1 . Whether it's Chinese social media like Sina Weibo, or Western media like Instagram an Facebook, videos can go viral in mere hours.
The wide range of viral videos suggests that popular concepts are largely random. After all, what links the recent broom challenge to funny internet cat videos?
According to scientists from Stanford University, US, the popularity of a video can be predicted by looking at how certain areas of a person's brain react within the first few seconds of a video. This method has been called neuroforecasting（神经预测）.
The team made the finding by recruiting（招募）36 volunteers to watch a range of videos while being scanned with an FMRI—a machine that can monitor the changes in blood oxygen and flow.
Participants were shown 32 different videos and were monitored according to their brain responses in four different areas. The results showed that specific brain activity during the first four seconds of a video could effectively predict a person's thoughts on a video and whether they would keep watching.
Using the FMRI results, the Stanford team consistently saw increased activity in the nucleus accumbens（伏核）and decreased activity in the anterior insula（前脑岛）parts of the brain while the participants were watching the most popular of the 32-vidco selection.
According to the study, these two brain regions are related to the feeling of expectation we get when we're not certain of something's outcome.
Stanford neuroscientist（神经学家）and the study's author Brian Knutson said: "If we examine our subjects' choices to watch the video or even their reported responses to the videos, they don't tell us about the general response online ... Only brain activity seems to forecast a video's popularity on the internet.”
He added, “Future research might also systematically analyze the video content, so content creators can use these findings to make their videos more popular.”
In the future, the team aims to use this type of FMRI experiment to understand "whether processes that generate individual choice can tell us something about choices made by large groups of people”. According to Knutson, this could apply to shopping trends, charity support and general money-spending.
1. What did scientists from Stanford University find?| A．There are differences between viral videos in different cultures. |
| B．People's reported response can predict the popularity of a video. |
| C．There are links between viral videos under different subjects. |
| D．Viewers' initial brain activity can forecast the popularity of a video. |
| A．All four areas monitored displayed increased activity. |
| B．One area got more active while another became less active. |
| C．Areas related to the feeling of uncertainty got more active. |
| D．The activity of areas related to the feeling of expectation increased. |
| A．The participants' choices to watch the videos help them make the finding. |
| B．How long the subjects watched the videos also mattered to their conclusion. |
| C．Our brain activity can show something we ourselves don't realize. |
| D．When the video was beyond the viewers‘ expectation, it is generally popular. |
| A．Exploring the link between individual and general choices. |
| B．Interviewing content creators how they make videos. |
| C．Discouraging more charity organizations. |
| D．Applying their findings to arresting criminals. |
2 . Robots are getting better at doing human jobs. That's probably good for the economy—but there are some serious downsides, too.
Machines are expected to displace about 20 million manufacturing jobs across the world over the next decade, according to a report released by Oxford Economics, a global forecasting and quantitative analysis firm.
That means about 8.5% of the global manufacturing workforce could be displaced by robots. The report also notes that the move to robots tends to create new jobs as fast as it automates them; however, it could contribute to income inequality. The use of robots is on the rise: at this point, every new robot that is installed (安装) displaces 1.6 manufacturing workers on average, according to the Oxford Economic model.
Robots are becoming cheaper than many human workers, in part because of the falling costs of machines. And they are increasingly capable of functioning in more complex processes and varied contexts. On top of that, the demand for manufactured goods is rising.
One potential downsize to the robot revolution: automation could increase income inequality. "This great displacement will not be evenly distributed around the world, or within countries," according to the report. "Our research shows that the negative effects of robotization are disproportionately (不成比例地) felt in the lower-income regions compared with higher-income regions of the same country."
The workers who drive knowledge and innovation within the manufacturing industry tend to be concentrated in larger cities, and those skills are harder to automate. That's why urban areas will deal better with the increased automation, according to the report.
On the whole, the increased use of automation will likely create new jobs at a pace comparable to the jobs that will be lost, which cancels out fears about permanent job destruction, according to the Oxford study. That said, the poorer regions that are expected to lose the most jobs will probably not benefit equally from this new job creation due to a gap in skills. That will lead to increased income inequality between cities and rural areas, as well as between regions.
1. What "downside" does the author mainly discuss?| A．People will not be able to find jobs in the future. |
| B．Robots will finally take the place of people. |
| C．Displacement by robots will increase income inequality. |
| D．Robots are becoming cheaper than many human workers. |
| A．To make robots help them with the harder work. |
| B．To improve their innovative ability and knowledge. |
| C．To move to larger cities or more developed countries. |
| D．To make their skills faster and easier to be automated. |
| A．The increased use of automation will create more jobs. |
| B．People needn't worry about permanent job destruction. |
| C．The poorer countries will not benefit from automation. |
| D．The income gap between cities and rural regions will widen. |
| A．Robots should be banned in the future because of the disadvantages. |
| B．Robots can do more and better than humans in complicated processes. |
| C．The increasing need for manufactured goods partly contributes to robotization. |
| D．The negative effects of robotization will be evenly distributed around the world. |
3 . NEW BABY BROTHER
I was sitting in school when I heard the news “Your baby brother is born, and wants to see you!”
Dad got me from school and to the hospital with no delay.
Hurrying on our journey, he almost forgot the way!
My brother’s hands were tiny, and wrinkly soft, like a prune.
After he smiled at me, Mom said, “He’ll come home soon!”
Everyone “oohing” and “aahing”, they say “He is so sweet.
And one day he’ll walk around on those little baby feet!”
1. The writer was _______________ when hearing the news.| A．at school | B．at home | C．in the hospital | D．in the store |
| A．father | B．mother | C．brother | D．teacher |
| A．worried | B．surprised | C．relaxed | D．excited |
4 . “Your homework is to collect sounds and take them down,” Mrs. Olson said before class was over. She handed out sheets of paper shaped like giant ears.
On his way home, Colin glared out the school-bus window. Not fair, he thought. How could he collect enough sounds on his family's farm? If only he lived in the town.
He got off the bus when it stopped at his mailbox. But he wasn't in the mood to wave as it drove away. “I'm home!”Colin called when he pushed open the gate. He threw his school bag down on a kitchen chair.
“How was school?”His mother asked, walking in with his baby brother on her shoulder.
“I've got homework,” Colin complained.
“Eat something before doing your chores.”His mother gave him the animal biscuits. Colin ate two tigers, three lions, and a seal, then drank some milk.
Astrid, Colin’s dog, woofed as Colin walked toward the barn(谷仓).Her young dogs were yipping. Colin placed dog food into their pan. In the chicken house, Colin hurried two hens from their nests. He put their warm eggs into his jacket. The black cow napped in the sun. Colin woke her when he poured corn into her pan.“Moo, thank you!”she seemed to say.
Colin put the eggs in the kitchen, then climbed to his tree house as usual. He could see Dad's beehives(蜂箱)by the field. Six hives usually meant plenty of humming noise. But today he couldn't hear it over the chattering sound of the sparrows. How could a person think?
“QUIET!”Colin shouted.
Suddenly, he sat up straight. Cows mooed and young dogs yipped. Chickens crackled in their yard. When Astrid began woofing below, Colin smiled broadly.“I hear you!” he called. He hurried down from the tree.
1. Why did Colin wish he lived in the town?| A．Because living on the farm was boring. |
| B．Because people were treated fairly there. |
| C．Because the town was near his school. |
| D．Because collecting sounds would be easier. |
| A．Doing his homework. | B．Helping with farm work. |
| C．Playing with animals. | D．Babysitting his brother. |
| A．4. | B．5. | C．6. | D．7. |
| A．woof | B．yip | C．nap | D．hum |
| A．Walk Astrid. | B．Gather honey. |
| C．Draw a giant ear. | D．Record the sounds. |
5 . Living on an island might sound wonderful. But what if you left for a trip and found you could never return? What if your home, and even the land it stood on, was gone forever? For people living in the Pacific Islands, this is really possible.
Why? Climate (气候) change. Climate change is causing the sea to rise. That's bad news for the Pacific Islands. Young people on the islands are even starting to wonder: Will they be the last generation (一代人)?
Not if the islanders have anything to do about it. These people are deeply connected to their homelands. The Pacific Islands are made up of 11 different countries: the Marshall Islands, Fiji, Samoa, and others. But now, those countries are working together. They're joining forces to fight climate change.
Why is climate change such a huge threat to this part of the world? Islands are low elevations (海拔). So they are among the first places influenced by rising sea levels. That's why countries of the Pacific Islands are working together to do their part.
But these are small countries. When it comes to climate change, can they make a big difference? They can, because most of the things that people on islands buy are brought by ships. This is very harmful to the environment. After all, ships put out almost 3 percent of the world's carbon emissions (碳排放). That makes climate change worse.
Pacific Islanders realize the problem. So, in 2019, six countries got together: Fuji, the Marshall islands, Samoa, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands and Tuvalu. They came up with a plan. They agreed to cut carbon emissions from shipping by 40 percent by 2030. And by 2050, they expect zero-carbon shipping.
How will they pull this off? They plan to use some really cool carbon-free technologies. They'll make use of solar and wind energy.
Sea levels are rising, but hopes aren't sinking in the Pacific Islands.
1. What is the bad news for the Pacific Islands according to the passage?| A．Some Pacific Island countries have disappeared. |
| B．The sea level is going up because of climate change. |
| C．All the shipping to the Pacific Islands has been stopped. |
| D．The Pacific Islanders have nothing to do about the climate change. |
| A．risk | B．step | C．project | D．development |
| A．there will never be zero carbon emissions from shipping |
| B．solar and wind energy will make climate change worse |
| C．all the Pacific Islanders may leave their homelands by 2050 |
| D．some Pacific Island countries may have hopes to make a difference |
| A．why other countries are helping the Pacific Islanders fight climate change |
| B．how some countries are working hard to develop carbon-free technologies |
| C．how Pacific Island countries are working together to fight shipping pollution |
| D．why Pacific Island countries put out so much of the world's carbon emissions |
6 . My father, who was always drunk and angry, beat me more and more every day. He always locked the door when he went away and kept the key in his pocket. One day I found an old saw (锯子) that he hid in the roof. When I was alone in the house, I started to make a hole on the floor under the big table.
The next day my father said, "Huck, go to the river and catch some fish for breakfast. Quickly! And don't try anything. Remember, I’m watching you!"
While I was fishing by the river, I saw an empty boat nearby.
"A boat!" I thought, happily, "This is my chance to escape. I'll hide the boat near some trees and use it tonight!"
When my father went to town that afternoon, I got my saw and started to work on the hole. It was late afternoon when I finished making the hole.
"I did a good job, "I thought, looking at the hole. "Now I'll get my father's gun. I have a plan. "
I looked outside the window and there was nobody there. I quickly escaped through the hole. Then I ran into the woods to hunt a wild pig. Luckily, I found one. I shot it and took it back to the house and let the pig's blood fall on the wooden floor of the house. Then I pulled some of my hair out and put it on my father's ax (斧子)with some of the pig's blood.
I took the pig's body outside and put it in a big bag with some rocks, and threw it into the river.
"This way people will think ▲ !" I thought. "They'll come and look for my body in the river." This idea made me smile.
I waited until it was dark and got into the boat and went to Jackson's Island. I knew about Jackson's Island because Tom, Ben, Joe and I had a lot of fun adventures there.
(Adapted from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain）
1. What's the correct order of the following?①Huck hid a boat. ②Huck found a saw. ③Huck went fishing. ④Huck killed a wild pig.
| A．①④②③ | B．③②①④ | C．②①③④ | D．②③①④ |
| A．my father went away and I'm sad | B．the pig's blood is mine and I'm dead |
| C．I killed the wild pig and I'm brave | D．my friends helped me and I'm lucky |
| A．meet his friends | B．look for the treasure |
| C．take an adventure | D．escape from his father |
| A．Brave and clever. | B．Funny and helpful. |
| C．Lazy and careless. | D．Boring and stupid. |
7 . Zoos have been around for centuries — and they’ve changed a lot over the years. In the Middle Ages, wealthy people kept animals in their gardens. Public animal parks appeared in European cities in the late 1700s and early 1800s. The Philadelphia Zoo, the first in the United States, opened in 1874.
Until a few decades (十年) ago, most zoos were organized by creatures — monkeys in one area, cats in another, birds somewhere else, just like museum collections. In recent years, zoos have instead begun grouping animals that would normally interact (互相作用) in the wild. Moreover, instead of closing animals behind bars, designers are creating landscapes like the environments in which these creatures would naturally be found. Nearby signs provide information about the animals and their habitats in parts of the world where they normally live.
The Denver Zoo’s new Predator Ridge exhibit, for example, aims to teach visitors about Africa. Eight acres of land provide homes for 14 animal species, including lions, porcupines, cranes, and wild dogs. Plants from the region grow alongside African-like landform. Ten-foot-tall mounds (土墩) give lions a place from which to survey their surroundings, just as they would do in the wild.
Landscape design makes visitors to the Denver Zoo’s Predator Ridge exhibit feel like they’re really in Africa.
Animals in Predator Ridge can’t actually be mixed with one another, for safety reasons. But hidden deep channels and other smart features allow visitors to see all the animals at once. Different species can see each other too.
1. What is the passage mainly about?| A．The safety problem of zoos. |
| B．The living habits of zoo animals. |
| C．Changes of zoos over the time. |
| D．Protection of zoo animals. |
a. Different species were kept in a group.
b. Zoos were organized by species.
c. Natural environments were created in zoos.
d. Animals were kept in people’s gardens.
| A．b; d; c; a | B．d; a; c; b | C．b; d; a; c | D．d; b; a; c |
| A．protect the safety of visitors |
| B．create a natural environment for lions |
| C．separate lions from other animals |
| D．offer visitors a better view of lions |
| A．the Denver Zoo | B．the Predator Ridge exhibit |
| C．Africa | D．the ten-foot-tall mounds |
| A．the earliest zoos were probably rich people’s gardens |
| B．the Philadelphia Zoo is the first zoo in the world |
| C．the new Predator Ridge exhibit is held in Africa |
| D．more animals will be kept in zoos in the future |
8 . Asking for help is a sign of strength rather than weakness. In American culture, the independent individual is seen as their ideal. As the University of Missouri at St. Louis states on its website under the heading Key American Values, “Americans have been trained since very early in their lives to consider themselves as separate individuals who are responsible for their own situations in life and their own destinies.” The value also makes them think they can do everything themselves, and makes them feel bad about asking for help when they need it.
And when it comes to work situations, when they think about asking for help there, sometimes they fear that a request for help would make them look inept. While this has always been true for men, many women in the workplace have felt the need to try twice as hard as their male colleagues and do twice as much to get just as far and to prove their worth. Sometimes when we think about asking for help, our inner voices tell us, “See, if you admit you can’t do this on your own, they’ll see you for the imposter （骗子）you really are.”
But the fact is, even though individualism is on the rise, we can’t do everything by ourselves and we shouldn’t try.
Apple founder Steve Jobs once told the Santa Clara Valley Historical Association about the power of asking for help, and how he “never found anybody who didn’t want to help me when I asked them for help”. He said, at the age of 12, he called Bill Hewlett, co-founder of Hewlett-Packard, on the phone after getting his number from the phone book and asking him for spare parts so he could build a frequency counter（计频器）And Hewlett agreed and offered young Jobs a summer job assembling frequency counters.
“If you’re afraid of failing, you won’t get very far,” Jobs said.
1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?| A．What key American values are. |
| B．Asking for help is a sign of strength. |
| C．Why Americans refuse to ask for help. |
| D．Americans are responsible for their life. |
| A．incompetent | B．depressed |
| C．impolite | D．sensitive |
| A．Americans suffer a lot from mutual distrust. |
| B．Americans think highly of individual values. |
| C．Americans should learn to build up confidence. |
| D．Americans see weakness as a sign of strength. |
| A．Learn to cooperate with others. | B．Be brave to try whatever you want. |
| C．Never ask for help. | D．Don’t hesitate to ask for help. |
9 . Amsterdam,the capital and most populous city in the Netherlands，is one of the most popular travel destinations in the world，famous for its beautiful canals，top art museum，cycling culture，and Red Light District.Here are some of the key points to remember as you plan your trip to Amsterdam.
Must-See AttractionsMost visitors begin their Amsterdam adventure in the Old Centre,which is full of traditional architecture，shopping centers,and coffee shops.You’ll also want to check out Amsterdam’s Museum Quarter in the South District，which is great for shopping at the Albert Cuyp Market and having a picnic in the Vondelpark.The top museums to visit are the Rijksmusuem,the Ann Frank House,and the Van Gogh Museum.The Canal Ring is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that was originally built to attract wealthy home owners and is a popular place for celebrity spotting and nightlife today.
TransportationTravelers should be aware that Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is one of the busiest airports in the world.This airport is located about 15 kilometers southwest of city center.You can catch a train from Schiphol to Amsterdam Central Station，which has many connecting routes.It’s typically not a good idea to drive a car to the city center because traffic is heavy and parking is difficult to find.Cycling is incredibly popular here,and it’s easy to find cheap bike rentals around town.Amsterdam has a flat terrain(地形) and is a great city to explore on foot.
Money Saving TipsUnless you really want to see the tulips(郁金香) blooming，avoid booking between mid-March and mid-May.This is when hotel and flight prices rise.
Look for accommodations in Amsterdam’s South District，where rates are generally cheaper than in the city center.Buy train tickets at the machine instead of the counter to save a bit of money.
Instead of hiring a tour guide，hop on a canal boat.They’re inexpensive and will give you a unique point of view of the city.Check out our homepage to view price comparisons for flights,hotels,and rental cars before you book.
1. Which attraction was built with the original purpose of drawing the rich?| A．Albert Cuyp Market. | B．The Ann Frank House. |
| C．The Van Gogh Museum. | D．The Canal Ring. |
| A．The plane. | B．The train. |
| C．The car. | D．The bike. |
| A．Seeing the tulips blooming in spring. | B．Avoiding accommodating downtown. |
| C．Buying car tickets at the machine. | D．Hiring a local tour guide. |
10 . As a geothermal scientist, I know that boiling rivers exist—but they are always near volcanoes. You need a lot of heat to make that much water boil. We were working in the volcanic gap, a 950-mile-long area that covers most of Peru, where there hasn’t been active volcanism for the past two million years.
Yet we’d found the Shanaya, a name originated from “heating thing”. My measurements averaged 190°-195°F. The locals think it’s so hot because of the Yacumama, or “water mother”—a spirit who gives birth to waters—represented by a snake-head-shaped rock at the origin of the heated water.
I had to cut my way through the bush at the side of the river to take temperature readings. All the while, right next to me was this very hot, fast-flowing body of water. A friend at the nearest village had told me, “Use your feet like eyes.” You can’t see heat, but you can feel it when you step near it. I wore sandals(凉鞋）.
I was at a part of the river measuring 210°F, standing on a rock the size of a sheet or paper, when the rain fell. It was like a curtain rising. The temperature differential between the rain and the river caused a whiteout. I couldn’t see, but I whistled to let my partner know I was OK.
At 130°F flesh cooks, and the water around me was nearing twice that. My eyes would have cooked in less than a minute, and I couldn’t have seen how to get out. I saw rats fall in, their eyes turning milky white. I kept whistling.
After 15 minutes the rain stopped and the steam cleared. A hard rain in most situations would have been nothing important. Here, for a matter of minutes, it thinned the line between researching and being boiled alive.
1. What do we know about boiling rivers?| A．They are always found not far from volcanoes. |
| B．They were discovered two million years ago. |
| C．Geothermal scientists doubt their existence. |
| D．Most of them can be found in Peru. |
| A．It was convenient to wear sandals in the river. |
| B．He was advised to do so by his friend. |
| C．He wanted to feel heat with his feet. |
| D．The temperature was high there. |
| A．He signaled to his partner for help. |
| B．He was in danger of losing his life. |
| C．He raised a curtain to protect himself. |
| D．He fell down because of his blindness. |
| A．Water near volcanoes. |
| B．Milky white eyes. |
| C．Boiling point. |
| D．A hard rain. |
