1 . Approximately 90 percent of the young Chinese participating in the latest survey conducted by the Global Times Research Center believe China should not “look up to the West” anymore.
Chinese analysts said the sustainable and fast development of China is the core (核心的) reason why more Chinese are becoming increasingly confident, and some key elements have sped up the process such as the rise of Trumpism (特朗普主义) in the US.
The survey, titled “Changing attitudes toward the West among young Chinese people,” showed that there has been a significant change in attitude among young people toward Western countries, as a growing number of respondents see them as equals while many previously looked up to them.
The survey showed 37.2 percent of the participants said that five years ago, they still believed they should “look up to the West”, but now, only 8.1 percent of these people have the same view. Meanwhile, the people who “look down on the West” rose to 41.7 percent while only 18.4 percent of them held the same opinion as they did five years ago. About 48.3 percent of the participants believe they should see the West equally now.
The core reasons that have driven such changes are mostly concerned with China’s achievements in recent years. For example, 53.8 percent of interviewees chose “China’s successful epidemic (流行病) prevention and control amid the COVID-19 pandemic”, 40.5 percent selected “China’s cooperation with other countries under the Belt and Road Initiative”, 37.6 percent said “China is the only major economy that keeps growing when the world economy is in a shadow”.
Viewing the West equally does not mean that China will be proud or will oppose the West. The survey also shows that the participants are realistic and rational as they are aware that the West still has advantages over China in certain fields. For example, 64.6 percent of the participants said China should still learn from the West in the fields of science and technology.
1. According to the passage, why are more Chinese becoming increasingly confident?| A．Because Trumpism is rising in the US. |
| B．Because China has been developing rapidly and steadily. |
| C．Because there are few patients with the COVID-19 pandemic in China. |
| D．Because China cooperates with other countries under the Belt and Road Initiative. |
| A．By giving examples. | B．By listing figures. |
| C．By making remarks. | D．By showing facts. |
| A．China will he the most powerful country in the world. |
| B．Most young Chinese are probably unwilling to go to the West. |
| C．Cooperation and win-win contributes to China’s development. |
| D．China’s economy is the strongest when the world economy is in a shadow. |
| A．Objective | B．Disapproving | C．Supportive | D．Subjective |
2 . Shetara Sims experienced some tough years. In 2012, her eldest daughter was murdered during an argument in Kansas City, Missouri. Last year, the single mother lost her job in the recession. She had only $7 in her pocket as she headed into the grocery store one day last July with her 12-year-old daughter, Rakiya Edmondson.
And then lady Luck finally cut Sims some slack. She and her daughter found a dollar bill in the parking lot. Maybe this was their day, they told each other. So they bought a lottery ticket and won $100.
But before they could spend their windfall, Rakiya had an idea. The news in Kansas City that week had been filled with stories about a police officer, Tyler Moss, who had been shot in the head in the line of duty. He was in critical condition. Rakiya and her mother had never forgotten how kind the police had been after their own family member was killed. “The detectives were really there for us.” Sims said, “They came to see my kids. They were fathers, therapists. They were everything.” Rakiya wanted to give their lottery winnings to Officer Moss’s family. Her mom readily agreed.
On July 10, Sims called the police and made an anonymous donation. Moved by her generous expression of thanks, the officers did what they could do best-they tracked Sims down. When she explained the family’s motivation, the officers could hardly believe it. “With her current financial hardship, we encouraged her to keep the money,” the department later explained. “She refused, saying the officer’s family needed it and the police needed to know they were supported.”
By then, that feeling of support was mutual. The police set up a GoFundMe page for Sims, whom they dubbed “The Woman with the Heart of Gold”. Their goal was $10,000. As of January 11,2021, they had raised $165,405. Even better: Officer Moss, who had a 1 percent chance of survival, is out of the hospital and recovering.
1. Why could the police hardly understand the family’s intention?| A．Because Sims was out of job. |
| B．Because Sims refused to keep the money. |
| C．Because Sims’s donation was not made public. |
| D．Because Sims was in financial difficulties at present. |
| A．They served as therapists and fathers. |
| B．They praised her for the act of kindness. |
| C．They established a GoFundMe page to raise money for Sim’s family. |
| D．They assisted Moss’s family with lottery winnings to get through hardships. |
| A．Kind-hearted and hardworking. | B．Creative and caring. |
| C．Grateful and kind. | D．Optimistic and devoted. |
| A．Just the Ticket. | B．Money isn’t Everything. |
| C．Story of Rakiya’s Family. | D．The Woman with the Heart of Gold. |
3 . “Why did the fox steal my shoes?” sounds like the start of a brain teaser or an annoyingly hot. But for people in Berlin, it was a real question that a local fox was behind a series of shoe thefts.
About two weeks ago, Meyer, a resident of Berlin, noticed that one of his new running shoes had disappeared from his porch and he decided lo examine the theft, German news site reported.
Meyer quickly found out that he was not the thief’s only victim, and a tip helped him catch the fox. Days later, Meyer spotted the fox again; he followed it and discovered the fox’s secret place of more than 100 shoes.
Meyer got a photo of thieving fox and its ill-gotten shoes,which he shared on Twitter. The shoes contained sneakers, and slippers in a range of colors, shapes and sizes, though the most numerous shoes by far were Crocs.
This isn’t the first time that an urban fox has demonstrated a seeming shoes fetish(恋物). In August 2019, a fox in Melbourne, Australia, repeatedly visited a woman’s porch and stole three boots over the course of a week. In a small town in Western Germany, a female fox stole about 110 to 120 shoes in just one night, possibly “for her babies to play with”, according to Reuters.
It’s unknown whether all of these foxes were acting independently or whether their actions were linked, perhaps as part of an international shoe-stealing group with a bad purpose that humans can only imagine.
1. What happened to Meyer?| A．He had his shoes stolen. |
| B．He loved Crocs best. |
| C．He was physically attacked by a fox. |
| D．He moved out of Berlin and settled in a new place. |
| A．He drove the fox away. |
| B．He took a picture and posted it on social media. |
| C．He sent some food to the fox. |
| D．He followed the fox and found many other foxes. |
| A．To analyze the reason for fox’s behavior. |
| B．To introduce more people’s similar experience. |
| C．To explain how many shoes were stolen by the fox. |
| D．To prove some fox does have affection for shoes. |
| A．Delighted. | B．Serious. | C．Humorous. | D．Terrified. |
4 . From the moon to Mars, scientists have been hunting for alien life in the solar system for decades. However,Venus was not regarded as an ideal place because of its hot temperature and dry atmosphere. But a recent discovery of truces of a gas in the clouds of Venus has excited astronomers, as it may serve as a potential sign of life.
On Sept 14, the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada announced that scientists have detected phosphine (磷化氢) in the clouds of Venus. Phosphine is a color-less, toxic gas that has a smell of garlic. Though it contains poison, it is viewed as a possible sign of life because on Earth the gas is made by microorganisms(微生物) that live in oxygen-free environments.
“I was very surprised-stunned, in fact,” astronomer Jane Greaves of Cardiff University in Wales and lead author of the research told MSN, “There is a chance that we have detected some kind of living organism in the clouds of Venus.”
This layer of clouds is about 48 kilometers above the Venus surface with its temperature ranging from 30 to 200 degrees Fahrenheit (about-1 to 93°C). Scientists have assumed that if life exists on Venus, this cloud deck(云盖) is likely the only place where it would survive.
Scientists went through every possibility that could have led to the formation of phosphine gas in Venus clouds, including volcanoes,lightning strikes,small meteorites(陨石) falling into the atmosphere. But they ruled all of them out. It was concluded that there is no explanation for the existence of this gas in Venus clouds, other than the presence of life, USA Today reported. Although the detection of phosphine is not strong evidence for life, this finding is great enough to change scientists’ view on Venus, which is though to be a completely inhospitable(不适合居住的) planet.
1. What does the underlined word “toxic” in Paragraph 2 mean?| A．waste. | B．poisonous. | C．useful. | D．clean. |
| A．The cloud deck is rich in phosphine. |
| B．The higher the cloud is above Venus, the warmer it is. |
| C．Various living organisms have been detected oil Venus. |
| D．If life exists on Venus, it is likely in the cloud deck. |
| A．It could be formed as a result of the falling of meteorites. |
| B．It could be a sign that there is life in Venus9 clouds. |
| C．It could he caused by volcanoes and lightning strikes. |
| D．It proves that Venus is another hospitable planet. |
| A．A newly detected gas may indicate possible existence of life on Venus. |
| B．Scientists found the most hospitable place on Venus. |
| C．Phosphine that has been formed on Venus means alien life is present. |
| D．The environment on Venus changed in favor of life. |
5 . When I worked as a global media coordinator(协调员)for the United Nations several years ago, I organized biweekly conference calls,during which I would ask my colleagues around the world to provide information by particular deadlines. My colleagues almost always responded with a yes. but all too often, the deadlines came and went without the requested material. Finally, my South African boss had to explain what would never have occurred to me: in many cultures, it is rude lo say no. So some people would say yes to anything I asked, regardless of whether they had any intention of delivering.
If communicating internally at the UN was challenging, interacting with the outside world was much harder. How would we reach people in places where newspapers are televisions are still not widely available? How could we generate media coverage there? Communicating globally may require changing the way you interviewing senior communication professionals in 31 countries about how they help clients modify their messages and strategies for particular cultures. I have found that some of the biggest factors to consider when communicating in a new culture involve emotion, context and social expectations.
As an example of emotional differences, if I were to do a media interview in the US and become visibly angry at a reporter’s question, I would be seen as unstable. By contrast, in the Middle East (an area including the countries of Southwest Asia and Northeast Africa),when people are talking about a heated issue, they tend to display powerful feelings—those who stay cool and calm while discussing such a problem may be viewed as untrustworthy.
Another big cultural difference revolves around the level of “context” provided in a conversation. As an American, I am what is known as a low-context communicator (who communicates information in a direct manner that relies mainly on words rather than contextual elements such as tones and body language), so if I want something done, I say so frankly. In high-context cultures, as in Asia, people may do the opposite. You have to pick up on body language, tones, and other contextual cues to realize that your colleague who just said yes to you has actually communicated that she does not agree to your plan.
1. How did the author probably feel about those colleagues according to Paragraph 1?| A．Confused and upset. | B．Ashamed and guilty. |
| C．Satisfied and delighted. | D．Doubtful and uncertain. |
| A．Mild curiosity. | B．Remarkable ease. |
| C．Emotional responses. | D．Confident calmness. |
| A．She may be€ from the United States. |
| B．She may prefer to speak in a direct way. |
| C．She may be a high-context communicator. |
| D．She may he influenced by low-context cultures. |
| A．The main content of the author's book. |
| B．Cultural differences of social expectations. |
| C．Different meanings of yes in different cultures. |
| D．Important skills of communicating with colleagues. |
6 . On my fourth day in a self-driving car, I finally felt comfortable enough to let it stop itself. Before then, Id allowed the car- a Volvo S90 sedan to control the direction, with my hands still on the wheel, and to adjust speed in traffic. By Day 4, I was ready to make a jump into the future.
With the car traveling on a busy road, I activated the driverless mode. Soon, a traffic light turned red. For a split second, I prepared to get on the brakes. There was no need. The cameras and computers in the Volvo recognized the traffic conditions and smoothly began applying the brake.
If you're anything like most people, you're familiar with this anxiety. Almost 80 percent of Americans fear traveling in a self-driving car, a recent survey found.
Researchers at the University of Chicago have conducted some clever experiments studying the phenomenon. They asked participants to complete tasks and compared their performance with a computer system's. After the computer made a mistake, people were unwilling to use it again. After the people made mistakes, their self-confidence wouldn't change. It didn't matter that the human beings made more mistakes than the computer. So it is with driving. More than 37,000 Americans died in crashes last year, most from human error. The death count from cars goes beyond that from guns. So if you are shocked and angry by guns and want things to change, you should feel the same about car crashes.
Technology creates an opportunity to save lives. Computers don't get drunk or distracted by text messages, and they don't have blind spots. Just look at commercial airlines: Automation has helped all but get rid of deadly crashes among American air carriers. The last one happened in 2009.
The technology for self-driving cars still isn't good enough. But it is improving rapidly. Within a few years, many cars will have advanced crash-avoidance systems and driving will be revolutionized sooner than many people now understand.
1. How does the author introduce the topic?| A．By offering a piece of news. | B．By describing an experience. |
| C．By giving background information. | D．By introducing a latest car. |
| A．The participants lost self-confidence after making mistakes. |
| B．The participants would ignore the mistakes made by the computer. |
| C．Car crashes is no less shocking than gun incidents. |
| D．The death count from cars is the same as that from guns. |
| A．to advertise for the commercial airlines. | B．to assess the security of driverless cars. |
| C．to find fault with computers. | D．to prove the advantage of technology. |
| A．Favorable. | B．Indifferent. |
| C．Skeptical. | D．Concerned. |
7 . What do the random, scribbled (潦草的)drawings crowding the margins (页边空白处) of most high school students' papers mean? When a student is caught doodling (乱画) in class, he will probably be criticized for daydreaming. But doodling while listening can help with remembering details, rather than implying that the mind is wandering, according to a study published in the scientific journal Applied Cognitive Psychology.
In an experiment conducted by the Medical Research Council’s Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit in Cambridge, 40 subjects were asked to listen to a two-minute tape giving several names of people and places. Half of the participants were asked to shade in shapes on a piece of paper at the same time, without paying attention to neatness, while the rest were given no such instructions. After the tape had finished, all participants in the study were asked to recall the names of people and places. The doodlers recalled on average 7.5 names of people and places, compared to only 5.8 by the non-doodlers.
“If someone is doing a boring task, like listening to a dull telephone conversation, they may start to daydream.” said study researcher, Professor Jackie Andrade, of the School of Psychology, University of Plymouth. “Daydreaming distracts them from the task, resulting in poorer performance. A simple task, like doodling, may be sufficient (足够的) to stop daydreaming without affecting performance on the main task.”
“In psychology, tests of memory or attention will often use a second task to selectively block a particular mental process. If that process is important for the main task, then performance will be impaired. But my research suggests that in everyday life doodling may be something we do because it helps to keep us on track with a boring task, rather than being an unnecessary distraction (分心) that we should try to resist doing.” said Andrade.
Dan Ware, a social study teacher, used to consider doodling a distraction from learning, but after teaching kids with all personality types he learned scribbling away during lectures helps certain students remember more information. “In my first few years of teaching, I thought, ‘Well, this kid isn’t paying attention. He’s daydreaming.’ But I had some really powerful experiences with students and came to understand in many cases that was their way of focusing, and those students were probably paying more attention than other students.” Ware said.
1. What do we know about the participants involved in the experiment?| A．Some were asked to note down the information neatly. |
| B．Some were asked to memorize the names they would hear. |
| C．Some were instructed to listen to the tape with full attention. |
| D．Some were instructed to make random drawings on paper. |
| A．Improved. | B．Weakened. |
| C．Stopped. | D．Repaired. |
| A．Doodling helps some people focus. | B．Doodling makes a dull task interesting. |
| C．Students who doodle perform poorly. | D．Students who doodle lack concentration. |
| A．Daydreaming Can Sharpen Study Skills | B．Doodling Can Help Memory Recall |
| C．A Wandering Mind Improves Productivity | D．Distractions Harm Academic Performance |
8 . Tyler and I stopped by our corner store. A few police cars caught Tyler's attention. ''Mom, can I use my allowance money and buy the policemen some doughnuts to say 'thank you'? '' he asked.
''Certainly! '' I said, feeling proud that I was achieving my aim to raise my children to be grateful, tender-hearted and caring.
After we left the store, Tyler asked a question that would change our lives and the lives of countless others forever.
''Why were the police so happy about the doughnuts? ''
I explained some people are not always friendly to police officers. Tyler was very sad to hear this, and instead of shrugging it off, he said that he was going to thank every cop in America and buy them each a doughnut!
I was shocked, but it never occurred to me to say ''no''. In fact, I thought it was an excellent but unachievable idea. I suggested many other options, but nothing was enough for him on the new found mission (使命)
I didn't know how to put this passion into action, but I knew one thing: Tyler had found his purpose, and it was my duty to help him. I e-mailed our local police office and asked if Tyler could host a thank-you event for them. They were delighted. At the event, they called Tyler ''The Donut Boy'', a name that has become known throughout the nation.
Then we kept planning thank- you events and many caring people joined. We were invited to TV stations, and flew to Washington, D.C. for National Police Week. It has been three years since a simple act of kindness sparked a wonderful idea in an eight-year-old boy.
In forty-eight states, more than 90,000 doughnuts have been delivered so far, with no end in sight. We've made memories that will last a lifetime, but most importantly, we have served those who serve us daily and made our mark on this world.
1. What quality of Tyler made the author feel proud?| A．Independence. | B．Honesty. |
| C．Kindness. | D．Cautiousness. |
| A．She praised him for his ambition. | B．She told him it was impossible. |
| C．She expressed her doubt about it. | D．She tried to change his idea. |
| A．Tyler got the idea of buying the policemen doughnuts from the author. |
| B．The policemen were confused about Tyler's behavior. |
| C．Tyler has achieved his mission. |
| D．More people joined Tyler in doing Thank-you events. |
| A．A grateful heart can make a difference. | B．Curiosity is the key to children growth. |
| C．It's never too old to learn. | D．It's better to be famous at an early age. |
9 . Stress in middle age can make your brain shrink and make your memory worse, scientists have discovered. The brain-reducing effects of stress, identified in people in their 40s free from dementia - a serious mental disorder caused by brain disease or injury, were found to be caused by cortisol(皮质醇). The high levels of the stress hormone may be an early warning “sign that someone may end up with dementia, the research suggests.
Stress also made people's thinking skills worse, which the Harvard Medical School study, published in the journal Neurology found. For the research, scientists led by Dr. Justin B. Echouffo-Tcheugui studied 2,231 people with an average of 49 and free of dementia. He said." Our research detected memory loss and brain shrinkage in middle-aged people before symptoms started to show. So it's important for people to find ways to reduce stress, such as getting enough sleep, taking part in moderate exercise, making relaxation techniques part of their daily lives or asking their doctor about their cortisol levels and taking a cortisol-reducing medication if needed. "He also added, "It's important for physicians to give professional advice to all people with high cortisol levels."
Researchers found lower scores on tests of memory and thinking in people with higher levels of cortisol than those with average levels. In addition, people with higher cortisol levels had a smaller brain volume, with those with high cortisol levels having brains that were 88.5 per cent of the total cranial(颅骨的) volume. This was compared to 88. 7 percent of the total cranial volume for people with normal levels of the hormone. No links were found between low levels of cortisol and brain size.
Cortisol helps the body respond to stress and when we are stressed, cortisol levels increase because that is our fight - or - flight(战或逃) response. It can also help reduce inflammation(发炎) and control blood sugar and blood pressure. High cortisol levels can be caused by stress, medical conditions or medications.
“Cortisol affects many different functions so it is important to fully investigate how high levels of the hormone may affect the brain," Dr Echouffo-Tcheugui said, “While other studies have examined cortisol and memory, we believe our large, community-based study is the first to explore, in middle-aged people, cortisol levels and brain volume, as well as memory and thinking skills. ”
1. What may Dr. Echouffo-Tcheugui suggest people do about stress-reducing?| A．Early to bed and early to rise. | B．Strengthen the social network. |
| C．Eat food with more protein. | D．Ride a bicycle around a lake. |
| A．Higher cortisol levels are associated with larger brain volume. |
| B．The more stressed one feels, the higher his cortisol levels are. |
| C．Age and gender play a big role in the participants' brain volume. |
| D．People with high cortisol levels will suffer from low blood pressure. |
| A．How high cortisol levels affect human brains. |
| B．The link between cortisol levels and memory |
| C．The link between cortisol levels and brain size. |
| D．How cortisol affects peoples response. |
| A．To suggest the efficient ways to reduce stress. |
| B．To prevent the features and functions of cortisol. |
| C．To explain how cortisol affects people s stress level. |
| D．To show stress can cause memory loss and brain shrinkage. |
10 . ESSEX-Sorrowful families in Vietnam are struggling to bring home the bodies of loved ones who died in a refrigerated truck while trying to illegally enter the United Kingdom on Oct 23. Many of the relatives of the 39 people who died in the freezing, airless vehicle are too poor to bring the bodies back to Vietnam.
Ten of the 39 victims were from the Can Loc district of Ha Tinh province, where Bui Huy Cuong is deputy chairman of the people's committee. He told the Guardian Newspaper that officials have visited bereaved(新近丧失亲人的) families to encourage them to receive ashes, instead of bodies, because it would be cheaper. But he said families want bodies so they can be honored in traditional funerals and are hoping the authorities will pay. "At the moment, we are not sure if the British or the Vietnamese government will take responsibility for bringing victims back to Vietnam, " he said. "Families know nothing about it. It should be clear soon which government (if any) will take responsibility …how much can British and Vietnamese governments pay, and how much will Vietnamese families need to contribute."
The brother of 26-year-old Pham Thi Tra My told the paper his family does not want ashes. Pham Manh Cuong said, “My family wishes to bring my older sister's body back home because we all agreed we want to see her for the last time. If they do not pay for the transportation fee. we have to pay the fee. We have to accept my sister's ashes in Vietnam, because we are in a very difficult position. '' Pham Thi Tra My was the victim who came to prominence when her final text home was made public in which she said, "I'm sorry, Mum. My journey abroad has not succeeded. Mum, I love you so much I'm dying because I can't breathe. ”
Nguyen Dinh Gia, the father of another victim, Nguyen Dinh Luong, from Nghe An province, said his family also wants a body. He said villagers have been visited by local authorities but do not understand their options. “They did not tell me how much the transport fee is, but told us 让's costly …so it's easier to bring back ashes instead of the body," he said. “I said we are asking for help from two governments ... We've had to wait for many days now and are falling into depression.”
The Vietnamese government has not commented on the repatriations(调回本国).Police in the UK and in Vietnam have made several arrests in connection with the incident that claimed the lives of 31 male and 8 female victims, of whom 10 were teenagers.
1. What does Bui Huy Cuong mainly want to express in Para. 2?| A．How officials care about the bereaved families. |
| B．Some authorities encourage families to receive ashes. |
| C．How money will be raised to bring the victims back to Vietnam. |
| D．Families want bodies so they can be honored in traditional funerals. |
| A．Being likely to cause harm. |
| B．The state of being noticeable. |
| C．The quality of being pleasant or attractive. |
| D．Behavior acquired through frequent repetition. |
| A．brother is Pham Manh Cuong. |
| B．He is from Nghe An province, Vietnam. |
| C．His family will fly to England to sec his body. |
| D．His body will soon be brought back to Vietnam. |
| A．39 People die in the freezing, airless vehicle |
| B．39 People try to illegally enter the United Kingdom. |
| C．Relatives struggling to take 39 UK truck death victims back to Vietnam. |
| D．Arrests in connection with the incident that claim the lives of Vietnamese. |
