1 . 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 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.
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. |
| A．TikTok. | B．Zoom. | C．WhatsApp. | D．Facebook. |
| A．Communication. | B．Training. | C．Teaching. | D．Payment |
2 . For several months, Cara has been working up the courage to approach her mom about what she saw on Instagram. Not long ago, the 11-year-old girl, like all the other kids in this story, discovered that her mom had been posting her photos for much of her life.“I’ve wanted to bring it up.It’s strange to see myself up there, and sometimes there are pictures of myself I don't like,”she said.
Like most other modern kids, Cara grew up in social media. While many kids may not yet have accounts themselves, their parents, schools, sports teams, and other organizations have been organizing online presence for them since birth.The shock of realizing that details about your life have been shared online without your permission or knowledge has become an important experience in the lives of many teenagers. Recently a parenting blogger (博主) wrote in an essay of The Washington Post that despite (尽管)her 14-year-old daughter’s horror of discovering that her mother had shared years of highly personal stories and information about her online, she simply could not stop posting them on her blog and social media. The writer said that promising her daughter that she would stop posting things about her publicly on the Internet “would mean shutting down an important part of myself, which isn't necessarily good for me or her”.
But it’s not just crazy mommy bloggers who construct their children’s online identity; plenty of average parents do the same. There’s even a special word for it: sharenting (晒娃成癖). Almost a quarter of children begin their digital lives when parents upload their photos to the Internet, according to a study conducted by the Internet-security (安全)firm AVG. The study also found that 92 percent of kids under the age of 2 already have their own unique digital identity.
1. How does Cara probably feel about her mom’s behavior?| A．It’s aggressive. | B．It’s appropriate. |
| C．It’s annoying. | D．It’s favorable. |
| A．It filled up her blog. | B．It showed off her success. |
| C．It recorded her stories. | D．It meant a lot to her. |
| A．A quarter of students. | B．Many ordinary parents. |
| C．Kids under the age of 2. | D．Some crazy bloggers. |
| A．Children’s New Trouble |
| B．Social Media |
| C．Kids’ Online Performance |
| D．Mommy Bloggers |
3 . Every week in China, millions of people will sit in front of their TVs watching teenagers compete for the title Character Hero, which is a Chinese-style spelling bee. In this challenge, young competitors must write Chinese characters by hand. To prepare for the competition, the competitors usually spend months studying dictionaries.
Perhaps the show’s popularity should not be a surprise. Along with gunpowder and paper, many Chinese people consider the creation of Chinese calligraphy(书法) to be one of their primary contributions to civilization. Unfortunately, all over the country, Chinese people are forgetting how to write their own language without computerized help. Software on smart phones and computers allows users to type in the basic sound of the word using the Latin alphabet. The correct character is chosen from a list. The result? It’s possible to recognize characters without remembering how to write them.
But there’s still hope for the paint brush. China’s Education Ministry wants children to spend more time learning how to write.
In one Beijing primary school we visited, students practice calligraphy every day inside a specially decorated classroom with traditional Chinese paintings hanging on the walls. Soft music plays as a group of six-year-olds dip brush pens into black ink. They look up at the blackboard often to study their teacher’s examples before carefully attempting to reproduce those characters on thin rice paper. “If adults can survive without using handwriting, why bother to teach it now?” we ask the calligraphy teacher, Shen Bin. “The ability to write characters is part of Chinese tradition and culture,” she reasons. “Students must learn now so they don’t forget when they grow up.” says the teacher.
1. What can we learn about the Character Hero?| A．It’s open to people of all ages and all walks. |
| B．It’s the most-viewed TV programs in China. |
| C．It aims to spread Chinese culture to the world. |
| D．It draws great public attention across the country. |
| A．Chinese people don’t refer to dictionaries very often. |
| B．Chinese people no longer use brush pens or practice calligraphy. |
| C．Chinese people are using the Latin alphabet instead of the characters. |
| D．Chinese people needn’t write by hand as often with the help of technology. |
| A．necessary for adults to survive in China |
| B．a requirement made by the Education Ministry |
| C．helpful to keep Chinese tradition and culture alive |
| D．an ability to be developed only when you are students |
| A．A news report. | B．A science report. |
| C．An advertisement. | D．Children’s literature. |
4 . Civita, the dying town
Some 120 kilometers north of Rome, street signs along the road tell drivers they’re bound for “the dying town” Civita di Bagnoregio. The village stands on a declining plateau(高原). It has gone through landslides(泥石流), earthquakes, and erosion (腐蚀) since humans’ first settlement about 2, 500 years ago. Nowadays Civita has been reduced to only 90 by 150 meters.
In the Middle Ages, the size of the plateau was three times its size nowadays, and the population was over 3, 000, yet the river surrounding Civita gradually made the town collapse from the bottom up. Since 1695, when a destructive earthquake took place in Civita, many people were forced to escape from their hometown, and the population there has never recovered. By the 1920s, there were merely 600 residents in the town. Currently, there are only about 10 residents. What a small population it has!
The survival of Civita is uncertain. However, as the news that the town was about to disappear started to widely spread, more and more people wanted to visit it. Now up to 10,000 people visit Civita per day. And there is doubt as to whether it is dying. The flood of people and money leads to natives longing for the rescue of the town.
Yet the actual situation in Civita is that there are no grocery stores, hardware, or convenience stores. People living there can only have access to a handful of restaurants and tourist shops. Besides, they have to get supplies through a narrow, 300-meter-long bridge that connects them to the outside world.
Today, Civita is pursuing a UNESCO World Heritage designation, in order to earn official recognition of its landscape and adaptability to nature. Recently, the town presented a 242-page document to the UNESCO, hoping that it will help strengthen Civita’s role as a site of historical and cultural significance. Also, Civitas UNESCO team plans to create tourist attractions in the surrounding towns. If Civita recovers successfully, other towns in the same situation could find a direction based on its experience.
1. What has made Civita become smaller?| A．The inconvenient transport. |
| B．The natural conditions. |
| C．The settlement of humans. |
| D．The decrease of the population. |
| A．Because they want to rescue it. |
| B．Because they are attracted by its scenery. |
| C．Because they are interested in its natives. |
| D．Because they want to catch the last chance to see it. |
| A．The stores in the town. |
| B．The daily activities of local people. |
| C．The appearance of the town. |
| D．The living conditions in the town. |
| A．Unchangeable. |
| B．Hopeful. |
| C．Disappointing. |
| D．Doubtful. |
5 . After years of observing human nature, I have decided that two qualities make the difference between men of great achievement and men of average performance: curiosity and discontent. I have never known an outstanding man who lacked either. And I have never known an average man who had both. The two belong together.
Together, these deep human urges (驱策力) count for much more than ambition. Galileo was not merely ambitious when he dropped objects of varying weights from the Leaning Tower at Pisa and timed their fall to the ground. Like Galileo, all the great names in history were curious and asked in discontent, “Why? Why? Why?”
Fortunately, curiosity and discontent don’t have to be learned. We are born with them and need only recapture them.
“The great man,” said Mencius, “is he who does not lose his child’s heart.” Yet most of us do lose it. We stop asking questions. We stop challenging custom. We never doubt.
We just follow the crowd that desires only the calm and restful average. The crowd encourages us to occupy our own little corner, to avoid foolish leaps into the dark, to be satisfied. We will have to force ourselves to do just the opposite so as to waken our curiosity and discontent.
How should you start, modestly, so as not to become discouraged? I think of one friend who couldn’t arrange flowers to satisfy herself. She was curious about how the experts did it. Now she is one of the experts, writing books on flower arrangement.
One way to begin is to answer your own excuses. You haven’t any special ability? Most people don’t; there are only a few geniuses. You haven’t any time? That’s good, because it’s always the people with no time who get things done. Harriet Stowe, mother of six, wrote parts of Uncle Tom’s Cabin while cooking. You’re too old? Remember that Thomas Costain was 57 when he published his first novel, and that Grandma Moses showed her first pictures when she was 78.
However you start, remember there is no better time to start than right now, for you’ll never be more alive than you are at this moment.
1. In writing Paragraph 1, the author aims to ________.| A．give an example |
| B．present an argument |
| C．propose a definition |
| D．make a comparison |
| A．Trial and error leads to the finding of truth. |
| B．Creativity results from challenging authority. |
| C．Greatness comes from a lasting desire to explore. |
| D．Ambition is more important than curiosity and discontent. |
| A．Lead a life of adventure. |
| B．Follow the fashion. |
| C．Develop a questioning mind. |
| D．Observe the unknown around you. |
| A．The Keys to Achievement |
| B．Never Too Late to Learn |
| C．Curious Minds Never Feel Content |
| D．Reflections on Human Nature |
6 . In the Amazon rainforest of Venezuela, Yanomami hunter-gatherers exist on cassava, palm hearts and wild bananas. They also hunt frogs and monkeys using techniques that would have been familiar to their ancestors 11,000 years ago. The extraordinary continuity of their culture, and the fact that some of the groups have had little contact with outsiders, led biologists to wonder whether the Yanomami might reveal what the human digestive system looked like before industrialization supplied the world with processed foods and antibiotics.
In 2019, researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine had a chance to find the answer in a previously unknown Yanomami village. Health workers collected feces (排泄物) from about 30 villagers. When the researchers cultured and analyzed microbes (微生物) from the feces in their laboratory, they discovered whole categories of bacteria that were absent from the guts (肠道) of people from industrialized countries. Even more strikingly, they found the microbial population in the average Westerner to be about half as diverse as the community inside these hunter-gatherers. The researchers realized that the microbes might have implications beyond basic science. People’s microbial communities are believed to play a role in disorders like obesity, diabetes and Alzheimer’s, which shorten lives and overburden health care systems. These disorders don’t trouble these preindustrial hunter-gatherers, however. Therefore, researchers want to learn which microbes protect them and figure out how to reintroduce them in modern societies. It has the potential to affect health more profoundly than the discovery of the fabled Fountain of Youth.
But the opportunity might be more fleeting than youth itself. “The world is becoming urban so fast.” says microbiologist Maria Gloria, co-author of the study that reveals the Yanomami microbiome (微生物群). “Our lifestyles are killing microbial diversity.” Although nobody has yet determined exactly what the Yanomami mystery bugs are doing and how they improve an individual’s health, she believes that scientists need to collect and preserve as many microbes as possible for future breakthroughs. “We cannot afford to wait,” she says, “or we’ll have lost the high diversity of the human microbiome of traditional peoples before we understand how to use the microbiome to improve health.”
1. What did the researchers find out in 2019?| A．The hunter-gatherers had a different digestive system. |
| B．Microbial communities were to blame for many disorders. |
| C．People from industrialized countries had less diverse microbes. |
| D．Some categories of bacteria did not exist in the villagers’ guts. |
| A．By collecting health data. |
| B．By conducting experiments. |
| C．By interviewing the villagers. |
| D．By recording the Yanomami’s daily life. |
| A．The opportunity seems more precious than youth. |
| B．The opportunity enables people to stay young forever. |
| C．The opportunity is of great significance to modern society. |
| D．The opportunity disappears so quickly that we cannot afford to miss it. |
| A．We are close to solving the mystery of Yanomami microbiome. |
| B．Processed foods and antibiotics have changed human digestive system. |
| C．Treating diseases by introducing beneficial bacteria has been made possible. |
| D．The discovery of those microbes will help cure many life-threatening diseases. |
7 . Are you interested in working with animals? Now here comes the CHANCE. Kirby Wildlife Park has set up the unique Keeper Experience package. The fantastic experience is available to anyone over the age of 18 who is reasonably fit. We regret that for health and safety reasons, participants who are pregnant, in a wheelchair or suffering from illnesses cannot take part.
A typical day
9:15 Arrival
9:30 Health and Safety Briefing
10:00 Apes and Monkeys
While cleaning out the enclosure (围场) you will find out about how enclosures are enriched with novel items and new smells to stimulate the animals′ senses and imitate their natural environment.
12:00 Lunch
14:00 Big Cats
As one of the highlights of this volunteer experience, you will feed the cats and learn about their nutritional needs. The keeper will give you an introduction to how cat behavior can be read to get an idea of their welfare and health.
16:30 Meet the Team
Meet more of the staff and learn how you can get further involved with work at the park. Learn about our animal adoption plan, what it takes to be a good keeper and where to obtain the right qualifications for a career in animal welfare.
Booking and cancellation
The Keeper Experience is available on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays throughout the year, and must be booked at least two weeks in advance. Full payment is needed when booking.
Cancellations must be made more than fourteen days before the event. Otherwise, you won′t receive a full refund.
1. What kind of people can experience working with animals in Kirby Wildlife Park?| A．A pregnant woman. |
| B．A man who is quite healthy. |
| C．A teenager sitting in a wheelchair. |
| D．A student under the age of 18. |
| A．At 12:00. |
| B．At 9:30. |
| C．At 10:00. |
| D．At 16:30. |
| A．a booking should be made over two weeks before the event |
| B．people are allowed to cancel a booking with a full refund at any time |
| C．cancellations need to be made on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays |
| D．participants can have the unique experience every day throughout the year |
8 . On the first day of fourth grade, my teacher, Mrs. Brown, told my class a story about her husband Rob, who is a brain cancer survivor. After what Mrs. Brown experienced with Robs’ illness, she decided to devote part of her life to an organization called Be head Strong, which works to support families with a member suffering from brain cancer.
Along with typical math and science, throughout the year, Mrs. Brown shared stories with us about people in Be Head Strong who had overcome some tough and unfair battles. Mrs. Brown never showed any sadness or confusion toward the disease. She instead spoke only with words of determination to find a cure. Whether news from Be Head Strong was good or bad, she always looked at the situation as an opportunity to improve and do more.
My parents taught me from a very young age that making wise choices with my money is important. I would always set aside most of my $ 2.50-a-week allowance. By the end of the school year, I had saved over one hundred dollars, $ 131.30 to be exact. One day was wondering what to do with it. I did not feel like any game or toy was worth the time I had spent saving. I thought about the stories Mrs. Brown told us, then I decided that was where I wanted my money to go.
As the last day of school approached, my mom helped me wrap the heart-shaped box full of dollars and coins. After all the other kids had left on the last day of school, I handed Mrs. Brown the present. As she opened it, I told her that I wanted the money to go to Be Head Strong to help people like Rob. She broke into tears and hugged me tightly.
People may not always realize how big of an influence one kind gesture can make. One teacher encouraged a decision in my life that has changed the way how I live.
1. What do we know about Mrs. Brown from paragraph 1?| A．She had just survived a brain cancer. |
| B．She lost her husband to a brain cancer. |
| C．She founded a non-profit organization for brain cancer. |
| D．She was devoted to helping people with brain cancer. |
| A．Outgoing and organized. | B．Positive and delightful. |
| C．Enthusiastic and patient. | D．Kind-hearted and strong-willed. |
| A．The author thought the money was worth something more meaningful. |
| B．The author’s parents were strict with him in buying games and toys. |
| C．The author was old enough to get rid of games and toys. |
| D．The author had no time to pick his favorite games and toys. |
| A．A Teacher—a Role model. | B．A Teacher—A Life-long Learner. |
| C．An Unforgettable Science lesson. | D．A Special Teacher and Her Life Story. |
9 . Robots that can cook are in growing demand(需求)in the United States. The increased demand comes at a time when restaurants are trying to put some distance between their workers and customers during the COVID-19.
In a few weeks, White Castle restaurants will test a robot arm that can cook French fries and other foods. The robot, called Flippy, is a product of Miso Robotics, a company based in Pasadena, California.
Robot food service was becoming popular even before the coronavirus pandemic(冠状病毒). Hospitals, college dining areas and other places tried to meet demand for food while keeping labor costs low. Robot chefs appeared at places like Creator, a restaurant in San Francisco. Now, some say, robots may become necessary for the food service industry. "I expect in the next two years you will see much more robotic adoption(采纳)in the food space because of COVID-19," Jain said.
Some peoples say, robots can lower the demand for labor. At the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, cafe workers used to spend six hours per day making salads, notes Tonya Johnson, the school's director of nutrition services. But two years ago, the university added a Sally, a kind of robot that now makes around 40 salads per day. By adding Sally, the school was able to cut a job opening in its cooking staff, Johnson said. "I think the pandemic has made us realize how much we need more equipment like Sally," Johnson said.
Miso Robotics co-founder and chief Buck Jordan said fast food restaurants are already having trouble finding workers, partly as a result of a losing population of young workers. Jordan added that his company's position is that "automation(自动化)is not a choice". He added, "You must automate in order to survive in the future."
1. Why is robot food service becoming popular?| A．It can take the place of human beings in the future. |
| B．It can shorten the distance between workers and customers. |
| C．It can meet the demand for food and reduce the cost of labor. |
| D．It can make all kinds of delicious food in a very short time. |
| A．It is just a common robot like others. | B．It is useless to improve the speed of work. |
| C．It makes as many salads as workers. | D．It helps the school employ fewer workers. |
| A．Worried. | B．Supportive. | C．Doubtful. | D．Uncaring. |
| A．The popularity of robots in the food space. |
| B．The reason for choosing robots in restaurants. |
| C．More demand for robot cooks in US restaurants. |
| D．The difficulties in finding enough labor workers. |
10 . Optimism (乐观) doesn’t mean paying no attention to things that cause stress. But when bad things happen, optimistic people are less likely to be unhappy about themselves and more likely to see the bad things as something that lasts a short time.
A new research has found a direct connection between optimism and healthier diet and exercise behaviors, as well as better heart health, a stronger immune system (免疫系统), better lung function, and lower death risk. “Optimistic people, regardless of sex, often have goals and the confidence to reach them,” Lee said. “Those goals could include healthy habits that contribute to a longer life.”
Studies find only about 25% of our optimism is controlled by our genes (基因), and the rest is up to us. It turns out we can actually train our brain to be more positive. Researchers studied the brains of monks (僧侣) and found surprising results: Tens of thousands of hours of meditation(冥思) had changed the function (机能) of their brains, which support positive qualities. And that may be key in producing the effect on the body.
There are simple mental exercises to develop an optimistic attitude. One of the most effective ways to increase optimism is called the “Best Possible Self” method. That is to imagine ourselves in a future in which we have achieved all our life goals. And keeping a diary in which we list the positive experiences we had can also help shape our attitude. Taking a few minutes each day to write down what makes us thankful can improve our view on life, too.
1. What is the meaning of Lee’s words?| A．Goals can lead to confidence. |
| B．Better lung function lowers death risk. |
| C．Optimism is connected with length of life. |
| D．Sex should be taken into consideration when studying optimism. |
| A．To lengthen their life. |
| B．To improve their brains’ function. |
| C．To prove optimism can be learned. |
| D．To show genes’ connection with optimism. |
| A．How to be a positive person. | B．How to make people thankful. |
| C．What to write about in a diary. | D．What to do to achieve the goals. |
| A．A science magazine. | B．A guidebook. |
| C．A novel. | D．A diary. |
