1 . Sleep, considered a luxury by many, is essential for a person’s health and happiness. Researchers have found that inadequate sleep and tiredness increase a person’s risk of developing severe medical conditions, such as obesity, high blood sugar levels, and heart disease. Now, a new study has found that getting enough sleep is also the key to improving academic performance.
Jeffrey Gross, the university science professor who led the research, was not trying to find the relationship between sleep and grades when he handed out smart watches to the 100 students in his chemistry class. Instead, the professor hoped the wrist-worn devices (装置), which track a person’s physical activity, would show a connection between exercise and academic achievement.
While Gross’s data showed no relationship between these two factors (因素), the study found something surprising. As the researchers were analyzing their data, they noticed that there was a straight-line relationship between the average amount of sleep a student got and their results in the course’s 11 quizzes, three midterm tests, and the final exam.
Even more interesting, it was not enough for students to just head to bed early the night before a test. Instead, it’s the sleep you get during the days when learning is happening that matters most.
The time students went to bed each night was similarly important. Those who went to bed in early hours of the morning performed poorly, even if the total sleep time was the same as a higher- performing student. “When you go to bed matters,” Gross says, “If you go to bed at 10, or 12, or 1 at night, and sleep for seven hours, your performance is the same. But if you go to bed after 2, your performance starts to go down even if you get the same seven hours. So, quantity isn’t everything. ”
Perhaps the most interesting was the huge effect that small differences in sleep patterns had on the students’ grades. The entire course grades for students averaging six and a half hours of sleep each night were 25% lower than students who averaged just one hour more sleep. Similarly, students who changed their bedtime by even one hour each night had grades that dropped 45% below those with more regular bedtimes.
Who knew getting A’s just required some extra ZZZ’s?
1. Based on his original goals, which best describes Professor Gross’s research findings?| A．Complete. | B．Accidental. |
| C．Convincing. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．University student athletes. | B．Professor Gross’s own students. |
| C．Middle school chemistry students. | D．Volunteers from different universities. |
| A．Making the students wear a special watch. |
| B．Giving the students regular after-class quizzes. |
| C．Using students’ university entrance test results. |
| D．Using the students’ normal test and quiz grades. |
| A．A person who sleeps for a total of 7 hours each night. |
| B．A person who sleeps from 11 p. m. to 6 a. m. each day. |
| C．A person whose normal bedtime changes between 9 p. m. and 12 p. m. |
| D．A person who has a good night’s sleep the night before an important test. |
2 . Video calls are a common occurrence, but have you imagined being able to touch the person on the other end of the line? Scientists are making this a reality.
Researchers at the University of New South Wales, Australia, have invented a soft skin stretch device (SSD), a haptic device that can recreate the sense of touch. Haptic technology can mimic the experience of touch by stimulating localized areas of the skin in ways that are similar to what is felt in the real world, through force, vibration or motion.
Vibration is the most common haptic technology today and has been built into many electronic devices, such as one attached to the back of a trackpad in laptops. However, haptic feedback with vibration becomes less sensitive when used continuously. The existing technology also has great difficulty recreating the sense of touch with objects in virtual environments or located remotely.
The new technology overcomes issues with existing haptic devices. The research team introduced a novel method to recreate the sense of touch through soft, artificial “muscles”.
It works like this: imagine you call a friend in Australia. You wear a haptic glove with the SSDs and your friend also wears a glove with 3D force sensors. If your friend picks up an object, it will physically press against your friend’s fingers. And the glove with 3D force sensors will measure these interactions. The force signals can be sent to your glove so your device will generate the same 3D forces, making you experience the same sense of touch as your friend.
The haptic devices could be used in various fields, allowing users to feel objects inside a virtual world or at a distance. This could be especially beneficial during such times like the COVID-19 pandemic when people rely on video calls to stay connected with loved ones. Or it could be used in medical practices. Doctors can feel a patient’s organ tissues without touching them.
1. What does the underlined word “mimic” in paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．Recall. | B．Strengthen. | C．Copy. | D．Repeat. |
| A．Limitations of the haptic technology. | B．Application of haptic devices. |
| C．Common use of continuous vibration. | D．Haptic feedback with vibration. |
| A．Tasting a dish on the video. | B．Feeling a dress being sold online. |
| C．Giving a telephone interview. | D．Receiving on-site medical treatment. |
| A．Unrealistic. | B．Conventional. | C．Innovative. | D．Adjustable. |
3 . This is the moment a cleaner at a British university burst into tears after students raised $ 2,063 to send him to Jamaica on vacation to see family.
Herman Gordon, who has worked at Bristol University for more than a decade, is described as “one of the most loved” members of its cleaning staff. He is so well liked that a group of students raised money to give him a holiday. A video shows a student hands an envelope of cash to the surprised Gordan with tears rolling down his cheeks. He wipes away tears with a cleaning cloth and hugs the student who gave it to him. Gordan said: “I want to thank every one of you and God bless every one of you.”
The group of students started the fundraising because they liked Gordon so much. A post said: “The Jamaican cleaner in the biomedical library is the jolliest man I have ever met; he makes me smile even when I’m in the deepest depths of sorrow, if you want a reason to smile, go talk to him for a minute or two.”
Anyone who has been to the biomedical library knows who Herman the cleaner is. Simply put, Herman is the epitome（典范）of happiness, “All year round, this man works hours on end to provide us with a clean working space in which to study. But most importantly, his everlasting positive attitude has managed to turn many students’ dark days into positive ones filled with joy,” said a student. Whether you’re just feeling generally down or stressed out due to exams, Herman is always there to encourage you.
This legend proves that happiness is not about what you own, what job you have or how much money you’ve got, but about appreciating what you currently have in life even if it’s small.
1. What was Herman Gordon’ reaction when receiving the fundraising?| A．grateful. | B．stressed. | C．delighted. | D．astonished. |
| A．most miserable. | B．most cheerful. | C．most generous. | D．most glorious. |
| A．Building confidence. | B．Developing exam skills. |
| C．Learning self-control. | D．Gaining biomedical knowledge. |
| A．A biomedical library cleaner. . | B．A group of warm-hearted students. |
| C．Money-raising to send a cleaner on vacation. | D．The most loved cleaning staff. |
4 . One of the important, but seldom-discussed, problems in healthcare reform is how to take care of our aging population as people continue to live longer. According to a new study from the MacArthur Research Network on an Aging Society, by 2050 Americans may live 3.1 to 7. 9 years longer than the government expects. That would mean women would live 89 to 93 years and men 83 to nearly 86 years. The researchers base their conclusion on "rapid advances in biomedical（生物医药）technology that delay the start and progression of major deadly diseases or that slow the aging process・”
While this is good news, especially for the young, the life expectancy, which is in excess of（超过）the government's estimates, would raise costs sharply for Medicare and Social Security. If the study's predictions are accurate, the total cost for those two programs through 2050 could be between $ 3. 2 trillion and $ & 3 trillion higher than the US Census Bureau（人口普查局）and the Social Security Administration currently expect.
And that's only the beginning. With anticipated scientific breakthroughs in coming decades, people could eventually live to 150 years of age, says Dr. Steven Joyal, an official of the Life Extension Foundation (LEF) a nonprofit organization that promotes research on how we can live longer and healthier. The MacArthur paper, in fact, says that some experts believe the average life expectancy could hit 100 by 2060.
What's more, Joyal says, the conquest（战胜）of disease and the slowing of the aging process will lead to a sharp decline in disability, allowing people of advanced age to function as well as they did when they were much younger. "In other words, a 90-year-old person could have the same mental and physical capacity as somebody 40 or 50 years old."
1. What does the new study show?| A．Americans will live much longer by 2050 than they do now. |
| B．Great progress has been made in the US in public security. |
| C．Few people pay attention to the health care reform in the US. |
| D．Fewer Americans suffer from deadly disease now than before. |
| A．Social security. |
| B．Biomedical technology. |
| C．Healthcare reform. |
| D．New research in health cam. |
| A．The aging process will speed up. |
| B．It adds to the chance of being disabled. |
| C．The old will have some mental problems. |
| D．It will increase public costs for the government. |
| A．Life for Senior Citizens in the US |
| B．The Longer Life Expectancy in the Future |
| C．The Disadvantage of Longer Life Expectancy |
| D．What Can Be Done to Support So Many Aged People |
5 . When most high school students complain about having to wake up extra early，they're usually referring to a swim practice before class or the last minute study before a test. But that was never the case for Corey Patrick，who woke up at 4：30 every morning last year in order to arrive on time at Tarrant High School in Alabama.
Patrick had attended Tarrant City Schools since his fourth grade，but things got difficult when his family moved to a town 14 miles away. Even though his family didn't have any forms of transportation，Patrick didn't want to miss out on his senior year with friends，so he woke up at 4：30 every morning in order to make it to a 5：41 a．m.bus that would help him get to Tarrant on time.And just as he had done every other school day of the year，Patrick got up one morning to start the journey from his home to his high school; the only obvious difference that morning was that he was wearing his graduation gown (毕业礼服)，which made that day's bus driver，DeJuanna Beasley, take some photos of him. She then shared them online with these words，“You tell me this isn't determination.He got on my bus to go to his graduation，and no one was with him.Sometimes it's all in what you want out of life.I was so proud of this young man.”
That was soon shared by many people online，and it caught the attention of radio host Rickey Smiley，who surprised Patrick by giving him a car later. Smiley confirmed that he would make sure that Patrick received help with getting his driver's license. A GoFundMe was also created for Patrick，which has raised over $20,000. And Patrick has got a scholarship (奖学金) to Jacksonville University，where he plans to study computer science.
1. Why was Patrick different from most students when it comes to rising early?| A．It had something to do with study. |
| B．It was a part of daily life for him. |
| C．He was unwilling to get up early. |
| D．He spent more time in studying. |
| A．Patrick dressed poorly on his graduation day. |
| B．It took Patrick an hour to get to the bus stop. |
| C．The driver was moved by Patrick's story. |
| D．There was no school in Patrick's town. |
| A．Patrick's request for help on the Internet. |
| B．The difficulties that Patrick experienced. |
| C．The information about Patrick's university. |
| D．The message published online by the driver. |
| A．GoFundMe. | B．Rickey Smiley. |
| C．Patrick's high school. | D．Jacksonville University. |
6 . I’d been retired for four years, when a friend suggested university. I thought he was joking—I was rubbish at school and failed my 11-plus. But we love to compete over Mastermind and University challenge, and he thought I’d make it. And he was absolutely right!
I did a foundation course first, which was part time at the University Lifelong Learning Centre(LLC), two nights a week and the odd Saturday. I did quite well, and that gave me the confidence to do a full time, three year degree. I’m passionate about art and I always wanted to be here for the journey and not the destination. That sounds really corny, but it was the truth in my case.
Initially it was a bit strange fitting in with my course mates. They were all 18, straight out of sixth form or college. Over time, though, they’ve all been fine — now, we all get on really well and there is no issue. I’ve made plenty of friends as a member of the mature students society, and I do some volunteering through the LLC, chatting to prospective students about my experience of coming to university. I tell them my story and basically encourage them to give it a go because you’ve got nothing to lose. I like to think I’ve convinced a few of them.
I have no regrets at all. Enrolling in university was the best piece of advice I’ve received in years, especially post-retirement. I needed routine in my life; I needed purpose. I’m not going to spend my day in the bookies or the pub. If you’ve got a passion for something, you should pursue it.
1. What do we learn from Paragraph 1?| A．The author often competed with his friend at university, |
| B．The author was satisfied with his performance at school, |
| C．The advice of his friend was a big challenge for the author. |
| D．The author’s friend told a joke when suggesting university. |
| A．His long held passion for art. |
| B．His boring retirement life. |
| C．His success in the foundation course. |
| D．His desire to travel to the destination. |
| A．How he got along with his course mates |
| B．How he helped his friends at university. |
| C．What activities he took part in at school |
| D．What he experienced as a volunteer. |
| A．Knowledge is power. |
| B．It’s never too old to learn. |
| C．Failure is the mother of success. |
| D．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
7 . We often hear such statements: “I spilled (洒出) juice, but it wasn’t my fault.”, “I got in trouble at school, but it wasn’t my fault.” or “I was in a car accident, but it wasn’t my fault.” That “It’s not my fault.” is a go-to response for so many people and especially teenagers.
Parents complain they are tired of the “excuse”. The reason why variations of “It’s not my fault.” are so popular is that it lets us off the hook from guilt and blame. I’m a fan of not owning responsibility for things that I can’t control. Teens who often say “It’s my fault.” when something bad happens tend to be highly self-critical, perfectionistic and more easier to be troubled by anxiety and depression.
While it is important to recognize lack of reason to blame oneself, many teens over-rely on “It’s not my fault.” When trying to get them to take responsibility, parents usually attempt to convince their teens that something is their fault. The approach tends to be ineffective and turn into a power struggle. No one wins. A more effective approach can be to stress significant drawbacks to consistently focusing on removing our responsibility with this phrase.
Overuse of the phrase can result in feelings of lack of ability to control their own lives. This sense has been shown to cause low motivation. Besides creating feelings of lack of ability, overuse of “It’s not my fault.” focuses a teen’s attention on what is done as opposed to what needs to be done.
People may not have caused all their problems but they have to solve them anyway. The example I frequently share with teens is the question of what one will do if he is pushed into a deep lake. One can certainly stay in water, yelling, “It’s not my fault.” However, that won’t get him out of water. He needs to swim to the shore, regardless of the fault.
If you take a proper approach to communicating with your teens, you can help them avoid over-reliance on “It’s not my fault.”
1. What phenomenon is described in Paragraph 1?| A．The teenagers’ dislike for school life. |
| B．The common trouble faced by teenagers. |
| C．The reasons for blaming others for accidents. |
| D．The tendency for people not to be responsible for mess in life. |
| A．Those lacking confidence and ambition. |
| B．Those allowing others to find excuses. |
| C．Those unable to get along well with others. |
| D．Those often blaming themselves for some incidents. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Negative. |
| C．Ambiguous. | D．Neutral. |
| A．We should try to avoid troubling others. |
| B．We should focus on how to solve problems. |
| C．We should dare to point out others’ mistakes. |
| D．We should be self-critical as much as possible. |
8 . Sweden is so good at recycling that, for several years, it has imported rubbish from other countries to keep its recycling plants going. Less than 1% of Swedish household waste was sent to landfills(垃圾填埋场) last year or any year since 2011.
We can only dream of such an effective system in the UK, which is why we end up paying expensive transport costs to send rubbish to be recycled overseas rather than paying fines to send it to landfills under The Landfill Tax of 1996.
Sweden has a culture of looking after the environment. “We Swedish people are aware of what we need to do on environmental issues. We worked on communications for long to make people not throw things outdoors so that we can recycle and reuse,” says Anna-Carin Gripwall, director of communications for Avfall Sverige, the Swedish Waste Management’s recycling association.
Over time, Sweden has carried out a national recycling policy so that even though private companies undertake most of the business of importing and burning waste, the energy goes into a national heating network to heat homes through the freezing Swedish winter.
However, some people argue that the country is escaping real recycling. Paper plant managers say wood fiber can be used up to six times before it becomes dust. If Sweden burns paper before that point, it’s exhausting the potential for true recycling and replacing used paper with fresh raw material.
Ms Gripwall describes Sweden’s policy of importing waste to recycle from other countries as a temporary situation. “There’s a ban on landfill in EU countries, so instead of paying the fine they send it to us as a service. They should and will build their own plants, to reduce their own waste, as we’re doing in Sweden,” Ms Gripwall says.
1. Why is a low amount of household waste sent to landfills in Sweden?| A．A little bit of household waste is produced here. |
| B．Its people get waste recycled at home. |
| C．Much rubbish is imported overseas. |
| D．They have good public environmental awareness. |
| A．An effective recycling system is adopted. |
| B．People are encouraged to sell rubbish abroad. |
| C．People are forbidden to send waste to landfills. |
| D．An increasing number of landfills are being built. |
| A．It’s being spread around the world. |
| B．It’s also thought to have some shortcomings. |
| C．It’s so perfect to receive good evaluation. |
| D．It solves the problems with the local energy. |
| A．It’s partly wrong to import rubbish from other countries. |
| B．The technology of handling waste will be developed wildly. |
| C．It’s possible to completely solve all environmental problems. |
| D．All countries should work together to protect the environment. |
9 . The 2020 Advertisement Design Competition
The Advertisement Design Competition is international design contest organized by the A’ Design Award and Competition, which is the word's largest design competition awarding best designs, design concepts and products & services. This Competition primarily targets to highlight the best advertisement design ideas in Graphics Design. Award Winners usually get recognition opportunities, appear on various publications and get press attendance.
How to join
Joining the Advertisement Deign Competition is easy: Crete an account at the A’ Design Award and Competition, login to your account and send your work. When you submit your work,it will be checked by the preliminary judges for necessary qualities. Then, your design will be either Approved or Rejected to take part in the competition. If your design is approved you can continue recommending your design by paying the necessary processing fees.
Benefits for Award Winners
A unique public relations campaign will be made for the Advertisement Design Award winners. Your work and your details will be communicated to thousands of press contacts, and also we will prepare a media kit for you. You can use this professionally prepared media kit to contact local press contacts. The winning design and the designer or the design studio will also be featured in the design annual and yearbook which distributed by Design PR Wire to key figures in the design industry such as famous editors, press members and multi-national companies. All Winner Designs will be included in the winners’ book free of charge. The winners will be listed as co-editors of the work.
Submit your design by 25 November 2020. You will be informed of the outcome by 25 December 2020.
1. What's the main purpose of the Advertisement Design Competition?| A．To collect ad designs for a book. |
| B．To draw special attention to ad design concepts |
| C．To make ad design international. |
| D．To promote ad design in popular media |
| A．Submit your wort | B．Pay necessary fee. |
| C．Register an account. | D．Recommend your design. |
| A．Chances to get noted. | B．Access to Design PR Wire. |
| C．Positions as editors. | D．Contact with other competitions. |
10 . Have you ever wondered why certain pop songs just make you feel so good? Researchers studying the question found that uncertainty and surprise give listeners the most pleasure. The study included 80,000 chords (和弦) in 745 pop songs between 1958 and 1991.
Each song was stripped of its melody (旋律) and lyrics (歌词) so that only chords were left and the results couldn’t be misunderstood by other imaginations of the songs that listeners might have had.
They found two things. Listeners got great pleasure from unexpected chords when they knew what would happen. However, they still found it pleasant to hear familiar chords when they did not know what would follow.
Vincent Cheung, the lead researcher, said, “Pleasant songs are likely those which keep a good balance (平衡) between knowing what is going to happen next and surprising us with something we did not expect. Understanding how music starts our pleasure system in the brain could explain why listening to music might help us feel better when we are feeling blue.”
Cheung told CNN that pleasure in music is connected to expectation. The study before had looked into the effects of surprise on pleasure, but his team’s study also paid attention to the uncertainty of listeners’ expectations.
1. What does the underlined word in Paragraph 2 mean?| A．Taken. | B．Added. |
| C．Played. | D．Recorded. |
| A．Expected music is exciting. | B．Unexpected chords bring pleasure. |
| C．Familiar music is boring. | D．Unfamiliar chords are hard to follow. |
| A．They can explain human nature. | B．They can improve our pleasure system. |
| C．They make some people feel blue. | D．They balance expectation and surprise. |
| A．To introduce a scientific study’s finding. | B．To show music’s importance in our life. |
| C．To compare different studies on music. | D．To experiment music in science. |
