2 . Kids spend a lot of time looking at screens. And some parents worry. But a new study argues against the anxiety parents may feel.

“Parents are hearing a message that social media, digital technology use is causing very serious and harmful problems like depression, like suicide-related behaviors,” Candice Odgers, professor of psychological science at the University of California said. “But the idea is that if you shut off social media, you could in fact be making a situation worse. Parents are really being sent a message that is not supported by anything scientifically.”

Odgers and her colleagues looked at the screen-related behavior of 400 public school students in North Carolina aged 10 to 14. The researchers found that the kids spent between almost five hours to seven hours per day on their devices. That’s a lot of hours but the researchers didn't find connection between the amount of time that young people spent online using digital technologies and mental health signs like depression, or anxiety. They found that young people who sent more text messages actually reported better mental health.

This was a small association, but it reflects what other people have found: the people who are very connected offline, who use technology in the positive ways to stay connected, often are more connected online as well and experiencing better mental health.

So why the fears about screen time? Odgers argues that the methods for previous studies may have led to false conclusions. When given a survey, the kids were often asked to recall, over the past six months, “How often are you online?” and “Have you ever felt depressed”. And the relation between those two things has been used to spread a lot of fear around the connection between social media use and things like depression, yet 99.5% of the reasons that kids differ in their depression is due to something other than the time they spend online.

1. The new study is mainly about the relation between ________.

A．kids, screen time and their eyesight	B．kids’ screen time and their depression
C．social media use and kids’ mental health	D．Internet environment and kids' mental health

2. What does Odgers think of the message parents received?

A．It misleads people.	B．It makes much sense.
C．It was confirmed by science.	D．It reveals parents, ignorance.

3. What kind of kids bear better mental health?

A．Kids spending less time online.	B．Kids staying unconnected offline.
C．Kids shutting off social media.	D．Kids positively using digital technology.

4. What's the main purpose of the text?

A．To present a social phenomenon.	B．To challenge a common belief.
C．To draw attention to kids, health.	D．To encourage more screen time.

3 . Work is a part of living—my grandparents understood that. They lived and worked on a central Pennsylvania farm that has been in my family for 150 years. Hess Farm, at that time, was self-sufficient. They raised beef cattle for meat, chickens for eggs and hogs for pork and lard. Dairy cows were kept for milk and the cream from which Grandma made butter and cheese. That little yard they had became a garden.

The Depression, therefore, didn’t make a dramatic change in their lives. But it did bring an unending flow of men out of work, drifting from job to job, to the farm. The first man to show up on the kitchen porch was ragged-looking, but polite. He took off his hat and quietly explained that he hadn’t eaten for a while. Grandpa stood watching him a bit, then said, “There’s a pile of firewood stacked against the fence behind the barn (畜棚). I’ve been needing to get it moved to the other side of the fence. You have just about enough time to finish the job before lunch.” With that, he stuck out his rough hand to the stranger.

Grandma said a surprising thing happened. The drifter got a shine in his eyes and, behind his beard, he smiled. He hurried to the barn in a near trot (小跑). She set another place at the table and baked an apple pie. During lunch, the stranger didn’t say much, but his shoulders straightened when he left. “Nothing ruins a man like losing his self-respect”, Grandpa later told me.

Soon after, another man showed up asking for a meal. This one was dressed in a suit and carried a small, worn suitcase. Grandpa came out and then offered a handshake. “There’s a stack of firewood along the fence down behind the barn I’ve been meaning to get moved. It’d sure be a help to me. And we’d be pleased to have you stay for lunch.”

The fellow set his suitcase and neatly laid his coat and vest on top. Then he set off to work.

Grandma says she doesn’t remember how many strangers they shared a meal with during those Depression days—or how many times that pile of wood got moved.

1. What is the result of the Depression?

A．Some people earned a lot of money.

B．A large number of people went abroad.

C．Many people were laid off.

D．Quite a few people died of a strange disease.

2. Which of the following best describes the grandpa?

A．He pretended to be generous.

B．He pretended to be mean.

C．He shared meal with everyone who came to his door.

D．He gave meal to the poor without losing their self-respect.

3. How many strangers did Grandpa and Grandma share a meal with during those days?

A．They shared a meal with only two people.

B．They shared a meal with twenty people.

C．The passage doesn’t mention the number.

D．They didn’t share a meal with anyone.

4. What can we know about the stranger from the underlined sentence?

A．The stranger was full after lunch.

B．The stranger earned his bread through his own work.

C．The stranger wanted to show his gratitude.

D．The stranger wanted to stretch his body.

4 . Sometimes life can seem challenging and we usually get the feeling that however happy we are，we never seem to be satisfied .We usually feel upset with the troubles that life throws at us．The best thing to do at that point of time is to close our eyes and start counting of all the blessings in life that God has given us．

If we think deeply, our life is full of blessings that we hardly recognize．Listening to the singing of birds early in the morning，we realize that there are many people who spend their life in a world that is silent while many others spend their lives in a world that is dark and may have never seen a rainbow（彩虹） or the setting sun．

When you go out for a drive，pull down the window and look at the poor beggar standing under the hot sun，begging for filling his hungry stomach．We get three meals a day without realizing its importance．Isn't that a blessing？

Whenever you are sad，look at the eyes of your parents and family filled with love and concern for you. There are many people who have never experienced the love of a family．Isn't that a blessing？

As Mother Teresa once said，"We don't need to do great things．We need to do small things with great love"．

The key to a happy life is when we consider others’ problems to be our own and try to help them．When we love people without any expectations and help them，our heart is filled with a sense of happiness and peace．

So next time whenever life knocks you down，close your eyes and start counting!

1. What does the author intend to tell us？

A．Love gives us courage．

B．Don’t be unsatisfied with our life．

C．True happiness lies in becoming rich.

D．The singing of birds can make us happy．

2. What should we do when we fell sad?

A．Drive outside and beg.

B．Close our eyes and cry.

C．Look for our parents’ love and concern.

D．Remember the happy time we’ve experienced.

3. What can be learned from the text？

A．It is a blessing to have three meals a day．

B．Mother Teresa calls on us to do great things in life．

C．It's natural to see a rainbow or the setting sun in life．

D．We have already known that life is filled with blessings．

4. What is the key to a happy life？

A．Considering our own things.

B．Learning to love and help others.

C．Letting our hearts fill with peace.

D．Helping others with many expectations.

5 . That warm day was the only day of the week without rain.I opened the door, took a seat and began to enjoy the wonderful sunshine.Suddenly, I noticed that the house near mine had been sold.An elderly lady was in front of the door, with some beautiful flowers beside her. I walked to her. She looked to be in her early eighties and had the prettiest white hair.

“Hi!My name is Karmen,” I said smiling brightly at the old lady. She smiled back and said, “Hello,Karmen.I’m Kitty.” Her voice was very strong for someone at her age. Later, I learned that she was alone and had no family or relatives to help her. From that day on, I often visited her and helped her with her housework and sometimes she gave me some delicious food. A year passed, and I considered her to be one of my best friends.

One day, I walked over for my morning visit and knocked on the door, but there was no answer. I knocked again, and she still didn’t turn up. So I let myself in, using the key she had given me. I checked her living room and then her kitchen. I finally went into her bedroom, and she was lying peacefully on her bed. Beside her there were two notes. One was her will (遗嘱), which said all that she had would be given to me. The other was a thank-you note. I went to her bedside and cried sadly.

Though several years has gone by, I still miss her deeply. Whenever I look at the beautiful flowers in front of her house, I remember the wonderful friendship we had.

1. What did the author learn about the old lady?

A．She preferred to live alone.

B．She disliked all her relatives.

C．She had no one to look after her.

D．She was looking for someone to help her.

2. Why did the author help the old lady?

A．Because he wanted her house.

B．Because he felt pity for her.

C．Because he liked to do housework.

D．Because he’d like to eat delicious food.

3. What did the old lady decided to do to thank the author?

A．Leave all that she had to the author.

B．Give the author a key to her house.

C．Give the author her favourite flowers.

D．Let the author know she was her best friend.

4. Which word can best describe the old lady?

A．Foolish.

B．Clever.

C．Polite.

D．Grateful.

6 . Covid-19 has brought a great deal of trouble for all of us since March 2020. During this time, mobile phones have been the solution for the boredom and restlessness caused from staying indoors. The most downloaded apps on play store 2020 are;

TikTok

TikTok was the most downloaded app. With over 111.9 million downloads, TikTok has seen a huge growth in 2020, twice more than what it got in 2019. 20% of its total downloads were from India and around 9. 3% of the total downloads were in the US.

Zoom

Zoom was the second most installed app in the overall downloads category. With nearly 94. 6 million installs, Zoom is the most used app for online meetings and virtual classrooms. 17% of its downloads were in the US and India. Offices and educational institutes were shut down and to continue working and studying from home, people relied heavily on Zoom for video conferencing and calling.

WhatsApp

WhatsApp ranked third in overall downloads with more than 100 million downloads. It is one of the most popular and widely used chat applications; WhatsApp also supports communication between international phone networks.

Facebook

It ranked fourth in the overall downloaded list. Facebook is the world’s most popular social networking application. Facebook builds technologies that give people the power to connect with friends and family, find communities and grow businesses.

1. What do we know about TikTok?

A．It is an India-based app.	B．It has most users in America.
C．It is used for growing business.	D．It has doubled its download than in 2019.

2. Which app is the best to turn to for online education?

A．TikTok.

B．Zoom.

C．WhatsApp.

D．Facebook.

3. What function does Facebook probably serve?

A．Communication.

B．Training.

C．Teaching.

D．Payment

7 . Roads have existed from ancient times. Could you imagine how difficult travel would be if we didn’t have them? Now, bees in England will soon have roads of their own so they can safely find the right direction.

That’s because without our intervention(干预), 40-70 percent of our bees and other pollinators(传粉昆虫) will become extinct, according to the non-profit Buglife, unless action is taken that will allow species to move easily through the landscape. Today, wildlife is contained in small pieces of habitat that will now be linked by using B-Lines.

The B-Lines are part of an online map that identifies routes that can be turned into pollinator highways.

The plan started by Buglife is looking to restore at least 370, 658 acres of habitat across the UK.

The organization said on its website, “B-Lines have been mapped across England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and large areas of Scotland. Along with conservation partners, land managers, businesses and local authorities, we are helping to fill the mapped places with restored and new wildflower-rich areas.”

Planting wildflowers is really vital to the survival of the pollinators. According to Positive News England alone has lost over 97 percent of its wildflowers since World War II and this loss of habitat has been disastrous for species like bees and butterflies.

A complete England B-Lines network is a real landmark step in our task of turning around the decrease of insects and lending a helping hand to our struggling pollinators, said Catherine Jones, pollinator officer at Buglife.

Buglife identified ways that people can help pollinators. The ways include: growing more flowers and trees; letting your garden go wild; cutting your grass more infrequently; leaving insect nests alone; being careful to use chemicals that are safe for pollinators.

Every action for pollinators, no matter how big or small, can contribute to the B-Lines network and a secure future of pollinators,” according to the non-profit.

1. Why is the plan called B-Lines being carried out?

A．To make bee roads more beautiful.

B．To stop bees flying into human areas.

C．To save some pollinators from dying out.

D．To replace the roads existing from ancient times.

2. What does Buglife expect of the B-Lines areas?

A．They will attract many tourists.

B．They will be full of wildflowers.

C．They will help people remember history.

D．They will keep the traffic running smoothly.

3. What does Buglife suggest people do?

A．Give up using any chemicals.

B．Plant more flowers than trees.

C．Avoid destroying insect nests.

D．Cut grass as often as possible.

4. What can be the best title for this text?

A．Take action immediately to protect wildlife

B．House lost pollinators in your garden

C．Learn about Buglife and join it

D．Build special highways for bees

8 . Beijing will provide COVID-19 vaccinations(接种疫苗）for certain groups in nursing homes, including the elderly and caregivers, on a voluntary basis to prevent a renewed outbreak at nursing homes during autumn and winter, the local government said.

Those who will receive the vaccines include nursing home kitchen workers, security guards and cleaners. Beijing Daily reported on Friday.

Xing Yinli ,director of Jingkangyuan, a nursing home in Fengtai district with about 290 elderly residents(居民），said they have received the document(文件）recently and will strictly follow its guidance.

It’s our top duty to strengthen prevention and control.,"Xing said,adding they have been using methods such as keeping detailed records of resident contacts outside the nursing home,and encouraging online visits for family members..

As to vaccinations, she said they will ask for permission from residents,their family members and workers before giving vaccines.

In late October,Shaoxing,Zhejiang province carried out an emergencyCOVTD-19 vaccine program,allowing the public to ask for injections(注射）in advance,with key groups first. A similar program was also organized in Jiaxing,Ningbo and Yiwu in Zhejiang.

Nationwide,emergency use of home grown COVID-19 vaccines was approved in June and launched in late July. China now has four coronavirus candidate vaccines in the third stage clinical trials(临床试验）.

The document from Beijing also said nursing homes should conduct nucleic acid testing(核酸检测） every month among kitchen workers and residents who leave the nursing homes to see a doctor. Tests will cover all people in nursing homes considered at high risk if new infections are reported in the city. Besides, routine disinfections (消毒） should be strengthened in kitchens, storerooms and restrooms, it said. The document also recommended noncontact visits from family members.

1. Where can you probably find this article?

A．In a newspaper.	B．In a fashion magazine.
C．In a book review.	D．In a travel journal.

2. What can we learn from Paragraphs 4 and 5?

A．The nursing home kept detailed records of residents,

B．All the members will make preparations for injections.

C．The nursing home takes prevention and control seriously.

D．Jiaxing is the first city to have carried out an emergency program.

3. How can we understand the underlined sentence in paragraph 7?

A．China is providing vaccinations nationwide.

B．China has made great progress in coronavirus vaccines.

C．Chain has taken the lead in coronavirus vaccines worldwide.

D．The four candidate vaccines have finished clinical trails

4. What's the main idea of this passage?

A．Nursing homes should conduct nucleic acid testing.

B．Beijing nursing homes are to be provided vaccines.

C．Certain groups will have vaccines first in late June.

D．Routine disinfections should be strengthened in kitchens.

9 . What is the greatest threat to mankind? Maybe different people come up with different answers. However, there is no denying the fact that the only threat to humankind, apart from humankind itself, is, without any doubt, the nature. Natural disasters are the result of natural environmental processes that have a damaging effect on people. Natural disasters can come in many forms: such as geological events like earthquakes, tsunamis or mud-rock flows, climatic events like storms, hurricanes or tornadoes and fire events like forest fires and wildfires.

The damage done by natural disasters is mainly as a result of our inability to predict exactly when they will happen. Although great progress has been made in designing and developing forecasting models for some natural disaster, complete certainty is still impossible. Even to be pessimistic there is a possibility that human beings will never achieve accurate prediction of the happening of all natural disasters.

What's more, even though we were able to predict these disasters from nature, preventing them is equally impossible. So we only have two ways to both prevent injuries or deaths and reduce economic losses to the least. These two methods are to prepare before a natural disaster comes to hit, and to manage the necessary resources and public services after a natural disaster strikes.

These two things have always been at the leading position of the projects of both national governments and international organizations. In the United States, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is responsible for the "preparedness, response and recovery planning" of both man-made and natural disasters.

Most natural disasters cannot be prevented, and both emergency preparation and good disaster management are the best ways to deal with them. Although natural events may appear to serve no purpose but simply to punish and destroy, natural disasters, a perfect symbol of the great power of the nature, are display of our planet's evolution and its state of change.

1. Which can't be regarded as a similarity between tornadoes and earthquakes?

A．They can not be prevented.

B．They are both geological events.

C．They cause damage to people.

D．They are both the result of natural environmental processes.

2. The reason why natural disasters cause so much damage is that ________.

A．it is very difficult to predict when exactly they will happen

B．our forecasting equipment is too old for many natural disasters

C．we don't do enough preparation before natural disasters strike

D．we don't have the necessary public services to use after natural disasters strike

3. It may be concluded from the passage that ________.

A．natural disasters can not be predicted at all

B．human beings are pessimistic to the future

C．being well-prepared can avoid economic losses

D．good preparation and disaster management are advisable.

4. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．a symbol of the power of nature	B．the greatest threat to mankind
C．Natural disasters and mankind	D．reduce losses to the least

10 . Today, the most frightening living shark is the great white, which is over six meters long and bites with a force of two tonnes. Its fossil relative, Megalodon (meaning "big tooth") that lived about 23 to 3.6 million years ago, was over twice the length of a great white shark and had a bite force of more than ten tonnes.

Jack Cooper and his team used a number of mathematical methods to find out the size and proportions(比例)of this monster, by making close comparisons with a variety of living relatives that have certain similarities to Megalodon. He said, “I have always been mad about sharks. Megalodon was actually the very animal that inspired me to pursue palaeontology(古生物学) in the first place when I was just six years old, so I was over the moon to get a chance to study it. This was my dream project.”

Previously the fossil shark, known formally as Otodus megalodon, was only compared with the great white. Jack and his colleagues, for the first time, expanded this analysis to include five modern sharks. “ Megalodon is not a direct ancestor of the great white and is equally related to several modern sharks such as the salmon shark, as well as the great white. We collected detailed measurements of all five to make predictions about Megalodon,”Dr. Pimiento said.

The researchers discovered that the babies of all these modern sharks start out as little adults, and they don’t change in proportion as they get larger. Jack Cooper said, “This means we could simply take the growth curves(生长曲线) of the five modern forms and forecast the overall shape as they get larger and larger--- right up to a body length of 16 meters.”

The results suggest that a 16-meter-long Megalodon likely had a head round 4.65 meters long, a fin about 1.62 meters tall on the back and a tail around 3.85 meters high. The reconstruction of the size of Megalodon’s body parts represents a fundamental step towards a better understanding of this huge extinct shark.

1. Why is the great white mentioned in Paragraph 1?

A．To remind people to stay away from it.

B．To uncover its close relation with Megalodon.

C．To introduce the researchers' new findings about it.

D．To show Megalodon's giant body and strength by comparison.

2. What does the underlined phrase"over the moon"in Paragraph 2 mean?

A．A bit hesitant.	B．Very excited.
C．Really stressed.	D．Totally unprepared.

3. What was special about the new study led by Jack Cooper?

A．It proved the real existence of Megalodon.

B．It was based on data from five types of modern sharks.

C．It was aimed at finding the direct ancestor of the great white.

D．It compared Megalodon with the great white for the first time.

4. What did the researchers find about Megalodon?

A．Their babies had the same body length as modern baby sharks.

B．Their body proportions changed dramatically during growth.

C．Their fin on the back could be as tall as an adult human.

D．Their bite force was equal to the great white’s.