1 . The good news is that more people bought electric cars in 2020. The bad news is that SUVs continued to grow in popularity, too. The fall in oil consumption due to the first trend was completely cancelled out by the second, say Laura Cozzi and Apostolos Petropoulos at the International Energy Agency (IEA) in France.
The growing popularity of SUVs is making it even harder to cut carbon dioxide emissions（排放）and meet climate goals. “Policy-makers need to find ways to persuade consumers to choose smaller and more efficient cars,” says Petropoulos.
Oil consumption by conventional cars – not including SUVs – is estimated to have fallen 10 percent in 2020, or by more than 1.8 million barrels（桶）a day, Cozzi and Petropoulos say in a commentary published by the IEA on 15 January. Most of this fall was due to reduced travel and is likely to be temporary.
But a small part of the drop, around 40,000 barrels a day, was as a result of the increased share of electric vehicles (EVs). “We have seen a skyrocketing of global electric car sales in 2020,” says Petropoulos. Unfortunately, the number of SUVs increased as well. While overall car sales fell in 2020, 42 percent of buyers chose SUVs, up around three percentage points from 2019.
Globally, there are now more than 280 million SUVs being driven, up from fewer than 50 million in 2010. On average, SUVs consume 20 percent more energy per kilometre than a medium-sized car.
The increase in SUVs in 2020 led to a rise in oil consumption that cancelled out the effect of electric cars, says Petropoulos. Much the same is true over the past decade. Between 2010 and 2020, global CO2 emissions from conventional cars fell by nearly 350 megatonnes, due to factors such as fuel efficiency improvements as well as the switch to electric cars. Emissions from SUVs rose by more than 500 megatonnes.
“While the growth in EVs is encouraging, the increase in SUVs is heart-breaking,” says Glen Peters at the CICERO climate research centre in Norway.
There are many reasons for the growing popularity of SUVs, says Petropoulos. Rising prosperity（繁荣）in many countries means more people are able to afford them, for instance. Some people see them as a symbol of social position. SUVs are also heavily advertised by car-makers, he says, whose profits are higher on these vehicles.
There are now some electric SUVs available. “Hopefully, in time, you will see electric vehicles entering the SUV market,” says Peters.
Even if it happens, switching to electric SUVs isn’t an ideal solution. Due to their size and bigger batteries, it takes more resources to build electric SUVs, and they consume around 15 percent more electricity. Higher electricity demand makes it harder to green the electricity supply.
1. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?| A．The SUVs driven in 2019 reached up to 280 million. |
| B．Electric cars appeared a sharp decline in sales in 2020. |
| C．Buyers of SUVs in 2020 increased 42 percent than those in 2019. |
| D．Global SUVs being driven now are over five times as many as those in 2010. |
| A．it could have harmful consequences for the air quality |
| B．the oil consumption will increase and the price will fall |
| C．people all over the world are getting wealthier than before |
| D．the car-makers think it’s unnecessary to advertise any more |
| A．The purchases of SUVs should be reduced. |
| B．The SUVs should be discontinued immediately. |
| C．The awareness of using electric cars needs to be improved. |
| D．Increasing electric cars can solve the problem of oil consumption. |
| A．Unconcerned. | B．Disapproving. |
| C．Supportive. | D．Uncertain. |
2 . Patients often come into my office and ask, “How can I look younger?” While I always suggest healthy living — a balanced diet and regular exercise — in order to look and feel younger, I have never thought of facial exercises as part of that plan. That is, until a recent study, published in JAMA Dermatology (皮肤学), showed promising results that routine facial exercise may slow the merciless tide of time.
The theory behind the study originates from the fact that a major part of facial aging is due to the loss of fat and soft tissue, which leads to the growth and spread of wrinkles. If we can lift weights at the gym and enlarge muscles in arms, why couldn’t the same be done for muscles in our faces, therefore to create a more youthful face?
The concept of facial exercise is not a new one. A simple Internet search will produce a lot of blog posts and books on the subject, as well as various programmes that promise to be the next fountain of youth. What the JAMA Dermatology researchers did in their study, which was the first of its kind, was to examine this question from a more strict scientific aspect. They enrolled 27 women between the ages of 40 and 65 to perform daily, 30-minute exercises for eight weeks, and then continue every other day for a total of 20 weeks.
Dermatologists who did not know the participants were asked to rate their photographs before and after the exercise. The dermatologists found an improvement in cheek fullness and estimated the age of the participants at 51 years of age at the start of the programme and 48 at the end of the 20-week study. Furthermore, all the participants felt improvement in their own facial appearance at the end of the study.
While these results seem exalting, the study has some obvious limitations. Of the 27 patients involved, 11 gave up before completing the study. One reason may be that the programme was to time-consuming, clocking in at 30 minutes a day. The overall small size of the study also limits its generalizability to the larger population. In addition, there was also no control group, which would have helped reduce the possibility that this improvement happened by chance.
It’s also hard to draw conclusions about the longevity of these results. Probably the exercises must be continued to keep their effects. But for how long? And how frequently? Which exercises are most effective? Most studies are need to answer these questions.
1. According to the passage, which statement is true?| A．Though the concept of facial exercise is new, much information about it can be found on the Internet. |
| B．Some participants did not feel improvement in their facial appearance at the end of the study. |
| C．If there is a control group, the possibility that the improvement in the facial appearance happened by chance will be increased. |
| D．The reason why some participants quit the study before it was completely may be that they had not enough time. |
| A．Calming. | B．Challenging. | C．Frustrating. | D．Exciting. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Positive. | C．Opposed. | D．Indifferent (中立的). |
| A．The study published in JAMA Dermatology is not reliable. |
| B．Healthy living is the only way to make someone look and feel young. |
| C．More studies are needed to further the present study on facial exercises. |
| D．As a dermatologist, the author was involved in the research project on facial exercises. |
3 . These animal dads have some seriously strange ideas about fatherhood.
Barbary macaque
Unlike human dads boasting of their kids' winning contests or college acceptances, barbary macaques, monkeys that are native to North Africa, show off babies as a way to impress each other and build social networks. These monkeys live in troops of about 30 members, and life centers around the babies born each spring.
During baby season, males carry the infants, even picking up little ones that aren’t their own offspring (后代). However, there are status symbols, used to build male social networks and connections within the group. The infants can serve as a social passport, to approach other males and hang out with them. After all, it’s much simpler to break the ice if you have a cute baby in hand.
Sand grouse
Lots of dads bring home the bacon. But for young sand grouses living in Namibia’s dry deserts, water is the essential resource. Sand grouse fathers are the frequent flyers that travel almost 125 miles each day to fill up for the family at a watering hole.
With no other way to transport water, male sand grouses settle in the pool, rocking back and forth to bathe their belly feathers. Filling up can take 15 minutes, leaving them exposed to killers like falcons (猎鹰). But it all pays off. The dads return home after a long day and are able to provide their babies with few precious tablespoons of liquid.
Pipefish
Pregnant pipefish males-yes, males-give birth to live young from eggs that females deposit in their brood pouches (育儿袋). This mothering act has earned them praise as devoted animal dads.
But it turns out that the pregnant pipefish also has a wandering eye. If he sees a bigger female he often aborts (流产) existing eggs. If he stops exporting nutrients to the developing embryos (胚胎) while reabsorbing nutrients from abortions, he assures enough resources to invest in the more rewarding offspring.
Blue poison dart frog
Females of this species lay only about half a dozen precious eggs. That is maybe why dads are so devoted to them. Frog eggs must stay watery or moist, and these devoted dads accomplish that by regularly urinating on them over the course of 10 days, until they hatch (孵化) as tadpoles.
1. Barbary macaques carry their kids around in order to _____.| A．show how proud they are about being a father. |
| B．show their family strength within monkey groups. |
| C．center around their kids as a tradition. |
| D．build up better relations with other monkeys. |
| A．barbary macaque and sand grouse. |
| B．sand grouse and pipefish. |
| C．pipefish and blue poison dart frog. |
| D．sand grouse and blue poison dart frog. |
| A．Sand grouse carries the water by drinking it first and then spitting it out. |
| B．Pipefish gives up some eggs in order to make himself stronger. |
| C．Male blue poison dart frog protects the eggs by keeping them wet. |
| D．Sand grouse has to compete for water with the falcon. |
4 . One of my earliest memories was walking up to the smell of camp smoke and my mother’s hot chocolate. My parents were poor, and we lived in the countryside in Portland. Dad had two jobs and Mom was disabled, but that didn’t stop them from heading into the Cascade Mountains several times a year.
Our clothes were old and worn and our food was usually cheap and simple. However, we were always satisfied with our hot chocolate, which was made in a traditional way handed down from my grandmother to my mother.
There was no store to buy anything we needed. We just had powdered cocoa in our camp.
Mom would set the smoke-blackened coffee pot at the side of the fire and slowly warm the milk, adding chocolate and sugar, and stirring (搅拌) until the contents became thick and rich brown. The wonderful smell of chocolate filled the camp. More than once, I could remember people that we had just met hours before stepping into our camp to enjoy mother’s creation.
Once we were trapped in our tent (帐篷) for days because of a terrible rainstorm. Every morning I was woken up by the attractive smell of Mom’s hot chocolate.
Now, many years have passed, when we head for the mountains, I still use that worn coffee pot. And we always bring extra cups for the neighbours who will certainly turn up.
I have told my family a lot about Mom, and it seems that nothing brings back those warm memories better than sitting around the fire at night and tasting sweet hot chocolate.
1. Where did the author live when she was a child?| A．In a village. | B．In a big city. | C．In a hotel. | D．In a palace. |
| A．Kind. | B．Friendly. | C．Disabled. | D．Serious. |
| A．Her parents were poor. | B．Her mom had two jobs. |
| C．Her mom was a boss of Coffee House. | D．Her dad stopped them from camping. |
| A．Saved. | B．Absorbed. | C．Caught. | D．Suffered. |
| A．Camp Smoke | B．Mom’s Hot Chocolate |
| C．My Neighbours | D．Grandmother’s Creation |
5 . It’s easy to assume that a vacation to Bali will cost a small fortune. There are plenty of accommodations, food and local transportation, and even the spas offer massages and treatments at value prices. However, you can easily spend a week or two in Bali for under $2,000, without having to sleep on the beach. Here are a few things to consider when planning Bali on a budget.
What is the best time to visit Bali on a budget?
If you’re on a budget, consider visiting Bali during the lower, wetter season, which runs from October through March. The crowds will be fewer, and both hotel rates and flights from abroad are often cheaper, except during the holiday period between mid-December and early January, when crowds swell. The only trade-off for the lower prices is the wet season. This time of year isn’t always ideal for sunbathing, and serious rainfall can make outdoor activities, such as whitewater rafting and visiting waterfalls and rice terraces, less than appealing. That said, even during rainy season, it doesn’t usually rain all day long. Expect bursts of sunshine between the storms.
What is the cheapest way to get around Bali?
The absolute cheapest way to get around Bali is by local bus, but it can take a long time. There are also tourist buses, including hop-on, hop-off options, that travel between different hubs across the island. Bali is well-served by taxis, both of the car and motorbike variety, and the prices tend to be affordable by international standards. Most drivers will offer you a fixed rate for full-day hires or to get from point A to point B, rather than using a meter.
Remember to bargain; doing so is particularly easy when a driver is on his own rather than at a taxi stand.
How much does food cost in Bali?
If you’re into fine dining, you can end up spending a large chunk of your budget on food. Eating at the average restaurant geared towards tourists is the best way to have a meal in Bali on a budget. A good meal should cost you around 100,000 rupiah (around $7), but if you’re willing to subsist mostly off of local specialties such as nasi goreng (fried rice) and eat at local restaurants, you can expect to pay around 30,000 rupiah ($2) to get fed. Best of all, most hotels and guesthouses in Bali come with free breakfast, and many offer heavier options of noodles and meat that may keep you full until lunch.
1. Which of the following situation can be best described by the underlined word trade-off in paragraph 2?| A．Jack got a reward after he returned the lost bag to its owner. |
| B．Lily spent much money buying some handicrafts at the local fair. |
| C．Wendy cancelled her trip in order to prevent the spread of the virus. |
| D．Sam was scolded by his parents for what he did in school last night. |
| A．It’s better for outdoor enthusiasts to visit Bali during the off season. |
| B．Passengers had better fix the price with drivers before the taxi pulls out from the station. |
| C．If on a tight budget, one is advised to visit Bali at the end of December every year. |
| D．It’s relatively economical to eat merely at average restaurants tailored to visitors. |
| A．City and Transport. | B．Travel and Recreation. |
| C．Nature and Environment. | D．Food and Health. |
6 . A few months ago, the economic analyst Noah Smith observed that scientific advance is like mining ore（采矿）. You find a vein（矿脉）you think is promising. You take a risk and invest heavily. You explore it until it runs out. The problem has been that over the last few decades only a few veins have really been paying off and changing lives.
In 2011, the economist Tyler Cowen published a prescient（有先见之明的）book. “The Great Stagnation,” exploring why scientific advance was slowing down. Peter Thiel complained that we wanted flying cars，but we got some social media. But this technological lull（瓶颈）may be ending. Suddenly a lot of smart people are writing about many veins that look promising. The first and most obvious is vaccines.
The amazing fact about Covid-19 vaccines is that Moderna scientists had designed the first one by Jan 13, 2020. They had the vaccine before many people even thought the disease was a threat. It's not only a new vaccine but also a new kind of vaccine. The mRNA vaccines will help us teach our bodies to fight pathogens（病菌）more effectively and could lead to breakthroughs in fighting all sorts of diseases. For example, researchers have hopes for mRNA cancer vaccines, which wouldn't prevent cancer, but could help your body fight some forms.
In energy, geothermal（地热）breakthroughs are generating tremendous excitement. As David Roberts notes in an excellent explainer in Vox, the molten core（核心）of the earth is about 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit, roughly the same temperature as the sun. If we could tap 0.1 percent of the energy under the earth's surface we could supply humanity's total energy needs for two million years.
Government would have to come up with aggressive ways to reduce the shocks. But it is better to face the challenges of dynamism（动态）than the challenges of stasis（停滞）.Life would be longer and healthier, energy would be cleaner and cheaper, there would be a greater sense of progress and wonder.
1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?| A．To tell us scientific advance is like mining ore. |
| B．To keep us informed of the present situation of scientific advance. |
| C．To explain what is scientific advance. |
| D．To give advice on scientific advance. |
| A．The mRNA vaccine is newly designed. |
| B．It is a new kind of vaccine. |
| C．It will be of great use to fight some diseases. |
| D．It is widely used all over the world. |
| A．Geothermal energy can be a good substitute for the energy being used today. |
| B．Geothermal energy has been used enormously. |
| C．Solar energy makes our life more convenient. |
| D．Geothermal energy is the best. |
| A．objective | B．subjective |
| C．hopeful | D．unacceptable |
7 . When Chef Enrique Olvera opened his restaurant, Pujol, 13 years ago, his only goal was to have the best restaurant in the neighborhood. Olvera's budget was so small that he had to do all the things himself. But Pujol is now widely thought of as Mexico's finest restaurant and the 36th best in the world. He reached his position by making his cuisine 'fancier and fancier, and more complex' over time. Pujol now serves a tasting menu of sophisticated food that wouldn't look out of place even at New York's Momofuku Ko. To decode his rocket soar in world cuisine circus, Olvera insists on mixing elaborate, cutting-edge techniques with a strong emphasis on local ingredients to create a cosmopolitan cuisine that's at once international yet unmistakably Mexican, matching the direction of Mexico City itself.
A visit to the 48-seat Pujol reveals a space-age kitchen containing 27 cooks, with one making his fifth attempt to reshape the egg liquid and another coloring potatoes. Pujol tolerates any grotesque attempt a chef could imagine and the restaurant is the trial site for its staff. That makes Pujol a hot place to attract free labor. The chef has also thought more about bringing Mexican cooks home from the U.S. Many are returning to move past the glass ceiling that exists in America. “Despite the number of Mexicans working in U.S. restaurants, you rarely see a Mexican head chef in a New York kitchen,” said Olvera. “Then why not come back here to attract diners here for the most local but also novel dishes?”
And for foreign diners, Mexican restaurants have another wonder to offer. Just think that merely 30 dollars can sustain you for a 4-course feast in an ordinary Mexican restaurant and no one could resist the temptation. To achieve such high cost performance, Olvera states that you have to keep looking for and exploring with the simple ingredients from which to accomplish amazing dishes. “You always cherish where you come from, but there’s also the need for new sensations. Keep exploring with new ideas until you get a better dish.” After all, it’s the soul of modern cuisine.
1. Why has Pujol become so successful?| A．Because Olvera aimed low in the first place. |
| B．Because Olvera forms the habit of doing things by himself. |
| C．Because Olvera attracts excellent cooks from the U.S. |
| D．Because Olvera combines cooking skills with local characteristics. |
| A．forceful. | B．weird. | C．abstract. | D．painful. |
| A．Because Pujol provides them with high titles and salaries. |
| B．Because they find it hard to rise to senior positions in U.S. restaurants. |
| C．Because they cook Mexican food better than American food. |
| D．Because they refer to the high cost performance of the restaurants. |
| A．Momofuku Ko is a famous food critic. |
| B．Olvera relies totally on foreign cutting-edge cooking techniques. |
| C．Eating in ordinary Mexican restaurants is expensive. |
| D．One key to success in today’s restaurant business is continuous innovation. |
8 . People around the world participate in various ritualized celebrations. New Year activities included fireworks, and resolutions-as well as some practices unique to specific cultures, such as cooking black-eyed peas and greens in the southeastern United States.
All human cultures have their rituals-typically repetitive, symbolic behaviors that a group of people experience as purposeful; though people generally can’t explain how they are supposed to work. And their diversity can also cause clashes between peoples, particularly when the valued rituals of one culture strike another as strange.
Most scientists who study rituals consider their mysterious origins to be one of their defining characteristics. But recently, researchers have come to realize that before rituals become purely social and highly peculiar, many have started out as attempts to avoid disasters.
Ritualized ways of preparing food or cleaning the body, for example, have emerged as ways to prevent disease. Many rituals also provide psychological comfort during times of hardship. Today, humans are adopting new behaviors although it’s too early to tell whether any of these behaviors will become truly ritualized. It will only be the case when the social significance of the behavior takes precedence over its practical use. This is what sets rituals apart from other cultural practices, such as cooking.
Not all rituals are effective because we don’t always understand what is producing the risk we are trying to control. But some do work. In the Indian state of Bihar, where maternal and infant death rate at birth remains high, 269 rituals are associated with pregnancy and birth. A significant proportion of these rituals, such as preparing the nutritious food, are perfectly in accord with modern medical advice. Many others are likely neutral while the ones, such as bathing the infant immediately after birth, are viewed as risky just because of practical limitations such as a lack of clean water.
The relationship between medicine and rituals is also interesting. “It is important to keep in mind that to most people, the mechanisms of modern medicine are just as opaque as rituals are,” says Legare, an expert. The practices of modern medicine are relatively new. “When a doctor tells you, I’m sorry, but there’s nothing we can do for you, that may be true, but it is very discouraging as well,” Legare says. “Therefore relevant rituals are firmly valued seemingly out of no reasons.”
1. According to the passage, what behavior can be regarded as a cultural ritual?| A．A student habitually conducts reading before sleep every day. |
| B．A family eat dinner at the same restaurant every weekend. |
| C．People eat green dumplings during the Festival of Qingming. |
| D．Many Chinese people used to ride bicycles to work. |
| A．make people get along with people from the same cultural group. |
| B．protect people from potential life threats |
| C．get people to identify with their own culture. |
| D．provide people with values when clashing with people from other cultures. |
| A．Groups with different rituals can basically live together in peace. |
| B．The practical use of a behavior takes priority when it’s to be judged as a ritual. |
| C．Appropriateness of some rituals depends on local conditions. |
| D．When ill, people turn to rituals because they work better than medicine. |
| A．Be cautious of the weird rituals |
| B．Long gone are decayed rituals |
| C．Ritual, the mysterious reflection of human innocence. |
| D．Ritual,there’s a reason for itsexistence. |
9 . Recently Meituan co-published a proposal with a number of business organizations, including the China General Chamber of Commerce and China Cuisine Association, calling on restaurants to stop food waste and help cultivate new eating habits for customers. “Restaurants should innovate means of publicity using official accounts on social media and live-streaming to promote and advocate food-saving actions,” the proposal said.
Meituan and the organizations are advocating that merchants offer guidance for consumers, including reminding them during the ordering process about the taste of the ingredients, portion sizes and other information about the dishes, to help them avoid food waste due to misleading information.
Catering associations in more than 18 provinces have also joined the campaign to eliminate food waste. The China Cuisine Association announced that it had teamed up with Ele.me, the Alibaba Group Holding-owned food delivery platform, to launch a “half-dish plan”, encouraging restaurants to provide customers with the option to order smaller portions. The Wuhan Catering Association proposed an “N-1” ordering code for restaurants in which a group of 10 diners would only order enough for nine people. More food is only brought to the table if required.
To curb portrayals of food waste on social media platforms, popular Chinese video platforms such as Douyin and Kuaishou have stepped up content reviews of food-related live streams and implemented regulation of online eating shows. Now if users search certain keywords, such as “eating show” or “competitive eaters”, a cautionary message pops up to remind them to cherish food and maintain a reasonable diet.
1. Why did Meituan start such a proposal?| A．To popularize itself. | B．To save itself. |
| C．To mislead the public. | D．To prevent food waste. |
| A．Wuhan Catering Association’s proposal was a good practice. |
| B．“half-dish plan” functioned better than “N-1” ordering code. |
| C．Meituan met with some management challenges. |
| D．Customers are required to order smaller portions. |
| A．Meituan releases some misleading food information. |
| B．More food is welcome when we treat our dear friends. |
| C．Few organizations realized the importance of food waste. |
| D．Online eating shows are monitored via media platforms. |
| A．None. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Five |
10 . The Sanxingdui Museum in southwest China’s Sichuan Province enjoyed huge popularity during the three-day Qingming Festival holidays by receiving nearly 20,000 visitors on the peak day, after the new archaeological discoveries brought international attention.
According to media reports, the museum saw over 15,000 visitors on Saturday, the first day of the Qingming Festival, breaking its record for daily visitors. And on the next day, more visitors swarmed into the museum to exceed 19,800. To cope with the large flow of people, on Sunday afternoon, the official Weibo account of the Sanxingdui Museum released the message to remind visitors of avoiding rush hours or rescheduling their visiting time.
The Sanxingdui Museum showcases various kinds of precious cultural relics unearthed at the site, such as the 2.62-meter-tall standing statue, 1.38-meter-wide bronze mask, 3.95-meter-high bronze tree. Earlier on March 20, Chinese archaeologists announced some new major discoveries made during the 37th excavation (挖掘) since its last excavation 35 years ago. The ruins were first discovered in the late 1920s and first excavated in 1934.More than 500 important cultural relics have been unearthed in the six newly-found pits. Since the new discoveries were known to the public, the number of people visiting the Sanxingdui Museum has increased sharply.
The museum said although they are open as usual, the newly-found pits have not opened to the public yet and the newly-excavated cultural relics are still under restoration and cannot meet the public currently. But a hall for cultural relic conservation and restoration will be in pilot operation in April and officially open on May 18. Visitors to it can see how the relics are restored, according to Zhu Yarong, vice director of the Sanxingdui Museum.
Dating back about 3,000 years, the Sanxingdui Ruins have shed light on the ancient Shu civilization and cultural origins of the Chinese nation, and have been regarded one of the most important archaeological discoveries in the 20th century.
1. What mainly brought about a surge in tourists visiting the Sanxingdui Museum?| A．Tourists’ enthusiasm. |
| B．Sichuan Province’s policy. |
| C．Qingming Festival holidays. |
| D．New archaeological discoveries. |
| A．The official Weibo account linked the museum with the public. |
| B．Newly-excavated cultural relics on display attracted tourists very much. |
| C．The Sanxingdui Museum reacted immediately to the large flow of tourists. |
| D．Tourist numbers reached the peak on the first day of the Qingming Festival. |
| A．Trial. | B．Private. | C．Official. | D．Personal. |
| A．The Sanxingdui Museum gives tourists insights into Chinese history. |
| B．Chinse people make full use of Qingming Festival holidays to travel. |
| C．The Sanxingdui Ruins is a perfect tourist attraction over Qingming Festival. |
| D．New discoveries make Sanxingdui Museum more popular during Qingming Festival. |
