1 . French children 15 and under will no longer be allowed to bring smart devices to school. Lawmakers in France voted recently to ban all phones, tablets, and other Internet-connected devices from school grounds. The ban will start in September, “These days, the children don't play at break time anymore,” Jean-Michel Blanquer, France's education minister, said. “They are just all in front of their smartphones, and from an educational point of view, that's a problem. Some strict measures must be taken immediately.” A 2010 law bad already banned smartphones during "all teaching activity" in France. But the new rules say smartphones and tablets are not allowed even during breaks. Students who bring these digital devices to school have to keep them in their backpacks and turned off, If they want to call their parents, schools will help. However, the new law doesn’t forbid students to turn to them during extra-curricular activities. It also makes an exception for disabled students.
Alexis Corbiere is a French politician. He said the effort to make such a law should have been put to something else because teachers have already carried out this rule so far. “I don't know a single teacher in this country that allows the use of phones in class and in school, ” he told French news channel BFMTV.
How about smartphones in American schools?According to a study by the National Center for Education Statistics, about 66% of public schools banned devices in 2019, which was down from 91% in 2009. Why the change? Liz Kolb, a professor at the University of Michigan School of Education, said that parents are concerned about security in schools. "In the rare case that something may occur, " she said, "the belief by some parents is that a cell phone could be a useful tool for safety."
1. What does the underlined word "them" in paragraph 1 refer to?| A．Disabled students. |
| B．Digital devices. |
| C．Backpacks. |
| D．Students' parents. |
| A．It's unnecessary. |
| B．It's rewarding. |
| C．It's impossible. |
| D．It's unexpected. |
| A．It's made a comeback. |
| B．It's helped parents a lot. |
| C．It's done good to students. |
| D．It's followed the French ban. |
| A．Students Must Turn off Smartphones. |
| B．Digital Devices Won't Be Popular. |
| C．France Makes the Call in School. |
| D．Parents Value Children's Safety. |
2 . 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 |
3 . Each year, the women of Olney and Liberal compete in an unusual footrace. Dressed in aprons (围裙) and headscarves, they wait at both towns’ starting lines. Each woman holds a frying pan with one pancake inside. At the signal, the women flip (轻抛) pancakes and they’re off!
This “pancake racing” tradition is said to have started on Shrove Tuesday, 1445, in Olney. Shrove Tuesday is the day before the Christian season of Lent (大斋戒) begins. During Lent, many people decide to give up sugary or fatty foods.
Legend says that in 1445, an Olney woman was making pancakes to use up some of her sugar and cooking fats before Lent. She lost track of time and suddenly heard the church bells ring, signaling the beginning of the Shrove Tuesday service. Realizing that she was going to be late for church, she raced out the door still wearing her apron and headscarf and holding her frying pan with a pancake in it. In the following years, the woman’s neighbors imitated her dash to church, and pancake racing was born.
The rules are simple. Racers must wear the traditional headscarf and apron. They must flip their pancakes twice - once before starting and once after crossing the finish line. After the race, there are Shrove Tuesday church services. Then Liberal and Olney connect through a video call to compare race times and declare a winner.
In both towns, the races have grown into larger festivals. Olney’s festival is an all-day event starting with a big pancake breakfast. Liberal’s festival lasts four days and includes a parade, a talent show, and contests that feature eating and flipping pancakes. Although the women’s race is still the main event, both towns now hold additional races for boys and girls of all ages.
1. How did pancake racing start?| A．A woman in Olney created it. |
| B．Women made pancakes before Lent. |
| C．A woman dashed to church with a pancake. |
| D．People followed the suit of an interesting incident. |
| A．They can wear fashionable headscarves and aprons. |
| B．They must flip their pancakes once in the race. |
| C．They must flip their pancakes at the beginning of the race. |
| D．They can flip their pancakes in the middle of the race. |
| A．People can show their talent in Olney festival. |
| B．People can enjoy a one-day holiday in Liberal. |
| C．The race is not only intended for women now. |
| D．People can have a big pancake breakfast in both towns. |
| A．The origin of pancake racing. |
| B．The history of pancake racing. |
| C．The development of pancake racing. |
| D．The introduction to pancake racing. |
4 . Arguing with your parents is totally natural for teens. From your hairstyle to your friends, to your marks at school, to your television habits, to your future plans, it might just seem like you argue with your parents about everything. While this is not generally a pleasant state of affairs, it is normal and it will most likely pass.
Argue fairly
Arguments between teens and parents generally come about when both parties believe that they know what is best for the teen. Parents have been caring for their teens for over a decade, but teens are quickly becoming adults and believe that they are able to take care of themselves. If you must agree with them, argue fairly by: Allowing each person to speak their mind. Refusing to interrupt others when they are speaking. Sticking only to the topic at hand.
Argue respectfully
No matter how heated things may get during an argument, try to remember that your parents still are worthy of your attention, respect and love. During arguments, be respectful by: Keeping your voice lowered at all times and refusing to shout. Sitting still and staying calm. Refusing to engage in angry actions such as kicking, throwing or hitting anything. Reasonably explaining the reasons for your opinions.
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There is a thin line between having a discussion and engaging in an argument, but smart teens know that keeping their interactions with their parents at the discussion level practically guarantees that they will be taken more seriously. No one likes to argue, and the parents of teens can be especially weary of it, so keeping things at the discussion level will work to everyone's advantage.
Arguing with parents is practically a sign of the teenaged years, but out-of-control arguments don't serve anyone well. Before arguing with your parents, decide what type of teen you want to be and what compromises (妥协) you are willing to make in order to achieve your goals. You never know, you might just avoid an argument all together.
1. This passage mainly tells teens ________.| A．arguments don't solve any problem | B．arguing with parents may hurt them |
| C．some tips on arguing with parents | D．how to avoid arguing with parents |
| A．make up your mind not to give in | B．show your respect for them |
| C．express your opinions through actions | D．make full preparations for it |
| A．Take discussion seriously. | B．Argue seriously. |
| C．To be smart teens. | D．Argue only when needed. |
| A．be proud of | B．be interested in | C．be tired of | D．be satisfied with |
| A．normal | B．practical | C．shameful | D．impolite |
5 . It appears to fit with most people's experience: how Christmas seems to come around quicker every year? Questionnaires by psychologists have shown almost everyone feels time is passing faster now compared to when they were half or a quarter as old. Most strikingly, lots of experiment have shown that, when older people are asked to guess how long the time is, or to ‘reproduce’ the length of periods of time, they guess a shorter amount than younger people.
In 1877, Paul Janet suggested the proportional theory, where a child of 10 feels a year as I 10 of his whole life while a man of 50 as 1/50, so the subjective sense of the 50-year-old man is that: these are insignificant periods of time which gallop.
There are also biological theories. The speeding up of time is linked to how our metabolism (新陈代谢)gradually slows down as we grow olden Children's hearts beat faster than They breathe more quickly. With their blood flowing more quickly, their body clocks “cover” more time within the space of 24 hours than ours do as adults. On the other hand, older people are like clocks that run slower than normal, so that they lag behind, and cover less than 24 hours.
In the 1930s, the psychologist Hudson Hoagland found body temperature causes different perceptions of time. Once, when he looked after his ill wife, he noticed she complained he'd been away for a long time even if only away for a few moments. Therefore, Hoagland tested her perception of time at different temperatures, finding the higher her temperature, the more time seemed to slow down for her, and that raising a person's body temperature can slow down his sense of time passing by up to 20%.
Time doesn't necessarily have to speed up as we get older though. It depends on how live our lives, and how we relate to our experiences.
1. What do the questionnaires and experiments find?| A．Time now is shorter than before. |
| B．Aging makes people think slowly. |
| C．The old feel time flies faster than the young. |
| D．The old value time more than before. |
| A．Fly swiftly. | B．Pause briefly. |
| C．Move slowly. | D．Pass stably. |
| A．A kid with slower metabolism. | B．A child with low body temperature. |
| C．A grown-up feeling freezing. | D．An adult with a high fevel. |
| A．How time flies! | B．To live a full life! |
| C．Why time passes at different speeds? | D．How to save more time? |
6 . The structure of DNA plays an important role in medicine and biology. But you may not know that its founder is a female scientist and goes through a lot on her way to make scientific research. Rosalind Franklin was born in London, England on July 25, 1920. On April 16, 1958, at age 38, she died from cancer. Franklin was responsible for much of the research and discovery work that led to the understanding of the structure of DNA.
Franklin was interested in science and attended one of the few girls' schools in London that taught physics and chemistry. When she was 15, she decided to become a scientist. Her father was decidedly against higher education for women and wanted her to be a social worker. Franklin's aunt decided to support her and she agreed to pay for her full schooling. Within weeks, Franklin's aunt got her mother to support her going to college also. Months later, Franklin's aunt and mother got her father to agree with it. Franklin was very excited that she was going to college and did a good job in her study.
After her graduation from college, Franklin started her research on DNA. However, there were so many quarrels in her life because Franklin and her research partner did not get along. Franklin and her partner's arguments set them back on the study of DNA quite a bit. At the time they were working against another pair to find the story of DNA. Because of Franklin and her partner's fights, another pair found the structure of DNA first and won the Nobel Prize for it four years after Franklin died. Many scientists felt sorry for her early death and thought that the winners had stolen her research about DNA.
1. We can learn from the text that Franklin ________.| A．died in her early thirties | B．was a really lucky scientist |
| C．didn't get along with her father | D．achieved a lot in the study of DNA |
| A．Franklin's father agreed to pay for her college education |
| B．Franklin's aunt loved her than others |
| C．it was not easy for Franklin to go to college |
| D．it has been Franklin's dream to be a scientist since she was a child |
| A．Franklin's scientific research was not easy |
| B．Franklin first found the structure of DNA |
| C．Franklin's partner had no interest in DNA |
| D．Franklin had enjoyed a peaceful life |
| A．How DNA Was Found? | B．DNA and Good Education |
| C．The Life of a Woman Scientist | D．Should Girls Study or Not? |
7 . I was with my mom one day as we took a walk while window shopping. We both knew we wouldn't be buying much. I remember I was looking up at the people we passed as we walked. Ladies wore 5-inch heels and bright clothes. Men wore expensive perfumes and creams that wiped away the wrinkles on their faces. An uneasy feeling started to settle in my chest. I could deny it no longer and I was ashamed of my mom.
We were in a high-class neighborhood. We lived in a small, expensive apartment building at the edge of our county. Mom chose to move there because she knew the schools were good. I realized for the first time that we didn't belong there.
I could see the heavy lines around my mom's eyes and mouth. She wore cheap clothes and worm-out shoes. Her eyes were tired from working long hours to make ends meet, and her hair was too gray for her age. She was nothing extraordinary, yet at that moment, she stood out because she was just so plain. I didn't want to be seen with her although there was no one important around to see me anyway. I felt embarrassed about being at her side. We were standing in the middle of a high-end store, and she was holding a sweater.
Mom said, “Anna, this will look good on you. Do you want it?” It Was much too expensive, but I almost thoughtlessly answered “Yes”. Then I took a closer look at the small, tired woman with a big smile and a sweater in her hands, happy to be giving me something so nice. My words died in my throat. Her clothes were worn and old because she spent her money buying me new ones. She looked so tired because she was busy working to provide for me. She didn't wear jewelry or perfumes because she was content with spending what little money she had on me. Suddenly, my mom was beautiful and extraordinarily wonderful in my eyes. I was no longer ashamed of her, but of myself.
“Do you want it?” Mom repeated.
“No, thanks,” I replied.
1. Why did the author describe the passers-by while window-shopping?| A．To stress her mother was plain. |
| B．To show she envied rich people. |
| C．To suggest she was curious about others. |
| D．To indicate she was in an expensive neighborhood. |
| A．Studying at a top school. | B．Going window-shopping. |
| C．Being seen with her mom. | D．Living in a small apartment. |
| A．She was afraid of being blamed by her mom. |
| B．She was too excited to say anything about the sweater. |
| C．She felt her mom was so ordinary that she stopped speaking. |
| D．She failed to speak after realizing her mom's great sacrifices. |
| A．Misunderstanding Mom | B．Refusing Mom's Kindness |
| C．Feeling Ashamed of Mom | D．Going Shopping with Mom |
8 . What do you think of 80s pop music? Do the names George Michael, Madonna and Michael Jackson sound familiar? Well, these are just some of the names that were well-known in the music scene of the 80s and early 90s. The 80s pop music scene was an important step to the popularity (普及) of present-day music. A new wave in the music scene was introduced, which made such music styles as punk rock, rap music and the MTV popular. Although it was an end to the old 60s and 70s styles, it was also the beginning of something big. The popularity of music videos meant that artists now replaced their guitar-based music with visual displays. A new wave of artists came on the scene and the entire industry developed quickly.
The most famous 80s pop music video is Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Introduced in 1982, few people can forget the video not only because of its never-be-foreseen images, but also because of the popularity it received. Think of how 80s pop music changed the lives of people who grew up in the 80s. Ask a young man today to tell you the names of the “New Kids on the Block” and he will start talking about the neighbor kids who just moved in. These are not the answers you might have heard in the 80s. Though today’s young men do not recognize how cool 80s pop music was, most people will always remember it for what it was and these are happy memories they will always love.
Some of the 80s pop music legends (传奇人物) include Madonna, U2, AeroSmith and of course the King of Pop Michael Jackson. Let’s not forget Prince, Tina Turner, Phil Collins and Motown’s Lionel Ritchie. Some of these musicians played music that has stood the test of time. Undoubtedly, the 80s pop music scene will live on for many more years to come.
1. What is the text mainly about?| A．The characters of 80s pop music. | B．What made 80s pop music popular. |
| C．80s pop music’s steps to popularity. | D．The effects of 80s pop music. |
| A．guitar-based music | B．the MTV | C．rap music | D．punk rock |
| A．it changed the lives of people | B．he sang it in a special style |
| C．it was made into a music video | D．it left people with happy memories |
| A．80s pop music is and will remain popular | B．80s pop music has many faults |
| C．80s pop music is now out of date | D．we shouldn’t forget the great musicians of the 80s |
9 . Kemira Boyd’s 12-day-old daughter, Ryleigh, was choking after being fed 10 minutes earlier. The 24-year- old new mother began patting her daughter on the back, but she didn’t cry as she usually did. She knew Ryleigh needed to get to the hospital fast.
They had barely made it out of their neighborhood when the flash lights of a police car appeared behind them. Deputy（警官）Will Kimbro figured that the speeding driver was either too careless to notice him or simply unconcerned. Once she’d stopped to his call, Kemira jumped out and handed the baby to Kimbro, exclaiming that her daughter had stopped breathing. He put a hand on her little chest. Ryleigh’s heart was barely beating. Kimbro radioed for an ambulance－it was seven minutes out, and the hospital was even further away. That was seven minutes Ryleigh didn’t have.
Kimbro is an officer who usually spends his days going around the halls of a middle school ten miles away. But he travels farther when school is out in the summer. He had recently completed a CPR class. “Shocked as I was, my training kicked in, and I went to work to keep that baby alive,” says Kimbro. The deputy checked for a pulse and began tapping her chest, hoping to bring her heart back into action. Kimbro used one finger to clear the airway. That was a magic touch; 20 seconds later, there came her crying. Until the ambulance arrived, Kimbro continued with delicate chest pressure and regularly clearing her airway. “The whole time I was thinking: Do not let this baby die in front of her mother,” he later told Inside Edition.
At the hospital, Ryleigh recovered quickly－thanks to a determined school officer who was in the right place at the right time.
1. Why did Deputy Kimbro call to stop the car?| A．He wanted to help the young mother. |
| B．He was eager to give first aid to the baby. |
| C．He would punish the driver for speeding. |
| D．He was angry that the driver didn’t notice him. |
| A．started to work. | B．calmed me down. |
| C．woke up the baby. | D．made some progress. |
| A．A policeman’s first aid skill. |
| B．A mother’s love for her baby. |
| C．An officer’s duty for road safety. |
| D．A timely and lifesaving traffic stop. |
10 . 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 |
