1 . We often hear friends ask why they should read fiction. There is so much to learn from history, from what is going on at the frontiers of science, and from contemporary studies of human behavior. Why should they spend their scarce "free time" reading fiction, the purpose of which, at best, is only entertainment?
We are disappointed about such comments. Yes, we respond, we do find pleasure in reading fiction. But we also learn much about how to best live our lives in ways that can only be captured by fiction. We recognize that some novels are entertaining, but leave no lasting impression. What makes a novel more than entertainment?
Our answer is that we don't just read great books - they read us as well. The human condition is complex and contradictory, layered like an ice-cream dessert, with flavors mixed among the layers. A great novel reflects that complexity. We may read it several times, as we do with our favorites, and each time it is like finding an old friend and gaining new insights from that friend. We put it down with new understandings of the world around us and, most important, of ourselves.
Let's look at the novel Frankenstein, written in 1818 by Mary Shelley. Frankenstein is not the monster, but a young man seeking out the secrets of the universe. He collects body parts and charges it with life. When the dull yellow eyes open, however, Frankenstein, shocked by what he has done, abandons the creature, which ultimately kills Frankenstein's brother, his bride, and his best friend.
On one level, Frankenstein is entertaining - a good horror story, though a little dated. But Shelley writes more than just that. On a deeper level, her book forces us to ask whether humans reach too far to gain knowledge that is as forbidden as the fruit of the Garden of Eden. This theme, as old as the legend of Prometheus （普罗米修斯），dominates Frankenstein. Shelley, of course, knew nothing of genetic （遗传的）engineering that happens today. She was deeply troubled by what human beings might discover about themselves, and the effects of those discoveries on society. Our reading of great literature can also be enriched by understanding the author's personal interests and anxieties.
1. How does the author feel about fiction reading?| A．It is a window to a whole new world. |
| B．It helps us discover the frontiers of science. |
| C．It offers insight into how to live best lives. |
| D．It holds some clues to understanding our memory. |
| A．Because they deserve reading several times. |
| B．Because they lead us to a rich and colorful life. |
| C．Because they explore humans' complex reality. |
| D．Because they improve the writer-reader relationship. |
| A．It is based on a grand theme. |
| B．It is a record of a historic event. |
| C．It is merely a great horror story. |
| D．It is about the legend of Prometheus. |
| A．Why should we read fiction? |
| B．Can novel reading last long? |
| C．Read for fun or read for none? |
| D．Is Frankenstein really entertaining? |
2 . Windows are a key component in a building's design, but they are also the least energy- efficient part. According to a 2009 report by the United Nations, buildings account for 40 percent of global energy usage, and windows are responsible for half of that energy consumption. If conventional windows are used to better block sunlight passing into a building, they need expensive coatings. Even so, they can not adjust the indoor temperature effectively.
Scientists at the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU) have developed a smart liquid window panel that can help. By creating a mixture of micro-hydrogel (水凝胶), water, and a stabilizer, they found that it can effectively reduce energy consumption in a variety of climates. Thanks to the hydrogel, the mixture becomes hard-to-see- through when exposed to heat, thus blocking sunlight, and, when cool, it returns to its original clear state. The high heat capacity of water allows a large amount of heat energy to be stored instead of getting transferred through the glass and into the building during the hot daytime when office buildings mainly operate. The heat will then be gradually cooled and released at night when the staff are off duty.
As a proof of concept, the scientists conducted outdoor tests in hot (Singapore, Guangzhou) and cold (Beijing) environments. The Singapore test revealed that the smart liquid window had a lower temperature (50°C) during the hottest time of the day (noon) compared to a normal glass window (84°C), The Beijing tests showed that the room using the smart liquid window consumed 11 percent less energy to maintain the same temperature compared to the room with a normal glass window. They also measured when the highest value of stored heat energy of the day occurred. This "temperature peak" in the normal glass window was 2 pm, and in the smart liquid window was shifted to 3 pm. If this temperature peak shift leads to a shift in the time when a building needs to draw on electrical power to cool or warm the building, it should result in lower energy charges for users. The research team is seeking ways to cut down the cost of producing the smart window and so far, they have found several industry partners to commercialize it.
1. What is the disadvantage of conventional windows?| A．They are expensive. |
| B．They are not heatproof. |
| C．They contribute less to energy saving. |
| D．They can't block light into the building. |
| A．By taking in much of heat energy. |
| B．By returning to its original clear state. |
| C．By getting most of sunlight transferred. |
| D．By spreading sunlight in different directions. |
| A．It will make the windows long-lasting. |
| B．It could help the building users reduce costs. |
| C．It makes the buildings rely on no electrical power. |
| D．It helps the windows maintain a constant temperature. |
| A．It will be unaffordable. |
| B．It needs to be further improved. |
| C．It will be widely used in the city. |
| D．It will come onto the market soon. |
3 . Many students of the past and present would agree that their favorite thing on campus is the vending machine. Whether it’s serving up snacks or drinks, beholding the grand machine full of popular options with the luxury of money in your pocket and the power to choose whatever suits you most in that moment is a cherished feeling. If only, so many people wonder, it was this easy and affordable for kids to get their hands on new books? Well...it could be, in fact.
And that's why this school just opened its first scholastic vending machine. In a bid to get kids reading more, this school is taking a new approach: present the best-selling page-turners of the world in a kid-friendly package. With racing imaginations that never turn off and a hunger for any excuse to do anything except their homework, it's more often than not that kids just need to open up a book in order to get sucked in and start flipping through pages left and right. And pretty much no kid can resist the temptations of a vending machine.
But this vending machine gets even better: the books inside are available through the purchase of tokens—not money. And these tokens are earned through a system that rewards kids from visiting and finishing other books. Through a partnership with the local library, students can check out and return books there for free to qualify themselves for the book vending program, which prevents difficulties affording books independently from becoming an issue for these students.
Once the students have earned a token, they've earned a free book—from a machine stocked with $1,000 worth of books inside. The vending machine even features books from every genre to ensure that there's something for everyone.
1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?| A．How a vending machine functions. | B．What makes students excited on campus. |
| C．What inspires the vending machine program | D．How a vending machine brings convenience. |
| A．It provides a limited category of books. | B．Students earn its tokens by reading books. |
| C．Children can borrow books from it for free. | D．About 1000 books are available in each machine. |
| A．Advanced but complex. | B．Traditional and effective. |
| C．Pioneering but impractical. | D．Creative and considerate. |
| A．To advertise a vending machine that serves books. |
| B．To introduce a new way to encourage children to read. |
| C．To promote a system designed to improve reading ability. |
| D．To suggest a new approach to dealing with learning difficulty. |
4 . After exactly a year of staying at home, we have adapted to socializing digitally, in short bursts of time.Remember in Before Times you could head to the gym after work and then get dressed for dinner and a night out? The pandemic(疫情) has changed this. Our social batteries have run out of charge. It's been a long time since we had to perform our social role for an extended period.
For 23-year-old Hafsa, the excitement of her friends and family to restart their social lives has left her astonished. “ At the minute my parents are planning a trip abroad and I keep postponing getting back to them with a date,” she explains. “They don't know it's because of all of this. Just the thought of being in a room full of people is scary, it's like going back to school.”
Heather Garbutt, psychotherapist of the Counselling & Psychotherapy Centre says communication is key to recharging your unused social battery. “Take it slowly and don't immediately organize a large get-together,” she advises. “Go for a walk with somebody for no more than half an hour and gently get used to being with people again. It may actually be a shock to our system which has been shut down to some degree to cope with absence. We may have that longing to be with others, but that doesn't mean we are free from anxiety. It would be good to start off with a conversation about what it's going to be like when you are all together again.”
She says finding some causal topics to discuss also works. Acknowledge that many of you may feel a bit awkward after being physically apart for so long. It's a bit like learning to walk again after you've broken a limb. It may all be off-balance to begin with but you will find a new steadiness with practice. Whatever happens post-pandemic, your loved ones can't judge if you want to take it easy and not engage in the festivities immediately. We are recovering from a post-pandemic stress disorder, after all.
1. What has become of us after a year of staying at home?| A．We are addicted to chatting with people online' |
| B．We may feel it impossible to go back to normal |
| C．We are quite looking forward to being with people. |
| D．We may find it hard to socialize with others like before. |
| A．Anxious. | B．Excited. |
| C．Astonished. | D．Guilty. |
| A．Pay a visit to a close friend and stay over. |
| B．Hang out with your friends for several hours. |
| C．Have a brief chat about your future get-together. |
| D．Ignore those who are anxious about connecting with others. |
| A．What Can Help Repair Our Social Networks? |
| B．How Can We Restore Our Social Batteries? |
| C．When Can We Speed Up Our Reunion Plan? |
| D．Why Did the Pandemic Mess Up Our Social Life? |
5 . Cats don't avoid people who upset their owners, proving they're just as disloyal as we always suspected, a new study confirms. The study will be a blow to enthusiastic cat lovers across the country, as their kitty friends appear to have lived up to their reputation of being aloof and uncaring. But dog owners can cheer that man's best friend still has their back.
Having previously showed that dogs avoided a person who behaved negatively towards their owner, researchers tried the same experiment with cats to see how they reacted. For the study, cats watched as their owner tried unsuccessfully to open a transparent container to take out an object, and then requested help from a person sitting nearby. Some people helped the pet owner and others didn't, before they all offered food to the animals.
In the dog experiment, most dogs preferred not to take food from people who didn't help their owners. But cats weren't phased and showed no preference between helpers and passive bystanders, eating food from whoever offered it.
The study's 'lead author Hitomi Chijiiwa wrote: “One possible reason for domestic cats showing no sign of a negativity bias(偏见) might be that cooperation is not typical of this species. Whereas dogs are known to cooperate with humans and conspecifics(同类) in various real and experimental contexts， the same is not true of cats. Domestic cats originated from a less sociable ancestor than did dogs, and they have not been subjected to artificial selection for cooperation with humans. However,group hunting did not evolve in small cats, because the size of their typical prey items remained unchanged even as cat communities grew bigger."
“Thus,cats can be considered as at least potentially 'social' and 'flexible' in terms of social structure, but not 'cooperative'. The ability to evaluate others based on indirect experiences might be restricted to more cooperative species.”
1. What does the underlined word “aloof” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．Distant | B．Aggressive |
| C．Sensitive | D．Greedy. |
| A．They tend to show no preference for food. |
| B．They are likely to wait for food without doing anything. |
| C．They refuse to eat food from those offending their owners. |
| D．They don't care about food givers' attitude to their owners. |
| A．They originated from a less flexible ancestor. |
| B．They lack the ability to directly evaluate others. |
| C．They haven't been trained since their domestication. |
| D．They haven't evolved through cooperation with humans. |
| A．By referring to previous findings. | B．By giving examples. |
| C．By analyzing cause and effect | D．By explaining a concept. |
6 . “Be proud of what you do,” my father always told me, “whether you are a boss or a cleaner.” When I was 15, I got a summer job in a hospital. I was told that my duties would include sweeping floors. I smiled and remembered Dad's words. Even though my job was the lowest, it made me feel excited. I saw it as a challenge because it was my first job. I learned to be on time and tried to do everything well. In return, I was treated with respect by doctors, nurses and patients. Each morning I imagined that the dirty dishes would make patients more sick if I were not there to wash them clean. After breakfast was done, I started sweeping the floors of all patient rooms and cleaning the toilets. Though I was tired, I wanted the job to be done well. Hearing people say “That young boy really does a good job”, I was filled with pride.
Working in the hospital taught me that being proud of one's job is important. It does not matter whether the job is sweeping floors or managing a large business. Through every job I have ever had, my father's words have always stayed with me. I was a good cleaner, and now I'm a good manager. I think Dad would be proud of me all the time.
1. The writer's first job was a ________.| A．boss | B．manager |
| C．cleaner | D．doctor |
| A．Washing dishes. | B．Looking after patients. |
| C．Cleaning toilets. | D．Sweeping the floor. |
| A．worked hard | B．wasn't tired |
| C．made the patients sick | D．did everything |
| A．the writer's father always stayed with him |
| B．the father didn't like the writer's first job |
| C．the writer wasn't proud of his first job |
| D．the father's words encouraged the writer to do everything well |
7 . For people who struggle to read text, technology can be a lifeline. Actually, assistive technology (AT) tools for reading can also be useful to students who just need some extra assistance to aid reading fluency or comprehension. These tools are inexpensive and easy to find. They open up the wonderful world of reading, making text accessible to students of all abilities. But with so many tools out there, it’s not always easy to know which ones to use.
To help, here’s a guide to some best ones.
Graphic organizers
They are visual representations, like diagrams and mind maps, of ideas and concepts. You can use graphic organizers to help with comprehension while reading. Graphic organizers can be digital or pen and paper.
Annotation aids
They let you take notes and write comments while reading. This can make it easier to keep information. Annotation aids can be part of software or apps, or they can be traditional pens, markers, and sticky notes.
Display control
It allows you to control how text is displayed. When reading on a screen, you can change the font(字体), font size, and spacing of text. You can also cover parts of the screen to lessen distractions(干扰) while reading.
Text-to-speech (TTS)
It lets you see text and hear it read aloud at the same time. To use this tool, you click on words, and you’ll hear the words read by computer-generated voices. You can even read after it and record your own voice. TTS can also be used to change any digital text files into audio files.
Optical character recognition (OCR)
It can read aloud text from images and pictures. You can use OCR by taking photos of worksheets, paper documents, and even objects like street signs. Like TTS, OCR uses computer-generated voices.
Keep in mind that using AT reading tools won’t prevent people from learning to read. For example, experts say audiobooks can actually help kids become better readers.
1. If a reader prefers taking his feelings down while reading, he’d better use ________.| A．graphic organizers | B．annotation aids |
| C．display control | D．text-to-speech |
| A．Changing file types. | B．Editing photos of documents. |
| C．Reading words in pictures. | D．Using computer-generated voices. |
| A．accessible and beneficial | B．expensive but worthwhile |
| C．helpful and energy-efficient | D．innovative but complicated |
8 . There are many interesting science experiments out there for young kids. You can surprise your friends and teachers with them. All you have to do is to put a little effort into it and you should have no problem coming up with an interesting science experiment. One such experiment is to show your friends and teachers that you can make mothballs (樟脑丸) dance!
If you want to do it, first, be sure that you have got all the necessary science kits for your science experiment.
What you need for this experiment is a glass filled half full with water. Add a little bit of vinegar (醋) to your glass of water, about 1/3 or 1/4 of a cup (60 ml), and one teaspoon (10 ml) of baking soda, and then carefully stir the mixture. Drop a few mothballs into the glass and have your audience watch. As long as the surfaces of the mothballs become fairly rough, they should begin to bounce up and down in the glass.
You can also do a similar experiment with raisins (葡萄干) and pop, such as Coca Cola. In this experiment, all you have to do is to fill a glass with Coca Cola and drop a few raisins into it. The raisins should begin to bounce up and down in the glass of Coca Cola. You can also replace the raisins with mothballs and you should get the same effect in the Coca Cola. This project works because the irregular surfaces of the mothballs and the raisins hold some CO₂ bubbles (气泡) , causing them to bounce up and down in a dancing motion.
1. The writer writes this passage to________ .| A．teach kids how to do an easy and interesting science experiment |
| B．encourage people to spend more time on science |
| C．tell us how good he is at doing science experiments |
| D．explain why some science experiments are easy |
| A．Producing mothballs. | B．Swimming mothballs. |
| C．Changing mothballs. | D．Dancing mothballs. |
| A．drink with bubbles | B．kind of vinegar |
| C．mothball | D．special kind of raisin |
| A．why Coca Cola has some CO₂ bubbles |
| B．why the mothballs bounce up and down |
| C．what scientists usually do with raisins |
| D．what people usually use Coca Cola for |
9 . Since time immemorial, people have been searching for the fountain of youth. Surprisingly, the dream of human immortality is, according to some scientists, not so far out of reach.
Professor Brian Cox, Google's Ray Kurzweil, and Tesla head Elon Musk all agree on not only the possibility of human immortality but also that it is not too far away. The solution, they say, is something called the “technological singularity”.
The singularity is a combination of humankind with computers, namely uploading the contents of one's brain onto a hard drive. In that way, a person's consciousness can stay alive after a physical body gets worse. This is based on the idea that a human brain is simply a machine, and there is, according to Professor Cox, “no reason at all why we cannot simulate (模拟) human intelligence,” using a computer.
Although Professor Cox did not say when the singularity would occur, Google's Ray Kurzweil predicts that the singularity will happen as early as 2045. By 2100, he says, human body parts will be replaceable by machine parts. Further, by uploading our brains onto a computer, we will be able to toy with it, and become “able to expand the scope of our intelligence a billion fold. ”
Elon Musk agreed with the asessments of the other scientists, even going so far as saying that the chances that we are not in a computer simulation right now are “one in billions” .
Google is preparing for a future where you can download personalities onto robots. For example, you might be able to download onto your robot a celebrity personality, or of the personality of your deceased grandmother.
The search engine giant filed a patent for this download process recently. So they definitely believe that the singularity is just around the corner. All you have to do is hold on until 2045, and soon you can effectively live in the cloud.
1. What does the underlined word “immortality” in paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．Living forever. | B．Rebirth after death. |
| C．Being perfect. | D．Continuous improvement. |
| A．By giving examples. | B．By presenting quotations. |
| C．By logically reasoning. | D．By making a description. |
| A．Computers are much smarter than humankind. |
| B．Computers can never surpass humankind at all. |
| C．Computers and humankind are quite different. |
| D．Computers can be another version of humankind. |
| A．Physically and intelligently. | B．Individually and corporately. |
| C．Psychologically and spiritually. | D．Emotionally and materially. |
10 . AI
AI (ISSN 2673-2688) is an international peer-reviewed open access journal devoted entirely to Artificial Intelligence (AI), including broad aspects of cognition and reasoning, perception and planning, machine learning, intelligent robotics, applications of AI, etc, published quarterly online by MDPI.
● Open Access- free to download, share, and reuse content. Authors receive recognition for their contribution when the paper is reused.
● Rapid Publication: manuscripts (稿子) are peer-reviewed and a first decision provided to authors approximately
17. 4 days after submission; acceptance to publication is undertaken in 4.7 days.
Arts
Arts (ISSN 2076-0752) is an international, peer-reviewed, open access journal published quarterly online by MDPI in March, June, September and December.
● Open Access- free for readers, with article processing charges (APC) paid by authors or their institutions.
● Rapid Publication: manuscripts are peer reviewed and a first decision provided to authors approximately 22.6 days after submission; acceptance to publication is undertaken in 5.9 days.
Biology
Biology (ISSN 2079-7737; CODEN: BBSIBX) is an international peer-reviewed open access journal of biological sciences published monthly online by MDPI.
● Open Access- free for readers, with article processing charges (APC) paid by authors or their institutions.
● Rapid Publication; manuscripts are peer -reviewed and a first decision provided to authors approximately 17.4 days after submission; acceptance to publication is undertaken in 2.8 days.
Impact Factor: 3.796 (2020)
Energies
Energies (ISN 1996-1073; CODEN: ENERGA) is a peer-reviewed open access journal of related scientific research, technology development, engineering, and the studies in policy and management and is published semimonthly online by MDPI.
●Open Access-free for readers, with article processing charges (APC) paid by authors or their institutions.
●Rapid Publication: manuscripts are peer reviewed and a first decision provided to authors approximately 16.5 days after submission; acceptance to publication is undertaken in 3.5 days.
Impact Factor: 2.702 (2020)
1. What are AI, Arts, Biology and Energies?| A．They are quarterly publications. | B．They are free online books. |
| C．They are online journals. | D．They are traditional magazines. |
| A．Taking the longest time to be accepted. | B．Asking for no article processing charges. |
| C．Having all its articles peer-reviewed. | D．Requiring no charges to read online. |
| A．Energies and Biology. | B．Biology and AI. |
| C．Arts and Energies . | D．Arts and AI. |
