made it,” Ayub, a coastal ecologist reported at the end of the long weekend over the nests.
Once common, piping plovers(笛鸻) were hunted and then squeezed out of their habitats(栖息地) by coastal development until, in 1986, the federal government listed the Atlantic Coastal birds as threatened. The bird’s recovery has been halting. After three decades, the Atlantic population stands just under the 2,000-pair goal set by federal law.
But the star has been Massachusetts, which has seen plovers increase to 687pairs from 139 pairs in 1986. One reason for that: “chick-sitting” in which conservationists sometimes spend all day watching over the birds.
That progress has made Massachusetts the only East Coast state that decided to relax some Endangered Species Act restrictions: for example, to reduce the fenced-off areas and vehicle limits that have annoyed residents（居民）.
“Look at the stretch(一片土地)，”Anyb says. “We had six nesting pairs between here and that bathhouse 600 yards away. By regulation, each nest should have 100 yards of fencing. We could have put up fencing and closed the beach all the way to the bathhouse.”
Instead, the plovers are surrounded in much smaller areas by “symbolic fencing”. None of the 52 seawall entrances to the beach are closed. “If we put up too much fencing, people will be upset, and they are going to destroy it or walk right through the nesting areas,” Ayub says. “By opening the beach, people are happier and the species does better.”
1. What was Jorge Ayub doing at the beginning of the text?| A．Directing traffic. |
| B．Enjoying fireworks. |
| C．Looking after some birds. |
| D．Watching some bands perform. |
| A．slow | B．Similar |
| C．Important | D．Complete |
| A．It is an important habitat for wildlife. |
| B．It has done well in protecting piping plovers. |
| C．It encourages the residents to keep piping plovers. |
| D．It allows ecologists to test certain species of birds. |
| A．Supportive | B．Disapproving |
| C．Uninterested | D．Doubtful |
The doctors note the number of young children with the chronic pain(慢性病) in their necks, arms and shoulders is on the increase sharp in recent years . They are not aging, they haven’t had an accident, the blood reports are fine, their X-rays are fine, and their MRIs are fine. Facts have proved that the pain is from the poor posture(姿势) while they are playing video games on smart phones or other electronic devices. 19-year –old student Nida feels pain in the finger which holds the weight of her smart phone most of the day. Nida almost uses her smart phone 24/7, which means 24 hours a day, seven days a week, or all the time.
Health experts predict there will be not only physical（身体的）but mental(精神的) problems resulting from the overuse of electronic devices. They encourage people to often take breaks and exercise from using computers, smart phones or other devices. Stand up! Stretch(伸展) the legs, back, shoulders and arms in all the possible directions. That’s the most effective way and maybe the key to solving the problem completely. After all, the medication doesn’t help sometimes.
1. What is Mehzabin worried about?
| A．Her son has no table manners. |
| B．Her son’s physical problems get worse. |
| C．Her son doesn’t work hard at school. |
| D．Her son spends much money on games. |
| A．Using a heavy smart phone will cause it. |
| B．Adults don’t have the problem. |
| C．It is caused by the wrong body position |
| D．Children with it often have other diseases. |
| A．best treatment for the chronic pain is exercising |
| B．people must take medicine to cure the chronic pain |
| C．people should stop using smart phones |
| D．the chronic pain has nothing to do with one’s mental health |
| A．To Play Games Well, Sit Up Straight |
| B．Too Much Gaming Is A Pain In The Neck |
| C．How To Avoid The Pain In The Neck |
| D．How To Be More Fit By Playing Games |
