1 . The history of microbiology begins with Dutch cloth maker named Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, a man of no formal scientific education. In the late 1600s. Leeuwenhoek, inspired by the magnifying lenses（放大镜）he used to examine cloth, built some of the first-microscopes. He developed technique to improve the quality of tiny, rounded lenses, some of which could magnify an object up to 270 times. After removing some plaque from between his teeth and examining it under a lens, Leeuwenhoek found tiny twisting creatures, which he called “animalcules”.
His observations, which he reported to the Royal Society of London, are among the first descriptions of microbes（微生物）. Leeuwenhoek discovered an entire universe invisible to the human eye. He found different microbes in samples of pond water, rain water, and human blood. He gave the first description of red blood cells, observed plant tissue, examined muscle, and investigated the life cycle of insects.
Nearly two hundred years later, Leeuwenhock’s discovery of microbes helped French chemist and biologist Louis Pasteur to develop his “theory of disease”. This concept suggested that disease originates from tiny organisms attacking and weakening the body. Pasteur’s theory later helped doctors to fight infectious diseases including anthrax, diphtheria, polio, smallpox, tetanus, and typhoid. All these breakthroughs were the result of Leeuwenhoek’s original work. Leeuwenhoek did not foresee this legacy.
In a 1716 letter, he described his contribution to science this way: “My work, which I’ve done for a long time, was not pursued in order to gain the praise I now enjoy, but chiefly from a strong desire for knowledge, which I notice resides in me more than in most other men. And therefore; whenever I found out anything remarkable, I have thought it my duty to put down my discovery on paper, so that the scientific community might be informed thereof.”
1. Which of the following best describes Leeuwenhoek?| A．trained researcher with an interest in microbiology |
| B．A curious amateur who made pioneer studies of microbes |
| C．A talented scientist interested in finding a cure for disease |
| D．A bored cloth maker who accidentally made a major discovery |
| A．the discovery of microbes |
| B．Pasteur’s theory of disease |
| C．Leeuwenhoek’s contribution |
| D．the origin of the tiny organism |
| A．He admitted that many of his discoveries happened by chance. |
| B．He considered his work to be central to later medical breakthroughs. |
| C．He was greatly concerned with improving people’s living conditions. |
| D．He believed the sharing of knowledge was a key to scientific progress |
a. Magnifying lenses were built.
b. The “theory of disease” was put forward
c. Microbes were discovered in samples of waters.
d. Leeuwenhoek’s first microscopes were successfully developed.
e. Leeuwenhoek explained his thoughts upon his own contribution.
| A．a-d-c-e-b | B．d-a-c-e-b | C．a-c-d-b-e | D．d-a-e-b-c |
2 . Bricks are one of the oldest known building materials, dating back thousands of years. But researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have found a new use for bricks: as energy storage units. A team of engineers and chemists have found a way to transform an ordinary house brick into a pseudo-battery — allowing it to conduct and store electricity. The bricks are powerful enough to illuminate（点亮）an LED light bulb and cost only about $ 3 to make.
“I love the idea of adding value to things that are inexpensive, things that are affordable, things that we kind of take for granted, ”said Julio D’Arcy, an assistant professor of chemistry at Washington University and one of the researchers on this project.
The brick battery relies on the reddish pigment（色素）known as iron oxide, or rust, that gives red bricks their color. The scientists pumped the bricks with several gases that react with iron oxide to produce a network of plastic fibers. These microscopic fibers coat the empty spaces inside the bricks — and conduct electricity.
“What we’re trying to do is: we’re trying to make specialized plastics that are only used on the nano（纳米）scale — where we use very little of the plastic, and we can actually insert that plastic inside construction materials. ” The study is in the journal Nature Communications.
In the future, D’Arcy says, a brick wall could potentially serve a double purpose: providing structural support and storing electricity generated from renewable energy sources, such as solar panels.
The technology is still at least a few years away from being ready for the commercial market. And right now the energy storage capacity of the bricks is still pretty low — about 1 percent of a lithium battery. But the team is now testing ways to improve brick performance — because it looks like you can teach an old brick new tricks.
1. What appeals to Julio D’Arcy listing bricks as their subjects?| A．Their low expense. | B．Their common existence. |
| C．Their additional value. | D．Their internal composition. |
| A．Pump the brick with gases. |
| B．Color the brick red. |
| C．Produce microscopic fibers. |
| D．Cover its inner vacancy with microscopic fibers. |
| A．Construction materials possessing low energy storage capacity. |
| B．Construction materials generating renewable energy resources. |
| C．Construction materials used for electricity storage. |
| D．Construction materials with built-in common plastic. |
| A．Skeptical. | B．Objective. |
| C．Conservative. | D．Controversial. |
3 . Curtis Whitson knew the water fall was coming. He'd rafted down the Arroyo Seco, a river in central California, before. But this year was different. Heavy snow and spring rains had turned the usually manageable falls into something fierce. And this year, instead of his friends, Whitson's companions were his wife, Krystal Ramirez, and his 13-year-old son, Hunter. As the three of them approached the falls late in the afternoon of the third day of their camping trip, Whitson could tell from the increasing roar of water in the narrow canyon that they were in serious trouble. There was no way they’d be able to rappel down(绕绳下降) the rocks as planned.
“The water was just gushing through there with tremendous force,” recalls Whitson.
They could wade to the shore, but would anyone find them there? They had no mobile phone service, and they hadn’t seen a single person in the past three days.
As he considered what to do, Whitson hit on a bit of luck-he heard voices coming from the other side of the falls. He yelled, but the sound of the rushing water drowned him out.
We have to get these people a message, Whitson thought.
Then he spotted his green Nalgene water bottle. Whitson grabbed it and carved “Help!” on it. Ramirez also reminded him that he had a pen and paper, which she'd brought to play games with, in his backpack. Whitson knew it was a long shot. But he scrawled “We are stuck here at the waterfall. Get help please!” and pushed the note into the bottle, throwing it over the waterfall perfectly.
“All right, that’s all we can do,” Whitson told Hunter.
It took 30 minutes to navigate back upstream to the beach where they made a fire. With no reasonable expectation that their message in a bottle would find its way to anyone, they spelled out SOS in white rocks. As the evening wore on, they placed a headlamp with a flashing light on a ledge (岩石突出部) . Then, just after midnight, they heard a helicopter hovering above them. Whitson ran over to the headlamp and started flashing it at the helicopter. He, Ramirez, and Hunter were waving and hollering when they heard the magic words: “This is Search and Rescue. You have been found.”
It was a moment of pure happiness as the three chatted with the officers who had rescued them. Together, they marveled at the unlikelihood of it all. Two men had seen the water bottle in the water. When they picked it up, they noticed the writing on it - “Help!”.
A few days after news of the rescue broke, one of the hikers contacted Whitson.
That’s when he learned the story. There were actually two little girls hiking with the men that day. It was the girls who first spotted the bottle and swam to get it. Whitson is planning on having a big barbecue to meet the hikers-and thank them.
1. Which was NOT the trouble the Whitsons faced?| A．The water falls were fierce. |
| B．There was no mobile phone service. |
| C．All of them were not experienced in rafting. |
| D．They had to rappel down the rocks. |
① They spelled out SOS on the rocks.
② Whitson squeezed the note “Get help please” into the bottle.
③ Whitson yelled to the other side of the falls.
④ Whitson carved “help” on his green bottle.
| A．③④②① | B．②③④① | C．①④③② | D．④③②① |
| A．It is a fantastic idea. | B．It’s a big challenge. |
| C．It’s a wild attempt. | D．It’s a long exploration. |
| A．to celebrate their survival |
| B．to show gratitude to the hikers |
| C．to have a family union |
| D．to meet and thank the rescue officers |
4 . Rocky was a 65-pound dog. Rita was his eleven-year old owner. When Rocky was given to her, Rita immediately liked him. Whenever she was not in school,the two were always together and within touching distance. The family would lovingly call the pair “R and R”.
But Rocky had one shortcoming. He feared water very much because of a terrible experience. When he was at the age of seven weeks long before he met Rita,he was nearly drowned by a naughty boy who had been blamed by his father.
One late afternoon, Rita's mother took R and R to a shopping area near a lake. Rita was running along the wooden bridge over the water,enjoying the beautiful scenery around. Suddenly a boy on a bicycle hit Rita. She let out a cry of pain and fell into the lake.
Rita's mother was at the entrance of a store not far away. She rushed to the lake shouting for help. Rocky seemed to forget his fear and jumped into the water to save his owner. Rocky immediately swam to Rita and held her by the shoulder's clothes with his mouth. Rita's face was quickly out of the water and she could cough.Luckily,the water was calm,they were not far from the bank,and Rocky finally reached a depth where his feet were on solid ground. He pulled Rita hard until her head was completely out of the water, and then he stood beside her, licking (舔) her face.
Rita and her family firmly believed that it was only the big dog's love for the little girl that caused him to take action that might be life-dangerous.
1. From the text, we know __________.| A．Rita was once blamed |
| B．Rocky was eleven years old |
| C．Rita spent her spare time with Rocky |
| D．Rocky lived in Rita's home since his birth |
| A．Brave. | B．Honest. | C．Unkind. | D．Dangerous. |
| A．At noon. | B．At night. | C．In the morning. | D．In the afternoon. |
① Rocky came into Rita's life.② Rocky was nearly drowned.
③They were playing near the lake. ④ Rocky saved Rita from the water.
| A．①②④③ | B．②①③④ | C．③①②④ | D．④③②① |
5 . Early February, I was flying up to Ohio. Well prepared, I had everything in my favour—fuel for five hours, charts in order, my flight plan on my lap, and a beautiful clear sky.
I was wrong.
I had heard about Alberta Clippers coming out of Canada. I knew all about them―how an entire air mass was streaming along at over sixty miles an hour.
That morning, the Weather Briefer informed me that an Alberta Clipper was going over Chicago about the time I got to the airport. Chicago was some 400 miles from my destination—not a factor, or so I thought. That was the first hint I missed.
The controller called and asked if I wanted to adjust my flight plan. I did the check and everything was in the green. So I told him no. Twenty minutes later the controller called again asking whether I wanted to adjust my flight plan. I checked everything. All was fine. I ignored that hint. I was fooled by the smooth air and limited experience with a rapidly moving air mass that was not changing violently. The Alberta Clipper was clipping along.
The first blast of turbulence（气流）struck my plane. I got slammed into the roof, and then slammed sideways hitting the window with such force up my nose that I started bleeding.
After a 2-hour flight of 100 miles, I realized fuel was now an issue. So was landing. I called Flight Following. We figured out the airport I could land.
The engine stopped. So did my heart. There is no quiet as quietly stunning as this one at such an altitude. I had run out of fuel in the left tank, and only a little in my right tank. The engine quit for a second time. I declared an emergency. I was told that I might get another few minutes of fuel if I gently banked the airplane. Luckily, it worked. Then, the engine quit for the last time. I was a glider now. I made a long lazy spiral descent. Down I went. I stopped at the very end of the runway.
I made so many mistakes, missed so many clues, and showed my ignorance so much that I beat myself up over and over again in my mind. I learned textbook descriptions of Alberta Clippers and real-life experience with one are totally different. I will never forget the sound of that silence.
I flew home the next day. Older. Wiser. Humbler. Lucky.
1. We can know from the passage that Alberta Clippers ______.| A．can bring snowstorms |
| B．are quick-moving air masses |
| C．are violently changing air pressure |
| D．can lead to a sudden temperature drop |
| A．His lack of flying experience. |
| B．His poor preparation for the journey. |
| C．His misjudgement about the air mass. |
| D．His overconfidence in his piloting skills. |
a. I declared an emergency.
b. My airplane was running out of fuel.
c. I insisted on carrying on my flight plan.
d. I was thrown to the roof by the violent air mass.
e. I slightly banked my airplane and made a landing.
| A．dcbea | B．dceba |
| C．cdabe | D．cdbae |
| A．a rewarding training | B．a narrow escape |
| C．a painful exploration | D．a serious accident |
6 . The word "orange" describes both a color and a fruit. Which one came first might be surprising. "Orange" when used as the name of the fruit came before "orange" as a word to describe color. While the shade itself existed before the fruit, there was not a name in the English language for the color. Before the introduction of the fruit to English-speaking countries, the color was usually described as a shade of red or yellow.
In the early 16th century, Portuguese traders brought oranges from India to Europe. The Europeans had not seen the bright colored fruit before and didn't have a name for it. The fruits were named "narancia" by Italians and "narange" by the French and were sometimes referred to as "golden apples" by English speakers.
"Orange" was first used in a phrase to describe shades of colors, including in a third-century Greek text translated into English, in 1576. It describes Alexander the Great's servants as dressed in "orange colour velvet （天鹅绒）In 1578, a Latin-American dictionary defined "melites" as "a precious stone of orange color”. While orange represents the color of the objects, it needed the word "color" to follow it in order for the meaning to be clear. In the mid-1590s, Shakespeare described a beard as "orange tawny", one of the first instances of "orange" without the word "color" as part of the expression. Tawny is a brown color often used on its own. Orange was not yet a color, just a shade of brown.
In 1616, in an account describing varieties of tulips （郁金香）that can be grown, orange was used as a stand-alone color. When Isaac Newton performed his experiments on the color spectrum （色谱），he listed it as one of the seven basic colors. After almost half a century, orange was recognized as a color on its own.
1. Which is the right time order of the appearance of "orange"?| A．As a fruit→as a color→the shade itself. |
| B．The shade itself→as a color→as a fruit. |
| C．The shade itself→as a fruit→as a color. |
| D．As a color→the shade itself→as a fruit. |
| A．Melites. | B．Narange. |
| C．NaranciA. | D．Golden apples. |
| A．My ball is a melite. | B．The ball is orange colour. |
| C．The orange ball is beautiful. | D．I have an orange ball. |
| A．How to plant oranges | B．The spread of oranges |
| C．Orange used as a color | D．Shakespeare and oranges |
7 . One night in March, five years ago, during happy hour at a bar in my hometown, I made a surprise announcement to my friends: I was going to shut down my law practice and attempt to travel around the globe in a year. What’s more, I would do it without taking any flights or making a single advance reservation of any kind. My announcement drew mixed reactions from my friends. Some offered support and encouragement, while others were more doubtful.
Once I’d said the words, there was no turning back. It took months to shut down my law practice and get things in order. Once I set off on my adventure in October 2016, I found that travelling without using planes was not easy. Trying to circle the globe in 16 months (it took me a bit longer than the initial 12 months I planned) made it even tougher. Even so, travelling overland was the most awe-inspiring way to truly understand the immensity of our wonderful planet.
I took three consecutive overnight buses to travel 3,000 km through Argentina, from Ushuaia, the world’s southernmost city, to the capital Buenos Aires. I would look out the windows for hours on end at the completely unspoiled plains, as if humans had never touched it.
It took seven consecutive days and nights on trains to get from Moscow to Beijing, each day spent gazing out the windows for hours as the West Siberian Plain swept by. Sometimes, I wouldn’t see a village or a human being for 10 hours. Later in my journey, it took 22 days on a cargo freighter to get from New Zealand through the Panama Canal and back to Philadelphia, to finish my round-the-world adventure.
It turned out that travelling with no reservations was far less difficult than I had imagined. Pulling into a city on a bus with a backpack, looking in a guidebook for a few suggestions of accommodations, and then finding an empty room was never much of a problem anywhere. It also kept me flexible and open about all my travel plans, which is advice I give everyone who asks—plan far less than you think you should.
1. The author’s trip was special in that .| A．he made it at the expense of giving up his job | B．it hardly cost him anything |
| C．he did not make advance booking or travel by air | D．it was a global trip |
| A．June 2017 | B．December 2018 |
| C．October 2017 | D．February 2018 |
①Moscow ②Philadelphia ③New Zealand ④Ushuaia ⑤Beijing ⑥Buenos
| A．⑤④①⑥③② | B．④⑥①⑤③② |
| C．④⑤①⑥③② | D．⑤①⑥④③② |
| A．challenging but pleasing | B．dangerous but wonderful |
| C．boring and disappointing | D．costly and painful |
8 . There has been a lot of publicity (宣传) recently surrounding 5G, the next generation of wireless technology for the world. But what is this technology and how might it change our lives?
What is 5G?
5G stands for fifth generation, meaning the next step in the progression of technology to replace the current 4G system. 4G was the replacement for 3G, which came after 2G, and so on. These systems are wireless computer networks. Earlier “G” systems were designed to improve mobile communication operations. Each new technology brought major improvements in speed and greatly increased network capacity. The new 5G system promises more of the same. It is expected to permit more users to do more things-at a faster rate. Higher internet speeds and larger network capacity should result in better performance for device users connected to 5G. However, technology experts say there is a major way that 5G is different than the earlier systems. It will move well beyond mobile network technology to affect many more devices and industries than other “G” versions.
When will it be available?
Before we can all use 5G, wireless companies and phone makers will have to complete and deploy (部署) a whole new system. New phones and communication equipment must be built. American wireless companies have been preparing for the new system for some time. They have been creating new network equipment and buying broadcasting space to carry 5G signals. They have built news G antennas(天线)to serve American cities and towns. Wireless providers will invest at least $275 billion n 5G-related networks in the United States, the industry group CTIA reported. The first U.S, launch of 5G is expected to happen sometime this year. Industry experts expect it will take a few more year to go nationwide. It will take even longer to reach rural areas. China is expected to launch 5G sometime in 2020, while European nations are likely to build their systems more slowly over time.
1. Which system is widely used nowadays?| A．5G. | B．2G. | C．3G | D．4G. |
| A．It will allow more users to do more things. | B．The internet speed will be much higher. |
| C．The users will spend much less money on it. | D．It will affect more devices and industries |
| A．5G system has nothing to do with phone makers. |
| B．There is much work to do before 5G comes into use. |
| C．New phones will be much smarter than those used now. |
| D．4G system will be stopped as soon as 5G comes into use. |
| A．USA→China→European nations. | B．China→USA→European nations. |
| C．USA→European nations→China. | D．European nations→China→USA. |
9 . A team of researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, has developed a system to use a smartphone camera to test for viral infections. In their paper published in the journal Science Advances, the group describes their system, which involves the use of an external microchip device and a smartphone system that uses a trained deep-learning algorithm.
As the pandemic has gripped the world for most of this year, scientists have been looking for ways to slow the spread of the next one. In this new effort, the team has developed a smartphone-based system that can be used by non-medical people to test for a variety of viral infections.
The system is made up of a smartphone, an external microchip device and software. Body fluid samples are placed into a channel on the microchip device, which is then dipped in a small amount of H2O2. The resulting reaction leads to the formation of bubbles. The bubbles develop in unique patterns based in part on viruses in the fluid sample. The user points their smartphone camera at the bubbling sample and starts the deep-learning algorithm that has already been trained to identify the patterns and therefore recognize the presence of viruses. The whole process takes about 50 minutes. The researchers have thus far taught their system to recognize just three viruses, Zika and Hepatitis B and C. But testing shows the system to be 99% accurate. They note that their system is more portable and cost-effective than other solutions in the works.
The researchers suggest that their system could be rapidly trained to recognize new viruses if the need arises, and the microchip device could be sent to hot spots in the future. Such technology, the researchers suggest, could help to stop future pandemics if used widely. The researchers also note that the system could be immediately useful in infection prone areas lacking testing labs.
1. What’s the purpose of the text?| A．To advise people to use a new smartphone camera. |
| B．To introduce the development of deep-learning algorithm. |
| C．To explain the invention of a new microchip device. |
| D．To show a new finding about testing for viral infections. |
| A．To educate ordinary people with medical skills. |
| B．To help prevent the pandemic from spreading fast. |
| C．To try to treat an illness with a smartphone camera. |
| D．To make smartphones more portable and powerful. |
①Bubbles of a liquid sample are formed. ②Samples react with H2O2.
③Fluid samples are collected in a special device. ④Viruses in bubbles are recognized automatically.
⑤The software is started to examine the bubbles.
| A．③②①⑤④ | B．③①②④⑤ |
| C．②③①⑤④ | D．②①③④⑤ |
| A．Indifferent. | B．Doubtful. | C．Confident. | D．Curious. |
10 . Yellowstone National Park became America’s first national park in 1872.The National Park Service was formed 44 years later. Yellowstone, which is mostly in the state of Wyoming, is considered as a great example of the National Park System. Humans have been present in Yellowstone for more than 11,000 years.
The first organized exploration of the area which lies close to the Continental Divide of North America took place in 1870.Those first organized explorers must have seen right away how special the land was. Yellowstone contains beautiful mountains, deep canyons, lakes and rivers.
The name Yellowstone comes from the river running through the area. At first known as Rock Yellow River, later it became known as the Yellowstone River. Yellowstone is home to many different species of plants. However, the park is most special because of what lies underneath it. It sits on top of an ancient super volcano. And it remains an active volcano. It is believed that the last time the volcano erupted was a half million years ago. The area has had three major eruptions in the last three million years. Experts say it may erupt again in another 1,000 to 10,000 years. But each year, there are thousands of earthquakes at Yellowstone. Most are too small to be felt by people visiting the park.
Yellowstone is filled with the beauty of many hot water springs. Of all the geothermal(地热的)places in the world, half are in Yellowstone. In places of geothermal activity, hot water and gases are trapped under the earth’s crust. In places like Yellowstone, they rush to the surface in the form of hot water and steam to form geysers(喷泉).There are more geysers and hot springs in Yellowstone than anywhere else on Earth. The most famous geyser is Old Faithful. It erupts about every hour or hour and a half. The eruption can last from one and a half minutes up to 5 minutes. The amount of hot water it pours in that time can be as much as 31,000 liters or more.
1. Which shows the correct time order according to the text?a. Explorers organized the first exploration of Yellowstone.
b. The National Park Service was formed.
c. The park became the first national park in America.
d. Humans showed up in Yellowstone.
| A．a,d,c,b | B．d,c,b,a |
| C．d,a,c,b | D．d,a,b,c |
| A．The beautiful mountains and deep canyons. |
| B．The different species of plants. |
| C．The ancient active volcano. |
| D．The lakes and rivers. |
| A．It is the largest geyser in Yellowstone. |
| B．It may erupt over twenty times every 24 hours. |
| C．It can be easily affected by active volcanoes. |
| D．It pours over 31,000 liters of hot water every minute. |
| A．Yellowstone lies in the state of Wyoming. |
| B．Rock Yellow River is near the Yellowstone River. |
| C．Yellowstone has the most famous plants in the world. |
| D．Yellowstone National Park is successful in National Park System. |
