1 . Scientists say baby sharks are at risk of being born smaller and without the energy they need to survive because of warming oceans from climate change. Scientists studied epaulette sharks, which live off Australia and New Guinea. They found warmer conditions sped up the sharks' growing process, which meant the sharks were born earlier.
John Mandelman, chief scientist of the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life said the findings could be used in the study of other sharks.
Mandelman said it is widely believed that epaulette sharks are "hardy," or able to survive difficult conditions. "What it means is that this species is more vulnerable than we thought, and this could be true of other sharks," he added.
The scientists studied 27 sharks using the New England Aquarium's reproduction program. Some were raised in average summer water temperatures. Others were raised in higher temperatures. They found the sharks raised in warmer temperatures weighed much less than those raised in average temperatures.
One study this year found that worldwide numbers of oceanic sharks and rays dropped more than 70 percent between 1970 and 2018. Overfishing is a main concern, while climate change and pollution also threaten sharks.
Carolyn Wheeler, a doctoral student at the University of Massachusetts Boston and the author of the epaulette shark study, said while all the sharks survived, those raised in warmer temperatures were not strong enough to survive for long in the wild. She added that if the sharks are born smaller than usual "they are probably going to have to start looking for food sooner — and they're going to have less time to adjust to their surroundings."
Mariah Pfleger, an ocean scientist said the study should serve as a warning to ocean governing agencies that careful supervision is needed to prevent the loss of more sharks." This study further shows that sharks will not be immune to a warming ocean," Pfleger added.
1. What does the author want to tell us in paragraph1?| A．Oceans get warmer because of climate change. |
| B．Climate change affects sharks’ growing process. |
| C．New finding on short life span of sharks is released. |
| D．Sharks are at risk of dying out. |
| A．They are sensitive to climate change. |
| B．They can survive any difficult situation. |
| C．Climate change has little effect on them. |
| D．The situation is serious even for them. |
| A．Overfishing and ocean pollution should be stopped. |
| B．Sharks have to adjust themselves to warmer surroundings. |
| C．Measures should be taken to prevent climate change. |
| D．The number of sharks will continue dropping. |
| A．Baby Sharks Struggle to Survive in Warming Ocean |
| B．Whether Sharks Can Survive or Not Is a Question |
| C．Climate Change Threatens Marine Organisms |
| D．The Premature Sharks Are Faced With Challenges |
2 . In Japan, some workers who regularly drink beer at the end of the day are giving their livers a rest by turning to beer that is free, or nearly free of alcohol.The liver is the organ that works to remove alcohol from the body. Masuda, one of beer lovers, said he is paying more attention to his health now that he is older.
Asahi is a large beverage company in Japan, which made 20 percent more money from low-alcohol beer in 2020 compared to the year before. Kirin is another company that makes things to drink. It saw sales grow by 10 percent last year and expects another increase this year.
The increase in sales of non-alcoholic beer might be the result of many Japanese people spending more time at home. In the past, they would order beers together while going out. More people are trying to stay healthy as well. Also, fewer people are drinking beer, as wine and other alcoholic drinks become more popular. But the new interest in low-alcohol beer has helped the beverage industry in Japan.
In recent years, many companies started making non-alcoholic beers. They caught on in places like Australia and Germany but not in Japan – until this year.
The chief of Suntory, another large beverage company in Japan, said people only responded to non-alcoholic beer advertising when the product started to taste better. Many people agree that today's non-alcoholic beers taste better than they used to. Asahi's "Beery" has very little alcohol. But it is supposed to have more taste than earlier versions of low-alcohol beer because of a new way of removing the alcohol. The company plans to offer more low-alcohol beers in coming years.
Kazuo Matsuyama is marketing chief for Asahi, who said most beer companies used to advertise to people who had a drink every day. That was about 20 million people. But there are about 80 million people in Japan between the ages of 20 and 60." But now we need to look at others." Matsuyama said.
1. Why do some Japanese workers turn to beers free of alcohol nowadays?| A．To appreciate a tasty flavor. | B．To ensure a healthier lifestyle. |
| C．To get rid of liver cancer. | D．To relieve stress in their life. |
| A．Beverage company traditions. |
| B．Financial reports. |
| C．Published statistics. |
| D．Public opinions. |
| A．Enthusiastic. | B．Indifferent. | C．Critical. | D．Objective. |
| A．New lifestyles in Japan. |
| B．The development of Asahi. |
| C．Introductions of different beers. |
| D．Popularity of alcohol free beers. |
3 . It was a cold winter. The wind blew all night and the snow was blinding. When morning came, my three children and I got up and made our way to the windows. As we looked out the window, we saw that the henhouse was gone. Our three hens had been blown away.
I looked at the emptiness outside. Then I saw all three chickens sat around the edge of a white bucket. How was this violent wind not blowing them into the field beyond? I quickly pulled on long snow pants and heavy winter coat, wrapped a scarf and stuck my feet into very large boots.
I shouted at the wind as it blew. I was alone, save for my children. They stared out the window into the vast white sea of snow, their eyes peeled for any sign of movement. Outside I heard the sound of my boots as I walked against the wind.
The snow circling around me, I steadily made my way to the soft cluck-cluck-cluck sound my hens always made. When I reached them, I saw that their little feet were holding on to the edge of the bucket, heads bent forward and away from the wind. I gently lifted each hen and put it carefully into the warm inside. Then I began the freezing walk back to the small shed directly behind our house. One by one I laid my chickens on the cold floor, and they began to cluck softly.
As I shut the shed doors, my eyes went directly to the window where my children were watching. They jumped up and down cheering, and so did I! I wasn’t some dragon slayer (屠龙者) from a fairy tale. I was simply a mom, but the look on my children’s faces told me that they thought I was a hero mom.
1. What was the author’s feeling when seeing all three chickens sitting around the bucket?| A．incredible | B．worried |
| C．shy | D．confident |
| A．By searching for the white bucket. |
| B．By wearing protective clothes. |
| C．By following the sound of the hens. |
| D．By shouting at the henhouse. |
| A．The author’s children liked dragon slayers. |
| B．The children watched their mother all the way. |
| C．The author struggled to be a hero. |
| D．The author enjoyed herself in the snow. |
| A．Weather in extreme. | B．Hens in trouble. |
| C．Kindness in need. | D．Hero in the snow. |
4 . If you're British or live in a Commonwealth nation, Christmas doesn't end on December 25.The day after Christmas is known as Boxing Day, and the relaxing holiday is a chance to allow the celebration for one more restful day.
But its name has nothing to do with the sport of boxing, and unlike the popular idea, did not appear from a need to return unwanted gifts or clean up trash produced by Christmas gifting.
There are several theories as to how that charitable tradition became known as "boxing".Some historians link the use of the term to boxes of donations that were laid in churches during the pre-Christmas season of Advent in the early days of Christianity during the second and third centuries A.D.The day after Christmas, the boxes were opened and the money was given away to the poor.
Another possible story for Boxing Day has to do with a tradition that formed in 19th century Victorian England, where servants sacrificed（牺牲）time with their own families to cater to their employers on Christmas.On the day after Christmas, employers would give the servants a rare day off and send them home with leftovers from the family's Christmas feast for their service.
Though the reasons are lost to history, Boxing Day charity eventually fell out of tradition---and was replaced with physical and material pleasures.Today, the holiday is linked with sports, with major football rugby, and cricket matches and horse races taking place on December 26.
December 26 is also a big shopping day throughout the UK and the Commonwealth.The holiday kicks off what is known as " Boxing Week" , during which retailers（零售商）try to move old stock and shoppers compete for one last bargain of the year.In recent years, though, the American tradition of Black Friday---massive sales that take place the day after Thanksgiving each November---has become popular in the United Kingdom and has largely overshadowed Boxing Week.
1. What kind of festival was Boxing Day probably in the beginning?| A．A charitable festival. | B．A religious festival. |
| C．A sports festival. | D．A business festival. |
| A．Take care of. | B．Depend on. |
| C．Put up with. | D．Pick up. |
| A．It has become an online shopping day. |
| B．It has been replaced by Black Friday. |
| C．It only covers popular sports events. |
| D．It has become less important than before. |
| A．When Did Boxing Day Come into Being? | B．Why Did People Celebrate Boxing Day? |
| C．How Is Black Friday Celebrated in the UK? | D．Why Is Black Friday Popular in the UK? |
5 . European researchers say they have created a process that can produce oxygen from moon dust. The process could provide a major source of oxygen for humans taking part in moon exploration activities in the future.
Researchers from the European Space Agency, or ESA, carried out the experiments at a laboratory in the Netherlands. They reported their results in a study published in Planetary and Space Science.
The team says ESA’s experimental “plant” was able to successfully produce oxygen from simulated moon dust. The dust is part of a material known as regolith (月壤)，a top layer of dirt and rock pieces that sit on the surface of the moon.
Samples of regolith from the moon have confirmed that the material contains about 45 percent oxygen by weight. However, the oxygen is chemically locked in the form of minerals or glass, so it is not easily available for use. Having real samples of regolith from the moon made it possible for the researchers to create the simulated moon dust material used during testing.
The oxygen extraction (提取)process is carried out using a method called molten salt electrolysis (熔盐电解). This involves first placing the regolith in a metal container. Calcium chloride salt is added to the mixture, which is then heated to 950 degrees Celsius. At this temperature, the regolith remains solid. Next, an electrical current is passed through the material. The researchers say it is this step that results in oxygen being extracted from the regolith. The study reported that up to 96 percent of oxygen in the simulated moon dust was extracted during the experiments.
ESA’s long-term goal is to design an oxygen -producing “pilot plant” to operate full-time on the moon. The first technology demonstration of the system is expected to take place in the middle of 2020s.
The researchers reported that “as a bonus”，the process also results in the production of usable metallic materials.
1. What can benefit from the process?| A．The treatment of some patients. | B．The environment of the moon. |
| C．Future moon exploration activities. | D．Future experiment in the laboratory. |
| A．It exists in the form of solid. |
| B．It only exists on the surface. |
| C．It is mixed with other materials. |
| D．It is locked in a metal container. |
| A．Adding calcium chloride salt to the mixture. |
| B．Placing the regolith in a metal container. |
| C．Passing an electrical current through the material. |
| D．Heating the metal container to 950 degrees Celsius. |
| A．Mixed. | B．Copied. | C．Exposed. | D．Abandoned. |
6 . I’m a girl in my late twenties and I live in New York. I go from my 8-hour-a-day full-time job to my part-time job, where I work for at least 4 hours if I'm lucky. I have half an hour to get from one job to the next, and I spend that time driving to the job, changing into my uniform, and eating if I have time. Even on weekends, I work anywhere from 4-9 hours per day at my part-time job.
Every time I hang out with my friends or family, I’m never fully present. I’m either exhausted (精疲力竭的) or worried about my work. And when I’m with my family, everyone says that I work too much and should pay attention to my health. While I always argue that working hard is extremely valuable and admirable, I also believe that we all need to stop and smell the roses. Throughout the chaos (混乱) of my busy life, however, I’ve forgotten to do just that. Work has kept me so busy that I’ve missed everything that’s right in front of me.
Now, I’m making an effort to be present. I leave my phone in my purse when I’m with my friends and only take it out to take a few pictures. Sometimes, I go to a concert, watch movies or take a holiday to treat myself. I visit friends I haven’t seen for a while or try to call them, so we can talk for hours and catch up. And I make an effort to spend time with loved ones who I know won’t be around forever and I get to know the younger ones. Right now, I’m learning to do everything that makes me happy. I’m completely not guilty about my work-life balance because I know that enjoying life is truly worth my time.
1. Why does the author tell us about her work?| A．To show she lives a very busy life. |
| B．To complain she has a hard life. |
| C．To prove the pace of life is fast in her city. |
| D．To describe the ways to make money are various. |
| A．Buying roses. | B．Enjoying life. |
| C．Working hard. | D．Changing work. |
| A．Working as a leader. |
| B．Learning to take pictures. |
| C．Sparing time for her family and friends. |
| D．Taking long holidays with loved ones. |
| A．Learning to stay present in life |
| B．Leading a life without a cellphone |
| C．Stopping feeling guilty about work |
| D．Making use of every day to the fullest |
7 . An artist in Oakland, California is using his skills to help the homeless. Greg Kloehn builds very small shelters that make life on the streets a little more comfortable. The structures offer the homeless some safety and protection from bad weather. Each little house also has wheels on the bottom so it can go wherever its owner goes.
Greg Kloehn has given away at least 20 tiny houses. Several are on the roadside near an active railroad. On a recent day, Mr.Kloehn stops at one to visit Oscar Young. The two men hug. Inside his little shelter Mr.Young gets relief from cold nights on the streets. Mr.Kloehn also visits SweetPea, another friend who also lives in one of the little homes the artist built. She says it keeps her safe and protects her belongings.
In the mornings, Mr. Kloehn searches the streets for building materials. He gathers what he can and takes it to his studio. There, he puts the houses together. Empty coffee bags become roof material. A washing machine door and refrigerator part become windows. Nails,screws and the sticky glue hold all the pieces together. The artist also attaches a small electrical device to the house. The device is powered by the sun.
Some of the people living on the streets once had normal houses of their own. But some of the people say they have learned to live with less and they are thankful to that man.
Mr.Kloehn says his work is not a social project. He says he is just someone using his skills to help his homeless neighbors.
1. The following are the advantages of the small shelters EXCEPT ________.| A．saving power and energy |
| B．protecting possessions of the homeless |
| C．decorating the streets where they are |
| D．keeping the homeless safe and comfortable |
| A．Greg Kloehn has sold at least 20 tiny houses |
| B．an act of kindness has made people simple and grateful |
| C．the shelters are immovable |
| D．the government has got involved in the action |
| A．an official report |
| B．an art review |
| C．a science magazine |
| D．a news report |
| A．An artist creates homes for the homeless. |
| B．A more comfortable shelter on the streets. |
| C．A successful social project in Oakland. |
| D．An artist makes a living by designing small shelters. |
8 . Have you ever wondered if you see the same colours as other people? Most people know what blue is when they see it. They call it "blue” because they were taught the word and connected it with what they saw. But how do you know what you see as blue isn't someone else's red?
The ability to perceive （感知）different colours is up to receptors （接受器）in our eyes. Light waves hit these receptors and they react depending on which colour the light is, sending signals to the brain. The brain then reads these signals to determine which colour light the eyes are receiving.
Some people's receptors are more developed than others. The inability of the receptor to feel the light waves correctly means that some people cannot tell the differences between similar colours. Those with more developed receptors can see more colours. We sometimes hear people having an argument about whether something is dark blue or black. It might be because one person has stronger receptors to feel the light than another.
In the past, most scientists would argue that everyone saw colours in the same way. However, research was conducted on monkeys, in which their receptors were changed. This enabled them to see more colours than usual. Normally monkeys can only see blue and green, but the change allowed them to see red. Their brains automatically got used to new colours. This suggests that our brains may find new colors of the things we see. Colours could be a very personal experience , unique to everyone.
So, the next time you talk about your favourite colour, just remember if yours is blue and your friend says red, you two might actually be thinking about the same colour. What if everyone in the world has the same favourite colour, but just calls it different names?
1. What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?| A．How we perceive colours. |
| B．The inability to see colours. |
| C．What the brain does with signals. |
| D．The connection between receptors and light waves. |
| A．Some people cannot feel colours with their developed receptors. |
| B．The more light people feel, the weaker receptors they have. |
| C．People with poor receptors usually have colour weakness. |
| D．People who have strong receptors can see dark blue. |
| A．To test the monkeys with colours. |
| B．To develop the receptors of humans. |
| C．To enable monkeys to find more colors. |
| D．To prove everyone sees colours in a different way. |
| A．A film review. | B．A science magazine. |
| C．An art journal. | D．A business newspaper. |
9 . Every week in China, millions of people will sit in front of their TVs watching teenagers compete for the title Character Hero, which is a Chinese-style spelling bee. In this challenge, young competitors must write Chinese characters by hand. To prepare for the competition, the competitors usually spend months studying dictionaries.
Perhaps the show’s popularity should not be a surprise. Along with gunpowder and paper, many Chinese people consider the creation of Chinese calligraphy(书法) to be one of their primary contributions to civilization. Unfortunately, all over the country, Chinese people are forgetting how to write their own language without computerized help. Software on smart phones and computers allows users to type in the basic sound of the word using the Latin alphabet. The correct character is chosen from a list. The result? It’s possible to recognize characters without remembering how to write them.
But there’s still hope for the paint brush. China’s Education Ministry wants children to spend more time learning how to write.
In one Beijing primary school we visited, students practice calligraphy every day inside a specially decorated classroom with traditional Chinese paintings hanging on the walls. Soft music plays as a group of six-year-olds dip brush pens into black ink. They look up at the blackboard often to study their teacher’s examples before carefully attempting to reproduce those characters on thin rice paper. “If adults can survive without using handwriting, why bother to teach it now?” we ask the calligraphy teacher, Shen Bin. “The ability to write characters is part of Chinese tradition and culture,” she reasons. “Students must learn now so they don’t forget when they grow up.” says the teacher.
1. What can we learn about the Character Hero?| A．It’s open to people of all ages and all walks. |
| B．It’s the most-viewed TV programs in China. |
| C．It aims to spread Chinese culture to the world. |
| D．It draws great public attention across the country. |
| A．Chinese people don’t refer to dictionaries very often. |
| B．Chinese people no longer use brush pens or practice calligraphy. |
| C．Chinese people are using the Latin alphabet instead of the characters. |
| D．Chinese people needn’t write by hand as often with the help of technology. |
| A．necessary for adults to survive in China |
| B．a requirement made by the Education Ministry |
| C．helpful to keep Chinese tradition and culture alive |
| D．an ability to be developed only when you are students |
| A．A news report. | B．A science report. |
| C．An advertisement. | D．Children’s literature. |
10 . Despite the anxiety that the first digital novel caused in 1993, publishers weren’t too concerned that e-books would one day replace printed books. However, that attitude was changed suddenly in 2007 when Amazon Kindle came onto the market, which led to e-book sales jumping up to 1,260%. Since then, e-books’ popularity has continued to rise steadily. The publishing industry seemed to have lost all possible ability to regain its position. Will printed books eventually become a thing of the past? According to Mike Shatzkin, founder and CEO of the Idea Logical Company, printed books just for reading will, in 10 years from now, be unusual. “Not so unusual that a kid will say, ‘Mommy, what’s that?’ but unusual enough that on the train you’l see one or two people reading something printed, while everyone else is reading on a tablet computer screen.” And Shatzkin believes that the demise of print is sure to happen, though such a day won’t arrive for perhaps 50 to 100 or more years.
Robert Stein, founder of The Institute for the Future of the Book, however, believes that books won’t disappear entirely, at least not anytime soon. “Print will exist, and it may have an artistic value,” he says. He predicts that the distance between writers and readers will be made less obvious by a social reading experience in which authors and consumers can digitally interact with each other to discuss any passage, sentence or line.
Should print really disappear entirely? According to Maryanne Wolf, director of the Center for Reading and Language Research at Tufts University, electronic reading can negatively affect the way the brain responds to the text, including reading comprehension and the ability to pay attention to details like the order of events. “My worry is that we’ll have a short-circuited(短路的) reading brain, excellent for gathering information but not necessarily for forming critical, analytical deep reading skills,” Wolf says. He hopes that we continue to keep a “bi-literate” society — one that values both the digital and printed words. “A full reading brain circuit is a huge contribution to the intellectual development of our species. Anything that threatens it deserves our attention.”
1. How did publishers feel about the rising e-book sales inspired by Amazon Kindle?| A．Worried. | B．Excited. |
| C．Curious. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．rise | B．death |
| C．adjustment | D．popularity |
| A．the artistic value |
| B．the digital interaction |
| C．the growing popularity |
| D．the traditional design |
| A．e-reading will strengthen the power of our brain |
| B．digital books and paper books should not coexist |
| C．e-reading will make us more critical and thoughtful |
| D．we should not risk losing a full reading brain circuit |
