1 . China was a latecomer to space exploration, and in the movies, it has been a latecomer to science fiction. That has probably changed.
The country’s first blockbuster (大片) set in space, The Wandering Earth, opened in February amid high expectations that it would represent the beginning of a new era in Chinese filmmaking. Shown in 3D, The Wandering Earth takes place in a distant future in which the sun is about to expand into a red giant and devour (吞食) the Earth. The approaching danger forces the world’s engineers to work out a plan to move the planet to a new solar system. Things go very badly when Earth has to pass Jupiter, setting off a desperate fight to save humanity from being totally destroyed.
The Wandering Earth is adapted from a short novel by Liu Cixin, the writer who has led a renaissance in science fiction in China. His works are great epics (史诗) and deeply researched. Translating them into movies would challenge any filmmaker, as the director of The Wandering Earth, Guo Fan, admitted.
Guo noted that Chinese Studios had been cautious about investing the resources required to make convincing science-fiction. The budget for The Wandering Earth reportedly reached nearly $50 million— modest by Hollywood standards but still significant in China. “I really hope this movie will not lose money at least,” said Guo before the movie’s release. The popularity of Liu’s novels could help. So could the fact that China has reached a milestone in space: the landing of a probe (航天探测器) on the far side of the moon in January. Although decades behind Russia and the United States, China has now put astronauts in orbit and has ambitious plans to join---or even lead---a new age of space exploration.
Unlike some typical Hollywood movies, The Wandering Earth does not feature a world-saving hero. The fight to save Earth is fought instead by a group. A vision of international cooperation to cope with the threats facing the Earth is a theme that runs deeply through Liu’s fiction.
1. What message does the success of the movie The Wandering Earth convey?| A．It lives up to the audience’s high expectations. |
| B．It marks a new height of the Chinese filmmaking industry. |
| C．It displays China’s ambition to lead space exploration. |
| D．It sets new and higher standards for Chinese movies. |
| A．giant investment of Chinese studios | B．the high reputation of the film director |
| C．China’s advances in space exploration | D．the deep research and world-saving theme |
| A．A New Era for Space Exploration Begins |
| B．A Film Based on Liu Cixin’s Novel Enjoys Great Popularity |
| C．China’s First Space-Themed Film Features Cooperation |
| D．China’s Film Industry Eventually Joins the Space Race |
2 . It could be said that the northernmost part of our planet holds the secrets of our past as well as our future.
Through our exploration of the Arctic, scientists have discovered more about the biodiversity (生物多样性) of the area as well as how to preserve Earth’s ecosystems. Yet as one of the most severe but most primitive (原始的) places on Earth, the Arctic has been affected by human activities---research and exploration, booming tourism and above all, global warming---in recent decades.
Jonathan Smith, producer of the BBC documentary Blue Planet II, shared his filming experience in the Arctic. “We were all set and ready to film but we needed two major things---walrus (海象) and ice. I had expected that walrus may be hard to find, but I didn't expect it to be hard to find ice,” he told the BBC. “The crew was all commenting on how surprisingly warm it was.”
They were not mistaken. Scientists have been recording changes in the Arctic. Its sea ice minimum in summer, for example, has reduced by 40 percent in the past 30 years, NASA data showed. These changes have had bad influences on the Arctic and the human, animal and plant life that calls it home.
But the effects of these changes are not limited to the inhabitants of this area alone. In fact, it could be said that the weight of the world relies on this icy region. The Earth’s steady climate depends on the Arctic’s sea ice, which acts as a huge white reflector (反光体) at the top of the planet, bouncing some of the sun’s rays back into space. The more Arctic sea ice melts, the less light is reflected, and the more the dark oceans will absorb the sun’s radiation. The Arctic also helps circulate ocean movement, moving cold and warm water around the globe.
With visible changes in the global climate, the Arctic has given us a wake-up call---what happens “up in the North” doesn’t just stay there. It comes with a high cost to the world at large. It's time for us to pay attention to this chilly region and learn more about what’s happening there, as well as its past and possible future.
1. According to the passage, which of the following is the most threatening challenge the Arctic faces?| A．Coldness. | B．Darkness. | C．Global warming. | D．Wilderness. |
| A．To give an example. | B．To support an idea. |
| C．To clarify a question. | D．To provide more information. |
| A．The sea ice absorbs the sun’s radiation to keep the Earth’s climate steady. |
| B．The Arctic helps circulate air around the world. |
| C．The Arctic is home to the human, animal and plant life. |
| D．The sea ice helps reduce global warming by reflecting the sunlight. |
| A．Concerned. | B．Approving. | C．Optimistic. | D．Contradictory. |
3 . I have always been creative since I was a little girl. My childhood was filled with arts, crafts and music, and every day was an exciting adventure of creation.
Somewhere along the way, however, I lost touch with my creative self. At 21, I landed a job at a big insurance firm out of my business degree. I would go to the office, sit at my desk and repeat the same work five days a week, 9 to 5. The days were long and tedious. Working this way for one year was painful enough, let alone a lifetime. Before long I decided to make a change.
One thing I had developed an interest in was sewing, so I took a sewing course at a community college. It was only a five-week course but it awakened my interest and got my confidence up.
As I dreamed bigger, I began looking into college courses for Fashion Design and three months later I signed up for a part-time design course. I attended classes two nights a week. Although exhausting, it gave me energy, enthusiasm and happiness.
As it became more evident that fashion was what I wanted to do full time, the reality of my day-to-day work at the insurance firm became harder. I felt bored. No energy, no motivation and zero fulfillment.
I knew I needed to make a big change. After struggling for quite a while, I made a tough decision— leaving my job and studying my design course full time. Two years later I got my diploma.
The last few years have been exciting because I have been following my heart to do what I love. Today I'm living a creative life as the designer of my own fashion brand.
1. What does the underlined word in Paragraph 2 mean?| A．Flexible. | B．Boring. | C．Pleasant. | D．Endless. |
| A．She quit her job and took the fashion design course full time. |
| B．She got a job and attended a part-time sewing course. |
| C．She successfully built up her own fashion brand. |
| D．She took sewing and fashion design courses full time. |
| A．To share her great achievement with us. |
| B．To appeal to us to live a creative life and make changes. |
| C．To inspire us to follow our heart and do what we really like. |
| D．To convince us of the vital importance of creativity and enthusiasm. |
4 . We’ve known that sitting for long periods of time every day has countless health consequences, like a higher risk of heart disease. But now a new study has found that sitting is also bad for your brain.
A study published last week, conducted by Dr. Prabha Siddarth at the University of California, showed that sedentary(久坐的) behavior is associated with reduced thickness of the medial temporal lobe(中颞叶), a brain area that is critical to learning and memory.
The researchers asked a group of 35 healthy people, ages 45 to 70, about their activity levels and the average number of hours each day spent sitting and then scanned their brains. They found that the subjects who reported sitting for longer periods had the thinnest medial temporal lobes. It means that the more time you spend in a chair the worse it is for your brain health, resulting in possible damage to learning and memory.
What is also interesting is that this study did not find a significant association between the level of physical activity and thickness of this brain area, suggesting that exercise, even severe exercise, may not be enough to protect you from the harmful effects of sitting.
It then surprisingly turned out that you don’t even have to move much to enhance cognition(认知); just standing will do the trick. For example, two groups of subjects were asked to complete a test while either sitting or standing. Participants are presented with conflicting stimuli(刺激) , like the word “green” in blue ink, and asked to name the color. Subjects thinking on their feet beat those who sat by a 32-milicond(毫秒) margin.
The cognitive effects of severe physical exercise are well known. But the possibility that standing more and sitting less improves brain health could lower the bar for everyone.
I know, this all runs counter to received ideas about deep thought, from our grade school teachers, who told us to sit down and focus, to Rodin’s famous “Thinker,” seated with chin on hand.
They were wrong. You can now all stand up.
1. What can we infer from Paragraphs 3 and 4?| A．Severe exercise can lessen the damage of sitting. |
| B．Severe exercise can greatly improve our brain health. |
| C．Sedentary behavior will possibly damage our brain. |
| D．Brain health has nothing to do with sedentary behavior. |
| A．Blank. | B．Edge. |
| C．Decrease. | D．Difference. |
| A．Sitting more is good for our mental health. | B．Sitting is better when we think. |
| C．Exercise more can improve our cognition. | D．We should stand while thinking. |
5 . I go to a gym in west London, always unwillingly. Exercise is too exhausting and boring. Always was. At school I made believe that I had headaches and parental notes too, to get out of PE classes and compulsory games. Now, twice a week, I dutifully get on cycling machines and other equipment and make myself work out for an hour. To get through the difficult hour, I people-watched: young and old, fit and unfit and Clayton Rose, one of the instructors.
Clayton is a personal trainer not only to body perfectionists, but to people who are mentally and physically disabled, the obese and hopeless. He treats them all the same. I have witnessed him listening keenly to a middle-aged working-class woman who goes on and on about her life, holidays, everything. Slim and attractive now, she was once so heavy that she was in a wheelchair. I have seen him calm down a young man with Tourette's syndrome(抽动症)and get him on a treadmill. I have also watched him pushing and coaching strong, cool men.
Clayton was shocked when I said I wanted to write about him. “Why? You know I'm not educated? I'm not clued up about politics and all that. Just an ordinary guy.”
He grew up in Twickenham, where his dad worked in a timber yard, his mum in an office. After college, the young man got into personal training and found his work. One of his best friends got seriously ill and was given months to live. Clayton put him on a program that kept him alive for almost five years: “I don't earn much, but I love my work; training and talking really helps people who don't have confidence, who are lonely, afraid, sick. Lots of people can't step into a gym. They need someone they can trust, someone who will be on their side.
The gym recently updated its equipment. The flashy new stuff confuses and upsets disabled customers. Me too. The private firm running these centers made decisions without considering these needs. Clayton is managing the chaos with grace and strength. Last week, when a young woman in a wheelchair started sobbing loudly, he calmed her down, restored her dignity, superhumanly contained his anger.
One of his colleagues thinks Clayton's “a legend”. He is, and doesn't know it—a rare thing in this age of extreme narcissism(自恋)and monetized(货币化) everything.
1. Why was I unwilling to go to a gym?| A．Because I suffered from headaches. |
| B．Because I had bad memories of PE classes. |
| C．Because I had to watch a large crowd exercising |
| D．Because I felt it tiring and no fun |
| A．He brings out the best in them. | B．He helps them with illness advice |
| C．He treats them differently. | D．He focuses on body perfection. |
| A．Reasons to go to a gym. | B．An instructor inspiring confidence. |
| C．Exercise with push and inspiration. | D．Rays of hope in the age of narcissism. |
6 . Everyone has a phone in their pocket nowadays, but how often do we really use them for their original purpose—to make a call? Telephone culture is disappearing. What brought us to this moment, and what are its effects?
“No one picks up the phone anymore,” wrote Alex C. Madrigal on The Atlantic. “The reflex (习惯性动作) of answering—20th-century telephonic culture—is gone.”
The shift is of course due in large part to more communication options: Texting with photos, videos, emojis, reaction gifs, links and even voice messages can be a more attractive option.
Texting is light and fun, not nearly as demanding of your attention as a phone call. It can also be done with multiple people at the same time. Social media, email and video calls have also eaten away at traditional phone calls.
In recent years, another reason has caused people to ignore phone calls completely: robocalls. Robocalls are automate (自动化的) messages from organizations verifying (核实) your phone number or telemarketers trying to sell something. Americans received 22.8 billion robocalls halfway through 2020, equaling an annual rate of 45.6 billion, slightly below 2018 numbers, according to YouMail, a robocall protection service and blocking app.
As telephone culture disappears, what is the loss of a singular family phone doing to the family unit? Early landline phones unified family members, whereas mobile phones isolate(隔离) them.
“The shared family phone served as an anchor for home,” said Luke Fernandez, a Weber State University computer-science professor and co-author of Bored, Lonely, Angry, Stupid: Feelings About Technology, From the Telegraph to Twitter. “With smart phones, we have gained mobility and privacy. But the value of the home has been diminished, as has its ability to guide and monitor family behavior and perhaps connect families more closely,”Fernandez said.
Of course, as technology progresses, lives always change for better or for worse. With the loss of telephone culture, families will need to find other ways to unite.
1. What has caused the traditional telephone to lose its appeal according to the text?| A．People’s preference for robocalls. |
| B．People’s addiction to social media |
| C．People’s growing need for privacy |
| D．People’s wide range of communication choices |
| A．Smart phones make families closer. |
| B．Smart phones help people monitor family behavior. |
| C．The value of home depends on how phones are used. |
| D．The use of mobile phone has affected family bonds. |
| A．The past and future of telephone |
| B．The development of communication tools. |
| C．The downfall of traditional telephone culture. |
| D．The relation between phone use and family bonds. |
7 . It is a question people have been asking for ages. Is there a way to turn back the aging process?
For centuries, people have been looking for a “fountain of youth”. The idea is that if you find a magical fountain, and drink from its waters, you will not age.
Researchers in New York did not find an actual fountain of youth, but they may have found a way to turn back the aging process. It appears the answer may be hidden right between your eyes, in an area called the hypothalamus (下丘脑). The hypothalamus is part of your brain. It controls important activities within the body.
Researchers at New York’s Albert Einstein College of Medicine found that hypothalamus neural (神经的) stem cells also influence how fast aging takes place in the body.
What are stem cells(干细胞)? They are simple cells that can develop into specialized cells, like blood or skin cells. Stem cells can also repair damaged tissues and organs.
Dongsheng Cai is a professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He was the lead researcher in a study on aging in mice. He and his team reported their findings in the journal Nature, Cai explained when hypothalamus function is in decline, particularly the loss of hypothalamus stem cells, and this protection against the aging development is lost. it eventually leads to aging.
Using this information, the researchers began trying to activate, or energize, the hypothalamus laboratory mice. They did this by injecting the animals with stem cells, Later, the researchers examined tissues and tested for changes in behavior. They looked for changes in the strength and coordination (协调) of the animals muscles. They also studied the social behavior and cognitive ability of the mice. The researchers say the results show that the treatment slowed aging in the animals, Cai says injecting middle-aged mice with stem cells from younger mice helped the older animals live longer.
But these results were just from studying mice in a laboratory. If the mice can live longer, does that mean people could have longer lives? The next step is to see if the anti-aging effects also work in.
1. In Paragraph 2 a “fountain of youth” is mentioned to ________.| A．introduce the main topic |
| B．show a hidden secret. |
| C．describe scientists research |
| D．recommend a way to stay young |
| A．stem cells develop into specialized cells |
| B．there are important activities within the body |
| C．hypothalamus neural stem cells fail to protect against aging |
| D．the hypothalamus fails to repair damaged tissues and organs |
| A．They did experiments to see how stem cells work. |
| B．They studied mice to find their connection with humans. |
| C．They have found a possible way to slow the aging progress. |
| D．They have found no changes in mice s behavior during the experiment |
| A．They will help some animals live longer. |
| B．They will announce the fountain of youth doesn’t exist |
| C．They will develop products to help people live a longer life immediately |
| D．They will do research to see if what they have found in mice will apply to humans. |
8 . For some people, there’s no better companion than mans best friend-a dog. This four-legged pet can bring comfort and joy and provide much- needed exercise for you when it needs walkies! This probably explains why dog ownership increased last year because people spent more time at home during he CovID-I9 lockdown.
However, as demand for a new dog increased, so did the price tag. Popular breeds, such as Cockapoos and Cocker Spaniels, saw even sharper price increases, and puppies have been selling for $3,000 or more.
Animal welfare charities fear that high prices could encourage puppy farming, smuggling (走私) or dog theft. An investigation found some breeders have been selling puppies and kittens on social media sites--something charities have called “extremely irresponsible”.
But despite some new owners purchasing a dog legally, maybe from a rescue center or registered breeder, they’ve proved to be ill-prepared for life with a new pet, and the pet itself has found it hard to come to terms with life in a new home.
Looking to the future, there are concerns about the welfare of these much-loved pets. Lan Alkin manager of the Oxfordshire Animal Sanct uary in the UK, notes: “At the moment, the dogs are having a great time, but separation anxiety could still surface when people go back to work.” And Cliare Calder from the UKs Dogs Trust rescue charity says, “The economic situation also means that some people may find they can’t afford to look after a dog.” The message is not to buy a dog in haste and to pick one that fits into our lifestyle.
1. The greater demand for dogs can cause the following problems except ________.| A．illegal trade of dogs | B．less dog farming |
| C．high prices of dogs | D．online sale of dogs |
| A．Fit in with | B．Go in for | C．Make up for. | D．End up with |
| A．Despite the problems, dogs are living happily. |
| B．The writer has a positive attitude towards dogs future. |
| C．Experts are worried that dogs will be unaffordable to people. |
| D．The writer advises people to think twice before keeping dogs as pets. |
9 . Beijing-born Chloe Zhao made a historic win, becoming the first Asian woman director to take home the Golden Globe Award for Best Director on Sunday night in Los Angeles, causing a stir among domestic netizens.
Nomadland, Zhao's third film, grabbed two top awards, including Best Picture, at the 2021 Annual Golden Globe Awards, making her the second filmmaker of Chinese descent after Ang Lee to get the top directorial prize of the 78 year old event, widely considered as an indicator of the Oscars.
Adapted from American journalist Jessica Bruder's 2017 non-fiction book Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century, the film stars the actress Frances McDormand as a 62-year old woman who travels in the vast lands of America in order to explore life as a modern-day nomad (流浪者).
With a short yet glittering resume (简历), Zhao, who was born in 1982 and sent to study overseas in 1998, has gained attention from the first film directed by her Songs My Brothers Taught Me in 2015 before accumulating more popularity for the award-winning The Rider in 2017. The latter helped her to seize the attention of McDormand, who then chose the rights of the Nomadland book.
After being released in international film events since autumn last year. Nomadland has been a favorite of many major festivals, including its victorious win of the Golden Lion Award as the best film at the 2020 Venice International Film Festival.
So far, the film has received more than 90 awards, making it a sought-after competitor in the upcoming Oscars.
Song Dandan, a famous actress and the stepmother of Zhao, sent her greetings on SinaWeibo saying every award won by Zhao has surpassed (超过) the family’s expectations, bringing them huge joy. She added that she hopes Zhao’s success will encourage more Chinese youth to pursue their dreams.
1. What can we learn about Nomadland, the film directed by Chloe Zhao?| A．The film has won no more than two awards |
| B．The film will surely win the Oscar award for Best Picture |
| C．The film is about an old woman exploring life in America as a nomad |
| D．The film was inspired by American journalist Jessica Bruder's fiction book |
| A．her road to success is smooth |
| B．Chloe Zhao is a successful woman |
| C．all her three films are well-received |
| D．the two films contribute to her historic success |
| A．Chloe Zhao makes history at Golden Globes |
| B．Nomadland directed by Chloe Zhao wins awards |
| C．Chloe Zhao wins glory for her family and netizens |
| D．Chloe Zhao’s success will inspire Chinese teenagers |
10 . I was 12 years old, and my mum had just died from cancer. My dad had a drinking problem that mum had been managing all these years - suddenly he had a good reason to drink, and no one to stop him any more. He hit the bottle hard.
I went from being quite a high achieving student to being in the bottom quarter for English. But among all this, there was my English teacher. Miss Ward, who was so supportive. She changed my world. She listened to me and engaged with me. She had me talking in front of the English class, and was always reminding me to write something for the school magazine. She’d always find the good in the stuff I wrote.
I started the #FindMissWard action after going to a class reunion. Nobody knew what had happened to her. I’d just written a book about my journey on foot around the edge of the UK to highlight the stigmas (伤痕) surrounding mental health - and I thought it would be fantastic if she came to the launch (发布会). I think about 1.3 million people saw the post asking for help finding her, and tens of thousands of people
The lovely thing was that so many people came out and said they had a “Miss Ward” too. One person on Twitter sent a message about their own Miss Ward and about five tweets later this woman said,“Here I am!” They were reunited almost instantly - it was amazing. I’m certain there’ll be lots of people who have never got round to looking for the teacher who made a lasting impact on their lives, but maybe wish they had. Luckily, we're going to be meeting up in a couple of weeks. I just want to say thank you. I feel very lucky to have had her in my life.
1. What does the underline sentence in Paragraph 1 mean?| A．Drank heavily. | B．Put the bottle away. |
| C．Struck bottles strongly. | D．Hurt himself on purpose. |
| A．Honest and helpful. |
| B．Caring and humorous. |
| C．Responsible and encouraging. |
| D．Strong-willed and out-going. |
| A．Because he wanted to know what happened to Miss Ward. |
| B．Because he and his classmates missed Miss Ward so much. |
| C．Because he hoped Miss Ward could come to his book launch. |
| D．Because he suffered mental problems and Miss Ward could help him. |
| A．The author has found his Miss Ward. |
| B．Few people took part in #FindMissWard action. |
| C．Miss Ward had a lasting impact on many people. |
| D．The author's Miss Ward commented on his message. |
