1 . Nothing energizes office workers more than complaining about meetings. And it seems some of the world's greatest tech successes agree. Here's some of their advice.
Mark Zuckerberg: A decision or a discussion?
The Facebook CEO reportedly improved the effectiveness of meetings by asking managers to explain the point of a meeting: to make a decision or to have a discussion.
"If there's no point, then there are no decisions," Microsoft founder Bill Gates might agree. He is supposed to have said, "You have a meeting to make a decision, not to decide on the question."
Elon Musk: It is not rude to leave.
Elon Musk once sent out an email to staff in which he made some "recommendations".
"Walk out of a meeting or drop off a call as soon as it is obvious you aren't adding value," he went on. "It is not rude to leave; it is rude to make someone stay and waste their time."
Jeff Bezos: The "two--pizza rule".
The Amazon founder meets investors for just six hours a year, and tries to avoid early morning meetings.
Business Insider reports that Mr. Bezos also has a strict policy: Never have a meeting in which you couldn't feed the whole group with two pizzas. The businessman believes small groups are far more efficient than large ones, and the "two-pizza rule" helps him prevent large meetings.
Steve Jobs: No need for PowerPoint.
Walter Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs shows the creative genius behind the iPhone making an attack on slideshow users. "People who know what they are talking about don't need PowerPoint," he said.
"Generally PowerPoint presentations are a great distraction(使人分心的事物), unless it's data or a graph," said Professor Andre Spicer. "Long slides mean no information being conveyed."
1. What did Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates both stress?| A．How to have a meeting. | B．When to have a meeting. |
| C．The purpose of having a meeting. | D．The importance of having a meeting. |
| A．To offer better services for a meeting. | B．To reduce the cost of a meeting. |
| C．To encourage short meetings. | D．To limit the size of a meeting. |
| A．less is more | B．the more the merrier |
| C．something is better than nothing | D．a picture is worth a thousand words |
2 . One of the astronomy's most well-known telescopes-the 305-metre-wide radio telescope at Arecibo, Puerto Rico-is closing forever. Engineers cannot find a safe way to repair it after two cables supporting the structure suddenly and catastrophically broke, one in August and one in early November.
The Arecibo telescope, which was built in 1963, was the world's largest radio telescope for decades and has historical and modern importance in astronomy. It was the site from which astronomers sent an interstellar radio message in 1974, in case any extraterrestrial might hear it, and where the first known extrasolar planet was discovered, in 1992. It has also done groundbreaking work in detecting near-Earth planets, observing the puzzling celestial blasts known as fast radio bursts, and studying many other phenomena.
The cables that broke helped support a 900-tonne platform of scientific instruments, which hangs above the main telescope dish. The first cable broke panels at the edge of the dish, but the second tore huge gashes in a central portion of it. If any more cables fail-which could happen at any time-the entire platform could crash into the dish below. The US National Science Foundation(NSF), which owns the Arecibo Observatory, is working on plans to safely lower the platform down in a controlled fashion.
NSF's officials insist that the cable failures came as a surprise. After the first, engineering teams spotted a handful of broken wires on the second cable, which was more crucial to holding up the structure, but they did not see it as a major problem because the weight it was carrying was well within its design capacity.
Some of the observatory's scientific projects may be able to be transferred to other facilities, said Ralph Gaume, the NSF's head of astronomy. And he expects scientists to suggest where to shift their research. Science does continue at other portions of the Arecibo Observatory, which includes more than the 305-metre-dish. They include two lidar facilities that shoot lasers into the atmosphere to study atmospheric phenomena.
1. What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?| A．The history of building the telescope. | B．The key role of the telescope in astronomy. |
| C．The benefit of learning astronomical events. | D．The process of locating near-Earth planets. |
| A．NSF's officials tried to repair the platform |
| B．the second cable failure destroyed the platform |
| C．the scientific instruments broke down due to the cables |
| D．the platform would not break down if no more cables should fail |
| A．The cable was not very old. |
| B．The wires were specially designed. |
| C．The weight the cable bore did not go beyond its limit. |
| D．The cable was not as important as the first one. |
| A．All of them will be shut down. | B．Some of them will be moved to other facilities. |
| C．They will be distributed to different scientists. | D．Some of them will be put off. |
3 . Chemical engineers at UNSW Sydney have found a way to make "green" ammonia (氨) from air, water and renewable electricity. In a paper published in Energy and Environmental Science, the authors say that ammonia synthesis (合成法) was one of the critical achievements of the 20th century. When used in fusiliers that significantly increase the output of food crops, it enabled agriculture to sustain an ever-expanding global population.
But since the beginning of the 1900s when it was first employed, production of ammonia has been energy intensive- requiring temperatures higher than 400℃ and pressures greater than 200 atm-and all powered by fossil fuels. Dr. Emma Lovell, a co author on the paper from UNSW, says the traditional way to make ammonia- known as the Haber- Bosch process- is only cost-effective when it is produced on a massive scale due to the huge amounts of energy and expensive materials required and it produces more CO2 than any other chemical-making reaction.
“In addition to the big carbon footprint left by the Haber Bosch process, having to produce millions of tons of ammonia in centralised locations means even more energy is required to transport it around the world, not to mention the risks that go with storing large amounts of it in the one place,” says Dr. Lovell. “And we saw tragically in Beirut recently how potentially dangerous storing ammonium nitrate (硝酸盐) can be. ”
Dr. Lovell and her colleagues therefore looked at how to produce it cheaply, on a smaller scale and using renewable energy. Their new production method does not rely on fossil fuel resources, nor give of CO2.
“And once it becomes available commercially, the technology could be used to produce ammonia directly on site and on demand- farmers could even do this on location using our technology to make fertilisers- which means we negate the need for storage and transport There's a huge benefit to society as well as the health of the planet,”Dr. Lovell says.
1. What do we know about the Haver-Bosch process?| A．It does harm to the earth. |
| B．It requires green materials. |
| C．It uses less energy and is cheap. |
| D．It transforms fossil fuels into ammonia. |
| A．To remind people to protect the environment. |
| B．To give an example of the risk in ammonia storage. |
| C．To convince farmers to transport ammonia elsewhere. |
| D．To stress the choice of a proper centralised location. |
| A．Inspect. | B．Avoid. | C．Suit. | D．Accept. |
| A．To solve a problem. | B．To explain a process. |
| C．To advocate a theory. | D．To introduce a method. |
4 . It's no secret that inhaling(吸入)smoke is bad for your lungs. But now, scientists are suggesting smoke may also carry and spread infectious diseases. The theory, published in Science Magazine, is based on the research that found wildfire smoke is full of thousands of species of microorganisms(微生物).Some of these microorganisms, including bacteria and fungal spores(真菌抱子).are known to cause disease.
The new research suggests that when a wildfire burns plants or animal matter and disturbs soils, it exposes thousands of species of bacteria and fungi that otherwise might not easily become airborne. You might think the high heat from fire would kill these organisms, but one study mentioned in the article found that some bacteria even multiply after fires. Scientists say the organisms stick with smoke particulates(颗粒物), allowing them to travel thousands of miles across continents.
Dr. Peter Chen, director of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, is interested in the theory but somewhat skeptical that the microorganisms in smoke would actually cause infections. Many bacteria and fungi don't cause lung infections, says Chen, but it's certainly possible that a significant number could worsen symptoms in someone with a preexisting lung condition. "I always thought it was the particulates in smoke that were causing these issues," says Chen. "But when I read this, I started thinking, could it be the microorganisms that are also worsening existing illnesses?"
Whether the microorganisms in smoke actually cause infections or simply worsen potential respiratory(呼吸的)issues, the article raises a new health threat that is "certainly alarming", says Kelsey Jack, an associate professor of environmental and development economics. This is especially true for lower-income populations, Jack says, because people with fewer protective means are often more exposed to the environment. If smoke is affecting the air quality in a certain area, the people who work outside, or who have to go to the office on foot or by bike will inhale more smoke than those who drive.
But until more research is done, Chen says the best thing people can do is just follow existing recommendations when air quality is poor-including staying indoors, keeping windows and doors closed, using HEPA filters and running air conditioning.
1. What can we know about the microorganisms from Paragraph 2?| A．Some could reproduce after fires. |
| B．They could be killed by high heat. |
| C．They could possibly travel through air by themselves. |
| D．Some could copy the smoke particulates. |
| A．They will cause lung infection. | B．They might worsen lung diseases. |
| C．They will destroy living environments. | D．They might damage respiratory systems. |
| A．They live in poor areas. | B．They drive to and from work· |
| C．They have suffered from lung disease. | D．They are exposed to polluted air more frequently. |
| A．To wait for the results of more researches. |
| B．To ignore the air quality and to work out outdoors. |
| C．To follow previous suggestions on dealing with poor air quality. |
| D．To avoid using filters and air conditioning. |
5 . Fou Ts'ong, a Chinese-born pianist known for his sensitive interpretations of Chopin, Debussy and Mozart.died on Monday at a hospital in London, where he had lived for many years. He was 86.
A lover of classical music from a young age, Mr. Fou began taking piano lessons when he was 7. Mr. Fou made his first stage appearance in 1952. The concert caught the attention of officials in Beijing, who selected him to compete and tour in Eastern Europe. Mr. Fou soon moved to Poland, where he studied at the Warsaw Conservatory(音乐学校)on a scholarship. To prepare for the fifth Chopin Competition in Warsaw in 1955.he practiced so diligently that he hurt his fingers and was nearly cut from the first round of the competition.
Mr. Fou was one of the first Chinese pianists to achieve global prominence when he took the third place in the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw in 1955. He also won a special prize for his performance of Chopin's mazurkas(马祖卜舞曲). Almost overnight, he became a national hero. To China, Mr. Fou's recognition in a well-known international competition was proof that the country could stand on its own artistically in the West. Chinese reporters flocked to interview Mr. Fou, while many others sought out his father, Fu Lei, for advice on child-rearing.
In 1981, a volume of letters written by his father, primarily to Mr. Fou, was published in China. Full of advice, encouragement, life teachings and strict paternal love, the book Fu Lei's Family, Letters became a best-seller in China. Besides influencing a generation of Chinese, Mr. Fu's words resonated(共鸣)long after his death with the person for whom they were intended.
"My father had a saying that 'First you must be a person, then an artist, and then a musician, and only then can you be a pianist.'" Mr. Fou once recalled in an interview. "Even now, I believe in this order-that it should be this way and that I am this way."
1. What can be learned from Paragraph 2?| A．Fou Ts'ong competed and toured in Beijing. |
| B．Fou Ts'ong first performed on the stage at 7. |
| C．Fou Ts'ong made great efforts for competitions. |
| D．Fou Ts'ong started learning music in Eastern Europe. |
| A．It earns Chinese art a place in the West. |
| B．It promotes the spread of Chinese culture. |
| C．It proves Chinese people's talent for music. |
| D．It enables Chinese art education to be recognized. |
| A．Mr. Fu's words. | B．Young Chinese. |
| C．Fou Ts'ong and his family. | D．Readers of Fu Lei's Family Letters. |
| A．Pursuing art is a long and painful process. |
| B．It requires various qualities to be a pianist. |
| C．Everyone should develop an interest in art. |
| D．Talent is of the greatest importance for a pianist. |
6 . Some people must carefully pay attention to everything they put in their mouths in order to control their weight. By contrast, others can eat French fries to their hearts' content and achieve the same result. How do some people manage never to gain weight?
"Perception, one of the most important factors, has nothing to do with the body type because our personal feeling is always wrong. We often feel that some people who eat more don't put on weight. Actually? those who appear to eat whatever they like without gaining weight aren't eating more than the rest of us," said professor Kathleen Melanson. "For example, your friend who eats ice cream on a daily basis might eat less at another meal- or snack less throughout the rest of the day.”
“Physical activity can also make a difference, but it doesn't have to be a gym workout. There's little evidence to suggest that—without exercise-some people were born to burn significantly more calories than others," said Dr Ines Barroso, a researcher at the University of Cambridge. But there may be physical differences that allow some people to naturally control the number of calories they consume without exercising much self-regulation.
A lot of nervous system signals and hormones （激素）that circulate in our blood interact to tell us when we're hungry or full. This is called the appetite regulatory system, and it may be more sensitive in some people than others, Melanson said. One important hormone involved in this system is leptin （瘦素）.It helps regulate how much food we want to eat over longer periods of time, not just for our next meal. So a person with a more sensitive system might go back for seconds and thirds at a party, then feel full for the next few days and eat less.
Genetics can also play a role in a person's tendency to gain or lose weight. Researchers have identified over 250 different regions of DNA that are associated with obesity, according to a 2019 study published in PLOS Genetics.
1. What does the underlined word “Perception" in paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．Connection. | B．Sense. | C．Defense. | D．Reduction. |
| A．It makes people usually feel hungry. |
| B．It helps people have a better appetite. |
| C．It helps people regulate their food intake. |
| D．It makes people more sensitive to the flavour of food. |
| A．Weight problems can be avoided. |
| B．Losing weight is equally difficult for everyone. |
| C．Some people may be born to have weight problems. |
| D．Genes can be completely changed to avoid weight problems. |
| A．To share some ideas about how to lose weight. |
| B．To explain why some people never gain weight. |
| C．To advise people to control their daily diet strictly. |
| D．To call for people to pay attention to healthy eating. |
7 . As one of the most momentous languages in the world, Latin had humble beginnings. It originated along the Tiber River in Italy and only a handful of people spoke the language. Over time, Latin became more distinguished as Romans procured political power. Many famous literary texts and scientific classifications were written in Latin. Even though knowing Latin indicated a person was educated, according to Britannica, in the 20th century far fewer people learned Latin”, leading it to be classified as a "dead” language.
There are around 7, 000 living languages in the world, but, according to Britannica, “more than half are at risk of dying out by the end of the 21st century”. Civilizations evolve over time and so do languages. More often than not, a language dies because everyone who speaks the language dies. For example, Marie Smith Jones, perhaps the last native speaker of the Alaskan Eyak language, died at the age of 89 in 2008, and so did the language. Now, fewer and fewer people speak Latin, which raises public's awareness about its preservation.
Actually, there are many other reasons in respect of why Latin should be preserved or taught. “It is a window into an engaging ancient civilization, and studying an ancient civilization teaches us to respect different points of view and unfamiliar cultural practices," says Kathleen Coleman, James Loeb Professor of Harvard University.
Since it isn't used in ordinary conversations, there are a lot of difficulties that arise from teaching Latin. Teaching a 'dead' language is distinct from teaching other languages, explains Coleman, “because there are no native speakers to demonstrate us how it sounds or answer questions about the meanings of words or justify idioms. While it's tough, we still can find the answers to our questions from the fragmentary evidence available in written texts.”
1. What can we learn about Latin from Paragraph 1?| A．Latin was well-known since its birth. |
| B．Only educated people learned Latin in the past. |
| C．Latin was not favored by scientists and writers. |
| D．All people didn't learn Latin in the 20th century. |
| A．Latin is going to be a "dead” language. |
| B．what it really means when a language dies. |
| C．why people should be aware of protecting languages. |
| D．he is the last native speaker of the Alaskan Eyak language. |
| A．To show unfamiliar practices. |
| B．To respect others' opinions. |
| C．To learn about an ancient society. |
| D．To protect a "dead” language. |
| A．The learning materials. |
| B．The development of Latin. |
| C．The learning methods. |
| D．The difficulties in learning Latin. |
8 . When it comes to historical Italian coffee, you cannot help but talk of Venice. It is in this city that the tradition of coffee was born, and then spread to the rest of Italy.
Caffè Florian
Caffè Florian was founded in 1720. From then on, this elegant building has been characterized by its exclusive products and guests: here, noblemen, politicians and intellectuals would meet. Today, the café is an important cultural center where exhibitions are organized. But it remains an ideal place for tourists who simply want to enjoy an espresso sitting at a little table in the heart of Venice, a few steps from the Grand Canal.
Gran Caffè Quadri
Also in St. Mark’s Square, there is another historic café that since 1775 has earned an important place among the many.Gran Caffè Quadri represents the memory of centuries in the twilight(晚期) of the Republic of Venice, and the birth of the modern age, and the secrets of the famous people who sat in its halls. Even today, Gran Caffè Quadri is a favorite of actors and directors attending the Venice Film Festival.
Harry’s Bar
More recent, but equally fascinating, is the story of Harry’s Bar, opened in 1931 and declared a national monument in 2001. Built from an old warehouse close to Piazza San Marco, Harry’s Bar owes its name and existence to the American student Harry Pickering. This is not strictly a coffee bar, but inside intellectuals, artists, writers such as Arturo Toscanini, Guglielmo Marconi, Charlie Chaplin, all spent time.
Caffè La Calcina
Moving to the southern limit of the city, in the ancient neighborhood called Le Zattere, we will find Caffè La Calcina, another important spot that was a meeting place for artists and writers in the early 1900s. The place is now a bar and restaurant called La Piscina, in memory of the bathhouse with a pool that used to be there.
1. Where would you go if you are interested in cultural evens?| A．Caffè Florian. | B．Gran Caffè Quadri. |
| C．Harry’s Bar. | D．Caffè La Calcina. |
| A．Piazza San Marco | B．an old warehouse |
| C．Arturo Toscanini | D．an American student |
| A．They were popular among celebrities. | B．They are on the decline nowadays. |
| C．They are located in St.Mark’s Square. | D．They were built from old houses. |
9 . Imagine standing on one spot where the only direction is south. You can experience it if you join a group of just 128 passengers for your tip to the pole of the world. Your icebreaker ship, 50 Years of Victory, will take you to the North Pole, which is more commonly associated （联系） with fairy tales.
Days 1&2--From Helsinki to Murmansk
Your adventure begins from Helsinki, Finland’s capital. From Helsinki, you’ll join your fellow passengers on the flight to Murmansk, Russia, where you’ll start your voyage to the North Pole and get to know 50 Years of Victory.
Days 3-6--Travelling towards the north in the Arctic Ocean
Being on Victory and feeling the icebreaker as it cuts through the Arctic pack ice is an experience you’ll never forget. You’ll have plenty of time to get to know your shipmates, and be treated to lectures and discussions about the trip by Our expedition （远征） team while seeing various birds. There are other things you can do, such as swimming and playing basketball.
Day7--90°North
Take photos, call your family and wave a flag; just be sure to enjoy your moment at the pole. If environmental conditions permit, you can jump into the icy waters around the North Pole. We’ll also attempt to send passengers high above the pole in our hot-air balloon to celebrate this great moment (highly weather dẹpendent).
Days 8 & 9--Travelling towards the south in the Arctic Ocean
As you head further south, you may get lucky and spot polar bears hunting for seals.
Days 10 & 11--Franz Josef Land
This group of 191 islands lies entirely within the Arctic Circle. Here you’ll explore Cape Flora and discover historic remains from three ill-fated arctic adventures.
Days 12 & 13--Getting off Victory in Murmansk and flying to Helsinki
When you return to Murmansk, it will be time to say goodbye to 50 Years of Victory. You’ll be sent to the airport for your flight to Helsinki.
1. What can passengers do from Day 3 to Day 6?| A．Break the pack ice in the Arctic. | B．Get to know more about the trip. |
| C．Feed a variety of birds on board. | D．Compete with your shipmates in skiing. |
| A．Taking a hot-air balloon ride. | B．Sending passengers deep into the icy waters. |
| C．Contacting your family by telephoning. | D．Waving flags and taking photos in the wind. |
| A．From Day 3 to Day 6. | B．From Day 8 to Day9. |
| C．On-Days 10 & 11. | D．On Days 12 & 13. |
10 . Galapagos Giant tortoises (巨型陆龟), sometimes called Gardeners of the Galapagos, are creatures of habit. In the cold dry season, the highlands of the volcanoes are covered in cloud which allows plants to grow despite the absence of rain. In the lower areas, however, plants are not available all year round. Adult tortoises thus spend the dry season in the higher areas, and go back to the lower, relatively warmer areas where there are plentiful eatable plants when the rainy season begins. The tortoises often take the same migration routes over many years in order to find perfect plants and temperatures. The timing of this migration is important for keeping their energy levels high.
Researchers used GPS to track the timing and patterns of tortoise migration over many years. They expected the migration to be timed with current environmental conditions because many other migratory animals do it that way. However, tortoise migration is weakly related to current conditions such as rain and temperature. It is unclear at this point whether they are basing their migration decisions on memories of past conditions or if they are simply incorrectly assessing current local conditions.
Luckily, probably because of their long lives of up to 100 years and large body size, bad timing of migration has smaller effects on giant tortoises compared to small, short-lived animals. Giant tortoises can go up to a year without eating and survive, while other migratory animals might eat more often to keep their energy levels high.
Giant tortoises are important ecosystem engineers in the Galapagos, and their migration is key to the survival of many plants. How the difference in tortoises' migration time will affect the rest of the ecosystem is still unclear. It is quite possible that the mistiming of migration will keep increasing in the future. "One concern is that at some point in the future," says Bastille-Rousseau, lead author of the study, "migration may not be a perfect strategy for tortoises. There may be a reduction in the number of tortoises doing these long travels. This would likely have great effects on the whole ecosystem."
1. What do we know about Galapagos giant tortoises?| A．They prefer low temperatures. |
| B．They like living in the highlands. |
| C．They always hate the rainy season. |
| D．They seldom change migration routes. |
| A．The weather has much to do with it. |
| B．It disagrees with current conditions. |
| C．The research has strong effects on it. |
| D．It is decided by the tortoises' memories. |
| A．Their restless energy. | B．Their different body shape. |
| C．Their habit of eating healthily. | D．Their ability to go without food. |
| A．Migration is the only choice for giant tortoises in the future. |
| B．Damage to the ecosystem will reduce the number of giant tortoises. |
| C．Giant tortoise migration plays a major role in Galapagos’ ecosystem. |
| D．Giant tortoises protect the ecosystem by their different migration time. |
