1 . My life as a tax-paying employed person began in middle school, when, for three whole days, I worked on an assembly (装配) line. My best friend Betsy’s father was an executive (管理者) at Hough Bakeries, which, at special festivals, made little rabbit-shaped cakes for all its stores. The plant downtown needed eight kids for temporary help, and the shift (轮班) fell over spring break, during which I had no plans. Cake? I loved cake-icing especially. I’d earn minimum wage. I’d see how a factory worked. My parents thought all of this was a grand idea for a girl like me and called Betsy’s dad with their permission.
Our roles on the line were simple: Place cakes on conveyor belt. Attach icing ears. Apply icing eyes and nose. Remove the cakes from belt; place onto trays. This was harder than it sounds. With your mind wandering, the cakes pile up. As I told my parents that first night, it was all a little more high-pressure than I’d expected. Dad smiled. This was the sort of work that made you appreciate the money you earned, he told me. And if your feet hurt or the minutes felt like hours, well then that was just motivation to keep those grades up and get that college education.
And the icing? We kids were allowed to eat as much as we wanted. By noon the first day, I could barely look at the stuff. To borrow a favorite phrase from my father: The executives weren’t born yesterday.
1. Why did the writer decide to take the job?| A．To earn lots of money. |
| B．To enjoy her spring break. |
| C．To help Betsy’s father temporarily. |
| D．To learn of the operation of the plant. |
| A．The writer found the job simple. |
| B．The job needed great concentration. |
| C．The writer quit the job the first night. |
| D．Father laughed at the writer’s performance. |
| A．Inspiring. | B．Doubtful. | C．Critical. | D．Sympathetic. |
| A．She found the icing ugly. | B．She was tired from the work. |
| C．She had eaten too much icing. | D．She felt depressed with the job. |
2 . A new product from Google may help people solve their sleep problems, but some privacy rights groups are concerned.
Google showed off its newest Nest Hub home assistant device on Tuesday. In addition to recognizing your voice, showing pictures, videos, news and weather, it can also track your sleep. The basic model costs about $100 and the sleep-tracking technology will be available for free for the rest of 2021. The sleep tracker makes Google’s product different from a similar home assistant from Amazon. If you put the Nest Hub beside your bed, it can follow how you sleep. That is because of a new computer chip called Soli, which can sense motion. Some people may like the new technology because they would not have to wear another device to bed. Some companies make products people can wear on their wrist to track their sleep.
Google says the new Nest Hub will create reports each week that show how long and how well a person sleeps. It will also show if they snore, cough or wake up often. The company said it studied 15,000 people over the course of 110,000 nights to develop the technology.
For people who want to know more about their sleep, the device sounds like a good idea. But, people who pay attention to privacy are worried what Google might do with the information it is gathering. Jeff Chester is one of those people. He is the director of the Center for Digital Democracy. “Google’s goal is to monetize every cell of your body,” he said.
Google recently bought FitBit, a company that makes a health tracker people can wear on their wrist. Some technology experts think Google may find a way for the Nest Hub to work with the FitBit.
Google says the sleep tracker has a lot of privacy protections. For example, it will only work if the user turns it on. The company said it will not use a person’s sleep information to try to sell advertising. But Chester said he is not so sure that promise will be kept.
1. Which is true about the Google’s new Nest Hub?| A．It’s the first device to track people’s sleep. |
| B．It has some functions as a home assistant. |
| C．It can be available for free for the rest of 2021. |
| D．It is the same as a health tracker produced by FitBit. |
| A．Because private information may be let out. |
| B．Because the sleeping problems can’t be solved. |
| C．Because sleep may be interrupted. |
| D．Because sleeping reports may be created each week. |
| A．Make money on. | B．Keep track of. | C．Take care of. | D．Give away. |
| A．Google’s New Soli |
| B．Google’s sleep problem solver |
| C．Google’s Newest Nest Hub |
| D．A Sleep Tracker |
3 . Savannah Family Vacation Package
Bring your whole family to Savannah for a vacation adventure that combines sightseeing with a show at Savannah’s most historic theatre and three nights’ lodging in the exciting Savannah Family Vacation Package!
Prices Starting at:
Ages 19 and Up: $150.00
Ages 13—19: $50.00
Ages 4—12: $20.00
Ages 0—3: Free
Historical Attractions in Savannah
Savannah is a beautiful city, as well as one of the most historic in the United States, Here, visitors will enjoy Southern history and culture. Head out on any one of the remarkable activities offered to experience some fun. Plus, the city is full of historic sites to explore.
About the Included Savannah Theatre Musical Production
Savannah Theatre has brilliant architecture and is known for being a top theater with a state-of-the-art sound and light system and talented performers. At this theater you can experience a high-energy and interesting musical or a two-hour variety show in an unforgettable performance! The possibilities are endless with the Historic Savannah Theatre, as the show changes throughout the year. During November and December, guests will get to experience the Christmas production.
About the Included Savannah Old Town Trolley Tour
Guests will also be able to board upon the Savannah Old Town Trolley Tour. The trolley tour gives guests a comfortable and fun way to see the city in style. Though the guided tour lasts approximately 90 minutes, guests will be able to hop on or hop off at a mass of locations including the City Market, Sorrel-Weed House, and Massie Heritage Museum. With transportation taken care of, guests can simply focus on seeing the best that Savannah has to offer.
1. How much should a couple with their five-year-old twins pay for this tour?| A．$170.00. | B．$190.00. | C．$340.00. | D．$400.00. |
| A．Its sound and light system. | B．Its high-quality musical. |
| C．Its changeable show. | D．Its Christmas production. |
| A．A historical book. | B．A travel website. |
| C．A guide to Savannah. | D．A fashion magazine. |
4 . Smartphones, tablets and other digital devices can be addictive. They affect sleep. They draw kids into an alternate universe, often distracting（使分心）them from more productive-and healthier-real-world activities. And they are often linked to anxiety and depression, learning disabilities and obesity（肥胖）. Yet for many teenagers, cellphones and social media are also absolutely necessary tools for planning their social lives, keeping up with schoolwork and staying in touch with out-of-town friends and relatives.
How can parents make the most of the constructive uses of screen-based technology while minimizing its harmful effects？
The key is helping kids use technology as a tool, not a toy, “where there’s some purpose other than the medication of boredom,” says Jim Taylor, a psychologist and author of the book Raising Generation Tech：Preparing Your Children for a Media-fueled World. Taylor, like many other medical and mental health professionals, advises parents to set limits and stick to them. They should restrict the amount of time their kids spend on devices, create tech-free zones-no cellphones in their bedrooms, for example-and tech-free times, such as at the dinner table, in restaurants and on family outings.
Perhaps the best thing you can do is serve as a good role model by exhibiting the same online behavior you expect of your children, says Dr. Elias Aboujaoude, a Stanford University psychiatrist. “If parents are breaking their own rules,” Aboujaoude says, “kids cannot be expected to behave differently.”
Chad Landgraf, 44, of Oklahoma, told me he was worried about how addicted his 12-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter became when they were on their devices. So, hoping to set an example, he switched from e-books to old-fashioned print. “When I had my Kindle or ipad open, they. didn’t know if I was reading or surfing the net,” Landgraf says. “But at least if I have a paper copy of a book, they know I am reading. Modeling seems like the easiest way.”
1. What may be the result of children’s using digital devices?| A．Health improvement. | B．Free creation. |
| C．Sleep disorder. | D．Good conduct |
| A．Killing time by using screen-based technology. |
| B．Forbidding kids using smartphones. |
| C．Setting clear boundaries for kids. |
| D．Restricting tech-free family time. |
| A．He was afraid of becoming addicted. | B．He expected to be a role model. |
| C．He was tired of surfing the net. | D．He preferred paper copies of books. |
| A．Parenting in a digital world | B．Learning to be intelligent parents |
| C．Using smart devices wisely | D．Helping children behave themselves |
5 . Each year, about 250 billion to-go cups serve coffee and tea from places like Starbucks and McDonald’s are produced to satisfy the world’s love for hot drinks on the run. These paper-based cups have the inside surface covered with plastic to prevent water from escaping, and keep water from being absorbed into the material. Despite this, that also removes any opportunity for the cups to be biodegradable (可生物降解的).
The materials that created these cups of goodness and convenience are recyclable but only if separated. In addition, the demand for such resources is low, so they are worth next to nothing.
In response to this great challenge, NextGen Consortium, multi-year partnership led by Starbucks and McDonald’s launched their first big initiative (倡议)—NextGen Cup. The first step in NextGen Cup was an open competition where participants presented ideas for sleeves, cups, lids and other parts of the hot-cold paper-based takeaway coffee cup that would make it reusable, recyclable, or biodegradable; to finally be widely used. 12 winners, announced in 2019, shared a prize of $1 million, as well as personalized growth, and support from members of NextGen Consortium.
Later, they launched two pilot programs at independent coffee shops in California. In one case, customers were given “smart” reusable cups made mostly from recyclable plastic. They then could drop their empties into collection containers at key locations, for washing and reuse. These cups were printed with RFID chips or QR codes, through which coffee shops can know where there is the greatest need for collection containers and how many are not using them.
To reduce coffee cup waste, Cup Club is already replacing millions of takeaway cups in the UK, while Recup in Germany, has performed a deposit system that simply adds a small extra fee to any coffee cup which is returned to the buyer after the cup is deposited in any registered collection point.
1. What can we say about the paper-based cups?| A．They can absorb water easily. | B．They are not popular in life. |
| C．They can’t be easily recycled. | D．They are attractive in low price. |
| A．Separating recyclable materials from the cups. |
| B．Making the cups green and easily available. |
| C．Reducing the unnecessary parts of the cups. |
| D．Gaining the support from their partners. |
| A．Knowing about customers’ preference for coffee shops. |
| B．Collecting the information on which shop is empty. |
| C．Helping choose where customer can drink coffee. |
| D．Making the recycling of cups more efficient. |
| A．A collection point. | B．A deposit system. |
| C．A small extra fee. | D．Any coffee cup. |
6 . Because the commercial internet has been developed with so little regard for privacy, tech companies have been able to turn personal data into considerable profits, raising billions of dollars off their ability to collect and sell information about anyone who has wandered within shouting distance of their software. This week, Google announced a step in the right direction-but not a huge step, nor one that will stop Google from continuing to collect immense amounts of personal data.
At issue is how online companies track internet users as they browse (浏览) from site to site online, typically through cookies (information that a website leaves in your computer so that the website will recognize you when you use it again). The most harmful version, “third-party” cookies, is the web alternative of a company posting security guards across the internet to monitor what you do, even when you’re on other companies’ sites.
Google declared in a blog post Wednesday that it would no longer use or support third-party cookies, nor would it create or use any other technology that tracks individual users across the web. Given that Google is a main supplier of online advertising technology, its change in approach will impact far and wide.
That’s welcome news, although with huge amounts of warning. As Lee Tien of the Electronic Frontier Foundation noted, third-party cookies were already on the retreat, with Apple and other makers of popular web browsers moving to block them. Meanwhile, Google, Facebook and other Big Tech companies continue to collect personal information in large quantities from people who use their sites and services through first-party cookies and similar techniques.
The concerns about personal data collection are the same whether it’s being collected through first-party or third-party techniques, said Michelle Richardson of the Center for Democracy and Technology. “Companies may use the information to discriminate among internet users, offering different goods, services and even prices to different users.”
Instead of helping advertisers track individuals, Google says, it is improving a technology that assigns users namelessly to large groups with common interests. That’s an improvement, even though it too may be at risk of abuse. But why do any form of tracking at all? Privacy advocates say pitches (兜售) can be targeted effectively by basing them on where the user is at the moment, not where he or she has browsed previously online.
Ultimately, lawmakers are going to have to lay down regulations giving people far more control over whether and how personal information is used online. Ideally the federal (联邦的) government will set a strong floor under online privacy protections, but until then it will be up to state lawmakers or voters to act, as this state has done with its groundbreaking online privacy laws. It’s good to see Google move the ball forward, but there’s much farther to go.
1. What does the underlined phrase “on the retreat” in Para 4 most probably mean?| A．Exposed. | B．Removed. | C．Emerging. | D．Fading. |
| A．is developing new technologies to stop data collection |
| B．refuses to work with companies tracking privacy |
| C．intends to abandon its advertising technologies |
| D．resolves to stop the use of third-party cookies |
| A．are still collecting personal information |
| B．are blocked by big companies like Apple |
| C．are mainly used by advertising companies |
| D．are less concerning than third-party cookies |
| A．It is less satisfactory than expected. |
| B．It needs to be more forceful to be effective. |
| C．It will accelerate the disappearance of cookies. |
| D．It has driven lawmakers to make new regulations. |
7 . Windows are a key component in a building's design, but they are also the least energy- efficient part. According to a 2009 report by the United Nations, buildings account for 40 percent of global energy usage, and windows are responsible for half of that energy consumption. If conventional windows are used to better block sunlight passing into a building, they need expensive coatings. Even so, they can not adjust the indoor temperature effectively.
Scientists at the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU) have developed a smart liquid window panel that can help. By creating a mixture of micro-hydrogel (水凝胶), water, and a stabilizer, they found that it can effectively reduce energy consumption in a variety of climates. Thanks to the hydrogel, the mixture becomes hard-to-see- through when exposed to heat, thus blocking sunlight, and, when cool, it returns to its original clear state. The high heat capacity of water allows a large amount of heat energy to be stored instead of getting transferred through the glass and into the building during the hot daytime when office buildings mainly operate. The heat will then be gradually cooled and released at night when the staff are off duty.
As a proof of concept, the scientists conducted outdoor tests in hot (Singapore, Guangzhou) and cold (Beijing) environments. The Singapore test revealed that the smart liquid window had a lower temperature (50°C) during the hottest time of the day (noon) compared to a normal glass window (84°C), The Beijing tests showed that the room using the smart liquid window consumed 11 percent less energy to maintain the same temperature compared to the room with a normal glass window. They also measured when the highest value of stored heat energy of the day occurred. This "temperature peak" in the normal glass window was 2 pm, and in the smart liquid window was shifted to 3 pm. If this temperature peak shift leads to a shift in the time when a building needs to draw on electrical power to cool or warm the building, it should result in lower energy charges for users. The research team is seeking ways to cut down the cost of producing the smart window and so far, they have found several industry partners to commercialize it.
1. What is the disadvantage of conventional windows?| A．They are expensive. |
| B．They are not heatproof. |
| C．They contribute less to energy saving. |
| D．They can't block light into the building. |
| A．By taking in much of heat energy. |
| B．By returning to its original clear state. |
| C．By getting most of sunlight transferred. |
| D．By spreading sunlight in different directions. |
| A．It will make the windows long-lasting. |
| B．It could help the building users reduce costs. |
| C．It makes the buildings rely on no electrical power. |
| D．It helps the windows maintain a constant temperature. |
| A．It will be unaffordable. |
| B．It needs to be further improved. |
| C．It will be widely used in the city. |
| D．It will come onto the market soon. |
8 . Pre-College Program Courses
The Harvard Pre-College Program will be hosting all courses online for Summer 2021. To encourage interactive learning, class sizes are small and typically range from 12 to 18 students. In this collegial setting, you will practice the art of healthy debates, learn to communicate clearly on complex topics, and deliver presentations on your own research, all under the guidance of Harvard instructors for a true Ivy League experience. At the end of the program, you will receive a written evaluation from your instructor, as well as a Harvard transcript with a grade of AR or NM （"requirements met" or "requirements not met"）. Please note: You need to attend every online class in its entirety to receive a passing grade of "Met All Requirements".
Course: Care in Critical Times
• Jul 5 —Aug 16, Mon. to Thurs., 8:30 — 11:00 am
• Andrea Wright
What is care? How can and do communities encourage care as a tool for building healing, and hope? This course requires students to not only ask how they might engage in caring acts with their own communities, but to complete a locally based community project that brings care.
Course: Introduction to neuroscience
• Jul 7 — Jul 25, Wed. to Fri., Noon — 3:00 pm
• Grace Francis
This course is an introduction to the nervous system, with emphasis on the structure and function of the human brain.
Course: College Writing
• Jul 1 — Jul 22, Thurs. to Sat., 8:00 — 11:30 am
• Martin T. Greenup
This course introduces students to college writing by taking them through the steps required to complete a five — page analytic essay. Students read a range of classic and contemporary short stories, and develop strategies for careful close reading via class discussion and in-class exercises.
Course: The Economics of Cities
• Jun 17 — Jul 29, Sun. to Thurs., 3:15 — 6:15 pm
• Thomas Shay Hill
What causes cities to grow, and what limits their growth? What are the costs of urban living, and how can they be overcome? We examine a range of major urban issues from an economic view: traffic and transportation; water, public health and the role of cities in generating economic growth and technological innovation.
1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?| A．To offer an overview of the program. |
| B．To introduce the program instructors. |
| C．To present the contents of the guidance. |
| D．To explain the requirements of the courses. |
| A．Care in Critical Times. | B．College Writing. |
| C．Introduction to neuroscience. | D．The Economics of Cities. |
| A．Andrea Wright's. | B．Grace Francis's. |
| C．Martin T. Greenup's. | D．Thomas Shay Hill's. |
9 . Welcome to the International Science Drama Competition 2022
This competition is an annual event aimed to promote science through drama. It involves teams from Singapore and overseas, and will be a great opportunity for you to showcase your talents on an international level.
What is the theme for the International Science Drama Competition 2022?
The theme for 2022 is “Sustainable Agriculture for a Better Future”.
Your performance should combine scientific content and drama. Examples of some possible topics include but are not limited to the following:
Farming using renewable energy sources
Hydroponics(水栽培)and Aquaponics(养种共生)
Food security
Protecting the environment as we meet society's food and textile needs
How do I participate in the International Science Drama Competition 2022?
Junior Category
All participants must be age 12 or below, excluding teachers or adults who can help as backstage crew.
Open Category
Teams will compete in this category when at least one member is above age 12.
Short Films Category
There is no age limit for participants. You may participate with your friends, families or community groups. You may represent your school or an organization or just form a team and compete on your own.
Mark your calendars!
| Date | Programme |
| March 8,2022 | Submission of Entry Forms |
| May 5,2022 | Video Submission Deadline |
| May 19,2022 | Announcement of Shortlisted Finalists' Videos |
| June 7,2022 | Video Submission Deadline for Finalists |
| June 14~23,2022 | LIVE Online Polling of Finalists' Videos |
| June 28,2022 | Results Announcement |
| July ~ September,2022 (Date to be confirmed) | GRAND FINALS! (Online) |
1. What do we know about the competition?
| A．Its theme is limited to four topics. |
| B．It's held in many different countries. |
| C．It's intended to promote science through drama. |
| D．Its participants will go from one category to another. |
| A．You must have an adult coach. |
| B．You must represent your school. |
| C．At least one member is above age 12. |
| D．All participants must be age 12 or below. |
| A．By March 8, 2022. | B．By June 7, 2022. |
| C．By June 28, 2022. | D．By September 14, 2022. |
10 . Buying toothpaste can raise all sorts of questions. Which brand? Do I want whitening? Are my teeth sensitive?
A question you may not ask yourself is why the toothpaste tube comes in a cardboard box. After all, the tube is what actually holds the toothpaste. It would be like putting shampoo or shaving cream into an additional package.
A Change. org petition is asking that same question while encouraging toothpaste manufacturers to abandon the cardboard box, thinking it is kind of waste.
Toothpaste boxes do look good on the shelf, and it’s almost certainly easier to package, ship and stock toothpaste that way. In the 1995 book “Waste Age and Recycling Times: Recycling Handbook,” the editor explains that toothpaste boxes provide information about the product, serve a marketing function, protect the tube and prevent theft. The book also says the boxes are “often made from recycled paperboard,” providing a market for wastepaper in addition to packaging for a tube.
We can recycle the tubes (and your toothbrushes, for that matter), but it’s not easy. Since products have to be cleaned before they can be recycled—this is why you can’t recycle a cheese-riddled pizza box—it’s unlikely you can just toss the tube in your city’s recycling bin with wastepaper and glass bottles. There’s still toothpaste stuck inside the tube, after all. Plus, toothpaste tubes are often more than one type of material fused together, and that requires special machinery to separate them.
So what can you do if you really want to clean your teeth and keep the environment clean, too? Well, you can make your own toothpaste—some websites offer recipes that are easy to learn at home—and cut out the tubes and the unnecessary packaging entirely. You could also try something like Bite, a toothpaste-pill delivery service focused on making toothpaste healthier and more sustainable. You bite down on a cube, then brush with a wet toothbrush. Foamy(泡沫) toothpaste goodness occurs. The pills come in a recyclable glass jar and all the mail packaging is recyclable as well.
1. Why do people feel normal when they see the toothpaste tube in a cardboard box?| A．The toothpaste brings benefits. |
| B．The toothpaste is similar to shampoo. |
| C．The tube is what actually holds the toothbrush. |
| D．The cardboard box usually holds the toothpaste tube. |
| A．They look out of place. |
| B．They aren’t recyclable. |
| C．They are difficult to pack up. |
| D．They are useful in providing information. |
| A．Make toothpaste yourself. |
| B．Throw your toothpaste. |
| C．Ask Bite for better advice. |
| D．Buy some pills in place of toothpaste. |
| A．A personal diary. | B．A public guidebook. |
| C．An online report. | D．A fashion magazine. |
