1 . Your best friend that follows you around when the sun comes out - your shadow - doesn’t serve an important function like your heart or brain, but what if you could use shadows to create electricity? When using solar panels (电池板) that are powered by light, shadows can be boring because it means electricity can’t be created. However, researchers from the National University of Singapore have engineered a way to create power from the shadows present everywhere.
A team of the university created a machine that can collect energy from shadows. It is created by placing a thin coating of gold onto silicon (硅). Like in a normal solar panel, when put in light, the silicon electrons (电子) become energized and the energized electrons then jump from the silicon to the gold. The voltage (电压) of the part of the machine that is placed in the light increases relative to the dark part and the electrons in the machine flow from high to low voltage. They are sent through an external circuit (外电路) creating a current that can be used to power another machine. The greater the contrast between light and dark, more energy is provided by the machine.
The team is working on improving the performance of the machine, borrowing approaches from solar panels to gather light. Increasing the amount of light the machines can receive allows them to better make use of shadows, as well as developing shadow energy collecting panels that can successfully gather from indoor lighting. The team is also researching the use of other materials other than gold to drop the price of the machine, meaning they would be more cost effective and easier to apply in society.
Shadows are present everywhere and perhaps one day in the future we will be able to collect energy from them by placing the shadow-effect energy machine around the world in places that have been considered unfit for solar panels to work, or indoors. “A lot of people think that shadows are useless,” Tan says, but “anything can be useful, even shadows.”
1. What is Paragraph 1 mainly about?| A．Your best friend always stays with you after the sunrise. |
| B．The shadow has the same function as the heart and brain. |
| C．Shadows can stop solar panels from creating electricity. |
| D．Researchers have found a way to create power from shadows. |
| A．The silicon produces electricity when it is in the light. |
| B．The gold produces power with the help of the silicon. |
| C．The energized electrons flow from high to low voltage. |
| D．An external circuit creates current using another machine. |
| A．Using solar panels in the machine. |
| B．Increasing the amount of light received. |
| C．Developing light energy collecting panels. |
| D．Bringing down the price of gold. |
| A．A gym. | B．A park. | C．A farm. | D．A playground. |
2 . The sudden death of the 23-year-old female emplovee of Pinduoduo has sparked a heated debate, with many criticizing the overwork culture. Three experis share their views. Excerpis (节选) follow:
Labor laws compatible (兼容的) with digital era needed
This case should inspire society to reflect on how to better protect employees’ rights in the digital era. The relevant clauses in the Labor Law cannot be specifically applied to charge internet companies suspected of violating laborers' rights and interests.
The blurring (模糊) of the line between social and economic activities in the digital era makes it difficult to define fixed working hours.
Lawmakers should find out the new factors affecting labor relations due to the rapid development of internet and communications technology. This can pave the way for law-making on working hours in the digital era. “996” working schedule is against labor laws.
More than one year ago, it was shocking to hear e-commerce tycoons (巨头) Liu Qiangdong and Jack Ma publicly support the "996" working schedule to push their employees to work harder. A growing number of companies have been using different methods to exercise ever-increasing control over their employees.
To correct the situation, it is vital that the country bring in specific law on internet enterprises, especially in terms of labor contracts and work schedules, and make it clear that the “996” working schedule is illegal.
Death due to overwork needs legally definition
Work pressure and long working hours can seriously affect workers' physical and mental health, making. them more easily hurt by occupational and stress-related diseases.
But it is difficult to prove that a person dies of overwork. Only a person who dies at the workplace or of a sudden illness within 48 hours of getting off work is considered a victim of work.
China should issue guidelines explaining in detail what leads to death due to overwork.
1. What do the three experts agree on?| A．The Labor Law in China is non-effective. |
| B．It is difficult to define fixed working hours. |
| C．Supervision on companies should be tightened. |
| D．Improvement should be made to the current laws. |
| A．To highlight the models of e-commerce. |
| B．To introduce tycoons' attitudes to overwork. |
| C．To confirm their efforts to protect employees. |
| D．To express disagreement on “996” working schedule. |
| A．To make somebody anxious. | B．To do sports or other physical activities. |
| C．To use your power to achieve something. | D．To test or make experimental use of something. |
| A．Someone dies on his way to office. | B．Someone dies of a heart attack in his office. |
| C．Someone dies three days after work. | D．Someone dies after work without symptoms. |
3 . Emory Jensen, a 10-year-old fourth-grader, ran her fingers across a wall covered in artwork as she walked through an art exhibit. “It’s something that would get me in trouble or kicked out elsewhere,” she said unbelievably.
But Emory, who is unable to see, wasn’t kicked out, because it wasn’t at a typical art museum, but at the fully immersive (沉浸式的) art experience called “dreamscapes” as part of a field trip designed to help expose blind students to art. “We can all just feel it and it’s not what we can only look at,” she continued. “It’s awesome. The experience is like that in Alice in Wonderland.” The student also said she wanted to visit again with her cousin who suffers the same inborn eyesight problem.
“Most of these students probably have never been able to go to an art museum or really get to experience what art is,” said Kate Borg, director of blind campus programs. Art is typically focused on visuals, but “dreamscapes” is aimed at more. Sight, touch and smell are a big part of it, as well as emotional feelings. It uses different sounds, smells and substances (物质) in the artwork and allows people to walk through spaces with different themes.
Some staff were blown away to watch the children experience the art. “I couldn’t hold back my tears,” said Andrea Silva, “dreamscapes” manager. “I’ve never seen a visitor so lost in and curious about the art. We wanted it to be accessible to everyone, including and especially kids.”
Accessibility for art is vital, Borg said. “We read research after research that talks about creativity and art being so important for children in their development and growth,” she said. “And just because a child is blind or visually impaired (受损的) doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t have the same opportunity. They absolutely need to be close to art, and we have to be a little more creative in making sure we provide that.”
1. What can be learned about “dreamscapes”?| A．It is open to the students only. | B．It is focused on various senses. |
| C．It is built with special materials. | D．It is decorated to look like a fantasy world. |
| A．Touched. | B．Curious. | C．Proud. | D．Puzzled. |
| A．The necessity for children to research art. |
| B．The way to get children to think creatively. |
| C．The reason to help blind kids get access to art. |
| D．The importance for blind kids to develop overall. |
4 . YMCA Camp Widjiwagan
3788 North Arm Rd
Ely, MN 55731, USA
Phone: 651-645-6605
High quality canoes and backpacking adventures and wilderness trips in the BWCAW, Quetico Provincial Park and in the finest wilderness areas throughout North America, “Widji” wilderness trips focus on respect and values that build skills for life as they develop an unparalleled relationship with the environment. Camp is open for all abilities and ages 10-17.
Revolution Camp at St.Olaf College
1520 St Olaf Ave
Northfield, MN 55057, USA
Phone: 800-944-7112
St.Olaf is one of the top liberal arts colleges in the United States and is located just south of Minneapolis. Campers will train in softball on Mabel Shirley Field, home of St.Olaf softball. The field sits in short walking distance of the Tostrud and Skoglund Centers and will also have access to St.Olaf's swimming pool. Camp is open for all abilities and ages 7-16.
Discovery Day Camp
8 Different Locations, Across Minnesota
Fort Snelling, MN 55111, USA
Phone: 612-261-2300
Discovery Day Camp is a week-long program (5 days) that is open to youth aged 8-17. Each day will be filled with activities such as swimming, hiking, climbing, archery, STEM activities, outdoor skills, crafts and more! All of the activities will be age-appropriate and guided by our well trained and enthusiastic staff. With multiple sessions offered at a variety of locations, you are sure to find something that will fit your busy schedule!
PGA Junior Golf Camp at GolfTrack Academy at Hyland Greens
10100 Normandale Blvd
Bloomington, MN 55437, USA
Phone: 916-476-8132
PGA Junior Golf Camp—Full and half-day camps provide an excellent opportunity for youth of ages 12-19 and abilities to improve their technical skills, develop strong course management and learn golf in a fun, supportive and positive environment. Overnight camps for advanced players are held at nationally-acclaimed facilities and provide opportunities for serious game improvement. Every camp is designed to help your child become a leader on and off the course.
1. Which phone number can you dial if you want to learn softball skills?| A．651-645-6605. | B．800-944-7112. | C．612-261-2300. | D．916-476-8132. |
| A．It provides outdoor activities. | B．It has enthusiastic workers. |
| C．It runs in different places. | D．It offers the longest programs. |
| A．YMCA Camp Widjiwagan. | B．Revolution Camp. |
| C．Discovery Day Camp. | D．PGA Junior Golf Camp. |
5 . It's a typical morning: you wake up, take a shower, brush your teeth, and then prick(刺)your arm with a tiny needle. Wait, what? Unless you have a serious disease such as diabetes,you probably haven't ever tested your own blood. But in the future, that might change.
The company Cor already sells a system for home blood testing. You stick your arm using a supposedly painless cartridge. Then you stick the cartridge into a device that looks like the base for an electric toothbrush. A few minutes later, an app on your phone offers you updated information, including your current health status and tips on what to eat and how to exercise.It's true that blood provides abundant information about a person's health. Specific tests can reveal if a person is infected with a disease or at risk for a variety of problems. But most people don't test their own blood often. Healthy young adults get blood tests approximately every five years. Cor and similar companies are trying to change the situation. They think people deserve access to more information about their health.
But not everyone is convinced."The best-case scenario(情景)here is that you lose much money and then you're reminded to get more sleep and to eat more fruits, vegetables and fish,"Pieter Cohen of Harvard Medical School told The New York Times. Plus, the results of a home blood test might be wrong. It's hard to get accurate results from a tiny amount of blood. One company, Theranos, said it could perform medical blood tests on a fingerprick's worth of blood.But the company was soon stuck in a controversy((争议)and accused of cheating because its technology didn't work as promised. Thus, there's still a long way to go before the technology becomes advanced.
1. What's the function of Paragraph 1?| A．To express feelings. | B．To raise a question. |
| C．To make a prediction. | D．To introduce the topic. |
| A．Container. | B．Operation. | C．Medicine. | D．Scan. |
| A．To collect people's health information. | B．To offer people proper suggestions. |
| C．To help people track their health. | D．To cure people of blood diseases. |
| A．Ambiguous. | B．Objective. | C．Supportive. | D．Uncaring. |
6 . “Sunday Morning”honored the creative, inspiring and newsworthy men and women who passed away in 2020, who'd touched our lives in unforgettable ways.
Pain and sorrow - the calling cards of 2020. “Lean on Me” by Bill Withers provided us reassurance（保证） that tomorrow may be better. Although Withers left us at 81, his notes of comfort helped during a year that wasn't even a month old before grief was already setting in.
The death of 41-year-old Kobe Bryant, along with his 13-year-old daughter and seven others because of an air crash, astonished everyone-basketball fans or not.
“My momma always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get". COVID was certainly the box we all wished we never got. But Winston Groom, who created Forrest Gump, reminded us through that character that challenges exist, to be overcome.
Dignity for Black Americans remained an unfinished struggle in 2020. The deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor-just to name a few-restarted a movement for equality and justice not seen since the 1960s.
Gender equality lost some of its superheroes, too. Helen Reddy, who was inspired to retire after “I Am Woman” became her most popular song in 1974, offered the soundtrack for the fight that she herself engaged in. But there were few champions for women as influential as Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. In her 27 years on the Supreme Court，she expanded rights for women as well as men. Small in stature（个子）,a giant for us all. The only thing tougher than Justice Ginsburg was the cancer that took her at age 87.
While the sun isn't out just yet, the hope is that it's just over the horizon.
1. What did Winston Groom want to tell us through Forrest Gump?| A．Forrest Gump had a box of chocolates. | B．A person's character determines his fate. |
| C．We didn't expect to get Covid-19 in 2020. | D．We are living through difficulties in our life. |
| A．Kobe Bryant. | B．Forest Gump. | C．George Floyd. | D．Ruth Bader Ginsburg. |
| A．She was a racist. | B．She died from an accident. |
| C．She was a musician. | D．She didn't retire until her death. |
7 . As COVID-19 hit and the world went into varying levels of lockdown (封锁), it became difficult for researchers to know what was happening in the ocean. But now, you can join the eOceans platform to help researchers gather data on oceans and ocean ecosystems in real-time.
Downloading the eOceans app on your smartphone and logging what you see when you are on the coast or in the ocean, including any animals, people, pollution or even an empty beach, you can help researchers monitor the world’s oceans. The app lets you note your observations as well as upload photos. This information is then linked to your geographical location and is made accessible to scientists studying that region. Using eOceans data, researchers can remotely monitor how oceans and coastal communities worldwide are happening, including in the context of the pandemic (疫情).
In reality, observations recorded through eOceans are already providing valuable insights. During Australia’s lockdown, for example, the largest group of turtles in the country’s history was spotted by researchers using eOceans data. And in Hawaii, data from the app suggests that clearer waters are associated with a reduction in tourists during the pandemic.
Negative impacts of the pandemic on the ocean have also been picked up through the app, including an increase in pollution from personal protective equipment, as well as pandemic-related interruptions to marine (海洋的) recovery following a 2019 oil leak in Brazilian waters. In future, data from eOceans could help enable early detection of hazards (危害), such as oil leaks, so that they can be dealt with sooner, says Christine Ward-Paige, founder and chief scientist at eOceans.
“Till now, more than 1,000 people have already joined the eOceans platform,” says Ward-Paige. “But more data on wild life spotted along coastlines, as well as information on how people are using these spaces, are still needed.”
1. How can people help researchers monitor the ocean through the eOceans platform?| A．By downloading and observing some data of hazards. |
| B．By spotting and marking the previous marine recovery. |
| C．By collecting and uploading timely oceanic information. |
| D．By detecting and reporting your present geographical location. |
| A．An oil leak occurring in Australian waters. |
| B．The largest turtle found in Australia’s history. |
| C．A factor contributing to clearer waters in Hawaii. |
| D．A boom of tourism appearing during the pandemic. |
| A．Indifferent. | B．Optimistic. |
| C．Doubtful. | D．Anxious. |
| A．Keeping an eye on the ocean. | B．Caring about the ocean pollution. |
| C．Showing love to coastal creatures. | D．Monitoring the quality of seawater. |
8 . Looking for work?
Tutors Wanted: Math / Science / Humanities + Test Preparation
Job Posted: 2 days ago
Wage: $27 – 30 per hour
Job Type: Part-time
Schedule: Afternoons, evenings, weekdays, weekends
Job description:
We're looking for tutors to join us before the next school year starts.
Our suitable candidate will be able to assist middle and high school students with test preparation and academic work in Math, Science and or Humanities.
We'll pay for your training before this fall and can also offer flexible summer tutoring chances, including teaching group classes.
Once our fall semester starts on August 21, we’ll have even higher demand for tutoring sessions on Sundays from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. as well as from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Thursday.
What we offer:
★ Flexible scheduling. Tutors work from 15 to 30 hours per week depending on availability and student demand.
★ Free Sunday dinners during the academic year.
★ Fun staff gatherings
★ Health insurance reimbursement (补偿) for staff working over 30 hours per week.
★ We are 5 minutes’ walking distance from the Menlo Park Caltrain Station.
Applicants must：
★ Have a good command of the subjects they tutor.
★ Be willing to tutor students through the full academic year.
Application instructions:
★ Email us your resume (简历)
★ Tell us why you want to join Academic Trainers and describe your experience of tutoring students if you have any.
★ Let us know your scheduling preferences and potential start date.
★ Tell us which of the subjects you are able to tutor — Math, Science and or Humanities.
1. Which period of time needs the most tutors during the academic year?| A．Saturday and Sunday mornings. | B．Friday afternoons and evenings. |
| C．Monday and Thursday mornings. | D．Sunday afternoons and evenings. |
| A．Comfortable accommodation. | B．Free job training every month. |
| C．Health insurance reimbursement. | D．Free meals during the academic year. |
| A．is good at one or more academic subjects |
| B．will work every evening throughout the academic year |
| C．has the opportunity to become a full-time tutor |
| D．must have previous tutoring experience |
9 . Living in a green area can make you live longer, according to research published today. The research also shows that the difference in life expectancy(预期寿命) between rich and poor becomes smaller among those who live in an environment with parks and trees.
Richard Mitchell, from Glasgow University and his colleagues, found that the gap between the number of deaths of people on high incomes and the number of deaths of those on low incomes in green areas was half that compared with figures relating to built-up areas.
Green spaces, classified by the researchers as “open, undeveloped land with natural vegetation”, encouraged people to walk and be more active Exercise in these settings could have greater benefits than exercise elsewhere, the researchers said.
The benefits potentially go beyond exercise. Studies have shown that being around green spaces can reduce blood pressure and stress levels, and possibly help patients recover faster.
A number of researchers have looked at the effects of greenery on our well-being. But few studies had looked at whether living in green areas reduced health inequalities, the Glasgowteam said.
Using information from a land-use database of 2001, the researchers divided the pre-retirement population of England into four groups according to income level, and five groups according to access to green space. They then looked at death rate for 2001-2005.
They found that the inequality in death rate from all causes relating to lack of money was less in those populations in the greenest areas compared with the figures for people living in more built-up places. They found an even stronger relationship when it came to deaths from certain diseases such as heart conditions and stroke(中风). There was no difference, however death cancer.
The researchers said that changing the physical environment was an easier way to fight against poor health than using media campaigns or giving out information on health. “The result of the study is clear: Environments that promote good health might be very important in the fight to reduce health inequalities.”
1. The underlined word “that” in Paragraph 2 refers to______.| A．the gap | B．the number of deaths |
| C．the income | D．the living area |
| A．They offered a scientific definition of green spaces. |
| B．They encouraged people to exercise in green areas. |
| C．They studied the effects of greenery on people’s health. |
| D．They focused on the influence of greenery on health inequalities. |
| A．More health information should be given to the public. |
| B．People should take more exercise every day. |
| C．More trees and grass should be planted in cities. |
| D．People should help to fight against health problems. |
| A．People should live in green areas. |
| B．Green spaces promote good health. |
| C．Income influences health less than environment. |
| D．Exercise in green areas benefits people a lot. |
10 . Many people prefer eating out instead of cooking at home. A change appears to be taking place, though, and millennials (千禧一代) are leading the way. According to one survey, more young people are starting to cook at home for three basic reasons: They can save money, eat healthy and waste less food.
Popular TV chefs are also getting millennials excited about learning some basic cooking skills. Many millennials view cooking as a form of entertainment and self-expression. They proudly post pictures of their cooking creations on Facebook or Instagram, and invite friends over to share the cooking experience.
Many millennials have also found ways to avoid wasting food. After roasting a chicken, they put the leftover bones in their freezer instead of the garbage can. Later, they use the bones to make chicken soup, which is an important raw material in many dishes.
They also hate throwing out fruit that’s too old. To avoid that situation, they bake ripe fruit like berries and bananas for 15 minutes at 175 degrees C. Then they freeze it overnight. After that, they place the fruit in plastic bags and store it their freezer for later use.
Now millennials only eat at restaurants that have excellent food-waste policies. These servants use every part of the vegetables they buy, including their stems and roots, in dishes. They also use beef, chicken and pork bones to make their own soup.
Millennials also reduce food waste by only buying what they require. Before going to a market, they write down what they need and don’t buy anything else. They way they won’t purchase more food than they can consume.
1. What is the main subject of this article?| A．A cooking trend that has attracted millennials. |
| B．A plan that millennials have for donating food. |
| C．A novel cooking technique that millennials like. |
| D．A food production system favored by millennials. |
| A．Mix it with other raw materials in a bowl. | B．Carefully remove the skin and seeds from it. |
| C．Use a sharp knife to chop it up into pieces. | D．Put it in an oven at the proper temperature. |
| A．They select small cans and packages. | B．They leave their credit cards at home. |
| C．They prepare a practical shopping list. | D．They weigh produce before buying it. |
