1 . Many college students turn to ADHD（注意缺陷障碍）medicine during the exam week, which is regarded as “smart drugs” that will help their academic（学术的）performance. The thinking is that if the drugs help students with ADHD improve their focus, they should provide the same benefit for people who don’t have the disorder.
But a new study shows that drugs can actually damage brain function of healthy students who take the drug hoping to boost their intelligence. “It’s not a smart drug which will suddenly improve their ability to understand information they read,” said Lisa Weyandt, a professor at the University of Rhode Island.
To test whether this effect is real or not, researchers organized 13 students to take part in two five-hour study sessions（一段时间）in the lab. The students took the standard 30mg ADHD drugs before one session, and a sugar pill before the other. Students on ADHD drugs did experience an increase in their blood pressure and heart rates. “The medicine was having an effect on their brain,” Weyandt said. The students also showed an improvement in their ability to focus, the researchers found.
However, students on ADHD drugs experienced no improvement in reading comprehension, reading fluency or knowledge reviews, compared to when they’d taken a sugar pill. “We read aloud stories to them and asked them to recall information from the stories, ”she said. “That didn’t improve.”
Worse, the ADHD drug actually harms students’ memory. It’s often misused because people pull all-nighters and they’re tired, and they think it’s going to keep them awake. Maybe it does, but it’s certainly not going to help their academic work. The brain is still developing until the mid to late 20s. It’s important to keep it healthy. There’s also a chance that ADHD drugs could endanger a student’s heart health.
1. Why do some college students take ADHD drugs?| A．To improve their sleeping. | B．To get higher marks. |
| C．To make them feel relaxed. | D．To treat brain disorder. |
| A．Analyze. | B．Affect. |
| C．Improve. | D．Understand. |
| A．They became more focused. |
| B．Their blood pressure was reduced. |
| C．Their reading fluency was greatly raised. |
| D．They could remember better and more quickly. |
| A．In a drug instruction. | B．In a biology textbook. |
| C．In a travel magazine. | D．In a news report. |
2 . Barton Seaver is a chef and conservationist who wants our help to save the oceans. He believes that our eating choices have a direct impact on the ocean’s health. In this interview, Seaver discusses how individuals can make a big difference by making informed choices.
Q: Should people stop eating seafood?
A: There are certain species that have been over fished and that people should definitely avoid. But I don’t think we need to stop eating seafood altogether. I believe that we can save the oceans while continuing to enjoy seafood. For example, some types of seafood, come from well-managed fisheries. And others, such as farmed mussels and oysters, actually help to restore declining wild populations and clean up polluted waters.
Q: What kind of seafood should people eat? What should they not eat?
A: My general advice is to eat fish and shellfish that are lower on the food chain and that can be harvested with little impact on the environment. Some examples include farmed clams and oysters anchovies, sardines, and herring. People should not eat the bigger fish of the sea, like tuna, shark, and swordfish. Otherwise, we will face severe shortages of these species and upset the balance of life in the oceans.
Q: Why did you choose to dedicate your life to the ocean?
A: I believe that the next great advance in human knowledge will come from learning how we relate to our natural world. I have dedicated myself to helping people understand our place on this planet through the foods that we eat.
Q: Why do you believe people should care about the health of the oceans?
A: The health of the oceans is directly linked to the health of people. The ocean provides most of the air that we breathe. It has a big effect on the weather. It also provides a necessary and vital diet for billions of people on the planet. So I am indeed trying to save the vital things that we rely on the ocean for.
1. Which statement might Barton Seaver agree with?| A．Fish farming is bad for the ocean. |
| B．Fish higher on the food chain should be eaten. |
| C．Overfishing has caused great damage to all species. |
| D．It's OK to eat seafood from well-managed fisheries. |
| A．We can understand our planet through the foods we eat. |
| B．We need to protect the ocean because of its supply of food. |
| C．Individuals’ right food choices can impact the ocean positively. |
| D．People should stop eating seafood to restore the ocean ecosystem. |
| A．Science and Technology. | B．Man and Nature. |
| C．Mystery of the Ocean. | D．Codes of Best Cuisines. |
| A．Devoted and farseeing. | B．Flexible and competitive. |
| C．Brave and risk-taking. | D．Ambitious and creative. |
3 . Faced with a declining population and workforce, Japan has been increasingly turning to robots for help. Over the years, the robots have carried out a large number of human tasks, including building products and providing care for the elderly.
However, the robots currently being used by companies, like Walmart and Amazon, are only able to perform single, repetitive tasks, such as stacking boxes. Model-T, on the other hand, has a wider range of movement and is able to hold, pick and place objects of several different shapes and sizes into different locations, making it ideal for convenience and grocery stores, which sell a large variety of items.
Model-T robots are operated from a distant location by human “pilots” wearing a virtual reality (VR) headset and special gloves, which allow them to feel the product the robot is holding in their hands and guide it to the right shelf.
The VR-controlled robots are ten times cheaper than automated robots, because they don’t require advanced programming and are easier to develop and maintain. And their easy-to-use controls require little training. Tomohiro Kano, a general manager in charge of development at FamilyMart, believes this will enable the chain to recruit workers who would typically not work in stores.
Though Model-T appears to be getting rapidly through the experiments, it is not quite ready to enter the workforce. Besides being a lot slower than humans, it is also only able to lift packaged items, and cannot get hold of things such as fruits and vegetables. The company is working to improve the weaknesses and hopes to introduce a faster, more skillful Model-T within the next two years. They believe that in addition to the stores, the robots could also be useful in hospitals, allowing doctors to do operations from remote locations.
1. What is one of the features of Model-T according to the text?| A．It works much faster than humans. | B．It can easily hold all kinds of objects. |
| C．It can be operated from a distance away. | D．It is harder to produce than an automated robot. |
| A．The low price of Model-T. | B．The easiness to operate Model-T. |
| C．The low-level programming of Model-T. | D．The strict training for maintaining Model-T. |
| A．Model-T is now being massively produced. |
| B．Japan’s workforce will be reduced by Model-T. |
| C．The weaknesses of Model-T have been overcome. |
| D．Model-T may be used in wider fields in the future. |
| A．Technology. | B．Economy. | C．Lifestyle. | D．Environment. |
4 . Salad seeds（生菜种子）that went on a round trip to outer space and back grew at a slightly slower rate than the ones on earth, scientists have found, thanks to thousands of young people who helped conduct an out-of-this-world experiment.
The project started in 2015, when British astronaut （宇航员）Tim Peake took a million rocket seeds with him on his journey to the International Space Station （ISS）. The seeds spent six months there before they were sent back to Earth in 2016. In a message sent from the ISS, Peake said the science experiment was to find out if the conditions in space affected the seeds' ability to grow.
Around 600,000 pupils at 8,600 schools in the UK were then asked to grow the rocket seeds that had been to space, along with regular seeds that had never left the planet. Peake described the experiment as "one of the largest and most inspirational experiments of its kind".
The results of the study, which have just been published, found that the space seeds grew more slowly than the ones that had stayed on Earth. Researchers on the experiment said this was due to the stresses of space travel, such as the zero-gravity （零重力）atmosphere and high levels of cosmic rays（宇宙射线）,which slowed the growth of the plants.
Now researchers are hopeful that if the seeds are properly protected, it might be possible to grow plants during future space tasks to other planets. Dr Jake Chandler, from University of London, who led the study, said,“ The possibility of eating home-grown salad on Mars may be one small step closer.
1. Why did Tim Peake take seeds to ISS?| A．To explore the secret to gravity. |
| B．To have astronauts grow salad in ISS. |
| C．To promote young kids，interest in salad. |
| D．To test the space's influence on seeds growth. |
| A．Encouraged. | B．Disappointed. | C．Confused. | D．Concerned. |
| A．Health. | B．Science. | C．Educatn. | D．Business. |
| A．Space study, a hot topic |
| B．Salad growing, a hit among students |
| C．Your salad, grown on Mars, may soon be a reality |
| D．Man's exploration to Mars, a big step forward |
5 . Kamikatsu, a small town in Japan, has shown the world that our garbage has far-reaching effects, and not just on our environment.
The experiment in going zero waste started when the town built a new incinerator 20 years ago. But almost immediately, the incinerator was determined to be a health risk due to the poisonous gases when garbage was burned in it. It was too expensive to send waste to other towns, so locals had to come up with a new plan. Then the Zero Waste Academy was born, which helped perform this plan.
Now Kamikatsu people separate their waste into 45 different categories. But in the beginning, it wasn't easy to convince local people to do all this work, and there was some pushback. Only after that initial education period did most residents come on board.
This is all great news for waste reduction of course, but it has also had some unexpected social benefits as well. Like much of Japan, Kamikatsu's population is aging, and about 50 percent of the locals are elderly. The fact that the whole community takes their trash in to be recycled has created a local action and interaction between generations.
That idea has been purposefully expanded to include a circular shop where household goods are dropped off and others can take them, and a tableware "library" where people can borrow extra cups, glasses, silverware and plates for celebrations.
"The elderly see this not as a waste-collection service, but an opportunity to socialize with the younger generation and to chat. When we visit them, they prepare lots of food and we stay with them for a while, we ask how they are," Sakano, the founder of the Zero Waste Academy, said.
Sakano's ideas are truly revolutionary if you think about it. She's proving that community can be found through handling the stuff we no longer want and need.
1. What is mainly talked about in paragraph 2?| A．What harmful effects garbage burning has. |
| B．Why garbage sorting is necessary in Japan. |
| C．How the idea of zero waste was put forward. |
| D．What the Zero Waste Academy functions as. |
| A．Inactive response. | B．Generous reward. |
| C．Bitter suffering. | D．Beneficial guidance. |
| A．Reducing waste. | B．Creating community. |
| C．Increasing people's income. | D．Developing a new technology. |
| A．Technology. | B．Health. | C．Workplace. | D．Lifestyle. |
6 . If Confucius(孔子)were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake, there would be a lot of candles. He'd need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out.
While many people in China will remember Confucius on his special day, few people in the United States will give him a passing thought. It's nothing personal. Most Americans don't even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes.
But this doesn't mean that Americans don't care about Confucius. In many ways he has become a bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China.
In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities. More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries. These schools teach both Chinese language and culture. The main courses of Chinese culture usually include Chinese art, history and
philosophy(哲学). Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantage of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up for the drawbacks(缺陷)of Western philosophy. Students in the United States, at the same time, are racing to learn Chinese. So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States. Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers.
So the old thinker's ideas are still alive and well.
Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West.
As for the old thinker, he will not soon be forgotten by people in the West, even if his birthday is.
1. The opening paragraph is mainly intended to______________.| A．provide some key facts about Confucius |
| B．attract the readers' interest in the subject |
| C．show great respect for the ancient thinker |
| D．prove the popularity of modern birthday celebrations |
| A．have a great interest in studying Chinese |
| B．take an active part in Chinese competitions |
| C．try to get high scores in Chinese exams |
| D．fight for a chance to learn Chinese |
| A．Forgotten Wisdom in America |
| B．Huge Fans of the Chinese Language |
| C．Chinese Culture for Westerners |
| D．Old Thinker with a Big Future |
| A．a personal biography | B．a history paper |
| C．a cultural newspaper | D．a philosophy textbook |
7 . Most people can't wait for spring to arrive. It means flowers and warmer weather, all welcome changes from the dark winter days. Now we know that spring is arriving sooner in the Northern Hemisphere (北半球）than it was in the past, thanks to a study published in Scientific Reports.
For example, Los Angeles may experience spring only a day earlier than it did 10 years ago, but further north, in Seattle or Chicago, spring will arrive four days earlier. If you lived in the Arctic, spring could arrive 16 days earlier than it used to.
To determine how springtime is starting earlier, researchers looked at temperature records and 743 earlier studies over 86 years. These studies were about various biological indicators of spring, including birds migrating, plants flowering and amphibians（两栖动物）sounding their mating calls. Researchers then studied these data to see if they were occurring earlier. The result showed that not only is spring making itself known sooner but it's warmer, too.
Before you go out in a happy springtime hike, spring arriving sooner isn't so good. The livelihood of migratory birds, for instance, may be concerned.
“The food that birds rely on when they move to the north might not be reliable if the beginning of spring at these higher latitudes（维度）is expanded by future warming." said Eric Post. He is a fellow of the John Muir Institute and a polar ecologist.
Animals relying on Arctic sea ice, like polar bears, probably aren't crazy about things warming up sooner, either, because it impacts on their ability to hunt. Spring's early arrival could cause disorder in the delicate balance of various ecosystems~~not to mention how soon you'll need to buy allergy medicine.
1. We learn from the study published in Scientific Reports that.| A．spring comes earliest in Los Angeles |
| B．Los Angeles is further north than Seattle |
| C．spring comes 12 days earlier in Arctic than in Chicago |
| D．the further north a place lies, the sooner spring comes than before |
| A．comparing related data available |
| B．conducting research and test |
| C．calculating the exact length of each spring |
| D．observing animal's behavior all year round |
| A．Concerns over spring's early arrival. |
| B．Springtime emergence of creatures. |
| C．Early springtime's impacts on humans. |
| D．Disorder in the balance of ecosystems. |
| A．Medical Report. | B．Survival Stories. |
| C．Scientific Discoveries. | D．Natural environment |
8 . What’s a spacewalk? Any time an astronaut gets out of a spacecraft while in space, it is called a spacewalk. Astronauts go on spacewalks for many reasons. For example, experiments can be placed on the outside of a spacecraft. This lets scientists learn how being in space affects different things. By going on spacewalks, astronauts can also fix certain things instead of bringing them back to the earth to fix.
When astronauts go on spacewalks, they wear spacesuits to keep themselves safe. Inside spacesuits, astronauts have the oxygen they need to breathe and the water they need to drink. To keep the astronauts and the spacecraft safe, the astronauts must leave and go back to the spacecraft through a special door. When on a spacewalk, astronauts use safety tethers to stay close to their spacecraft, which connect the spacewalkers with the spacecraft. They keep astronauts from floating away into space. Another way astronauts stay safe during spacewalks is by wearing a SAFER. SAFER is worn like a backpack. It helps an astronaut move around in space.
How do astronauts train for spacewalks? One way is by going for a swim. Floating in space is a lot like floating in water. Astronauts practice spacewalks underwater in a huge special swimming pool. For every one hour they will spend on a spacewalk, astronauts need to train seven hours in the pool. Another way astronauts practice for a spacewalk is by using virtual reality(虚拟视镜). It looks and feels just like a spacewalk.
Today, only three countries have finished spacewalks independently. They are Russia, the United States and China. The first person to go on a spacewalk in the world was Alexei Leonov from Russia. Zhai Zhigang is the first Chinese astronaut to go on a spacewalk. The world record of spacewalks is held by Russian astronaut Anatoly Solovyev. He has been on 16 spacewalks and spent more than 82 hours outside in space.
1. What can an astronaut do by going on a spacewalk?| A．Fix different objects. | B．Collect any things he wants. |
| C．Carry out an experiment. | D．Study how things changes in space. |
| A．Special ropes. | B．Spacesuits. |
| C．Spacecraft. | D．Special backpacks. |
| A．Walking in space is as easy as going swimming. | B．A virtual reality should be used in a spacewalk. |
| C．Only three countries have ever tried spacewalks. | D．Russia keeps the world record of spacewalks. |
| A．A diary. | B．A magazine. | C．A novel. | D．A guidebook. |
9 . Australia’s bush fires are threatening the country’s unique wildlife —from koalas to native birds to bees —and researchers fear that some species are being pushed to the brink of extinction. The fires have killed at least 26 people, burned thousands of homes and could shave as much as 0. 4% of economic growth, according to some experts.
More than 13,000 head of livestock have been killed by the fires in New South Wales state, where more than 20,000 square miles of land has been burned. The fires threaten to rage on into February—summer - time in Australia —or longer.
Scientists say at least six species are in danger. “There’s great concern that these fires may have pushed species closer to extinction or potentially over,” said Deakin University wildlife ecologist Euan Ritchie. “We won’ t know until we get into the areas,” he said.
Some scientists are concerned about a metallic - green bee that lives exclusively in areas that have been ravaged by fire, along Australia’s east coast and on Kangaroo Island in the south. Researchers suspect the green carpenter bee has been wiped out on Kangaroo Island.
“The species is likely to be in terrible conditions, as all of its habitat has now either burnt or is threatened by fire,” said Katja Hogendoorn, a bee expert at the University of Adelaide, who has been working for half a decade to preserve the population of green carpenter bees on Kangaroo Island.
1. What can we learn from Paragraph One?| A．The wildlife is well protected in Australia. |
| B．The fires also damage Australian economy. |
| C．The bush fires have lasted for a long time. |
| D．The bush fires are frequent in Australia. |
| A．Curious. | B．Concerned. |
| C．Unexpected. | D．Surprised. |
| A．It will all be burnt to death. | B．It is gradually dying out. |
| C．It might lose its natural home. | D．It will move to other places. |
| A．In a story book. | B．In a textbook. |
| C．In a newspaper. | D．In a traveling guide. |
10 . Vitamin B could help lessen the effects of the most dangerous type of air pollution，according to a new study published recently. In the first study of its kind，a team of international researchers looked at the damage caused by one of the pollutants that has the most severe impact on health: PM2.5.
Particulate matter，or PM，is a type of air pollutant consisting of small particles of different sizes. PM2.5 has a diameter of fewer than 2.5 micrometers，about 30 times smaller than a human hair. These particles are so small that they can go into our respiratory system (呼吸系统), resulting in lung and systemic inflammation (炎症) and stress.
The team found that something as simple as a daily vitamin B supplement could potentially reduce the impact of the tiny particles on the human body，although they stressed that the research was in its early stages and the sample size was small.
For this study，10 volunteers were initially exposed to clean air and given a placebo (安慰剂) to check their responses. The group then took another placebo for four weeks before being exposed to heavily polluted air from downtown Toronto，where an estimated 1，000 cars pass every hour. The bad air was delivered to the volunteers through an “oxygen－type” face mask. The experiment was then repeated，with each volunteer taking a vitamin B supplement daily made up of 2.5 mg of folic acid，50 mg of vitamin B6，and 1 mg of vitamin B12. B6 can be found in liver，chicken and nuts，and B12 in fish，meat，eggs，milk and some cereals.
The researchers found that four weeks of vitamin B supplements reduced the damage of PM2.5 exposure by 28%－76%. The results highlight how prevention at an individual level could be used to fight the harmful effects of PM2.5.
1. Why is PM2.5 harmful to our health?| A．It pollutes and poisons the air. | B．It is too much to be got rid of. |
| C．It carries viruses and diseases. | D．It is easily breathed in and damages our body. |
| A．The process of the research was not scientific. |
| B．This kind of research has been done many times. |
| C．Further studies are needed to confirm their findings. |
| D．Vitamin B is hard to obtain in people’s daily life. |
| A．International researchers have a new finding. |
| B．Vitamin B could reduce the damage of PM2.5. |
| C．Particulate matter does great harm to our health. |
| D．Emission control and regulation are badly needed. |
| A．in a science journal | B．on a government website |
| C．in a fashion magazine | D．in a medical textbook |
