1 . Barbara McClintock was one of the most important scientists of the 20th century. She made important discoveries about genes and chromosomes(染色体).

Barbara McClintock was born in 1902 in Hartford, Connecticut. Her family moved to the Brooklyn area of New York City in 1908. Barbara was an active child with interests in sports and music. She also developed an interest in science.

She studied science at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Barbara was among a small number of undergraduate students to receive training in genetics in 1921. Years later, she noted that few college students wanted to study genetics.

Barbara McClintock decided to study botany, the scientific study of plants, at Cornell University. She completed her undergraduate studies in 1923. McClintock decided to continue her education at Cornell. She completed the master’s degree in 1925. Two years later, she finished all her requirements for the doctorate degree.

McClintock stayed at Cornell after she completed her education. She taught students botany. The 1930s was not a good time to be a young scientist in the United States. The country was in the middle of the great economic depression. Millions of Americans were unemployed. Male scientists were offered jobs. But female geneticists were not much in demand.

An old friend from Cornell, Marcus Rhoades, invited McClintock to spend the summer of 1941 working at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. It is a research center on Long Island, near New York City. McClintock started a temporary job with the genetics department. A short time later, she accepted a perpetual position in the laboratory and got continual incomes. This gave her the freedom to continue her research without repeatedly asking for financial aid.

By the 1970s, her discoveries had had an effect on everything from genetic engineering to cancer research. McClintock won the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1983 for her discovery of the ability of genes to change positions on chromosomes. She was the first American woman to win an unshared Nobel Prize.

1. When did McClintock get a doctorate degree?

A．In 1921.

B．In 1923.

C．In 1925.

D．In 1927

2. In the middle of the great economic depression in the US, ________.

A．male scientists were in great demand

B．male scientists were out of work

C．female geneticists were not in demand at all

D．young female scientists might have trouble finding a job

3. Which of the following jobs was beneficial to McClintock’s research?

A．A permanent position in the laboratory.

B．A temporary job in the genetics department.

C．A job as a botany teacher.

D．A job to research cancer.

4. Why was McClintock awarded a Nobel Prize?

A．Because she received a degree in genes and chromosomes.

B．Because she contributed to genetic engineering and cancer research.

C．Because she made important discoveries about genes and chromosomes.

D．Because she was the first American woman who studied genes and chromosomes.

2 . Some colors people see late at night could cause signs of clinical depression. That was the finding of a study that builds on earlier study findings. They show that individuals who live or work in low levels of light overnight can develop clinical depression. Doctors use the word “clinical depression” to describe severe form of depression. Signs may include loss of interest or pleasure in most activities, low energy levels and thoughts of death or suicide.

In the new study, American investigators designed an experiment that exposed hamsters（仓鼠）to different colors. The researchers chose hamsters because they are nocturnal, which means they sleep during the day and are active at night. The animals were separated into four groups. One group of hamsters was kept in the dark during their night-time period. Another group was placed in front of a blue light, a third group slept in front of a white light, while a fourth was put in front of a red light. After four weeks, the researchers noted how much sugary water the hamsters drank. They found that the most depressed animals drank the least amount of water.

Randy Nelson heads the Department of Neuroscience at Ohio State University. He says animals that slept in blue and white light appeared to be the most depressed. “What we saw is that these animals didn’t show any sleep uneasiness at all but they did mess up biological clock genes and they did show depressive sign while if they were in the dim（微弱）red light, they did not.”

Randy Nelson notes that photosensitive（感光）cells in the eyes have little to do with eyesight. He says these cells send signals to the area of the brain that controls what has been called the natural sleep-wake cycle.

He says there’s a lot of blue in white light. This explains why the blue light and white light hamsters appear to be more depressed than the hamsters seeing red light or darkness.

1. Researchers use hamsters in the experiment because ________.

A．they are similar to humans in dealing with colors

B．they are easy to observe and study

C．they are active at night and sleep during the day

D．they are sensitive to colors like human beings

2. What sign shows that the hamsters are being depressed?

A．They don’t sleep well.	B．They drink less sugary water.
C．Their eyesight becomes worse.	D．Their energy level becomes low.

3. ________ tends to cause hamsters to be depressed.

A．Blue light	B．Red light
C．Dim light	D．Darkness

4. In which situation are people less likely to develop depression?

A．Not being exposed to dim red light when using computers.

B．Living or working in low levels of light overnight.

C．Equipping their computer screens to put it more in the reddish light.

D．Going to see doctors of clinical depression regularly for help.

4 . Covid-19 has brought a great deal of trouble for all of us since March 2020. During this time, mobile phones have been the solution for the boredom and restlessness caused from staying indoors. The most downloaded apps on play store 2020 are;

TikTok

TikTok was the most downloaded app. With over 111.9 million downloads, TikTok has seen a huge growth in 2020, twice more than what it got in 2019. 20% of its total downloads were from India and around 9. 3% of the total downloads were in the US.

Zoom

Zoom was the second most installed app in the overall downloads category. With nearly 94. 6 million installs, Zoom is the most used app for online meetings and virtual classrooms. 17% of its downloads were in the US and India. Offices and educational institutes were shut down and to continue working and studying from home, people relied heavily on Zoom for video conferencing and calling.

WhatsApp

WhatsApp ranked third in overall downloads with more than 100 million downloads. It is one of the most popular and widely used chat applications; WhatsApp also supports communication between international phone networks.

Facebook

It ranked fourth in the overall downloaded list. Facebook is the world’s most popular social networking application. Facebook builds technologies that give people the power to connect with friends and family, find communities and grow businesses.

1. What do we know about TikTok?

A．It is an India-based app.	B．It has most users in America.
C．It is used for growing business.	D．It has doubled its download than in 2019.

2. Which app is the best to turn to for online education?

A．TikTok.

B．Zoom.

C．WhatsApp.

D．Facebook.

3. What function does Facebook probably serve?

A．Communication.

B．Training.

C．Teaching.

D．Payment

5 . I was at the hardware store the other day and overhear（偶尔听到）a woman tell Ed, the manager, that fall was her favorite time of year. Ed, because he likes to keep his customers happy, agreed that fall was a wonderful season, but I could tell he was lying.

I was going through my mind recently, trying to find sweet memories of fall. I failed. I met my wife in the summer and married her two summers later. My sons were born in the winter and summer, my granddaughter in the winter. I’ve been fired twice in my life, both in fall. One October, a truck carrying tofu ran a red light and hit me, destroying my favorite car, combining（使结合） the three things I most hate — trucks, tofu, and October.

I’m not saying fall is without its attractions. The leaves are beautiful. But fall’s vacillation （立场摇摆）is troubling, its effort to please everyone, its continuous search for the middle ground, to be all things to all people. Say what you will about summer and winter, at least they have the courage to keep their opinions strong, even if they kill us with extreme heat or cold.

I recently read a story of a man coming out of a three-month coma（昏迷）. It started in early fall and ended just as winter came. I hope if I’m ever in a coma I would be just as lucky as the man.

Upon my awakening, one of my families who stood around my bed would ask , “Don’t you remember anything from the past three months?”

“Not the first thing,” I would happily report. If I ever have enough money, I’m going to buy a second home in Australia, so that when fall starts here, I can move there for three months, just when spring is starting.

1. What did Ed think of the customer’s words?

A．He understood them and supported her.	B．He held a different opinion on the topic.
C．He believed she wasn’t telling the truth.	D．He thought they stood for most people’s opinion.

2. What can we infer from Paragraph 2?

A．The author has a big and loving family.

B．The author is having a hard time at work.

C．It is important to follow the rules of the road.

D．Nothing good has happened to the author in fall.

3. Why does the author say the man in Paragraph 4 was lucky?

A．Because he slept fall away.

B．Because he has sweet memories of fall.

C．Because he finally came out of the coma.

D．Because he was met by his family when waking up.

4. Which of the following does the author most want to do?

A．Drive trucks.	B．Eat tofu dishes.
C．Watch leaves falling in fall.	D．Move to Australia in October.

6 . Thanks to research currently being done ih the field of nanotechnology, it may be possible to cure a disease like cancer using tiny particles(微粒) injected into a person — particles that would not only find the cancer, but also destroy it without harming anything else in the body.

The main thing to know about nanotechnology is that it’s small — really small. The prefix nano refers to a nanometer, which is one-billionth of a meter. How small is that exactly? A comma on a page of a book may be more than half a million nanometers wide.

Researcher Ted Sargent, a leader in the field of nanotechnology, describes how using quantum (量子) dots—particles that are a few nanometers in size — will help diagnose a disease. The particles, Sargent explains, shine brightly when exposed to UV light and can be inserted into the body. They can also be programmed to bond only to a particular cancer cell. Doctors can then use a camera and look for the colored particles, which will help them determine where cancer cells are growing in a person’s body. Using this technology, it will be possible to detect cancer at a stage when there are perhaps only a thousand bad cells.

Once a certain type of cancer is detected, nanotechnology will also improve the way it is treated. Nanoparticles will allow doctors to attack cancerous tumors (肿瘤) without disturbing healthy cells. Doctors can deliver cancer-killing drugs, carried via the nanoparticles, to the bad cells only or they can also destroy cancer cells identified by nanoparticles, using laser rays. Ultimately, technologies like this will allow doctors to deliver cancer treatment earlier, faster, and more thoroughly, with fewer side effects.

Unfortunately, though nanoparticles have great medical potential, there are serious concerns that they could have negative environmental and health effects. In recent studies researchers found that half the human cells died after exposing lab-grown human cells to water containing large amounts of nanoparticles.

Because nanotechnology is so potentially useful, many scientists don’t think research into its many uses should be stopped; learning more about nanotechnology should remain a priority. Scientists do believe that governments should allocate more money for safety-related studies—to make sure that large concentrations of nanoparticles do not get into our food and water supplies and cause serious problems.

1. What is this passage mainly about?

A．The dangers and side effects of nanotechnology.

B．The various ways of detecting different cancers.

C．The development and application of nanotechnology.

D．How nanotechnology can be used in medical science.

2. What’s the size of a nanometer?

A．The size of a comma.	B．One-billionth of a meter.
C．A billion nanoparticles wide.	D．The same size as a quantum dot.

3. Exposing human cells to large amounts of nanoparticles ________.

A．does not have any influences	B．may prevent many side effects
C．causes one second cells’ death	D．could cure a variety of cancers

4. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．Nanotechnology proved to be useless and the research should be ended.

B．Scientists want to see research into nanotechnology continue with caution.

C．Many scientists think that nanotechnology is too dangerous to be permitted.

D．Nanotechnology is so useful that many governments are investing in research.

7 . In my son’s room, there are two world maps — one large paper map of the world, and one cartoonish version with small pictures of animals and names. The second one arrived with a dry-erase marker, and my son and his friends have put that to use, “decorating” it with humorous words. It’s a map only an 8-year-old could love.

But underneath the funny writing, there is learning going on. He has learned where China sits in relation to the US on the map, and knows that Togo is a real country. He knows that Alaska looks like it is part of Canada, connecting us with our neighbors to the north.

He hasn’t traveled out of the country yet, but that is my goal for him ... to know and experience other cultures outside of his own through maps, and through traveling in the future. I want him to understand that all countries in the world are wonderful and influential in their own ways.

“Travel changes you,” said the late world-traveling chef（厨师）Anthony Bourdain. “As you move through this life and this world, you change things and you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life — as well as travel — leaves marks on you.”

Travel isn’t cheap, though, and not all families have the means to take their kids on a 10-country trip to Europe in the summer. Some families can’t even afford to take their kids out of their home city.     

Even if you don’t have money to travel, get your kids a map. Get a subscription (订阅) to National Geographic (or go to the library and get them there). Learn a language together. Host an exchange student.

Consider opening your kids’ minds by exposing (使接触) them to different languages, foods, sights, etc. The earlier, the better. Because if we introduce children to people, places, and things that are different from what they know, they will be less afraid. They will be more understanding. And they’ll be more likely to reach out across any divide and improve the world for the future.

1. What does the author want her son to do by reading maps?

A．To simply have fun.	B．To become open-minded.
C．To get high grades in geography.	D．To develop an interest in traveling.

2. According to the author, compared with travel, reading maps ________.

A．teaches people very little	B．is the only choice of the poor
C．is a special form of traveling	D．can be a little boring but meaningful

3. How does the author explain the influence of traveling?

A．By giving explanations.	B．By providing examples.
C．By making comparisons.	D．By using someone’s words.

4. What’s the main purpose of this text?

A．To show how to read maps.	B．To give advice on parenting.
C．To encourage people to travel.	D．To discuss different types of parenting.

8 . The weather is getting hotter and you’ll be getting thirstier playing basketball or riding home from school. A cold drink may be just the thing. But be careful what you pour down your throat. Something that looks cool may not be good for your health.

There are plenty of so-called energy drinks on the market. Most of them have an attractive color and cool name. Their nutrition lists also contains various things from vitamins to ginseng. Sounds great!

But after a careful check you may find that most energy drinks contain high levels of caffeine. These drinks are typically aimed at young people, students, busy people and sports players.

Makers sometimes say their drinks make you better at sports and can keep you awake. But be careful not to drink too much Caffeine raises your heartbeat. Because of this, the International Olympic Committee has limited their use. The amount of caffeine in most energy drinks is at least as high as in a strong cup of coffee or strong tea.

There are potential health dangers linked to energy drinks. Just one can of energy drink can make you nervous, have difficulty sleeping and can even cause heart attacks.

Teenagers should be discouraged from taking drinks with a lot of caffeine in them, an expert from the Australia Nutrition Foundation said.

1. The teenagers like drinking energy drinks because of the following EXCEPT that ________.

A．they have an attractive color and cool name	B．they contain high levels of caffeine
C．they can keep them awake and better at sports	D．they are said to have various nutrition

2. The underlined word “discouraged” in the last paragraph can be replaced by ________.

A．dropped

B．stopped

C．helped

D．asked

3. From the passage we can infer that ________.

A．advertisements play an important part in getting people to buy the goods

B．the amount of caffeine in most energy drinks is lower than that in a strong cup of coffee

C．Australian teenagers drink more energy drinks than those in the other countries

D．The energy drinks are typically aimed at young people

4. Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?

A．What’s the Use of Energy Drinks?	B．Who can Drink Energy Drinks?
C．What is That in Energy Drinks?	D．Why can’t We Buy Energy Drinks?

9 . Throughout the ages different ideas have been expressed about the working of the human brain. In ancient times, men thought that the mind was based in the heart. It was not until the 18th century that man realized that the whole of the brain was involved in the workings of the mind.

During the 19th century scientists found that when certain parts of the brain were damaged men lost the ability to do certain things. And so, people thought that each part of the brain controlled a different activity. But modern research has found that this is not so.

In the past 50 years there has been a great increase in the amount of research being done on the brain. Scientists have found that the way the brain works is far more complicated than they had thought. They have tried to use computers to copy the way the brain works. However, they have found that even using the latest electronic equipment they would have to build a computer weighed over 10,000 kilos.

Earlier scientists thought that the power of the brain decreased during a man’s lifetime. But now it has been found that an old person who has always been mentally active has a quicker mind than a young person who has done only physical work. It means the more work we give our brains, the more work they can do.

Scientists hope that if we can discover how the brain works, we will be able to make better use of it. For example, how do we learn language? Some children learn to speak and read and write when they are very young compared to average children. But scientists are not sure why this happens.

Other people now believe that we use only 1% of our brains’ full potential. They say that the only limit on the power of the brain is the limit of what we think is possible. This is probably because of the way we are taught as children. When we first start learning to use our minds we are told what to do, for example, to remember certain facts, but we are not taught how our memory works and how to make best use of it. We are told to make notes but we are not taught how our brains accept information and which is the best way to organize the information we want our brains to accept.

This century man has made many discoveries about the universe — the world outside himself. But he has also started to look into the workings of that other universe which is inside himself.

1. What does the author agree with?

A．How our brain works remains a puzzle.

B．The work of the mind is rooted in the heart.

C．Different parts of the brain control activities.

D．A computer can store information as our brain.

2. What can we infer from Paragraphs 4 and 5?

A．People have made the most of the brains.

B．The brain need practice to keep its power.

C．Some children know the secret to learning.

D．People experience memory loss with aging.

3. What does the example in the last but two paragraph suggest?

A．A good memory is worse than a bad pen.

B．Only 1% of our brain has been fully used.

C．How to remember facts is unnecessary to learn.

D．How we are taught affects the power of our brain.

4. What is the author’s attitude to the future of the study?

A．Concerned.

B．Objective.

C．Positive.

D．Sceptical.

10 . This season, the bushfires in Australia have burned more than 12.35 million acres of land. At least 25 people have been killed and 2000 homes destroyed. According to the BBC, this is the most casualties(伤亡)from wildfires in the country since 2009. The University of Sydney estimates that 480 million animals have died in South Wales alone.

Zeke Hausfather, an energy systems analyst and climate researcher at Berkeley Earth, said warmer temperatures and extreme weather have made Australia more susceptible to fires and increased the length of the fire season. “The drier conditions combined with record high temperatures in 2019 created main conditions for the disastrous fires. Australia’s fires were worsened by the combination of those two. 2019 was the perfect storm for being the warmest year on record for Australia and the driest year on record for Australia,” Hausfather added on Friday.

Kevin Trenberth, a senior scientist at the US National Center for Atmospheric Research, said warmer ocean temperatures also contributed to more variable weather around the world. Trenberth believes that global warming contributed to energy imbalances and hot spots in the oceans, which can create a wave in the atmosphere that locks weather patterns in places, causing longer rain events in Indonesia, for example, and at the same time contributing to drought in Australia. He said that once an area experiences drought conditions for two months or more, it increases the risk of fires catching and spreading. Those changing weather patterns due to global warming make drought events longer.

Climate experts stress that climate change is not the only factor in the severity of wildfires. How land is managed can also impact the amount of fuel available for fires. Practices like controlled burns and other factors can impact the risk to people and property, such as warning systems and the type of development in a given area. Changing those policies has great potential to limit future damage from wildfires along with changes to how fire management resources are dispatched (派遣).

1. What are the numbers about in paragraph 1?

A．The causes of Australian fires.

B．The consequences of Australian fires.

C．The damaged areas of Australian fires.

D．The property destruction of Australian fires.

2. Which of the following best explains “susceptible to” in the second paragraph?

A．Very quickly to adapt to.

B．Very seriously to focus on.

C．Very likely to be influenced by.

D．Very easily to be protected against.

3. What can we infer from Trenberth’s research?

A．Global warming is the root cause of the bushfires.

B．Longer dry weather contributes to global warming.

C．Warmer ocean temperatures promote fires spreading.

D．The imbalanced energy leads to the temperature rising.

4. What does the author intend to do in the last paragraph?

A．To stress the effects of Australia fires.

B．To show the methods for controlling burns.

C．To predict the seriousness of Australia fires.

D．To provide some advice about reducing damage.