1 . Have you ever considered all the English expressions that include words about clothes? Let’s have a look.
People wear pants to cover the lower part of their bodies. We sometimes say that people who are nervous have ants in their pants. Sometimes, people may get caught with their pants down. They are found doing something they should not be doing. And, in every family, one person takes control. Sometimes a wife tells her husband what to do. Then we say she wears the pants in the family.
Pants usually have pockets to hold things. Money that is likely to be spent quickly can burn a hole in your pocket. Sometimes you need a belt to hold up your pants. If you have less money than usual, you may have to tighten your belt.
I always praise people who can save their money and not spend too much. I really take my hat off to them. Yet, when it comes to my own money, I spend it at the drop of a hat, which means I instantly spend it.
Boots are a heavy or strong kind of shoes. People who are too big for their boots think they are more important than they really are. I dislike such people.
My father is an important person. He runs a big company. He wears a suit and tie, and a shirt with sleeves that cover his arms. Some people who do not know him well think he is too serious and never shows his feelings openly. But I know that my father wears his heart on his sleeve.
1. What is this passage mainly about?| A．What pants mean in English. | B．Some special English expressions. |
| C．Some funny English expressions. | D．Some expressions related to clothes. |
| A．Get caught with one’s pants down. | B．Have ants in one’s pants. |
| C．Wear the pants in the family. | D．Burn a hole in one’s pocket. |
| A．doesn’t save money | B．earns much money |
| C．never wastes his money | D．spends more than he earns |
2 . A new international study published in PLOS Biology suggests that the popularity of tigers, lions, polar bears and others may actually contribute to their downfall. The researchers used a combination of online investigations, school questionnaires, z00 websites and cartoon films to identify the 10 most beloved animals. The top three were tigers, lions and elephants.
“I was surprised to see that although these 10 animals are the most beloved, a major danger faced by nearly all of them is direct killing by humans, especially from hunting,” said William Ripple, a distinguished professor of forest ecology at Oregon State University and a co-author on the study.“This killing by humans seems sadly ironic （讽刺的）to me, as these are some of our most beloved wild animals.”
Many of these animals are so frequently described in pop culture and marketing materials that they may form an inaccurate “virtual population” that is doing better in the media than in nature, noted lead author Franck Courchamp of the University of Paris. The researchers found, for example, that the average French citizen will see more virtual lions through photos, cartoons, logos and brands in one month than wild lions left in West Africa.
“Unknowingly, companies using giraffes or polar bears for marketing purposes may be actively contributing to the false belief that these animals are not at risk of dying out, and therefore not in need of conservation,” Courchamp said. He suggested in the paper that companies using images of endangered animals for marketing purposes provide information to promote their conservation, and perhaps part of their profits for protection of the animals.
Nearly half of the toy animals sold in the United States on Amazon were one of the 10 beloved animals, while in France some 800,000 “Sophie the giraffe” baby toys were sold last year—more than eight times the number of giraffes living in Africa.
“The appearance of these beloved animals in stores, in movies, on television, and on a variety of products seems to be tricking the public into believing they are doing okay,” Ripple said. “If we don't work together to save these animals, that may soon be the only way anyone will see them.”
1. What is the text mainly about?| A．Animal images are used in marketing. | B．Wild animals are at a high risk of dying out. |
| C．Animals' popularity in life causes their decrease. | D．Efforts are made to protect animals in danger. |
| A．Use animals for marketing purposes. | B．Spare some earnings to protect animals. |
| C．Avoid providing information about animals. | D．Contribute themselves to marketing research. |
| A．To prove these baby toys are a hit in France. |
| B．To advertise for the baby toys among readers. |
| C．To show the distinction between virtual and real population. |
| D．To indicate giraffes rank higher than other animals in France. |
| A．Raising animals at home. | B．A close look at the animals. |
| C．Exposure to animals in the wild. | D．Animals' appearance in the media. |
3 . Jagger Gordon was standing in line at the grocery store in late March when it hit him: this was only the beginning. The 50-year- old chef and founder of Toronto's Feed It Forward, one of the country's most popular food bank programs, saw that COVID-19 would have an even bigger impact on communities that depend on his services. “People were fighting over water," he says, “and I just thought, okay, this is going to be bad.”
Gordon is like a modern-day Robin Hood, only instead of robbing from the rich, his food bank rescues food that would otherwise be thrown away. He started Feed It Forward six years ago, hoping to relieve hunger by reducing the approximately 11 million tons of food that Canadians annually let go to waste. The food he rescues is still suitable to be eaten but may not meet the picture-perfect standards of consumers. “This is perfectly good!” he says. “Maybe a pepper has a slight mark, or it's not breast meat or whatever the desired cut is, but you can still make something that tastes amazing.” Operating out of three main kitchens with some 2,200 volunteers, the organization was, until recently, feeding approximately 3,000 people every day. Since COVID, it's closer to 5,000.
Feed It Forward runs a pay-what-you-can restaurant and grocery store filled entirely with hand-me-downs from Whole Foods. Thirty-two Toronto-area restaurants and food supply companies— Sysco, for example— also help out. On 200 acres in Whitby, Ont., Feed It Forward grows produce and hosts grow-your -own-food lessons for individuals and families. If the pandemic （大流行病） hadn't cancelled in-person classes, this fall would have meant continuing Soup Bar, a program that provides free hot meals to students with food insecurity at Humber College. People have an idea of what a person who is hungry looks like, says Gordon, but it's so much more common than we realize.
As the year came to an end, Feed It Forward was stockpiling food. In previous years, the organization hosted Christmas dinners—community celebrations with live music and, of course, plenty of good food. The year 2020 was different—less gathering and more special deliveries. So maybe Gordon is less like Robin Hood and more like Santa Claus. “There is need out there, and we can meet it,” he says. “That's my duty.”
1. Why did Jagger Gordon found Feed It Forward?| A．To expand his business. | B．To end people's fight over food. |
| C．To ease the problem of hunger. | D．To grow produce and host lessons. |
| A．Breast meat. | B．Desired cuts. |
| C．Picture-perfect food. ` | D．Peppers with slight marks. |
| A．It continued Soup Bar in the fall. |
| B．It delivered more food at Christmas. |
| C．It fed approximately 2,200 people every day. |
| D．It offered water at the grocery store in late March. |
| A．Warm-hearted and responsible. | B．Caring and demanding. |
| C．Ambitious and humorous. | D．Generous and strict. |
4 . British beer and pubs are famous around the world. Things are changing, however. Is this the end of a great British tradition?
For thousands of years, a very important building in any British village has been the pub. In fact, until a place has a pub, it is not really considered a community worthy of a name. Traditionally, the pub is at the heart of any village or town, since it is where people gather to socialize and exchange news. It is an institution at the heart of British society. After all, the word “pub” is actually short for “public house”.
As a result, British pubs are often old and well preserved. Many of them have become historic sites that tourists visit. Many British pubs have names referring to monarchs, such as The King's Head or The Queen Victoria, but of course this doesn't mean they are only for kings and queens. Pubs have always welcomed people from all classes and parts of society. On a cold night, the pub boss can always find a warm place for customers by the fire. There is always honest and hearty food and plenty of drink available at an affordable price.
That's how it used to be, but there are worrying signs that things are beginning to change. Economic downturns, governmental austerity measures and cultural changes are causing many pubs to go out of business. People do not have a lot of spare money to spend on beer. On top of that, in 2007 smoking was banned in all public indoor spaces, including pubs, which may also have affected the number of customers going to pubs since then. This decline is happening despite the fact that pubs are now allowed by law to stay open after 11p.m..
In order to save their businesses, pubs are trying to diversify to attract new customers. And with various “save the pub” campaigns, there are signs that people are gathering around pubs to support this great British institution with pride.
1. Why are British pubs often old?| A．Because the British want to attract tourists. |
| B．Because the birth of a community often results from a pub in it. |
| C．Because they are where people socialize and exchange news. |
| D．Because they follow in the tradition of British kings and queens. |
| A．Emperors. | B．Bosses. | C．Special tourists. | D．Ordinary people. |
| A．Cultural differences. | B．Economic decline. |
| C．Changes in opening hours. | D．Regulations against drinking. |
| A．Conservative. | B．Skeptical. | C．Hopeless. | D．Objective. |
5 . It was dinner time for the Rangers, a group of mostly Indigenous (本地的) Australians who had spent a long day cleaning up the polluted beaches of the continent’s northern coast. Soon they would be eating freshly caught fish and seafood cooked under the stars on an open fire, as their ancestors did.
The Rangers are of more than 100 Indigenous groups spread across Australia who have taken on the job of protecting the land of their forefathers. In Arnhem Land, they are the protectors of 3,300 square miles of land and sea. They comb the beaches by hand, picking up as much rubbish as possible. The task is very difficult as each day it delivers waves of new rubbish.
For the Rangers, cleaning the beaches is more than a vacation. For a people whose culture is strongly tied to the land, protecting the environment is equal to preserving their history.
However, colonization forcefully broke their connection to the land generations ago. Indigenous people were displaced and their cultural practices outlawed. Tens of thousands of years of traditional land management ended, and as a result many parts of the country now face serious disasters from invasive plant and animal species, bush fires and land mismanagement.
In recent years, the government has restored more than 20 percent of Australia’s land to Indigenous owners. Since 2007, the Indigenous Rangers Organizations have been at work protecting this land.
Luck, one of the few non-Indigenous employees working with the Rangers, said the combination of old and new techniques and an appreciation for the culture of Indigenous workers has been critical to the program’s success.
“You are working with staff who see the world different to you, so there is a much higher focus on the cultural aspects of work and life,” he said.
“Being a ranger is a source of confidence. You feel strong,” said Terence, a senior ranger. “Here we still live on the land. The culture is still alive.”
1. What did Indigenous Australians live on in the past?| A．Rubbish picked up by hand. | B．Catching the fish and seafood. |
| C．Protecting the land. | D．Invasive plants and animals. |
| A．The polluted land needs better management. |
| B．Their cultural practices were outlawed. |
| C．The people were too strong. |
| D．The land belongs to them. |
| A．It’s a job of their ancestors’. | B．It’s just a vacation. |
| C．It’s a difficult task. | D．It’s their culture. |
| A．Not many employees are the Indigenous Australians. |
| B．Culture is important to the Indigenous Australians. |
| C．Their new techniques are successful. |
| D．Both Luck and Terence are rangers. |
6 . It was an autumn day, and 1 was standing in the kitchen, hanging my head over the counter and trying to figure out how many calories were in a bowl of homemade yogurt and fruit. And I felt annoyed.
I was 16, and my best friend and I had gone to our first Weight Watchers meeting. It was the trend in the mid-1980s，and even though I was an athlete, like many teen girls, I didn't necessarily like what I saw in the mirror. But after a week or so of recording every meal and snack and calculating the calories, I had had enough. I went back to my routine of chowing whatever I wanted, running and skiing, and let that be that. And it's still pretty much what I do; as long as the workouts are regular and the food is whole and balanced, my body's set point hasn't varied for years.
The weight loss trend of three decades ago−full of scales and counting calories−has fallen away. Now fasting is popular. The ways to keep fit vary: on the 5:2 diet a person eats for five days and fasts for two days each week, while the 18:6 refers 10 fasting for 18 hours and then eating within a six-hour window each day.
In this issue, Associate Editor Mark Barna tries to understand the science behind the fasting plans. Researchers have found that animals like monkeys age more slowly after years of eating less, and in the lab in humans, they saw improvements in a number of signs that indicate risk of some hard to cure diseases. The hope for healthy weight loss isn’t over yet, but at least now the calculators don’t have to be out at every meal.
1. What made the author annoyed?| A．Her body was not as strong as an athlete’s. |
| B．There were too many calories in the yogurt and fruit. |
| C．The Weight Watches meeting was not necessary for her. |
| D．She had to work out the calories in every meal and snack. |
| A．Eating. | B．Doing | C．Cooking. | D．Choosing. |
| A．They limit the calories they take in. |
| B．They lose weight only. |
| C．They fast daily or weekly. |
| D．They eat enough every day. |
| A．People grow more slowly if they eat less. |
| B．People are healthier if they eat less. |
| C．People have stopped losing weight now. |
| D．People calculate their food for every meal. |
7 . Babies made from three people approved in UK
Babies made from two women and one man have been approved by the UK’s fertility regulator. The historic and controversial move is to prevent children from being born with deadly genetic diseases.
Doctors in Newcastle — who developed the advanced form of In Vitro Fertilization or IVF (人工授精) — are expected to be the first to offer the procedure and have already appealed for donor eggs. The first such child could be born, at the earliest, by the end of 2017.
Some families have lost multiple children to incurable mitochondrial (线粒体的) diseases, which can leave people with insufficient energy to keep their heart beating.
The diseases are passed down from only the mother, so a technique using a donor egg as well as the mother’s egg and father’s sperm has been developed.
The resulting child has a tiny amount of their DNA from the donor, but the procedure is legal and reviews say it is ethical (伦理的) and scientifically ready.
“It is a decision of historic importance,” said Sally Cheshire, chairwoman of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA). “I’m sure patients will be really pleased by what we’ve decided today.”
But some scientists have questioned the ethics of the technique, saying it could open the door to genetically-modified(转基因) ‘designer’ babies.
The HFEA must approve every clinic and every patient before the procedure can take place. Three-person babies have been allowed only in cases where the risk of a child developing mitochondrial disease is very high.
Prof Mary Herbert, from the Newcastle Fertility Centre, said, “It is enormously pleasing that our many years of research in this area can finally be applied to help families affected by these devastating diseases”.
“Now that we are moving forward towards clinical treatments, we will also need donors to donate eggs for use in treatment to prevent affected women transmitting disease to their children.”
Prof Sir Doug Turnbull, the director of the Welcome Centre for Mitochondrial Research at Newcastle University, said, “We are delighted by today’s decision. We will also provide long-term follow up of any children born.”
NHS England has agreed to fund the treatment costs of the first trial of three-person IVF for those women who meet the HFEA criteria, as long as they agree to long-term follow up of their children after they are born.
1. Why is it historically important to approve babies made from three people?| A．It helps couples who lose the ability to give birth to a baby. |
| B．It marks a foundation stone to change babies’ appearances before birth. |
| C．It stops deadly genetic diseases passing down to newly-born babies. |
| D．It turns out to be an advanced form of In Vitro Fertilization. |
| A．They pass down on to babies from their parents. |
| B．They prevent people’s heart from functioning normally. |
| C．Some children infected can be cured with proper treatment. |
| D．Babies can be infected with them through a donor’s egg. |
| A．Only when the baby to be born needs it to survive. |
| B．Only when the patient gets financially prepared. |
| C．Only when the clinic gets scientifically ready. |
| D．Only when the technique is ethnically accepted. |
| A．Supportive | B．Indifferent | C．Worried | D．Objective |
8 . Chinese people had never paid more attention to the annual Nobel literature award than they did when Mo Yan became China’s first winner of the prize.
The effect has not disappeared. Tourists continue to rush to Mo’s home village in Gaomi, Shangdong province, which has become a tourist site since the author was awarded Nobel Prize. Visiting the village is to walk into the world he created in Red Sorghum Clan, one of his best-known novels, adapted for the award-winning film Red Sorghum by famous director Zhang Yimou in 1987.
About 210 hectares of red sorghum(高粱) is ready for harvesting, recalling this scene Mo wrote in the novel: "In the deep autumn of the eighth month under a high, clear sky, the land is covered by sorghum that forms a wild sea of blood. When the sun comes out, the surface of the sea shimmers(闪光), and heaven and Earth are painted with rich, wonderful colors."
Locals have planted the sorghum for the coming film of the novel’s TV adaptation starring actress Zhou Xun, in similar style to 1987 when Zhang’s film was filmed. But while the sorghum fields disappeared after the film was made, this time they may remain.“We have signed long-term contracts to sell sorghum to wine producers,”said Zhang Xinfu, head of Xianjia village, Mo Yan’s hometown is in the area.“Dozens of wine producers came to discuss the sorghum business after Mo Yan won the prize,” said Zhang. Zhang said the wine producers promised to pay a satisfying price for the sorghum.
1. What happened to Mo Yan’s home village after he won the Prize?| A．The house of Mo’s at his home village was rebuilt for tourism. |
| B．The local people at Mo’s home village welcomed the tourists. |
| C．Many tourists rushed to Mo’s home village to show respect and interest. |
| D．Mo’s home village remained what it used to be. |
| A．settled | B．designed | C．re-organized | D．written |
| A．Autumn. | B．Winter. | C．Spring. | D．Unknown. |
| A．the fame of Mo Yan. | B．good quality of the red sorghum itself. |
| C．the lower price | D．the large amount of the red sorghum . |
9 . On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicted that 42% of Americans could be overweight by 2030. Our expanding waistlines lead to not only a medical problem, but according to a recent article In The New York Times, it could also endanger personal safety in some situations—in an airplane crash, for example.
The New York Times’ Christen Negroni reports that engineers and scientists are questioning whether airplane seats are adequately constructed to protect overweight travelers. Government standards for airplane seat strength（强度）— first set moe than 60 years ago — require that the seats be made for a passenger weighing 170 pounds (77kg). Today, the average American man weighs nearly 194 pounds (88kg) and the average woman 165 pounds (75kg). Negroni reports:
“If a heavier person completely fills seat, the seat is not likely to behave as intended during a crash,” said Robert Salazar, the leading scientist at the Center for Applied Biomechanics at the University of Virginia. “The energy absorption that is built into the aircraft seat is likely to be overpowered and the passengers will not be protected properly.”
“Nor would the injury be limited to that passenger only,” Dr. Salzar said. “If a seat or a seat belt fails,” he said, “those people who are seated nearby could be endangered from ‘the uncontrolled movements of the passenger’.”
Most complaints about airplane seats focus on their lack of comfort and high ticket price, and whether overweight passengers should be made to buy two seats. But The New York Times’ article brings up another reason to feel anxious about flying. Investigators of the issue got in touch with the airplane seat and seat belt makers, but they refused to comment on the problem. Experts agreed that crash testing should be done with overweight dummies （人体模型）. Both airplane seats and seat belts should be tested, they said.
Fortunately, however, according to Nora Marshall, a senior adviser at the National Transportation Safety Board, the board’s investigators have never seen an accident involving a commercial plane in which the weight of a passenger was a problem.
1. What is the article in The New York Times mainly concerned with?| A．The size of airplane seats and seat belts. |
| B．Safety of overweight airplane passengers. |
| C．Airplane crashes involving commercial planes. |
| D．A medical problem caused by being overweight. |
| A．overweight passengers should buy two seats |
| B．the government should help produce safer planes |
| C．standards for airplane seat strength should be raised |
| D．passengers should know how to protect themselves |
| A．airplane seat makers have taken action now |
| B．there are few complaints about airplane seats |
| C．those seate near the overweight may suffer too |
| D．only a small number of airplane accidents involve the overweight |
| A．Why Do Passengers Feel Anxious about Flying? |
| B．Will 42% of Americans Be OVERWEIGHT BY 2030? |
| C．When Will the Overweight Enjoy Their Flight? |
| D．Are Airplane Seats Safe Enough for the Overweight? |
10 . Living and dealing with kids can be a tough job these days, but living and dealing with parents can be even tougher.
If I have learned anything in my 16 years, it is that communication is very important, both when you disagree and when you get along. With any relationship, you need to let other person know how you are feeling. If you are not able to communicate, you drift apart()疏远). When you are mad at your parents, or anyone else, not talking to them doesn’t solve anything.
Communication begins with the concerns of another. It means that you can’t just come home from school, go up to your room and ignore everyone. Even if you just say “Hi”, and see how their day was for five minutes, it is better than nothing.
If you looked up the word “communication” in a dictionary, it would say “the exchange of ideas, the conveyance（表达）of information, correspondence （通信）, means of communication: a letter or a message”. To maintain (保持) a good relationship, you must keep communication strong. Let people know how you feel, even if it’s just by writing a note.
When dealing with parents, you always have to make them feel good about how they are doing as a parent. If you are trying to make them see something as you see it, tell them that you’ll listen to what they have to say, but ask them politely to listen to you. Yelling or walking away only makes the situation worse.
This is an example: one night, Sophie went to a street party with her friends. She knew she had to be home by midnight after the fireworks, but she didn’t feel she could just ask to go home. That would be rude. After all, they had been nice enough to take her along with them. Needless to say, she was late getting home. Her parents were mad at first, but when Sophie explained why she was late, they weren’t as mad and let the incident go. Communication is the key factor here. If Sophie’s parents had not been willing to listen, Sophie would have been in a lot of trouble.
Communication isn’t a one-way deal: it goes both ways. Just remember: if you get into a situation like Sophie’s, telling the other person how you feel and listening is the key factor to communication.
1. In the writer’s view, dealing with parents is __________ than with children.| A．more difficult | B．easier |
| C．more uninteresting | D．more interesting |
| A．the importance of friendship | B．to make your feeling known to others |
| C．the importance of communication | D．the disagreement between generations |
| A．Sophie’s parents are willing to listen to her |
| B．Sophie is very polite to her parents |
| C．Sophie did well in explaining her being late |
| D．communication is the solution(解决办法) to misunderstanding |
| A．If you don’t agree with others, you’d better let them know |
| B．It is better to say “Hi” to others than say nothing |
| C．If you are not able to communicate, walk away |
| D．Communication is a two-way deal |
