1 . French children 15 and under will no longer be allowed to bring smart devices to school. Lawmakers in France voted recently to ban all phones, tablets, and other Internet-connected devices from school grounds. The ban will start in September, “These days, the children don't play at break time anymore,” Jean-Michel Blanquer, France's education minister, said. “They are just all in front of their smartphones, and from an educational point of view, that's a problem. Some strict measures must be taken immediately.” A 2010 law bad already banned smartphones during "all teaching activity" in France. But the new rules say smartphones and tablets are not allowed even during breaks. Students who bring these digital devices to school have to keep them in their backpacks and turned off, If they want to call their parents, schools will help. However, the new law doesn’t forbid students to turn to them during extra-curricular activities. It also makes an exception for disabled students.
Alexis Corbiere is a French politician. He said the effort to make such a law should have been put to something else because teachers have already carried out this rule so far. “I don't know a single teacher in this country that allows the use of phones in class and in school, ” he told French news channel BFMTV.
How about smartphones in American schools?According to a study by the National Center for Education Statistics, about 66% of public schools banned devices in 2019, which was down from 91% in 2009. Why the change? Liz Kolb, a professor at the University of Michigan School of Education, said that parents are concerned about security in schools. "In the rare case that something may occur, " she said, "the belief by some parents is that a cell phone could be a useful tool for safety."
1. What does the underlined word "them" in paragraph 1 refer to?| A．Disabled students. |
| B．Digital devices. |
| C．Backpacks. |
| D．Students' parents. |
| A．It's unnecessary. |
| B．It's rewarding. |
| C．It's impossible. |
| D．It's unexpected. |
| A．It's made a comeback. |
| B．It's helped parents a lot. |
| C．It's done good to students. |
| D．It's followed the French ban. |
| A．Students Must Turn off Smartphones. |
| B．Digital Devices Won't Be Popular. |
| C．France Makes the Call in School. |
| D．Parents Value Children's Safety. |
2 . Starting March 1, 2020, people in Luxembourg no longer have to pay to ride public transportation. The country has made all of its trains, buses, and trams(电车) free to ride.
Luxembourg is the first country to give riders a free pass. Luxembourg only has about 600, 000 people. But the country has a big traffic problem. Around 200, 000 people come into Luxembourg from the countries around it every day for work. The problem is worst in the capital, Luxembourg City. Only 110, 000 people live there, but about 400, 000 more come to work there every day. During rush hours, some trips that should normally take 30 minutes can take an hour or longer.
The government of Luxembourg hopes that by making transportation free, many more people will start taking buses, trains, and trams instead of driving. This would cut down on traffic. And they hope this will help Luxembourg pollute less, too. The government also wants to make it easier for poor people to get around. Before the free system, a single ride cost about 2, and a yearly pass cost 440. The new law only affects regular seating. Riders who want to go first class must still pay.
Some people doubt the measure. People in Luxembourg really like their cars. The country has 662 cars for every 1, 000 people, while the average in the European Union is just 468 cars for 1, 000 people. Some people believe that the country's transportation system simply isn't ready for huge numbers of new riders. What they are concerning is that without more money coming in from riders, it could be difficult for the country to improve its system. However, the government's plans call for spending 3.9 billion between 2018 and 2028 to improve its train system. The country also plans to make its bus system better, and make it easier for people from other countries to park their cars and catch a ride into the country.
1. What does the second paragraph mainly talk about?| A．The cars in Luxembourg City. |
| B．Rush hours in Luxembourg City. |
| C．The heavy traffic in Luxembourg. |
| D．Luxembourg's rapid development. |
| A．2. | B．3. |
| C．4. | D．5. |
| A．Many of them really like cars. |
| B．Many of them enjoy travelling. |
| C．Most of them want the free pass. |
| D．Most of them are rich and busy. |
| A．More people will come into Luxembourg. |
| B．Fewer people will take first class to travel. |
| C．The transportation system can't improve. |
| D．People will have to pay for traffic systems. |
3 . If you think of the jobs that robots could never do, you would probably put doctors and teachers atop of the list. It’s easy to imagine robots and factory workers. But are we underestimating what robots can do?
In some cases, they already do better than doctors at diagnosing illness. Also, some patients might feel more comfortable sharing personal information with a machine than a person. Could there be a place for robots in education after all?
British education expert Anthony Seldom thinks so. He even has a date for the robot takeover of the classroom:2027. He forecasts that robots will do the main job of disseminating knowledge and teachers will be like helpers. Intelligent robots will read students’ faces, movements and even brain signals. Then they will pass the information on to each student in the way he or she can understand.
However, it’s not a popular opinion. Most people think it’s impossible that robots will have the ability to really connect with humans like another human can.
One thing is certain, though. A robot teacher is better than no teacher at all. In some parts of the world, there aren’t enough teachers and 9%-16% of children under the age of 14 don’t go to school. That problem could be partly solved by robots because the owners can teach anywhere.
Being a teacher is a difficult job and teachers often feel overworked. Perhaps the question is not “Will robots replace teachers?” but “How can’t robots help teachers?” Teachers spend a lot of time doing non-teaching work, including more than 1 hour a week marking homework. If robots could cut the time teachers spend marking homework and writing reports, teachers would have more time and energy for the parts of the job humans do best.
1. What does the author mainly intend to show in the first paragraph?| A．Robots can do creative work. |
| B．Robots will replace doctors soon. |
| C．Robots work better than humans. |
| D．Robots can do more jobs than imagined. |
| A．Storing. | B．Spreading. |
| C．Analyzing. | D．Replacing. |
| A．Unacceptable. | B．Uncreative. |
| C．Unconcerned. | D．Reasonable. |
| A．What robots are never able to do. |
| B．What the weaknesses of robots are. |
| C．Whether robots will evolve by themselves. |
| D．Whether robots will completely replace human teachers. |
4 . A quick look at Instagram will show you thousands of girls sharing their clothing of the day. Many of these girls are sharing completely new clothes every day. And they’re feeling the pressure to never repeat clothes. This attitude of not being able to wear something again after sharing it on Instagram is far too common. It is a sad thing when some girls feel sorry for appearing in the same clothes more than once on Instagram.
Clothes businesses push new “must –haves” every week, which adds to the pressure to keep up. Clothes have been so cheap because of the competition between clothes businesses that it’s shockingly easy to buy new clothes every day. These clothes businesses have made it possible for a normal person to never be seen in the same clothes twice. Often the quality of these clothes is so low that they don’t even survive the wash so there is no chance of that second wear.
Consider everything that goes into making a single piece of clothing-for example: plenty of water, energy and petrochemicals, finishing and labor of each worker throughout making it. It’s shocking to think after all this, a piece of clothing might be worn once, maybe twice, and then thrown away so that they can follow fast fashion.
The fashion of throwing clothes away after use needs to change. Proudly post the same clothes you’ve worn before online. Get creative with mixing and matching, and borrow from friends for special times. The possibilities are endless so there’s no need to shop frequently.
1. What is a sad thing according to the first paragraph?| A．Some girls like showing off on the Internet. |
| B．Some girls spend too much time on social media. |
| C．Some girls care too little about their appearances. |
| D．Some girls feel ashamed to post the same clothes online again. |
| A．Online shopping. | B．Parents’ pressure. |
| C．Clothes businesses. | D．Laziness to wash clothes. |
| A．To show fast fashion’s great effect. |
| B．To tell us we should treasure clothes. |
| C．To show the development of the clothes industry. |
| D．To tell us we should have our own dressing styles. |
| A．Offer reasons. | B．Give suggestions. |
| C．Give encouragement. | D．Promote a fashion brand. |
5 . These devices, along with many others, made the list of tech-related items available this holiday season.
Theragun Mini
The Theragun Mini is essentially a massage (按摩) gun that provides up to 2,400 beats per minute to relax muscles after a workout to prevent soreness. The device is designed for quietness and can last around two hours on a full charge; $199.99 at theragun.com.
Lenovo Smart Clock Essential
The Lenovo Smart Clock Essential basically is a digital alarm clock attached to a Google smart speaker, which allows you to adjust settings with only your voice or play music. The simple LED display shows the time, weather and day of the week, and it has a built-in night-light. Its battery has a charge life of about half a month with continuous use. Starts at $29.99 at lenovo. com.
Fitbit Versa3
Fitbit’s newest smartwatch offers built-in GPS tracking for those who prefer to log their exercise outings without the need to carry a phone. If your focus is fitness, the Versa, which has a large, color touchscreen display, could be considered a less expensive option to Apple’s smartwatch. The Versa’s battery can last up to six days; $229.95 at fitbit. com.
Amazon Echo Dot and Echo Dot Kids
The fourth generation of Amazon’s smart speaker now has a round shape and comes in two editions: regular and one for kids. It operates the same way as other smart speakers in the Echo line, allowing users to ask the device to play music or give the latest news headlines. The kids version comes with a free subscription to Amazon Kids+, which has access to child-friendly digital books and games. Its battery can last around seven hours on a full charge, starting at $49.99 at amazon. com.
1. Whose battery can work the longest time on a full charge?| A．Fitbit Versa 3. |
| B．Theragun Mini. |
| C．Lenovo Smart Clock Essential. |
| D．Amazon Echo Dot and Echo Dot Kids. |
| A．They both offer built-in GPS. |
| B．They both have a color touchscreen. |
| C．They both can be got at the same website. |
| D．They are both suitable for workout lovers. |
| A．Purchase any digital books. |
| B．Keep us informed of homework. |
| C．Subscribe to Amazon Kids+ for free. |
| D．Download some videos from the Internet. |
6 . Perfumes, soaps, and other products often contain special smells called fragrances. Fragrances are often not natural smells, but they're meant to be pleasant. Fragrances can strongly affect those who smell them. Though some people are sensitive to the smells, hoping the smells will be ridded some day, creating and selling fragrances brings in about ＄48 billion every year across the globe, causing some companies to take advantage of computers and other high-tech methods to help them. Many universities specially have the major for creating fragrances, which many students are eager to take.
IBM is a computer company whose Artificial Intelligence (AI) system for fragrances is called Philyra that can't actually smell, but can use lots of different information to find and act on new patterns. The information Philyra needs comes from a German company Symrise. Symrise has derailed information on all kinds of materials used to make perfumes. It also has about 1.7 million different formulas—special recipes for making fragrances, and it is also able to give Philyra information about what kinds of smells people like. For example, the kinds of smells most liked by men, women, or people in different age groups or in different countries.
O Boticario, Brazil's second-largest beauty store, asked IBM to come up with two new perfumes that millennials(千禧二代) would like. So Philyra began creating new formulas based on patterns it spotted in the information about different materials, different formulas and the kinds of fragrances people like. Philyra came up with many formulas very quickly. The master perfumer David Apel worked with the AI, and he said that the way Philyra combined different spices(香料) with milk and butter was something that he would never have thought of doing. When O Boticario tried out the new perfumes on groups of millennials, they were very popular. They even beat out some famous perfumes. The new special perfumes will go on sale soon this year.
1. What do we know about creating and selling fragrances from paragraph 1?| A．It's being done by computers. |
| B．It's a big business in the world. |
| C．It's been directed by AI system. |
| D．It will disappear sooner or later. |
| A．Making fragrances for IBM. |
| B．Offering fragrance information. |
| C．Using AI to create various smells. |
| D．Developing AI system for fragrances. |
| A．Unnoticed fragrances. |
| B．Expert favored. |
| C．Personal smells. |
| D．AI-created. |
| A．Entertainment. |
| B．Health. |
| C．Education. |
| D．Technology. |
| ①MARY's SHOES is looking for： SHOP ASSISTANT We're looking for an expert shop assistant for our shop in Barkley. ●Minimum 5 years of experience ●Working days： Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays ●£8 per hour + extra benefits Please send your CV（简历） by email on marysshoes.employee@ highheels.com | |
| ②BUS DRIVER urgently required! ●Bus driving license ●Minimum of 3 years experience as driver ●Available to work at weekends ●（An attractive salary and benefits will be offered to the appropriate candidate Please call during office hours：0222/2376543 or send CV to Flying Buses, 372 Kensington Road, London or by email on staff.employment（@busdriveroffice.com | |
| ③SECRETARY Angel Office Services is looking for a full time secretary. ●Degree in economics or computer services ●Excellent computer skills ●Problem solving abilities ●Good communication skills ●No experience required ●Weekend is yours ●₤1, 200 per month Please send your CV by e﹣mail on staff.employment@angeloffice.uk | |
| ④ASSISTANT WANTED Top Clothes We're looking for a shop assistant for our clothes megastore in London. ●Age： 25﹣30 ●Working days： from Wednesday to Saturday ●Flexible part﹣time ●₤6.50 per hour ●Experience is little cared about Please send your CV by email on topclothes@megastore.comor visit us at 722 Kensington Road, London | |
1. Which jobs need the candidates' relevant experience?
| A．①② | B．③④ | C．①④ | D．②③ |
| A．She'll get the highest salary of the four. |
| B．She'll get extra benefits by extra work. |
| C．She will work in London at weekend. |
| D．She is good at using the computer. |
| A．Work full﹣time on weekdays. |
| B．Be on duty at weekends. |
| C．Be available on Saturdays. |
| D．Drive to work each day. |
8 . In recent years, the Yi Jin Jing exercise has gained great popularity among Chinese of all ages, thanks to Jin Yong’s novels and the Shaolin Temple in Central China’s Henan province, which has promoted kung fu techniques, including Yi Jin Jing, vigorously(蓬勃地) at home and abroad. There are more than 60 types of Yi Jin Jing exercises spreading in contemporary China, differing in lengths, gestures and movements. Thousands of health and fitness clubs in the country have been teaching classical techniques, Yi Jin Jing being the most favored course.
In ancient times, average people did the Yi Jin Jing exercise for health and longevity(长寿) , But kung fu masters do it in different and more difficult ways, hoping to hugely improve their physical abilities. For example,when it comes to breathing, a normal person, especially a beginner, would be advised to take a safe and comfortable approach. But kung fu masters would use an opposite deep breathing technique when doing Yi Jin Jing. They would breathe in deeply, then hold their breath while trying to lengthen certain muscles and tendons(筋), and in the end they would relax and breathe out very slowly.
It is widely believed that Zong Heng, a monk in Ming Dynasty, invented the Yi Jin Jing qigong exercise while he lived in a cave on Mt. Zining, where Zhangjiajing village is located.
In 2016,the Tiantai county people’s government in East China’s Zhejiang province officially declared Pingqiao, a mountainous town, as “Yi Jin Jing Township”, with Zhangjiajing village at its center. At least 30,000 local residents in and around the “Yi Jin Jing Township” have learned to perform the so-called Zining YiJin Jing qigong exercise. They put on massive performances for tourists. Yi Jin Jing training courses, coupled with hillside camping, sightseeing, local foods, have brought great benefit to the previously poor county.
1. What do we know from the first paragraph?| A．Yi Jin Jing is mentioned in Jin Yong’s books. |
| B．Shaolin Temple is the origin of Yi Jin Jing. |
| C．Health and fitness clubs have many kung fu masters. |
| D．Yi Jin Jing is the most popular qigong exercise. |
| A．By giving an example. |
| B．By following time order. |
| C．By listing the differences. |
| D．By analyzing cause and effect. |
A． | B． |
C． | D． |
| A．Yi Jin Jing, the Most Powerful Qigong Techniques. |
| B．The Origin of Yi Jin Jing. |
| C．Learn Yi Jin Jing, Be Superman. |
| D．Try Classic Qigong Exercise: Yi Jin Jing. |
9 . My brother, Michael and I are crazy about houses. On Aug 1, 2016, I was driving through the Northern Neck of Virginia with him. We had found an abandoned Italianate farmhouse with weeds up to our waist. When admiring the property my brother rolled up the unlocked garage door. “Holy smokes!” There sat this Mercedes. Seeing the number 6.9 on its back, I immediately recognized this to be a rare and unique find.
The car’s door was unlocked and in the glovebox, I found insurance papers. It turned out that the owner was a dead country doctor.It took me a year to find his widow’s(寡妇的) address, in Richmond. Twice I made the two-hour drive just to knock on her door, striking out both times. On the third try her neighbor was outside and I was able to get the widow’s phone number.
I logged approximately 25 voice mails,and still nothing.It was, I thought, just bad luck. I called one last time and heard a voice: “Hello?” From that point on, we struck up a friendship.
In July 2018, two years after finding the car, I was ready to buy it from her. We met in the middle — somewhere around what a new Toyota might cost. Still,the night before, I called my brother and said, “I am getting cold feet.” What was I doing buying an old Mercedes? He said, “You are buying that great car. And I promise you, the friendship you will make as a result will make this car worth every penny.” And he was right.
1. Why did the author go to the Northern Neck?| A．To visit his brother. | B．To check the house. |
| C．To buy the unique car. | D．To enjoy the beautiful sights. |
| A．The author had trouble finding the car owner. |
| B．The car was the doctor’s only possession. |
| C．The widow was unwilling to sell the car. |
| D．The car was in bad conditions. |
| A．He was shocked by the price. |
| B．He was hesitating to make the decision. |
| C．He cared about money more than the car. |
| D．The weather that day was quite cold. |
| A．It was a waste of money. |
| B．It would cost a great deal. |
| C．Buying the car brought good friendship. |
| D．His brother made a good bargain buying it. |
10 . Jean was a single mother with a young son. She taught the first grade and worked very hard. She drove a small old car. One August, the teachers returned from a summer break to see Jean drive up to school with three children. The two girls were Jean’s former students who had lost their parents. They did not want to enter a foster care center. They turned to Jean-their first grade teacher-for help. Though she and her son lived in a small house, Jean took the girls in.
During lunch, while other teachers shared life stories, Jean never complained about her new responsibilities. She did, however, speak about her car. With three children to transport, the car was too small and slow. It even burned engine oil. Jean needed something new. However, she couldn’t buy one with three children in her home.
As a good friend, I listened to her concerns. At that time, I did not have much money. But I wanted to help Jean buy a car. An idea hit me when I watched a TV show.
One day, Jean received an invitation to a TV show. She was surprised but decided to attend it. Midway through the show the host called Jean to the stage. He explained he had received a letter, knowing her need for a new car. The audience listened to the details of Jean’s story and were all moved. Then the host said that Jean would receive a new car for her family. Cheers filled the studio and Jean shook with disbelief.
Six hundred miles away, I watched the joy of it all from the television in my living room. Jean’s big heart taught me many lessons that year. I did nothing but share her story.
1. What can we infer about Jean according to the first paragraph?| A．She was a driver. |
| B．She was very kind-hearted. |
| C．She knew the girls’ parents. |
| D．She wanted to sell her small car. |
| A．She found it hard to raise kids alone. |
| B．She couldn’t afford to buy a new car. |
| C．She couldn’t spare more time for her students. |
| D．She had no time to transport her kids to school. |
| A．The author turned to the show for help. |
| B．The school rewarded her for her hard work. |
| C．The school wanted to make her story known. |
| D．The show picked some single mothers to report randomly. |
| A．A Letter from My Friend |
| B．Helping My Friend Get a Car |
| C．Inviting My Friend to a Show |
| D．A Single Mother with Three Kids |
