1 . Social media is taking over our lives: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and now, TikTok. These social media platforms have transformed from a way to stay connected to an industry where even kids can make money of their posts. While this may seem like another opportunistic innovation, its really full of hidden false realities.
The median income（中位收入） recorded in the United States of America was about $63,000 in 2018. TikTokers with over a million followers can make up to $30,000 a month ---$360,000 a year. They are making more than the average person trying to feed their family and keep a roof over their heads, simply by posting a 15-second video.
Not only is it an overpaid “job”, it also promotes undeserved admiration from viewers and a false sense of reality. Many of these famous TikTokers are still teens, and the effects of fame at such an early stage in life might cause issues later in life, such as mental influenced by what they are watching. They can put a false sense of self-value into who they look up to and what they represent: money, fame, being considered conventionally attractive.
While TikTok has become a great tool for marketing, it’s important to understand how this content affects young viewers. If we’re constantly consuming content that shows us all we need to do to be successful is be conventionally attractive and post a 15-second video featuring a new dance, it will challenge our knowledge of what really makes someone successful and will in turn affect our individual work ethics（伦理）. What about the people who miss birthdays and family holidays due to their jobs and aren’t getting paid nearly as much as these TikTokers?
Richard Colyer, president and creator of Metaphor, Inc., had his own view on this issue. “It sounds great that kids can make money for doing the latest dance moves in a 15-second video, but we should feed the minds of kids and not just their bank accounts. TikTok can be great if used properly. Money alone is not good, technology alone is not good and connectedness can be bad if it’s only online.”
1. What does the underlined word “this” in Paragraph 1 refer to?| A．social networking | B．staying connected to the Internet. |
| C．a job offered by TikTok. | D．making money on social media. |
| A．They tend to live an adult life too soon. |
| B．They are forced to pay for certain services. |
| C．They are likely to develop false values |
| D．They may abandon other social media |
| A．Young TiKTokers should be banned from making money. |
| B．TikTok can be a positive influence if teens employ it wisely. |
| C．It is better to involve education on investment in TikTok videos. |
| D．Contents of videos need checking before their release online. |
| A．A Job Vs An Entertainment | B．Join Young TikTokers |
| C．TikTok---A Mine of Money | D．Say No to TiKTok |
2 . Starman, the dummy(仿真人) riding a cherry-red Tesla Roadster(特斯拉敞篷车) through space, has made his closest approach ever to Mars. The electric roadster and its passenger were attached to the top of a Falcon Heavy rocket during the SpaceX rocket’s first test launch on 6 February 2018. Two years later, the Falcon Heavy rocket and the vehicle at its tip are making their second trip around the Sun. Mr. McDowell, a Harvard astrophysicist, found that Starman passed 7.4 million kilometres from Mars at 06:25 GMT 7 October, 2020.
The closest recent approach between the Earth and Mars was 56 million kilometres in 2003, though the planets are often hundreds of millions of miles apart depending on where they are in their orbits. No one can see the Falcon Heavy rocket at its current distance, but orbits over periods of a few years are fairly straightforward to predict, and Mr. MeDowell used data about how the rocket was moving when it left the Earth’s gravity behind to locate its recent movements exactly.
Last time Starman circled the Sun, MeDowell said, it crossed Mars’ orbit while the Red Planet was quite far away. But this time the crossing lined up with a fairly close approach, though still not close enough to feel a strong tug from Mars.
At this point in time, if you were able to go look at the Roadster, it would probably look pretty different. The strong solar radiation environment between the planets would probably have destroyed all the exposed organic materials. Without the Earth’s atmospheric and magnetic(磁场的) protection, even the plastics and carbon-fibre materials would start to break up. Over the course of decades or centuries, the car will end up with its aluminium(铝) frame and hard glass parts----that’s assuming that none of them get destroyed in impacts with passing space rocks.
1. What can we infer from the first paragraph?| A．Starman has set out on its second trip around the Sun. |
| B．Starman has travelled 7.4 million kilometres after launch. |
| C．Starman is now circling around the Earth in its orbit. |
| D．Starman still has a long way to go before getting to Mars. |
| A．By keeping Starman under visual observation. |
| B．By predicting its future orbit around the earth. |
| C．By analyzing data about the rocket’s movement. |
| D．By seeking professional help from SpaceX. |
| A．pressure | B．drive | C．resistance | D．pull |
| A．Be reduced to its frame and glass. | B．Crash onto Mars. |
| C．Return to SpaceX on the earth. | D．Be recovered during its next space mission. |
3 . L. Bean Quad backpack
If you need a backpack that can carry large and small objects and is comfortable to wear, this is the backpack for you. The reasonable price and customers’ 100% satisfaction makes this a great buy any way you look at it. While it’s not the most beautiful backpack on the planet, it does look nice at first sight.
Kanken 15” backpack
This Kanken bag is a great choice for school kids of grade one to six or adults with narrow shoulders. Weighing under 450g, it’s easy and comfortable to carry this bag around. The simple design with a lot of eve-catching colors may have you fall in love with it at once.
Timbuk2 Command backpack
If you want to safely carry your laptop and look stylish, the Timbuk2 Command backpack is the one for you. The soft back is made for a comfortable wearing experience. The clean coloring and lines of the bag may make you more “grown-up”.
Amazon Basics backpack
With a lowest price among all these backpacks, the Amazon Basics backpack is a great choice for college students on a tight budget. There are tons of storage choices in this backpack, so it’s easy to forget exactly where you placed a certain object. It is a basic black backpack with a few designs and is never going to appear on a fashion T stage.
1. What makes L. Bean Quad backpack attractive?| A．The color and the design. | B．The style and the quality. |
| C．The cost and the public praise. | D．The lightweight and the simplicity. |
| A．L. Bean Quad backpack. | B．Amazon Basics backpack |
| C．Timbuk2 Command backpack. | D．Kanken 15” backpack |
| A．NEWSWEEK | B．SMARTSHOPPER. |
| C．NATURE. | D．GOOD HOUSEKEEPING. |
4 . Mark and his brother Jason both were looking at the shining new computer enviously. Jason was determined not to go against their father's wishes but Mark was more adventurous than his brother. He loved experimenting and his aim was to become a scientist like his father.
“Dad will be really mad if he finds out you've been playing with his new computer.” said, “He told us not to touch it.”
“He won't find out,” Mark said, “I'll just have a quick look and shut it down.”
Mark had been scolded before for touching his father's equipment. But his curiosity was difficult to control and this new computer really puzzled him.
It was a strange-looking machine — one his dad had brought home from the laboratory where he worked. “It's an experimental model.” his father had explained, “so don't touch it under any circumstances.” But his father's warning only served to make Mark more curious. Without any further thought, Mark turned on the power switch. The computer burst into life and seconds later the screen turned into colours, shifting and changing, and then two big white words appeared in the centre of the screen: "SPACE TRANSPORTER."
“Yes!” Mark cried excitedly. “It's a computer game. I knew it! Dad's only been pretending to work. He's really been playing games instead!” A new message appeared on the screen:
“ENTER NAMES
VOYAGER 1:…
VOYAGER 2:…
Mark's fingers flew across the keyboard as he typed in both of their names.
“INPUT ACCEPTED. START TRANSPORT PROGRAM. AUTO-RETRIEVE INITIATED.”
The screen turned even brighter and a noise suddenly rose in volume.
“I think we'd better shut it off, Mark,” Jason yelled, reaching for the power switch. He was really frightened.
But his hand never reached the switch. A single beam of dazzling white light burst out of the computer screen, wrapping the boys in its glow, until they themselves seemed to be glowing. Then it died down just as suddenly as it had burst into life. And the boys were no longer there. On the screen, the letters changed:
“TRANSPORT SUCCESSFUL. DESTINATION: MARS. RETRIEVE DATE: 2025.”
1. Why did Mark touch the computer against his father's warning?| A．He wanted to take a voyage. | B．He wanted to practice his skill. |
| C．He was so much attracted by it. | D．He was eager to do an experiment. |
| A．In an information processing center. | B．In a scientific research center. |
| C．In an electronic factory. | D．In a computer company |
| A．He was afraid of being scolded. | B．He didn't like the loud noise and light. |
| C．He didn't want to play games any more | D．He was afraid something dangerous might happen. |
| A．They were sent to another planet. | B．They were blown into the air. |
| C．They were hidden in the strong light. | D．They were carried away to another country. |
5 . Do you know of anyone who uses the truth to deceive? When someone tells you something that is true, but leaves out important information that should be included, he can give you a false picture.
For example, some might say, “I just won a hundred dollars on the lottery. It was great. I took that dollar ticket back to the store and turned it in for one hundred dollars!”
This guy's a winner, right? Maybe, maybe not. In fact, he bought $200 worth of tickets. He's really a big loser!
He didn't say anything that was false, but he left out important information on purpose. That's called a half-truth. Half-truths are not technically lies, but they are just dishonest.
Some politicians often use this trick. During Governor Smith's last term, her state lost one million jobs and gained three million jobs. Then she seeks another term. One of her opponents says, “During Governor Smith's term, the state lost one million jobs!” That's true. However, an honest statement would have been, “During Governor Smith's term, the state had a net gain of two million jobs.”
Advertisers will sometimes use half-truths. It's against the law to make false statements sol they try to mislead you with the truth. An advertisement might say, “Nine out of ten doctors advised their patients to take Yucky Pills to cure toothache.” It fails to mention that they only asked ten doctors and nine of them work for the Yucky Company.
This kind of deception happens too often. It's a sad fact of life: Lies are lies, and sometimes the truth can lie as well.
1. What do the underlined words “net gain” in Paragraph 5 mean?| A．Final increase. | B．Large share. |
| C．Big advantage. | D．Total saving. |
| A．buy lottery tickets. | B．make use of half-truths. |
| C．not take anything at face value. | D．not trust the Yucky Company. |
| A．Advertisements are based on facts. | B．Doctors like to act in advertisements. |
| C．False statements are easy to see through. | D．Half-truths are often used to mislead people. |
| A．By listing examples. | B．By comparing. |
| C．By inferring. | D．By listing numbers. |
6 . The Chinese word "Shanzhai" means a small mountain village, but it becomes an accepted name for fakes (假货), after "Shanzhai Cell-phones" produced by small workshops in southern China became popular in the mainland market over the past two years. Now besides "Shanzhai" electronic products, there are "Shanzhai" movies, "Shanzhai" stars and even a "Shanzhai" Sprin Festival Gala, a copy of the 25-year-old traditional show presented by CCTV on Chinese Lunar New Year's Eve.
"Shanzhai" has become a culture of its own, meaning anything that imitates something famous. In Chongqing, "Shanzhai" version "Bird's Nest（鸟巢）" and "Water Cube（水立方）" woven by farmers with bamboo attract(吸引) wide attention from tourists. Both are copies of the famous Olympic buildings in Beijing.
A literature critic said that taking the "Shanzhai" Gala as an example, when the traditional CCTV program becomes less and less attractive to the audience, the "Shanzhai" version appears timely to attract people. "Although it is often connected with poor techniques and operation, 'Shanzhai' culture meets the psychological needs of common people and could be a comfort to their minds," he said.
To the mainstream（主流） culture, the rise of "Shanzhai" culture is a challenge and a motivation（推动）. People believe different kinds of cultures developing together is a perfect way and it is for the public to choose.
1. The Chinese word "Shanzhai" may have started with_______.| A．electronic products | B．fake(假的) cell-phones |
| C．Spring Festival Gala | D．Olympic buildings |
| A．anything that are copies of something famous |
| B．products with poor techniques and quality |
| C．the action that a person imitates famous people |
| D．those similar names to famous brands |
| A．is stopped by "Shanzhai" culture |
| B．is the challenge of"Shanzhai" culture |
| C．may develop faster because of the challenge of "Shanzhai" culture |
| D．will be replaced by "Shanzhai" culture |
| A．偷窃 | B．做广告 |
| C．仿造 | D．欺骗 |
7 . Technology is forever changing the way we get our news. Many people now get a lot of their news on electronic devices, instead of traditional media, such as newspapers, television or radio. Now, there is a new way we get the news: computer-created news readers.
Recently, China's Xinhua launched (推出) the world's first AI news presenters with the Chinese search engine Sogou. The news readers created by machine learning technology are based on two real-life newsmen. One is able to present newscasts in English; the other, in Mandarin Chinese.
One Xinhua's report said machine learning was used to examine video images and sounds of the two newsmen, which look and sound like real people.
Some machine learning experts said the system showed off China's latest progress in voice recognition, text-to-speech technology and data analysis. But several experts suggested that the term AI does not correctly describe abilities of the robotic news readers.
On social media, many Chinese noted that the AI presenters did not seem real. People blamed them for not being more lifelike. Others wondered about the effects robots might have on employment and workers. Some people argued that only low-level jobs requiring heavy labor will be easily replaced by robots. Others praised the technology as a way for companies to make money from low-cost labor machines.
Some businesses have experimented with similar technology for possible use in news operations. Britain's BBC recently released a video that used machine learning to make it look like one of its news readers speaking different languages. The London-based company that developed the system says its goal is to "remove the language barrier" for many different kinds of video across the Internet.
1. What does the author intend to do in Paragraph 1?| A．Introduce the topic of the text. |
| B．Summarize the different opinions. |
| C．Add some data about the AI presenters. |
| D．Compare different ways of getting news |
| A．To keep AI presenters from making any mistakes. |
| B．To make AI presenters speak more fluently. |
| C．To ensure images and sounds are like real persons. |
| D．To bring newscasts up to date every hour. |
| A．Robots will eventually replace human all over. |
| B．Robots may threaten some people's employment. |
| C．Robots may endanger most people's health. |
| D．Robots will rule over the world in the end. |
| A．BBC has removed the language barrier in newscasts |
| B．BBC's news readers can speak different languages |
| C．BBC shows interest in Xinhua's AI news presenters |
| D．BBC has done similar experiments as Xinhua does |
8 . I have recently moved to Hamburg in Germany and have always heard that Germans just wear jeans or some strange clothes. Since I have moved here though, I have found this to actually be completely false and I think I would prefer it if they did just wear jeans, so I could do the same!
Hamburg is a very big shopping city. Apart from H&M, New Yorker and Mango, I have found a New Look and a new Topshop have recently just opened. These shops are quite popular shops in the UK and sell clothes which are always considered as very "fashionable".
Another thing I am really struggling with, as well as trying to be fashionable, I am trying to find the right clothes for the weather. I have found in Hamburg one minute it is nice and sunny but the next minute it is throwing it down with rain! One day it might start off really rainy and cold but by lunch time it is sunny and really hot, so wearing a coat is not practical.
In general, however, I think it has also got cold here very quickly and it already feels like the winter that I am used to. I frequently go out in my winter coat, hat, gloves and scarf while many other people are still only wearing jeans or leather jackets. I don't understand how they do it as I am always freezing. Is it better to blend(使混合)in with fashion or be warm? I think I would rather be warm and maybe look like a bit of a banana in a huge coat rather than be shivering all day.
What do you think? Clearly I am missing something here as I seem to be the only one struggling over these fashion decisions.
1. When the writer was in Hamburg, she found Germans .| A．care more about what to wear | B．don't always wear jeans |
| C．like wearing fashionable clothes | D．like wearing jeans |
| A．difficult | B．funny |
| C．exciting | D．convenient |
| A．changeable | B．comfortable |
| C．rainy | D．lovely |
| A．wandering | B．searching |
| C．shaking | D．watching |
As I walked down empty streets under tall buildings, I felt very small and cold. I began running, both to keep warm and to keep away any possible robbers(抢劫犯). Very few people were still out except a few sad-looking homeless people under blankets.
About a block from my apartment, I heard a sound behind me. I turned quickly, half expecting to see someone with a knife or a gun. The street was empty. All I saw was a shining streetlight. Still, the noise had made me nervous, so I started to run faster. Not until I reached my apartment building and unlocked the door did I realize what the noise had been. It had been my wallet falling to the sidewalk.
Suddenly I wasn’t cold or tired anymore. I ran out of the door and back to where I’d heard the noise. Although I searched the sidewalk anxiously for fifteen minutes, my wallet was nowhere to be found.
Just as I was about to give up the search, I heard the garbage truck(垃圾车) pull up to the sidewalk next to me. When a voice called from the inside, “Alisa Camacho?” I thought I was dreaming. How could this man know my name? The door opened, and out jumped a small red-haired man with an amused look in his eyes. “Is this what you’re looking for?” he asked, holding up a small square shape.
It was nearly 3 a.m. by the time I got into bed. I wouldn’t get much sleep that night, but I had got my wallet back. I also had got back some enjoyment of city life. I realized that the city couldn’t be a bad place as long as people were willing to help each other.
1. How did the writer feel when she was walking home after work?
| A．Cold and sick. | B．Lucky and hopeful. |
| C．Satisfied and cheerful. | D．Disappointed and helpless. |
| A．solving her problem at the bank |
| B．taking part in various city activities |
| C．learning acting in an evening school |
| D．preparing for the first night show |
| A．lost her wallet unknowingly |
| B．was stopped by a garbage truck driver |
| C．was robbed of her wallet by a man with a knife |
| D．found some homeless people following her |
| A．Someone offered to take her back home. |
| B．A red-haired man came to see her. |
| C．She heard someone call her name. |
| D．Her wallet was found in a garbage truck. |
| A．would stop working at night |
| B．would stay on in San Francisco |
| C．would make friends with cleaners |
| D．would give up her job at the bank |
