1 . A quick look at Instagram will show you thousands of girls sharing their clothing of the day. Many of these girls are sharing completely new clothes every day. And they’re feeling the pressure to never repeat clothes. This attitude of not being able to wear something again after sharing it on Instagram is far too common. It is a sad thing when some girls feel sorry for appearing in the same clothes more than once on Instagram.
Clothes businesses push new “must –haves” every week, which adds to the pressure to keep up. Clothes have been so cheap because of the competition between clothes businesses that it’s shockingly easy to buy new clothes every day. These clothes businesses have made it possible for a normal person to never be seen in the same clothes twice. Often the quality of these clothes is so low that they don’t even survive the wash so there is no chance of that second wear.
Consider everything that goes into making a single piece of clothing-for example: plenty of water, energy and petrochemicals, finishing and labor of each worker throughout making it. It’s shocking to think after all this, a piece of clothing might be worn once, maybe twice, and then thrown away so that they can follow fast fashion.
The fashion of throwing clothes away after use needs to change. Proudly post the same clothes you’ve worn before online. Get creative with mixing and matching, and borrow from friends for special times. The possibilities are endless so there’s no need to shop frequently.
1. What is a sad thing according to the first paragraph?| A．Some girls like showing off on the Internet. |
| B．Some girls spend too much time on social media. |
| C．Some girls care too little about their appearances. |
| D．Some girls feel ashamed to post the same clothes online again. |
| A．Online shopping. | B．Parents’ pressure. |
| C．Clothes businesses. | D．Laziness to wash clothes. |
| A．To show fast fashion’s great effect. |
| B．To tell us we should treasure clothes. |
| C．To show the development of the clothes industry. |
| D．To tell us we should have our own dressing styles. |
| A．Offer reasons. | B．Give suggestions. |
| C．Give encouragement. | D．Promote a fashion brand. |
2 . These devices, along with many others, made the list of tech-related items available this holiday season.
Theragun Mini
The Theragun Mini is essentially a massage (按摩) gun that provides up to 2,400 beats per minute to relax muscles after a workout to prevent soreness. The device is designed for quietness and can last around two hours on a full charge; $199.99 at theragun.com.
Lenovo Smart Clock Essential
The Lenovo Smart Clock Essential basically is a digital alarm clock attached to a Google smart speaker, which allows you to adjust settings with only your voice or play music. The simple LED display shows the time, weather and day of the week, and it has a built-in night-light. Its battery has a charge life of about half a month with continuous use. Starts at $29.99 at lenovo. com.
Fitbit Versa3
Fitbit’s newest smartwatch offers built-in GPS tracking for those who prefer to log their exercise outings without the need to carry a phone. If your focus is fitness, the Versa, which has a large, color touchscreen display, could be considered a less expensive option to Apple’s smartwatch. The Versa’s battery can last up to six days; $229.95 at fitbit. com.
Amazon Echo Dot and Echo Dot Kids
The fourth generation of Amazon’s smart speaker now has a round shape and comes in two editions: regular and one for kids. It operates the same way as other smart speakers in the Echo line, allowing users to ask the device to play music or give the latest news headlines. The kids version comes with a free subscription to Amazon Kids+, which has access to child-friendly digital books and games. Its battery can last around seven hours on a full charge, starting at $49.99 at amazon. com.
1. Whose battery can work the longest time on a full charge?| A．Fitbit Versa 3. |
| B．Theragun Mini. |
| C．Lenovo Smart Clock Essential. |
| D．Amazon Echo Dot and Echo Dot Kids. |
| A．They both offer built-in GPS. |
| B．They both have a color touchscreen. |
| C．They both can be got at the same website. |
| D．They are both suitable for workout lovers. |
| A．Purchase any digital books. |
| B．Keep us informed of homework. |
| C．Subscribe to Amazon Kids+ for free. |
| D．Download some videos from the Internet. |
3 . A new Dutch car company, Lightyear, announced its new car, Lightyear One concept earlier this week, which can constantly refill its power using the sun and travel a range of up to 800 km when fully powered. That’s just the start: The company claims that in sunny environments (say, Hawaii), the One could potentially drive for months at a time between charges.
The Lightyear team claims the car can fuel up with more than just sunshine. It is equipped to charge from a socket (插座), even a regular household power socket. Lightyear claims that just charging its car from a standard (3.7 kw) socket for an hour would give you 40 km worth of power.
The solar power collected by the car’s panels could be used to power more than just the One itself, allowing owners to connect the energy to their homes, devices, and even other electric cars. This is indeed a new idea.
It’s not exactly clear how the company plans to produce its breakthrough cars. The company’s website includes some unclear language about a “completely newly-designed car” which will require a “revolutionary production process”. It mentions that industry partners have signed up to support the process, but doesn’t offer any specific names.
Lightyear’s founders aren’t new to the solar car, which makes the One slightly more believable than other new concepts with little real-world data to support them. The company was started by five former members of Solar Team Eindhoven, the group that created the four-seat, solar-powered car Stella which hit the US streets back in 2014.
You can order the One in advance now in the EU and US, but, unsurprisingly, it won’t come cheap. Reserving a One will allow you to get a discount if you pay by the month and the final cost is expected to be €119,000.
The company won’t produce the One on a large scale (规模). Therefore, it won’t cause industry giants like Tesla to lose any sleep just yet, and Lightyear still has to prove it can change its experimental technology into a fully realized consumer experience. If the company succeeds, however, we could be looking at a new future of cars, directly powered by the sun.
1. Which affects the One’s longest range most?| A．Road conditions. | B．Weather conditions. |
| C．The weight it bears. | D．The way it is charged. |
| A．The electric car. | B．The solar-powered car. |
| C．The electricity-powered device. | D．The mobile power-sharing system. |
| A．To explain the principle of the One. |
| B．To prove the advantages of the One. |
| C．To compare different eco-friendly cars. |
| D．To show the background of the One’s creators. |
| A．Hopeful. | B．Worried. | C．Doubtful. | D．Surprised. |
4 . Think of Japan in the spring, and the image that comes to mind is likely the country’s famous cherry blossoms, which experience a “peak bloom (开花)” that only lasts a few days and have been honored in Japan for more than a thousand years. But this year, the cherry blossom season has come and gone in the blink of an eye, in one of the earliest blossoms on record -- and scientists warn it’s a symptom of the larger climate crisis threatening ecosystems everywhere.
Yasuyuki Aono, a researcher at Osaka Prefecture University, has gathered records from Kyoto back to 812 AD from historical documents and diaries. In the central city of Kyoto, cherry blossoms peaked on March 26, the earliest in more than 1,200 years, Aono said. And in the capital Tokyo, cherry blossoms reached full bloom on March 22, the second-earliest date on record.
The peak bloom dates shift every year, depending on numerous factors including weather and rainfall, but have shown a general trend of moving earlier and earlier. “Cherry blooms are very temperature sensitive,” said Aono. “Flowering and full bloom could be earlier or later depending on the temperature alone,” he said. This year’s seasons in particular influenced the blossom dates, he added. The winter was very cold, but the spring came fast and unusually warm, so “the buds are completely awake after enough rest.”
Their early bloom, however, is just the tip of the iceberg of a worldwide phenomenon that could make natural systems and countries’ economies unstable, said Amos Tai, assistant professor of earth science at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. There are two sources of increased heat, which is the main factor making the flowers bloom earlier: urbanization（城市化）and climate change. With increased urbanization, cities tend to get warmer than the surrounding rural area, in what is called the heat island effect. But a bigger reason is climate change, which has caused rising temperatures across the region and the world.
These earlier dates aren’t just a matter of tourists scrambling to catch peak bloom before the petals all fall-- it could have a lasting impact on entire ecosystems, and threaten the survival of many species.
1. What is the purpose of mentioning the dates and figures in paragraph 2?| A．To present “peak bloom” in Tokyo came earlier than in Kyoto. |
| B．To suggest when cherry blossoms will bloom next year. |
| C．To report the dates of “peak bloom” in different Japanese cities. |
| D．To show cherry blossoms came out earlier this year than in the past. |
| A．The blossom season this year is a sign of a larger global crisis. |
| B．The weather will be too cold for the blossoms to last long enough. |
| C．The earlier peak bloom will threaten the survival of many species. |
| D．The earlier bloom could affect natural systems and countries’ economy. |
| A．Deciding. | B．Managing. | C．Rushing. | D．Marching. |
| A．The Japanese Climate Crisis |
| B．Sooner’s Not Always Better Than Later |
| C．Cherry blossoms and Their Impact |
| D．The Early Blooming of Cherry Blossoms |
5 . I created Buddy Project when I was a 15-year-old girl. At the time, my best friend had been diagnosed with a mental health condition, and that was the first time I was made aware of what mental illness was. I wanted to learn more and create a good support system for her. Back then, I was also on Twitter because I had trouble making friends in school. I found a lot of people I related to online, and I found a community of friends based on my interests. I combined those two experiences and wanted to make a way for people to find a safe and loving community online. I wanted people to have a peer (同龄人) support system available to them and to feel accepted.
When I started Buddy Project, I was in the ninth grade and only had free time after school. I intended it to be something I did part-time. I didn’t really think that many people would be interested in it. On the first day, however, 3,000 people signed up. I realized then that that was not something I was just going to do as scheduled.
Mental illness affects tens of millions of people in the United States each year, yet only half receive treatment, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Mental health care is not always accessible or affordable, and that needs to be talked about. Even if the stigma (羞耻) surrounding mental illness decreased, the cost of treatment would still be a problem. Without help, there are some people who won’t be able to receive the proper care.
Buddy Project started out by just raising awareness of mental health on social media. Then we became a non-profit, and since 2015 we’ve been trying to fundraise to help pay for others’ mental health treatments too. We’ve mainly focused on raising money for people in our hometown of southeastern Pennsylvania, but we want to expand and offer help throughout the United States.
1. Paragraph 1 mainly tells us about how the author________.| A．sought ways to drive away loneliness. |
| B．eventually found friendship online. |
| C．came up with the idea for Buddy Project. |
| D．helped her best friend with mental illness. |
| A．That her studies were badly influenced. |
| B．That so many people participated in her project. |
| C．That she could carry out the project part-time. |
| D．That she had enough free time for her project. |
| A．To explain the influence of mental health care. |
| B．To show her positive attitude toward mental illness. |
| C．To show the necessity of helping those with mental illness. |
| D．To encourage lower costs of treatment for mental illness. |
| A．Offer different types of mental health care. |
| B．Find more ways to prevent mental illness happening. |
| C．Raise awareness of mental health on social media. |
| D．Help more people receive mental illness treatments. |
6 . The Best Art Competitions to Enter in 2021
Check out our guide to some of the best art contests to enter this year.
Acrylic Works 9
Prize: $2,000 first prize, $1,000 second prize Entry Fee: $45
Requirements: Open to artists in the United States and Canada Closing Date: October 18, 2021
For the Acrylic Works 9 competition, the organizers are looking for the best in acrylic (丙烯酸) painting of a variety of styles and subjects. The entries will be judged in two rounds according to artistic technique, design and creative elements, as well as overall impression and impact. Winners’ works will be shown in Artists magazine.
Splash 23
Prize: $2,000 first prize, $1,000 second prize Entry Fee: $45
Requirements: Open to artists in the United States and Canada Closing Date: June 14, 2021
For the Splash 23 contest, the organizers are looking for original watercolor paintings. Each entry must be painted with watercolor. However, some minor use of other mediums may be acceptable. Top paintings of winners will appear in a special edition of Watercolor Artist magazine.
The Lumen Prize for Digital Art
Prize: $4,000 first prize Entry Fee: $48 for two works
Requirements: Open to artists worldwide Closing Date: June 8, 2021
This digital art competition is organized by Lumen Art Projects Ltd, a non-profit organization that’s aimed at providing new opportunities for digital artists around the world. Categories include Still, Moving Image, 3D/ Interactive and Artificial Intelligence.
California
Award Prize: $3,000 first prize Entry Fee: Free
Requirements: Open to artists in California Closing Date: July 31, 2021
Hosted by the Brea Gallery, the competition intends to provide a great opportunity for all artists based in the state of California. All artworks will be considered. And there is also a solo (单独的) show opportunity for artists who submit a body of work containing 5-10 pieces.
1. What does Acrylic Works 9 and Splash 23 have in common?| A．They are open to all artists. |
| B．They focus on different styles. |
| C．The winners’ paintings will appear in a magazine. |
| D．The deadlines of the competitions are both in October. |
| A．Splash 23. | B．Acrylic Works 9. |
| C．California Award. | D．The Lumen Prize for Digital Art. |
| A．To offer opportunities for artists in the US. |
| B．To inspire creative ideas in paintings. |
| C．To provide a solo show for all artists. |
| D．To encourage local artists to take part. |
7 . Children who suffer trauma (创伤) from abuse or violence early in life show biological signs of aging faster than children who have never experienced adversity(逆境), according to the research published by the American Psychological Association. The study examined three different signs of biological aging-early adolescence, cellular aging and changes in brain structure-and found that trauma exposure was associated with all the three.
Exposure to adversity in childhood is a powerful predictor of health outcomes later in life—not only mental health outcomes like depression and anxiety, but also physical health like cardiovascular disease(心血管病), diabetes and cancer," said Katie Mclaugllin, PhD, an associate professor of psychology at Harvard University and senior author of the study published in the journal Psychological Bulletin."Our study suggests that experiencing violence can make the body age more quickly at a biological level, which may help to explain that connection.”
Previous research found mixed evidence on whether childhood adversity is always linked to accelerated aging. However, those studies looked at many different types of adversity abuse, neglect, poverty and more and at several different measures of biological aging. To distinguish the results, McLaughlin and her colleagues decided to look separately at two categories of adversity: threat-related adversity, such as abuse and violence, and deprivation- related(与缺乏有关的) adversity, such as physical or emotional neglect or poverty.
The researchers performed an analysis(分析) of almost 80 studies, with more than 116,000 total participants. They found that children who suffered threat-related trauma such as violence or abuse were more likely to enter adolescence early and also showed signs of accelerated aging on a cellular level—including shortened telomeres, the protective caps at the ends of our strands of DNA that wear down as we age. However, children who experienced poverty or neglect did not show either of those signs of early aging.
In a second analysis, Mclaughlin and her colleagues systematically reviewed 25 studies with more than 3, 253 participants that examined how early-life adversity affects brain development. They found that adversity was associated with reduced cortical (表层) thickness-- a sign of aging because the cortex thins as people age.
1. What is the purpose of paragraph 1?| A．To bring in a finding. | B．To present an argument. |
| C．To give a definition | D．To make a comparison. |
| A．Katie McLaughlin is a specialist in childhood diseases. |
| B．Childhood threat-related adversity has a huge influence on children's later life. |
| C．Adversity helps children overcome mental and physical problems. |
| D．Exposure to violence makes children mentally age most. |
| A．By interviewing participants. | B．By listing mixed evidence. |
| C．By making an analysis. | D．By collecting examples. |
| A．The signs of accelerated aging. |
| B．The ways to classify information. |
| C．The benefits of exposure to adversity. |
| D．The connection between childhood trauma and aging. |
8 . Utility, Portland's low-waste, refill and reuse company, started in January 2019 and held its first retail (零售) shop in April. Rebecca Rottman and Nadine Appenbrink, two women on a mission to green their city, are deeply committed to sustainability (持续性) and supporters of zero waste.
They believed that their green-minded city was missing something that was essential to sustainability. So, they started one shop (that is almost zero waste) as a second job for both. It started as a personal journey, looking for clean products that didn't come in plastic. Their mission is to reduce the amount of single plastic use by allowing people to bring their own reusable containers.
Every week the women teamed up with local stores to sell their goods and to refill products for returning customers. Now they are operating only online for pickup or local delivery in the Portland area. It's really easy. Just shop online and choose a container. Then select pickup or delivery. The products include all-natural dish bar soap — that is locally made and a wide variety of plastic-free kitchen tools. While not completely zero waste, Utility is striving to get incredibly close. Appenbrink said, “We’re all on a journey. And we want to be as approachable as possible. Utility is to raise awareness about this lifestyle.”
When the shops were running, the women were able to build community with other like-minded environmental activists and they planned to do community engagement activities like park cleanups. There are also plans to start some DIY classes on how to make natural products like the face cream they sell.
There are zero waste or as close as possible stores in other communities, like Clean Kilo in Birmingham, UK, but they are real brick buildings. Utility's concept is so simple that it can be copied almost anywhere. Zero waste markets are the way to go to transition (过渡) into the economy that is needed to stop plastic waste, reduce our carbon footprint and have a sustainable future.
1. What can we know about Utility according to the first paragraph?| A．It was set up by Portland government. |
| B．It's an environmentally-friendly company. |
| C．It makes Portland become much safer. |
| D．It's a world famous zero waste company |
| A．To raise money for a charity. |
| B．To provide locals with daily necessities. |
| C．To offer more job chances to people. |
| D．To reduce the use of single plastic. |
| A．How to make natural items. |
| B．How to improve lifestyle. |
| C．How to try zero waste. |
| D．How to develop a community. |
| A．It's a hard job to set up zero waste stores. |
| B．Portland almost goes zero waste. |
| C．The economy of zero waste markets should change. |
| D．It's easy to copy what Utility does. |
9 . Perfumes, soaps, and other products often contain special smells called fragrances. Fragrances are often not natural smells, but they're meant to be pleasant. Fragrances can strongly affect those who smell them. Though some people are sensitive to the smells, hoping the smells will be ridded some day, creating and selling fragrances brings in about ＄48 billion every year across the globe, causing some companies to take advantage of computers and other high-tech methods to help them. Many universities specially have the major for creating fragrances, which many students are eager to take.
IBM is a computer company whose Artificial Intelligence (AI) system for fragrances is called Philyra that can't actually smell, but can use lots of different information to find and act on new patterns. The information Philyra needs comes from a German company Symrise. Symrise has derailed information on all kinds of materials used to make perfumes. It also has about 1.7 million different formulas—special recipes for making fragrances, and it is also able to give Philyra information about what kinds of smells people like. For example, the kinds of smells most liked by men, women, or people in different age groups or in different countries.
O Boticario, Brazil's second-largest beauty store, asked IBM to come up with two new perfumes that millennials(千禧二代) would like. So Philyra began creating new formulas based on patterns it spotted in the information about different materials, different formulas and the kinds of fragrances people like. Philyra came up with many formulas very quickly. The master perfumer David Apel worked with the AI, and he said that the way Philyra combined different spices(香料) with milk and butter was something that he would never have thought of doing. When O Boticario tried out the new perfumes on groups of millennials, they were very popular. They even beat out some famous perfumes. The new special perfumes will go on sale soon this year.
1. What do we know about creating and selling fragrances from paragraph 1?| A．It's being done by computers. |
| B．It's a big business in the world. |
| C．It's been directed by AI system. |
| D．It will disappear sooner or later. |
| A．Making fragrances for IBM. |
| B．Offering fragrance information. |
| C．Using AI to create various smells. |
| D．Developing AI system for fragrances. |
| A．Unnoticed fragrances. |
| B．Expert favored. |
| C．Personal smells. |
| D．AI-created. |
| A．Entertainment. |
| B．Health. |
| C．Education. |
| D．Technology. |
| ①MARY's SHOES is looking for： SHOP ASSISTANT We're looking for an expert shop assistant for our shop in Barkley. ●Minimum 5 years of experience ●Working days： Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays ●£8 per hour + extra benefits Please send your CV（简历） by email on marysshoes.employee@ highheels.com | |
| ②BUS DRIVER urgently required! ●Bus driving license ●Minimum of 3 years experience as driver ●Available to work at weekends ●（An attractive salary and benefits will be offered to the appropriate candidate Please call during office hours：0222/2376543 or send CV to Flying Buses, 372 Kensington Road, London or by email on staff.employment（@busdriveroffice.com | |
| ③SECRETARY Angel Office Services is looking for a full time secretary. ●Degree in economics or computer services ●Excellent computer skills ●Problem solving abilities ●Good communication skills ●No experience required ●Weekend is yours ●₤1, 200 per month Please send your CV by e﹣mail on staff.employment@angeloffice.uk | |
| ④ASSISTANT WANTED Top Clothes We're looking for a shop assistant for our clothes megastore in London. ●Age： 25﹣30 ●Working days： from Wednesday to Saturday ●Flexible part﹣time ●₤6.50 per hour ●Experience is little cared about Please send your CV by email on topclothes@megastore.comor visit us at 722 Kensington Road, London | |
1. Which jobs need the candidates' relevant experience?
| A．①② | B．③④ | C．①④ | D．②③ |
| A．She'll get the highest salary of the four. |
| B．She'll get extra benefits by extra work. |
| C．She will work in London at weekend. |
| D．She is good at using the computer. |
| A．Work full﹣time on weekdays. |
| B．Be on duty at weekends. |
| C．Be available on Saturdays. |
| D．Drive to work each day. |
