1 . I made an important decision when I was in Junior 3.

Before I made that decision, I was one of the boys who tried too hard to act as an adult. I didn't know that only kids want to show themselves as adults.

I didn't listen to my parents and teachers, and my grades became poor. Then came the high school entrance exam.

At the turning point of my life, my mom wanted to have a conversation with me. I wanted to turn it down but when I looked at her eyes, I felt I couldn't refuse. Instead of asking me to study hard, to my surprise, Mom just asked what I wanted to do in the future. Without thinking too much, I just said I would like to study hard.

Mom smiled and asked again: “I asked: what do you WANT to do？”

I never seriously thought about the question. So, I kept silent.

“Whether you want to go on studying or enter the society, ” she went on, “it is your own decision. Your life should be decided by you, not by anyone else, including me.” After saying that, she had tears in her eyes.

For the first time in my life, I was asked to make my own decision. I sat in my chair and thought about myself, my life and what kind of person I wanted to become.

It took me what seemed to be ages to make the biggest decision so far in my life—I wanted to be a man who makes a difference in the world. To achieve that, I needed to study hard.

The path to my future became clear to me. I didn't act rebelliously any more. With passion in my heart, I studied hard. Now, I'm one of the best students in the class.

Thanks to that decision, I have become what I am today.

1. When did the boy make an important decision?

A．When he was in Junior 3.	B．When he was in high school.
C．A year ago.	D．When he was 17.

2. What's the Chinese meaning of the underlined word “passion”？

A．乘客

B．激情

C．传递

D．反对

3. What did the mother do at the turning point of the boy's life?

A．She taught the boy the importance of study.	B．She had a big fight with the boy.
C．She had a conversation with the boy.	D．She told the boy to study hard.

4. Which of the following is NOT right?

A．The boy's grades were poor before he made the decision.

B．The boy's mother didn't force him to study hard.

C．He wanted to make a difference in the world.

D．The boy's mother made a decision for the boy.

3 . One rainy afternoon, I was on a cross-town bus when a young woman jumped on. She had a child with her who must have been about 3 or 4 years old.

The bus was full, bumpy, and it soon got noisy as her kid began crying because he couldn't sit next to his mother. There were a couple of open seats, but they weren't together. She was flustered and looked embarrassed.

Then another woman, a little older, stood up and moved so that the mother and child could sit together. The mom smiled as a thank-you. And then three words came out of the older woman's mouth that elevated the entire energy of that bus ride:“I've been there”.

Simple, undramatic and honest. In that moment, it seemed to unite people. Why? Because almost all experiences are shared human experiences. We forget that, as we forge (前进) through life, focused on our own troubles and needs—which are actually less unique than we think. How can these three words create more connection in your life? Ask yourself: “Where am I holding back?”

One thing I know for sure is this: Healing others helps heal yourself. I noticed this recently with my friend, Tracy, who took a new friend who had suffered miscarriage under her wing. Tracy had three of them before having her daughter two years ago. Our intellect needs a doctor to explain the medical side of things, yes. But our souls need human connection to help us along. No one can do that better than someone who has been exactly where you are.

Can the essence of these three words help you make a small difference right now? It can be as simple as volunteering your seat, sharing some helpful advice or even lightening the mood with a joke when you notice that someone's uncomfortable -because we're all in this together.

1. The underlined word “flustered” in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to ________.

A．upset	B．shocked
C．scared	D．relieved

2. What does the woman mean by saying “I've been there” in the third paragraph?

A．The woman was on the bus and saw what had happened to the boy.

B．The woman once had the similar experience with that mother.

C．The woman got to her destination and was ready to get off the bus.

D．The woman took the exact seat that the boy was on just now.

3. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Everyone has his or her own unique problem that is difficult to solve.

B．Doctors can help us get through when we have mental or physical problems.

C．One can indeed make a difference to those in need of help by doing simple things.

D．The author's friend Tracy felt better after she was comforted by her new friend

4. The passage is intended to ________.

A．illustrate some ways of helping others in detail

B．appeal to readers to give timely help to those in need

C．show a harmonious world by telling some touching stories

D．praise those who are willing to help others in emergencies

4 . Home fires can happen quickly, destroying lives and property, but unlike other disasters, most home fires can be prevented. Read on to learn 4 unexpected home fire dangers.

Having old smoke alarms

An effective smoke alarm can make much difference when it comes to surviving a house fire. It's not enough to change the batteries twice a year, you also need to replace your alarms every decade. "You should test your smoke alarms every month, "says Lorraine Carli, vice president of the National Fire Protection Association. "But also don't forget to check the dates and replace an alarm that is more than10 years old."

Leaving the kitchen while you cook

One in five Americans admitted leaving food cooking unattended on the stove, found an American Red Cross survey. Walking away from food cooking in the kitchen is a serious fire risk." The leading cause of home fires is cooking and the leading cause of those fires is unattended cooking," says Carli. If you need to use the stove or oven, be sure to keep an eye on it.”

Turning the heat too high when you cook

Turning up the heat too high can be deadly, even if you're in the kitchen while you cook. Kevin Kelley, senior director of the American Red Cross, recommends paying close attention and turning off the burner if you see smoke or grease(油脂)starting to boil while frying food.

Having a dirty stove while you cook

If your stove is covered with grease, a small kitchen fire can get out of hand quickly. Clean and clear the area around the stove before turning on the heat, or the result will be dangerous.

1. How long should you have a new smoke alarm?

A．2 years.

B．10 years.

C．12 years.

D．8 years.

2. What is the leading cause of fires from kitchen?

A．Having a dirty stove.

B．Turning the heat too high.

C．Having an old alarm.

D．Walking away from food cooking.

3. Which of the following is NOT true?

A．Some home fire dangers can be prevented.

B．It is advisable to change the batteries of smoke alarms twice a year.

C．Kevin Kelley suggests paying close attention to fried food.

D．Having a dirty stove is dangerous while you cook.

5 . People have many different ways to relax during break time at work or school. Smartphones are probably the number one choice for a quick mental vacation.

Although it might seem like a good time, looking at your cellphone may damage your mental power, according to a recent psychological study from Rutgers University in the United States. For the study, more than 400 students were asked to finish a set of 20 word puzzles. Halfway through the task, the students were divided into three groups. One group was allowed to take a break and use cellphones to buy things online. The second group was asked to have a rest and buy things using a computer. The last group didn’t have a break at all.

Interestingly, the group that used their cellphones during the break went back to work feeling the most tired and least motivated to continue. They also had the hardest time solving the remaining word puzzles. The cellphone group took 19 percent longer to finish the rest of the task, and solved 22 percent fewer problems than those in the other break conditions combined.

Terri Kurtzberg, co-author of the study, explained that they assumed looking at cellphones during a break would be no different from any other break—but instead, the phone may cause increasing levels of distractions （分心） that make it difficult to return focused attention to work tasks. “Cellphones may have this effect because even just seeing your phone activates thoughts of checking messages, connecting with people, access to ever-refilling information and more, in ways that are different from how we use other screens like computers, and laptops,”Kurtzberg told Science Daily. This is echoed （呼应）by a 2017 study from the US University of Chicago. It found that even if cellphones are turned off or turned face down, their mere presence reduces a person’s cognitive capability （认知能力）.

So, during your next break, try putting your smartphone away. Go out for a walk, get to know your classmates or even take a nap. You may be surprised by the result!

1. What did the study find about using cellphones during breaks?

A．It could ensure people a good time at work.

B．It could reduce one’s ability to solve problems.

C．It could benefit people both, physically and mentally.

D．It could end up damaging one’s magic power.

2. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The study could be traced back to as early as 2017.

B．Terri Kurtzberg was one of the authors of the study.

C．Participants were divided into three groups in the first place.

D．The study was designed to solve a set of20 word puzzles.

3. What can we learn about cellphones from Kurtz-berg’s words?

A．They have become a significant part of people’s lives.

B．They have improved people’s ability to process information.

C．They may influence people in the same way as computers do.

D．They may make it harder for people to stay concentrated at work.

4. What does the author suggest people do during break time?

A．Turn off their cellphones.

B．Keep their cellphones face down.

C．Replace cellphones with laptops.

D．Keep their cellphones out of sight.

6 . “Tennis-I'm saying goodbye.” With these words, Russian tennis superstar Maria Sharapova, 32, has announced her retirement.

“How do you leave behind the only life you've ever known?” she asked herself. Several reasons played a role in Sharapova leaving the tennis court for good. Over the last couple of years, she's dealt with an injury in her right shoulder and inflammation(炎症) in her forearms that may have prevented her from returning to top form. In more recent news, the death of her longtime friend, US basketball legend Kobe Bryant, also played a factor in her decision to retire.

“As I think you've seen throughout my career, my perseverance has been my greatest tool, my greatest strength,” Sharapova said in an interview. “But I've started feeling that it was becoming a weakness, because the stubbornness was keeping me going for wrong reasons.”

Sharapova rose to stardom(明星身份） at age 17 when she won Wimbledon in 2004. She won a total of five Grand Slam singles titles. She also earned the Fed Cup title in Russia in 2008 and an Olympic silver medal in singles in 2012, among many other accomplishments.

For 16 straight years from 2004, Sharapova was the world's highest-earning female athlete, according to Forbes. Off the court, she made millions of dollars from companies such as Evian and Nike, as well as starting her own candy company. “Tennis showed me the world-and it showed me what I was made of,” Sharapova wrote on Facebook on Feb 26. “It’s how I tested myself and how I measured my growth. And so in whatever I might choose for my next chapter, my next mountain, I'II still be pushing. I’ll still be climbing. I’ll still be growing. "

1. Which of the following is NOT the reason for Sharapova’s retirement?

A．Her age.	B．Her personality.
C．Her former injuries.	D．Her friend's death.

2. What can we infer from the underlined part in Paragraph 3?

A．She was so stubborn as to fail to make use of her greatest tool.

B．She didn’t want to make wrong decisions despite perseverance.

C．She was aware that her best personality had become an obstacle.

D．She knew stubbornness can’t be a good approach to success.

3. Which of the following is WRONG?

A．The success in Wimbledon let her become a star.

B．She made a lot of money mainly from playing tennis.

C．Besides tennis, she runs other businesses successfully.

D．At age 25, she got the second place in the Olympic Games.

4. How does Sharapova find her life of retirement?

A．Regretful about her retirement.	B．Unable to fit into the new life.
C．Enthusiastic about new challenges.	D．Peaceful back to normal.

9 . Inequality in the workplace has long been a hot topic but gender economist Roy is actively turning that conversation into action. She founded Pipeline Equity, a company that employs artificial intelligence (AI) to identify and drive economic gains through gender equality. "The idea was: If we could change decisions that are made in organizations, we could actually make gender equality a reality in our lifetime, rather than the hundred or so years that we World Economic Forum (WEF) predicts." Roy said.

The WEF’s predictions were made before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, which Roy called a "she-session," because women have lost the majority of jobs during this particular economic downturn. "With remote work and with people being at home with children, most caregiving and unpaid work falls to women."

There has been much talk about such situations being good for gender equality, but Roy warned while working from home could help keep more women in the workforce, it could have a negative impact on female promotions.

"At this moment, there's the opportunity to employ AI to ensure we make progress on gender equality, ""Roy explained. "For companies, that is particularly important because in the 008 Great Recession（经济大萧条），companies that put equality at the core of their crisis management strategy actually increased the speed of their recovery."

But to close the gender pay gap, we can't start by talking about pay. "Pay is the symptom it’s not the disease." Roy said. "Pay is the quantitative（数量的）value that you place on your talent. But the actual value happens before that in performance and potential. "That's where Pipeline's platform steps in.

Using natural language processing, Pipeline's platform reads through performance reviews and calls out any biased phrases. They've found that on average, women are under-valued 4 percent of the time, and that actually impacts their ability to be promoted, as well as their pay.

"As this moment, we have the opportunity to embrace AI as a tool to achieve get equality." Roy said

1. Women in the workplace may face problems EXCEPT________.

A．Being under-valued	B．getting a lower pay
C．Heavy economic burden	D．smaller chances of promotion

2. By mentioning “the 2008 Great Recession”, Roy meant________.

A．AI had long been employed in the workplace

B．gender equality was the key to solving the crisis

C．Gender equality could play an important role during economic crisis

D．the present situation was similar to that of the 2008 Great Recession

3. What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 5 imply?

A．Pay is the root of gender inequality.

B．Pay is not worth attaching importance to.

C．Pay is just an indicator of gender inequality.

D．Pay is the first step towards ensuring gender quality.

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

A．Pay gap will soon be closed.

B．AI brings equality into the workplace.

C．It’s time to ensure equality in the workplace.

D．The more women in the workplace, the better.