1 . If you think you’d like to live on Mars, you may have that possibility by 2023. A Dutch company called Mars One will soon advertise for people interested in colonizing (开拓) Mars. If you have all the necessary skills, you could be one of the first colonists. Are you ready for the challenge?
You won’t have to pay for the mission to Mars. Mars One has already received money from some donors and is hoping to get more from TV viewers who will become interested in the show where all applicants have a debate for the rare chances.
The main responsibility of the first colonists is to create an artificial environment on Mars where there is no air to breathe and no land to farm. Scientists know it’s quite possible because something similar has already been done in Antarctica.
Another problem is that space travel to Mars takes nearly a year to get to Mars and the colonists will live the rest of their lives there. When a human lives in an environment without gravity or with low gravity for a long time, the systems in the body weaken. Luckily, spinning (旋转) the spaceship can create artificial gravity, and artificial gravity can ease these problems. It will also be difficult for Mars colonists to be far from home, living in small spaces, and seeing the same people over and over. Colonists with depression could put the mission in danger. Fortunately, a few years ago, a joint Russian and European project called the Mars500 Mission studied people’s reactions in a Mars-like environment. It is viewed as a great success because scientists were able to see how people handle emotional and physical stresses.
Recent studies show that seven percent of people would want to go on such an adventure.
Mars One will soon start accepting its first colonists. Are you interested?
1. What do we know about the applicants to Mars from the first two paragraphs?| A．They will land on Mars in 2023. |
| B．They can get money from donors. |
| C．They will compete in a TV show. |
| D．They do not need special skills. |
| A．Create earth-like conditions. |
| B．Build labs in Antarctica. |
| C．Spin the spaceship. |
| D．Start the Mars500 Mission. |
| A．Difficult and dangerous. |
| B．Different but adaptable. |
| C．Challenging and unbearable . |
| D．Acceptable but depressing. |
| A．Mars: our final destination? |
| B．Ready to be Mars’ colonists? |
| C．Space travel: a thrilling adventure? |
| D．Are you a qualified Mars astronaut? |
2 . When you hear the beginning of your favorite song from the radio, suddenly your neck is covered in goose bumps.
It's such a thing that a group of scientists call “skin excitement”—a feeling of cold caused not by a drop in temperature or sudden scare, but by the sense of beauty. “Skin excitement” can come from a song, a painting, a moving movie scene, or even a beloved memory-pretty much anything that causes the giving out of pleasure-soaked dopamine in your brain. But it does not come for all of us.
Your favorite music uncovers a lot about your personality，and so does how you respond to that music. Studies suppose that as few as 55 percent of people experience “skin excitement” when listening to music. And if you count yourself among this group, the goose bumps on your skin aren't the only giveaway—scientists can read it in your brain, too. In a new study published in the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, Harvard researchers performed brain scans on 10 students who said they reliably got cold when listening to music, and 10 students who didn't. They found that the cold-prone brains may really be excited by stronger emotions.
Cold-prone brains are generally more likely to show stronger emotional intelligence than no-cold brains. Cold-prone minds tend to have unusual active imagination, reflect more deeply on their emotions, and appreciate nature and the beauty of music and art to a stronger degree than no-cold brains.
So, what type of music causes the chills? It seems that the type is not so important; participants in the new study reported getting cold from songs of every kind. And any song connected with a strong emotional memory of the listener can produce the most reliable results. For me, that's the song Sailing to Philadelphia by Mark Knopfler, which I listened to as a kid in the car with my dad, on the way to the summer camp.
1. What can we learn about “skin excitement” in the text?| A．It helps to produce doparmine. | B．It is caused by the pain in the skin. |
| C．It can be experienced by every music listener. | D．It is the human body's reaction to something nice. |
| A．The percentage of music lovers in students. |
| B．The solutions to the goose bumps on one's skin. |
| C．The differences between cold-prone and no-cold brains. |
| D．The relationship between one's music preference and personality. |
| A．Beautiful and intelligent. | B．Emotional and dishonest. |
| C．Imaginative and sensitive. | D．Brave and strong-minded. |
| A．Responses to Music Vary among People | B．A Feeling of Cold Is Caused by Horrible Music |
| C．Your Favorite Music Reveals Your Personality | D．Favorite Music May Bring Forth Goose Bumps |
3 . A shocking news report has revealed that more than one in five species of maple trees faces extinction, warning that 75% of the threatened species are “geographically restricted” in their native regions.
The trees are experiencing a vast decline in habitat, due to urban development, wood harvesting and agricultural expansion. Time is running out for the world's biodiversity. Every recent survey of plants and animals in the wild points to this. This is happening nearly everywhere rarer maples exist. And because of climate change, the narrow habitats that support species at the edges of dry places and at the tops of mountains are quickly disappearing.
The trees can be found in subtropical and tropical regions, as far south as Indonesia. The only species found in the UK, the field maple is not under threat. Not only are the trees a popular attractive feature in parks and public spaces, but they are a key part of the natural ecosystem in woodlands, as well as being an important wood crop in several countries. Although the sugar maple in North America, which produces maple juice, is not endangered, two of the closest relatives to the species are endangered.
The report notes that conserving at-risk species in their natural habitat is the best conservation tactic. But collections in botanical gardens and seed banks-called "ex situ collections" can act as insurance policies against extinction. There are currently 14 species of maple, including four that are critically endangered, which are absent from these types of collections.
One species in Mexico, the Acer binzayedii, is in “desperate need of conservation"”despite only being discovered in 2017. “It is at risk from climate change in its cloud forest habitat and threatened by logging and forest fires while it is also absent from 'ex situ collections',” the report adds. The report recommends developing conservation plans, monitoring species currently not at risk to ensure populations are maintained, and adding those missing maple species to seed banks.
1. What is paragraph 2 mainly about?| A．Action to protect maple trees. | B．The dangerous situation of maple trees. |
| C．Various maple trees' habitats in the world. | D．The conditions for diversity in maple trees. |
| A．They cannot produce juice. | B．They are found in America. |
| C．They are not at risk of extinction. | D．They have two endangered relatives. |
| A．Topic. | B．Approach. | C．Result. | D．Conclusion. |
| A．To offer a proposal. | B．To recommend a product. |
| C．To introduce maple species. | D．To warn people of disasters. |
4 . “Human activity has wiped out two-thirds of the world’s wildlife since 1970,” CNN reported on September 10, 2020. Later that month, the Guardian reported that “40 percent of the world’s plant species are at risk of extinction”. Stanford biologist Paul Ehrlich and his colleagues argued that “the ongoing sixth mass extinction may be the most serious environmental threat to the persistence of civilization”. Around the same time, the Daily Mail warned that “human civilization stands a 90 percent chance of collapse within decades due to deforestation”.
These horrible calculations and projections come from authoritative-sounding reports issued by international agencies, conservation groups, and peer-reviewed scientific journals. But is the future of wild nature and human civilization really so poor?
Data from uncontroversial mainstream sources strongly indicate that both humanity and the natural world are likely to be flourishing rather than collapsing at the end of this century. Humanity is becoming an urban species, and that’s good for the environment, since urban dwellers generally use less electricity, produce less globe-warming carbon dioxide, and have smaller land footprints than people living in the countryside. By 2100, it is estimated that 85 percent of people will be city dwellers, which would leave only 1.2 billion still living in the countryside. That means more space for the wildlife and less pollution from the agriculture.
The global tree-covering area increased by 865,000 square miles between 1982 and 2016. The researchers found that gains in forest area in the mild, subtropical and northern climatic zones are offsetting declines in the tropics. The Maryland researchers owe much of that increase to “natural afforestation on abandoned agricultural land”. “Furthermore, forests in mountainous regions are expanding as climate warming enables trees to grow at higher altitudes,” they added.
Humanity does face big environmental challenges in the coming century. But the scientific and economic evidence shows that most of the trends are positive or can be turned in positive direction by human wisdom. Rather than an age of extinction, the 21st century promises to be an era of environmental renewal.
1. Why does the author mention the reports in Paragraph 1?| A．To give examples. | B．To introduce the topic. |
| C．To make a contrast. | D．To support his opinion. |
| A．No one will choose to live in the countryside. |
| B．More space will be available for the wildlife. |
| C．Neither humanity nor the natural world will develop quickly. |
| D．Urban residents will do more walking than those in the countryside. |
| A．The expanding and disappearance in forest area aren’t evenly matched. |
| B．The forest area in the mild, tropic and northern zones is increasing. |
| C．There are more forests in mountainous regions due to the climate warming. |
| D．The plan of “natural afforestation on abandoned agricultural land” is unfavorable. |
| A．The Bright Future of Humanity |
| B．The Challenges in the Coming Century |
| C．Better Environment, Better Future of Human |
| D．21st Century: An Era of Environmental Renewal |
5 . How do you turn “dumb” headphones into smart ones? Rutgers engineers have invented a cheap and easy way by transforming headphones into sensors that can be plugged into (插入) smartphones, identify their users monitor their heart rates and perform other services.
Their invention, called HeadFi, is based on a small plug-in headphone adapter that turns a regular headphone into a sensing device (装置). Unlike smart headphones, regular headphones lack sensors. HeadFi would allow users to avoid having to buy a new pair of smart headphones with sensors to enjoy sensing features.
“HeadFi could turn hundreds of millions of existing, regular headphones worldwide into intelligent ones with a simple upgrade (升级),” said Xiaoran Fan, a HeadFi primary inventor.
A Rutgers-led paper on the invention, which results in "earable intelligence", will be formally published in October at MobiCom 2021, the top international conference on mobile computing and mobile and wireless networking.
Headphones are among the most popular wearable devices worldwide and they continue to become; more intelligent as new functions appear, such as touch-based gesture control, the paper notes. Such functions usually rely on aiding sensors, such as accelerometers, gyroscopes and microphones that are available on many smart headphones.
HeadFi turns the two drivers already inside all headphones into a versatile (多功能的) sensor, and it works by connecting headphones to a pairing device, such as a smartphone. It doesn't require adding aiding sensors and avoids changes to headphone hardware or the need to customize headphones, both of which may increase their weight and size. By plugging into HeadFi, a converted headphone can perform sensing tasks and play music at the same time.
The engineers conducted experiments with 53 volunteers using 54 pairs of headphones with prices ranging from $2. 99 to $15 ,000. HeadFi can achieve 97. 2 percent to 99. 5 percent accuracy on user identification , 96. 8 percent to 99. 2 percent on heart rate monitoring and 97. 7 percent to 99. 3 percent on gesture recognition.
1. What does Xiaoran Fan think of HeadFi?| A．Secure to operate. | B．Simple to use. |
| C．Easy to substitute. | D．Convenient to store. |
| A．It can't work with headphones alone. |
| B．It actually functions as a versatile sensor. |
| C．It makes headphones larger and heavier than usual. |
| D．It doesn't work when headphones are playing music. |
| A．the various functions of HeadFi | B．the wide popularity of headphones |
| C．the great complexity of headphones | D．the excellent performance of HeadFi |
| A．How to Use Headphones Appropriately |
| B．Headphones Can Be Upgraded Instantly |
| C．How to Make Regular Headphones Intelligent |
| D．New Uses Have Been Found in Headphones |
6 . Happiness is not a warm phone, according to a new study exploring the link between young life satisfaction and screen time. The study was led by professor of psychology Jean M. Twenge at San Diego State University (SDSU).
To research this link, Twenge, along with colleagues Gabrielle Martin at SDSU and W. Keith Campbell at the University of Georgia, dealt with data from the Monitoring the Future (MtF) study, a nationally representative survey of more than a million U. S. 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-graders. The survey asked students questions about how often they spent time on their Phones, tablets and computers, as well as questions about their face-to-face social interactions and their overall happiness.
On average found that teens who spent more time in front of screen devices — playing computer games, using social media, texting and video chatting — were less happy than those who invested more time in non-screen activities like sports, reading newspapers and magazines, and face-to-face social interactions.
"The key to digital media use and happiness is limited use," Twenge said. "Aim to spend no more than two hours a day on digital media, and try to increase the amount of time you spend seeing friends face-to-face and exercising — two activities reliably linked to greater happiness."
Looking at historical trends from the same age groups since the 1990s, it's easy to find that the increase of screen devices over time happened at the same time as a general drop-off in reported happiness in U. S. teens. Specifically, young peopled life satisfaction and happiness declined sharply after 2012. That's the year when the percentage of Americans who owned a smartphone rose above 50 percent. By far the largest change in teens' lives between 2012 and 2016 was the increase in the amount of time they spent on digital media, and the following decline in in-person social activities and sleep.
1. Which method did Twenge's team use for the study?| A．Calculating students' happiness. |
| B．Asking students certain questions. |
| C．Analyzing data from a survey. |
| D．Doing experiments on screen time. |
| A．By making a comparison. |
| B．By giving an example. |
| C．By making an argument. |
| D．By introducing a concept. |
| A．To draw a conclusion from the study. |
| B．To offer some advice to the readers. |
| C．To prove social activities' importance. |
| D．To support the researchers' finding. |
| A．Quitting Phones Equals Happiness |
| B．Screen Time Should Be Banned |
| C．Teens' Lives Have Changed Sharply |
| D．Screen-addicted Teens Are Unhappier |
7 . In recent years, the Yi Jin Jing exercise has gained great popularity among Chinese of all ages, thanks to Jin Yong’s novels and the Shaolin Temple in Central China’s Henan province, which has promoted kung fu techniques, including Yi Jin Jing, vigorously(蓬勃地) at home and abroad. There are more than 60 types of Yi Jin Jing exercises spreading in contemporary China, differing in lengths, gestures and movements. Thousands of health and fitness clubs in the country have been teaching classical techniques, Yi Jin Jing being the most favored course.
In ancient times, average people did the Yi Jin Jing exercise for health and longevity(长寿) , But kung fu masters do it in different and more difficult ways, hoping to hugely improve their physical abilities. For example,when it comes to breathing, a normal person, especially a beginner, would be advised to take a safe and comfortable approach. But kung fu masters would use an opposite deep breathing technique when doing Yi Jin Jing. They would breathe in deeply, then hold their breath while trying to lengthen certain muscles and tendons(筋), and in the end they would relax and breathe out very slowly.
It is widely believed that Zong Heng, a monk in Ming Dynasty, invented the Yi Jin Jing qigong exercise while he lived in a cave on Mt. Zining, where Zhangjiajing village is located.
In 2016,the Tiantai county people’s government in East China’s Zhejiang province officially declared Pingqiao, a mountainous town, as “Yi Jin Jing Township”, with Zhangjiajing village at its center. At least 30,000 local residents in and around the “Yi Jin Jing Township” have learned to perform the so-called Zining YiJin Jing qigong exercise. They put on massive performances for tourists. Yi Jin Jing training courses, coupled with hillside camping, sightseeing, local foods, have brought great benefit to the previously poor county.
1. What do we know from the first paragraph?| A．Yi Jin Jing is mentioned in Jin Yong’s books. |
| B．Shaolin Temple is the origin of Yi Jin Jing. |
| C．Health and fitness clubs have many kung fu masters. |
| D．Yi Jin Jing is the most popular qigong exercise. |
| A．By giving an example. |
| B．By following time order. |
| C．By listing the differences. |
| D．By analyzing cause and effect. |
A． | B． |
C． | D． |
| A．Yi Jin Jing, the Most Powerful Qigong Techniques. |
| B．The Origin of Yi Jin Jing. |
| C．Learn Yi Jin Jing, Be Superman. |
| D．Try Classic Qigong Exercise: Yi Jin Jing. |
8 . While flatmates can bring about stress and difficulty, they can also be great company and develop into wonderful, lifelong friends. Before making the decision to live with a flatmate or to live alone, consider carefully all the accompanying advantages and disadvantages.
Most people join forces with a flatmate primarily due to financial problem. A shared living space also means you're responsible for only half of the rent or shared bills. Additionally, when you're splitting costs, you can afford a better apartment than you could alone. However, money can become a point of argument for flatmates as well. If your flatmate gets laid off or quits his job, you may have to pick up his bill until he's back on his feet. Your flatmate may also insist he owe less because he doesn't use the shower too often.
In addition to bills and the rent, flatmates also typically share responsibility for unpleasant tasks, such as cleaning or doing the dishes. Without a flatmate, cleaning and tidying responsibilities are yours alone. However, flatmates also frequently end up sharing plenty of other things many people would rather not: use of the TV, the bathroom, food and even clothing, for example. You may have to wake up earlier than you'd like to get a hot shower before work or give up watching your favorite show because your flatmate beat you to it.
When you live alone, you get to determine the terms of your social life, and you go home to an empty house or apartment at the end of the day. That can be preferable if you're a serious student or professional, someone who needs to work and rest in the quiet of an apartment. With a flatmate, there are unexpected guests and your social options can expand sharply. Keep in mind, however, that having a flatmate means that he may feel social when you do not, and you may have to deal with wanted house guests.
1. What's the main reason for most people to share a flat?| A．Ensuring safety. | B．Saving money. |
| C．Sharing housework. | D．Reducing loneliness. |
| A．He likes a peaceful life. |
| B．He has excellent social manners. |
| C．He keeps everything in the room tidy. |
| D．He often turns away unexpected guests. |
| A．By describing the process. | B．By stating an argument. |
| C．By making comparisons. | D．By analyzing the outcome. |
| A．Buying a Flat or Sharing One? |
| B．The Reasons for Sharing a Flat. |
| C．How to Share a Flat with a Flatmate? |
| D．The Advantages and Disadvantages of Flatsharing. |
