1 . It was the homecoming parade in Rockwall, Texas, and cheerleader Tyra Winters was riding on one of the school’s floats (彩车). As it slowly made its way down the avenue, the 17-year-old enthusiastically waved at the crowd, all the while absorbed in the music, laughter, and applause.
Suddenly, a terrible scream came from the cheering crowd. Looking down, Winters saw a two-year-old on the sidewalk gasping for air and his mother desperately begging for help. The boy had been enjoying a piece of candy when it slid down the back of his mouth, sticking in his throat and blocking his windpipe (气管).
“I saw a little bright red face and his mom’s begging for help,” Winters told KTVT.
“There was no coughing; there was no breathing,” the mother, Nicole Hornback, later told news station NBCDFW. “He was just gasping for air. ” No one seemed to know how to help.
Except for Winters. A senior with dreams of becoming a doctor, she had learned the first-aid method of Heimlich maneuver and CPR. Knowing that the clock was ticking, she jumped off the moving float and ran to the child. By the time she got to him, his face had turned purple. “I got him!” she yelled to Nicole as she grabbed the boy from her. “I held him face down and gave a good three back pushes,” she told the local CBS station. Soon, the boy coughed up the piece of candy, and began breathing again. Without another word, Winters handed the boy back to his mother and ran back to her float before it could leave her behind.
It all happened so fast. Nicole never had time to thank the teen. “She didn’t need to,” says Winters. “I knew how she was feeling. I saw her tears. I saw her face. ”
And for Nicole, she says, “I don’t really have any words,” she says. “The words that you would say to anyone who does something for you is ‘thank you. ’ But that doesn’t seem good enough. ”
1. It can be learned from paragraphs 1-4 that ________.| A．the cheering crowd ignored the scream for help |
| B．Winters panicked at the mother’s desperate cry |
| C．the mother gave the boy first aid but in vain |
| D．the little boy choked on a piece of candy |
| A．Her dream of being a doctor. | B．Her timely rescue of the boy. |
| C．Her enthusiasm for the parade. | D．Her cooperation with the crowd. |
| A．The media’s attention to the matter left her at a loss. |
| B．The crowd’s concern for the boy deeply touched her. |
| C．Her memory of the unexpected incident made her speechless. |
| D．Her gratitude for Winters’ heroic actions was beyond expression. |
2 . Humans have little difficulty recognizing one another. And we know that no two faces are exactly alike. Even identical twins have slightly different faces. Each human face is truly unique, and now we've invented machines that are able to recognize faces for numerous purposes.
Governments, employers and security and police services are increasingly using facial recognition technology. This allows them to quickly confirm an individual's identity. Systems are becoming so advanced that a wanted criminal can instantly be picked out of a crowd of thousands of people. All that's required is an image in a database to compare with the image of any number of people in a crowd. Ordinary people, too, are using facial recognition to unlock their phones, their computers and other devices.
Personal facial recognition protection has several benefits. It is instantaneous, and it relieves us of the need to memorize passwords. However, a device will require a password in the rare event that it doesn't, for whatever reason, recognize the user's face.
There are numerous concerns about the use of facial recognition. Primarily, the concern is that it threatens privacy. The installation of more and more cameras in public and private places is now part of everyday life. This means people can be observed and recognized wherever they go. Cameras may make public spaces safer, but keeping law-abiding(守法的) citizens under constant watch is disturbing to many.
In the age of the coronavirus and the widespread wearing of masks, facial recognition systems are having some difficulty. A mask covers many of the facial data points used by recognition software to confirm a person's identity. In response, facial recognition systems are being trained to use less facial data. That could affect how dependable it is as a method of identity detection.
1. What's the author's purpose of writing Paragraph 2?| A．To further explain the importance of facial recognition. |
| B．To describe the powerful functions of facial recognition. |
| C．To list in detail various advantages of facial recognition. |
| D．To state the unique advanced features of facial recognition. |
| A．The cameras may be occasionally out of order. |
| B．Too many cameras disturb people's daily life. |
| C．People's personal life might be exposed to others. |
| D．The cameras make law-abiding citizens feel stressful. |
| A．Getting more accurate with less information. |
| B．Becoming faster with more facial data. |
| C．Protecting personal information if necessary. |
| D．Responding more quickly to unexpected events. |
| A．The wide popularity of facial recognition. |
| B．The rapid development of facial recognition. |
| C．The benefits of facial recognition. |
| D．The introduction to facial recognition. |
3 . He lived his whole life as a poor man.His art and talent were recognized by almost no one.He suffered from a mental illness that led him to cut off part of his left ear in 1888 and to shoot himself two years later.But after his death, he achieved world fame.Today, Dutch artist Van Gogh is recognized as one of the leading artists of all time.
Now,150 years after his birth on March 30,1853, Zundert, the town of his birth，has made 2003 “The Van Gogh Year” in his honor.And the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam，home to the biggest collection of his masterpieces, is marking the anniversary with exhibitions throughout the year.The museum draws around 1．3 million visitors every year.Some people enjoy the art and then learn about his life.Others are interested in his life, which then helps them understand his art.
Van Gogh was the son of a pastor.He left school when he was just 15．By the age of 27, he had already tried many jobs including an art gallery salesman and a French teacher.Finally in 1880, he decided to begin his studies in art.
Van Gogh is famed for his ability to put his own emotions into his paintings and show his feelings about a scene.His style is marked by short, broad brush strokes (绘画笔法).“Instead of trying to reproduce exactly what I have before my eyes, I use color more freely, in order to express myself more forcibly，” he wrote in a letter to his brother in 1888．
Van Gogh sold only one painting during his short life.He relied heavily on support from his brother, an art dealer who lived in Paris.But now his works are sold for millions of dollars.His portrait of Dr.Gacher sold for $89．5 million in 1990．It is the highest price ever paid for a painting.“I think his paintings are powerful and the brilliant color in them are attractive to people，” said a Van Gogh’s fan.
1. All through his life Van Gogh ________.| A．depended on his brother |
| B．worked hard on art studies |
| C．was not recognized by people |
| D．expressed himself in paintings |
| A．the likeness between his paintings and the reality |
| B．the short time for him to complete a painting |
| C．the various styles mixed together |
| D．the special strokes he made |
| A．his powerful art came from his poor life |
| B．his fellow townsmen regret treating him unfairly |
| C．all his paintings were drawn in the last 10 years of his life |
| D．most of his paintings are kept in the museum of his hometown |
4 . On a steamy July day in Bayonet Point, Florida, Gene Work and his brotherinlaw, Mark Rouco, were renewing Gene’s lawn.It had grown brown and patchy in the heat, and the homeowners’ association had threatened to heavily fine him if the situation wasn’t improved.The new sod(草皮) was sitting in the driveway on four pallets, but the job was slowgoing.Gene, then 40, wasn’t feeling right.He went inside to take a break and collapsed on the couch, clutching his chest.His wife,Melissa Work, called 911 quickly.
Even though he was staring down death, Gene had one thing on his mind:that lawn.If the sod wasn’t put down that day,it would die.“While he was having his heart attack, literally in and out of consciousness,he kept begging me to have it put down because he didn’t want it to go to waste,” Melissa wrote in a Facebook post.
Soon Pasco County Fire Rescue arrived and took Gene and Melissa to the hospital,leaving Rouco behind to tackle the yard.Within an hour,he had managed to remove the old grass.He was about to lay the new sod,which he feared would take him well into the night,when two emergency vehicles appeared.Seven men—the same ones who had treated his brother—got out.Gene had told them how badly he’d wanted to get the sod down,so they had returned to help.The job was done in under two hours.
Meanwhile, Gene had surgery to insert stents(支架) in his heart,alleviating a potentially deadly blockage.He’s home now,fully recovered—and enjoying his beautiful lawn.
The Works are still amazed that those EMTs(Emergency medical technician) went above and beyond their job description.“These men,” Melissa told tampabay.com，“saved Gene’s life,and then came back to save his grass.That’s just so awesome.”
1. Why did Gene want to renew his lawn?| A．It was in bad condition. |
| B．He was fined by the association. |
| C．The sod grew too slowly. |
| D．He disliked the color of the lawn. |
| A．perform their duties |
| B．help with Gene’s lawn |
| C．check Gene’s house |
| D．send Gene back from hospital |
| A．Removing. | B．Causing. |
| C．Easing. | D．Expanding. |
5 . Imagine standing on one spot where the only direction is south. You can experience it if you join a group of just 128 passengers for your tip to the pole of the world. Your icebreaker ship, 50 Years of Victory, will take you to the North Pole, which is more commonly associated （联系） with fairy tales.
Days 1&2--From Helsinki to Murmansk
Your adventure begins from Helsinki, Finland’s capital. From Helsinki, you’ll join your fellow passengers on the flight to Murmansk, Russia, where you’ll start your voyage to the North Pole and get to know 50 Years of Victory.
Days 3-6--Travelling towards the north in the Arctic Ocean
Being on Victory and feeling the icebreaker as it cuts through the Arctic pack ice is an experience you’ll never forget. You’ll have plenty of time to get to know your shipmates, and be treated to lectures and discussions about the trip by Our expedition （远征） team while seeing various birds. There are other things you can do, such as swimming and playing basketball.
Day7--90°North
Take photos, call your family and wave a flag; just be sure to enjoy your moment at the pole. If environmental conditions permit, you can jump into the icy waters around the North Pole. We’ll also attempt to send passengers high above the pole in our hot-air balloon to celebrate this great moment (highly weather dẹpendent).
Days 8 & 9--Travelling towards the south in the Arctic Ocean
As you head further south, you may get lucky and spot polar bears hunting for seals.
Days 10 & 11--Franz Josef Land
This group of 191 islands lies entirely within the Arctic Circle. Here you’ll explore Cape Flora and discover historic remains from three ill-fated arctic adventures.
Days 12 & 13--Getting off Victory in Murmansk and flying to Helsinki
When you return to Murmansk, it will be time to say goodbye to 50 Years of Victory. You’ll be sent to the airport for your flight to Helsinki.
1. What can passengers do from Day 3 to Day 6?| A．Break the pack ice in the Arctic. | B．Get to know more about the trip. |
| C．Feed a variety of birds on board. | D．Compete with your shipmates in skiing. |
| A．Taking a hot-air balloon ride. | B．Sending passengers deep into the icy waters. |
| C．Contacting your family by telephoning. | D．Waving flags and taking photos in the wind. |
| A．From Day 3 to Day 6. | B．From Day 8 to Day9. |
| C．On-Days 10 & 11. | D．On Days 12 & 13. |
6 . The Globe was built in 1599 using timber from an earlier theatre, The Theatre, which had been built by Richard Burbage’s father, James Burbage, in Shoreditch in 1576. The first performance for which a firm record remains was Jonson’s Every Man out of His Humour — with its first scene welcoming the “gracious and kind spectators” — at the end of the year.
On 29th June 1613, the Globe Theatre went up in flames during a performance of Henry VIII. A theatrical gun, set off during the performance, misfired, burning the wooden beams and straws. According to one of the few surviving documents of the event, no one was hurt except a man whose burning breeches (炮后膛) were put out with a bottle of ale. It was rebuilt in the following year.
Like all the other theatres in London, the Globe was closed down by the Puritans in 1642. It was pulled down in 1644, or slightly later — the commonly cited document dating the act to 15 April 1644 has been identified as false — to make room for other buildings.
A modern reconstruction of the theatre, named “Shakespeare’s Globe”, opened in 1997, with a production of Henry V. It is an academic approximation of the original design, based on available evidence of the 1599 and 1614 buildings, and is located approximately 750 feet (230m) from the site of the original theatre.
1. How did the Globe Theatre begin to be on fire on 29 June 1613?| A．It was set fire to by a performer by design. |
| B．It caught fire by accident during a play. |
| C．A man put out breeches with a bottle of ale. |
| D．It was started by wooden beams and straws. |
| A．Time | B．Space | C．Importance | D．Flashback |
| A．James Burbage. | B．Every Man out of His Humour |
| C．Henry VIII. | D．Henry V |
| A．The popularity of the Globe Theatre. |
| B．The construction of the Globe Theatre. |
| C．The function of the Globe Theatre. |
| D．The history of the Globe Theatre. |
7 . Some parents will buy any high-tech toy if they think it will help their child, but researchers said puzzles help children with math-related skills.
Psychologist Susan Levine, an expert on mathematics development in young children at the University of Chicago, found children who play with puzzles between ages 2 and 4 later develop better spatial skills. Puzzle play was found to be a significant predictor of cognition (认知) after controlling for differences in parents’ income, education and the amount of parent talk, Levine said.
The researchers analyzed video recordings of 53 child-parent pairs during everyday activities at home and found children who play with puzzles between 26 and 46 months of age have better spatial skills when assessed at 54 months of age.
“The children who played with puzzles performed better than those who did not, on tasks that assessed their ability to rotate (旋转) and translate shapes,” Levine said in a statement.
The parents were asked to interact with their children as they normally would, and about half of the children in the study played with puzzles at one time. Higher-income parents tended to have children play with puzzles more frequently, and both boys and girls who played with puzzles had better spatial skills. However, boys tended to play with more complex puzzles than girls, and the parents of boys provided more spatial language and were more active during puzzle play than parents of girls.
The findings were published in the journal Developmental Science.
1. In which aspect do children benefit from puzzle play?| A．Building confidence. | B．Developing spatial skills. |
| C．Learning self-control. | D．Gaining high-tech knowledge. |
| A．Parents’ age. | B．Children’s imagination. |
| C．Parents’ education. | D．Child-parent relationship. |
| A．They play with puzzles more often. | B．They tend to talk less during the game. |
| C．They prefer to use more spatial language. | D．They are likely to play with tougher puzzles. |
8 . When a dog loses a leg, the animal eventually figures out the best way to get around on three legs. In a short time, the dog learns to deal with its physical disability.
Now, scientists have developed robots that behave in much the same way. We can find robots everywhere. They build cars, play chess and can clean your house. They may someday drive your car, too. Two robots, named Spirit and Opportunity, were sent to Mars on a mission to explore the red planet.
Jeff Clune, a computer scientist at the University of Wyoming, says robots also help people in natural disasters. Robots are applied in search and rescue operations following an earthquake. They may someday also be used to examine the ruins of a nuclear accident, like the one in Fukushima, Japan.
Mr. Clune says, “Robots can be sent to a lot of places said to be unsafe. The problem is that all of those types of situations and environment are extremely unpredictable and dangerous. And it is very likely that robots and humans in those situations become damaged.” He and other scientists are developing technology so that robots will continue operating after the first sign of injury. They want the machines to have the ability to make changes and continue performing until they can be repaired.
Mr. Clune and researchers in France have added one more operation to the skill set of robots working under difficult conditions. They programmed a hexapod robot, one with six legs, and a robotic arm to learn how to deal with injury. Once the robots become damaged? they use their intuition and knowledge of how their body works to find a way to deal with the damage.
The robots are also programmed with child-like curiosity. In other words, they are always asking questions and looking for answers. The whole process takes about a minute for the robots to find a way to overcome damage.
1. In Paragraph 1, the writer mentions dogs to ______________.| A．describe a scene | B．introduce a topic |
| C．offer an argument | D．make a comparison |
| A．They help people drive cars. |
| B．They detect unpredictable dangers. |
| C．They go on performing tasks despite injury. |
| D．They check the ruins of a nuclear accident. |
| A．Coping with the damage. |
| B．Arousing child-like curiosity. |
| C．Programming a robot with six legs. |
| D．Using the intuition and knowledge. |
9 . Pacific Asia Travel Association is warning people travelling to East Asia and the West and Central Pacific region about the ongoing threat of typhoons coming from the Pacific. The region covered by this warning includes countries in East Asia and the West and Central Pacific. Typhoons in these areas of Pacific may occur all the year round. However, historically, the most active months are June through November. Travellers in the region should pay attention to local weather reports and take appropriate action as needed.
People traveling abroad in these areas during the typhoon season may be forced to delay their travel or return home because of damages to airports and limited flight availability. In the event of a typhoon, you should be aware that you may not be able to leave an affected area within 24 to 48 hours or more. We recommend that you buy travel insurance to cover unexpected expenses during an emergency.
You may meet with uncomfortable and sometimes dangerous conditions after storms pass while you wait for transportation back home. In many places, typhoons are often accompanied by damaging high tides and flooding. If you are living close to the ocean, you may be at higher risk. Landslides and mudslides are also serious concerns during heavy periods of rain. Be sure to check with local authorities for safety and security updates. Because weather conditions can damage local facilities, security personnel and other emergency responders may not be able to assist you at all times.
Minor storms in these areas can develop into typhoons very quickly, limiting the time available for you to move safely. Please tell your family and friends where you are and keep in close contact with your operator, hotel staff, and local officials for evacuation (疏散) instructions in the event of a weather emergency. Protect your travel and identity documents against loss or damage as the need to replace lost documentation could delay your return home.
1. What may happen to travelers in a typhoon?| A．They may be forced to leave home. |
| B．They may be offered free travel insurance. |
| C．They may fail to get the latest weather reports. |
| D．They may stay in the affected area for over 48 hours. |
| A．Why travelers should keep in touch with others. |
| B．What travelers should do when a typhoon comes. |
| C．How travelers can move from the affected area safely. |
| D．When travelers need the travel and identity documents. |
| A．An official notice. | B．An introduction to an association. |
| C．A feature story. | D．A document from a travel agency. |
10 . Plastic bottles by the side of a road are a common sight, an unseemly reminder of how often consumer products are thrown away carelessly. Now some of those bottles may become part of the road. A California company has put recycled plastic into road repaving (重铺)，which could revolutionize the industry with environmental benefits.
Sean Weaver, president of TechniSoil Industrial in the northern California city of Redding, said, “With this new technique, the repaved roads are stronger, flatter, safer and last longer than those made with regular asphalt (沥青).”
More appealing to environmentalists, the repaved roads incorporate 100% of the old asphalt - sparing the air from dozens of trips by trucks pulling away and bringing in building materials - and provide a new market for plastic products that could otherwise wind up in a landfill.
“Everybody that's looked at it said this will be one of the most transformative road construction technologies ever,” Weaver said. “We're recycling what's there, and we're delivering a road that's better than the original, at no higher cost than it would cost you to repave that road the traditional way.”
The process involves four large construction vehicles linked together in what's called a recycling train which scoops up the top 3 inches of asphalt on a lane, grinds (磨碎)them on a mill and mixes them with TechniSoil's G5 binder (粘合剂),containing from 2% to 20% of liquefied plastic. The mixed product is deposited back on the road, paved and rolled over. There’s no heat involved in the operation, which essentially replaces the traditional binder - bitumen, a leftover from refining oil - with a stronger plastic composite. The other elements of asphalt, such as crushed rock, gravel, sand and filler, remain in place.
1. What’s the new move of the California company?| A．To put asphalt into road construction. |
| B．To revolutionize the recycling industry. |
| C．To use recycled plastic in road repaving. |
| D．To add plastic bottles to house-building. |
| A．The technique they use is cost-saving. |
| B．His company enjoys a high reputation. |
| C．The road-construction process is complex. |
| D．Environmentalists think highly of the new roads. |
| A．How roads are repaved in the new way. |
| B．Where the new building materials are mixed. |
| C．Why there is no heat in the road construction. |
| D．What materials are used in the road repaving. |
