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 . Aaron has performed in Germany, Korea, the Czech Republic and across the United States. His back flip (翻) earned him a place in “Guinness World Records”. Aaron doesn't use a skateboard to do his tricks. He sticks a perfect four wheeled landing with his wheelchair. That's quite an accomplishment for a kid who was born with spina bifida, a developmental birth defect (缺陷) that made him even unable to sit independently.
One day, when he was eight, his friends encouraged him to roll down a shallow ramp (斜坡). It was a scary first ride. Aaron crashed his hands, but he was attracted. Six months later, after endless hard trying and training, he accomplished his first trick—lifting up one of the back wheels while crossing a barrier.
“The more I rode, the better I became, though I have to admit that the process involved falling in every way possible,” says Aaron. When Aaron performed his first airborne 180 out of the box, Steve, his father, sensed an opportunity, videotaped the performance and sent it to the Internet. A letter soon arrived from John Box, founder of Colours’N Motion, encouraging him to call him directly whenever they needed anything. Aaron has a sponsor since.
With his mother helping with scheduling, he has had the opportunity to travel within the US as well as internationally. He has attended summer camps for disabled children as a coach. “I know that I can be an inspiration for disabled kids,” says Aaron. “The message I want to convey to kids and adults is very simple: Always test your boundaries and don't let the disability restrict your capacities and possibilities.”
1. What happened when Aaron first tried to roll down a ramp?| A．He crashed into his friend and got hurt. | B．He became interested in the sport. |
| C．He was too scared to try the sport again. | D．He accomplished his first trick. |
| A．Steve. | B．John Box. |
| C．His friends. | D．His mother. |
| A．Independent and cooperative. | B．Ambitious and generous. |
| C．Courageous and determined. | D．Energetic and humorous. |
| A．Aaron: skating ability beyond disability. |
| B．Aaron: inspiration for skating coaches. |
| C．A boy working for “Guinness World Records”. |
| D．A boy seeking to be an Internet celebrity. |
3 . With year-round sunshine, postcard-worthy white sand and impossibly blue ocean waters, the breathtaking scenery and authentic cultural experiences along the Belt and Road are among our top-selling destinations. To help go beyond your simple sun-and-sea escape, our travel experts share some holiday activities with you.
Sri Lanka Activities
For unforgettable views of the country's striking landscape, choose to take to the skies and look over the island in a hot air balloon and get unmatched views of the tree-topped cliffs below. The clear waters are ideal for snorkelling and diving, and when the surf's up you can ride the waves.
Windsurfing, canoeing and many other water sports are there to enjoy, no matter your skill level.
The Maldives Activities
With Maldives holiday offers, you can experience some of the best diving in the world. Use your resort as a base to discover the underwater world filled with marine life, take barbecues and picnics on deserted sand banks or get a taste of the islands' culture with a trip to a local fishing village.
Abu Dhabi Activities
You can get the best of everything on an Abu Dhabi Holiday, capital of the United Arab Emirates. Go shopping in the city's shiny shopping centres, like Marina Mall and Al Wahda Mall. Climb the world's tallest sand dune, Tel Moreeb or explore the Arabian desert in a more leisurely fashion with a camel ride and a barbecue beneath the stars.
Cyprus Activities
Cyprus is one of the best spots for scuba diving(戴水肺潜水)in Europe, but if you prefer to stay above the surface, there is wind surfing and sailing. On land, the country's mountains offer the perfect place for walking and hiking, and even bird-watching in the forest places.
1. Who are the activities intended for?| A．Travel agents. |
| B．Brave explorers. |
| C．Potential tourists. |
| D．Green volunteers. |
| A．Cyprus Activities. |
| B．Sri Lanka Activities. |
| C．Abu Dhabi Activities. |
| D．The Maldives Activities. |
| A．Riding the waves on the sea. |
| B．Working out in the mountains. |
| C．Exploring the underwater world. |
| D．Experiencing the local customs. |
4 . With exams just around the corner, now is a good time to explore some of UCL’s lesser-known study spaces and get down to some revision. Here are some good choices for you.
UCL Senate House Hub
UCL Senate House Hub opened in 2015 and provides 144 study spaces. What’s more, you can check how many spaces are available online before you head to the place. Located on the 3rd floor of the South Block of Senate House, the center has room for individual and group study in traditional library spaces, as well as armchairs and wi-fi coverage.
UCL Eastman Dental Library
The newly redecorated UCL Eastman Dental Library is located halfway along Gray's Inn Road and is open from Monday to Friday, 9:00am 800pm. The library has 72 study spaces, and many IT facilities（equipment with access to the Internet）. The library also has a study room for meetings and a computer cluster room with a whiteboard.
UCL Language & Speech Science Library
UCL Language & Speech Science Library（LASS）has disabled access and has recently been decorated to add extra study spaces. With only 49 spaces, LASS is smaller than most other UCL libraries and tends to fill up quickly, so get there early to avoid disappointment.
Senate House Library
This one may be cheating as the Senate House Library is not technically a UCL library. However, all UCL students and staff can register for free membership online. With millions of books and journals, Senate House Library offers some places a little less used by UCL students but perfect for students who want to focus on some hard work.
1. The four places are mainly introduced to someone who________.| A．likes learning online | B．prefers to study in widely-known libraries |
| C．loves reading | D．is preparing for exams |
| A．Check whether there are available seats. |
| B．Take the Membership Card. |
| C．Make an appointment in advance. |
| D．Check the library’s opening hours. |
| A．Four. | B．One. | C．Two. | D．Three. |
5 . By now, most of us have picked up at least one pandemic hobby. And there's a seemingly common pandemic hobby trend: People who haven't been able to go anywhere are making imaginary travel plans. Maybe you're among those who have spent hours researching locations-even though you're not actually planning to travel.
It turns out that you aren't alone. People who seem to be sticking to public safety recommendations are still planning trips they don't intend to book. And, when I suddenly found myself addicted to an imaginary girls' trip to Joshua Tree, I wondered whether this was a healthy distraction.
"It's an escapist imagination," said Regine Galanti, a psychologist, adding that there's nothing wrong with escapism during a global pandemic.
On the one hand, distractions are often beneficial right now. We are a full year into living with COVID-19 as a pandemic, and that means you've probably had to navigate a range of emotions like discomfort, sadness, or even boredom. So any hobby that doesn't harm anyone or endanger your well-being is probably a worthy attempt.
Even if vacation planning is your happy place, Dr. Galanti suggests you "actually think about what you're trying to achieve." Why? "Maybe what you're saying is, I need a vacation from work," Dr. Galanti explains. "Then take three days off even if you are not going anywhere. "When you figure out what you're looking for, you might be able to find a small socially distanced adventure in your backyard or a quiet place. Vacation planning is a good way to spend some time, but there might be an even better way to get what you're desiring.
Anyway, when uncertainty is all around us, creating things to look forward to isn't a terrible idea. And when things are safer, you'll have all your plans in place.
1. Why do people make imaginary travel plans during the pandemic?| A．To develop a new hobby. | B．To stay safe and sound. |
| C．To be distracted from reality. | D．To get ready for future travel. |
| A．Express. | B．Balance. | C．Adapt to. | D．Deal with. |
| A．Objective. | B．Negative. | C．Supportive. | D．Unclear. |
| A．Figures. | B．Lifestyle. |
| C．Food and recipe. | D．Science and technology. |
6 . Regardless of whether or not you are young, there are particular habits that give away your true age. Like falling asleep on the very thought of a second glass of wine, some issues simply sign to the world that you are just over 40. Now, a brand-new study reveals that there is one factor you do along with your smartphone that reveals your age: turning to a PIN(personal identification number) to unlock your telephone rather than a fingerprint or facial recognition means you are of an older technology.
The study, carried out by researchers on the University of British Columbia, explored the links between age and smartphone use by remotely monitoring smartphone customers' habits. “As researchers working to protect smartphones from illegal access, we need to first understand how users use their devices,” defined Konstantin Beznosov, a professor involved in the research.
To get more information, the researchers selected 134 volunteers, ranging in age from 19 to 63, and had them set up a tailored app to their Android telephones for two months. The app recorded all of their lock and unlock occasions, together with whether or not they choose auto or guide lock, and the actions of the telephone on the time of unlocking. This is how they found the generational variations in unlocking habits.
The researchers additionally collected information on the size of consumer periods. The staff discovered that along with an individual's most popular technique for unlocking their telephones, the period of time spent on the telephone additionally related with age.
As one report on the study explains “Study showed that older users used their phone less frequently than younger users. For every10-year- interval in age, accordingly there was a 25 per cent decrease in the number of user sessions. In other words, a 25-year-old might use their phone 20 times a day, but a 35-year-old might use it only 15 times.”
So, in case you unlock your smartphone by hand, you may chalk it as much as a generational desire.
1. What will a man in his sixties probably use to unlock his phone?| A．Passwords. | B．Fingerprint. | C．Facial recognition. | D．Voice control. |
| A．Gaining illegal access. | B．Checking their phones. |
| C．Using special app. | D．Recording with cameras. |
| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．four. |
| A．Unlocking says your age | B．Secrets to smartphones safe |
| C．Smartphones change our lives | D．Ways to unlock your smartphones |
7 . Please take a few seconds and think of your personal biggest goal. Imagine telling someone you meet today what you’re going to do. Imagine their congratulations and their high image of you. Doesn't it feel good to say it out loud? Don’t you feel one step closer already? Well, bad news: you should have kept your mouth shut, because that good feeling will make you less likely to do it.
Any time you have a goal, there is some work that needs to be done to achieve it. Ideally, you would not be satisfied until you’d actually done the work. But when you tell someone your goal and he acknowledges it, psychologists have found it's called a "social reality". The mind is kind of tricked into a feeling that it's already done. And then. because you’ve felt that satisfaction. you’re less motivated to do the actual and necessary hard work. This goes against the traditional wisdom that we should tell our friends our goals, right?
In 1982, Peter Gollwitzer, a professor of psychology, wrote a whole book about this. And in 2009, he did some new tests, which were published. It goes like this: 163 people across four separate tests—everyone wrote down their personal goal. Then half of them announced their commitment to this goal to the room, and half didn't. Then everyone was given 45 minutes of work that would directly lead them towards their goal, but they were told that they could stop at any time. Finally, those who kept their mouths shut worked the entire 45 minutes on average, and when asked afterwards, said they felt they had a long way to go to achieve their goal. But those who had announced it quit after only 33 minutes on average, and when asked afterwards, said that they felt much closer to achieving their goal.
1. What do the words "social reality" in Paragraph 2 mean?| A．Necessary hard work. | B．Completion of a goal |
| C．A sense of satisfaction. | D．People’s judgement. |
| A．Writing down the goal is very helpful. |
| B．Achieving the personal goal needs more time. |
| C．Keeping the goal secret makes people work harder. |
| D．Making the goal public makes people less satisfied. |
| A．By giving figures. | B．By giving examples. |
| C．By making a survey. | D．By making comparison tests |
| A．You'll be more confident |
| B．You will not gain satisfaction. |
| C．You'll be less likely to realize it. |
| D．You'll be much more motivated. |
8 . Becoming a real runner
I would never use the word “athletic” to describe myself. To me, athletes are people who really enjoy working out. I remember crying in middle school when I had to run a mile during gym class. I huffed and puffed as I jogged. As I grew up, I would go to the gym, but I never enjoyed working out. That, I thought, was for real runners.
In June 2017, my friend sent me an email that would forever change my attitude towards running. He was training for a 200-mile relay (接力赛) and wanted me to be on his team. I would run three legs between four and six miles each over the course of two days. Figuring that I would never again have the chance to work with some top runners, I immediately agreed, and started running outside to prepare.
That first run was hard. I purposefully avoided Central Park in order to stay away from real runners. After a few blocks, I was already winded, and ran the rest of the way home. I called my mom, choked up, to say I had no hope at all of running this relay. But she encouraged me to keep at it, so I didn't quit. I went from running four miles a week to eight within one month before my advanced training began.
I was frightened going into the first training session with the team as everyone else was super “athletic”. We ran for five miles, and I was significantly slower. However, my teammates were so supportive that I felt the runner’s high, which I had never believed existed.
One day, about two weeks into training, my ankle gave out while I was running in Central Park. I was diagnosed with a stress fracture (应力性骨折). The doctor told me to stop running for two months. It took me a while to face the fact that I was out of the race. My doctor told me that he too had once been struck down with a stress fracture, and the following year, he beat his best running time in a half-marathon. That brought me hope.
I made it through the next two months by picturing myself running again. Just yesterday, for the first time since that fateful day, I took my outdoor run with my physical therapist. I mentioned that I might run a half-marathon the next year. Now I wake up excited for the days I get to run. Maybe I am a “real runner” after all.
1. According to the article, when did the author start to feel passion for running?| A．After she got into the habit of working out. |
| B．After she got the courage to run outdoors on her own. |
| C．After she ran with some top runners and got their encouragement. |
| D．After she broke her ankle in training and stayed in bed for two months. |
| A．helpful advice. |
| B．immediate treatment. |
| C．experience in the marathon. |
| D．personal experience with an injury. |
| A．She didn’t take the relay seriously. |
| B．She had a strict and overprotective mother. |
| C．She felt disappointed about withdrawing from the race. |
| D．She would have expected to run a half-marathon if she had won the race. |
| A．urge readers to exercise regularly. |
| B．share with readers the fun of running. |
| C．warn readers to be careful about running. |
| D．encourage readers to pursue their hobbies. |
9 . Vincent Van Gogh, for whom color was the most important form of expression, was born in Holland in 1853. Brought up in a religious and cultured atmosphere, Van Gogh was highly emotional and lacked self-confidence. Between 1860 and 1880, when he finally decided to become an artist, Van Gogh had worked unsuccessfully as a clerk in a bookstore and an art salesman. He remained in Belgium to study art, determined to give happiness by creating beauty. One of his famous paintings is The Potato Eaters (1885)．
In 1886, he went to Paris to join his brother Théo. In Paris, Van Gogh studied with Cormon, later met Pissarro, Monet, and Gauguin, and began to lighten his very dark palette(调色板)．His nervous temperament made him a difficult companion and night-long discussions combined with painting all day undermined his health. He decided to go south to Arles where he hoped his friends would join him and help found a school of art. Gauguin did join him but with bad results. Near the end of 1888, an incident led Gauguin to finally leave Arles. Van Gogh ran after him with an open razor, was stopped by Gauguin, but ended up cutting a part of his own ear off. Van Gogh then was sent to a mental (精神的) hospital for treatment.
In May of 1890, he seemed much better and went to live in Auvers-sur-Oise under the watchful eye of Dr Cachet. Two months later he was dead, having shot himself “for the good of all”．During his brief career he had sold one painting. Van Goghˈs finest works were produced in less than three years. His great fusion (融合) of form and content is powerful, dramatic and emotional, for the artist was completely absorbed in the effort to explain either his struggle against madness or his comprehension of the spiritual essence (精华) of man and nature.
1. Gauguin finally decided to leave Van Gogh probably because ________.| A．Van Gogh didnˈt like Gauguin at all |
| B．something was wrong with Van Gogh |
| C．Gauguin cut off one of Van Goghˈs ears |
| D．Gauguin hated to be a teacher at the school |
| A．he couldnˈt do his work well |
| B．he was confident about himself |
| C．he did a good job in a bookstore |
| D．he was one of the successful artists |
| A．harmed | B．improved |
| C．challenged | D．punished |
| A．His pride and kindness. |
| B．His cruelty and failure. |
| C．His honesty and strength. |
| D．His struggle and viewpoints. |
10 . Tourist Guide to the National Gallery
Opening hours: Daily 10: 00 am- -6: 00 pm; Friday 10: 00 am- 9: 00 pm
Closed: 2426 December
Reasons to visit:
With over 2, 300 paintings in the collection, there are hundreds of reasons to visit the Gallery. Here are some to get you started...
Get into great art. From Leonardo da Vinci to Vincent van Gogh: See priceless works of art for free.
Get creative. Brush up your skills, and create your own great works of art...
Learn about art. Discover more about paintings...
Regulations:
Talk in a low voice when you use your cellphone in the gallery
Please do not touch the paintings or other exhibits. Do not take pets in or cross the barriers.
Consume food and drink in designated areas only i.e. not in rooms that contain paintings.
Follow our no smoking policy in any part of the building.
Follow our no photograph policy in exhibitions where a sign is displayed.
Access:
The National Gallery aims to make access to the paintings enjoyable and welcoming to the widest possible public. There are a range of facilities to help you see the collection, visit exhibitions and come to events.
The Gallery offers British Sign Language-interpreted talks on paintings for visitors who are deaf, and special art sessions(展期) for visitors who can't see.
Address: The National Gallery, Trafalgar Square London WC2N 5DN
Click here to find more information.
1. What are visitors allowed to do in the National Gallery?| A．Make a phone call. | B．Take a dog in. |
| C．Smoke a cigarette. | D．Take photos. |
| A．Young visitors. | B．Deaf visitors. |
| C．Blind visitors. | D．Old visitors. |
| A．In a newspaper. | B．On a poster. |
| C．In a magazine. | D．On the Internet. |
