1 . These beautiful reading spots are best enjoyed with no one for company but the inhabitants of your favorite fictional worlds ...
---By Anna Walker Women's Library, Glasgow
Rows of books on women's issues throughout history line the shelves of the only official museum in the UK dedicated to women's lives, histories and achievements and a number of events across the year transform this library into a living social hub, with creative writing classes, performance groups, craft sessions and more.
The library's key aim is to support women, with services teaching literacy, calculations, and handling a range of issues including poverty, and surviving violence.
Visit womenslibyaryore.ukSir Duncan Rice Library, Aberdeen
The outside of the modern facility is a huge glass structure - made of 760 glass panels and 2,200 tons of steel.
The Sir Duncan Rice is also conscious of its carbon footprint; designed to collect rainwater which is reused to flush its toilets, harvesting power through solar cells on the roof and using timers to control the use of its fluorescent lighting.
Visit abdn.ac.uk/libraryJohn Ryland, Manchester
Created over 100 years ago as a gift to Manchester and its people, the John Ryland welcomes over 250,000 visitors through its doors each year. The project began as a honor by Enriqueta Ryland to her late husband John Ryland, and has grown to become the third largest academic library in the UK, home to over a million manuscripts （手稿）
Modern extensions to the building added since the 2000s create a breath-taking collision （冲突）of historic and modern architecture. Regular events planned with the whole family in mind make this library one to visit time and time again.
Visit library.manchesterac. uk/rylmdsWellcome Reading Room, Lo
Spend an afternoon studying in the Reading Room of London's Wellcome Museum and you may just find yourself enjoying a side of people-watching with your literature. With drawing classes, pop-up exhibitions and artistic displays accompanying rows of educational books, it's an enjoyable spot to visit, revisit and declare your number one study spot. The impressive stairway and desks are allowing you the perfect spot to pause and reflect, whatever your library mission.
Visit wellcomecollection.org/visit-us1. What do we know about Women's Library in the passage?
| A．It is a good place for women to survive violence. |
| B．People can learn how to earn a better life in classes. |
| C．Women can promote their relationship and education in the library. |
| D．Only books on women's issues in modern times can be found in the library. |
| A．It has environmental-friendly design. |
| B．The library is only made of 760 glass panels. |
| C．People can take writing courses in the library. |
| D．The outside of the modern facility is a huge steel structure. |
| A．The library has been rebuilt since the 2000s. |
| B．The library was built in memory of John Ryland. |
| C．Over a million manuscripts were donated from homes in the UK. |
| D．It was the third largest academic library in the UK when it was built. |
| A．It is hardly worth revisiting. |
| B．People can buy artworks by attending drawing classes. |
| C．Those coming with different purposes are also admitted to it. |
| D．Visitors can extend their understanding of the benefit of reading. |
| A．John Ryland |
| B．Women's Library |
| C．Sir Duncan Rice Library |
| D．Wellcome Reading Room |
2 . The Impossible Burger is entirely free of meat. But it looks, smells, feels and-most importantly-tastes so much like real hamburger beef. In fact, plant-based burger alternatives have set off a strong resistance from the beef industry. The Center for Consumer Freedom, a nonprofit that advocates on behalf of the fast food and meat industries has launched an "informational" campaign targeting plant-based meats. The campaign has included TV and online ads, as well as print ads in newspapers. The ads seem to imply that not only is an artificial burger too processed, but that it might be even less healthy than the average beef burger.
While it's true that a plant-based meat alternative is processed and it's true that eating one is not as healthy as a pile of raw vegetables, it's best to take the ads with a generous pinch of salt.
For instance, the additives and preservatives in plant-based meat highlighted in one ad sure sound scary. Who wants something called titanium dioxide(二氧化钛)in their meal? But the truth is that additives such as those listed in the ads are regularly used in all sorts of packaged foods. And if methylcellulose, a food thickener, sounds unpleasant, it's really nothing compared with salmonella(沙门菌)poisoning you can get from regular meat.
Also, the ad campaign misses the bigger point. Choosing an Impossible or Beyond burger isn't just about healthy eating Burgers, whether they are made from processed pea protein or processed meat, will never be as healthy as organic raw vegetables.
What's appealing is the prospect or enjoying a juicy burger without the bitter aftertaste of guilt.
Let's face it, there are huge environmental costs to eating cows. Cattle raising is contributing to climate. change, and not just because methane(甲烷)from cows and cattle is responsible for about 14.5% of greenhouse gas. More broadly, our global food production system releases more than a third of the world's greenhouse gases. Yet we can't seem to control our meat appetite even knowing that large areas of the Amazon forest have been ruined, and continue to be cut down to make room for more cattle to feed the growing demand for beef. Humans also know full well that many animals live short, cruel lives in awful conditions for the purpose of becoming foods for humans to enjoy at dinner.
A plant-based meat that satisfies meat desires and delivers protein but with a smaller climate footprint is a potential environmental game changer and the reason Impossible Foods was one of those receiving the UN, Global Climate Action Award in 2019. No wonder the meat industry is on guard.
1. What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 most probably mean?| A．These ads deserve little consideration. |
| B．We should spread the message of these ads. |
| C．These ads tell people a lot about plant-based burgers. |
| D．We'd better be cautious when reading these ads |
| A．Their use is within the normal range. |
| B．They are likely to cause poisoning. |
| C．They are used to ensure burgers taste good |
| D．Some have not been used in hamburgers. |
| A．Doubtful | B．Supportive | C．Disapproving. | D．Neutral |
I: Introduction P: Point Sp: Sub-point(次要点) C: Conclusion
A． | B． |
C． | D． |
3 . In October, 2019, Beijing Daily warned the youth that they shouldn't let Internet slang （俚语） deepen the generation gap（代沟），after People Daily started a discussion on Chinese microblog Weibo on how to "explain" the youth's Internet slang terms to parents. The post got 40,000 likes. People were commenting that they couldn't keep up with the rapidly developing Internet lingo （术语）in China.
People also fear that Chinese Internet slang will negatively influence broader linguistic （语言的） trends of Mandarin Chinese, in particular, the gradual taking over of pinyin, the romanization of traditional Chinese characters using the Western alphabet. As pinyin gets widely used when people text or write on mobile phones or computers, while less and less people write characters by hand, people gradually forget how to write them, which is called "character amnesia" in China.
2019’s latest slang terms add a further simplification: the use of pinyin acronyms. "Awsl" in pinyin, for instance, means Ah, wo si le (Oh, I'm gonna die), and is used if something is too cute or adorable. "Nsdd" stands for ni shuo de dui (you're right).
Certainly, as an age-old written language, Chinese has been evolving and developing over the years. But the Chinese Internet lingo is unlikely to replace the existing use of Mandarin Chinese, but will rather be enriching it by adding another layer.
Acronyms aren't new. They have appeared with the limited space available in early-generation cell phone messaging. Some of them have become a part of the English language, such as BTW (by the way) and LOL (laugh out loud), while others had a rather short lifetime. That's likely to be what's going to happen with China's Internet slang terms. Some are going to be old in a few weeks, while others might make it into mainstream use, and as they do, young net users are coming up with new slang words to differentiate themselves.
In China, using Internet slang means belonging to a certain generation that likes to watch the same talk shows, play the same games, etc., and therefore, creates unity. Older generations don't have to feel left out, and certainly don't have to fear a degradation (没落)of the Chinese language. While language development is unavoidable, Internet slang is not going to let 6,000 years of Chinese written language completely change overnight.
1. The public are worried about Chinese Internet slang abuse because| A．It's used by children to keep secrets from parents. |
| B．It can cause confusion even among young people. |
| C．It was invented in response to the limited messaging space. |
| D．It will rarely have a positive effect on linguistic trends of Chinese. |
| A．They add variety to the language. |
| B．They are replacing its traditional vocabulary. |
| C．They make the language more global. |
| D．They only have temporary effects on Chinese. |
| A．a sense of purpose |
| B．a sense of group identity |
| C．a sense of cultural pride |
| D．a sense of safety |
| A．Is Media Helping Older Generation Understand Internet Slang? |
| B．Is Chinese Language Too Powerful to Be Largely Affected? |
| C．Is Mandarin Chinese Useful to Bridge the Generation Gap? |
| D．Is Internet Slang Deepening the Generation Gap, Ruining Chinese? |
4 . One day, Amanda was diagnosed (诊断) with cancer of an early stage. During this time, she was admitted to a college. She planned to save money to meet the college expense and then seek medical treatment for the cancer.
Her father, Clint and her friends didn’t want her to put off her treatment due to the expense. They took matters into their own hands and started a GoFundMe campaign. A longtime friend of the family was cofounder of a group named Praynksters, known for random acts of kindness. The friend decided to use their own group to help the family. The group came up with the creative idea to spread the word and invite families, friends, and strangers who wanted to help to take part in a donation activity. The event induced the enormous assistance from the local community.
Clint and Amanda were moved as the crowd passed by and the donations poured in. The event brought the family over $13, 000 in donations to go towards her medical treatments. The generous act of kindness gave the family a comforting, and optimistic feeling during a time when all hope seemed lost. Clint said that Amanda struggled with the idea of asking for help. She felt guilty and undeserving compared to others who are also struggling. She is still humbled by it all.
After several months of treatment, life for the family has started getting back to their normal routine. Once Amanda got her strength back, she returned to school and completed her bachelor's degree. The family is now inspired to volunteer in their local neighborhood and contribute to crowdfunding (众筹) efforts. They are grateful for the opportunity to give back and help others as many have helped them.
1. Why did Amanda postpone her treatment of cancer?| A．She didn't care about her disease. |
| B．She had to take care of her family. |
| C．She was in a bad economic situation. |
| D．She couldn’t find an effective treatment. |
| A．Brought about. | B．Made up. |
| C．Gave away. | D．Set about. |
| A．Shameful but caring. |
| B．Kind-hearted and grateful. |
| C．Curious and warm-hearted. |
| D．Hard- working and humorous. |
| A．It's quite easy to cure Amanda’s cancer. |
| B．Praynksters is a nonprofit organization funded by Clint. |
| C．Volunteering is very popular in Amanda's community. |
| D．A GoFundMe campaign is actually a crowdfunding activity. |
5 . China will have the most 5G connections of any nation by 2025, according to a new study, while Europe will fall behind Korea, the United States and Japan in terms of 5G penetration (渗透) by that year.
5G is the fifth generation of network technology. It is expected to bring unbelievable speeds to Internet users, with some operations running 10 times faster than on 4G networks. 5G is also expected to unlock the potential in a lot of new services, including artificial intelligence, science of robots self-driving cars, and the Internet of things.
The GSMA said that China's three major mobile operators--China Unicom, China Mobile, and China Telecom--are already moving ahead with 5G networks. While most nations will have 5G by updating existing foundations, the study noted that China plans to build part of its 5G networks.
One of the most distinguishing actors between Chinese mobile operators and those in the rest of the world is the intention to erect the new and independent 5G networks. That is, China is determined to build a completely advanced 5G. The high cost underlines China's seriousness about paying whatever it takes.
Korea will lead the world in terms of 5G penetration in 2025, when 66 percent of the nation's total connections will be 5G, according to GSMA. This compares to 50 percent in the US, 49 percent in Japan, 36 percent in China, 30 percent in Europe, and a global average of 18 percent. Out of the five economies leading on 5G, Europe will have the lowest participation in 2025, as the area is moving more slowly in having its 5G networks.
1. What will 5G bring?| A．A completely new pattern for daily life. |
| B．Realizing the potential in many new services. |
| C．Excellent networks and national safety. |
| D．Amazing speeds for public transportation. |
| A．It may be lack of government support. |
| B．It will move forward slowly. |
| C．It will develop rapidly. |
| D．It may fall behind Europe. |
| A．set up | B．bring up | C．turn up | D．pick up |
| A．Chinese cannot own 5G in 2025. |
| B．More than half Koreans use 5G in 2025. |
| C．Only five countries will have 5G in 2025. |
| D．Europe will pay little attention to 5G in 2025. |
6 . The following are some good shows on Netflix right now. Figuring out what to watch this month has never been easier.
New Girl
For a good show on Netflix that will put you in a great mood with every episode, turn to this comedy, which follows the girl as she moves in with three quirky(古怪的)men. Their seven seasons of dishonest activities will keep you entertained for hours— a close — to — perfect way to spend your time indoors.
Community
Finally available on Netflix, this beloved 2010s comedy about a group of students at a community college is one of the best TV shows to watch. It'll keep you entertained for days.
Queer Eye
This emotional, insightful reality series follows five men as they help people improve their lives. The five famous stars have become personalities in their own right and watching them on-screen together is one of the best parts of the show, but seeing how they help and encourage the people they work with is sure to warm even the coolest heart.
One Day at a Time
A remake o£ a TV classic, this family-first series follows a newly single mother as she raises her children. Her traditional Latina mother (played by Rita Moreno)takes a starring role as the family faces puberty(青春期)，young love, life milestones, and more together. With its own fan following, this three-season series is the perfect settle — in — together — and — watch show.
1. What do New Girl and Community have in common?| A．Both are comedies. | B．Both are inspiring. |
| C．Both are aimed at students. | D．Both are concerned with girls. |
| A．Confident. | B．Touched. | C．Excited. | D．Relaxed. |
| A．An actress. | B．A host. | C．A lawyer. | D．A player. |
7 . When I was growing up, I had an old neighbor named Doctor Gibbs. He didn’t look like any doctor I’d ever known. He never yelled at us for playing in his yard, but was always very kind.
When Doctor Gibbs wasn’t saving lives, he was planting trees. He had some interesting theories about planting trees. He hardly watered his new trees, an attitude which flew in the face of conventional wisdom.
Once I asked why and he told me that watering plants spoiled them because it made them grow weaker. He said he had to make things tough for the trees so that only the strongest could survive. He talked about how watering trees made them develop shallow roots and how, if they were not watered, trees would grow deep roots in search of water.
So, instead of watering his trees every morning, he’d beat them with a rolled-up newspaper. I asked him why he did that, and he said it was to get the trees’ attention.
Doctor Gibbs died a couple of years after I left home. Every now and then, I walked by his house and looked at the trees that I'd watched him plant some 25 years ago. They were tall and strong.
Every night before I go to bed, I check on my two sons. I often pray that their lives will be easy. But lately I’ve been thinking that it’s time to change my prayer. I know my children are going to encounter hardship. There’s always a cold wind blowing somewhere. What we need to do is to pray for deep roots, so when the rains fall and the winds blow, we won’t be torn apart.
1. What did the author think of Doctor Gibbs’s planting trees at first?| A．Perfect . | B．Puzzled. |
| C．Amused. | D．Impractical . |
| A．He let them grow quickly. |
| B．He beat them to get their attention. |
| C．He helped them search for water. |
| D．He read a newspaper near them. |
| A．Kind and wise. | B．Calm and brave. |
| C．Careful and ambitious | D．Strict and devoted. |
| A．Elders are treasures. |
| B．Two heads are better than one. |
| C．A man without distant care must have near sorrow. |
| D．Only those who bear the most become the highest. |
8 . People have grown taller over the last century,with South Korean women shooting up by more than 20 cm on average, and Iranian men gaining 16.5 cm. A global study looked at the average height of 18-year-olds in 200 countries between 1914 and 2014. The results show that while Swedes were the tallest people in the world in 1914.
Dutch men have risen from 12th place to the top spot with an average height of 182.5 cm. Latvian women, meanwhile, rose from 28th place in 1914 to become the tallest in the world a century later,with an average height of 169.8 cm.
A little extra height brings a number of advantages says Elio Riboli of Imperial College."Being taller is associated with longer life expectancy,"he said."This is largely due to a lower risk of dying of cardiovascular(心血管的)disease among taller people."
But while height has increased around the world, the trend in many African countries causes concern, says Riboli.While height increased in Uganda and Niger during the early 20th century, the trend has reversed(反转) in recent years, with height decreasing among 18-year-olds.
“One reason for these decreases in height is the economic situation in the 1980s,” said Alexander Moradi of the University of Sussex. The nutritional and health crises led to many children and teenagers failing to reach their potential height.
James Bentham, a co-author of the research from Imperial College, believes the global trend of increasing height is of great importance. “How tall we are now is strongly influenced by the environment we grew up in," he said. "If we give children the best possible start in life now, they will be healthier and more productive for decades to come.”
1. What does the global study tell us about people's height in the last hundred years?| A．There is great difference across continents |
| B．There has been an obvious increase in most countries. |
| C．The increase in people's height has been quickening. |
| D．The increase in women's height is bigger than in men's |
| A．They tend to live longer. |
| B．They enjoy an easier life |
| C．They generally risk fewer diseases. |
| D．They have greater expectations in life. |
| A．They grow up slower than their peers in other countries. |
| B．They are actually shorter than their earlier generations. |
| C．They find it hard to bring their potential into full play. |
| D．They have experienced many changes of government. |
| A．Watch closely the global trend in children's development. |
| B．Make sure that our children grow up to their full height. |
| C．Try every means possible to improve our environment. |
| D．Ensure our children grow up in an ideal environment. |
9 . The mind is a wonderful thing.It’s also excuse-making machine that frequently tries to convince us not to take action we know are good for us.If we hadn't learned about these excuses, or how to overcome them, we would never have succeeded in making these positive changes.
So why does the mind mess with us and make unreasonable excuses? Because the mind wants comfort, that's the reason.It’s afraid of discomfort, pressure and change.The mind is absorbed in its comfort zone, and anytime we try to stretch that zone too far, for too long, the mind tries desperately to get back to "ground zero" at any cost.These damaging excuses, such as "I can't do it", "It is too hard for me", "It’s too late now" and so on, are no strangers to our minds.
It seems too difficult at first, so you think you can't stick to the positive change you're making.This excuse can be countered (对抗）by looking at the fact that other people were no more capable than you thought you were.For example, my 60-year-old next-door neighbor finished running a marathon, so I told myself, "If she can do it, so can I !" Truth be told, the only person who tells you "I can't" is yourself.If you hear those words echoing in the back of your mind, tune them out.
I've witnessed people reinventing themselves at all ages 48-year-olds starting families, 57-year-olds graduating from college for the first time, 71-year-olds starting successful businesses, and so forth.
Another common excuse is that "I've already failed too much." If you break down, it's fine, because you are only human.Just don't stay down; take a rest, and then pick yourself up so you can go to where you'd rather be.As Winston Churchill said, "Success is never final; failure is never fatal .It is courage to continue that counts."
Some people feel like quitting when they have almost reached their goal, while others attain goals through their efforts until the last second.So make some necessary adjustments to get rid of the bad habit of making excuses.Keep going! No excuses! Think, work, and climb, that's how you'll move your life forward.
1. Why does our mind make excuses?| A．It tends to seek comforts rather than suffering. |
| B．It needs rest and relaxation . |
| C．It is preparing for the difficult times. |
| D．It is the way it tries to find a solution. |
| A．The lowest spot. | B．The safest place |
| C．The original place | D．The proper position |
| A．completing a marathon was not too difficult |
| B．people often neglect their abilities |
| C．looking down upon the others is wrong |
| D．people shouldn't let negative thoughts step in their way |
| A．learn from those good examples |
| B．stop for a while and examine himself |
| C．try to adjust himself, and get back on his feet |
| D．look for new directions and keep trying |
| A．To tell readers how to make a change. |
| B．To help readers develop a new view of life. |
| C．To encourage readers to leave their comfortable zone. |
| D．To tell readers to stop making excuses and keep fighting. |
10 . I remember clearly the last time I cried. I was twelve years old, in the seventh grade, and I had tried out for the junior high school basketball team. I walked into the gym. There was a piece of paper on the wall.
It was a cut list. The boys whose names were on the list were welcome to keep on practicing. The boys whose names were not on the list had been cut. Their presence was no longer desired.
I had not known the cut was coming that day. I stood and stared at the list. The list had not been made with a great deal of consideration. The names of the best players were at the top, and the other members of the team were listed in what appeared to be a descending (下降的) order of basketball skills. I kept looking at the bottom of the list, hoping that my name would appear if I looked hard enough.
I held myself together as I walked out, bat when I got home I began to cry. For the first time in my life, I had been told officially that I wasn't good enough. Sports meant everything to boys of that age. If you were on the team, it put you in the desirable group. If you were not, you might as well not be alive.
All these years later, I remember it as if 1 were still standing right there in the gym. I don't know how the mind works in matters like this. I don't know what went on in my head following that day of cut. But I know that my determination has been so strong ever since then. I have known that for all my life since that day. I have done more work than I had to be doing and pat in more hours than I had to be spending, I don't know if all of that came from a determination never to allow myself to be cut again—never to allow someone to tell me that I'm not good enough again—but I know it is there. And clearly it's there in a lot of other successful men too.
1. From the text we learn that the cut list had names of pupils __________.| A．who were cut out | B．who were still on the team |
| C．who were the old players | D．who were not good enough |
| A．It hurt his pride deeply. | B．It was open to the public. |
| C．It listed his name at the bottom. | D．It forced him to change the team. |
| A．has made friends with many other men |
| B．has never learned the truth of the cut |
| C．has become quite successful in life |
| D．has learned to play basketball very well |
