1 . 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. |
2 . Tai chi, a centuries-old Chinese martial art and an internationally popular form of exercise, has been added to the cultural heritage list of the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization).
As its initial (最初) application was turned down in 2008, for more than 10 years, China has been trying to have Tai chi — also known as taijiquan — recognised officially by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (联合国教科文组织人类非物质文化遗产代表). At the time, judges told China it had applied for too many listings for Tai chi to be considered for a place. China was told to reduce its applications from listings, which included tai chi, Shaolin kung fu, Peking opera and acupuncture (针灸).
According to the Mayo Clinic in the United States, doing Tai chi can reduce stress, anxiety and depression, improve energy and stamina (耐力), strengthen the immune system (免疫)and reduce joint pain. “It is not just a sport to make people fit, but also contains Chinese culture and philosophy,” researcher Yan Shuangjun also told Xinhua News Agency. The application started in 2008 and now we made a victory, which will help this sport to reach more places.
Tai chi has a massive, devoted global following. Millions of elderly Chinese people practise it every day in city parks. Each year, tens of thousands of people from other counties come to China to learn it. Gisele Bundchen, one of the highest-paid models in the world, makes Tai chi into her daily life. Others who have been attracted by its use in their lives include actors Terence Stamp and Paul Adrian, Bollywood star Kunal Kapoor, and musician RZA of the Wu Tang Clan — to say nothing of its importance to martial artists such as Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee and Jet Li.
1. What can we learn about the applications in 2008?| A．The first application of tai chi was accepted. |
| B．Tai chi is a Chinese martial art with a short time. |
| C．China applied for acupuncture and Peking opera. |
| D．China thought itself had applied for too many listings. |
| A．Help people think more quickly. |
| B．Reduce headache and promote sleep. |
| C．Lead to some depression and severe joint pain. |
| D．Help people build up energy and reduce stress. |
| A．Healthy. | B．Hard to learn. | C．Welcomed. | D．Time-taking. |
| A．Culture. | B．Life style. | C．Education. | D．Custom. |
3 . One of the most important creations of science is the invention of the lighthouses. Lighthouses help in a number of activities such as marking of the dangerous coastlines and directing safe entries to the harbours. The following are some famous lighthouses.
The Jeddah Light
It is located in Saudi Arabia. This lighthouse has been constructed very beautifully and adorns a beautiful structure. The Jeddah Light was built in 1990. This lighthouse is considered as the tallest of the world reaching a fine height of around 436 feet.
The Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse
It is addressed as the “lighthouse at the end of the world”. The Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse is located on a small island east of Ushuaia, the southernmost city of the world. This lighthouse was built in 1920 and today it has become a very famous tourist attraction in Argentina. However, visits to this lighthouse can be made only by boat.
The Peggys Point Lighthouse
Lit in 1915, it is an icon and a popular monument of Canada. The Peggys Point Lighthouse has become a major tourist sight and is considered as one of the busiest attractions in the area of Nova Scotia. This lighthouse also fetches you a wonderful scenic drive and visiting here, you can indulge yourself in the beauty of nature.
The Slettnes Lighthouse
It is the northernmost lighthouse that is located on the mainland of Europe and is considered as one of the most famous lighthouses of the world. This lighthouse is mostly considered as the North Cape Light and is the top lighthouse of Europe. The Slettnes Lighthouse firstly began to light in 1905. Though it was highly damaged during the World War Ⅱ by the Germans, yet it was restored and lit again. This lighthouse is very classic as to its looks.
1. Which lighthouse is only accessible by sea?| A．The Peggys Point Lighthouse. | B．The Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse. |
| C．The Jeddah Light. | D．The Slettnes Lighthouse. |
| A．The lighthouse has a very classic appearance. | B．It was lit again after the restoration in 1905. |
| C．It is the best-known lighthouse in the world. | D．Visiting the lighthouse draws you close to nature. |
| A．A scientific journal. | B．A history textbook. | C．A travel magazine. | D．A design handbook. |
4 . I have always found the Chinese to be a very polite people. In particular, Chinese frequently compliment (称赞) foreign friends on their language skills, knowledge of Chinese culture, professional accomplishments, and personal health. Curiously, however, Chinese are as loath to accept a compliment as they are eager to give one. As many of my Chinese friends have explained, this is a sign of the Chinese virtue of modesty.
I have noticed a difference, though, in the degree to which modesty is emphasized in the United States and China. In the US, we tend to place more emphasis on “seeking the truth from fact”, thus, Americans tend to accept a compliment with gratitude.
Chinese, on the other hand, tend to reject the compliment, even when they know they deserve the credit or recognition which has been awarded them. I can imagine a Chinese basketball fan meeting Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls. He might say, “Mr. Jordan, I am so happy to meet you. I just want to tell you, you are the best basketball player in the world; you’re the greatest!” to which Jordan would probably respond, “Thank you very much. I really appreciate it! I just to try to do my best every time I step on the court.” If an American met Deng Yaping, China’s premier pingpong player, he might say much the same thing: “Ms. Deng, you’re the best!” but as a Chinese, Deng would probably say, “No, I really don’t play all that well. You’re too much kind.”
Plainly, Americans and Chinese have different ways of responding to praise. Ironically, many Americans might consider Ms. Deng’s response the less modest, because it is less truthful—and therefore less sincere. Americans generally place sincerity above manners; genuine gratitude for the praise serves as a substitute for protestations of modesty. After all, in the words of one of my closest Chinese friends, modesty taken to the extreme is pride.
1. What does the underlined word “loath” in paragraph 1 refer to?| A．Polite. | B．Uncertain. | C．Curious. | D．Unwilling. |
| A．To note they do as much as they can each time they play against others. |
| B．To remind readers they are the best players in basketball and table tennis. |
| C．To explain they deserve the credit or recognition for their great contributions. |
| D．To show they as Chinese and Americans are different in accepting praise. |
| A．They think sincerity matters the most. | B．They think her reply is against the fact. |
| C．They think she is too modest to believe. | D．They think manners is more important. |
| A．Education. | B．Sports. | C．Culture. | D．People. |
5 . As an old saying in China goes, “The days of the Sanjiu period are the coldest days.” “Sanjiu period”, which is in Minor Cold (小寒), refers to the third nine-day period (the 19th to the 27th day) after the day of the Winter Solstice (冬至). There are many different customs related to Minor Cold in China.
Eating hotpot
During Minor Cold people should eat some hot food to benefit the body and defend against the cold weather. Winter is the best time to have hotpot and braised mutton with soy sauce. But it is important to notice that too much spicy food may cause health problems.
Eating huangyacai
In Tianjin, there is a custom to have huangyacai, a kind of Chinese cabbage, during Minor Cold. There are large amounts of vitamins A and B in huangyacai. As huangyacai is fresh and tender, it is fit for frying, roasting and braising.
Eating glutinous rice (糯米饭)
According to tradition, the Cantonese eat glutinous rice in the morning during Minor Cold. Cantonese people add some fried preserved pork, sausages and peanuts and mix them into the rice.
Eating vegetable rice
In ancient times, people in Nanjing took Minor Cold quite seriously, but as time went by, the celebration of Minor Cold gradually disappeared. However, the custom of eating vegetable rice is still followed today. The rice is steamed and is incredibly delicious. Among the ingredients (原料), aijiaohuang (a kind of green vegetable), sausages and salted duck are the specialties in Nanjing.
1. What do we know about Minor Cold?| A．It lasts twenty-seven days. |
| B．The Sanjiu period is in this period. |
| C．It refers to the Winter Solstice. |
| D．It marks the first day of winter. |
| A．They fry and toast it. |
| B．They eat it for dinner. |
| C．They steam it with soy sauce. |
| D．They mix it with many other things. |
| A．travel | B．culture |
| C．fashion | D．science |
In Darrel Gregory’s encouraging picture book I’m Not Very Good at It, a mother suggests a means for her daughter to handle her low self-esteem.
The story centers on a downcast girl, who, when asked to do anything, tells herself, “Okay, but I’m not very good at it.” These words are voiced aloud whether she’s making a birthday card, baking, or helping her mother with a bird house. When her mother asks her why she responds in this manner, the girl replies, “Because that’s what my brain said.” Through a series of playful explanations, her mother advises her to listen to her heart instead. After a few attempts at practicing this new habit, the girl realizes that being good at something----or not!----is not as important as trying.
The story’s repetitive structure emphasizes its therapeutic message about stopping self-doubting talk and about practicing stillness. Though perfectionism and fear of failure are possible explanations for the girl’s behavior, the specific reasons and context for her self-doubt are absent. It is a depersonalized story whose heroine is generic, nameless, and tough to connect with. She is preschool-aged, but is asked to possess great self-awareness about her own personality and to shift her own features----it happens too early for a preschool-aged child, if not idealistic.
Ari Miller’s soft illustrations(插图) make the text vivid. Their detailed home scenes portray the girl’s activities. They are faithful depictions of the story that track the girl’s emotional change through subtle facial expressions. The girl’s mother is left out of these images, though her advice and support is one of the main features of the story.
Sincere in its description of growing past self-doubt, the picture book I’m Not Very Good At It encourages positive outlooks.
1. What type of writing is the text?| A．A report | B．An advertisement. |
| C．A review. | D．An announcement. |
| A．confident | B．shy | C．depressed | D．courageous |
| A．The girl follows her heart and grows stronger with few attempts. |
| B．The mother encourages her daughter to build up self-esteem. |
| C．Ari Miller’s illustrations describe the mother’s activities. |
| D．The story just centers on how to practice stillness. |
| A．Indifferent. | B．Supportive. | C．Negative. | D．Critical. |
7 . If you think of pumpkins as an orange-colored squash that's carved as the key ingredient for holiday season pies, you wouldn't be wrong.
But there's much more to pumpkins, which are full of nutrients that provide an impressive collection of health benefits, says Lisa Jones, a registered dietitian based in Philadelphia. Pumpkins may be good for carving, but they're even better for a variety of healthy nutrients, she says. “Pumpkins provide a diverse variety of nutritional benefits in addition to being an ingredient in pies or festival decoration.”
The best part about pumpkin is that it's so easy to work it into your daily food. When preparing various dishes, add pumpkin to things like soups or bake with it in breads. There are so many things you can do with pumpkin beyond pumpkin pie. Pumpkins are seasonal, ripening in fall. But you can get pumpkin products, like canned puree or soup, in many stores throughout the year.
Consuming pumpkin can help fight cancers, says Mahmoud Ghannoum, professor and director in a medical center. Pumpkins have plenty of beta carotene, which is an antioxidant, playing an important role in protecting the body from cancers. Pumpkin is a good source of minerals, vitamin C and fiber, all of which are associated with heart health and keep your skin strong, healthy and, hopefully, wrinkle-free. The squash also contains a healthy amount of vitamin E, which helps reduce damage caused to your skin by ultraviolet light. Besides, the fiber in pumpkin can help you feel full ——which, in turn, boosts your odds of consuming healthy portions of food. Every half-cup of cooked pumpkin provides about 3 grams of fiber. Pumpkins are also low in calories: a cup of cooked pumpkin contains about 50 calories, which helps with weight management.
1. What does Lisa Jones think of pumpkin?| A．It can be used in various western dishes. |
| B．It is more than used in dishes or decoration. |
| C．It is easy to carve pumpkin into diverse shapes. |
| D．It suits people from diverse cultural backgrounds. |
| A．It ripens in fall. | B．It can be bought all over the year. |
| C．It is not hard to add it to daily dishes. | D．It can be made into various products. |
| A．The classification of pumpkin. | B．The characteristics of pumpkin. |
| C．Different ways to consume pumpkin. | D．The potential benefits of consuming pumpkin. |
| A．A review. | B．A guidebook. | C．A fiction. | D．A website. |
8 . Tune in tonight at 6:00 p.m. to catch a science awards ceremony like no other. The 30th First Annual Ig Nobel Prizes celebrates unusual scientific research “that makes people laugh, then think,” according to the Annals of Improbable Research (AIR), the magazine that organizes the annual event.
Now in its 30th year, the Ig Nobels ceremony is always officially described as the “First Annual” because “every year is a new beginning,” master of ceremonies and AIR editor Marc Abrahams told Live Science in 2016.
Former winners of Ig Nobel Prizes explored questions such as: Why do old men have big ears? Can you unboil a hard-boiled egg? And the eternal puzzle: Are cats a solid or a liquid?
Since 1991, the ceremony has unfolded in front of a packed house at Harvard University’s Sanders Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Nobel winners typically hand the winners their awards. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic (新冠肺炎), the 2020 award ceremony has been prerecorded, but it will still offer a science-themed opera- a long-standing Ig Nobel tradition, performed by opera singers and scientists from the Boston area-as well as plenty of surprises, Abrahams told Live Science.
“Every part of the ceremony has been re-designed, because of the pandemic,” AIR representatives said in a statement. “The organizers even invented a new way for a Nobel winners on one continent to “physically” hand an Ig Nobel Prize to a new Ig Nobel Prize winner on a different continent.”
How is that even possible? You’ll have to watch the Ig Nobels to find out.
The ceremony will be broadcast live here on Live Science as well as on YouTube and AIR’s Facebook page as in previous years. Versions of the ceremony with translations in Japanese, Chinese and Spanish, will premiere at the same time as the U.S. version and will be accessible from the AIR website.
1. Why is the 30th First Annual Ig Nobel Prizes called the “First Annual”?| A．Because every year is a new start. |
| B．Because the ceremony is brand new this year. |
| C．Because the ceremony is organized by the AIR for the first time. |
| D．Because the aim of the ceremony is to make people laugh and think. |
| A．The Ig Nobel ceremony is always recorded in advance. |
| B．The 2020 Ig Nobel ceremony has prepared many surprises. |
| C．Ig Noble competitors are addicted to strange but meaningful questions. |
| D．It’s an Ig Nobel tradition to invite scientists around the world to perform. |
| A．All details about the ceremony will be broadcast online. |
| B．It has been put off because of the COVID-19 pandemic. |
| C．Nobelists cannot give awards to the Ig Nobel winners in person. |
| D．It will offer a science-themed opera performed by singers and scientists. |
| A．On a website | B．On a noticeboard. |
| C．In a science guidebook. | D．In a daily newspaper. |
9 . Every time we get on a plane, we’re asked to either turn off our phones or change them to flight mode — it’s for “security reasons”. But according to The Conversation website, having to turn our phones off on a plane is “a service issue, not a safety one”.
When we speak on our phones in the air, they can cause interference to the aircraft’s radios and pilots can hear this interference in their headphones. “It’s the same noise you’ll be familiar with, if you put your mobile too close to a speaker,” the Mirror noted. “It is not safety-critical, but is annoying for sure.” Though speaking on a phone during a flight isn’t dangerous, from the viewpoint of service, it isn’t still a good idea. When we make or receive a call on the ground, we connect to a cell tower that deals with all calls within an 80-kilometer radius (半径). As we move from place to place we are “handed on” to different cell towers. As US scientist Sven Bilen explains, for this system to work, there are “built-in” expectations: There shouldn’t be too many “handoffs” and people shouldn’t be traveling faster than car speeds. “Of course, phone users should be close to the ground.” he added. If we were to make phone calls while we flew, however, none of these expectations would be met. And even worse, our cellphones would stop working.
But now things are beginning to change. If we still can’t speak during a flight, we can use other phone functions. For example, Airbus A330 of Emirates Airlines has inflight WiFi to make passengers send and receive short messages in the air. In the future, as Bilen points out, it may be possible for air travelers to make and receive calls freely. The breakthrough could be “pico cells”, which are small cell towers on the plane itself. There would no longer be connections made between phones and the ground and therefore there would be no danger of disturbance of phone service.
One day, perhaps, we will be chatting in the air as much as we chat on the ground.
1. Why is making a phone call NOT allowed on a plane?| A．Because it will pose a threat to their safety. |
| B．Because it can guarantee a better service. |
| C．Because it fails to be connected to the cell tower. |
| D．Because it may cause annoying noise to pilots. |
| A．One. |
| B．Two. |
| C．Three. |
| D．Four. |
| A．People need to travel slower than airplane speeds while phoning. |
| B．Pico cells may contribute to free phone calls on a plane. |
| C．Undisturbed phone service has been provided by airlines. |
| D．Passengers can receive calls on Airbus A330 through inflight WiFi. |
| A．A newspaper. |
| B．An official document. |
| C．A guidebook. |
| D．A science fiction story. |
10 . Do you need a human to create a beautiful scent (气味)? That’s the question being asked as artificial intelligence (AI) starts to enter the perfume(香水) industry.
Companies are increasingly turning to technology in order to create more bestselling, unique fragrances that can be produced in just minutes. Last year, Swiss-based fragrance developer Givaudan Fragrances launched Carto, an artificial intelligence-powered tool to help perfumers(调香师). Through machine learning (a way computers improve outcomes automatically by learning from past results) Carto can suggest combinations of ingredients.
Using a touch screen, the perfumer can pull together different scents using data from the brand’s vast library of fragrance formulas (配方) — a much more efficient process than using traditional forms. A small robot immediately processes the fragrances into perfumes, making it easier for perfumers to test their new scents.
German fragrance house Symrise has gone one step further and teamed up with IBM Research to create an AI called Philyra. Like Carto, Philyra can’t actually sniff anything. But it is not designed to replace perfumers.
“It’s machine-learning and sometimes the results have been wrong,” says Claire Viola, vice president of digital strategy fragrance at Symrise. “It’s still a project, the more we test, the more it continues to improve. It constantly needs training.”
1. What is Carto according to the passage?| A．a bestselling unique fragrance. | B．a Swiss-based fragrance developer. |
| C．an AI-powered tool. | D．combinations of ingredients. |
| A．The process of making fragrance. | B．Two ways of making fragrance. |
| C．The importance of a small robot. | D．The popularity of a small robot. |
| A．It will replace perfumers in the near future. |
| B．It’s the most effective technology to produce perfume. |
| C．The results will be perfect when using it. |
| D．We should train and improve it, because it’s machine-learning. |
| A．Lifestyle | B．Entertainment |
| C．Advertisement | D．Science & technology |
