1 . After 21 years of marriage, my wife wanted me to take another woman out to dinner and a movie. She said, “I love you, but I know this other woman loves you too, and she would love to spend some time with you.”
The other woman that my wife wanted me to visit was my MOTHER, who has been a widow for 19 years, but the demands of my work and my three children had made it possible to visit her only occasionally. That night I called to invite her to go out for dinner and a movie. “What’s wrong, are you well?” she asked. My mother is the type of woman who suspects that a late night call or a surprise invitation is a sign of bad news.
“I thought that it would be pleasant to spend some time with you,” I responded. “Just the two of us.” She thought about it for a moment, and then said, “I would like that very much.”
That Friday after work, as I drove over to pick her up, I was a bit nervous. When I arrived at her house, I noticed that she, too, seemed to be nervous about our date. She waited in the door with her coat on. We went to a restaurant that, although not elegant, was very nice and cozy. My mother took my arm as if she were the First Lady. After we sat down, I had to read the menu. Her eyes could only read large print. Halfway through the entries, I lifted my eyes and saw Mom sitting there staring at me. A nostalgic smile was on her lips.
During the dinner, we had an agreeable conversation--nothing extraordinary but catching up on recent events of each other’s life. We talked so much that we missed the movie.
As we arrived at her house later, she said, “I’ll go out with you again, but only if you let me invite you.” I agreed.
A few days later, my mother died of a massive heart attack. It happened so suddenly that I didn’t have a chance to do anything for her. Some time later, I received an envelope with a copy of a restaurant receipt from the same place mother and I had dined. An attached note said: “I paid this bill in advance. I wasn’t sure that I could be there; but nevertheless, I paid for two plates — one for you and the other for your wife. You will never know what that night meant for me. I love you, son.”
At that moment, I understood the importance of saying in time: “I LOVE YOU” and to give our loved ones the time that they deserve. Nothing in life is more important than your family. Give them the time they deserve, because these things cannot be put off till “some other time”.
1. When the mother heard it was the son’s call, she was _______.| A．surprised | B．worried | C．suspicious | D．puzzled |
| A．Her life after the author’s marriage. | B．Her memory about the author as a child. |
| C．Her life since the author’s last visit. | D．Her expectation about future reunions. |
| A．To teach us how to cherish our family. |
| B．To tell us to enjoy the present life. |
| C．To convey the importance of showing respect for our parents. |
| D．To warn us not to put off what we should do till some time later. |
| A．Mother’s love | B．Love is Something You Should Never Put off |
| C．Precious union | D．A special date |
2 . I want to talk about the economy. Not "the economy" we hear about endlessly in the news each day and in politicians' speeches. I want to talk about the real economy, the one we live in day by day.
Most people aren't particularly interested in "the economy". "Share prices are flying high； interest rates are soaring(猛增的); the Dow Jones Index closed sixty-three points down on 8472.35. " We hear this and subconsciously switch off.
Notice that "the economy" is not the same as the economy, "The economy" is what men in suits play with to make vast personal wealth. The economy is where the rest of us live on a daily basis, earning our living, paying our taxes, and purchasing the necessities of life.
We are supposed to be benefiting from all the advantages of a well-off society. So why do we feel tired and stressed? We have no time for anything other than work, which is ridiculous given the number of labor-saving devices in our lives. Our towns become more and more crowded. We poison our air and seas, and our food is full of chemicals. There's something wrong here. If times were truly good, then you may think we'd all feel optimistic about the future. Yet the majority of us are deeply worried. More than 90 percent of us think we are too concerned about ourselves and not concerned enough about future generations.
The term "economic expansion" suggests something desirable, but expansion simply means spending more money. More spending doesn't mean that life is getting better. We all know it often means the opposite—greed, crime, poverty, pollution. More spending merely feeds our whole economic system, which is based on production and consumption. Unless money keeps circulating, the economy breaks down. If we don't keep consuming, the whole system goes into stalemate(僵局).
How do we break the cycle and make some changes? We need to become far more aware of the results of our actions. We buy clothes that are made in sweat shops by virtual slaves in poor parts of the world. We create mountains of waste. We demand cheap food, mindless of the fact that it totally lacks taste and is produced using chemicals that poison the land.
The consumption culture makes us unaware of the effect of our own behavior. Our main problem is not that we don't know what to do about it. It is gathering the desire to do it.
1. According to the author, which one belongs to the real economy？| A．The Dow Jones Index. | B．Increases in interest rates. |
| C．Shopping in a supermarket. | D．Skyrocketing share prices. |
| A．people are benefiting from a well﹣off society |
| B．the future generation is a big concern for most people |
| C．the majority of people are optimistic about the future |
| D．people still feel much pressure despite labor-saving devices |
| A．It guarantees a better life for us. | B．It may lead to some social problems. |
| C．It will stop the circulation of money. | D．It has only brought desirable effects. |
| A．call on us to change our behavior | B．suggest a solution for over-consumption |
| C．make a distinction between two economies | D．inform us of the effects of economic expansion |
3 . The Best UK Festivals of 2020
We’ve picked this year’s best UK festivals——find your favourite and get out there this summer.
All Points East
Returning for a third year after its successful 2018 launch,All Points East is a general 10-day festival that takes over Victoria Park in late May.The opening and closing three-day weekends are given over to music.
Place: Victoria Park
Time: May 22,2020-May 31,2020
Ticket: Adult￡35; Age19-24 with ID￡28;Under18 years old, free
Isle of Wight
Huge headliners is one of the UK’s biggest rock festivals.Now in its 52nd year,the modern-day Isle of Wight festival is a far cry from the hippy(嬉皮士) love-in that landed back in 1968.Nowadays,big-name headliners and commercial rock and pop favorites are the order of the day.
Place: Seaclose Park, Newport
Time: Jun 13-14. 12:00 a.m.-15:00 p.m.
Tickets:￡25 Adult;￡15 Age19-24 with ID; ￡10 under 12 years old, under7, free
Love box
Consistently one of the finest festivals in London,catering for cool kids and party monsters alike,Love box has expanded again to become a three-day event in 2020.This year will be its second in west London’s Gunnersbury Park.
Place:London’s Gunnersbury Park
Time:July12-14. 1:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m.
Tickets:￡185(adult three-day weekend);￡70(adult day ticket)
Junction 2
Calling all technology heads:in 2020,this big festival is spreading out over two days again following last year’s successful expansion.Junction 2 is a meeting of some pretty serious music minds.
Place:Boston Manor Park
Time:July 15-16
Tickets:￡45 for all ages
1. Which of the following is the earliest festival of the year?| A．All Points East. | B．Isle of Wight. | C．Love box. | D．Junction 2. |
| A．￡65. | B．￡60. | C．￡45. | D．￡40. |
| A．Victoria Park. | B．Seaclose Park. |
| C．London’s Gunnersbury Park. | D．Boston Manor Park. |
4 . As prices drop and their functionality expands, you can expect to see humanoid(类人的)robots in more places, including schools, airports, and hospitals. Will they influence human behavior?
In a study published recently, scientists found that mean robots can help people concentrate. The experiment, published in Science Robotics, was based on something called the Stroop Task, which is widely used in psychology and described as the "gold standard" of attentional tests. It challenges participants to name the colors of words and ignore their meanings while calculating reaction time.
The researchers put a modern twist on the task, though-this time, there was a robot in the room. The goal was to see if the presence of a robot would affect cognition, and the researchers found it did, but only when the robot was mean.
How do you make a robot mean? In this case, a meter-tall toy robot called a Meccanoid G15KS was made to respond to seven questions. The good robots told jokes, spoke about friendship, and described test subjects as nice. The bad robots replied to questions with passive aggressive comebacks, such as "I enjoy doing analysis programs but you would not understand" and statements like "I do not value friendship."Then the participants rated the robots."The more participants thought the robot made them uncomfortable, the greater the improvement of their Stroop performance was," the researchers wrote."Not surprisingly, the bad robot was rated as less warm, friendly and pleasant than the good robot."
The study authors argue that robots are crossing the line in some situations from machines to social agents. That will change how humans interact with and behave around them.
“Similar to a human's presence, the presence of a robot might not be neutral(无倾向性的) in situations like school or in the office when you are working." Nicolas Spatola, one of the study authors said in an email, "So before your boss decides to introduce a robot in your office, it could be a good idea to evaluate how you feel about it and how it can positively or negatively impact your work, how comfortable you may feel with it or if you feel it to be a threat."
Just 58 students from University Clermont Auvergne in France participated in the experiment but the researchers found an increase in the speed of correct answers among those in the presence of a mean robot when compared to those who were with a nice robot or alone.
In the future, robots will almost certainly become more and more common in nursing homes, hotel check-in desks, behind the wheel, and elsewhere. “If we want to improve the use of robots in our daily life, there seems to be a need to first understand how Human Robot Interaction can impact human psychology,” Spatola said.
1. What was the finding of the new study?| A．The use of robots is rising. | B．Humanoid robots can be mean. |
| C．Unkind robots can sharpen our focus. | D．Robots are becoming more functional.,. |
| A．By their words. | B．By their actions. |
| C．By their appearance. | D．By the Stroop Task. |
| A．Be careful about using robots. | B．Leave the robot if it presents a threat. |
| C．Robots will have a good impact on offices. | D．Robots may replace humans in the workplace. |
| A．The participants were too young. | B．The study method wasn't scientific. |
| C．There was a slight difference in speed. | D．The number of the participants was too small. |
| A．Scientists have already developed humanoid robots. |
| B．Humanoid robots have already found its way into our daily life. |
| C．Humanoid robots will certainly come into our daily life sooner or later. |
| D．There is no difficulty we'll meet with before humanoid robots are widely used. |
5 . Use our website to improve your English
Study at the right time each day
The first step in getting better in English is to study at the right time each day. Do you wake up early and study when the house is quiet? Or do you like to stay up late and study before you go to sleep? Choose the proper time to study English every week. Make a study plan for each week. Here is an example of using our website to improve your listening and speaking skills:
Monday: Watch Let's Learn English; practice the conversation with a friend
Tuesday: Watch English in a Minute; teach the new expressions to family or friends
Wednesday: Watch English at the Movies; write a note to a friend about the expressions
Thursday: Watch News Words; write a sentence using the words
Friday: Read or listen to Ask a Teacher or Everyday Grammar; write three sentences
Find a friend to study together
A good way to learn is to study with a friend or a family member. You can study together at home or on the phone. Some families speak English only at dinner time or watch English videos together.
Set goals
One of the most important steps to learn English is to set goals. Make it something you know you can do in a short time. Here are some examples:
I will practice speaking with my friends three times a week.
I will write sentences with five new English words every week.
I will learn four new idioms in the next month and use them with friends.
1. Which advice is given on learning English?| A．Learning from others. | B．Practicing once a week. |
| C．Scheduling proper study time. | D．Turning to parents for help. |
| A．Monday. | B．Tuesday. | C．Wednesday. | D．Thursday. |
| A．Three. | B．Four. | C．Five. | D．Seven. |
6 . Cars could be able to "talk" to each other to warn about dangers on the roads using 5G technology in future, according to researchers.
Researchers at Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) believe 5G may enable driverless cars to send each other messages about dangers such as ice or deep holes.
And they believe the high-speed, low -delay (低延迟的) nature of 5G will improve driverless cars to the point where they will be safer than the cars being driven today. They predict the number of road traffic accidents which cause more than 1. 3 million deaths and up to 50 million people injured worldwide every year will drop greatly as a result.
Dr Dimitrios, a member of the research group, said, “To have a better idea of what the future will look like, think of having cars that not only use sensors (感应器) to find what's around them, but also can talk to each other about safety information nearby.”
“I'm sure anyone who has had a bad experience on frozen roads would have benefited from knowing about the dangerous conditions ahead of time so they could have changed their speed or, if possible, even avoided that route (路线) altogether.”
With the help of 5G, an early warning system in vehicles will come into use within the next few years. Cars that are close enough to the danger area will pass warning messages to other cars around them using communication technologies, but also to cars further away using 5G, fast and reliably. Then those cars will send the same information to cars near them and 80 on, forming a joined-up.
5G is an exciting mobile technology, which will give a great boost to smart cities and autonomous (全自动的) vehicles among many other things.
1. Which of the following will Dr Dimitrios agree?| A．Cars can talk with drivers using 5G. |
| B．5G will improve the safety of car driving. |
| C．Massages sent by 5G will never be delayed. |
| D．Over 1.3 million deaths are caused by driverless cars. |
| A．changing their speed | B．turning to another route |
| C．getting closer to the danger area | D．sending warnings to nearby cars |
| A．Recovery. | B．Push. | C．Danger. | D．Fame. |
| A．Science and Technology. | B．Entertainment. | C．Life. | D．Transport. |
7 . We've seen a worldwide health crisis (危机) bring out the worst in some people, but fortunately, we've also been able to see it bring out the best in others.
A taxi driver in Spain has been providing COVID-19 (新冠肺炎) patients with free rides to and from the hospitals. Doctors and nurses wanted to surprise him with their thanks for helping out.
They tricked him down to the hospital under the pretense of needing to pick up a sick patient, but in reality, doctors and nurses lined the hall waiting to applaud (鼓掌) him.
“This is a surprise that has been given to a taxi driver who takes patients to the hospitals without charge,” wrote the taxi company that first shared the video.
The man seemed completely taken aback by the gesture, stopping in the middle of the doors as the whole room cheered for him.
He was also given an envelope full of money and the satisfying results of his own COVID-19 test.
The video has since been shared tens of thousands of times across the world, because kind gestures break the language barrier (障碍).
“When the crisis is finished, there will have been two types of people... the good and the bad,” one user wrote. “With workmates like him, I am proud to be a taxi driver, son of a taxi driver, and father of a taxi driver.”
With the word in hard times, just knowing good people are there doing good deeds is something we can all appreciate.
1. We can learn from the story that____________.| A．the driver took doctors to and from the hospitals |
| B．the taxi company ticked the driver to pick up a patient |
| C．the patients lined the hall to thank the driver |
| D．the driver stayed safe from COVID-19 |
| A．Worried. | B．Amazed. | C．Frightened. | D．Excited. |
| A．It moves people of different nations. |
| B．It encourages more people to be a taxi driver. |
| C．It shows there will have been two types of people. |
| D．It calls for doctors and nurses to fight COVID-19. |
| A．There is always kindness around us. |
| B．We should be proud of our own jobs. |
| C．Helping others is the biggest happiness. |
| D．Taxi drivers play an important part in this crisis. |
8 . It's so relaxing to take a bath in a hot spring while looking at beautiful scenery. If you travel in the U.S., plan to visit one of these hot springs:
Travertine Hot Springs
At the edge of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California are the Travertine Hot Springs. The orange, green and red rocks create beautiful views for you to enjoy while you bathe. Each pool is a different temperature, so you can find one that you like.
These springs are easy to get to by car. Go south from Bridgeport and turn left onto Jack Sawyer Road. In about a mile you’ll arrive at the springs. If you like to camp, you can camp along the road. While you are there, try visiting Mono Lake and Yosemite National Park.
Bagby Hot Springs
The Bagby Hot Springs are located in an old forest. At the springs there are bathhouses, with private and shared baths. Spring water in the baths is at 136°F. If that's too hot, you can add cold water until it is suitable for you.
The Bagby Springs are about 45 minutes from Oregon. To get to the bathhouse there is a 1.5-mile walk through the Mt. Hood National Forest. Make sure to also visit Portland, which is known for its coffee, local beer and music.
Conundrum Hot Springs
If you like to hike, the Conundrum Hot Springs in Colorado are a great choice. There is an 8.5-mile hike to the springs. You can walk out and camp nearby the springs. After the hike, rest your muscles in the water and enjoy the mountain views.
While you are in the area, check out the Curecanti National Recreation Area. There, you can enjoy boating, fishing and bird watching,
1. What do Travertine Hot Springs and Bagby Hot Springs have in common?| A．You can camp along the road. |
| B．You can choose private or shared baths, |
| C．You will walk through a forest to get to the springs. |
| D．You can enjoy the springs with the temperature you like. |
| A．Colorful rocks. | B．Coffee and local beer. |
| C．Hiking to the springs. | D．Forest views. |
| A．Mono Lake. | B．Yosemite National Park. |
| C．Portland. | D．Curecanti National Recreation Area. |
9 . My daughter was being thrown out of the sixth grade. The teacher said, “She may not be up to what we’re trying to accomplish.” He was really saying she didn’t have the intelligence. I got mad because I knew she was smart, just as my father had known I was smart when I was failing in school. We had her tested. I decided to get myself tested as well, and found that the troubles she was having were exactly what I had had — dyslexia. By then I was a successful television writer, and had won an Emmy Award for “The Rockford Files.”
If I had known earlier that something beyond my control could explain why I was a low achiever, I may not have worked so hard in my late 20s and early 30s. I was writing and writing. I was working for no other reason than to hear people praise me, because I did badly in all my courses.
I once asked a friend who had always gotten an A, “How long did you study for this?” He said, “I didn’t. I just glanced at it.” So he must be smarter. I began to ask, “What will happen to me when I’m not good at anything?” Despite my doubts, I did become successful, and people now say to me, “So you’ve overcome dyslexia.”
No. You don’t overcome it, you learn to compensate for it. Some easy things are very hard for me. Most people who go through college read twice as fast as I do. I avoid dialing a phone if I can, because I sometimes have to try three times to get the number right.
Despite my weaknesses I view dyslexia as a gift, not a curse (诅咒). Many dyslexics are good at right-brain, abstract thought, and that’s what my kind of creative writing is. And I can write quickly, and can get up to 15 pages a day. Writing is my strength.
The real fear I have for dyslexic children is not they have to struggle in school, but that they will quit on themselves before they get out of school. Parents have to create victories for them, whether it’s music, sports or art. You can make your dyslexic child able to say, “Yeah, reading is hard. But I have other things I can do.”
1. The writer decided to get himself tested as well because he________.| A．wanted to know if they had the same problem |
| B．didn’t believe his daughter had the problem |
| C．had to take a regular medical examination |
| D．accepted that his daughter was not smart |
| A．struggled and got better grades |
| B．didn’t work hard when he was young |
| C．was praised for overcoming dyslexia |
| D．was thankful not knowing of dyslexia earlier |
| A．is less intelligent | B．always fails in school |
| C．reads more slowly than normal people | D．performs worse in left-brain activities |
| A．Clumsy birds have to start flying early. | B．God shuts one door but opens another. |
| C．Never judge a person by his appearance. | D．No one can make a good coat with bad cloth. |
10 . Mexico and the USA share a common border on the northern side of Mexico. However, despite the close physical proximity(临近), there are a lot of differences between their social conduct.
Americans belong to diverse ethnic (种族) as well as national origins, despite which, all of them have mixed perfectly with the mainstream of American culture. Officially, six different races of people have been recognized by the government of the United States, which include White or European Americans, American Indians and Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders, Black or African-Americans, Asians, and the people of two or more races. White Americans form the majority, constituting about 75% of the total population of America.
Mexicans are a group of multi-ethnic people. Mexico shelters people of different races, religions and tribes. When the country achieved independence from the Spanish colonizers (殖民者), the population included people of native pre-Columbian ancestry as well as Europeans, who came there through the process of colonization. The fusion of these two, particularly diverse ethnicities, led to the formation of the special multi-ethnic character of the Mexican people.
Americans tend to give a lot of importance to their profession, sometimes more than their family. Children are brought up in a more independent manner. Parents expect their children to set up their independence households once they start earning. Americans feel that the practical application of knowledge is very important. So, their way of acquiring knowledge is based more on reasoning, analysis, and in-depth specialization of a subject.
However, family comes first for Mexicans. In most Mexican families, men work to earn money, while women take care of the housework. Children are brought up with a lot of parental care and attention. Mexicans love to settle down in one place, and prefer to stay with their families. They consider titles and positions as their status symbols. They believe in education based on repeated learning and so, their academic system emphasizes learning through memorization.
Despite so many differences in their cultures, some sort of integration (结合) binds the Mexicans and the Americans, in a way, promotes their co-existence.
1. Which of the following is true according to Paragraph 2?| A．American Indians and Alaska Natives are the largest ethnic group in the USA. |
| B．There are more Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders than Asians in the USA. |
| C．American Indians have not been recognized by the US government. |
| D．European Americans make up about three fourths of the USA’s population. |
| A．competition | B．mix |
| C．comparison | D．balance |
| A．Truth comes from practice. | B．Blood was thicker than water. |
| C．Rome was not built in a day. | D．Every dog has its day. |
| A．look at money as a status symbol | B．usually receive an all-round education |
| C．enjoy the company of family | D．husband and wife share the housework |
