1 . What does it look like, how does it taste, and does it go well with a cup of tea? These were the questions that sprang to mind when a bottle of pea milk landed on our desks.
We tried the milk on its own, as well as in a cup of good old English breakfast tea to see if we could taste the difference. Here are our comments.
“No pea scents here”
Echo, Assistant Life Editor
“It smells like normal tea, and if no one told me it was pea milk, I wouldn’t know. I was expecting a strong pea taste. It’s perfect if you’re not keen on other milk alternatives sweet and creamy for me.”
“It tastes surprisingly sweet?”
Nancy, Life Editor
“First impression: well, it’s not green. In fact, it has more a grey tint in the glass. On its own, the milk surprisingly sweet, and I don’t like it. However, when you think about it being made from peas, it has a touch of their metallic aftertaste, too. In my tea, it’s light and non-creamy.”
“It’s certainly a choice I would give a go.”
Maggie, Audience Editor
“I never thought I’d want peas in my tea. The tea with pea milk tasted similar to a ‘normal’ cup of tea, with other various plant-based milk. Of course, it’s a choice. I would give it a go as the alternative milk. On its own, I am not so keen.”
1. Why did they taste the tea with pea milk and the pea milk?| A．To decide which they will buy for daily life. | B．To inform customers of fineness of pea milk. |
| C．To demonstrate their interest in milk culture. | D．To differentiate the taste between the both. |
| A．It’s a little bit sweet. | B．It’s light and creamy. |
| C．She is in favor of it. | D．She will refuse it. |
| A．It is not as popular. | B．It is not as normal. |
| C．It will be my alternative. | D．It owns a strange aftertaste. |
2 . If students followed a typical academic plan over the course of the year, it is precisely the opposite of what science recommends for lasting learning—one topic was probably limited to one week and another to the next. It is what it sounds like—leaving time between practice sessions for the same material. You might call it deliberate not-practicing between periods of deliberate practice. Space between practice sessions creates the hardness that improves learning.
Iowa State researchers read people lists of words, and then asked for each list to be recited back either right away, after fifteen seconds of practicing, or after fifteen seconds of doing very simple math problems that prevented practicing. The subjects who were allowed to reproduce the lists right after hearing them did the best. Those who had fifteen seconds to practice before reciting came in second. The group distracted with math problems finished last. Later, when everyone thought they were finished, they were all surprised with a sudden quiz: write down every word you can recall from the lists. Suddenly the worst group became the best.
Short-term practicing gave purely short-term benefits. Struggling to hold on to information and then recall it had helped the group distracted by math problems transfer the information from short-term to long-term memory. The group with more and immediate practicing opportunity recalled nearly nothing on the sudden quiz. Repetition, it turned out, was less important than struggle.
It isn’t bad to get an answer right while studying. Progress just should not happen too quickly. For a given amount of material, learning is most efficient in the long run when it is really inefficient in the short run. If you are doing too well when you test yourself, the simple solution is to wait longer before practicing the same material again, so that the test will be more difficult when you do. Frustration is not a sign that you are not learning,but ease is.
1. According to the science recommendation, to acquire lasting learning, we should ________.| A．follow a typical academic plan |
| B．limit the learning process within one week |
| C．add not-practicing space between two learning sessions |
| D．create more hardness |
| A．Those who recited the lists right away. |
| B．Those who had fifteen seconds of practicing. |
| C．Those who finished the quiz last. |
| D．Those who were distracted by math problems. |
| A．Short- term memory is inefficient. |
| B．Struggling is helpful to short-term memory. |
| C．Making progress too quickly may not be a good sign. |
| D．Getting frustrated means you are learning. |
| A．research methods | B．learning strategies | C．math skills | D．academic plans |
3 . The planets Jupiter (木星) and Saturn (土星) have been moving closer and closer to each other in the night sky. In fact, on December 21 , they appeared closer together than they have been in hundreds of years.
When two astronomical bodies appear close in the sky, as seen from Earth, it is called 4 conjunction (合相). Conjunctions can happen with any two bodies, such as planets, moons, stars and asteroids (小行星). When Jupiter and Saturn come together, it is called a "Great Conjunction".
Astronomers say these events between the two largest planets in our solar system are not rare. Jupiter passes its neighbor Saturn once every 20 years as they circle around the sun. But this conjunction is especially close: From Earth, the two planets will look to be just one-tenth of a degree apart. That is about the distance of one-fifth of a full moon.
If weather permits, they should be easy to see just after sundown. This just-in-time-for-Christmas sight promises to be one of the greatest of Great Conjunctions. What makes this modern Great Conjunction different is that it is happening at nighttime. The last time that happened was almost 800 years ago.
Saturn and Jupiter have been getting closer in the sough-southwest sky for weeks. Jupiter, which is bigger and closer to Earth, is much brighter. The two planets might look like one body if viewed with eyes alone. If sky watchers use telescopes they should be able to see the planets as separate. Saturn will be the smaller, less-bright body at Jupiter's upper right.
Even though they appear close, more than 730 million kilometers of space lies between them. Observers using telescopes will not only see Jupiter and Saturn in the same field of view, but also some of their brightest moons. Their next close pairing will happen on March 15, 2080.
1. What do astronomers think of planets getting close to each other?| A．Controllable. | B．Unimaginable. |
| C．Common. | D．Dangerous. |
| A．The time when it takes place. |
| B．The part of sky where it happens. |
| C．The distance between the two planets. |
| D．The brightness of the two planets. |
A． | B． |
C． | D． |
| A．Two Planets Reach Especially near Earth |
| B．Jupiter and Saturn Come Together in the Night Sky |
| C．Conjunctions of Planets Excite Astronomers |
| D．Good Chances to Observe Jupiter and Saturn Appear |
4 . I saw in my rearview mirror that a large SUV headed straight for my car at a breakneck speed. My heart and mind started racing, and panic (恐慌)instantly set in.
With fear in my voice, I started saying out loud, "Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness!", making my friend who was with me immediately scared and puzzled. I was sure that within mere seconds, we were going to be knocked from behind by a careless vehicle clearly going over 100 miles per hour in heavy traffic.
Unable to change lanes or speed up because of cars on all sides, I just prepared myself for the impact. But thank goodness, the driver missed hitting my car by an inch as he went into the lane beside me, nearly hitting another vehicle, tires screeching (刺耳声)and burning, filling the air with clouds of smoke. He continued dashing in and out of traffic, causing more near-collisions, and then quickly disappeared into the distance.
As I sat there surprised, loosening my fingers from the steering wheel, my friend and I began to talk about what if we had been hit. How life could have been changed in an instant(瞬间)or even ended.
I thought about my precious children, my husband, my family and things undone. I wondered whether I would have regrets if that had been my last day. I began to consider if I was truly enjoying and embracing(拥抱) my life, even if it hadn't turned out the way I thought it would or should. I couldn't help but ask myself if I was by accident taking for granted the pure blessing of waking up every morning and being given another day, and if I was spending time being unhappy because of difficult circumstances instead of living with joy.
1. Why was the author stuck in panic?| A．The road was too crowded. | B．A rude driver attacked her. |
| C．She drove at too high a speed. | D．An accident seemed to happen. |
| A．She took no action. | B．She sped up her car. |
| C．She gave others a warning. | D．She drove into another lane. |
| A．That day. | B．That car. |
| C．The author's life. | D．The author's family. |
| A．Behind bad luck comes good luck. | B．Love me, love my dog. |
| C．Live in the present moment. | D．Value our friends and family. |
5 . I work at a grocery store(杂货店) in Montreal's Plateau neighbourhood, which gets a lot of regulars. On March 12, the Quebec government announced to close all public places to stop the spread of the pandemic (流行病) of COVID-19.
The next day the store was the busiest I've ever seen. The six cash registers had to be kept open from 10 a. m. until close. I didn't have time to eat lunch, and whenever one of us on cash had to use the bathroom, we'd have to bring in a co-worker off the floor to cover for us.
Since then, the atmosphere in the store has been different. Customers are mostly considerate, but whenever someone coughs or sneezes(打喷嚏), everyone turns around to make sure that person sneezed into their elbow. I've even seen customers come in wearing some strange get-ups. One guy even came in with a plastic Walmart bag wrapped around his entire head, with a hole cut out for his eyes.
A lot of my co-workers have left to avoid a public-facing job during the pandemic. Grocery store workers across Canada are putting their health at risk every time they come in to work, but a lot of us are still making close to minimum wage. I realized that I feel more exhausted than normal even though I'm working the same hours.
There still have been some moments of kindness in the chaos（混乱）. I've overheard people talking on the phone who sounded as though they were organizing grocery deliveries for those stuck at home. And this past weekend a very nice lady thanked us for continuing to work. I know everyone is worried, but it's useless having the same scary conversations day after day. Instead, tell us a funny story, or about something nice. We'll appreciate it, and you'll make our day just a bit brighter.
1. What can be inferred from Paragraph 2?| A．The goods were in short supply. |
| B．The store was selling goods at low price . |
| C．The cashiers were enjoying their work. |
| D．The locals rushed to do shopping like crazy. |
| A．They like to shop here in disguise（伪装）. |
| B．They are panicky about the disease. |
| C．They are more friendly to each other. |
| D．They have taken proper preventive measures. |
| A．The author is optimistic. |
| B．The author earns more money than others |
| C．The author isn’t afraid of the pandemic at all. |
| D．The author works more hours than before. |
| A．keeping away from the pandemic |
| B．It is not work but worry that kills |
| C．Here is what it's like working in the pandemic |
| D．Moments of kindness shine in a time of chaos |
6 . Girls are doing better than ever. Don’t let the pandemic block them.
For much of human history and in many places, girls were considered property. Or, at best, subordinate people, required to obey their fathers until the day they had to start obeying their husbands. Few people thought it worthwhile to educate them. Even fewer imagined that a girl could grow up to govern Germany, run the IMF or invent a vaccine.
In most of the world that vision of girlhood now seems not merely old-fashioned but unimaginably remote. In field after field girls have caught up with boys. Globally, young women now outnumber young men at university. The speed of change has been violent.
When societies handle girlhood well, the knock-on effects are astonishing. A girl who finishes secondary school is less likely to become a child bride or a teenager-age mother. Education boosts earning power and widens choices, so she is less likely to be poor or to suffer domestic abuse.
And she will pass on considerable advantages to later generation. A recent study by Citigroup and Plan International estimated that, if a group of emerging economies ensured that 100% of their girls completed secondary school, it could lead to a lasting boost to their GDP of 10% by 2030.
The COVID-19 pandemic could block progress for girls in poor countries, or even reverse it. During previous disasters, they have often suffered most. When Ebola forced west African schools to close in 2014,many girls dropped out, never went back and ended up pregnant or as child laborers. UNICEF warns that something similar could happen with COVID-19—but on a larger scale.
The risk of going backward is real. So it is crucial that, even if governments of poor countries have to tighten their belts, spending on education and girls should be a top priority.
1. The underlined word “subordinate” in the second paragraph could possibly mean ________.| A．lower | B．best | C．selfless | D．adorable |
| A．girls have suffered great unfairness |
| B．girls can perform better than boys in many fields |
| C．girls play a vital and profound role in the society |
| D．girls shouldn’t become child brides or teenager age mothers |
| A．show its relation with COVID 19 | B．stress its bad effect on girls |
| C．arouse public attention to girls | D．serve as a helpful reference. |
| A．Content and relaxed. | B．Disappointed but optimistic. |
| C．Satisfied but worried. | D．Admirable and positive. |
7 . One day my Ph. D. adviser called me into his office, saying I needn’t bring my notebook. Puzzled, I followed him and sat down. After 15 minutes of listing positive things about my academic capabilities, he looked me in the eye and said, “You are fired from the lab.” I stared back, blinking in disbelief. “Is he joking?” I wondered. “How is this possible?”
The first few days after my dismissal were especially difficult. One day all I could do was sit on a beach, crying as I looked out across the Mediterranean Sea and wondered what I should do. Around that time, I watched Dasvidaniya, a Bollywood movie that’s about a man who is told that he has 3 months to live. He responds by changing his attitude to life and setting out to make the most of his remaining months. Even though it is a common saying, one line from the movie stuck out to me: “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” What kind of “lemonade” could I make out of my current situation?
My desire to complete a Ph. D. was never in doubt. After much reflection, I told myself that one failed attempt was not the end of the world, and that I needed to give it another try. With renewed confidence, I emailed prospective advisers and applied to other programs. Fortunately, I landed an offer from a Ph. D. program in Italy. I accepted it and relocated to Europe, happy that my goal of completing a Ph. D. was alive once again.
I’m thankful that I didn’t give up on my dream and that I found another professor willing to take me on. So, if you find yourself in a similar situation and life gives you lemons, ask yourself: “How can I make lemonade?”
1. What is the author’s feeling after hearing his Ph. D. adviser’ s words?| A．Regretful. | B．Amazed. | C．Pleased. | D．Angry. |
| A．Lemonade is often better than lemon. | B．Life is like lemonade made from lemon. |
| C．You should try lemonade made from lemon. | D．Transforming the bad situation is a better choice. |
| A．He watched an encouraging Bollywood movie. |
| B．He could achieve his goal of completing a Ph. D. |
| C．He could earn his living in Europe in the future. |
| D．He found a good professor in the Ph. D. program. |
| A．Why lost my job in a Ph. D. program. | B．The hard time I suffered in Europe. |
| C．How I moved on after my dismissal. | D．A vital movie I met in my dilemma. |
8 . At some point, you’ve likely encountered a long, flat time when your reserve of recommended books ran dry. Thankfully, there are personalized book recommendation websites across the Internet to save us.
WHICHBOOK
On Whichbook, book recommendations are calculated by one out of two categories: 1. Mood, or 2. Character, setting, and plot. The reader has the choice to use slides on the “Mood” section to rate what they’re looking for in a book. Do you want a book that is completely happy? Or on the border between safe and disturbing? There is also the option to select your desired character traits, the story setting, or plot points that you’d like included in the recommendation.
READGEEK
In order to get a hold of book suggestions, simply rate a few books that you’ve read on a 1—10 scale. After you finish rating as many as you’d like, Readgeek calculates which books you’d most likely enjoy based on your previous ratings.
LITERATURE MAP
At Literature Map, you can type in an author’s name and then view similar authors that other readers are enjoying. The site generates a map that displays author names in relative states of closeness. The closer the authors, the more likely other readers enjoyed both.
GOODREADS
Goodreads provides a space for people to track their reading, write reviews, and view books, lists, and authors that match their interests. When creating an account on Goodreads, the reader has the opportunity to create original book lists. Every time you view a book description that sounds interesting, you can save the book to a list of books you plan to read later.
1. WHICHBOOK is fit for readers who ________.| A．lack reading interest | B．are interested in stories |
| C．think books disturbing | D．are good at writing |
| A．Interacting with authors. | B．Reading good books. |
| C．Producing a book list. | D．Starting a reading club. |
| A．search for books on the Internet | B．get a personalized book recommendation |
| C．recommend good book websites | D．recognize your reading taste |
9 . I was born with eye disease. At school I even couldn’t read the blackboard. By the time I got to university, I couldn’t really see images(图像) at all. I just can tell the difference between light and dark. In the first year of my PHD, I was almost 100% blind.
When I was young I used to get very angry if I encountered something I found difficult or couldn’t do because of my eyes. But over time I learned that wasn’t a helpful response. There’s no point getting wound up by the fact that I can’t see, because it won’t change it.
I started climbing when I was young. My dad took me up my first rock route(路线) when I was two. All my early climbing was outdoor traditional climbing. My dad had been in the Mountain Rescue and was part of Mountaineering Club, so we would go for weekends away climbing throughout the UK.
He taught me everything I know and I led my first route outside when I was 11. At this time I could just about see well enough to place rock gear（齿轮）, but not well enough to pick out the routes from the ground. People are usually amazed when they discover that not only do I climb, but I also lead climbs.
At university I joined the Mountaineering Club and was able to climb much more frequently. We had regular trips to indoor walls and weekends away outdoors. I developed a great circle of climbing friends and went on multiple trips to Europe. On these I started Alpine climbing and ice climbing too.
There was a time when I thought I might have to give up leading as my eyesight got worse. But I never thought I would stop climbing. I just learnt to adapt myself to the eye disease with the support of my friends. It’s quite possible that I wouldn’t be as good a climber if I weren’t blind — if I didn’t have these challenges. That concentration and determination is built through my disability.
1. How did the author eventually respond to his eye problem?| A．He ended up feeling annoyed. | B．He accepted it and faced it bravely |
| C．He sought help from others | D．He quit his study at university. |
| A．He was a professional climber at university. |
| B．He ran his own mountaineering club. |
| C．He taught his son to do outdoor climbing. |
| D．He introduced his son to a love of rocks. |
| A．His disability. | B．His university. |
| C．His father. | D．The Mountaineering Club. |
| A．A Blind Man’s Life Struggle. | B．Mountain Climbing Experience. |
| C．Courses on Rock Climbing. | D．Determination and Experience. |
10 . We spent a day in the country, picking wild flowers. With the car full of flowers we were going home. On our way back my wife noticed a cupboard outside a furniture shop. It was tall and narrow. “Buy it,” my wife said at once. “We’ll carry it home on the roof rack. I’ve always wanted one like that.”
What could I do? Ten minutes later I was ￡20 poorer; and the cupboard was tied on the roof rack. It was six feet long and eighteen inches square, quite heavy too.
In the gathering darkness I drove slowly. Other drivers seemed unusually polite that evening. The police even stopped traffic to let us through. Carrying furniture was a good idea.
After a time my wife said, “There’s a long line of cars behind. Why don’t they overtake, I wonder?” In fact a police car did overtake. The two officers inside looked at us seriously as they passed. But then, with great kindness, they led us through the rush hour traffic. The police car stopped at our village church. One of the officers came to me.
“Right, sir,” he said. “Do you need any more help?”
I was a bit puzzled. “Thanks, officer,” I said. “You have been very kind. I was just on the road.” He was staring at our car, first at the flowers, then at the cupboard. “Well, well,” he said, laughing. “It’s a cupboard you’ve got there! We thought it was something else.”
My wife began to laugh. The truth hit me like a stone between the eyes. I smiled at the officer. “Yes, it’s a cupboard, but thanks again.” I drove home as fast as I could.
1. In fact the husband ________ the cupboard.| A．would like very much to buy | B．wanted to buy |
| C．was glad to have bought | D．would rather not buy |
| A．carrying a cupboard to the church | B．sending flowers to the church |
| C．carrying nothing but a piece of furniture | D．going to attend a funeral(葬礼) at the church |
| A．driving in gathering darkness | B．in great sorrow |
| C．driving with wild flowers in the car | D．carrying furniture |
| A．It was very strange. | B．He felt ashamed of it. |
| C．He took great pride in it. | D．He was puzzled at it. |
