1 . Over the years, you've probably known a good number of people-some for only a short period and others for a much longer time. If you spend a moment thinking back on the people who have meant the very most to you, selflessness will be the same thing they share. There might have been a person who really believed in you. Someone taught you something important. Someone cared for you in his or her own way. Someone has simply always remained your friend.
Many years ago, I traveled through the beautiful, history-rich country of Greece. With only a small backpack, I stayed at youth hotels, visiting city after city. One day, a shoulder strap on my backpack broke. I didn't speak any Greek and the owner didn't speak any English. I went to the front desk of my hotel and tried to ask him if there might be a shop nearby where I could have it repaired. He was clearly very busy. But he asked someone to watch over the front desk and then signed to me to follow him. We walked together for a few blocks,arriving at a little shoe repair shop. Within ten minutes, my backpack was repaired, and then the hotel owner insisted on paying for it!
I was shocked by this powerful, unexpected kindness. More than any other thing, it's what I recall most often when I think about my trip to Greece. Sometimes, you may not have even realized how much your selflessness toward someone has mattered. As the saying goes, "To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world."
1. What's wrong with the author's backpack？ ________| A．One of its shoulder straps was broken. | B．It was got dirty by a cleaner. |
| C．One of its pockets was broken. | D．There was a hole in it. |
| A．Mean. | B．Warm-hearted. | C．Clever. | D．Humorous. |
| A．He became a lifelong friend of the hotel owner. | B．He spent all his money in travelling in Greece. |
| C．He picked up Greek while travelling in Greece. | D．He'll never forget the hotel owner's kindness. |
| A．To show his love of travelling. | B．To explore the value of selflessness. |
| C．To give a short introduction to Greece. | D．To introduce a shoe repair shop in Greece. |
2 . When you think of the Himalayas, you may picture tall, rocky, snow-covered peaks. But that’s not true.
The subnival (亚冰雪的) region is the zone between the treeline and the snowline. It is 5 to 5 times as large as the areas of glaciers and permanent snow, which means studying it is vital to understanding the Himalayas as a whole.
The treeline is the edge of an ecosystem where trees are able to grow, and beyond the treeline environmental conditions become too tough to allow tree growth. Meanwhile, snowlines are the boundaries on mountains that separate areas with permanent snow (where snow is present for the majority of the year) from areas with seasonal or no snow.
Researchers used satellite data from 1993 to 2018 to measure plant cover between 4,150 meters and 6,000 meters above sea level. The scientists discovered that the greatest increase in plant cover was between an altitude of 5,000 meters and 5,500 meters. Subnival plants mostly include small shrubs and grasses.
Even areas once completely occupied by glaciers now hold rocks covered with mosses, lichen, and sometimes even flowers. In addition, the snowline seems to be retreating, while the treeline is expanding. This shows that the region is becoming warmer, causing more melting of snow and allowing vegetation to move up in height.
In the past 40 years, 25% of all Himalayan ice has been lost due to global warming. Himalayan glaciers are reducing by about 0.5 meters each year. The rate of glacier melting has doubled in this decade. The melting of glaciers increases water in the region, making it wetter. Receding snow also forces the snowline to move up, providing a greater amount of area for the warm and moist conditions, which are perfect for vegetation growth.
As of now, we do not know whether vegetation will accelerate or slow down the rate of glacier melting.
1. How does the writer develop the third paragraph?| A．By explaining concepts. | B．By providing some examples. |
| C．By analyzing causes and effects. | D．By listing specific data. |
| A．Disappearing. | B．Lengthening. | C．Withdrawing. | D．Widening. |
| A．The snowline moves up. | B．Glaciers are melting faster. |
| C．The subnival area is wetter. | D．Plants grow much better. |
| A．The climate of the Himalayas is changing. | B．Icebergs in the Himalayas have disappeared. |
| C．Plants are diverse in the Himalayas. | D．Plant life spreads in the Himalayas. |
3 . Individuals who learn two languages at an early age seem to switch back and forth between separate "sound systems" for each language, according to a new study.
The study looked at 32 Spanish-English early bilingual (双语的) speakers, who had earned their second language before age 8. They were presented with words beginning with a 'pa' or a 'ba' sound.
While 'pa' and 'ba' sounds exist in both English and Spanish, how those sounds are produced and perceived in the two languages varies slightly. For example, Spanish speakers produce 'pa' in a manner similar to English 'ba'. As a result, English-only speakers might. in some cases, confuse the 'ba' and 'pa' sounds they hear in Spanish, explains Kalim Gonzales, lead author on the study.
For the study, the bilingual participants were divided into two groups. One group was told they would be hearing rare words in Spanish, while the other was told they would be hearing rare words in English. Both groups heard audio recordings of variations of the same two words-bafri and pafri-which are not real words in either language. Participants were then asked to identify whether the words they heard began with a 'ba' or a 'pa' sound.
The findings: Participants perceived 'ba' and 'pa' sounds differently depending on whether they were told they were hearing Spanish words. or whether they were told they were hearing English words.
"What this showed is that when you put them in English mode. they actually would act like English speakers. and then if you put them in Spanish mode. they would switch to acting like Spanish speakers. "Gonzales said. " This shows bilinguals do have two different sounds systems and that they can switch between one language and the other and then use that sound system. "
"But if you learn a second language later in life. you usually have a dominant language and then you try to use that sound system for the other language. which is why you end up having an accent." he said.
"The general view is that bilinguals will never be able to perceive a second language beyond what a late learner is capable of. So even if you learn two languages from birth. you're always going to perceive one of them like a late learner. " Gonzales said. "Our findings cast doubt on that. "
1. In what way were the English "pafri" and the Spanish "pafri" different?| A．In grammar. | B．In meanings. |
| C．In spelling. | D．In pronunciation. |
| A．How well they understood the two languages. |
| B．How they perceived sounds for each language. |
| C．Whether they could identify unreal words in both languages. |
| D．Whether they could tell the difference between bafri and pafri. |
| A．English mode. | B．Spanish mode. |
| C．A second language. | D．A dominant language. |
| A．They perceive both languages like a native speaker. |
| B．They can use two sound systems at the same time. |
| C．They have two sound systems for each language. |
| D．They perceive a second language like a late learner. |
4 . What if you could give your child a special gift? A gift that was never the same, always changing? Now what if this gift was free, readily available and lasted forever?
Where do you find such a gift? It's easy: Just open your eyes and look up at the sky with your child, and you'll discover "the theatre over your heads which presents all kinds of shows," or "the art gallery above." says Jack Borden, former Boston television reporter who founded "For Spacious Skies (FSS)", a non-profit educational organization with the purpose of "stimulating and sustaining public awareness of the appearance of the sky".
Borden's big vision is to bring about "new eyes" in young children in terms of how they see the sky. But the most effective teachers and influencers of children — their parents — need to become "sky aware" themselves in order to pass the gift along.
And there's the rub.
"Could you describe the sky right now, without looking out of your window? Are there clouds? If so, what do they look like? Nine chances out of 10, you don't have a clue about the sky's appearance," says Borden. "We know that people are not looking at the sky. If they perceive the sky at all, it's in the context of the weather or astronomy."
"Sky awareness means expanding your horizons so that you begin to see that the sky is the province, not just of the weather reporter, but of the photographer, the artist, the poet, the dreamer. of the physical scientist." says Borden.
And it's the province of parents and their children.
What parent doesn't want to foster observation ability, imagination, creativity, curiosity and environmental responsibility in their children? "There's a lot to this. There's more to it than I ever dreamed," says Borden.
1. What is the special gift for children actually about?| A．A new view of the sky. | B．A new relationship to nature. |
| C．A good relationship with parents. | D．More knowledge about the weather. |
| A．It is almost impossible. | B．It is still unpopular with them. |
| C．It is unimportant for them. | D．It is quite unthinkable. |
| A．The sky has a great effect on people's daily life. |
| B．Many other people also show interest in the weather. |
| C．Many other people also play a role in weather report. |
| D．The sky also produces various effects for many others. |
| A．Borden's dream. | B．Advice to parents. |
| C．Benefits of sky awareness. | D．Requirements for cloud watching. |
5 . With a quick movement, the little creature vanishes in the air like it never existed and somehow appears dramatically-this is a part of the film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. But in reality, “disappeared” fantastic creatures can also reappear.
The Global Wildlife Conservation(GWC) announced on Oct 30 they have rediscovered the Voeltzkow's chameleon(变色龙)in Madagascar. The last time that the animal was seen was in 1913.
This discovery excited the researeh team, but the finding was not easy. The GWC organized an expedition as part of its Seareh for Lost Species program, an attempt to rediscover species that have not been observed by scientists for at least a decade. They headed into the forests of northwestern Madagascar in April 2018. But they didn't have much luck for a long time. Just days before the trip was to end. the tour guides spotted one of the chameleons. Ultimately, the team discovered three males and 13 females.
Male Voeltzkow's chameleons are up to 164 millimeters long and are light green with dark stripes, which get darker when they are angry or stressed. Females are smaller than males, growing to about 150 millimeters long. They can change their skin to a pattern of red dots and a stripe of purple against a background of black and white.
“The Voeltzkow's chameleon adds color and beauty to the planet, and reminds us that even when all seems lost, a great adventure can reawaken hope." said Don Church, president of the GWC. "Now we have so much to learn about this extraordinary reptile(爬行动物)・including how we can best save it from extinction.”
This isn't the only time a species thought to be extinct has been rediscovered. In fact, this year scientists discovered a frog that has been missing for more than 50 years in a Brazilian jungle. Another example is the Albany adder snake, which was rediscovered in 2016. The species had disappeared for over a decade and was generally believed to be extinct.
So how are these "lost" species able to make a comeback? If the environment changes in favor of certain species that have been considered extinct, the population size of those species may recover again. As they reach greater numbers, the chance of humans discovering them increases.
1. Why is the part of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them mentioned?| A．To lead to a discussion about animal extinction. |
| B．To warn of the difference between reality and fiction. |
| C．To demonstrate that magic can be found in real life. |
| D．To further discuss the reappearance of creatures. |
| A．How luck determined the fate of a lost species. |
| B．How the GWC rediscovered the Voeltzkow's chameleon. |
| C．An introduction to the Seareh for Lost Species program. |
| D．The solutions to make “lost" species come back. |
| A．They can change their colors to green and yellow. |
| B．Female chameleons are much longer than male ones. |
| C．The color of the males' skin can reflect their mood. |
| D．Male chameleons outnumber female ones by a lot. |
| A．The rediscoveries may be due to environmental changes. |
| B．The habitats of frogs and snakes are quite similar. |
| C．Human beings are to blame for species extinction. |
| D．Extinct reptiles would be the first group to be rediscovered. |
6 . As COVID-19 hit and the world went into varying levels of lockdown (封锁), it became difficult for researchers to know what was happening in the ocean. But now, you can join the eOceans platform to help researchers gather data on oceans and ocean ecosystems in real-time.
Downloading the eOceans app on your smartphone and logging what you see when you are on the coast or in the ocean, including any animals, people, pollution or even an empty beach, you can help researchers monitor the world’s oceans. The app lets you note your observations as well as upload photos. This information is then linked to your geographical location and is made accessible to scientists studying that region. Using eOceans data, researchers can remotely monitor how oceans and coastal communities worldwide are happening, including in the context of the pandemic (疫情).
In reality, observations recorded through eOceans are already providing valuable insights. During Australia’s lockdown, for example, the largest group of turtles in the country’s history was spotted by researchers using eOceans data. And in Hawaii, data from the app suggests that clearer waters are associated with a reduction in tourists during the pandemic.
Negative impacts of the pandemic on the ocean have also been picked up through the app, including an increase in pollution from personal protective equipment, as well as pandemic-related interruptions to marine (海洋的) recovery following a 2019 oil leak in Brazilian waters. In future, data from eOceans could help enable early detection of hazards (危害), such as oil leaks, so that they can be dealt with sooner, says Christine Ward-Paige, founder and chief scientist at eOceans.
“Till now, more than 1,000 people have already joined the eOceans platform,” says Ward-Paige. “But more data on wild life spotted along coastlines, as well as information on how people are using these spaces, are still needed.”
1. How can people help researchers monitor the ocean through the eOceans platform?| A．By downloading and observing some data of hazards. |
| B．By spotting and marking the previous marine recovery. |
| C．By collecting and uploading timely oceanic information. |
| D．By detecting and reporting your present geographical location. |
| A．An oil leak occurring in Australian waters. |
| B．The largest turtle found in Australia’s history. |
| C．A factor contributing to clearer waters in Hawaii. |
| D．A boom of tourism appearing during the pandemic. |
| A．Indifferent. | B．Optimistic. |
| C．Doubtful. | D．Anxious. |
| A．Keeping an eye on the ocean. | B．Caring about the ocean pollution. |
| C．Showing love to coastal creatures. | D．Monitoring the quality of seawater. |
7 . There are around 100 tribes(部落)that live in global isolation, mostly in South America and India. The Sentinelese have lived on one of the Andaman Islands in Eastern India for 60, 000 years. They protect their island by fighting against people from outside. Their language is different from any other known language. Another Andaman tribe is the Jarawa. In the past, they were independent and fought against anybody trying to make contact with them. But in 1998, the Indian government built a road across their land, and since then, they’ve had more contact with the outside world.
Some Amazon tribes avoid contact because of unhappy memories. The Mashco-Piro left their vegetable gardens after rubber companies killed most of their tribe at the beginning of the 20th century. Those who survived became nomadic(游牧的)and started hunting animals in the forest.
The Awa live in the Amazon forests ofBrazil. Out of 350 members, 100 have no contact with the outside world. They left their villages and adopted a nomadic lifestyle around 1850 to escape attacks by Europeans. In the following years, farmers in nearby communities started cutting the trees to expand their farmland. The Awa lost most of their hunting land. The few Amazon tribes that still exist are fighting to keep their traditional way of life.
Survival, an organization that fights for the rights of tribal people, says that uncontacted tribes are the most vulnerable(弱势的)humans on the planet and that’s why their environment should be unavailable to the rest of us. After years of pressure, the organization got Brazil’s government to clear non-natives from the Awa land. All non-Awa people are leaving so the tribe can get their forest back.
But some think it's impossible for tribes to stay isolated forever in a connected world. Contact will be made one day. So the question is：Whose choice should it be, ours or theirs?
1. What can we learn about the Sentinelese from the first paragraph?| A．They resist contact from the outside world. |
| B．They speakthe same language as the Jarawa. |
| C．They are wild about fighting with other tribes. |
| D．They have got help from the Indian govemment. |
| A．To protect their hunting land. | B．To search for food sources. |
| C．To avoid threats from Europeans. | D．To maintain their original way of life. |
| A．The tribes should be left undisturbed. |
| B．The tribes should fight for more living space. |
| C．The cribes should live in harmony with nature. |
| D．The tribes should adapt to the connected world. |
| A．The Nomadic Tribes in the World | B．Seeking Survival of Tribes |
| C．The Unavailable Tribal Environment | D．Protecting the Tribal Forests |
8 . Boycotting (抵制) has long been used as a political tool. In the late 18th century, it was used to discourage the use of products made by slave labor. Now it is being used to influence the largest social media platform in the world, Facebook
The Stop Hate for Profit campaign claims the platform doesn’t do enough to remove racist and hateful comments from its site. Already, this has resulted in a series of major companies, including Adidas and Starbucks, removing their advertising from the platform.
Can that boycott hurt Facebook? The short answer is yes — the vast majority of Facebook's income comes from ads. David Cumming from Aviva Investors told the BBC that the loss of trust could “destroy the business.” On Friday, Facebook's share price dropped by 8 percent, making CEO Mark Zuckerberg, on paper, $6 billion poorer. But despite the huge share price reduction, some believe this boycott will only scratch the surface. Apart from companies only committing to the boycott for one month, the biggest factor is much of Facebook’s advertising income comes from thousands of small- to medium-sized businesses, many of which have not signed up for the boycott.
According to CNN, the site's 100 highest-spending brands only account for 6 percent of advertising income. In contrast. smaller brands view social media ads as the only affordable vehicle for mass exposure.
Though unable to force a change, Zuckerberg has shown some signs of flexibility (灵活性) following an announcement that the site would begin to make hateful content. But this pales compared to measures form other sites.
This year is going to be a rocky year for all social media companies. If the boycott goes on into the autumn and if more and more companies sigh up, this could be a defining year for the social network.
1. Why has Facebook been boycotted?| A．It has been used as a political tool. |
| B．It has posted many inappropriate advertisements. |
| C．It has launched the Stop Hate for Profit campaign. |
| D．It has failed to manage discriminatory posts on its platform. |
| A．Facebook will take measures to stop the boycott. |
| B．Facebook has confidence it will restore its users’ trust. |
| C．Facebook won’t be greatly influenced by the boycott. |
| D．Facebook hasn’t been affected by many smaller businesses. |
| A．They are not effective enough. |
| B．They are not flexible enough. |
| C．They are better than those taken by other sites. |
| D．They will help Facebook survive the boycott. |
| A．Critical. | B．Optimistic. | C．Pessimistic. | D．Uncertain. |
9 . Getting paid to stay in bed all day sounds pretty good, but what if someone pays you $ 23, 000 to stay in bed for two months? That’s the deal that a medical research team in France is offering to 24 volunteers.
The researchers are looking for volunteers to help them study the effects of weightlessness (失重状态) on the human body and find ways to stop problems. Lying in bed isn’t exactly the same as being weightless, but the effects are alike.
When astronauts spend a long time in an environment with no gravity, their bodies change in many ways. After several months, their hearts don’t beat as hard. Their muscles become smaller and weaker. Their bones may be broken more easily. There may also be changes in the astronauts’ immune systems (免疫系统) and sleep habits.
The study will take 88 days. During the first two weeks, the volunteers will be tested to make sure of their levels of fitness. Then they will spend 60 days lying in bed with their heads lower than their bodies. They will have to do everything while lying down, including eating, brushing their teeth, and going to the bathroom. The rule is that they must have at least one shoulder touching the bed at all times. The last two weeks of the study will be spent trying to build up the volunteers’ fitness again.
Volunteers must be men between the ages of 20 and 45 who are in perfect health. The researchers completed one study in April. A second study will take place from September to December.
1. What’s the third paragraph mainly about?| A．How astronauts work in an environment without gravity. |
| B．Astronauts’ sleep habits in an environment without gravity. |
| C．Why astronauts’ bodies change in an environment without gravity. |
| D．The effects of an environment without gravity on astronauts’ bodies. |
| A．be women | B．come from France |
| C．be in excellent condition | D．be under twenty years old |
| A．How to build up astronauts’ fitness. |
| B．Researchers pay volunteers to stay in bed. |
| C．Effects of weightlessness on the human body. |
| D．Disadvantages of lying in bed for two months. |
| A．A medical magazine. | B．A short novel. |
| C．A grammar book. | D．A travel guidebook. |
10 . A man sits on the couch, his dog asleep in the next room. He thinks, "I should take Daisy for a walk." and suddenly his dog comes bounding in the room. leash (牵狗皮带) in mouth.
A cat curls up next to the phone just before a family member calls, but never when anyone else is about to call.
There are so many stories of pets seeming to know more than their natural senses would allow that it has been the subject of study and debate for years. Are their natural senses even greater than we ever imagined? Or do they have a sixth sense?
Biologist Rupert Sheldrake believes that animals have an ability of telepathy (心灵感应). Pets whom we feel especially close to seem to understand our needs. read our moods. and even communicate with us on a level that goes beyond words or body language.
Physician and author Dr. Larry Dossey says there is a connection between all species, which is not limited by locality. He refers to it as a "nonlocal mind". Consciousness is no restricted to the brain or the body, or time or place. Therefore. people and animals can have an effect on each other, even when miles apart.
Traditional scientists remain sceptical about the ability of telepathy among people-let alone pets. They say much of the phenomenon can be explained in other ways, through pets' acute senses of hearing and smell, reading human body language, or noting other cues.
Dogs and cats live mostly in a scent (气味) and sound world. It may be that when an owner thinks about taking her dog for a walk, this happy thought causes a change in her body chemistry, which the dog can smell and associate with walks.
A simpler explanation is that owners notice their pets' mysterious behaviors only when related events happen by coincidence. The cat may curl up by the phone now and then, but the owner doesn't notice. If the cat happens to sit by the phone when "dad" calls. the owner is more likely to take note.
There is no doubt that our pets live on a sensory level that's different from our own. Though we share the same five known senses, dogs and cats take in their world mostly through scent and sound. We take in our world mostly through sight. So it's not surprising that our pets are able to do things that we can't imagine could be possible.
1. The underlined part "nonlocal mind" in Paragraph 5 indicates that pets and their owners can communicate thoughts _________.| A．wherever they are | B．wherever they like |
| C．only when they stay together | D．even when they are separated |
| A．By coincidence | B．Through body language. |
| C．Through sense of smell | D．Through sense of hearing. |
| A．Their five natural senses are greater than ours. |
| B．Their sensory system works differently from ours. |
| C．They can understand our mind without words. |
| D．They can communicate without the five senses. |
| A．Why Does Your Pet Have a Sixth Sense? |
| B．Your Pet Can Sense What Is in Your Mind |
| C．Can You Communicate with Your Pet Mentally? |
| D．Pets Need Mind-to-mind Communication with Us |
