1 . Nowadays, we can read almost all "truths" on social media sites. But are they really reliable? Sites such as the micro-messaging service, the social networking site and the photo-sharing app Instagram might "misrepresent the real world", according to a study by computer scientists from McGill University and Carnegie Mellon University.
The scientists warn that gathering information about public views and trends from these sites is unwise. There are still large parts of the population who do not take part in social media activities. Also, there's a risk that many social media users are under-represented. Instagram, for example, appeals to younger adults in urban areas while Pinterest is used mainly by females aged 25 to 34. And only 5 percent of the micro-messaging service users are over 65 years old, according to the study. However, this is not the only issue, according to the scientific team. The design of a website can influence how people behave online, creating what the researchers call "Internet bias". For example, micro-blogging sites such as Weibo promote "popular" stories. It saves time for some but it also limits readers' choice of what they see. In the end, many people open those stories and make them more "popular". But it's not because they choose those stories. Rather, it is because the content is right in front of them.
Besides, it's possible that not everyone on your social networks is real. There might actually be a few fake accounts among them. Fake "bots" pretend to be humans and are often included when measuring or predicting human behaviors online.
The findings might be more important than you would think, since many social media studies are used to inform and justify decisions and investments among the public and in industry and government, according to Derek Ruths, an assistant professor of Computer Science at Mc Gill University.
If the team is right, you might have to think carefully next time you say, "It's true, you know; I read it on Weibo."
1. Why does the author mention the micro-messaging and Instagram?| A．Because they are the best social media sites today. |
| B．Because they are not in favor of the current study. |
| C．Because the public are sharing truths on these sites. |
| D．Because information on these sites may not be reliable. |
| A．By giving examples. | B．By making comparisons. |
| C．By dividing into groups. | D．By analyzing causes. |
| A．Ambiguous. | B．Favorable. | C．Disagreeable. | D．Cautious. |
| A．To analyze why information gathered from social media sites may not be trustworthy. |
| B．To remind readers of things they should watch out for when using social media. |
| C．To point out the advantages and disadvantages of social media. |
| D．To recommend popular social networking sites for readers. |
2 . The Adventures of Amilya Rose: The Lie
By Chavonne D. Stewart, Jasmine Mills, published in 2014
Enter for a chance to win a copy of the book.It is the first book in a surprising series of children’s books. That’s fun and exciting and teaches kids valuable lessons.
Chester and Gus
By Cammie McGoven, published in 2017
Chester has always wanted to become a service dog. When he fails his certification test, though, it seems that dream might never come true－until a family adopts him to be a companion for their ten-year-old son, Gus. But Gus acts so differently from anyone Chester has ever met. He never wants to pet Chester. Chester’s not sure how to help Gus, but he’s determined to figure it out and show he’s the right dog for the job.
Invisible Emmie
By Terri Libenson, published in 2017
The novel tells the story of two totally different little girls in a class — quiet, shy and artistic Emmie and popular, outgoing, athletic Katie — and how their lives unexpectedly connected one day, when an embarrassing note falls into the wrong hands. Emmie eventually learns to speak up for herself, realizing that being social isn’t as impossible as she thought.
Ocean Meets Sky
By Terry Fan, Eric Fan, published in 2018
“Young readers will be attracted.”— The Washington Post.
Finn lives by the sea and the sea lives by him. Every time he looks out of his window, it’s a constant reminder of the stories that his grandfather told him about the place where the ocean meets the sky. Finn’s grandfather has gone but Finn knows the perfect way to honor him. He’ll build his own ship and sail out to find this magical place himself! And when he arrives, maybe he’ll find something he didn’t know he was looking for.
1. What can we know about The Adventures of Amilya Rose: The Lie?| A．It’s the first children’s book in 2015. |
| B．It’s only for children’s fun. |
| C．It may be gained for free. |
| D．It’s mainly about teachers’ lessons. |
| A．The Adventures of Amilya Rose: The Lie | B．Ocean Meets Sky |
| C．Invisible Emmie | D．Chester and Gus |
| A．Chavonne D. Stewart and Jasmine Mills | B．Cammie McGovern |
| C．Terry Fan and Eric Fan | D．Terri Libenon |
3 . Our house was across the street from a hospital. We rented the upstairs rooms to outpatients at the clinic. One summer evening as I was preparing supper, there was a knock at the door. I opened it to see a truly awful looking man hardly taller than my eight-year-old daughter.
But the frightening thing was his swollen face. He told me he’d been hunting for a room since noon but no one seemed to have a room. For a moment I hesitated, but his next words convinced me: “I could sleep on the porch（门廊）. My bus leaves early in the morning.”
I went inside and finished getting supper. When we were ready, I asked him to join us. “No thank you. I have plenty.” And he held up a brown paper bag. When I had finished the dishes, I went out to talk with him a few minutes.
He told me he fished for a living to support his daughter, who was hopelessly disabled, and her five children. He didn’t tell it by way of complaint; in fact, he was grateful that no pain accompanied his disease. He thanked life for giving him the strength to keep going.
At bedtime, we put a camp small bed in the children’s room for him. When I got up in the morning, the bed linens were neatly folded and the little man was out on the porch. He refused breakfast, but just before he left, he smiled, “Your children made me feel at home. Grownups are bothered by my face, but children don’t seem to mind.” I told him he was welcome to come again.
In the years he came to stay overnight with us there was never a time that he did not bring us fish or vegetables. Other times we received packages. Knowing that he must walk three miles to mail these, and knowing how little money he had made the gifts more precious. I know our family always will be grateful to have known him; from him we learned what it was to accept the bad without complaint and the good with gratitude.
1. What actually led to the old man’s failure to get a room before?| A．His fishing job. | B．His ugly appearance. |
| C．His disabled daughter. | D．His lack of money. |
| A．He was in very bad condition. |
| B．He might attack her unless accepted. |
| C．He wouldn’t bother them too much. |
| D．The author had a big family to support. |
| A．The old man often came to ask for help ever since. |
| B．The old man actually didn’t eat anything for supper. |
| C．It was not easy for the old man to send the author gifts. |
| D．The author’s help taught the old man to live independently. |
| A．A precious gift! |
| B．A silent complaint! |
| C．A stubborn fisherman! |
| D．An incredible meeting! |
4 . The Chinese word "Shanzhai" means a small mountain village, but it becomes an accepted name for fakes (假货), after "Shanzhai Cell-phones" produced by small workshops in southern China became popular in the mainland market over the past two years. Now besides "Shanzhai" electronic products, there are "Shanzhai" movies, "Shanzhai" stars and even a "Shanzhai" Sprin Festival Gala, a copy of the 25-year-old traditional show presented by CCTV on Chinese Lunar New Year's Eve.
"Shanzhai" has become a culture of its own, meaning anything that imitates something famous. In Chongqing, "Shanzhai" version "Bird's Nest（鸟巢）" and "Water Cube（水立方）" woven by farmers with bamboo attract(吸引) wide attention from tourists. Both are copies of the famous Olympic buildings in Beijing.
A literature critic said that taking the "Shanzhai" Gala as an example, when the traditional CCTV program becomes less and less attractive to the audience, the "Shanzhai" version appears timely to attract people. "Although it is often connected with poor techniques and operation, 'Shanzhai' culture meets the psychological needs of common people and could be a comfort to their minds," he said.
To the mainstream（主流） culture, the rise of "Shanzhai" culture is a challenge and a motivation（推动）. People believe different kinds of cultures developing together is a perfect way and it is for the public to choose.
1. The Chinese word "Shanzhai" may have started with_______.| A．electronic products | B．fake(假的) cell-phones |
| C．Spring Festival Gala | D．Olympic buildings |
| A．anything that are copies of something famous |
| B．products with poor techniques and quality |
| C．the action that a person imitates famous people |
| D．those similar names to famous brands |
| A．is stopped by "Shanzhai" culture |
| B．is the challenge of"Shanzhai" culture |
| C．may develop faster because of the challenge of "Shanzhai" culture |
| D．will be replaced by "Shanzhai" culture |
| A．偷窃 | B．做广告 |
| C．仿造 | D．欺骗 |
5 . If you are looking for a vacation to a beautiful beach town, each state on the East Coast has something new to offer. Here you can find the best cities along the East Coast based on a departure (离开) from Los Angeles.
Savannah, GeorgiaRound-trip fight cost:$ 415
Walking tours of the city’s attractions are led by local historians, and you can know more about the famous squares and see the bench where Forrest Gump sat. There is also a free tour to Forsyth Park, home to a 300-year-old Candler Oak tree. Visitors can also stay at the Forsyth Park, which includes a spa, restaurant and cooking school.
Charleston, South Carolina
Round-trip flight cost:$519
You don’t have to travel to Europe to visit one of the world’s best spots. Charleston made Travel and Leisure’s 2018 list of the top 15 international cities. It was also ranked the No. 1 U.S. city for the sixth year in a row in 2018. You can enjoy the sunshine for free at Folly Beach and watch the sunset from the pier (码头).
Block Island, Rhode Island
Round-trip flight cost:$358
There are no flights from Los Angeles directly to Block Island, but a round-trip flight to Providence, Rhode Island. There you can make your way to Block Island and visit 1661 Farms and Gardens, which is home to kangaroos, camels, ducks, goats and much more. Southeast Lighthouse here is praised for its beautiful views of the Atlantic Ocean.
Roanoke, Virginia
Round-trip fight cost:$517
Take advantage of the arts and crafts trips, hiking paths and waterfall stops all along the Blue Ridge Parkway. If you don’t want to stay outdoors, visit the Taubman Museum of Art for free. The museum has a collection of over 2,100 pieces from around the world and hosts special exhibits(展览会) throughout the year.
1. What do tours in Savannah allow visitors to do?| A．Learn about the history of the city. | B．Help plant trees in Forsyth Park |
| C．Attend a cooking school for free. | D．Watch an open-air movie. |
| A．are unwilling to travel by air |
| B．love to spend time with animals |
| C．want to appreciate works of art |
| D．prefer enjoying the mountain view |
| A．Savannah. | B．Charleston. | C．Block Island | D．Roanoke. |
6 . It was dinner time for the Rangers, a group of mostly Indigenous (本地的) Australians who had spent a long day cleaning up the polluted beaches of the continent’s northern coast. Soon they would be eating freshly caught fish and seafood cooked under the stars on an open fire, as their ancestors did.
The Rangers are of more than 100 Indigenous groups spread across Australia who have taken on the job of protecting the land of their forefathers. In Arnhem Land, they are the protectors of 3,300 square miles of land and sea. They comb the beaches by hand, picking up as much rubbish as possible. The task is very difficult as each day it delivers waves of new rubbish.
For the Rangers, cleaning the beaches is more than a vacation. For a people whose culture is strongly tied to the land, protecting the environment is equal to preserving their history.
However, colonization forcefully broke their connection to the land generations ago. Indigenous people were displaced and their cultural practices outlawed. Tens of thousands of years of traditional land management ended, and as a result many parts of the country now face serious disasters from invasive plant and animal species, bush fires and land mismanagement.
In recent years, the government has restored more than 20 percent of Australia’s land to Indigenous owners. Since 2007, the Indigenous Rangers Organizations have been at work protecting this land.
Luck, one of the few non-Indigenous employees working with the Rangers, said the combination of old and new techniques and an appreciation for the culture of Indigenous workers has been critical to the program’s success.
“You are working with staff who see the world different to you, so there is a much higher focus on the cultural aspects of work and life,” he said.
“Being a ranger is a source of confidence. You feel strong,” said Terence, a senior ranger. “Here we still live on the land. The culture is still alive.”
1. What did Indigenous Australians live on in the past?| A．Rubbish picked up by hand. | B．Catching the fish and seafood. |
| C．Protecting the land. | D．Invasive plants and animals. |
| A．The polluted land needs better management. |
| B．Their cultural practices were outlawed. |
| C．The people were too strong. |
| D．The land belongs to them. |
| A．It’s a job of their ancestors’. | B．It’s just a vacation. |
| C．It’s a difficult task. | D．It’s their culture. |
| A．Not many employees are the Indigenous Australians. |
| B．Culture is important to the Indigenous Australians. |
| C．Their new techniques are successful. |
| D．Both Luck and Terence are rangers. |
7 . James T.Green thought he was having a panic attack.
He took a break from work to walk around the block during a stressful day, and noticed he felt out of breath walking up a slight slope."This isn't normal,” Green thought.He had become a regular biker in recent months and wasn't exactly out of shape.He sat down at his desk, and looked at the Apple Watch on his wrist.His heart rate was through the roof, and the Heart Watch app he was using to check his pulse （脉搏）was flashing warnings.Maybe it was something more serious, he thought.
Although he had blood clots （血栓）in his lungs a few years back, he had been taking medication, and doctors said that it was an unusual condition for someone in their mid-20s.Still, the symptoms （症 状）this time were much less serious, and he was feeling stressed, so his mind didn't automatically jump to blood clots.Green's doctor told him it sounded like anxiety.But then he showed her his heart rate recorded by the Apple Watch.
"This is my normal heart rate,” Green told her, pointing to the graph in the app.“This is where my heart is now.There's something wrong."
The doctor ordered a CT scan.The blood clots in his left lung had returned.An ambulance rushed Green to the emergency room, where he was pumped full of blood thinners.He didn't need surgery this time, but doctors told him that if he had waited, a clot could have killed him.
Green isn't the only person who has discovered a serious health condition after seeing heart-rate data on a smartwatch.And he won't be the last.Presently, smartwatches from Apple to Fitbit and others can tell you your heart rate and track your workouts.But these companies want to go beyond the basics by developing ways to tell you when something is wrong.In fact, it's already happening.
1. What is not normal for Green this time?| A．He breathed with difficulty. | B．He worked out less often. |
| C．He had a heart attack. | D．He was out of shape. |
| A．He himself. | B．His doctor. | C．The CT scan. | D．The Apple Watch. |
| A．Tiredness. | B．Anxiety. | C．Work stress. | D．Blood clots. |
| A．Apple's new study on smartwatches. | B．The tips on how to buy a smartwatch. |
| C．Other cases where smartwatches save lives. | D．The application of smartwatches in health care. |
8 . Half decade ago, at the end of my first semester teaching at Wharton, my student Kevin stopped by for office hours. He sat down and burst into tears. My mind started cycling through a list of events that could make a college junior cry: His girlfriend had broken up with him; he had been accused of cheating in exams; he forgot to turn in papers before the deadline. “I just got my first A-minus(减),” he said with his voice shaking.
Year after year, I watch in depression as students are crazy about getting straight A's. Some sacrifice their health; a few have even tried to charge their school after falling short(倒挂). All hold the belief that top marks are a ticket to best graduate schools and rewarding job offers. I was one of them. I started college with the goal of graduating with a 4.0. It would be a reflection of my brainpower and willpower, showing that I had the right stuff to succeed. But I was wrong.
The evidence is clear: Academic excellence is not a strong predictor of career excellence. Across industries, research shows that the connection between grades and job performance is modest in the first year after college and unimportant within a handful of years. Take Microsoft for example, once employees are two or three years out of college, their grades have no bearing on their performance. (Of course, it must be said that if you got D's, you probably didn't end up at Microsoft.)
Academic grades rarely assess qualities like creativity, leadership and teamwork skills, or social, emotional and political intelligence. Yes, straight A students master large amounts of information and reproduce it in exams. But career success is rarely about finding the right solution to a problem—it’s more about finding the right problem to solve. This might explain why Steve Jobs finished high school with a 2.65GPA, and Martin Luther King Jr. got only one A in his four years at Morehouse.
1. Why did the student Kevin feel sad?| A．He was caught cheating in exams. | B．His girlfriend abandoned him. |
| C．He didn’t hand in his papers before headline. | D．He failed to get straight A's. |
| A．Marks didn’t reflect willpower and brainpower. |
| B．Top marks meant well-paid job offers. |
| C．It was wrong to care too much about marks. |
| D．Straight A's don't bring creative performances. |
| A．To stress the company values employees with top marks. |
| B．To indicate academic performance is important. |
| C．To show academic excellence isn’t a strong predictor of career performance. |
| D．To introduce successful example in the technology industry. |
| A．How to be a creative leader. | B．What to do with detailed information. |
| C．How to solve a problem. | D．What problems to be solved. |
9 . In 2015, researchers from Australia's Deakin University published one of the first studies measuring food's physical effect on the left hippocampus(海马体), a seahorse-shaped brain region crucial for memory, learning, and decision making. It is also one of the first areas to shrink in people with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia (痴呆).255 people filled out diet surveys and then underwent MRI scans(磁共振扫描成像) that measured their brains. Four years later, they returned for another scan in response to a request from the researchers.
The study found that the left hippocampus was bigger and heavier in the healthy eaters than in the unhealthy ones, regardless of age, sex, weight, exercise habits, or general health. That means eating the right foods and skipping the wrong stuff could help protect against declines in thinking and memory that lead to dementia. Healthy eating doesn't just prevent brain decline. It raises scores on thinking and memory tests, according to a study published in March 2019 that tracked 2,621 American women and men for 30 years."Green leafy vegetables have good effects that may protect both females and males against cognitive(认知的）decline and dementia," says lead researcher Claire McEvoy, RD, of the Centre for Public Health at Queen's University Belfast in Northern Ireland.
Even a little healthy food goes a long way. According to a 2018 Rush University study that tracked 960 people for 4.7 years, participants who ate just 1.3 extra servings of green leafy vegetables a day showed cognitive abilities similar to those of people 11 years younger.
How are these power foods working with your brain cells? Animal and test-tube experiments suggest that compounds in healthy diets help new cells make copies of DNA when they divide and multiply. Meanwhile, high-fat, high-sugar processed foods harm brain cells.
While food serves as an important brain protector, experts say brain supplements(补品)aren't all that effective. Studies show that they don't make brain cells active in a significantly positive way.＂Let the buyer be cautious," says David Hogan, MD, a specialist at the University of Calgary.A study of nootropics(益智药) in the November 2019 Journal of the American Medical Association revealed that the unapproved drug-piracetam(乙酰胺吡咯烷酮) was found in four out of five brands tested, at levels that could cause side effects such as depression.
1. Why did the researchers have the 255 people return for another MRI scan four years later?| A．To test whether they had Alzheimer's disease. |
| B．To see what effects diets had on the left hippocampus. |
| C．To study how they kept healthy in the four years. |
| D．To deepen their research into Alzheimer's disease. |
| A．Healthy eating helps to reduce the risk of dementia. |
| B．Unhealthy diet is a major contributing factor in cognitive decline. |
| C．Age and sex have nothing to do with our general health. |
| D．Plant-based diets have greater effects on women than men. |
| A．Brain supplements are as helpful as healthy diets. |
| B．We'd better take brain supplements for convenience. |
| C．We should be careful when taking brain supplements. |
| D．Brain supplements have as many side effects as processed foods. |
| A．Yes to Green Leafy Vegetables |
| B．Yes to Nootropics |
| C．No to Intelligence |
| D．No to Dementia |
10 . A British friend told me he couldn’t understand why Chinese people love eating sunflower seeds（嗑瓜子）as a snack so much. “I’ve met a lot of older Chinese and many have a crack in their front teeth, I believe that’s from cracking the seeds,” he said.
I had never noticed the habit, but once he mentioned it, I suddenly became more aware. I realized that whenever I’m watching TV or typing a report, I always start mindlessly cracking sunflower seeds. My friend doesn’t like sunflower seeds, and, to him, it seems unnecessary to work so much just to get one small seed.
When we were young, the whole family would usually get together for Chinese New Year. Then, we all lived close to one another, usually in a small city, and sometimes even neighbors would go door-to-door on Chinese New Year’s Eve to check out what every household was making.
I remember my parents would be in the kitchen cooking. Out in the living room, a large table would already be laid out, complete with fancy tablecloth, ready-made dumpling fillings, and dishes full of candy, fruits and sunflower seeds. Some of the dishes were to be offered to our ancestors later, while others were for neighbors and children to eat before the evening feast. I must have learned how to crack sunflower seeds back then.
I don’t think it’s right to criticize one’s choice in food or eating habits, no matter how strange they may seem.
It’s not only in China. When I went abroad, I found people had all sorts of strange habits when it came to food. In Denmark, they put salted red fish on bread and eat it for dinner, no matter how much it ruins your breath. They think it’s。delicacy（美味佳肴）, and it’s connected to their certain culture. I think it’s a wonderful tradition.
1. Why can the British friend not understand when he found Chinese love eating sunflower seeds?| A．Because the seeds are too hard to crack. |
| B．Because he thinks they art harmful to teeth. |
| C．Because he doesn’t think the seeds are good. |
| D．Because he doesn’t thinks the seeds are worth eating. |
| A．The families get together for it. | B．Eating sunflower seeds is related to it. |
| C．The traditions of celebrating it disappear. | D．Children can eat delicious food on that day. |
| A．indifferent | B．critical | C．understandable | D．doubtful |
| A．It is good to form healthy eating habits. |
| B．Eating habits come from a certain culture. |
| C．Changing your eating habits will change your life. |
| D．One kind of food doesn’t necessarily suit everyone. |
