2 . A cozy environment fostering focused thinking and concentration on books is what study lounges are all about. Ideal for students with limited options as after-school study spaces. And relatively cheap.

The demand for study lounges rose in China because students can hardly find a peaceful place to study after finishing classes. Before 2018, there were few study lounges in China, and the few that existed were mainly in first- and second-tier cities such as Guangzhou, Suzhou and Tianjin. Yet by 2019, they had become popular nationwide.

But the pandemic (流行病) has dealt a blow to the industry. Since personal contact in a closed environment is unavoidable, the pandemic forced all study lounges to shut down for several months. Lou Qingxiao, founder of Xinliuzaowu, one of Beijing’s earliest study lounge brands that opened in 2018, said their first study lounge near Renmin University of China had made ends meet before the pandemic. Li Hang and Zhang Yang, co-founders of Sishiloushi, a Beijing-based independent study lounge, said that even before COVID-19 broke out, the industry’s profit was neither promising nor clear, let alone in such a particular period.

“Rent is a major fixed cost for study lounges, especially in first-tier cities,” Lou said. In a first-tier city such as Beijing, rentals comprise more than a half of a study lounge’s monthly operation cost. But Lou sounds optimistic about the industry commercial prospects, “because it’s a blue ocean with less competition.”

Study lounges provide a better learning experience that people cannot get in free public libraries. “Privately operated study lounges like ours actually make up for the shortage of public infrastructure (基础设施) and public services and we are willing to cooperate with the government to better serve the public.” Li said.

1. What contributes to the rise of study lounges in China?

A．The rapid development of cities.

B．The shrinking number of libraries.

C．The need for a peaceful study environment.

D．The lack of alternative after-school activities.

2. What is the third paragraph mainly about?

A．The earliest study lounge brands in China.

B．A guideline on finding famous study lounges.

C．An introduction to the founders of study lounges.

D．The influence of the pandemic on study lounges.

3. What does Lou Qingxiao think of the future of the study lounge?

A．It is promising.	B．It is unclear.
C．It will be full of competition.	D．It will be free of rent.

4. What can we infer about the operation of study lounges from the last paragraph?

A．Government involvement is welcome.

B．The infrastructure construction is needed.

C．Study lounges should be privately operated.

D．Cooperation with public libraries has been achieved.

3 . While some customs like setting off fireworks and counting down the last few seconds seem universal, many countries have their own unique New Year’s Eve traditions.

Denmark: Break plates

A Danish tradition is to throw plates and dishes against friend’s and neighbor’s front doors. It’s a bit of a popularity contest as the bigger the pile of broken china is the next morning, the more friends and good luck you’ll have in the coming year.

Germany: Pouring lead

In Germany, people melt small pieces of lead in a spoon over a candle, then pour the liquid into cold water. The shapes from the lead pouring are supposed to reveal what the year ahead will bring. If the lead forms a ball, luck will roll one’s way, while the shape of a crown means wealth; a cross means death and a star will bring happiness.

Spain: Twelve grapes of luck

In Spain, one New Year’s tradition is to eat 12 grapes, one for each month of the coming year, to secure prosperity (繁荣). You need to eat one grape with each bell strike at midnight. The tradition dates from 1909 when farmers in Alicante came up with this idea to sell more grapes after an exceptional harvest.

Philippines: Round food, round clothes, round everything

In the Philippines, the start of the new year is all about the money. The locals believe that surrounding themselves with round things (to represent coins) will bring money or fortune. As a result, clothes with dots are worn and round food is eaten.

1. What is believed to bring good luck for the coming new year in Denmark?

A．A red candle.

B．Round food.

C．Broken china.

D．A lead cross.

2. What inspired the New Year’s tradition of eating grapes?

A．A way to make coins.	B．An act to keep power.
C．A desire to be popular.	D．An idea to gain profit.

3. Which section of a magazine is the text probably taken from?

A．Fashion.

B．Travel.

C．Culture.

D．Entertainment.

4 . People have different ways of dealing with a common cold. Some take over the counter medicines such as aspirin while others try popular home remedies(治疗) like herbal tea or chicken soup. Yet here is the tough truth about the common cold: nothing really cures it.

So why do people sometimes believe that their remedies work? According to James Taylor, professor at the University of Washington, colds usually go away on their own in about a week, improving a little each day after symptoms peak, so it's easy to believe it's medicine rather than time that deserves the credit, USA Today reported.

It still seems hard to believe that we can deal with more serious diseases yet are powerless against something so common as a cold. Recently, scientists came closer to figure out why. To understand it, you first need to know how antiviral drugs work. They attack the virus by attaching to and changing the surface structures of the virus. To do that, the drug must fit and lock into the virus like the right piece of a jigsaw(拼图), which means scientists have to identify the virus and build a 3D model to study its surface before they can design an antiviral drug that is effective enough.

The two cold viruses that scientists had long known about were rhinovirus(鼻病毒) A and B. But they didn't find out about the existence of a third virus, rhinovirus C, until 2006. All three of them contribute to the common cold, but drugs that work well against rhinovirus A and B have little effect when used against rhinovirus C.

''This explains most of the previous failures of drug trials against rhinoviruses,'' study leader Professor Ann C. Palmenberg at the University of Wiscons in Madison, US, told Science Daily.

Now, more than 10 years after the discovery of rhinovirus C, scientists have finally built a highly detailed 3D model of the virus, showing that the surface of the virus is, as expected, different from that of other cold viruses.

With the model in hand, hopefully a real cure for a common cold is on its way. Soon, we may no longer have to waste our money on medicines that don't really work.

1. What does the author think of popular remedies for a common cold?

A．They are quite effective.	B．They are slightly helpful.
C．They actually have no effect.	D．They still need to be improved.

2. How do antiviral drugs work?

A．By breaking up cold viruses directly.

B．By changing the surface structures of the cold viruses.

C．By preventing colds from developing into serious diseases.

D．By absorbing different kinds of cold viruses at the same time.

3. What can we infer from the passage?

A．The surface of cold viruses looks quite similar.

B．Scientists have already found a cure for the common cold.

C．Scientists were not aware of the existence of rhinovirus C until recently.

D．Knowing the structure of cold viruses is the key to developing an effective cure.

4. What is the best title for this passage?

A．Drugs against cold viruses	B．Helpful home remedies
C．No current cure for common cold	D．Research on cold viruses

5 . A Chinese company says it has created a new facial recognition system that can identify people even if they are wearing masks.

Engineers at the Beijing-based Hanwang Technology Ltd. say their system is the first to be created to effectively identify people wearing face masks. A team of 20 people built the system in about a month. The system is based on existing technologies developed over the past 10 years. The process involved adding a collection of about 6 million unmasked faces and a much smaller collection of masked faces.

Hanwang is now selling two main kinds of products that use the new technology. One performs “single channel” recognition, which is designed to be used at the entrances to buildings. The other product is a “multi-channel” recognition system that uses groups of surveillance cameras (监控摄像头).

“When wearing a mask, the recognition rate can reach about 95 percent, which can ensure that most people can be identified,” said Huang Lei, Hanwang’s vice president. He added that the system’s success rate for people not wearing a mask is about 99.5 percent.

Huang said Hanwang’s technology can be used to identify and track people as they move about. He added the system can identify crime suspects, terrorists or make reports or warnings.

However, the new system struggles to identify people wearing both a mask and sunglasses. “In this situation, all of the key facial information is lost. In such cases recognition is tough,” Huang said.

It was not immediately clear how people were reacting to the new technology. While some have expressed opposition to such tools, many others seem to have showed interest in the new system and accepted it as a way to deal with the current health emergency — the spread of the novel coronavirus (新型冠状病毒). Huang says he sees the interest likely expanding if the virus continues to spread and the use of face masks increases.

1. What is the second paragraph mainly about?

A．Where the company is located.	B．How the system is developed.
C．When the research work started.	D．What the collection stands for.

2. What is the limitation of the new facial recognition system?

A．The poor storage of information.

B．The relatively low recognition rate.

C．Identifying people with both a mask and sunglasses.

D．Tracking the movement of crime suspects and terrorists.

3. What attitude does Huang Lei hold towards the new technology?

A．Unclear.

B．Optimistic.

C．Opposed.

D．Worried.

4. Where is the text most likely from?

A．A travel brochure.	B．A health magazine.
C．A medical paper.	D．A science report.

6 . George, once known as “Midnight Memory Maker,” had been given away after his original owner, Todd Mathieson, died and his wife, Diane, could no longer care for him. She found a new home for George so that he could continue to race for a number of years.

In September, 2018, George was turned over to the Animal Rescue League (ARL) of Boston. When he arrived at the league’s adoption center in Dedham, he was slightly underweight, and in need of medical care. But, over all, he was in good health, the league said.

George recuperated (休养) for a few months in Dedham before being put into foster care. “He was highly intelligent, elegant, well-trained and had clearly known love. He was very engaged with humans,” Cordula Robinson, George’s foster parent, said in the statement.

Robinson wanted to help George go home. She contacted animal rescue agencies up and down the East Coast to see if anyone recognized him. To her surprise, someone from New Jersey recognized George as once belonging to Todd Mathieson. He was well known and owned a stable in Connecticut, said Michael DeFina, a spokesman for the ARL. George is notable for his distinctive colors, such as white patches on his hooves (蹄子) that look “like socks,” DeFina said. They went through show photos to confirm George’s identity and contacted his original hostess.

Diane Mathieson was “overwhelmed and ecstatic (欣喜若狂)” about the possibility of reuniting with George.

After 13 years apart, George was transported to his family in Ocala, Florida, where he will enjoy his retirement. “He seems to be walking taller,” Diane said.

1. Why was George given away by his original family?

A．He was a trouble-maker in the community.	B．He often got lost for his poor memory.
C．The family couldn’t provide enough care.	D．His wife had found him a new home.

2. What did Cordula Robinson do for George?

A．Bring him to the adoption center.	B．Help his reunion with the family.
C．Take some show photos for him.	D．Build an elegant stable for him.

3. Who is the owner of George now?

A．Todd Mathieson.	B．Cordula Robinson.
C．Michael DeFina.	D．Diane Mathieson.

4. What can we infer about George?

A．He used to be a race horse.	B．He enjoyed his retirement.
C．He lost both of his parents.	D．He was hard to recognize.

7 . It’s important for children to take part in social activities during their summer holidays. “Kids should have a break during the summer. They’ve worked hard during the school year and this is their time to relax, but they should continue communicating with their friends and meeting new people,” said Dr. Jin Han. He’s a professor at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

Spending time with friends and meeting new people by doing fun and educational activities such as music, arts and sports programs in summer help with their development. “If children spend a lot of time alone on their electronic equipment, then they will fail to communicate with others,” Han said. “In today’s world, it’s very easy for kids to stay indoors all day and keep in touch with others, but that is not a good way to connect with others. Face-to-face communication is necessary and important. Parents should restrict the time their children spend on electronic equipment. For example, the time they spend on their phones cannot be more than one hour a day.”

It’s also important for children to spend quality time with their parents and sisters or brothers. “It’s not the length of time, but the quality of time that families spend together that is really valuable,” Han said. “This type of communication is not something that you can get from anywhere else. It doesn’t matter how old the child is, because family bonding (人与人之间的关系) experiences can happen at any time.”

Having children spend time with friends and families doesn’t have to spend money in the wallet, either. For example, going to the neighborhood swimming pool or having a picnic is a great way to spend quality time together.

1. What does Dr. Jin Han think about the summer holidays according to the first paragraph?

A．It is necessary for children to have a rest during summer holidays.

B．Children should relax as much as possible during summer holidays.

C．Making new friends in summer holidays is difficult for children.

D．Children should prepare for schoolwork in summer holidays.

2. What does the underlined word “restrict” mean in Paragraph 2?

A．Increase.

B．Control.

C．Spend.

D．Employ.

3. What can we infer from children spending time with families?

A．How long children spend with families matters.

B．What to do with families depends on the parents.

C．When to spend time with families makes a difference.

D．How to enjoy the time with families is of great importance.

4. What is the main idea of the text?

A．The importance of friends and families.	B．The introduction of some social activities.
C．The suitable ways to spend summer holidays.	D．The necessity of face-to-face communication.

8 . One day,I was taking a nap in my office when I woke up to the sound of a car crash.I sat up and looked out of the window.In the parking lot,a car had just crashed into a fence.The car must have been moving fast,because it was in bad shape.

Then I watched as the driver got out of the car.He wore loose trousers and a crumpled(褶皱的）shirt unbuttoned to show his chest hair.Immediately,I disliked him.

Then,he opened the passenger door,from which a very small child ran out.A kid in the front seat!My dislike for the man increased greatly.

As the child ran around in the parking lot,the man tried to repair the damage.He tried to pull the ruined fence back into place,but it wouldn't move.I looked out of the window,silently cheering.The man tried harder.However,suddenly,the man fell hard onto the ground with one of his shoes landing 10 feet away on the sidewalk.I think I laughed out loudly.That almost brightened my whole morning.He stood up and walked slowly to a nearby apartment.That,I thought,would be the end of it.The man was going to leave the mess behind for someone else to clean up.

However,a few minutes later the man appeared with some tools and for the next hour, I watched out of my window as he stubbornly fixed the fence.Now the fence would be extra secure,stronger than before.That man was actually a hero.My ugly assumptions(设想），I realized,were all about myself.I would never have fixed that fence and run away.

Years later I still look out of my window at the fence almost every day.It makes me wonder what else that man has improved and how I can make myself more like him.

1. In paragraph 2,the author thought of the man as______

A．irresponsible	B．impatient.
C．thoughtful	D．loving

2. The underlined word"That"in paragraph 3 probably refers to.

A．the man's trying to fix the fence

B．the man's falling onto the ground

C．the man's car crashing into the fence

D．the man's kid running around cheerfully

3. What helped change the author's attitude towards the man?

A．The man left his shoes on the sidewalk.

B．The man protected his child from the car crash.

C．The man tried to put the damaged fence in place.

D．The man came back to fix and improve the fence.

4. What lesson can we learn from the author's experience?

A．No pains,no gains.

B．You can never be too careful.

C．Don't judge a book by its cover.

D．He who makes no mistakes makes nothing.

9 . According to a recent study in the Journal of Consumer Research, both the size and consumption habits of our eating companions can influence our food intake. And contrary to existing research that says you should avoid eating with heavier people who order large portions(份), it's the beanpoles with big appetites you really need to avoid.

To test the effect of social influence on eating habits, the researchers conducted two experiments. In the first, 95 undergraduate women were individually invited into a lab to ostensibly(表面上)participate in a study about movie viewership. Before the film began, each woman was asked to help herself to a snack. An actor hired by the researchers grabbed her food first. In her natural state, the actor weighed 105 pounds. But in half the cases she wore a specially designed fat suit which increased her weight to 180 pounds.

Both the fat and thin versions of the actor took a large amount of food. The participants followed suit, taking more food than they normally would have. However, they took significantly more when the actor was thin.

For the second test, in one case the thin actor took two pieces of candy from the snack bowls. In the other case, she took 30 pieces. The results were similar to the first test: the participants followed suit but took significantly more candy when the thin actor took 30 pieces.

The tests show that the social environment is extremely influential when we're making decisions. If this fellow participant is going to eat more, so will I. Call it the “I’ll have what she's having” effect. However, we'll adjust the influence. If an overweight person is having a large portion, I'll hold back a bit because I see the results of his eating habits. But if a thin person eats a lot, I'll follow suit. If he can eat much and keep slim, why can't I?

1. What is the recent study mainly about?

A．Food safety.	B．Movie viewership.
C．Consumer demand.	D．Eating behavior.

2. What does the underlined word “beanpoles” in paragraph 1 refer to?

A．Big eaters.	B．Overweight persons.
C．Picky eaters.	D．Tall thin persons.

3. Why did the researchers hire the actor?

A．To see how she would affect the participants.

B．To test if the participants could recognize her.

C．To find out what she would do in the two tests.

D．To study why she could keep her weight down.

4. On what basis do we “adjust the influence” according to the last paragraph?

A．How hungry we are.	B．How slim we want to be.
C．How we perceive others.	D．How we feel about the food.

10 . Have you ever wondered why certain pop songs just make you feel so good? Researchers studying the question found that uncertainty and surprise give listeners the most pleasure. The study included 80,000 chords (和弦) in 745 pop songs between 1958 and 1991.

Each song was stripped of its melody (旋律) and lyrics (歌词) so that only chords were left and the results couldn’t be misunderstood by other imaginations of the songs that listeners might have had.

They found two things. Listeners got great pleasure from unexpected chords when they knew what would happen. However, they still found it pleasant to hear familiar chords when they did not know what would follow.

Vincent Cheung, the lead researcher, said, “Pleasant songs are likely those which keep a good balance (平衡) between knowing what is going to happen next and surprising us with something we did not expect. Understanding how music starts our pleasure system in the brain could explain why listening to music might help us feel better when we are feeling blue.”

Cheung told CNN that pleasure in music is connected to expectation. The study before had looked into the effects of surprise on pleasure, but his team’s study also paid attention to the uncertainty of listeners’ expectations.

1. What does the underlined word in Paragraph 2 mean?

A．Taken.	B．Added.
C．Played.	D．Recorded.

2. What does the study find?

A．Expected music is exciting.	B．Unexpected chords bring pleasure.
C．Familiar music is boring.	D．Unfamiliar chords are hard to follow.

3. What can we learn about pleasant songs from Cheung’s words?

A．They can explain human nature.	B．They can improve our pleasure system.
C．They make some people feel blue.	D．They balance expectation and surprise.

4. What is the purpose of the text?

A．To introduce a scientific study’s finding.	B．To show music’s importance in our life.
C．To compare different studies on music.	D．To experiment music in science.