My favourite player was LeBron James. Paul’s favourite player was Tyrone Bogues, a guy who played for the Charlotte Hornets, although we actually agree that they are both champions. Bogues was only 1.6 metres tall, which made him the shortest player ever in the NBA. Guess what? Paul was only 1.6 metres tall, too! Paul knew that being shorter than other players meant that he had to practise more. During all those hours of doing jump shots on his own, he used Bogues as his inspiration. Paul once said, “If Bogues could make it, why not me?”
Our coach was not so sure. Paul had to try out many times just for making the team. He was still usually on the bench, being just a replacement, which was really tough on him. Everyone knew Paul had real skills, and was someone who worked really hard and had a strong desire to play for the team. However, Paul didn’t get a chance.
Which words best describe Paul?
| A．Smart and brave. | B．Inexperienced and shy. |
| C．Skilled and hard-working. | D．Strong-willed and independent. |
2 . Masks that helped save lives are proving a deadly danger for wildlife, with birds and sea creatures trapped in the shocking number of thrown-away facial coverings. Single-use masks have been found around pavements, waterways and beaches worldwide. Worn once, the thin protective materials can take hundreds of years to decompose. “Face masks aren't going away any time soon—but when we throw them away, these items can harm the environment and the animals,” Ashley Fruno of animal rights group PETA said.
In Britain, a gull was rescued by the RSPCA after its legs became tangled in the straps of a mask for up to a week. The animal welfare charity took it to a wildlife hospital for treatment before its release.
The biggest impact may be in the water. More than 1.5 billion masks made their way into the world's oceans last year, accounting for around 6,200 extra tonnes of ocean plastic pollution, according to environmental group Oceans Asia.
Conservationists in Brazil found one mask inside the stomach of a penguin after its body was washed up on a beach, while a dead pufferfish was discovered caught inside another off the coast of Miami. French campaigners found a dead crab trapped in a mask near the Mediterranean. Masks and gloves are “particularly problematic” for sea creatures, says George Leonard, chief scientist from NGO Ocean Conservancy. “When those plastics break down in the environment, they then enter the food chain and impact entire ecosystems.” he added.
There has been a shift towards greater use of reusable cloth masks as the pandemic has worn on, but many are still using the lighter single-use varieties. Campaigners have urged people to bin them properly and cut the straps to reduce the risk of animals becoming trapped. Oceans Asia has also called on governments to increase fines for littering and encourage the use of washable masks.
1. What's Paragraph 1 mainly about?| A．The problem of littering masks. | B．The long time to break down masks. |
| C．The threat of masks to wildlife. | D．The protective use of masks to people. |
| A．They gave first aid to the bird. | B．They released the bird at once. |
| C．They kept the bird for about a week. | D．They sent the bird to hospital. |
| A．By providing examples. | B．By giving explanations. |
| C．By making comparisons. | D．By analyzing causes. |
| A．Forbidding the use of single-use masks. | B．Wearing reusable cloth masks. |
| C．Cutting the masks up before throwing. | D．Increasing fines for binning masks. |
3 . We all know cameras. But have you heard of Google’s new camera? It is a small, smart device, called Clips. It comes with a case that has a clip, but it’s not designed to be worn on your clothing. Most interestingly, it uses artificial intelligence to take photography out of your hands so it can capture moments on its own.
This roughly 2-inch by 2-inch camera, with a three-hour battery life and Gorilla Glass for toughness, is intended for candid moments, like when a child does something cute that may happen too quickly for you to pull out your smart phone.
Onboard the Clips device, it uses machine learning algorithms to help capture scenes. Those algorithms include face recognition. “Once it learns that there’s a face you see frequently, it’ll try to get nice photos of those faces,” said Juston Payne, the device’s product manager. And they also want it to recognize facial expressions, which involved “training it to know what happiness looks like”. The Google team also trained it to recognize what not to shoot—like when a child’s hand is over the lens, or if it is tossed in a dark purse.
The only way to see the images is by connecting the camera with your phone, as it has no screen for viewing or editing.
Did people think it was strange? Yes, Payne admitted. But they said they addressed that by making it obvious what it is. A green light on the front signals that the device is on. Besides, unlike a camera meant to monitor your home, it is not connected to the Internet.
“This product is only possible because of the way that technology has advanced,” Payne said. It was only in the past year or so that they could squeeze the technology down into a device this size. Going forward, we’re likely to get more assistance from the artificial intelligence packed into our apps and gadgets.
1. What does the underlined word “candid” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．Touching | B．Brief. | C．Unforgettable | D．Embarrassing. |
| A．It is equipped with tough glass | B．It enables easy Internet access. |
| C．It can be worn on your clothing | D．It allows of hands-free photography. |
| A．The popularity of the Internet | B．The rise of the smart phone industry. |
| C．The advance in technology | D．The reduction in the price of lens. |
| A．A New Digital Camera from Google | B．New Gadgets in the Age of Apps |
| C．Artificial Intelligence in Everyday Life | D．An Alternative Way to Photograph |
4 . Cheese and red wine are basic diets over the festive period, and if you love red wine and cheese, a new study will come as music to your ears. Researchers from low a State University have revealed that drinking red wine and eating cheese can help to reduce cognitive decline.
In the study, the researchers analyzed data from 1,787 adults aged 46 to 77, and asked them to complete questionnaires about their food and alcohol consumption. The results showed that cheese was the most protective food against age-related cognitive problems, even into late life. Daily consumption of red wine was also shown to improve cognitive function, while weekly consumption of lamb was shown to improve long-term cognitive skills. However, over-consumption of salt was found to increase the risk of cognitive decline.
Dr. Auriel Willette, who led the study, said: “I was pleasantly surprised that our results suggest that appropriately eating cheese and drinking red wine daily are not just good for helping us cope with our current COVID-19 pandemic, but perhaps also dealing with an increasingly complex world. Although we considered whether this was just due to what rich people eat and drink, clinical trials at random are needed to determine if making easy changes in our diet could help our brains in significant ways.”
While the reason for the link remains unclear, the researchers believe that cheese and red wine may protect some people from the effects of Alzheimer's.
Brandon Klinedinst, an author of the study, added: “Depending on the genetic factors you carry, some individuals seem to be more protected from the effects of Alzheimer's, while others seem to be at greater risk. Perhaps the silver bullet we're looking for is improving how we eat. Knowing what that involves contributes to a better understanding of Alzheimer's and putting this disease in an opposite path.”
1. What is the study mainly about?| A．Basic diets over the festive period. | B．Possible reasons for cognitive decline. |
| C．Feelings of pleasant music to people's ears. | D．Effects of certain diets on cognitive decline. |
| A．Taking in too much salt. | B．Eating cheese properly. |
| C．Drinking red wine daily. | D．Consuming lamb weekly. |
| A．Changes in our diet help our brains in significant ways. |
| B．The diets of wealthy people were not taken into account. |
| C．The study results need to be proved by more clinical trials. |
| D．COVID-19 pandemic makes our world increasingly complex. |
| A．Genetic factor. | B．Easy solution. | C．Special metal. | D．Certain food. |
5 . In my everyday life, I am on an ongoing journey to figure out different ways to reduce my carbon footprint on the planet. A carbon footprint is the measure of influence our activities have on the environment, in particular climate change. It is calculated by the amount of greenhouse gas we produce in our daily lives. Fortunately, nowadays it is much easier to make eco-friendly lifestyle choices than, let's say, 20 years ago. But one question has been on my mind a lot lately: is it better to buy new eco-friendly products or used traditionally produced goods?
After doing some research, I have decided that some things are better new and others are better used. Let me try to explain.
A carbon footprint is made up of two parts, the primary footprint and the secondary footprint. The primary footprint is a measure of our direct emissions(排放)of carbon dioxide(CO2)from the burning of fuels, including household energy consumption and transportation. The secondary footprint is a measure of the indirect CO2 emissions from the whole lifecycle of products we use-those related to their production and breakdown.
Based on this understanding, we have a good deal of control and responsibility over our carbon footprint. Things like dishes, clothes and furniture fall into the “secondary footprint” group, so less is more and we can focus on finding used goods to avoid the added production. However, for the car and the other appliances(设备)that we need we can go with new, energy-saving models. I heard somewhere that electronics and appliances give off 90% of their carbon footprint after they leave the factory. So it seems most reasonable to go for the energy-saving models. The main concern here is the amount of energy that goes into the making of new products and whether or not that extra carbon is worth the footprint the product will make once it gets to you.
1. What is the text mainly about?| A．What appliances to buy to save energy. |
| B．What a carbon footprint means in our life. |
| C．How to identify different carbon footprints. |
| D．How to make eco-friendly lifestyle choices. |
| A．It is related to our consumption of fuels. |
| B．It is made when we are buying the products. |
| C．It is less harmful than the primary carbon footprint. |
| D．It is counted as ours though not directly made by us. |
| A．Using second-hand textbooks. | B．Using old and expensive cars. |
| C．Buying new but cheap clothes. | D．Buying new wooden furniture. |
| A．using the product | B．recycling the product |
| C．making the product | D．transporting the product |
6 . Days after Argentina canceled all international passenger flights to protect the country from the new coronavirus, Juan Manuel Ballestero began his journey home the only way possible: He stepped aboard his small sailboat for what turned out to be an 85-day odyssey across the Atlantic.
The 47-year-old sailor could have stayed put on the tiny Portuguese island of Porto Santo, but the idea of spending what he thought could be “the end of the world” away from his family, especially his father who was soon to turn 90, was unbearable. So he loaded his 29-foot sailboat with canned fish, fruit and rice and set sail in mid-March.
“I didn’t want to stay like a coward (懦夫) on an island where there were no cases,” Mr. Ballestero said. “I wanted to do everything possible to return home. The most important thing for me was to be with my family.”
Friends tried to dissuade Mr. Ballestero from starting the perilous journey, and the authorities in Portugal warned him he might not be allowed to re-enter if he ran into trouble and had to turn back. But he was determined, “I bought myself a one-way ticket and there was no going back,” he said.
Sailing can be a lonely passion, and it was particularly so on this voyage for Mr. Ballestero, who each night tuned into the news on a radio for 30 minutes to assess how the virus was spreading across the globe. “I kept thinking about whether this would be my last trip,” he said.
When he made it to his native Mar del Plata, on June 17, he was surprised by the hero’s welcome he received. “Entering my port where my father had his sailboat, where he taught me so many things and where I learned how to sail, gave me the taste of a mission accomplished,” he said. A medical professional administered a test for Covid-19 on the dock. Within 72 hours, after the test came back negative, he was allowed to set foot on Argentine soil.
While he didn’t get to celebrate his father’s 90th birthday in May, he did make it home in time for Father’s Day.
1. Why did Juan Manuel Ballestero start his journey?| A．To be reunited with his family. |
| B．To avoid being infected by the coronavirus. |
| C．To realize his dream of sailing. |
| D．To prove his bravery. |
| A．He was forbidden to enter Mar del Plata port. |
| B．He didn’t receive any information about the outside world during the journey. |
| C．He failed to celebrate his father’s birthday. |
| D．He was not allowed to leave Porto Santo by the authorities in Portugal. |
| A．distant | B．tiring |
| C．boring | D．adventurous |
| A．The man was born in Porto Santo in Argentina. |
| B．His friends encouraged him to start his journey. |
| C．A test for Covid-19 was given to him the moment he arrived. |
| D．The man was not worried at all during the trip. |
7 . If Confucius(孔子)were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake, there would be a lot of candles. He'd need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out.
While many people in China will remember Confucius on his special day, few people in the United States will give him a passing thought. It's nothing personal. Most Americans don't even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes.
But this doesn't mean that Americans don't care about Confucius. In many ways he has become a bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China.
In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities. More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries. These schools teach both Chinese language and culture. The main courses of Chinese culture usually include Chinese art, history and
philosophy(哲学). Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantage of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up for the drawbacks(缺陷)of Western philosophy. Students in the United States, at the same time, are racing to learn Chinese. So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States. Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers.
So the old thinker's ideas are still alive and well.
Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West.
As for the old thinker, he will not soon be forgotten by people in the West, even if his birthday is.
1. The opening paragraph is mainly intended to______________.| A．provide some key facts about Confucius |
| B．attract the readers' interest in the subject |
| C．show great respect for the ancient thinker |
| D．prove the popularity of modern birthday celebrations |
| A．have a great interest in studying Chinese |
| B．take an active part in Chinese competitions |
| C．try to get high scores in Chinese exams |
| D．fight for a chance to learn Chinese |
| A．Forgotten Wisdom in America |
| B．Huge Fans of the Chinese Language |
| C．Chinese Culture for Westerners |
| D．Old Thinker with a Big Future |
| A．a personal biography | B．a history paper |
| C．a cultural newspaper | D．a philosophy textbook |
8 . “Did you hear what happened to Adam Last Friday?” Lindsey whispers to Tori.
With her eyes shining, Tori brags, “You bet I did, Sean told me two days ago.”
Who are Lindsey and Tori talking about? It just happened to be yours truly, Adam Freedmam. I can tell you that what they are saying is (a) not nice and (b) not even true. Still, Lindsey and Tori aren’t very different from most students here at Linton High School, including me. Many of our conversations are gossip(闲话). I have noticed three effects of gossip: it can hurt people, it can give gossipers a strange kind of satisfaction, and it can cause social pressures in a group.
An important negative effect of gossip is that it can hurt the person being talked about. Usually, gossip spreads information about a topic—breakups, trouble at home, even dropping out—that a person would rather keep secret. The more embarrassing or shameful the secret is, the juicier the gossip it makes. Probably the worst type of gossip is the absolute lie. People often think of gossipers as harmless, but cruel lies can cause pain.
If we know that gossip can be harmful, then why do so many of us do it? That answer lies in another effect of gossip: the satisfaction it gives us. Sharing the latest rumor(传言) can make a person feel important because he or she knows something that others don’t. Similarly, hearing the latest rumor can make a person feel like part of the “in group.” In other words, gossip is satisfying because it gives people a sense of belonging or even superiority(优越感).
Gossip also can have a third effect: it strengthens unwritten, unspoken rules about how people should act. Professor David Wilson explains that gossip is important in policing behaviors in a group. Translated into high school terms, this means that if everybody you hang around with is laughing at what John wore or what Jane said, then you can bet that wearing or saying something similar will get you the same kind of negative attention. The do’s and don’ts conveyed through gossip will never show up in any student handbook.
The effects of gossip vary depending on the situation. The next time you feel the urge to spread the latest news, think about why you want to gossip and what effects your “juicy story” might have.
1. The author uses a conversation at the beginning of the passage to ________.| A．introduce a topic | B．present an argument |
| C．describe the characters | D．clarify his writing purpose |
| A．gives them a feeling of pleasure |
| B．help them to make more friends |
| C．makes them better at telling stories |
| D．enables them to meet important people |
| A．provide students with written rules |
| B．help people watch their own behaviors |
| C．force school to improve student handbooks |
| D．attract the police’s attention to group behaviors |
| A．Never become a gossiper | B．Stay away from gossipers |
| C．Don’t let gossip turn into lies | D．Think twice before you gossip. |
9 . Do you want your kids to learn a lot by watching cartoon shows? Here are some best choices for you to improve their foreign languages.
King of the Hill
King of the Hill describes an average middle-class family and their lives in a typical American town. It explores modern themes such as parent-child relationships, Friendship and justice. The show’s description of small town life is so accurate and warm that it is worth watching with mom and dad in the room.
Sazae-san
Sazae-san is more than a kids’ show. It is a cultural institution and the longest-running cartoon series in the world. The central character is Sazae, an outspoken(直言不讳的) but somewhat clumsy(笨拙的) woman in her early 20s, living together with her big family in Tokyo. All of the characters are colorful and funny, and given the names of fish.
Captain Blaubar
Based on the comic books by Walter Moers, this German cartoon series deals with the adventures of Captain Blaubar, a blue bear making up stories about his journeys on the Seven Seas. Each episode(集) is framed by a little story where the old captain interacts(互动) with his grandchildren.
El Oso Yogui
Yogi Bear in the Spanish cartoon is a funny animal. The plot of most of Yogi’s cartoon centers on his funny behaviour in the fictional(虚构的) Jellystone Park. Yogi, accompanied(陪伴) by his constant partner Boo-Boo Bear, would often try to steal picnic baskets from campers in the park, much to the displeasure of Park Ranger Smith. Yogi’s girlfriend, Cindy Bear, usually dislikes Yogi’s behaviour.
1. What is suitable for English learners?| A．Sazae-san. | B．El Oso Yogui. | C．king of the Hill | D．Captain Blaubar |
| A．It ‘s set in(以﹍为背景) a fictional park | B．Its characters are named after fish |
| C．It centers on a middle-class family | D．It describes a seaman’s adventures |
| A．Yogi Bear | B．Cindy Bear |
| C．Boo-Boo Bear | D．Park Ranger Smith |
10 . Time and how we experience it have always puzzled us. Physicists have created fascinating theories, but their time is measured by a pendulum (钟摆) and is not psychological time, which leaps with little regard to the clock or calendar. As someone who understood the distinction observed, ''When you sit with a nice girl for two hours it seems like a minute, but when you sit on a hot stove, a minute seems like two hours. ''
Psychologists have long noticed that larger units of time, such as months and years, fly on swifter wings as we age. They also note that the more time is structured with schedules and appointments, the more rapidly it seems to pass. For example, a day at the office flies compared with a day at the beach.
Expectation and familiarity also make time seem to flow more rapidly. Almost all of us have had the experience of driving somewhere we've never been before. Surrounded by unfamiliar scenery, with no real idea of when we’ll arrive, we experience the trip as lasing a long time. But the return trip, although exactly as long, seems to take far less time. The novelty of the outward journey has become routine.
When days become as identical as beads (小珠子)on a string, they mix together, and even months become a single day. To counter this, try to find ways to interrupt the structure of your day-- to stop time, so to speak.
Learning something new is one of the ways to slow the passage of time. One of the reasons the days of our youth seems to be full and long is that these are the days of learning and discovery. For many of us, learning ends when we leave school, but this doesn't have to be.
1. What is the underlined sentence in paragraph 1 used to show?| A．Psychological time is quite puzzling. |
| B．Time should not be measured by a pendulum. |
| C．Physical time is different from psychological time |
| D．Physical theory has nothing to do with the true sense of time |
| A．Our sense of time changes. |
| B．We spend less time at the beach |
| C．More time is structured and scheduled |
| D．Time is structured with too many appointments. |
| A．excitement | B．unfamiliarity | C．imagination | D．amusement |
| A．To give various explanations about time |
| B．To describe how we experience time physically |
| C．To show the differences of two kinds of time |
| D．To explain why time flies and how to slow it down |
