1 . E-cigarettes can damage vital immune system cells and may be more harmful than previously thought, a study suggests. Researchers found e-cigarette vapour disabled important immune cells in the lung and boosted inflammation (炎症).

The researchers caution against the widely held opinion that e-cigarettes are safe. However, Public Health England advises they are much less harmful than smoking and people should not hesitate to use them as an aid to giving up cigarettes.

The small experimental study, led by Prof David Thickett, at the University of Birmingham, is published online in the journal Thorax. Previous studies have focused on the chemical elements of e-cigarette liquid before it is vaped.

In this study, the researchers designed a mechanical process to mimic (模拟) vaping in the laboratory, using lung tissue samples provided by eight non-smokers. They found vapour caused inflammation and impaired the activity of alveolar macrophages cells (肺泡世噬细胞) that removed potentially damaging dust particles, bacteria and allergens. They sail some of the effects were similar to those seen in regular smokers and people with chronic lung disease.

They caution that the results are only in laboratory conditions and they are planning to do more research to better understand the long-term health impact the changes recorded took place only 48 hours.

Prof Thicket said while e-cigarettes were safer than traditional cigarettes in terms of cancer risk, they may still be harmful in the long-term. If you vape for 20 or 30 years, you can suffer from COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), then that’s something we need to know about.

1. What’s the widely held opinion about e-cigarettes?

A．They’re more harmful.	B．They’re less harmful.
C．They’re unknown to people.	D．They’re harmless.

2. What can we learn about the study?

A．It’s believable.	B．It’s conducted narrowly.
C．It’s accepted by most people.	D．It’ s carried out in America.

3. What can we learn about e-cigarettes from the last paragraph?

A．They are safer in terms of mental problems.

B．They may be little harm in the long run.

C．They are safer with regard to cancer risk.

D．They can completely replace traditional ones.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Can e-cigarettes damage vital brain system cells?

B．Can e-cigarettes become popular among people?

C．Can e-cigarettes be recommended to smokers ?

D．Can c-cigarettes damage vital immune system cells ?

2 . When ads for the Netflix show Stranger Things first appeared in 2016, the shinning, colorful font (字体) that spelled out the title told viewers exactly what they could expect. Hollywood has long known this marketing trick. And in a crowded marketplace, many mainstream consumer brands have placed more focus on fonts as a crucial part of their marketing.

When Southwest Airlines upgraded its brand in 2014, it changed its font and logo as part of the project.

The company wanted to create the image of an airline that cared about customer loyalty. So, Southwest changed its Helvetica font to a thicker, custom﹣made Southwest Sans font, which also added a tricolor (三色的) heart to the logo. All these changes were meant to convey a softer, friendlier tone.

A survey of Southwest customers showed that 95 percent found the new identity appealing. ^"We've definitely seen an increase in bookings." said Helen Limpitlaw at Southwest Airlines. "We're in a very competitive world and we're trying to avoid that sameness."

The right fonts can help brands stand out in a competitive market. However, they need to know whom they are targeting and what they want to say. Monster Beverage is a good example. In 2002, it rolled out its Monster Energy drink logo, featuring three neon﹣green claw marks in the shape of an "M" on a black background. The eye﹣catching logo and colors connected with fans of sports, who were exactly its target customers. Now, 17 years later, Monster's logo remains valuable and recognizable.

It is not always wise of legacy companies (老牌公司) to make changes in fonts and logo. When the clothing retailer Gap changed its iconic spire-like font to Helvetica as part of a 2010 rebrand, customers pushed back hard. "The new logo lost all the personality the original mark had acquired over the years," said Matt See, senior art director at a branding and communications firm. "And it was released without explanation. It felt like no thought was put into it." The company ultimately switched back to its original logo.

Experts recommended that companies conduct plenty of surveys before making a change to their logos. Done right, fonts allow brands to show their human side and personality, which can then connect with consumers emotionally.

1. The function of Para 1 is________.

A．to introduce the topic

B．to promote the Netflix show

C．to show the background

D．to present the unevenly shaded font

2. According to the article, one of the reasons why Southwest Airlines upgraded its brand successfully is that________.

A．it deleted its tricolor heart logo

B．it conveyed a strong and cooperative tone

C．it drew on its experience gained from the real life

D．it chose a special font that reflected its personality as a brand

3. Gap was cited as an example in the article to show that________.

A．a company should think twice before rebranding itself

B．there is no need for a legacy company to upgrade its brand

C．a company should ignore customers' advice when it comes to rebranding

D．it's possible for a company to attract new customers by changing its logo

4. What is the best title of the passage?

A．Fonts should avoid the sameness.

B．Fonts matter in upgrading the brand.

C．Changes of fonts are out of date.

D．Companies need to change fonts.

3 . Audiences may be ready to return. Will they have anything to watch? It is turning out to be a long pause.

Cinemas across the West closed in March and, despite attempts to reopen in the summer, the box office has not recovered. From October 9th Cineworld, the world's second-largest chain, will temporarily shut its 536 Regal theaters in America and its 127 British ones. AMC, the biggest, will cut the opening hours at some Odeon cinemas in Britain.

Early in the pandemic the problem was audiences. In March Disney's "Onward" closed as people refused to breathe the air with a crowd of strangers. Business got harder when governments ordered theaters to shut.

As countries have cased （解除）restrictions and audiences prepared to return, cinemas are finding little to show them. In China, where Covid-19 seems under control, studios have resumed pumping out hits. But Hollywood will not risk premiering （首映）costly blockbusters （大片）while many markets, including New York and California, remain closed, and cinema-goers cautious. Most big titles have been postponed.

Nine months without income would be disastrous （灾难性的）.America's National Association of Theatre Owners predicts that seven out of ten small or medium-sized cinema companies will go bust （破产）,which it has urged Congress to approve.

Both AMC and Cineworld are likely to stop a contract or file for going bust, believes Moody's, a ratings agency; AMC could run out of cash by January. Share prices of Western operators have dropped sharply this year, and are now worth a fifth as much as five years ago. Chinese ones have done better.

1. Which company will reduce the opening hours in Britain?

A．Cineworld.	B．Odeon.
C．AMC.	D．Hollywood.

2. What makes the cinema business get harder?

A．Government's restriction.	B．Films' attraction.
C．Audience's attitude.	D．Operators, signing contracts.

3. What is the situation in Hollywood?

A．They are applying for going bust.

B．They are complained by the audiences.

C．They will offer the audience more big titles.

D．They put off premiering most big blockbusters.

4. What does the text mainly talk about?

A．A few famous film companies.	B．Covid-19's effect on the cinemas.
C．The global economic situation.	D．Audience's desiring for films.

4 . The minimalist lifestyle needs to be considered only after we own more than we need. Nowadays, the rapid development of the society has brought a lot of wealth and material possessions, which has become a burden for many. In addition, the fast-paced life we have today makes us busier than ever. Therefore, I think a minimalist lifestyle is necessary to help people ease their burden and focus on the best part of life.

Although I'm not a strict practitioner of minimalism, I do benefit a lot from a simpler life. When I got employed in 2018, I wasted my salaries on lots of clothes, shoes, cosmetics, books and food to enrich my life. However, piles of things made my room messy and a lot of stuff things had to be thrown away unused.

About one year ago, I laid my hands on a book named Danshari, which encourages people to cut out or throw away unnecessary things. Following the instructions, I started to change my lifestyle and surprisingly found out that my life is much better with less.

Another bad habit I have worked hard to change is spending too much time on my phone and iPad as a means to free myself from the work stress. A lot of my valuable time was wasted on various time-killing apps which didn't do much good to my self-improvement.

Adopting a simple life can be a bit challenging and needs constant effort. Here are some tips I find helpful. First, concentrate on things that are really important and meaningful. Second, access to information should be simple and well-targeted; reading books is a good alternative to meaningless social interaction and time-killing apps. Third, purchase fewer goods with better quality and tidy up your room regularly.

A minimalist lifestyle isn't equal to austerity (朴素).It's a habit we can form to simplify our life. With less desire both materially and mentally, there will be more room for self-improvement, happiness and inner fulfillment.

1. What does the underlined part mean in Paragraph 3?

A．recommended	B．remembered
C．wrote	D．read

2. What does a minimalist lifestyle mean?

A．Buying a lot of things we like.

B．Concentrating ourselves on the jobs.

C．Forming a habit of simple life.

D．Spending more time using apps.

3. What would be the best title for this passage?

A．Wealth Is Less	B．Mess Is Simple
C．More Is Happiness	D．Less Is More

5 . 2020 was a really tough year. It affected our lives in many ways and made other serious issues even more difficult to address. There was also social and political unrest in the United States and other places around the world.

All of this added up to some big, stressful year called 2020. In fact, 2020 is a song filled with low, depressing notes.

In English, “low notes” are unpleasant things that happen during an event, any event. So if something ends on a low note, it ends in an unpleasant way. For example, once I took a fun vacation. But it ended on a low note. On the last day, all my money was stolen. Then my flight home was delayed. So, I had to sleep in an airport for two days!

However, we also have another phrase-- a “high note”! In English, a “high note” is something pleasant or gratifying.

So, to end something on a high note is to end it with something pleasant. It can also mean to end something at the best possible point -- for example, at the point when something is most successful.

Anything can be a high note, if you choose it to be. For example, 2020 was a disaster. But for me it ended on a high note. One cold night in late December, I saw on owl in a tree near my house. I love owls but had never seen one so close before! That was a high note for me.

Hopefully, all of us were able to end 2020 on a high note.

1. Which of the following does NOT show the writer’s attitude towards the year of 2020?

A．It’s a year that is filled with low notes.

B．It’s a year that ends on a high note.

C．It’s a year full of easy issues.

D．It’s a year full of unforgettable memories.

2. Which word can replace the underlined word “gratifying” in paragraph 4?

A．Humorous.

B．Enjoyable.

C．Permanent.

D．Concerned.

3. Why did 2020 end on a high note for the author?

A．Because it ended on a high note.

B．Because it is a song with something pleasant.

C．Because the author loves owls that have high notes.

D．Because the author love owls and saw one so close.

4. What does the passage mainly tell us?

A．The usages of “high notes” and “low notes”.

B．Examples about “high and low notes”.

C．The change of “low notes” and “high notes”.

D．Some serious issues about “high and low notes”.

6 . If you’re looking for someone to make a realistic, three-dimensional (3D) portrait of your pet cat using felted wool, you’ll have a tough time finding someone better than Wakuneco, a Japanese artist who started creating needle felt art back in 2015. Using different colored wool, this artist creates life-like cat portraits. Just have a look at what she can do with a needle and wool thread.

Looking at some of the cat portraits created by the talented Japanese artist, it’s hard to believe they are made of felted wool and not taxidermy (动物标本剥制术) masterpieces. To achieve this level of realism, which translates as “frame cat”, Wakuneco spends hours on end poking wool with a needle to create solid layers that imitate cat fur, applying realistic glass eyes and finally adding the whiskers. After everything is just as she wants, the 3D portrait is framed and sent to the owner who ordered it.

Losing a beloved pet is never easy, but Wakuneco’s realistic cat portraits — made using photographs of real cats as a reference — help owners deal with their loss. And while not all of her customers are owners looking for something special to remember their pets, many of her portraits are ordered as a means of copying.

Wakuneco currently offers her amazing wool felting skills through Yahoo Auctions, but only to Japanese customers. However, after photos of her amazingly detailed portraits spread quickly online, she did express her intention to start taking international orders in the near future. In the meantime, you can admire her amazing creations on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and watch videos of the creative process on YouTube.

For more amazing felted wool artworks, check out the creations of Gardenia Miru and Terumi Ohta, two other very talented Japanese artists, as well as the felted wool animal portraits of Dani Ives.

1. What does the author mean by saying the underlined sentence in Paragraph 1?

A．No one can do better than Wakuneco.

B．Wakuneco is too busy to be visited or invited.

C．It’s hard for you to get along well with Wakuneco.

D．You’ll find many other skillful persons like Wakuneco.

2. What do we know about the 3D cat portraits?

A．They’re widely considered as taxidermy masterpieces.

B．Their eyes are made of felted wool in most cases.

C．They’re made by modeling the pictures of authentic cats.

D．Their fur is taken from animals no longer alive.

3. What can be learned from the last two paragraphs?

A．Dani Ives’s wool animal portraits are gaining in popularity.

B．Only the Japanese can buy Wakuneco’s artworks for the time being.

C．Wakuneco decided to show her creative process on Twitter.

D．Wakuneco is unsure about selling her artworks internationally.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．3D Technology Used in Art.

B．Four Talented Japanese Artists.

C．Needle Felting: An Art in Danger.

D．Wakuneco’s Realistic 3D Cat Portraits.

7 . Until now, scientists haven’t been able to study the new rock on the moon.The new samples from Chang’e 5 will change this. They’re from near Mons Rümker, a volcanic mountain where the rock is thought to be much younger-- about 1 billion years old.

There are a lot of reasons scientists are eager to study this younger rock, one of which is that it could help us more precisely date not only the moon, but many rocky planets and other objects.

Here’s how that works: Scientists date lunar rock by using something called a chronology curve（年代学曲线）, says Jollliff, a scientists at Washington University in St. Louis. Basically, they estimate the age of the rock by counting the number of craters（火山口） in the area the rock comes from; those increase as objects strike the rock over time. To make this estimation, scientists need to match the number of craters to a precise age. Right now, they only have data points for lunar rock that is 3 to billion years old. Modern techniques can date the new sample extremely accurately, and once scientists know its precise age, they can add a valuable data point to their chronology curve. The dating system will also help us more accurately estimate the age of all sorts of objects in space, like rocky planets and other moons.

Another reason scientists are keen to study this young volcanic rock is to find out more about how volcanism works on the moon. Jollliff says that it’s unclear why there was volcanic activity on the moon for such a long period of time. Most of the moon; s volcanic activity, he says, is thought to have occurred 3 or 4 billion years ago, when the moon was still pretty young. But since the moon does not have plate structure, which drives volcanism on Earth, it’s unclear what could have caused much later volcanic activity. “That’s something that you can find out of the samples by studying them in the lab,” Jollliff says.

1. What does the underlined word “this” in paragraph 1 refer to?

A．The fact of being unable to study the new rock.

B．The new rock from near Mons Rümker.

C．One of the reasons to study the moon;s new rock.

D．The study of the moon’s younger rock.

2. Scientists research this younger rock because they can ________.

A．ensure there was volcanic activity on the moon.

B．more precisely date only the moon.

C．date lunar rock by using a chronology curve.

D．explore how volcanism works on the moon.

3. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．Scientistsare keen to study this young volcanic rock.

B．Scientists can’t know why volcanic activity exists on the moon.

C．The moon’s volcanic activity occurred 3 or 4 billion years ago.

D．It’s clear what could have caused much later volcanic activity.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．How scientists study the younger rock.

B．Why the research is important.

C．Why the younger rock is worth studying.

D．What scientists do to study the younger rock.

8 . More than half the world’s population live in cities, and by 2050 the UN expects that proportion to reach 68%. This means more homes, roads and other infrastructure. In India alone, a city the size of Chicago will have to be developed every year to meet demand for housing. Such a construction increase is a bad sign for dealing with climate change, because making steel and concrete, two of the most common building materials, generates around 8% of the world’s CO2 emissions (排放). If cities are to expand and become greener at the same time, they will have to be made from something else.

Wood is one of the most promising sustainable (可持续的) alternatives to steel and concrete. It is not, however, everyday wood that is attracting the interest of architects.

Rather, it is a material called engineered timber. This is a combination of different layers, each designed to meet the requirements of specific parts such as floors, panels and beams (横梁). Designers can use it to provide levels of strength like steel, in a product that is up to 80% lighter. In addition, engineered timber is usually made into large sections in a factory for future use, which reduces the number of deliveries to a construction site.

According to Michael Ramage of the University of Cambridge, a wooden building produces 75% less CO2 than a steel and concrete one of the same size. However, if building with wood takes off, it does raise concern about there being enough trees to go round. But with sustainably managed forests that should not be a problem, says Dr Ramage. A family-sized apartment requires about 30 cubic metres of timber, and he estimates Europe’s sustainable forests alone grow that amount every seven seconds. Nor is fire a risk, for engineered timber does not burn easily. Besides, fireproofing layers can be added to the timber. All in all, then, it looks as if wood as a building material may get a new lease of life.

1. Why is India mentioned in paragraph 1?

A．To point out the severe pollution.

B．To predict the population increase.

C．To indicate the high degree of urbanization.

D．To show the great need for building materials.

2. What can be learned about engineered timber?

A．It is produced at a low cost.

B．It hardly appeals to architects.

C．It helps save energy in transportation.

D．It possesses greater strength than steel.

3. What does the underlined phrase “takes off” in the last paragraph mean ?

A．Becomes cheaper.	B．Gains popularity.
C．Requires less work.	D．Proves sustainable.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Making Future Cities More Attractive

B．Living in a World with Less Emission

C．Building Sustainable Cities with Woods

D．Growing More Trees for Future Building