1 . Since you can't get to theaters, museums, galleries, music venues or opera houses during these difficult days due to coronavirus, instead they'll come to you. Here's a list of some of Europe's best-known museums.
Louvre Museum in Paris
As the most visited museum in the world, it offers virtual tours online. It also has a number of "Visitors Trails" in different themes, designed to give an overview of the scope and wealth of the museum's collections. Each trail is based on a selection of works that characterize a period, an artistic movement or a theme, including the artworks from JAY-Z and Beyoncé's music video.
Schirn Museum in Frankfurt
It has digitally opened its current exhibition, now closed due to the virus, called "Fantastic Women" (scheduled from February 13 to May 24), highlighting the works of 34 women artists and their contributions to Surrealism (超现实主义), including Frida Kahlo, Leonora Carrington, Leonor Fini, Dorothea Tanning and Dora Maar.
Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam
Are you looking for ways to entertain your children with an educational twist? Then the Van Gogh will bring the great artist to you and also invite you to a virtual visit inside the Museum. The museum explores the painter's life, his relationship with his brother Théo, his passion for Japan and also his mental illness. Everything is in high definition.
Of course, a range of recent opera and ballet productions are also available, with the hope to give pleasure to as many people as possible. Please get more information at www. forbes. com.
1. The works in "Visitors Trails" are chosen according to ________.| A．Periods | B．Collections | C．Sites | D．Artists |
| A．JAY-Z's. | B．Leonardo Da Vinci's. |
| C．Van Gogh's. | D．Leonora Carrington's. |
| A．A report. | B．A website. | C．A magazine. | D．A textbook |
2 . While we may think it feels good to complain, complaining has some bad effects associated with it.
Why isn't complaining beneficial? Research shows that it connects our brain with negativity. The brain is designed to work efficiently. This means that when we repeat a thought, negative or positive, the nerve cells form a bridge between each other to pass information in a higher speed. Therefore, the next time we have a similar type of thought, it is more easily passed. This explains why certain thought patterns become habits.
Yet the harmful effects don't stop there. A study shows that complaining causes the hippocampus (海马区), which plays a vital role in problem-solving, to become smaller. In addition to causing brain damage, complaining also releases a stress hormone: cortisol, a kind of chemical the body produces when we meet with some danger. Constantly having a high level of cortisol results in high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and lower immunity.
The ill effects of our complaining aren't just limited to ourselves: they also involve those around us. We tend to mirror the moods of our friends. For this reason, we should be cautious about having stubborn complainers in our circle of acquaintances and companions.
The best way to deal with constant negativity is to develop a sense of gratitude. Just like complaining acts as a poison, gratitude acts as a medicine. Research shows it lowers cortisol levels by 23 percent, as well as reduces blood pressure and blood sugar. It also decreases tiredness and depression. Gratitude is the perfect cure for complaining, a behavior that steals our brain power, happiness and physical well-being.
What have you observed about the effects of complaining in your own life or in the lives of others? Have you noticed that when you are grateful, you feel better all over? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.
1. What do paragraphs 2-3 mainly talk about?| A．The bad effects of complaining on brain power. |
| B．The decrease of a vital part of our brain. |
| C．The diseases caused by complaining. |
| D．The reason why certain thought patterns become habits. |
| A．Gratitude functions as an effective cure for cortisol. |
| B．Having a high level of cortisol can lead to many health problems. |
| C．Our body produces cortisol when we feel excited. |
| D．Cortisol is a chemical that can cause brain damage. |
| A．Indifferent. | B．Neutral. | C．Skeptical. | D．Disapproving. |
| A．To encourage readers to share ideas. |
| B．To introduce different emotions. |
| C．To analyze the reasons for complaining. |
| D．To inform readers the effects of complaining. |
3 . The Christmas season has always been important for the economy. Stores, hotels and travel businesses usually make their money at Christmas time. But it is unclear if the holiday season helps other industries. Governments are hoping to re-open their economies in time for Christmas. Some economists, however, wonder if it will do any good. The question is especially important this year. There is a risk that re-opening too early could hurt public health, economic growth and employment.
In Britain, December sales are usually around 12 percent of the yearly total. Economists say that helps retail businesses, even if people buy less in January to recover from December spending.
However, lower-priced Black Friday sales across Europe in late November has made December spending less important. The growth in online purchasing also makes it less necessary for some stores to stay open. German retail association HDE expects online sales to fuel an increase of 1.2 percent over 2019.
Some economists believe that even if people do not buy before Christmas, they will spend on other things. Paul Donovan is chief economist at UBS Global Wealth Management. He said in his weekly blog, “Not spending on drinks at a Christmas party translates into the purchase of new furniture.”
And usually, productivity drops as Christmas nears. Workers rush out to buy things or go to parties. One research company found that 25 percent of workers said they did less work or tried to avoid more work during the holiday season.
There are even some economists who believe the act of buying gifts is bad for the economy. As Yale economist Joel Waldfogel once said that when people pay a lot for gifts, especially unwanted gifts, that was like destroying their economic value.
Most economists continue to argue about this idea. However, few disagree that Christmas does have unintended and harmful effects on the economy, from drunk-driving accidents to increased paper waste. Information on new coronavirus cases in coming days will show if Europe can reopen for Christmas. But for the economy, it may not make any difference.
1. How many reasons have made spending in December less important?| A．1. | B．2. | C．3. | D．4. |
| A．Many people like to buy furniture before Christmas. |
| B．If people save money on drinks, they will have money to buy furniture. |
| C．If people do not shop for Christmas, they will have other consumptions. |
| D．Drinking at a Christmas party will cost you a lot. |
| A．Productivity increases due to the Christmas season. |
| B．Business should reopen for Christmas. |
| C．Christmas don’t have good effects on the economy. |
| D．Christmas sales helps business a lot. |
| A．If European can reopen for Christmas. |
| B．Why Christmas season is important for the economy. |
| C．Influences of Christmas season on economy. |
| D．Solutions to the European reopen. |
4 . 
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1. What if your travel plan has changed according to DETLTA?| A．You have to offer change fees. |
| B．You don’t need to pay extra money. |
| C．Nothing can be done during this COVID-19 period. |
| D．No money will be returned if your trip is canceled. |
| A．Everyone will follow the police’s instructions. |
| B．It’s a must that travelers have to take a nucleic acid test. |
| C．All Chinese citizens can go through customs without any restrictions. |
| D．They will have a one-week stay at a designated hotel. |
| A．A poster on the Internet. | B．A physical letter. |
| C．An advertisement by the airline. | D．An airline webpage. |
5 . English spelling has been changing for over a thousand years and the spelling difficulties we have today is the result of many different things that have taken place over this time.
It was a tricky beginning for English spelling. Quite simply, the 23-letter Roman alphabet has never been enough — even Old English (spoken 450-1150) had about 35 sounds, and the number is now even bigger. But the English spelling was and still is based on the Roman alphabet.
More spelling problems came in when the French introduced new spelling rules — their own of course? and not always helpful. Using “c” instead of “s” for words like city was confusing because “c” also sounds “k” in words like cat.
And then printing arrived in the 15th century — and with it more mess (混乱). William Caxton (who set up the printing machines in the first place) liked Dutch spellings and so he introduced the “gh” in ghost and ghastly. Some printers were Europeans and they introduced favourite spellings too from their own languages. Such spelling rules were not helpful either!
One of the biggest problems for English spelling has always been changes in pronunciation. Printing helped to stablise (使……稳定……) the spelling of words, but then some sounds changed their shape? and others even disappeared altogether. Think of those silent letters in words such as walk, through, write, right, know — these were once pronounced.
Many silent letters appeared just because some famous busybodies wanted to make the language look more beautiful. This caused serious mess. Let’s take rhyme as an example. It came from the French word rime. But it was changed to rhyme to give it a nicer look. It was an interesting idea, but hardly helpful for someone trying to spell the word! The 16th and 17th centuries saw many extra letters introduced in this way.
All these events lead to the messy spelling system we have today. But you know, there are in fact over 80% of words spelled according to regular rules.
1. How many letters are there in the Roman alphabet?| A．23. | B．26. | C．35. | D．48. |
| A．Sit. | B．Cycle. | C．Calm. | D．Knee. |
| A．Sound changes. | B．Silent letters. |
| C．Borrowed spelling rules. | D．Printing mistakes. |
| A．To call for a much simpler spelling. |
| B．To tell how to recognize foreign words. |
| C．To explain why English spelling is so difficult. |
| D．To show how to pronounce difficult words. |
6 . Some dinosaurs grew slowly and steadily. Others experienced a growth spurt as they neared adulthood. A “growth spurt” is when something or someone grows very quickly. For example, children usually have a growth spurt between the ages of 12 and 18. The same appears to be true for some dinosaurs! To reach their findings, scientists cut through the fossilized bones of dinosaurs. They examined the yearly growth rings of the bones from 11 kinds of theropods collected from their legs. Theropods are a group of dinosaurs that mainly walked on two legs and include big meat-eating dinosaurs, like tyrannosaurus rex, commonly known as T. rex.
The research team looked at fossils from museums in the United States, Canada, China, and Argentina. They were able to cut into the fossilized bones of one of the world's most famous T. rexes, known as Sue. These bones showed that the T. rex and its relatives have a period of extreme growth during the years before adulthood. It also shows that they reached full adult size by around age 20. Sue is about 13 meters tall. She is believed to have lived to about 33 years. But not all the large theropods had more steady rates of growth over a longer period of time. The Argentinian dinosaur did not reach its full adult size until it reached about 40 years of age. It is believed to have lived to about age 50.
Big theropods share the same basic body design. They walked on two legs and had large skulls and strong jaws. And of course, they had threatening teeth.
The lead researcher on the study is Tom Cullen. He is a paleontologist with the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and North Carolina State University. He said that before this study, “it was known that T. rex grew very quickly, but it was not clear if all theropod dinosaurs reached giant size in the same way, or if there were many ways they grew so big.”
1. How did scientists know the dinosaurs’ ages?| A．By knowing the theropods’ height. | B．By examining the conditions of the teeth. |
| C．By comparing the theropods’ bodies. | D．By counting the growth rings of the bones. |
| A．Fossilized legs. | B．Fossilized teeth. | C．Fossilized skulls. | D．Fossilized jaws. |
| A．To analyze why theropods grew very quickly. |
| B．To know the age of different theropods. |
| C．To know why theropods grew so big. |
| D．To prove the idea that theropods shared the same features. |
| A．The reason why theropods dinosaurs had the same body design. |
| B．The Argentinian dinosaur was the longest-lived dinosaur. |
| C．Theropod dinosaurs had different rates of growth. |
| D．The way that some dinosaurs grew so big. |
7 . We are fortunate to live in a city that encourages bicycling as a means of transportation.Our local government has promoted bicycling by improving bike lanes and increasing the number of them. The growing number of cyclists, however, brings this question to mind: should bicyclists be required to share the responsibilities of the road? Automobile drivers have to take competency tests, follow established regulations, and accept punishment for breaking rules. The city requests drivers to register and license their vehicles to ensure accountability (责任）. Bicyclists who use public roadways should be held accountable, too.
Let's look at what sharing the road means. For one thing, it should involve cost sharing.Auto registration and license fees are used, in part, for building and maintaining roadways. It seems only reasonable to ask bicyclists to contribute to transportation funding as well.
More importantly,sharing the road includes accountability. When drivers ignore the rules of the road, the police and other motorists have the opportunity to identify them by their license plate number and report their offenses (违法行为）。 This isn't true for bicyclists. I've seen bicyclists moving quickly between lanes.Because they show no identification, they feel protected by anonymity(匿名）。What good would it do to report to the police “I saw a guy on a red bike blow through the stoplight"? The simple act of making bicyclists identifiable would encourage safer, more responsible riding.
Of course,I've heard arguments against asking cyclists to register and license their bikes. Some people might say, “Little kids ride bikes. Would you require a six-year-old rider to take a test and pay a fee?" Obviously, the city could determine an age when cycling would be considered a "means of transportation on public roads." Other people argue that bicycle fees are unfair because bikes don't damage the roadways as cars do. Bicycle registration fees could be comparatively modest, and the method for displaying a license number could be simple.
Many U.S. cities and towns now implement bike registration and licensing. A statute(法规）from one. California town states that the laws regulating bicycles have a dual purpose, antitheft and safety. I'm eager to see more bicyclists on the road, and I'm hoping for riders who take their responsibilities seriously.
1. To advocate responsible cycling, the author suggests| A．increasing the number of bike lanes |
| B．giving competency tests to all cyclists |
| C．identifying cyclists through registration |
| D．reporting cycling offenses more frequently |
| A．To explain how bicycle registration and licensing work. |
| B．To provide solutions to reduce irresponsible cycling of kids. |
| C．To respond to people's doubts about holding cyclists accountable. |
| D．To argue against requiring cyclists to register and license their bicycles. |
① Using examples
② Quoting professionals
③ Comparing and contrasting
④ Appealing to readers' emotions
| A．①② |
| B．②④ |
| C．③④ |
| D．①③ |
| A．Should we encourage more cycling in the city? |
| B．Should cyclists register and license their bikes? |
| C．What does "sharing the road" mean to cyclists? |
| D．How can road safety be guaranteed for cyclists? |
8 .
Building a better tree house — TREEHOTEL HARADS, SWEDEN Tree houses aren’t generally equal to splendor(壮丽). But the seven cabins at Sweden’s Treehotel could easily give The Swiss Family Robinson a run for its money. To begin with, the outside is extraordinary: one resembles a UFO, another resembles a bird’s nest, and the bottom of the latest cabin — named the 7th Room — features a life –size photograph of the canopy(天蓬似的树荫) view. Inside, the cabins are equipped with fashionable, minimalist furniture and comfortable lounge areas. Although some guests may have to travel to a separate facility to shower, fans argue that that’s a small sacrifice to make for a one-of-a-kind camping experience. |
An ancient forest reborn — AMANYANGYUN, SHANGHAI When Chinese businessman Ma Dadong discovered that a forest of ancient camphor trees would be destroyed in China’s Jiangxi Province, he undertook a mission to relocate thousands of them to the outskirts of Shanghai — 700 km away — where they now surround 24 Ming Dynasty style suites and several villas (别墅) at Amanyangyun, which opened in January, 2018. It also nods to the past, making use of recycled wood and brick from centuries –old homes. Facilities include a club lounge, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a spa and a variety of luxurious dining spaces, including a 200 – seat banquet hall. Calligraphy (书法) lessons and tea ceremonies are available to help guests feel part of “this monumental story”. |
1. What does the author say about the Treehotel?
| A．It is a seven-story building. | B．It has an in-built shower. |
| C．It has unique design features. | D．It is expensively decorated inside. |
| A．Attend a fitness class. | B．Pick tea leaves themselves. |
| C．Learn the history of the Ming Dynasty. | D．Admire ancient Chinese architecture. |
| A．An exhibition review | B．A travel website. |
| C．A hotel comment. | D．An official report. |
9 . I never planned to be a teacher. I was headed for a law school, for a real career. Teaching was something to “get out of my system”. I would teach a couple of years and then go to get a real job. After the first couple of years, I promised myself I would leave if I didn’t love my job any more. Twenty-nine years later, that day still has not come.
So, why do I stay? I stay because I laugh and learn every day. The children are funny, insightful, and honest. If my shoes don’t match my outfit, they tell me. If my argument that Invisible Man is an important twentieth century classic doesn’t convince them, they tell me.
I stay because every single day is different. Some days, my lessons are great, and I have classes of students who are engaged in reading, writing and thinking. Some days, my lessons fall flat, and I realize that I need to start from the beginning - even after 29 years.
I stay because I love to see the children realize that they have learned something; I love to see the children write well; I love the feeling of reading a well-argued essay, and I love smiling as I write a final “Awesome job!” on a paper on which a student has worked hard.
I stay because what I’ve learned in 29 years is that I do have a “real” job - the most real job there is. It’s the one that leads to other jobs, that helps to create good thinkers who go on to be productive in our society, and that supports our community as it grows and times change. My job is among the ones that matter most.
1. The author became a teacher because he _________.| A．needed money to go to a law school | B．loved dealing with children |
| C．loved teaching very much | D．failed to get a “real” job |
| A．often pays no attention to his outfit | B．is good at convincing his students |
| C．enjoys his time with his students | D．doesn’t read many classics |
| A．end in failure | B．pay off | C．make sense | D．fall into ruin |
| A．What the author has learned as a teacher. |
| B．What the author thinks of being a teacher. |
| C．Why the author didn’t choose to become a lawyer. |
| D．Why the author chooses to stay as a teacher. |
10 . For more than twenty years scientists have been searching for signs of life on other planets. Most of these searches have been done over the radio, a scanning of the electromagnetic waves(电磁波)that come to us from outer space. The hope is that someone out there may be trying to contact us. Scientists also have sent radio and television messages, as well as messages on spacecraft traveling through space, on the chance that someone may be receptive to(准备接受的)such messages.
The most extensive search for intelligence planned so far involves using powerful radio telescopes to listen to signals from about 1,000 stars, all within 100 light years’ of Earth. In addition, astronomers will scan the entire sky to “listen” for radio messages from more distant stars. Using a computer, astronomers will be able to monitor more than eight million channels at one time. Scientists are looking for any signal that stands out from the background noise, such as a long, loud pulse or a strong tone that could have traveled great distances.
What are the chances that other intelligence life exists in our galaxy(星系)? Of the 200 billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy, scientists estimate that five percent-ten billion stars-are like our sun. They are medium size stars, probably with planets. Of these solar systems, perhaps half of them-five billion-have a planet like Earth. Such a planet would be a reasonable distance from the star for temperatures to be right for the evolution of life. Based on the estimate of five billion inhabitable (适合居住的) planets in our galaxy, most scientists agree that chances are likely that one or more of these planets support some life.
However, many scientists wonder whether intelligent life-organisms who can communicate with us-exists on other planets. Some believe that twenty years of searching with no hint (暗示) of an intelligible message indicates that no one is out there. They say that the evolution of intelligence comparable to ours is unlikely, and perhaps not even advantageous for most creatures in most environments. Insects, perhaps the most evolutionarily successful of all organisms on Earth, for instance, could not communicate over radio waves.
Other scientists believe that our search has been neither long enough nor extensive enough to rule out(排除)the possibility that intelligent life exists in our galaxy. Although our solar system is only about five billion years old, our galaxy is about 20 billion years old. Some scientists think it is likely that civilizations, in that time, much more advanced than ours have developed. Perhaps these civilizations are sending us no signals; perhaps we have not recognized the signals they have sent us. If we hope to find intelligent life, these scientists believe that we have to keep looking.
1. According to the passage, ______planets in our galaxy might be inhabitable.| A．5 billion | B．10 billion |
| C．200 billion | D．all |
| A．spacecraft travelling |
| B．electromagnetic waves |
| C．why scientists are looking for signs of life on other planets |
| D．how scientists are looking for signs of life on other planets |
| A．Most scientists believe that there is intelligent life on other planets. |
| B．Scientists are trying different ways to find signs of life on other planets. |
| C．The Earth is one of the oldest planets in our galaxy. |
| D．We are alone in the universe. |
| A．If the research continues, we may find intelligent life. |
| B．We have been working long enough to find intelligent life. |
| C．Those civilizations have sent us some signals. |
| D．Our solar system is old enough. |
