1 . Some of my earliest memories involve sitting with my dad in his study every night when he came home from the office. I'd watch as he put his personal items away：his watch, wallet, comb and car keys. Every night, he would smile, hand me the comb and say：" Help Daddy clean it, OK?" I'd excitedly turn the tap on, then brush the comb with a used toothbrush as hard as I could. Then I’d proudly return the comb to Dad. He would smile at me, and place it on top of his wallet.
About two years later, Dad left his sales job and started his own business. I started primary school. That was when things started to change. Dad's business wasn't doing so well, and our stable life started getting shaky. He didn't come home as much as he used to. And when he did come home, it was always late and I'd already be in bed. I started to get mad. Why didn't he listen to Mum and just stick to his old job? Over the years, I stopped waiting for him to come home.
Now 28, I've graduated from college and got a job. Dad's business has also started to get back on track. Yet the uncomfortable silence between Dad and me persisted.
Yesterday, Dad came home early. As usual, I helped him carry his bags into his study. When I turned to leave ,he said ：" Hey, would you like to help me clean my comb?" I looked at him a while, then took the comb. After cleaning, I passed it back to Dad. He looked at it and smiled. But this time, I noticed something different. My dad has aged. He has wrinkles next to his eyes, yet his smile is still as heartwarming as before, the smile of a father who just wants a good life for his family. Dad carefully placed his comb on top of his wallet. After so many years,I guess some things never change. And for that, I'm glad.
1. What was the author asked to do by the father when young?| A．Brushing his comb. | B．Cleaning his toothbrush. |
| C．Chatting with him in his study. | D．Greeting him at the door. |
| A．He was laid off by his former company. |
| B．He desired to struggle for a big fortunate. |
| C．He wanted to fulfill a good life for his family. |
| D．He followed his wife's advice and tried new. |
| A．The father's new business wasn't going so smoothly. |
| B．The father came home rarely or very late. |
| C．The tough primary school and little time with the dad. |
| D．The misunderstanding of the author and less communication between them. |
| A．Generous and humorous. | B．Modest and conventional. |
| C．Struggling and devoted. | D．Ambitious and strict. |
2 . For some people, certain foods can be deadly. Around the world, children are far more likely than ever before to develop food allergies（过敏）. In the US, for example, allergy rates among children were rising from 2010 to 2016, according to the Childhood Allergies in America report. It also showed that the number of children “at risk” for a severe allergic reaction rose by 104 percent. Almost half of these severe reactions were from food.
“In the past, children often were only allergic to one or maybe two foods. But now it’s very common to see children allergic to two or three or more foods,” said Hugh Sampson, a professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, US. “And milk, eggs, sesame, peanuts, tree nuts, fish and shellfish are the common ones to take the blame.”
First of all, as countries import exotic（外来的）products, people are more likely to adopt foreign diets. One example is an increased allergy to kiwis in the US. “Everything is so global now. We’re getting exposed to foods that we never had before,” Sampson said. “And as globalization accelerates migration, more people will tend to experience food allergies.”
Environmental factors may also play a large role: Migrants appear to show a higher possibility of food allergy and asthma（哮喘）in their adopted country in comparison to their country of origin, according to the BBC.
Changes in food making could explain the global rise in allergies as well. For example, people are more likely to be allergic to dry-roasted peanuts-common in the US, UK and Australia-than boiled or fried peanuts, which are common in China. This suggests that how and when the food is introduced is as important a factor as the food itself. Food allergy awareness has increased during recent years, but there’s more work to be done to understand and deal with its rise.
1. What does the second paragraph imply?| A．More foods today can lead to allergies. |
| B．Food was to blame for children’s allergies. |
| C．Kids are more likely to suffer allergies. |
| D．People all know the reasons for allergies. |
| A．Globalization has caused unexpected effects. |
| B．Globalization plays a role in increased allergies. |
| C．Globalization is the key to solving the problems. |
| D．Globalization allows people to experience more. |
| A．Optimistic. | B．Cold. |
| C．Concerned. | D．Disappointed. |
| A．Allergies increase globally. | B．How to get rid of allergies? |
| C．What causes your allergies? | D．Allergies matter a lot in life. |
3 . Do you like running enough to make it a habit? Tierney Wolfgram does; she has made running a lifelong career and isn't stopping.
In February, the 16-year-old from a high school, US, competed at the 2020 US Olympic Trials. She finished the marathon(42.195 km)with a time of 2:42:47 as the youngest competitor in the race and ranked 76th out of 390 runners. However, the cross-country(越野的)season was postponed to winter because of the COVID-19. So she jumped at the opportunity to train for another race-the Parkway Marathon in California. In November, Wolfgram broke the Women's American Junior marathon record with her time of 2:31:49. The old record was 2:34:32, which had stood since 1984.
“I'm completely stunned, ”said Wolfgram's coach. “I knew she was going to break it, but she really showed out！”
During the run, Wolfgram once hit a wall pretty hard, but she overcame it to finish. “I guess I can say I gave it my all, ”she told Runner's World. “When I finished, all I was thinking was I felt super happy,” Wolfgram said This was only her third marathon. In 2018, when Wolfgram was 15 years old, she ran her first marathon just because she wanted to see if she had the ability to do it. “I believed that I would get faster as the distances got longer. . . I'm still glad that I did it. ”
When preparing for that first marathon, she ran up to 120 miles per week. Although her parents didn't have any background in running, they helped Wolfgram train. At first, her dad would take her out in the morning and run about 13 miles. The distance would gradually increase each day. On top of her runs in the morning, she would do cross-country practice after school.
Now Wolfgram will consider attending the Olympics Games in 2024 after it's scheduled.
1. What can we learn about Wolfgram from Paragraph 2?| A．She was the champion at the 2020 US Olympic Trials. |
| B．She put off the cross-country season for the COVID-19. |
| C．She broke an Olympic marathon record in November. |
| D．She prepared for the Parkway Marathon in California. |
| A．Doubtful | B．Worried. | C．Shocked. | D．Interested |
| A．Her parents' encouragement. | B．Her desire to prove she could do it. |
| C．Her coach's support and help. | D．Her hope to break the national record |
| A．Sports. | B．Lifestyle | C．Culture. | D．Opinion |
4 . Culture can affect not just language and customs, but also how people experience the world on surprisingly basic levels.
Researchers, with the help of brain scans, have uncovered shocking differences in perception(感知) between Westerners and Asians, what they see when they look at a city street, for example, or even how they perceive a simple line in a square, according to findings published in a leading science journal
In western countries, culture makes people think of themselves as highly independent entities(实体) .When looking at scenes, Westerners tend to focus more on central objects than on their surroundings. East Asian cultures, however emphasize inter-dependence. When Easterners look at a scene, they tend to focus on surroundings as well as the object.
Using an experiment involving two tasks, Dr Hedden asked subjects to look at a line simply to estimate its length, a task that is played to American strengths. In another, they estimated the line's length relative to the size of a square, an easier task for the Asians.
The level of brain activity, by tracking blood flow, was then measured by Brain Scanners. The experiment found that although there was no difference in performance, and the tasks were very easy, the levels of activity in the subjects’ brains were different. For the Americans, areas linked to attention lit up more, when they worked on the task they tended to find more difficult--estimating the line's size relative to the square. For the Asians, the attention areas lit up more during the harder task also--estimating the line's length without comparing it to the square. The findings are a reflection of more than ten years of previous experimental research into east-west differences
In one study, for instance, researchers offered people a choice among five pens, four red and one green. Easterners were more likely to choose a red pen while Westerners were more likely to choose the green one.
Culture is not affecting how you see the world, but how you choose to understand and internalize(使内化) it. But such habits can be changed. Some psychological studies suggest that when an Easterner goes to the West or vice versa, habits of thought and perception also begin to change. Such research gives us clues on how our brain works and is hopeful for us to develop programs to improve our memory, memory techniques and enhance and accelerate our learning skills.
1. According to the passage, Chinese people are most likely to_________.| A．emphasize independent thinking more |
| B．always focus more on their surroundings |
| C．focus on the context as well as object |
| D．think of Westerners as highly independent entities |
_________.| A．the task is much easier |
| B．the blood flow is tracked |
| C．people begin to choose colors |
| D．the task is more difficult |
| A．They indicate that culture has a great impact on the way people talk and behave. |
| B．They show that Easterners and Westerners have great differences in perceiving the world |
| C．They suggest that people's habits of thought and perception can be changed in different cultures. |
| D．They make it clear that Easterners and Westerners lay emphasis on different things |
| A．Easterners prefer collectivism to individualism |
| B．East Asian cultures lay more emphasis on independence |
| C．It took over ten years to find out how to improve our brainpower |
| D．Americans will change their habits of perception when they're in Britain |
5 . Birth order, according to conventional wisdom, molds (塑造) personality; Firstborn children, secure with their place in the family, are expected to be mature and more responsible. Younger siblings (兄弟姐妹) work harder to get their parents’ attention and take more risk. That’s the central idea in psychologist Frank J. Sulloway’s “Born to Rebel”, an influential book on birth order.
However, birth order does not appear to influence personality in adults, according to several ambitious studies published in the past few years, which relied on larger data sets and more statistical methods than earlier reports.
Schmukle, a psychologist at University of Leipzig. and his colleagues, in a study published in 2015, assessed birth order for about 20,000 people from different countries and found that birth order did not change any of five broad personality traits (特征). A follow-up study on more specific characteristics, published by Sehmukle two years later, did not find any effect of birth order, either. Rodica Damian, a social psychologist at the University of Houston, studied more than 370,000 high school students and also concluded, in 2015, that birth order does not influence the Big Five.
In the Basel-Berlin Risk Study, one of the most exhaustive attempts to measure risk preference, researchers asked participants about driving too fast and other risky behaviors. “None of these behavioral measures showed any convincing relationship between being a later-born and talking more risks,” the study authors wrote.
We tend to confuse birth order and age. “Some of the birth order effects that we observe in everyday life are not birth order effects, but actually are age effects,” Schmukle said. “It is not surprising that when you look at differences within families, firstborns are more responsible than later-borns. But take age out of the picture, and the effect disappears.”
1. What’s Sulloway’s attitude to birth order effects?| A．Favorable. | B．Cautious. | C．Doubtful. | D．Ambiguous. |
| A．They all proved the birth order effects. |
| B．They were conducted by the same team. |
| C．They concentrated on firstborn children. |
| D．They based the results on statistical data. |
| A．Birth order. | B．Risky behaviors. |
| C．Age effects. | D．Parents’ attention. |
| A．By giving examples. | B．By listing findings. |
| C．By making comparisons. | D．By showing instructions. |
6 . Scientists say they have found high levels of small plastic particles(颗粒) in Arctic snow. A German-Swiss research team collected snow samples(样本）from the Arctic and other areas. They included northern Germany, the Bavarian and Swiss Alps, and the North Sea island of Heligoland.When the researchers examined the samples in a laboratory, they were surprised to find very high levels of microplastics.
Microplastics are very small pieces of plastic. These plastic particles are generally smaller than 5 millimeters in length. They come from the breakdown of man-made plastic products and industrial waste.
The study found the highest levels of microplastics came from the Bavarian Alps. One snow sample from the area had 154,000 microplastic particles per liter. Samples collected from the Arctic had much lower levels. However, even samples from the Arctic contained up to 14,000 particles per liter.
The study also attempted to explore how some of the material could have been carried in the atmosphere. A limited number of earlier studies did find microplastics in the air of some cities, including Paris, Tehran and Dongguan, China.
Bergmann Melanie co-wrote the report on the new study. She believes the new study clearly shows that “the majority of the microplastic in the snow comes from the air.” The new study suggests that much of the microplastic found in Europe and the Arctic comes from the atmosphere and snow.
While there is growing concern about the effect of microplastics on the environment, scientists are still studying their possible harmful effects on humans and animals. “I hope the new study will lead to more research on this issue. I think microscopic plastic particles should be included in worldwide observations of air pollution levels.We really need to know what effects microplastics have on humans, especially if inhaled with the air that we breathe.” Bergmann said.
1. Why did scientists collect samples from so many places in paragragh 1?| A．To make the research convincing. |
| B．To attract people to explore there. |
| C．To measure the length of microplastics . |
| D．To examine the samples easily in the lab. |
| A．The risks of microplastics. |
| B．The transport of microplastics. |
| C．The breakdown of plastic products. |
| D．The description of microplastics. |
| A．Many people threw them away at the Alps. |
| B．They were delivered to remote areas through air. |
| C．They could be caught sight of in the air. |
| D．They had no great effect on the environment. |
| A．Scientists are worried about the the influence of microplastics. |
| B．We have found a practical solution to the environment problem. |
| C．The effect of microplastics on human must be urgently researched. |
| D．There is no need to change observations of air pollution levels. |
7 . The Tokyo Summer Olympics is going green. The 5,000 medals Japan has made are more special than most.
One novel focus of the Tokyo Olympics is to be“sustainable”—to avoid using too many natural resources, so that the games are easy on the environment. As part of this goal, the organizers decided to make all of the Olympic medals out of metal recycled from old electronics.
Almost all electronics are made with small amounts of "precious metals", like gold and silver. But collecting enough of these metals to make 5,000 medals was a huge challenge. That's because the amount of metal in each device is tiny. It would take about 20,000 cell phones to get just 1 kilogram of gold.
Beginning in April 2017, the organizers placed collection boxes around the country, and asked people to turn in their old electronic devices. Soon people began to respond to the initiative, turning in smartphones, digital cameras, hand-held games, and laptops. At first, collection went slowly, but soon more and more areas began to take part. By the end, 1,621 local governments had helped out with the collection process.
Then came the job of breaking those devices down into smaller pieces. After being taken apart and sorted, the small electronics were smelted (熔炼) to get all the gold, silver, and bronze elements. This is a tricky job, which calls for careful attention and good skill. It's also dangerous, because some of the metals and other things aren't safe for people to touch or breathe.
By the end of March, 2019, the organizers had hit their targets of getting enough metal for the medals. They had collected around3xkilograms of gold, 4,100 kilograms of silver and 2,200 kilograms of bronze. And now all the 5,000 medals are available for the would-be winners.
1. What can we know about the Tokyo Olympics medals?| A．They are hugely valuable. |
| B．They are of high quality. |
| C．They are designed uniquely. |
| D．They are made from e-waste. |
| A．The difficulty of making the medals. |
| B．The process of collecting old electronics. |
| C．The initiative to recycle used smartphones. |
| D．The classification of the collected devices. |
| A．creative | B．well-paid |
| C．demanding | D．time-consuming |
| A．To advocate sustainable use of resources. |
| B．To promote the spirit of Olympic Games. |
| C．To introduce a new technique to make medals. |
| D．To call people's attention to environmental damage. |
8 . Rachel Carson was concerned about what was happenig to the environment. So in her book Silent Spring, she warned that some chemicals were poisoning the air, the water, the earth, and all its creatures. She imagined a time when spring would not bring the rebirth of flowers, trees, and the songs of birds. The book became a bestseller, and Ms. Carson was in great demand as a speaker. People lisened to her because what she said made sense, and because she was a scientist who knew her facts.
Rachel Carson was primarily interested in the world of sea and shore, so she became a marine biologst for the government. She studied and recorded facts about the sea' s plant and animal life, their special characteristics, and the nature of their environments. In 1951, she wrote The Sea Around Us, which brought her honors, fame, and respect around the world.
Ms. Carson then devoted herself full-time to research and writing. One thing much on her mind was the effect of modern technology on the natural environment. One day, a distressed friend wrote her to say that a plane spraying(喷洒) DDT had flown over her yard, and the next day several birds lay dead. Carson decided to act.
For four years she studied the use of pesticides(杀虫剂) in the United States, and then she wrote Silent Spring.
In her book Ms. Carson said that these pesticides would harm much more than insects. She explained that these poisons would pollute the environment. “Even if their effects are not immediately observable, they remain for years in the water and the soil, and they become part of the food eaten by animals and humans.
Besides, after a time, insects develop immunity to pesticides,” she said.
Recent studies have shown that pesticides can affect human brainwave activity and cause loss of memory and inability to concentrate. We should still remember Rachel Carson’s words, “I think we are challenged as we have never been challenged before to prove our mastery, not of nature, but of ourselves.”
1. Silent Spring is a book that__________| A．aims to raise people’s environmental awareness |
| B．stresses the importance of the cycle of nature |
| C．describes the author' s childhood experiences |
| D．asks people to enjoy the beauty of spring |
| A．curious | B．humorous | C．excited | D．worried |
| A．became world-famous due to Silent Spring |
| B．warned against the use of chemicals to kill insects |
| C．had a good knowledge of the planets in the universe |
| D．created a system for improving human brainwave activity |
| A．we should prove ourselves to be the ruler of this world |
| B．it's a chance for us to prove our mastery of nature |
| C．it's time for us to think about what we have done |
| D．settling on the earth is a challenge for humans |
9 . Light pollution is blocking a starry view of the night sky for more than half of people across England, a research has found.
Fifty-seven percent of stargazers(观星者)struggled to see more than 10 stars, while just 2% of participants said they experienced a truly dark sky enabling them to count more than 30, according to the research by the Campaign to Protect Rural England(CPRE). People in the countryside were encouraged to count how many stars they could see with eyes within the constellation(星座)of Orion, which is visible only in the winter months.
Campaigners said the results of the star count, supported by the British Astronomical Association, showed the problem of light pollution and how it affected one of the countryside's most magical sights-a dark, starry night sky. They said the results of the research to map England's night skies suggested more could be done by the government, local councils and the general public to lessen the negative effects of artificial light from streets and buildings.
Emma Marrington, dark skies campaigner at the CPRE, said, “We're hugely grateful to the people who took the time to get out and take part in our star count. But it's deeply disappointing that the vast majority were unable to experience the natural wonder of a truly dark sky blanketed with stars. Without intervention, our night sky will continue to be lost under a covering of artificial light, ruining the health of the natural world.”
She added, “The star count results show just how far-reaching the light from street lights and buildings can be seen. Light doesn't respect boundaries, and careless use can see it spread for miles from cities.”
She suggested better-designed lighting, street light dimming(暗淡)systems and partnight lighting where some street lights are turned off during the small hours should provide an opportunity to limit the damage caused by light pollution, reduce carbon emissions and save money.
1. What effect does the light pollution bring about to England?| A．It leads the stars to disappear. |
| B．It makes the countryside dim. |
| C．It makes the environment terrible. |
| D．It prevents the people seeing stars. |
| A．The overuse of artificial light. |
| B．More and more buildings. |
| C．Less and less outdoor activities. |
| D．The spread of light in the countryside. |
| A．Regretful. | B．Surprised. |
| C．Appreciative. | D．Disappointed. |
| A．Changing the streets' design. |
| B．Turning off lights at night. |
| C．Spreading light further. |
| D．Using street lights wisely. |
10 . Have you ever wondered why certain pop songs just make you feel so good? Researchers studying the question found that uncertainty and surprise give listeners the most pleasure. The study included 80,000 chords (和弦) in 745 pop songs between 1958 and 1991.
Each song was stripped of its melody (旋律) and lyrics (歌词) so that only chords were left and the results couldn’t be misunderstood by other imaginations of the songs that listeners might have had.
They found two things. Listeners got great pleasure from unexpected chords when they knew what would happen. However, they still found it pleasant to hear familiar chords when they did not know what would follow.
Vincent Cheung, the lead researcher, said, “Pleasant songs are likely those which keep a good balance (平衡) between knowing what is going to happen next and surprising us with something we did not expect. Understanding how music starts our pleasure system in the brain could explain why listening to music might help us feel better when we are feeling blue.”
Cheung told CNN that pleasure in music is connected to expectation. The study before had looked into the effects of surprise on pleasure, but his team’s study also paid attention to the uncertainty of listeners’ expectations.
1. What does the underlined word in Paragraph 2 mean?| A．Taken. | B．Added. |
| C．Played. | D．Recorded. |
| A．Expected music is exciting. | B．Unexpected chords bring pleasure. |
| C．Familiar music is boring. | D．Unfamiliar chords are hard to follow. |
| A．They can explain human nature. | B．They can improve our pleasure system. |
| C．They make some people feel blue. | D．They balance expectation and surprise. |
| A．To introduce a scientific study’s finding. | B．To show music’s importance in our life. |
| C．To compare different studies on music. | D．To experiment music in science. |
