1 . New parents who clean their homes very often to protect their babies from bacteria and other organisms might cut back their efforts.
A new study suggests high levels of contact with cleaning products are linked to an increased risk of the childhood breathing condition known as asthma (气喘).
Researchers asked a group of parents how often they used 26 common household cleaners during their babies’ first three to four months of life. By age three, the children who had come in contact with cleaning products the most were more likely to be diagnosed with asthma. The researchers said children who had a lot of contact with cleaners were 37 percent more likely to have asthma than children with the least contact. The study also found a lot of exposure to cleaning products caused children to be 35 percent more likely to have chronic difficulty breathing. In addition, they were 49 percent more likely to have chronic allergies.
Tim Takaro, who helped lead the study, suggested that parents should question the belief that their home is clean only if it smells like chemical-based cleaning products. He also advised them to look for products free of substances like chemical colors. Besides, they should consider natural cleaning products instead of chemical ones.
The American lung Association recommends avoiding cleaning products that contain volatile (易挥发的) organic substances and other irritants (刺激物). But companies in Canada and the United States are not required to list all the chemicals in cleaning products. Some products labeled as environmentally friendly, or "green", may contain harmful substances.
Elissa Abrams, a doctor with the University of Manitoba, admitted the effects of cleaning products are not well understood. But she believed these products and the chemicals they contain act as irritants to growing children "The take-home message is that parents should be careful with cleaning products they use in the home", she added.
1. What is the third paragraph mainly about?| A．The suggestions on using cleaning products. |
| B．The parents’ opinions of household cleaners. |
| C．The conduct of the study and the findings. |
| D．The reason for using cleaning products. |
| A．Have a full understanding of cleaning products. |
| B．Keep their home free of all kinds of cleaning products. |
| C．Use natural cleaning products rather than chemical ones. |
| D．Make their homes smell like chemical-based cleaning products. |
| A．They are environmentally friendly without any harm. |
| B．They are asked to list all the chemicals contained. |
| C．They are free of irritants if labeled "green". |
| D．They are not always safe to be used. |
| A．Arts & Culture. | B．Lifestyle & Health. |
| C．Life & Technology. | D．Climate & Environment. |
2 . When it comes to making television historical documentaries, there are few places and periods that British television audiences have not been taken by presenter Michael Wood. Earlier this year he became the first filmmaker from outside China to make a film about the life and work of poet Du Fu. The Du Fu film, featuring famous British actor Ian McKellen reading his poems, was shown on the BBC and China Central Television, and the reaction was instant and positive.
“It created a lot of interest and feedback in China and got a lot of coverage at the time, which was really touching, because when you go into a foreign culture as an outsider, to make a film about something of theirs, you want to make sure you’ve got it right.” Wood said.
As shown in the documentary, Du Fu’s works are learnt by heart by Chinese school students, but outside the country, he is not that well known. So, there is something Wood is keen to put right.
Stephen Owen, one of his leading translators from Harvard says, “Du Fu should be considered alongside Shakespeare and Dante as people who helped compose the emotional vocabulary of their culture.”
For more than 40 years, China has always held the most fascination for Wood. He first got interested in China when he was at school and picked up a book called Poems of the late Tang by AC Graham. “That book opened a window to a world that I never even dreamed.” he said. In the early 80s, it was the first time he had been to China. “I really enjoyed being with the people, who were so friendly and sociable. I remember coming back from my first long trip there feeling genuinely sad to go home.” Wood said.
Opening up discussion and encouraging cultural links is something Wood also does through his involvement. “We believe in dialogue. We try to promote mutual understanding and respect, and we want to help people in the West understand the culture of China better and to get rid of major areas of misunderstanding.” he said. “I did a series called The Story of England years ago, telling the history of the country over the centuries through the life of one village, and I’d love to try something like that in China.”
1. What makes the Du Fu film special?| A．Michael Wood’s making the film. |
| B．Ian Mckellen’s reading Du Fu’s poems. |
| C．Stephen Owen’s translating Du Fu’s poems. |
| D．AC Graham’s writing Poems of the late Tang. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Disappointed. | C．Favorable. | D．Uncaring. |
| A．To highlight Du Fu’s cultural status. | B．To introduce these two poets to people. |
| C．To explain the reason for making the film. | D．To stress these two poets’ cultural position. |
| A．The cultural misunderstanding was removed through the film. |
| B．People outside China know nothing about Chinese poems. |
| C．Wood had a tough time during his first visit to China. |
| D．Wood is likely to make a film telling Chinese history. |
3 . Doing crosswords(纵横字谜) is a fun way to kill the time and can also be educational. Difficult crosswords may leave you confused as you have no ideas on how to solve them sometimes. To perform well in this game, you need to have enough knowledge of different fields. If you are unable to do them and you have access to the answers, it is not generally considered cheating to look up an answer or two. However, in some cases, it does not follow the rule.
A crossword should not include someone else's answers, so even a quick look at a fellow student to complete a crossword would not be fair. Generally, you wouldn't have access to the answers.
Additionally, some crossword competitions should not be connected with cheating. Again, in such a situation, you usually won't have access to the answers. Turning to the Internet or referring to(查阅) any books of crosswords for answers is also unfair, since some people will complete the crosswords strictly with their own knowledge.
If you are not in a competitive environment, the check of a word can actually be an opportunity to learn how to become better at crosswords. Through looking up the answers (Although sometimes considered as cheat.), you can memorize whatever facts or word definitions(定义）you must look up. This will help you avoid the need to cheat in the future.
Some argue that cheating on crosswords is always wrong, and you're only cheating yourself if you are looking up the answers. It could be argued instead that cheating on crosswords that are done for fun or enjoyment can actually be an opportunity to benefit yourself because you're learning something new. Just don't forget to mention that you actually did cheat a little. Being honest is of great importance both to you and the other competitors.
It can be helpful to buy books of crosswords that have several different difficulty levels. If you are new to doing crosswords, you might want to put off working on crosswords until you are more confident in your skills.
1. According to the passage, doing crosswords| A．makes people more likely to cheat |
| B．is the best way to learn something new |
| C．improves people's confidence in themselves |
| D．requires enough knowledge of different aspects |
| A．Everyone can become good at crosswords. |
| B．We shouldn't cheat in crossword competitions. |
| C．It is important to get much knowledge of crosswords. |
| D．Cheating on crosswords can become a learning experience sometimes. |
| A．admitting your cheating honestly |
| B．choosing the suitable competitors to cheat |
| C．making up a kind excuse for your cheating |
| D．trying to avoid letting other competitors know the unfair behavior |
| A．The reasons why some people cheat in crosswords. |
| B．The best ways to become good at doing crosswords. |
| C．Whether it is necessary to look up answers for crosswords. |
| D．It's not always considered cheating to look up answers for crosswords. |
4 . Yesterday morning I was having breakfast in the 37th floor club lounge(休息室) at the InterContinental Bangkok, quite enjoying my conversation with Julia. She is a lovely Bavarian lady who works in the club lounge. Suddenly I felt really dizzy(晕眩的). I hadn't drunk anything the night before and had got a great night of sleep, so I found that a bit strange. But it continued. After a few moments I realized what was going on -- I wasn't dizzy, but it was an earthquake. For over 20 seconds the club floor was shaking.
Julia tried to remain calm and asked us to go down the stairs. When I walked past the rooftop pool, I saw water rushing out of it, which terrified me even more. I skipped down the 37 flights of stairs as if I were taking part in the Olympics.
However, as I was trying to get to the ground floor, I found it strange that nobody else was escaping. Eventually I made it to the ground floor. Again, I had never been in an earthquake before, so I had no sense of what it was like during an earthquake. I was kind of expecting disorder on the streets, a thousand people in the hall, and a general Armageddon style setting.
Sure enough I hurriedly got through the doors on the first floor and went straight to the reception desk, thinking the girl at the desk knew what was going on. But she looked quite confused, not knowing what I was talking about. Then I asked another one but I got the same response. I believed the world was coming to an end, while everyone looked at me as if nothing had happened.
Well, as it turned out, nothing did happen to them. Clearly there was an earthquake in Myanmar, and it was only felt at the top of some of the taller buildings in Bangkok.
Julia kept the club lounge closed for safety for some time, while I was happy just to be on the ground level.
1. How did the author most probably respond after knowing his situation?| A．He remained calm. |
| B．He became frightened. |
| C．He asked others to go down the stairs. |
| D．He thought for a while about what to do. |
| A．Nothing seemed to have happened. |
| B．Many people were trying to escape. |
| C．People were looking at him nervously. |
| D．There were no other people in the street. |
| A．Because no one was running. |
| B．Because the author looked strange. |
| C．Because she didn't feel any shaking at all. |
| D．Because she didn't speak the author's language. |
| A．A joke others played on the author. |
| B．How the author survived an earthquake. |
| C．The author's most unforgettable experience. |
| D．The author's experience in an earthquake. |
5 . Our skies are filling up with satellites (卫星). Starting in May 2019, the firm SpaceX has deployed (部署) around 700 Starlink satellites into Earth orbit (轨道) over 11 launches. SpaceX plans to deploy 12000, and perhaps later 42000, satellites with the aim of providing access (使用……的机会) to the entire world.
These satellites have the promise to change the way that the night sky looks. For comparison, there are 2600 satellites currently orbiting Earth. These days, spotting (发现) a few satellites in the sky is still an exciting activity.
There are many online tools available to predict when you might get a glimpse (一瞥) of a Starlink satellite. One, called Find Starlink , takes your location (位置) and tells you what time and where in the sky to look. Even with the help of a tool it can still be a game of chance, but if you try a few times, you will eventually see something.
To get the best chance of seeing a Starlink satellite, pick a clear night. Try to get away from light pollution by going to a park or an open field, for example. Let your vision (视力) adjust to (适应) the darkness, then keep an eye out for moving sources of light in the sky. Satellites are only visible (可见的) when they reflect (反射) sunlight back to Earth. Because of this, the best time to look is just after sunset or just before sunrise, when sunlight is still reflecting off the satellites but it is dark enough to see them.
If you can’t tell whether you are looking at is a satellite or something else, there are a few simple rules to tell the difference. If a point of light is steady (稳定的) and not moving compared with everything else, it is a star. If it is a bright light moving slowly compared with the stars, it is a planet. If it is a bright flash moving extremely quickly across the sky in seconds, it is a meteor (流星).
1. Why does the firm SpaceX plan to send more satellites into space ?| A．To change the view of the night sky. |
| B．To offer more exact location data to the army. |
| C．To provide information for scientific research. |
| D．To make Internet available to the whole world. |
| A．Choosing a clear night. |
| B．Staying away from light pollution. |
| C．Looking at moving light after sunrise. |
| D．Making your eyes used to the dark sky. |
| A．A star. | B．A planet. |
| C．A meteor. | D．A plane. |
| A．SpaceX has launched 11 Starlink satellites onto Mars. |
| B．Satellites are only visible when they take in sunlight. |
| C．The best time to look at satellites is before sunrise as well as after sunset. |
| D．There are many ways available for people to spot a Starlink satellite online. |
6 . 4 World Heritage (遗产)Sites in China
The Temple of Heaven
Located in the southern part of Beijing, the Temple of Heaven is a magnificent complex (综合建筑群) of fine cultural buildings set in gardens. The sacred (神圣的) place served as a complex of sacrificial (献祭的) buildings for the Ming and Qing emperors, and is the largest one in Beijing among several royal altars (神坛) to Heaven, Earth, the Sun , the Moon and other symbolic forces of nature. It symbolizes the relationship between earth and heaven --- the human world and God’s world --- which stands at the heart of Chinese cosmogony (宇宙进化论).
Mogao Caves
Located on south-east of the Dunhuang oasis, Gansu province, the Mogao caves, also known as the Thousand-Buddha Caves, are the world’s largest and longest used treasure house of Buddhist art. According to historical records, the carving of the caves started in 366 AD and continued for about 1000 years. The 492 well-preserved cells and cave sanctuaries (内殿)in Mogao, housing about 45000 square meters of murals (壁画)and more than 2000 painted sculptures (雕塑), are well-known for their statues (雕像)and wall paintings.
Fujian tulou
Fujian tulou consists of (is made up of) 46 buildings constructed (built) between the 15th and 20th centuries. Several stories high, the earthen houses were built along an inward-looking , circular(圆形的) or square floor plan as housing for up to 800 people each. They were built for defense(防御) purposes around a central open courtyard (庭院)with only one entrance and windows to the outside only above the first floor. Housing a whole clan (家族), the houses functioned as village units and were known as “ a little kingdom for the family”.
The Leshan Giant Buddha
The Leshan Giant Buddha is said to be the biggest Buddha statue in the world. The way in which the cultural features (特色) have been integrated (成为一体)with the natural scenery is considered to be a precious legacy (遗产).The Giant Buddha statue, carved on the mountain, stands 71m high, with its back against Mount Jiuding. There are more than 90 stone carvings and Buddha shrines (神坛)on both sides of the Giant Buddha.
1. Which of the following served as a sacrificial place in the past ?| A．Fujian tulou. | B．Mogao. |
| C．The Temple of Heaven. | D．The Leshan Giant Buddha. |
| A．They are several stories high. |
| B．They can hold hundreds of people. |
| C．They have windows on the first floor. |
| D．They have only one access to the outside. |
| A．They were both royal places. | B．They were both found in caves. |
| C．They are both religious resorts (名胜). | D．They both have historic murals. |
7 . The company SpaceX has already launched hundreds of its Star-link satellites, with plans to put as many as 42,000 of them in Earth orbit. Its goal is to provide high-speed Internet to billions of people. Moving toward that kind of access is important, but it comes at a cost. Glittering with reflected sunlight, these first orbiters, sent up in the past year, are brighter than 99 percent of the 5,000 or so other satellites now circling Earth, and obviously there are going to be a lot more. This sudden increase is bad for astronomy: the probability of a Star-link satellite crossing a telescope’s field of view and ruining an observation will be quite high near sunset. For that reason, my fellow astronomers have signed a petition (请愿书) calling for governments to protect the night sky from this invasion.
In response to protests, SpaceX has promised to address the visibility problem by, for example, applying experimental coatings — essentially painting the satellites black — but the company’s aggressive launch schedule remains unchanged. And the satellites’ illuminated (被照亮) surfaces are mostly their solar panels — exactly the part that cannot be painted over.
Unfortunately, at present no regulations govern how bright a single satellite can be, let alone thousands of them together. Even if there were such regulations, one nation’s laws can not hinder (阻碍) another country’s launches. Space literally has no borders, and the sky will need to be protected at an international level. As a consequence, we hope that the United Nations will find a way to think outside of the box to save the sky for everyone.
When I was growing up in Montana, it was a game to be the first to find a moving satellite among the host of stars in the night sky. Soon it could be a game to recognize the constellations (星座) behind a swarm of moving points of light.
1. What is the writer’s attitude toward Space X’s launching plans?| A．Indifferent. | B．Doubtful. | C．Optimistic. | D．Disapproving. |
| A．SpaceX plans to send too many Star-line satellites into space. |
| B．The Star-line satellites will possibly ruin an observation near sunset. |
| C．The first orbiters are brighter than most of other satellites circling Earth. |
| D．Space X fails to provide high-speed Internet to people around the world. |
| A．The United States. | B．The United Nations. |
| C．The company SpaceX. | D．Just one nation. |
| A．Preserve the Night Sky | B．Ban Star-line Satellites |
| C．Observe the Stars Attentively | D．Protest against Space X |
8 . White-crowned sparrows are tough birds, able to survive the hustle and bustle (喧闹) of many North American cities. But growing noise pollution has forced males to sing louder, less effective songs in order to be heard by opponents and fellows.
Elizabeth Derryberry, a behavioral ecologist, and her colleagues have studied white-crowned sparrows in and around San Francisco for more than 2 decades, comparing their songs with recordings made in the 1970s. As traffic levels increased, the lowest frequencies of the sparrows’ songs rose, so as not to be drowned out by the background noise of vehicles. But their top frequencies remained about the same, narrowing the total bandwidth (频宽) of their communication.
Birds sing louder in noisy environments, and research has shown the resulting stress can speed aging and throw their metabolisms (新陈代谢) into disorder. Noise can also keep them from hearing their own chicks or the warnings of fellow birds; it may even be driving down bird diversity in many cities.
When the pandemic lockdown began in mid-March, a photo of the empty Golden Gate Bridge made Derryberry wonder how the sparrows were responding to the quieter conditions. She couldn't travel to California, but her colleague, Jenny Phillips, a behavioral ecologist in California, recorded the birds in San Francisco and the surrounding areas. Her recordings revealed that the sparrows were singing 30% softer, on average, than before the lockdown. What’s more, they were singing songs with bandwidths typical of birds recorded in the 1970s.
The new finding is “good news from the point of view of the birds”, says Sue Anne Zollinger, a zoologist who studies birds at Manchester Metropolitan University. By showing the sparrows can adjust their songs to their environment, the study suggests species with more flexible behaviors can deal with aspects of changing environments.
1. What is the second paragraph mainly about?| A．A new study of sparrow species. |
| B．Influence on birds from city traffic. |
| C．Frequencies of sparrows’ songs. |
| D．The difficulty of birds, communication. |
| A．Losing completely. | B．Decreasing noticeably. |
| C．Promoting slowly. | D．Controlling successfully. |
| A．It provided a good comparing situation. |
| B．It was a suitable place to watch birds. |
| C．A famous zoologist happened to help out. |
| D．Sparrows there were the most active then. |
| A．Silenced Big Cities Calling Back Birds |
| B．Tough Birds Fighting against City Noises |
| C．Birdsong Accidentally Retaking Its Former Glory |
| D．Changing Environments Destroying Bird Species |
9 . I’m an architect. One of my services is helping clients move into new office space. Last year, a client was moving into a storefront. The space had formerly been occupied by a photography studio, which looked as if it had been abruptly abandoned.
Piled against one wall was a huge pile of photos. I gazed at one photo. A family, all dressed up, smiling. They'd put on their best clothes, come here to the studio, sat for the photos. A moment in time captured (捕捉到) a moment of life. I stood there, picturing all those smiling faces packed into a dumpster (垃圾大铁桶). Two days later, after getting permission, my family drove two minivans to the abandoned studio. We loaded armful after armful of photos into the vans.
“We'll have to put them in the basement. I wonder why the company just left them there," my wife Dawn said when we got home. "It was said the company had gone broke and shut all its stores around the country, " I said.
We pulled the photos into the basement. I looked up the company, a national chain. There were news stories about customers around the country losing their portraits (肖像),calling phone numbers that no longer worked. I imagined what it would feel like to lose a treasured family portrait. I knew all about the power of small gestures to give someone a welcome shot of hope.
The kids helped me sort the photos. We made a spreadsheet of names and whatever contact information we could find, sending a group text message inviting people to set up a time to collect them. People began arriving at the house. But it was only a few people.
“Try social media," said the kids.
I posted a message to a community board on Facebook. The phone rang. And rang. E-mails poured in. Then the COVID-19 temporarily blocked our project. When lockdown eased, we restarted reuniting people with photos, returning more than 60 of the 105 photos.
1. Where did the author find some deserted photos?| A．At his working place. | B．At a friend's home. |
| C．At his former office. | D．At a client's studio. |
| A．His curiosity to study them. |
| B．His eagerness to help the owners. |
| C．The intention to collect them for fun. |
| D．The idea of selling them for money. |
| A．The breakout of a disease. | B．The poor mailing channel. |
| C．The owners' neglect. | D．The author's hesitation. |
| A．It's disappointing. | B．It's imaginable. |
| C．It's encouraging. | D．It's interesting. |
10 . A books-for-food program in Guatemala is helping feed needy children as hunger rates rise during the pandemic(疫情). It is run by a local nonprofit organization that aims to feed nearly 400 children.
The program is simple. People choose a book they want from a list of donated titles, and in return give bags of Incaparina, a high-protein drink mix. Bonifaz Diaz works for the program. By bringing the books-for-food program directly to people's homes, Diaz makes sure donations keep flowing. He has traveled more than 2,000 kilometers on his bicycle, delivered loads of books and carried back thousands of kilograms of Incaparina for the nonprofit group 32 Volcanoes. Diaz sometimes pulls a small cart that helps him carry up to 57 kilograms of product. He has traveled as far as 60 kilometers for a delivery to a town in the Western Highlands, where road conditions are poor.
Nearly a year into the books-for-food program, two more cyclists have joined Diaz and donations keep flowing in. Ana Castillo is a 29-year-old high school teacher who recently received the sociology book from Diaz. She donates to the program often. The 1.8 kilograms of Incaparina she provided will help one family eat for a month.
Castillo looks forward to choosing her books from the titles Diaz posts on social media. She also loves the feeling of a "growing circle" of giving and receiving. "You might not get to those places, but your help can. "she says.
Diaz says he plans to continue cycling against hunger as long as the need exists. He has faced his own economic difficulties since the theater company he co-founded closed last spring. But the program has kept him active. "It's an opportunity to serve in which we all benefit. "Diaz said.
1. What is the purpose of the program?| A．To serve the readers. |
| B．To produce Incaparina. |
| C．To offer poor children food. |
| D．To fight the pandemic. |
| A．He set up a social media. |
| B．He made donations frequently. |
| C．He rented a cart to carry goods. |
| D．He traveled to deliver books and food. |
| A．More people are involved in it. |
| B．Only two cyclists work for it. |
| C．Over 400 adults benefit from it. |
| D．Financial difficulties put it to an end. |
| A．Indifferent. |
| B．Supportive. |
| C．Tolerant. |
| D．Unwilling |
