1 . If students followed a typical academic plan over the course of the year, it is precisely the opposite of what science recommends for lasting learning—one topic was probably limited to one week and another to the next. It is what it sounds like—leaving time between practice sessions for the same material. You might call it deliberate not-practicing between periods of deliberate practice. Space between practice sessions creates the hardness that improves learning.
Iowa State researchers read people lists of words, and then asked for each list to be recited back either right away, after fifteen seconds of practicing, or after fifteen seconds of doing very simple math problems that prevented practicing. The subjects who were allowed to reproduce the lists right after hearing them did the best. Those who had fifteen seconds to practice before reciting came in second. The group distracted with math problems finished last. Later, when everyone thought they were finished, they were all surprised with a sudden quiz: write down every word you can recall from the lists. Suddenly the worst group became the best.
Short-term practicing gave purely short-term benefits. Struggling to hold on to information and then recall it had helped the group distracted by math problems transfer the information from short-term to long-term memory. The group with more and immediate practicing opportunity recalled nearly nothing on the sudden quiz. Repetition, it turned out, was less important than struggle.
It isn’t bad to get an answer right while studying. Progress just should not happen too quickly. For a given amount of material, learning is most efficient in the long run when it is really inefficient in the short run. If you are doing too well when you test yourself, the simple solution is to wait longer before practicing the same material again, so that the test will be more difficult when you do. Frustration is not a sign that you are not learning,but ease is.
1. According to the science recommendation, to acquire lasting learning, we should ________.| A．follow a typical academic plan |
| B．limit the learning process within one week |
| C．add not-practicing space between two learning sessions |
| D．create more hardness |
| A．Those who recited the lists right away. |
| B．Those who had fifteen seconds of practicing. |
| C．Those who finished the quiz last. |
| D．Those who were distracted by math problems. |
| A．Short- term memory is inefficient. |
| B．Struggling is helpful to short-term memory. |
| C．Making progress too quickly may not be a good sign. |
| D．Getting frustrated means you are learning. |
| A．research methods | B．learning strategies | C．math skills | D．academic plans |
2 . Girls are doing better than ever. Don’t let the pandemic block them.
For much of human history and in many places, girls were considered property. Or, at best, subordinate people, required to obey their fathers until the day they had to start obeying their husbands. Few people thought it worthwhile to educate them. Even fewer imagined that a girl could grow up to govern Germany, run the IMF or invent a vaccine.
In most of the world that vision of girlhood now seems not merely old-fashioned but unimaginably remote. In field after field girls have caught up with boys. Globally, young women now outnumber young men at university. The speed of change has been violent.
When societies handle girlhood well, the knock-on effects are astonishing. A girl who finishes secondary school is less likely to become a child bride or a teenager-age mother. Education boosts earning power and widens choices, so she is less likely to be poor or to suffer domestic abuse.
And she will pass on considerable advantages to later generation. A recent study by Citigroup and Plan International estimated that, if a group of emerging economies ensured that 100% of their girls completed secondary school, it could lead to a lasting boost to their GDP of 10% by 2030.
The COVID-19 pandemic could block progress for girls in poor countries, or even reverse it. During previous disasters, they have often suffered most. When Ebola forced west African schools to close in 2014,many girls dropped out, never went back and ended up pregnant or as child laborers. UNICEF warns that something similar could happen with COVID-19—but on a larger scale.
The risk of going backward is real. So it is crucial that, even if governments of poor countries have to tighten their belts, spending on education and girls should be a top priority.
1. The underlined word “subordinate” in the second paragraph could possibly mean ________.| A．lower | B．best | C．selfless | D．adorable |
| A．girls have suffered great unfairness |
| B．girls can perform better than boys in many fields |
| C．girls play a vital and profound role in the society |
| D．girls shouldn’t become child brides or teenager age mothers |
| A．show its relation with COVID 19 | B．stress its bad effect on girls |
| C．arouse public attention to girls | D．serve as a helpful reference. |
| A．Content and relaxed. | B．Disappointed but optimistic. |
| C．Satisfied but worried. | D．Admirable and positive. |
3 . One day my Ph. D. adviser called me into his office, saying I needn’t bring my notebook. Puzzled, I followed him and sat down. After 15 minutes of listing positive things about my academic capabilities, he looked me in the eye and said, “You are fired from the lab.” I stared back, blinking in disbelief. “Is he joking?” I wondered. “How is this possible?”
The first few days after my dismissal were especially difficult. One day all I could do was sit on a beach, crying as I looked out across the Mediterranean Sea and wondered what I should do. Around that time, I watched Dasvidaniya, a Bollywood movie that’s about a man who is told that he has 3 months to live. He responds by changing his attitude to life and setting out to make the most of his remaining months. Even though it is a common saying, one line from the movie stuck out to me: “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” What kind of “lemonade” could I make out of my current situation?
My desire to complete a Ph. D. was never in doubt. After much reflection, I told myself that one failed attempt was not the end of the world, and that I needed to give it another try. With renewed confidence, I emailed prospective advisers and applied to other programs. Fortunately, I landed an offer from a Ph. D. program in Italy. I accepted it and relocated to Europe, happy that my goal of completing a Ph. D. was alive once again.
I’m thankful that I didn’t give up on my dream and that I found another professor willing to take me on. So, if you find yourself in a similar situation and life gives you lemons, ask yourself: “How can I make lemonade?”
1. What is the author’s feeling after hearing his Ph. D. adviser’ s words?| A．Regretful. | B．Amazed. | C．Pleased. | D．Angry. |
| A．Lemonade is often better than lemon. | B．Life is like lemonade made from lemon. |
| C．You should try lemonade made from lemon. | D．Transforming the bad situation is a better choice. |
| A．He watched an encouraging Bollywood movie. |
| B．He could achieve his goal of completing a Ph. D. |
| C．He could earn his living in Europe in the future. |
| D．He found a good professor in the Ph. D. program. |
| A．Why lost my job in a Ph. D. program. | B．The hard time I suffered in Europe. |
| C．How I moved on after my dismissal. | D．A vital movie I met in my dilemma. |
4 . At some point, you’ve likely encountered a long, flat time when your reserve of recommended books ran dry. Thankfully, there are personalized book recommendation websites across the Internet to save us.
WHICHBOOK
On Whichbook, book recommendations are calculated by one out of two categories: 1. Mood, or 2. Character, setting, and plot. The reader has the choice to use slides on the “Mood” section to rate what they’re looking for in a book. Do you want a book that is completely happy? Or on the border between safe and disturbing? There is also the option to select your desired character traits, the story setting, or plot points that you’d like included in the recommendation.
READGEEK
In order to get a hold of book suggestions, simply rate a few books that you’ve read on a 1—10 scale. After you finish rating as many as you’d like, Readgeek calculates which books you’d most likely enjoy based on your previous ratings.
LITERATURE MAP
At Literature Map, you can type in an author’s name and then view similar authors that other readers are enjoying. The site generates a map that displays author names in relative states of closeness. The closer the authors, the more likely other readers enjoyed both.
GOODREADS
Goodreads provides a space for people to track their reading, write reviews, and view books, lists, and authors that match their interests. When creating an account on Goodreads, the reader has the opportunity to create original book lists. Every time you view a book description that sounds interesting, you can save the book to a list of books you plan to read later.
1. WHICHBOOK is fit for readers who ________.| A．lack reading interest | B．are interested in stories |
| C．think books disturbing | D．are good at writing |
| A．Interacting with authors. | B．Reading good books. |
| C．Producing a book list. | D．Starting a reading club. |
| A．search for books on the Internet | B．get a personalized book recommendation |
| C．recommend good book websites | D．recognize your reading taste |
5 . Mark and his brother Jason both were looking at the shining new computer enviously. Jason was determined not to go against their father's wishes but Mark was more adventurous than his brother. He loved experimenting and his aim was to become a scientist like his father.
“Dad will be really mad if he finds out you've been playing with his new computer.” said, “He told us not to touch it.”
“He won't find out,” Mark said, “I'll just have a quick look and shut it down.”
Mark had been scolded before for touching his father's equipment. But his curiosity was difficult to control and this new computer really puzzled him.
It was a strange-looking machine — one his dad had brought home from the laboratory where he worked. “It's an experimental model.” his father had explained, “so don't touch it under any circumstances.” But his father's warning only served to make Mark more curious. Without any further thought, Mark turned on the power switch. The computer burst into life and seconds later the screen turned into colours, shifting and changing, and then two big white words appeared in the centre of the screen: "SPACE TRANSPORTER."
“Yes!” Mark cried excitedly. “It's a computer game. I knew it! Dad's only been pretending to work. He's really been playing games instead!” A new message appeared on the screen:
“ENTER NAMES
VOYAGER 1:…
VOYAGER 2:…
Mark's fingers flew across the keyboard as he typed in both of their names.
“INPUT ACCEPTED. START TRANSPORT PROGRAM. AUTO-RETRIEVE INITIATED.”
The screen turned even brighter and a noise suddenly rose in volume.
“I think we'd better shut it off, Mark,” Jason yelled, reaching for the power switch. He was really frightened.
But his hand never reached the switch. A single beam of dazzling white light burst out of the computer screen, wrapping the boys in its glow, until they themselves seemed to be glowing. Then it died down just as suddenly as it had burst into life. And the boys were no longer there. On the screen, the letters changed:
“TRANSPORT SUCCESSFUL. DESTINATION: MARS. RETRIEVE DATE: 2025.”
1. Why did Mark touch the computer against his father's warning?| A．He wanted to take a voyage. | B．He wanted to practice his skill. |
| C．He was so much attracted by it. | D．He was eager to do an experiment. |
| A．In an information processing center. | B．In a scientific research center. |
| C．In an electronic factory. | D．In a computer company |
| A．He was afraid of being scolded. | B．He didn't like the loud noise and light. |
| C．He didn't want to play games any more | D．He was afraid something dangerous might happen. |
| A．They were sent to another planet. | B．They were blown into the air. |
| C．They were hidden in the strong light. | D．They were carried away to another country. |
6 . Do you know of anyone who uses the truth to deceive? When someone tells you something that is true, but leaves out important information that should be included, he can give you a false picture.
For example, some might say, “I just won a hundred dollars on the lottery. It was great. I took that dollar ticket back to the store and turned it in for one hundred dollars!”
This guy's a winner, right? Maybe, maybe not. In fact, he bought $200 worth of tickets. He's really a big loser!
He didn't say anything that was false, but he left out important information on purpose. That's called a half-truth. Half-truths are not technically lies, but they are just dishonest.
Some politicians often use this trick. During Governor Smith's last term, her state lost one million jobs and gained three million jobs. Then she seeks another term. One of her opponents says, “During Governor Smith's term, the state lost one million jobs!” That's true. However, an honest statement would have been, “During Governor Smith's term, the state had a net gain of two million jobs.”
Advertisers will sometimes use half-truths. It's against the law to make false statements sol they try to mislead you with the truth. An advertisement might say, “Nine out of ten doctors advised their patients to take Yucky Pills to cure toothache.” It fails to mention that they only asked ten doctors and nine of them work for the Yucky Company.
This kind of deception happens too often. It's a sad fact of life: Lies are lies, and sometimes the truth can lie as well.
1. What do the underlined words “net gain” in Paragraph 5 mean?| A．Final increase. | B．Large share. |
| C．Big advantage. | D．Total saving. |
| A．buy lottery tickets. | B．make use of half-truths. |
| C．not take anything at face value. | D．not trust the Yucky Company. |
| A．Advertisements are based on facts. | B．Doctors like to act in advertisements. |
| C．False statements are easy to see through. | D．Half-truths are often used to mislead people. |
| A．By listing examples. | B．By comparing. |
| C．By inferring. | D．By listing numbers. |
7 . Over the centuries the French have lost a number of famous battles with the British. However, they’ve always felt superior in the kitchen. France has had a reputation for cooking excellence for centuries, and Britain for some of the worst cooking in the world. But according to a recent survey, that reputation may no longer reflect reality.
In the survey, 71% of the Britons said they cook at home every day, while only 59% of the French said they cook daily. British home cooks spend more time cooking each week and also produce a greater variety of dishes than French home cooks.
The reaction in London was predictably enthusiastic. British food has greatly improved since the 1990s.Once upon a time, the menu for many family meals would have been roast beef, potatoes and over- cooked vegetables, but not now. Home cooks are experimenting with the huge range of ingredients now available in British supermarkets and are preparing all kinds of new dishes, using the cookbooks that sell millions of copies every year. As a result, there’s much more diversity in British food now, compared to French food, which tends to be very traditional.
Some French people say that the survey did not show the whole picture. They agree that during the week French women don’t cook as much as they used to because most of them work and don’t have much time. They tend to buy ready-made or frozen dishes, but many of them make up for it on the weekend. There’s also a difference between Paris and the countryside. It’s true that people in Paris don’t cook much, but elsewhere, cooking is still at the heart of daily life.
For many French people, opinions about British food have not changed. When Bernard Berthe food editor at a magazine, was asked about British food, he replied: “I don’t go out of my way to try it. It is not very refined. You can say that I’m not a fan at all.”
1. According to the passage, nowadays British people ________.| A．cook less at home than the French every day |
| B．no longer eat roast beef and over-cooked vegetables |
| C．are more willing to try cooking all kinds of new foods |
| D．buy more cookbooks than French people do |
| A．French women cook less often now. | B．The French prefer ready-made dishes. |
| C．French women seldom cook on the weekend. | D．Cooking is at the heart of people’s life in Paris. |
| A．He would love to try it. | B．He shows no interest in it. |
| C．He considers it worse than before. | D．He considers it better than before. |
8 . 
TRAVEL ADVISORY
Here are a few things you should know before you take off on your next trip.
Frontier Airlines Face Covering Requirement
As required by federal law, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Order and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Security Directive, all passengers and employees must wear a face covering over nose and mouth throughout the Frontier travel experience including at ticket counters, gate areas, baggage claim and onboard all flights. Face coverings are not required for children under the age of 2. Face coverings must fit snugly(紧密地) over your nose and mouth and be secured under the chin. Not wearing an approved face covering is a violation of federal law and you may lose future travel privileges on Frontier.
* Persons with a disability who cannot wear a mask, or cannot safely wear a mask, because of that disability as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act can apply for a face mask exemption(豁免). To learn about pre-travel exemption requirements, click here.
Temperature Screening Requirement
Anyone with a temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher will not be able to board the plane. If time allows, we will give customers the opportunity to rest before receiving a second check. If the second temperature screening is 100.4 degrees or higher, our team will help the customer to rebook travel on a later date when they are feeling better.
Know Your Travel Policy
CDC issued an Order on January 12, 2021(effective since January, 26, 2021) requiring proof of a negative COVID-19 test or documentation of having recovered from COVID-19 for all air passengers arriving from a foreign country to the US.
1. Who can legally board a Frontier Airlines flight without wearing a face covering?| A．A senior manager of Frontier Airlines. | B．A blind man in a wheelchair. |
| C．A one-year-old baby. | D．A high school student. |
| A．Passengers without proper face coverings may be banned from flying with Frontier Airlines in the future. |
| B．Passengers can take off their face coverings when they pick up their checked baggage. |
| C．Passengers with a high fever will have their flights rescheduled. |
| D．Passengers without proof of a negative COVID-19 test can’t enter the US on January 20, 2021. |
| A．A website. | B．A brochure. |
| C．A guidebook. | D．A newspaper. |
9 . Two words can sum up the life of Dr. Catana Starks—determination and achievement. Now the story of one of her many accomplishments—she’s the first African-American woman in history to coach a male college sports team—is a movie!
The story is about Starks, who was the golf coach at her alma mater(母校) Tennessee State University, a traditionally Black College in Nashville. Starks’ distinctive coaching style and her achievements in the face of many challenges in her position and in life is what will leave audiences inspired. She had to drive the team bus, wash her players’ golf clothes, and had to constantly find places for her team to practice. Starks credits her strength to one woman in her life—her mother.
A native of Mobile, Alabama, Starks was diagnosed with severe asthma(哮喘). Doctors told her mother she could never participate in sports. “My mother, she had an almost mystical belief of not being limited by circumstances”, says Starks, “so I grew up with a basketball goal in the backyard.” Asthma wasn’t the only challenge; she grew up in the segregated(被隔离的) South of the 1940s, “I learned to swim. I had to walk four miles in Mobile to get to a Black pool”.
After getting the men’s golf coach job, Starks couldn’t find golfers. None of the males on campus would play. “Initially that didn’t work out because I was female,” said Starks. She had to innovate by recruiting internationally, via telephone. The calls attracted players from Sweden to South Africa. During nearly twenty years in her charge her former players have distinguished themselves throughout the world including: Sam Puryear, the former Michigan State University golf coach-the first African American in its history, and Robert Dinwiddie, an All-American golfer at TSU and a current member of the European Tour having achieved three consecutive Top-10 finishes in South Africa. Starks’ determination really paid off when the T-State Tigers won the National Minority Golf Championship in 2005. And another distinction for her career, ninety percent of the players graduated!
1. Which of the following is NOT a challenge Starks faced in her career?| A．Being the team bus driver. |
| B．Doing the laundry for her players. |
| C．Walking to the Black swimming pool. |
| D．Finding venues for team practice. |
| A．An optimistic attitude towards life. |
| B．A strong will to overcome tough situations. |
| C．A willingness to push the limits of her body. |
| D．Her distinctive coaching style. |
| A．racial discrimination | B．her gender |
| C．her physical condition | D．her lack of experience |
| A．like teacher like student | B．education is the key to success |
| C．practice makes perfect | D．equality is greater than division |
10 . If our kids don’t fall, they don’t learn to get up. I still remember the day in high school that my mom forgot to pick me up from school. I’m the oldest of four children, and no doubt she’d had a long day with the other kids and it’d slipped her mind. After waiting at school for an hour, I walked the three miles home, and when I got to my house, I shut our front door with anger, stormed into the kitchen and screamed in my mom’s face that she’d forgotten me.
Later that night, my dad told me I no longer had a ride to school the next day. I figured my mom would still take me, but when the morning came, she refused. It was midterm, and as a straight-A student ready to start college applications, being late wasn’t an option (选择). In my mind, missing these tests would have been the end of my academic career. I begged my mom. I told her she was ruining my future and everything I’d worked for. But she held her ground, and that day, I walked to school. And I missed my tests.
My mom didn’t rescue me from failure. She let me suffer from it. She let me figure it out. She let me learn. Now, as a mom myself, I’ve realized that I want my kids to experience failure because failure is how we grow, learn and think outside of ourselves. It’s how we self-educate to learn what’s right and respectable, and what’s not. It’s how we become responsible and enthusiastic. Falling down makes us better because we learn how to get up.
1. What is one of the reasons that the author got angry that day?| A．She was tired. | B．She failed in a test. |
| C．She was late for school. | D．She had to walk home by herself. |
| A．Terrible. | B．Meaningful. | C．Embarrassing. | D．Colorful. |
| A．gave in to me | B．said yes to me |
| C．stayed in the place | D．kept to her idea |
| A．My Way of Growing | B．The Value of Failure |
| C．My Love for Mother | D．Failure in My Life |
