1 . Young children who have experienced compassionate (有同情心的) love and empathy (认同感) from their mothers may be more willing to turn thoughts into action by being generous to others, a University of California, Davis’ study suggests.

In lab studies, children tested at ages 4 and 6 showed more willingness to give up the tokens (代金券) they had earned to fictional children in need when two conditions were present—if they showed bodily changes when given the opportunity to share and had experienced positive parenting that modeled such kindness. The study initially included 74 preschool-age children and their mothers. They were invited back two years later, resulting in 54 mother-child pairs whose behaviors and reactions were analyzed when the children were 6.

“At both ages, children with better physiological regulation and with mothers who expressed stronger compassionate love were likely to donate more of their earnings,” said Paul Hastings, UC Davis professor of psychology. “Compassionate mothers likely develop emotionally close relationships with their children while also providing an early example of satisfying the needs of others,” researchers said in the study, published in November in Frontiers in Psychology” Emotion Science.

In each lab exercise, after attaching a monitor to record children’s heart-rate activity, the examiner told the children they would be earning tokens for a variety of activities, and that the tokens could be turned in for a prize. The tokens were put into a box, and each child eventually earned 20 prize tokens. Then before the session ended, children were told they could donate all or part of their tokens to other children.

Taken together, the findings showed that children’s generosity is supported by the combination of their socialization experiences—their mothers’ compassionate love—and their physiological regulation, and that these work like “internal and external supports for the ability to act prosocially that build on each other”.

In addition to observing the children’s propensity (习性) to donate their game earnings, Hastings suggested that “being in a calmer state after sharing could reinforce (加强) the generous behavior that produced that good feeling.”

1. How do young children loved by their mother tend to become in later years?

A．Considerate.	B．Emotional.
C．Generous.	D．Optimistic.

2. What is the second paragraph mainly about?

A．The process of the research.	B．The result of the experiment.
C．The reactions of the children.	D．The importance of Mom’s love.

3. According to Hastings, what factor could strengthen children’s good behaviors?

A．Their moms love them deeply.	B．They donate the tokens easily.
C．They behave physiologically.	D．They are calmer after sharing.

4. What is probably the best title of this passage?

A．What Contributes to Generosity?

B．The More You Give, the Calmer You Will Be

C．Do You Prefer to Receive or Give?

D．More Giving, Less Receiving

2 . A small bowl bought at a yard sale in Connecticut for just $ 35 has been identified as a rare 15th-century Chinese antique.

The blue-and-white bowl was made by China's royal court during the Ming dynasty. It is now expected to sell for up to $500,000, according to Sotheby's auction(拍卖)house in New York, where the auction will take place next month.

The purchase was made last year near New Haven, Connecticut. “I was just hanging around there aimlessly. But when I saw this bowl, I didn't even bargain over the $35 asking price,” the owner said. Shortly after the purchase, he sent photos of the bowl to auction specialists, who identified it as an item of historical significance.

Upon closer inspection, the artifact was found to have originated from the period of Yongle Emperor, who ruled from 1403 to 1424 - a period noted for its distinctive porcelain (瓷器)techniques. It's now valued between $300,000 and $500,000, with the top estimate nearly 14,300 times the amount it was purchased for.

“I was deeply attracted by the techniques. You can see why this bowl is so highly-valued from the very smooth porcelain body, silky glaze(上釉)and special blue coloring, which were never reproduced in later dynasties,” McAteer, an auction specialist, said.

“The Yongle Emperor improved the porcelain techniques and elevated the importance of porcelain from being an ordinary bowl into a true work of art. This small bowl has both practical and artistic value, ”McAteer said.

1. What can we infer about the bowl's owner?

A．He found the bowl by accident.

B．He hesitated during the purchase.

C．He doubted whether the bowl was real.

D．He bought the bowl because it was cheap.

2. What makes the bowl so precious?

A．The blue color on it.	B．The long history it has.
C．The people who made it.	D．The unique techniques used.

3. What does the underlined word “elevated” in Paragraph 6 probably mean?

A．Forsaw.	B．Promoted.
C．Assessed.	D．Acknowledged.

4. What's the best title of the text?

A．An Amazing Bowl	B．A Special Yard Sale
C．The Return of Porcelains	D．A Man Making Fortune

3 . In an incredible display of compassion and kindness, a man from Turkey was spotted trying to warm a pigeon in the most creative way.

Sabahattin Yılmaz was at home one chilly day. After a rain shower had passed, he noticed something landed on the sill (窗台) outside his window—a cold and wet pigeon. The animal was trembling and soaked; it clearly didn’t have the chance to seek shelter before the rain began. Feeling for the poor pigeon, Yılmaz thought of a way to dry him off.

Rather than pick him up and take him inside to warm up, Yılmaz plugged in a hairdryer and used it to dry off the bird. Little did he know that his neighbor captured the whole moment on video. In the video, Yılmaz can be seen leaning out of his window. He was stretching his arm as far as he can so the hot air can reach the pigeon. The bird willingly let the man warm him up, crouching (蹲伏) to let his outer feathers dry.

Yılmaz told the media that he spent about fifteen minutes drying off the bird. He said he had just opened his window when he saw the pigeon around the corner of the sill. He described it as wet and “about to freeze” from the cold and rainy weather.

After fifteen minutes, Yılmaz gave the pigeon birdseed, which he ate happily. However, the bird remained wet still. “I saw that it was still there so I warmed it up again, after the pigeon recovered again, and after eating a good amount of seed, it flew away,” Yılmaz recalled.

He also didn’t know that he was being recorded at the time and that the video was shared online. He simply did it out of the kindness of his heart. “The pigeon is a living creature and deserved to continue living, that is why I did it,” he said.

1. What is the text mainly about?

A．An online video about a pigeon became a hit.

B．A man warmed up a wet and cold pigeon.

C．A man invented a creative way to help birds.

D．A man lives in harmony with a pigeon.

2. What was the bird’s reaction to Sabahattin Yılmaz’s behavior?

A．It was scared and flew away.

B．It was annoyed and refused his help.

C．It was ready to accept his assistance.

D．It was happy to settle in his home.

3. What can we see from the video?

A．A man was filming Yılmaz’s kindness.

B．A pigeon was jumping back and forth when dried off.

C．Yılmaz was warming a pigeon in a novel way.

D．Yilmaz was stretching his arms to catch a pigeon.

4. Which of the following words can best describe Sabahattin Yılmaz?

A．Indifferent but creative.	B．Patient and ambitious.
C．Talented but careless.	D．Sympathetic and warm-hearted.

4 . Sophia Gholz is an award-winning children's book author, music lover. and magic seeker. Sophia enjoys writing fiction with humor and heart. When writing nonfiction, she pulls on her love of science and her family background in ecology.

Her book, The Boy Who Grew a Forest, shares the true story of Jadav Payeng, a man in India who single- bandedly planted an entire forest over the course of his lifetime. When he was younger, Jadav Payeng was shocked by the destruction of his island home. So he took matters into his own bands and began planting one seed at a time. Jadav's forest is now over 1300 acres and provides a home to many animals, some endangered. Jadav is still planting today and his hard work has now been celebrated around the world.

To write this story, Sophia got to know more about Jadav Payeng and his forest through a documentary film called Forest Man. Influenced by her father, a forest ecologist and a scientist, she grew up learning about the importance of trees and the natural world. When she heard about a man on a m1ssion to reforest an entire island on his own, she was drawn to this story.

As for research, most of her research was done online. She read every news article that she could find about Jadav and listened to every interview. Then she reached out to several people who had met or interviewed Jadav as well, including the producer of his short documentary film.

She hopes that The Boy Who Grew a Forest lights a spark in everyone who reads it to go out and care for our beautiful planet. She'd love young readers to be inspired to plant or to learn more about animal habitats, biodiversity and science in general.

1. What is the second paragraph mainly about?

A．A story on how to plant trees.	B．Endangered animals in the forest.
C．Destruction of Jadav's island home.	D．A book introducing a tree- planting hero.

2. What do we know about Jadav Payeng ?

A．He has quit planting recently.	B．He is known to many people. .
C．He was an actor of Forest Man.	D．He planted trees with his family.

3. Which words can best describe Jadav Payeng?

A．Humorous and skilled.	B．Creative and outgoing.
C．Determined and diligent.	D．Controversia1 and helpful.

4. What's the purpose of writing The Boy Who Grew a Forest?

A．To encourage research on wildlife.	B．To describe a boy's farming experience.
C．To stress the importance of planting trees.	D．To advocate the action to protect the earth.

5 . Light pollution is a significant but overlooked driver of the rapid decline of insect populations, according to the most comprehensive review of the scientific evidence to date.

Artificial light at night can affect every aspect of insects' lives, the researchers said. "We strongly believe artificial light at night — in combination with habitat loss, chemical pollution.invasive (入侵的) species, and climate change — is driving insect declines, " the scientists concluded after assessing more than 150 studies.

Insect population collapses have been reported around the world, and the first global scientific review published in February, said widespread declines threatened to cause a "catastrophic collapse of nature's ecosystems".

There are thought to be millions of insect species, most still unknown to science, and about half are active at night. Those active in the day may also be disturbed by light at night when they are at rest.

The most familiar impact of light pollution is moths (飞蛾) flapping around a bulb, mistaking it for the moon. Some insects use the polarisation of light to find the water they need to breed, as light waves line up after reflecting from a smooth surface. But artificial light can scupper (使泡汤) this. Insects are important prey (猎物) for many species, but light pollution can tip the balance in favour of the predator if it traps insects around lights. Such increases in predation risk were likely to cause the rapid extinction of affected species, the researchers said.

The researchers said most human-caused threats to insects have analogues in nature, such as climate change and invasive species. But light pollution is particularly hard for insects to deal with.

However, unlike other drivers of decline, light pollution is relatively easy to prevent. Simply turning off lights that are not needed is the most obvious action, he said, while making lights motion-activated also cuts light pollution. Shading lights so only the area needed is lit up is important. It is the same with avoiding blue-white lights, which interfere with daily rhythms. LED lights also offer hope as they can be easily tuned to avoid harmful colours and flicker rates.

1. What is discussed in the passage?

A．Causes of declining insect populations.

B．Consequences of insect population collapses.

C．Light pollution: the key bringer of insect declines.

D．Insect declines: the driver of the collapsed ecosystem.

2. What is the 5th paragraph mainly about?

A．How light travels in space.

B．How light helps insects find food.

C．How the food chain is interrelated.

D．How light pollution affects insects.

3. What does the underlined word"analogues"in Paragraph 6probably mean?

A．Selective things.

B．Similar things.

C．Variations.

D．Limitations.

4. What is the purpose of the last paragraph?

A．To offer solutions.

B．To give examples.

C．To make comparisons.

D．To present arguments.

6 . 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.

2. What does the new study by Harvard researchers mainly find?

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.

3. What are people with cold-prone brains like?

A．Beautiful and intelligent.	B．Emotional and dishonest.
C．Imaginative and sensitive.	D．Brave and strong-minded.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

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

7 . Most solar panels acquire sunlight from only one side, meaning they can acquire more or less of it depending on where the sun is in the sky. In recent years, they’ve become far more effective typically turning around 22 percent of the light they acquire into energy. In a new study published in the journal Joule on Tuesday, scientists put forth a way to increase that percentage even higher: double-sided solar panels that can move to follow the sun.

Basically, these panels can acquire sun from not only their sun-facing side but also from the light reflected off the ground onto their dark undersides. At the same time, a GPS allows them to move on an axis from east to west in order to always be pointed at a best angle to acquire the sun’s rays. Though double-sided solar panels and sun-following solar panels are both in use currently, models that combine the two technologies aren’t widely available for commercial use, Solar experts predict explosive growth in the market soon, though.

The study authors determined that these two-sided sun-tracking panels produce an average of 35 percent more energy than immobile single-panel systems, and are 16 percent more cost-efficient. That holds true even when accounting for changes in weather conditions.

“This means that investing in double-sided and tracking systems should be a safe bet for the foreseeable future, Carlos Rodriguez-Gallegos,” the study’s lead author said.

The same warnings for solar panels and their effect on the local environment apply to the double-sided, moving systems as well, if not more so. Lead used in solar panels can be one source of local pollution, and Dustin Mulvaney, an associate professor of environmental studies, told Earther in an email double-sided panels could mean “twice as much lead” as traditional solar systems.

Since these new panels are more energy efficient, they could save not only money but also land. That would require restructuring how solar contracts currently work.

1. What does most solar panels rely on to acquire sunlight?

A．The amount of sunlight.	B．The location of the sun.
C．The quality of solar panels.	D．The size of solar panels.

2. What does the underlined word “them” in the second paragraph refer to?

A．The sun’s rays.	B．The panels’ undersides.
C．The double-sided panels	D．The panels’ sun-facing sides.

3. What’s Carlos Rodriguez -Gallegos’ attitude towards the two-sided solar panels?

A．Uncertain.

B．Supportive.

C．Doubtful.

D．Subjective.

4. What’s the best title for the passage?

A．Double-Sided Solar Panels that Follow the Sun	B．Advantages of the Double-Sided Solar Panels
C．Application of the Double-Sided Solar Panels	D．New Trends of Double-Sided Solar Panels

8 . Have you ever loved a destination but couldn’t figure out why — or even a way ——to express your feelings? That’s my dilemma with Morocco.

In August, I traveled in a country that had long been, on my wish list. I rode a camel, got lost in Medinas, and ate more couscous (粗麦粉) than was humanly possible.

I loved the trip. Our friendly guide introduced us to the helpful locals. I made friends with my tour mates and my roommate (which, on a tour, is a huge blessing). I loved being lost in the smell of different spices, and the chaos of millions of people and the dark red of the Sahara were all I wanted them to be.

There were many moments when I felt like a fish out of water and things didn’t go my way. But I take pleasure in those moments because it’s when you are pushed out of your comfort zone that you grow. Morocco lived up to all my expectations, but for some reason, my experience has been hard to express. Why?

One constant in my travels is that of a touchstone, one defining point where the trip all comes together and acts as a prism (三棱镜) for everything the journey represented . In Costa Rica，it was getting lost in a jungle. In Thailand, it was meeting those five people who changed my life.

I’m so inconsistent about Morocco because I lack that touchstone. There’s no “whoa” moment. But I have thousands of little ones - staring at a million stars in the blackness of the desert, discovering new foods with some amazing Australians on my tour, and befriending the fish sellers.

1. What does the author regard as a huge blessing?

A．Going on a guided trip.

B．Having a helpful guide.

C．Being warmly received by the local people.

D．Getting along well with the fellow travelers.

2. What’s the purpose of the fifth paragraph?.

A．To prove Morocco lacks the touchstone.

B．To show his reliance on the touchstone.

C．To compare Morocco with Costa Rica and Thailand.

D．To share his experience in Costa Rica and Thailand.

3. What made the author think the journey amazing?

A．The lack of big moments.

B．The little “whoa” moments.

C．Meeting with five Thai people.

D．Making friends with Australians.

4. What does the author mainly talk about?

A．Unpleasant travel in Morocco.

B．Finding a touchstone on travel.

C．Reflection on traveling in Morocco.

D．Lack of special moments in Morocco.

9 . An 85-year-old primary school constructed in 1935 in Shanghai has been lifted off the ground in its entirety and relocated using new technology called the “walking machine.” The project marks the first time this “walking machine” method has been used in Shanghai to relocate a historical building.

Urbanization（都市化）has continued to significantly threaten architectural heritage. In the capital Beijing, for instance, more than 1,000 acres of its historic hutongs and traditional courtyard homes were destroyed between 1990 and 2010.

In the early 2000s, cities including Nanjing and Bejjing-due to the critics’ protest about the loss of old neighborhoods-drew up long-term plans to preserve what was left of their historic sites, with protections introduced to safeguard buildings and restrict developers.

These conservation efforts have taken different forms. In Beijing, a near-ruined temple was transformed into a restaurant and gallery, while in Nanjing, a cinema from the 1930s was restored to its original form, with some additions providing it for modern use. In 2019, Shanghai welcomed Tank Shanghai, an arts center built in renovated（重修的）oil tanks.

“Relocation is not the first choice, but better than destroying,” said Lan, the Shanghai primary school’s project supervisor. “I’d rather not touch the historical buildings at all.” Building relocations he said however, are “a workable option.” “The central government is putting more emphasis on the protection of historical buildings. I’m happy to see that progress in recent years.”

Shanghai has arguably been China’s most progressive city when it comes to heritage preservation. The survival of a number of 1930s buildings and 19th-century “shikumen” （or “stone gate”） house have offered examples of how to give old buildings new life.

“We have to preserve the historical building no matter what, ” Lan said. “The relocation has challenges, but in general, it is cheaper than destroying and then rebuilding something in a new location.”

1. How did cities respond to the loss of historical sites?

A．They criticized the developers.	B．They rebuilt the historic hutongs.
C．They ended the significant threat.	D．They proposed the protection project.

2. What does the underlined word “it” in Para. 4 refer to?

A．All original form.

B．A new addition.

C．A cinema.

D．A temple.

3. What does the author intend to do in Para. 6?

A．Provide strong evidence.	B．Introduce different opinions.
C．Summarize previous paragraphs.	D．Add some background information.

4. What’s the best title for the passage?

A．Walking Machine: a New Technology	B．Rebuilding: a New Option for Relics
C．Old Building Torn down for Modern Use	D．Historical Site “Walks” to New Life

10 . The winners of The Cultural City of East Asia in 2021 have been chosen, with four cities in China, Japan and South Korea winning the title, the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced on Sunday.

Shaoxing of East China’s Zhejiang Province, Dunhuang in Northwest China’s Gansu Province, Suncheon in South Korea and Kitakyushu in Japan were selected through votes held in their respective countries in 2020. Choosing Dunhuang and Shaoxing at the same time marks the first time that one country has selected two cities in the program.

These four cities are major cultural landmarks in their respective countries. Dunhuang was a major stop on the ancient Silk Road and is best known for its nearby Mogao Grottoes, which contain some of the finest examples of Buddhist art from a period extending 1, 000 years. Suncheon is an eco－city in South Korea that is a major agricultural and industrial center and also known for Suncheon Bay. Kitakyushu city was formed in 1963 through a combination of five big cities centered around the ancient city of Kokura. It is also where the already delayed 12th meeting of the three countries’ culture ministers will be held in 2021. Suncheon and Kitakyushu also won The Cultural City of East Asia in 2020.

These four cities are active centers for art and cultural communication. According to the announcement, the four cities will work closely together to promote cultural development and prosperity in East Asia through sustained cultural cooperation and close exchanges, and will jointly support the preparation and hosting of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo in 2021 and the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Beijing in 2022.

The “The Cultural City of East Asia” program was created based on an agreement reached at a meeting of ministers of culture from Japan, China, and South Korea in 2013. Every year one or two cities in each country are selected with the aim to develop their ties through culture and arts; those cities host a variety of cultural and artistic events to introduce traditional and modern arts and culture as well as different lifestyles to visitors.

1. What’s special about the selection of The Cultural City of East Asia in 2021?

A．All the cities were on the list for the first time.

B．All the cities are well－known all over the world.

C．Two cities of one country were selected in a year.

D．Three countries work together to make the selection.

2. In which city will the 12th meeting of the culture ministers be held?

A．Shaoxing.

B．Dunhuang.

C．Suncheon.

D．Kitakyushu.

3. What’ s paragraph 4 mainly about?

A．The culture of the four cities.	B．The mission of the four cities.
C．The history of the four cities.	D．The comparison of the four cities.

4. What’s the initial purpose of the “The Cultural City of East Asia” program?

A．To preserve local traditional arts, culture and lifestyles.

B．To support the preparation and hosting of the Olympics.

C．To strengthen the city relationship through culture and arts.

D．To host various cultural and artistic events to attract visitors.