1 . As spring arrives, farmers around the world are making decisions about what crops to plant and how to manage them. In the U. S., farmers typically have big data to help make these decisions. These data have a clear upside. They make farms more productive. In the U.S., the past five years have seen a series of good harvests for both corn and soybean. A big part is generated by effectively using data to produce more food from the same amount of land, seed and fertilizer.
In the poorer parts of the world, however, the picture is much different. Many farmers are guided only by their history with the land and their community's traditions. Their skills and knowledge are impressive, but they suffer from a poverty of data. They rely on technical advisors for advice from governments and academic centers who often have very little knowledge of the local area. For seeds and fertilizers and other materials used in the field, they rely on companies that lack data on how their products will perform in the local conditions.
About 10 years ago, East African officials and their development partners started to explore why so few smallholder dairy farmers made profits from growing demand from urban consumers. Surveys of farmers in the region suggested poor access to veterinary(禽畜的) care and breeding assistance. An effort to provide these services has helped farmers get more milk.
Data would matter little if farming was easy and the paths to productivity were obvious. But in reality, agriculture is a complex mix of many factors, including climate, biology, chemistry, physics, economics and culture—all of which vary from region to region. In this situation, good data is necessary.
1. How has big data benefited American’s farmers?| A．By producing more seeds and fertilizer. |
| B．By helping the farmers to make decisions. |
| C．By informing the farmers to plant crops earlier. |
| D．By increasing the amount of land for farming. |
| A．Big data. | B．Farming skills. | C．Technical guidance. | D．Farming materials. |
| A．To show that East Africa relies heavily on diary farming. |
| B．To illustrate cooperation between countries was a great success. |
| C．To serve as an example of how data helps farmers in poor areas. |
| D．To prove that city people in East Africa didn't like drinking milk. |
| A．Many changeable factors have influence on farming. |
| B．The American farmers can't decide what they will plant. |
| C．East African dairy farmers were experienced in raising cows. |
| D．The technical advisors in poor areas know the local areas well. |
2 . This was the first real task I received in my new school. It seemed simple: go on the Internet and find information about a man named George Washington. As I searched the name, I found that there were two famous people having the same name who looked completely different! One invented hundreds of uses for peanuts(花生), while the other led some sort of army across America. I stared at the screen, wondering which one my teacher meant. I called my grandfather for a golden piece of advice; let the coin decide. I flipped(掷) a coin and Ah! Tails (背面)! My report would be about the great man who invented peanut butter, George Washington Carver.
Weeks later, I stood in front of the classroom and proudly read my homework. But things started to get strange. I looked around the room, only to find my classmates with big smiles on their faces and tears in their eyes and my stone-faced teacher. I was completely lost. “What could be causing everyone to act this way?”
Oh well, I dropped the paper and sat down at my desk, burning to find out what I had done wrong. As a classmate began his report, it all became clear, “My report is on George Washington, the man who started the American War of Independence.” The whole world became quiet! How could I know that my teacher meant that George Washington?
Of course, my subject result was awful. Sad but fearless, I decided to turn this around. I talked to the headmaster Miss Lancelot, but she said firmly: No re-dos; no new score. I felt that it was not fair, and I believed I deserved a second chance. So I threw myself heartily into my work for the rest of the school year. Ten months later, I sat in the headmaster’s office again, but this time a completely different conversation. I smiled and flashed back to the terrible moment at the beginning of the year as the headmaster told me I was good enough to skip(跳过) the 6th grade and started the 7th grade next term.
1. The task I received was to find information about ________.| A．uses for peanuts |
| B．American War of Independence |
| C．George Washington |
| D．my headmaster Miss Lancelot |
| A．I was too proud of my homework |
| B．I mistook what the homework was about |
| C．the whole world suddenly became quiet |
| D．the teacher’s face turned to a stone |
| A．the headmaster didn’t like the writer at all |
| B．the writer’s classmates felt sad at his mistake |
| C．the writer knew little about American history |
| D．the writer’s grandpa was a very wise man |
| A．Seeing is believing. |
| B．Where there is a will, there is a way. |
| C．One is never too old to learn. |
| D．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
3 . Many years ago, my mother read from the book Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey to me. I remember as if it were yesterday, hearing her voice at my side on a cold wintry night. My mother's voice changed my world.
Long before I could read on my own, she shared with me the strength and beauty of McCloskey's language — a story of a little girl and her mother out in nature, co-existing with a mother bear and her own baby. The power of the story, of language and of my mother, all came together.And it happened many times after that, over and over. The read aloud made me a reader.
Years later, I was reading aloud a picture book to a small child in a classroom. His life, so far, had not been easy. His childhood was troubled by poverty and loneliness. In that moment, in the joy of the read aloud, he had an idea that started something big.
What he said was this: “Mrs. Allyn, let's make sure everyone knows how good this feels. Let's have a holiday for the read aloud.” Therefore, my organization, LitWorld, created a grassroots movement World Read Aloud Day in 2010 to honor this young boy's wish for everyone to be able to have a read aloud every day.
Since the day he shared that good idea with us, World Read Aloud Day has become a worldwide event reaching over one million people in more than 65 countries around the world.
This year we are over 600 cities strong, a number that is growing every day.
Children who grow up as readers become engaged citizens of the global world, and every child deserves the right to read. When I say that reading aloud will change the world, I know it sounds simple. But one of the many great things about giving kids access to the power of stories and sharing them together is that it is simple. It is also cheap and easily done. And the impact is huge.
1. How did the author's parent change her life?| A．By reading aloud to her. | B．By listening to her reading. |
| C．By buying many books for her. | D．By encouraging her to read aloud. |
| A．To start a holiday. | B．To reduce poverty. |
| C．To found LitWorld. | D．To overcome loneliness. |
| A．Its origin. | B．Its future. | C．Its purpose. | D．Its development. |
| A．Sticking to reading isn't easy. | B．Reading gives a high rate of return. |
| C．Reading aloud isn't actually simple. | D．Kids should try to change the world. |
4 . How much do consumers care about the carbon footprint of the products they buy? Would they care more if the goods were labeled with emissions（排放物） data? Does it matter at which stage in the lifecycle of a product the carbon is emitted? Research published in the International Journal of Environmental Policy and Decision Making offers a way to find out．
Study participants view a carbon footprint label as similar to labels that have appeared on some existing products．The label shows the carbon dioxide emissions connected with their production, transportation, usage and disposal（清理）, thus showing the buyer the likely effect on climate change of buying a particular product．
In the first group of studies, the research team proved that carbon emissions and a carbon emissions label would indeed play a role in consumer product decisions, although not as great a role as price．In a second set of studies, the team found that emissions connected with usage were most important to consumers followed by the transportation and disposal stages．The carbon footprint of the producing process was considered less important to consumers than the other stages in the product's lifecycle because it is outside the consumer's control．That is, the participants felt they were less responsible for carbon emitted during producing process．Consumers value recycling a product, but the researchers found that, overall, the consumers would prefer producers to offset（补偿） carbon emissions rather than having to address the problem directly themselves．
Consumers are increasingly concerned with climate change problems, and already carbon labeling is appearing on some products．"We find that participants not only take the carbon label into account when making product decisions, but they want detailed information on the label," the researchers explain．They suggest that companies should prepare for how carbon emissions labels might affect future consumer choice．
1. Which of the following most affects consumer's choice?| A．Labels． | B．Price． |
| C．Packaging． | D．Carbon footprint． |
| A．Usage stage． | B．Transportation stage． |
| C．Disposal stage． | D．Producing stage． |
| A．Look into． | B．Point out． |
| C．Deal with． | D．Run into． |
| A．Companies should take carbon emissions more seriously． |
| B．All products have been labeled with carbon emissions data． |
| C．Producers will attach less importance to carbon emissions labels． |
| D．Products labeled with carbon emissions data will have poor sales． |
5 . It was already dark when an old man came to a small town.He found an inn and wanted to stay there for the night.After he had gone to his room,the owner said to his wife,“Look at his bag,dear.I’m sure there are lots of valuable things in it.I want to steal it when he is asleep.”
“No,no,” said the woman.“He must look for his bag tomorrow morning.Then he’ll take you before the judge.”They thought and at last the woman had an idea.“We have forgetful grass,” said the woman,“Why not put some into his food?If he has the food,he will forget to take his bag away.”“How clever you are!” said the owner,“Don’t forget it when you prepare supper for him.”
The old man had the food with the forgetful grass and went to bed.The next morning,when the owner got up,he found the door was open and the old man had left with his bag.He woke his wife up and said angrily,“What a fool!Your forgetful grass isn’t useful at all.”
“No,no,” said the woman.“I don’t think so.He must forget something.”
“Oh,I’ve remembered!”The owner cried out suddenly,“He forgot...”
1. The old man came to the inn .| A．in the morning | B．in the afternoon |
| C．in the evening | D．at night |
| A．get the man’s bag | B．steal the man’s money |
| C．make the man pay them more | D．hide the man’s bag |
| A．the old man always forgot something |
| B．they wanted to make the food better |
| C．they hoped the old man would leave the bag in the inn |
| D．they wanted to know if the grass was useful |
| A．to take his bag away | B．to tell the owner when he left |
| C．to close the door when he went to sleep | D．to pay them the inn money |
| A．Both the owner and his wife were clever. |
| B．The owner of the inn got nothing from the old man. |
| C．The old man left the inn without his bag. |
| D．The woman forgot to put the forgetful grass into the food. |
6 . Drrinnggg! That’s the sound that kids all over the country hate to hear-the alarm bell. The new school year has just started and children across the UK have to wake up early in the morning to go to school.
But students at one school in northeast England are lucky. They can lie in bed for an extra(额外的)hour before they go to school. Monkseaton High School has been allowing its pupils to come into school an hour later than other schools.
The headmaster, Dr Paul Kelley, says that this new approach(方式) helps students pay more attention to their lessons in class. He feels that young people are more energetic and can perform better for the rest of the day. And he adds that for their school students, a late start at school may be better than an early one.
Dr Kelley tells the BBC that teenagers don’t perform very well in the morning and their need to sleep is biological(生物的). It seems that this new approach to teaching shows positive(积极的) results. The number of students who sleep in class drops quickly. Besides, the school has already seen a drop in the number of pupils who play truant(逃学) by 27%. More importantly, Dr Kelley also says that exam results have improved by 20%-30% over the past year.
Classes at Monkseaton High School begin at 10 a.m. and finish at 3:40 p.m. However, the school opens from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The students can come early and leave late if they want.
1. What is this passage?| A．A news report. | B．A speech. |
| C．A story. | D．A notice. |
| A．He gives no opinions about it. |
| B．He has his doubts about it. |
| C．He disagrees with it. |
| D．He agrees with it. |
| A．The exam results have improved. |
| B．Fewer and fewer students sleep in class. |
| C．Most students get to school earlier. |
| D．The number of pupils who play truant drops. |
| A．At 8:00 a.m. | B．At 9:00 a.m. |
| C．At 10:00 a.m. | D．At 11:00 a.m. |
7 . Scientists have long known that a crow （乌鸦）native to New Caledonia is able to use tools. The birds use them to remove food from deep holes. Now, American researchers have discovered a second species of crow with the same ability. They reported on their experiments with Alala crows, which are from the Hawaiian Islands.
In the experiment, the researchers placed pieces of food in holes inside the wood. The holes were too deep for the crows to reach with their beaks(鸟喙). But, by using small pieces of wood held in their beaks, Alala crows quickly got the food. They used small objects as tools, sometimes changing them by shortening too-long sticks. They also made tools from plant materials.
“The crows use their beaks as people use thumbs on their hands. Tool use is rare in the animal kingdom. ” said Chritian Rutz of University of St. Andrews. “Current evidence strongly suggests that tool use is part of the species’ natural behavioral pattern(行为模式). These birds had no special training in the study, yet most of them were skilled at handling stick tools. ”
Bird experts claim finding out that the crows use tools is important discovery. “It makes us rethink how to look at the whole tool-use idea now and encourages us to go out and look for things that we may have ignored before. ”
All the Alala crows left in the world live in Hawaii. There were less than 20 Alalas left in the late 1990s when scientists decided to bring them into a protected area. Now, it is reported that there are over 100 birds living there. Scientists plan to release a small number of the birds back into the wild later.
1. What are the findings of American researchers?| A．Alala crows can also use tools. |
| B．It’s difficult for birds to look for food. |
| C．New Caledonia is home to some crows. |
| D．The Hawaiian Islands are full of rare birds. |
| A．The holes were very big and wide. |
| B．Alala crows could only use short sticks. |
| C．Alala crows got the food by working together. |
| D．Alala crows would deal with tools if necessary. |
| A．Using tools comes naturally to Alala crows. |
| B．Using stick tools is not easy for Alala crows. |
| C．Alala crows’ beaks look like people’s hands. |
| D．Alala crows won’t use tools without being trained. |
| A．Move all of them out of Hawaii. | B．Increase the population of them. |
| C．Set some of them free in nature. | D．Build more protected areas for them. |
8 . Some years ago I was offered a writing assignment that would require three months of travel through Europe. I had been abroad a couple of times, but I could hardly claim to know my way around the continent. Moreover, my knowledge of foreign languages was limited to a little college French.
I hesitated. How would I, unable to speak the language, totally unfamiliar with local geography or transportation system？It seemed impossible, and with considerable regret. Suddenly a thought ran through my mind: you can't learn if you don't try. So I accepted the assignment.
There were some bad moments. But by the time I had finished the trip I was an experienced traveler. And ever since, I have never hesitated to head for even the most remote of places, without guides or even advanced bookings, confident that somehow I will manage.
The point is that the new, along with the different, is almost scary by definition. But each time you try something, you learn, and as the learning piles up, the world opens to you.
I've learned to ski at 40, and flown up the Rhine River in a balloon. And I know I'll go on doing such things. It's not because I'm braver or more daring than others. I'm not. But I'll accept anxiety as another name for challenge and I believe I can accomplish wonders.
1. The author accepted the assignment because_________.| A．he had never travelled abroad before |
| B．he hardly knew any foreign languages |
| C．he was familiar with any other country in Europe |
| D．he would learn something new and different by trying |
| A．The author had been abroad only twice. |
| B．The author thought the trip was hard but worthwhile. |
| C．The author admitted that anything different was terrible. |
| D．The author must be good at doing research and making interviews. |
| A．awkward | B．generous | C．stubborn | D．brave |
| A．An Interesting Trip Abroad | B．My First Writing Assignment |
| C．Ready to Try and Challenge | D．How to Be Daring and Brave. |
9 . April Fools' Day is supposed to be a day to play jokes on others in hopes of getting a good laugh and making one feel like a fool.However，the April Fools' Day of 2019 was quite different for my mom and me.
That day my friend Jimmy and I were playing a game.I had dropped down from a bar (横木) many times in the past without ever having a problem，but that day the simple act of dropping to the ground became a nightmare (噩梦)．I broke my arm.
Jimmy's dad heard my crying and rushed out to see what was going on.When he saw the problem，he quickly put me into his truck and went inside to telephone my mom and let her know he would take me to the hospital.As that day was April Fools' Day，Mom was not buying it and really thought all this was a big joke.Mom was finally convinced by Jimmy's mom.When she saw me，she broke down in tears because she felt so bad－she simply believed that was just a big trick.
I guess one could compare this to the story The Boy Who Cried Wolf.Since I had played bad tricks before，it was no wonder that my mom didn't believe it.I as well as my mom was made to look like a fool that day.We both learned a valuable lesson.
1. What happened to the writer on the April Fools' Day of 2019?| A．He dreamed a terrible dream. |
| B．He was hurt by Jimmy. |
| C．He had an accident. |
| D．He fooled his mom with his friend. |
| A．Because he wanted to play a joke on her. |
| B．Because he wanted her to go to the hospital to pay the money. |
| C．Because he wanted to see how deeply she loved her son. |
| D．Because he wanted to inform her of the accident. |
| A．She didn't believe what Jimmy's dad said. |
| B．She would not like to pay the money. |
| C．She had no preparation for the bad news. |
| D．She thought her son deserved (应受) it. |
| A．Because he thought it was his mom's fault. |
| B．Because he had a lesson like that. |
| C．Because he was proud of his story. |
| D．Because he felt he was luckier than that boy. |
| A．the writer's mom didn't care much about him |
| B．the writer was a dishonest person |
| C．the writer won't play jokes as before |
| D．the writer will lose interest in games |
10 . I came home one day recently and, for reasons I don’t quite understand, my living room smelled like my grandmother’s house. Suddenly I felt as if I were 12 years old, happy and relaxed, sitting in her kitchen. I can remember what her house looked like, though it was sold 20 years ago – her three-level plant stand, the plates lining the walls, the window over her sink – but these visual memories don’t have the power that smell does. The funny thing is, I can’t even begin to describe the odor(气味) that was so distinctively hers. The best I can do is this: “It smelled like my grandmother’s house.”
It’s a common experience, and a common linguistic( 语言学的) problem. In cultures worldwide, people have powerful olfactory memories. This odor-memory link is also called “the Proust phenomenon,” after Marcel Proust’s famous description of the feelings aroused by a cake dipped in tea in “Remembrance of Things Past.”
Olfactory memories seem to be more closely bound up with emotions than are visual or auditory ones.
Not all these memories are pleasant, of course, and smells can also trigger feelings of pain.
It is surprisingly hard for English-speakers to describe the odors that occasion such strong emotions, however. English possesses almost no abstract smell words that pick out links or themes among unrelated aromas(芳香).
We have plenty of these in the visual field. “Yellow,” for example, identifies a characteristic that bananas, lemons, some cars, some flowers, old book pages, and the sun all share.
But for odors, we don’t have many more than the vague “musty” (smells old and stale) and “musky” (smells perfumey). We usually have no choice but to say that one thing smells like another – like a banana, like garlic, like diesel fuel.
A few languages, though, do have a rich odor vocabulary. Linguist Asifa Majid has found that the Jahai, the Semaq Beri, and the Maniq, hunter-gatherer groups in Malaysia and Thailand, employ a wide range of abstract smell words and can identify aromas as easily as we can colors. The Jahai have a word, for example, that describes “the seemingly dissimilar smell of petrol, smoke, bat poop, root of wild ginger and wood of wild mango.”
Last year my cat got sprayed by a skunk(臭鼬), and the vet told me to wash its face with coffee to cover the bad smell. Until then, I had never realized that coffee, which I find delicious, smells remarkably like skunk spray, which I do not.
Science has identified the chemicals that both share. They are called mercaptans (硫醇). But in oral English, we have no word for the underlying note that connects these two odors. If the Jahai drank coffee and encountered skunks, I bet they would.
1. The opening paragraph is mainly intended to .| A．express the writer’s affection for his grandmother |
| B．direct the readers’ attention to a linguistic problem |
| C．tell us the odor of the grandmother’s house stayed the same |
| D．prove smell has a greater power than visual memories |
| A．Forming an image in mind after seeing the word “injury”. |
| B．Feeling sympathetic when seeing a sick cat. |
| C．Dancing to the music upon hearing it played. |
| D．Missing fried eggs with garlic cooked by mum. |
| A．the Jahai don’t have many words in the visual field |
| B．English possesses many vague words like “musty” and “musky” |
| C．the Jahai has more abstract smell words than English |
| D．skunk and coffee have the same smell, but different functions |
| A．The author feels pity about the limitation of his language. |
| B．English has a wide range of visual and odor vocabulary. |
| C．Olfactory memories can bring nothing but pleasant feelings. |
| D．Cultures worldwide always collide with each other. |
