1 . Avi Loeb, a scientist, believes that we are not alone in the universe. The belief fits with Loeb’s alien (外星的) spaceship theory that at least one alien spaceship might be flying over the orbit (轨道) of Jupiter, which won the international attention last year.
Astronomers in Hawaii found the first known interstellar (星际的) object in late 2017. It was a bit of light moving so fast past the sun that it could only have come from another star. Almost every astronomer on the planet was trying to figure out how the object, called “Oumuamua” got to our far-away, part of the Milky way galaxy. “One possibility is that ‘Oumuamua’ is debris (碎片) from an advanced technological equipment,” Loeb said. “Technology comes from another solar system just showed up at our door.”
“‘Oumuamua’ is not an alien spaceship,” Paul Sutter, another scientist wrote. He suggested Loeb was seeking publicity. Most scientists think “Oumuamua” is some sort of rock. They think it could be an icy wandering comet.
Loeb says that “Oumuamua’s” behavior, means it can’t be a block of rock shaped like a long photo. He thinks it's more likely an object that’s very long and thin, perhaps like a long pancake or a ship’s sail. Loeb says that if someone shows him evidence that contradicts his beliefs, he will immediately give in.
Loeb believes himself a truth-teller and risk- taker in an age of very safe, too-quiet scientists. “The worst thing that can happen to me is that I would be relieved of my management duties, and that would give me even more time to focus on science,” Loeb says. He said he wouldn’t mind giving up all the titles he had and returning to the Israeli farming village where he grew up.
1. What does Loeb say about “Oumuamua”?| A．It is an icy comet. |
| B．It looks like a long photo. |
| C．It is actually some sort of rock. |
| D．It may come from another alien civilization. |
| A．Searches for. | B．Depends on. |
| C．Turns to. | D．Goes against. |
| A．He is foolish. |
| B．He is unsatisfied with his titles. |
| C．He is a firm believer in scientific truth. |
| D．He is uncertain about his career future. |
| A．Have Aliens Paid a Visit in Spaceships? |
| B．Do We Really Know about Space Theory? |
| C．Scientists Are Working on High Technology |
| D．Astronomers Are Encouraging Space Travel |
2 . Thomas Edison, inventor of such items as the phonograph (留声机) and the world's first practical light bulb, is known around the world. But another lesser-known figure is owed his share of credit — Edison's competitor, Nikola Tesla. It took the work of both men to make possible a world that runs on electric power; however, their names were not always shared.
Edison, a self-made American inventor, built his name as a successful businessman.Tesla, a well-educated Serbian immigrant, was a tireless thinker. In 1882, Tesla got a job in the Paris branch of Continental Edison Company. Soon, his obvious skill won him a position at the Edison Machine Works in the United States, where the goal was to bring electricity to all of New York City. But Edison and Tesla had different ideas about how to make that goal a reality.
Edison worked mainly with direct current (DC) power. Although DC would prove useful in the decades to come, it was only effective at the time for powering things that were about a mile or less from the power source. However, alternating current (AC) power-supported by Tesla allowed electricity to be carried over long distances through power lines.
Soon the battle between the two was on. Edison proposed that several small DC-based power plants could be constructed to power different parts of a city, but this was impractical. Desperate to succeed, Edison attempted to show that DC power “was safe”— he even electrocuted (电死) an elephant to show the “dangers” of AC. In the end, however, it was practical, inexpensive AC that won the battle. By 1896, even Edison's own company had adopted AC.
Tesla succeeded, but Edison, whose self-branded companies won him over a thousand patents, is the more well-known of the two. Regardless, each inventor had a big hand in shaping the way we live.
1. What does the underlined word “credit” in Paragraph 1 mean?| A．Cast. | B．Trust. | C．Recognition. | D．Debt. |
| A．He finished college in Paris. | B．He worked as Edison's employee at first. |
| C．He invented many things with Edison. | D．He was admired by Edison for his invention. |
| A．DC power moves more quickly. | B．AC power ranges over larger areas. |
| C．AC power is much safer and cheaper. | D．DC power can be widely used in more fields. |
| A．Edison vs Tesla: the war of the currents |
| B．Edison: the inventor of the first light bulb |
| C．DC vs AC: the theory behind the two concepts |
| D．Nikola Tesla: a name that should be remembered |
3 . Remember when your mom told you not to eat too many candy bars or sweets because they can cause tooth decay (蛀牙)? However, it turns out that chocolate can be more salutary to your teeth than you might expect. Recent studies show that chocolate can effectively fight against tooth decay, as if we need another excuse to eat chocolate.
Chocolate offers protection like fluoride, a main ingredient in most household toothpastes. Not only does chocolate protect our teeth, but it can do so very effectively. Studies show that chocolate has compounds that provide strong protection for teeth. One of the compounds in chocolate, CBH, is shown to protect even more effectively than fluoride.
Tooth decay happens when bacteria work to turn sugar into acids in our mouth. This is why eating foods with high sugar content can lead to more tooth decay. The compounds in chocolate, however, are anti-bacteria and can fight against bacteria in your mouth. The CBH compound in particular also works to strengthen tooth enamel (牙釉质), and protects against tooth decay.
Does this mean you can cat as much chocolate as you want without worrying about your teeth? It depends on the types of chocolate that you like. The protective effect of chocolate is most effective when you chew on cocoa beans. Of course, this option is not very appealing to; most people. A more tasty option is to choose dark chocolate with little sugar content, ideally no more than 6 to 8 grams per serving. For other types of chocolate with higher sugar content, the effect will be lessened. However, because of the protective compounds, it is still better for your teeth than other sweets and desserts containing the same amount of sugar.
1. The word “salutary” in paragraph 1 means?| A．Beneficial. | B．Harmful. | C．Familiar. | D．Useless. |
| A．It can help chocolate cure tooth decay. |
| B．It can effectively stop teeth from decaying. |
| C．It may protect teeth better than toothpastes do. |
| D．It may soon replace most household toothpastes. |
| A．By breaking down acids. | B．By building up compounds. |
| C．By fixing up tooth enamel. | D．By fighting against bacteria. |
| A．Chocolate plays the role of toothpaste. |
| B．Chocolate protects against tooth decay. |
| C．Chocolate is the best choice for teeth protection. |
| D．Chocolate is healthier to teeth than other sweets. |
4 . Reggie was a normal boy, but he had been born deaf. He was well known to everyone in town, and they were all very fond of him. Unfortunately, though, he always seemed to end up being treated differently from everyone else. Children worried that they would hurt him, and that may be because he wouldn't hear the ball being hit in his direction. Adults acted like he couldn't understand them, as though he was some kind of baby.
Reggie didn't like this. But the person who disliked it the most was his friend Michael, who determined one day that things had to change. Michael's father was the town's mayor, and Michael finally convinced him that this year, in honor of Reggie, they should offer one day of the festival to the deaf. During that whole day everyone in town would have to wear earplugs.
People liked the idea, because everyone loved Reggie. The day became known as The Day of Silence, and when it arrived, everyone stuck plugs in their ears, in a spirit of great fun. That morning was filled with practical jokes and laughter. But, as the hours passed, people became more and more aware of how difficult life was when you couldn't hear anything.
However, learning about how life was more difficult for the deaf was nothing compared to the greatest discovery of the day: Reggie was amazing!
So The Day of Silence was the day when everyone realized you had to give people a chance to show how valuable they are. People wanted to make sure that others would learn this lesson. So, from that day on, whenever a visitor came, they were welcomed joyfully and a helmet with great thick car laps, was put on their head.
1. What does the underlined word deaf mean?| A．unable to speak. | B．unable to write. |
| C．unable to walk | D．unable to hear |
| A．Reggie disliked Michael very much |
| B．Michael understood Reggie better than others |
| C．Michael's father didn't respect the deaf |
| D．The idea to offer one day of the festival to the deaf was refused |
| A．Reggie's life wasn't easy as imagined. |
| B．Daily life was rather difficult to everyone. |
| C．They should help Reggie as much as possible. |
| D．Reggie had achieved a lot by working hard. |
| A．Reggie's miserable life | B．A devoted friend |
| C．The origin of The Day of Silence | D．A funny story of a town |
5 . The UK government has promised to cut the country's greenhouse gas emissions（排放）by at least 68% by 2030 compared with 1990 levels, marking a significant increase from its current goal.
The new goal comes nine days ahead of the UK hosting a “climate action summit（峰会）” to encourage other countries to declare tougher climate plans, known as Nationally Determined Contributions（NDCs）, under the Paris Agreement. Current NDCs will raise temperatures by 3℃. And stronger plans are needed to meet the Paris deal's goal of limiting global warming to 1.5℃.
“This is the most significant NDCs announcement so far from any major economy,” said Richard Black at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, a UK-based think tank, in a statement.
The new goal is exactly in line with what the government's official climate adviser, the Climate Change Committee, called for in a letter published earlier today. The group said 68% would be “world-leading” compared with existing plans of governments.
The UK had previously promised a 53% cut in emissions as part of a joint（共同的）effort with the rest of the European Union, but the UK is determined to produce a new NDCs. Separately, the UK had also promised a 57% cut by 2032 domestically.
It is clear that far more action will be needed if the UK is to meet the new goal. The government's own analysis last week showed that recent major methods, such as banning new oil-fueled car sales by 2030, had failed to do enough to put the UK on track even for the old goal of 57% by 2032. The new goal obviously widens that gap further.
1. Why did the UK declare its new goal before "climate action summit”?| A．To show its former plans are based on facts. |
| B．To blame other countries for their low goals. |
| C．To call on other countries to take bigger steps. |
| D．To take the lead in controlling greenhouse gas emissions. |
| A．15%. | B．68%. | C．57%. | D．53%. |
| A．Opposed. | B．Subjective. |
| C．Indifferent. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．A new goal will be put forward on “climate action summit”. |
| B．UK came up with a common goal under the Paris Agreement. |
| C．UK's recent major policies are far from its pre-determined goal. |
| D．UK sets an ambitious climate goal of 68% emissions cut by 2030. |
6 . Despite the corona-virus pandemic, NASA and Space X are fueling up a historic flight. In a press conference (新闻发布会)，NASA and Space X shared details about the upcoming flight.
Nearly everything about this mission is new, including the touchscreen-equipped Crew Dragon spacecraft, the shiny white spacesuits and the life support systems in the spacecraft. Its control rooms have been reorganized so that the control desks are 2 meters apart from one another to allow the support staff to obey the social distancing rules after the corona-virus pandemic broke out.
NASA astronauts Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken make up the crew. They have finished thousands of hours of training for the mission to the International Space Station (ISS), but they said . this crewed flight carries more risk than flying on a previous craft. "The big difference for us is that the vehicle that we' re going on has never flown before with crew," said Behnken. "It's all been walked through, but never with any real danger. ”
As this is a test flight, much of the mission involves running through steps for various emergency situations. The astronauts will test the spacecraft as a lifeboat for ISS astronauts. '"Everything needs to be checked so that future astronauts won' t have to do any emergency steps for the first time during a crisis. " Hurley said. It hasn't yet been decided exactly how long Hurley and Behnken will remain on the ISS before heading home. Their stay will depend on how long it takes to prepare a Space X' s craft for next crewed mission.
1. The following about this mission are new EXCEPT ______.| A．The spacecraft | B．The spacesuits |
| C．The support systems | D．The control desks |
| A．NASA and Space X start to add fuel into the flight. |
| B．Everything about this mission has to be new. |
| C．The control rooms have been reorganized. |
| D．It isn't clear when the astronauts will return. |
| A．The astronauts have spent thousands of hours on the International Space Station. |
| B．The astronauts have walked through the spacecraft without meeting any real danger. |
| C．This flight is to make sure future astronauts won't have to deal with emergency. |
| D．Hurley and Behnken won' t be back before Space X' s next crewed mission is ready. |
| A．NASA and Space X's First Test Flight with Crew |
| B．A Historic Lifeboat for ISS |
| C．The Cooperation of NASA and Space X |
| D．An Emergency Mission |
7 . The English language is changing, and you are responsible! Whether we consider changes in grammar, spelling, pronunciation, or the very vocabulary of the language, you have played your part and continue to do so.
When we first learned basic grammar and spelling, perhaps in elementary school, we might have gotten the impression that these things were sacred. The rules that apply to such things might have been presented as unchanging and unchangeable. While this way might be helpful for teaching children, it is far from accurate.
The English language, like many others, is a living, growing, ever-evolving thing. Like it or not, you are involved in this change. These changes take many forms. Grammar and spelling have changed greatly over the years and centuries, with the spelling differences in different countries today a reflection of this. While the language of a thousand years ago might be called English, most of us would hardly recognize it today as the same language.
The first involves changes in the pronunciation of words. Many are familiar with the differences between the British and American ways of pronouncing certain words. In addition to these differences, the pronunciation of many words has changed over the years because of how you have decided to pronounce them. For example, consider the word "err." The traditional pronunciation of this word rhymes with the word "her." Older dictionaries show this to be the primary or only pronunciation. However, in recent years, more and more people have been pronouncing it so that it sounds like "air." Another change in the language involves the addition and removal of words. The makers of dictionaries decide which words deserve to be officially adopted as part of the English language. Through the centuries, many words have come from other languages. In fact, English has probably done this more than any other language in the world, which is why spelling and pronunciation rules for English have so many exceptions.
Of course, many slang words have been just short-lived fashions that have died out quickly. Others, though, have been adopted by mainstream society and become respectable, as have many technical terms. So then remember, the next time you repeat the newest expression to hit the street, or make up your own words, you may be contributing to the future of the English language.
1. When we begin to learn English, we think _________.| A．it is interesting to pick up a new language | B．English rules are wrongly presented in fact |
| C．grammar and spelling rules are unchangeable | D．only adults have the ability to affect a language |
| A．we can change the English language |
| B．many languages are changing over years |
| C．English has changed little in the past 1,000 years |
| D．there were main changes in grammar and pronunciation |
| A．people speak in different ways | B．people have adopted foreign words |
| C．it has been affected by American English | D．makers of dictionaries often change them |
| A．Foreign words involved in English. | B．The British speaks differently from Americans. |
| C．English language is changing over years. | D．You can change the English language. |
8 . With around 100 students scheduled to be in that 9:00 am Monday morning lecture, it is no surprise that almost 20 people actually make it to the class and only 10 of them are still awake after the first 15 minutes; it is not even a surprise that most of them are still in their pajama’s(睡衣). Obviously, students are terrible at adjusting their sleep cycles to their daily schedule.
All human beings possess a body clock. Along with other alerting systems, this governs the sleep/wake cycle and is therefore one of the main processes which govern sleep behaviour. Typically, the preferred sleep/wake cycle is delayed in adolescents, which leads to many students not feeling sleepy until much later in the evenings. This typical sleep pattern is usually referred to as the “night owl” schedule of sleep.
This is opposed to the “early bird” schedule, and is a kind of disorder where the individual tends to stay up much past midnight. Such a person has great difficulty in waking up in the mornings. Research suggests that night owls feel most alert and function best in the evenings and at night. Research findings have shown that about 20 percent of people can be classified as “night owls” and only 10 percent can be classified as “early birds” ------ the other 70 percent are in the middle. Although this is clearly not true for all students, for the ones who are true night owls, this gives them an excellent excuse for missing their lectures which unfortunately fall before midday.
1. What does the author stress in Paragraph 1?| A．Many students are absent from class. |
| B．Students are very tired on Monday mornings. |
| C．Students do not adjust their sleep patterns well. |
| D．Students are not well prepared for class on Mondays. |
| A．Most students prefer to get up late in the morning. |
| B．Students don’t sleep well because of alerting systems. |
| C．One’s body clock governs the sleep/wake cycle independently. |
| D．Adolescents’ delayed sleep/wake cycle isn’t the preferred pattern. |
| A．Criticized | B．Grouped | C．Organized | D．Named |
| A．Functions of the body clock. |
| B．The “night owl” phenomenon. |
| C．Human beings’ sleep behaviour. |
| D．The school schedule of “early birds”. |
9 . What do you do when you need to look something up? Go to the library? Open an encyclopedia（百科全书）? Click onto the Internet? These days, most people go straight to Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia. But how reliable is it?
There’s no denying the popularity and usefulness of Wikipedia. It attracts as many as 78 million visitors every month, and the site is available in more than 270 different languages. It’s one of the most comprehensive resources available which includes almost all details, facts and information that may be concerned. It’s got much more information than an ordinary encyclopedia. The site is updated on a daily basis by thousands of people around the world. Anyone with an Internet connection can log on and edit the contents or add a new page. And you don’t need any formal training.
Of course, there are some controls. Wikipedia has a team of more than 1,500 administrators who check for false information. And main targets for harmful comments（such as politicians）are off-limits to public editing. But with more than 16 million articles to keep an eye on, it isn’t easy. So, while Wikipedia benefits from being constantly updated with information from all over the world, it’s also open to “vandals”（恣意破坏公共财物者）.
Some of the damage is easy to notice. One person drew devil horns and a moustache on Microsoft chairman Bill Gate’s photo, while another edited Greek philosopher Plato’s biography to say he was a “Hawaiian weather man who is widely believed to have been a student of ‘Barney the purple Dinosaur’”.
But other things are harder to spot. The most common form of vandalism（恣意破坏公共财物罪） involves adding tiny items of false information into the biography of a famous person. Unbelievably, some of this misinformation has appeared in newspapers, with The Daily Mail, The Guardian and The Independent all having fallen victim to the dirty tricks. For example, in an article about British comedian Sir Norman Wisdom, one newspaper claimed that he co-wrote Dame Vera Lynn’s wartime hit. There’ll be bluebirds over the White Cliffs of Dover. He did no such thing. And in other article, it was reported that TV Theme tune composer Ronnie Hazlehurst had written the S Club 7’s hit Reach again, not true. So, if you’re going to use any information from Wikipedia, make sure you double- check it first.
1. According to the passage, which of the following statements about Wikipedia is true?| A．The primary job of the administrators is to guarantee information conveyed is accurate. |
| B．Wikipedia is updated daily so it is the most comprehensive resources available. |
| C．Wikipedia is sure to be attacked because too many people are using it. |
| D．Whoever has access to the Internet can edit any contents of Wikipedia as they like. |
| A．information about famous people is likely to be inaccurate. |
| B．all items of false information are not easy to get spotted. |
| C．however famous the papers are, they will be cheated. |
| D．you can never be careful enough while updating information online. |
| A．Objective. | B．Critical. | C．Satisfied | D．Supportive |
| A．The Most Reliable Online Encyclopedia |
| B．Why Is Wikipedia So Popular? |
| C．An Online Encyclopedia With Advantages And Disadvantages |
| D．How Dose Wikipedia Help You? |
10 . I will not go on about the causes of sunburn because you probably already know. If you get sunburn, you may be feeling a bit embarrassed about it. Once you have sunburn, the damage is done. So try the following ways to ease the discomfort.
Cool it down by taking a bath or shower. Keep the water and room temperature warm, especially for children as they may easily feel cold. Some people like to add 1/2 cup of baking soda to the bath water. This may help reduce your pain. You could also place a wet and cool cloth on the burnt area for about 15 minutes. Do that several times a day.
Apply moisture(润肤膏). You can choose some cream that makes your skin not that dry. Apply aloe, either the plant form or gel. Aloe contains active things that help reduce pain. Over the next few days, the skin may peel脱皮) This is the body’s way of eliminating the dead skin, so keep using such cream to help make your skin comfortable. Leave any blisters(水泡)complete. This helps speed healing and avoid infection as burst blisters can easily get infected. You can cover blisters to protect them if needed and definitely do not wear clothing that will cause friction(摩擦) as this can “pop” the blisters. Damaging the blisters can, and probably will cause more pain with rubbing on soft skin and also cause infection.
Give pain relief if needed. The medicine aspirin is not recommended for children.
At this point, the person may not be comfortable, so do not make it worse by applying something that can prevent healing and increase or lock in the heat under the skin, therefore causing more burn damage.
See doctor if:
* it covers a large part of the body or is severe in nature.
* there is a high fever, chills, rash, nausea, and severe pain.
* feeling faint or dizzy, rapid pulse or quick breathing.
* extreme thirst, little or no urine output or sunken eyes.
1. Why do some people use baking soda after getting sunburn?| A．To help prevent disease. | B．To feel better in this way. |
| C．To avoid getting cold. | D．To reduce the burnt area. |
| A．Protecting. | B．Covering | C．Improving | D．Removing. |
| A．Avoiding breaking blisters. | B．Going to see doctor immediately. |
| C．Taking medicine to avoid infection. | D．Preventing the skin from developing blisters. |
| A．Things to help treat sunburn | B．The common causes of sunburn. |
| C．Ways to deal with sunburn. | D．Methods to deal with blisters properly. |
