1 . In 1916, two girls of wealthy families, best friends from Auburn, N. Y.—Dorothy Woodruff and Rosamond Underwood—traveled to a settlement in the Rocky Mountains to teach in a one-room schoolhouse. The girls had gone to Smith College. They wore expensive clothes. So for them to move to Elkhead, Colo. to instruct the children whose shoes were held together with string was a surprise. Their stay in Elkhead is the subject of Nothing Daunted: The Unexpected Education of Two Society Girls in the West by Dorothy Wickenden, who is a magazine editor and Dorothy Woodruff’s granddaughter.

Why did they go then? Well, they wanted to do something useful. Soon, however, they realized what they had undertaken.

They moved in with a local family, the Harrisons, and, like them, had little privacy, rare baths, and a blanket of snow on their quilt when they woke up in the morning. Some mornings, Rosamond and Dorothy would arrive at the schoolhouse to find the children weeping from the cold. In spring, the snow was replaced by mud over ice.

In Wickenden’s book, she expanded on the history of the West and also on feminism, which of course influenced the girls’ decision to go to Elkhead. A hair-raising section concerns the building of the railroads, which entailed (牵涉) drilling through the Rockies, often in blinding snowstorms. The book ends with Rosamond and Dorothy’s return to Auburn.

Wickenden is a very good storyteller. The sweep of the land and the stoicism (坚忍) of the people move her to some beautiful writing. Here is a picture of Dorothy Woodruff, on her horse, looking down from a hill top: “When the sun slipped behind the mountains, it shed a rosy glow all around them. Then a full moon rose. The snow was marked only by small animals: foxes, coyotes, mice, and varying hares, which turned white in the winter.”

What is the text?

A．A news report.	B．A book review.
C．A children’s story.	D．A diary entry.

3 . Most online fraud(诈骗) involves identity theft Passwords help. But many can be guessed. Newer phones, tablets, laptops and desktop computers often have strengthened security with fingerprint and facial recognition. But these can be imitated. That is why a new approach, behavioural biometrics(行为生物识别) is gaining ground.

It relies on the wealth of measurements made by today’s devices. These include data from sensors that reveal how people hold their phones when using them, how they carry them and even the way they walk. Touchscreens, keyboards and mice can be monitored(监测) to show the distinctive ways in which someone’s fingers and hands move. These features can then be used to determine whether someone attempting to make a deal is likely to be the device’s habitual user.

“Behavioural biometrics make it possible to identify an individual’s unique motion fingerprint”, says John Whaley, head of Unifyid, a firm in Silicon Valley that is involved in the field. When coupled with information about a user’s finger pressure and speed on the touchscreen, as well as a device’s regular places of use—as revealed by its GPS unit—that user’s identity can be pretty well determined.

Used wisely, behavioural biometrics could be a great benefit. In fact, Unifyid and an unnamed car company are even developing a system that unlocks the doors of a vehicle once the pace of the driver, as measured by his phone, is recognized. Used unwisely, however, the system would become yet another electronic spy on people’s privacy, permitting complete strangers to monitor your every action, from the moment you reach for your phone in the morning, to when you throw it on the floor at night.

1. What is behavioural biometrics for?

A．To identify network crime	B．To ensure network security.
C．To track online fraud.	D．To gather online data.

2. How does behavioural biometrics work?

A．By limiting and discovering users’ passwords.

B．By spotting and revealing where a device is regularly used.

C．By offering and analyzing users’ facial features.

D．By monitoring and comparing how users interact with devices.

3. What’s the author’s attitude towards behavioural biometrics?

A．Doubtful.

B．Concerned

C．Favorable.

D．Objective.

4. From which section of a magazine can this passage possibly be taken?

A．Science and technology.	B．Health and wealth.
C．Finance and economics	D．Books and arts

4 . Earthworms don’t move fast. But humans can accelerate the worms’ spread. Fishermen often use invasive(蔓延性的) earthworms to catch fish. Many have introduced invasive earthworms to rivers, streams and lakes previously unexposed to these animals. Gardeners who use earthworms to make their soil rich may unknowingly introduce invasive ones. The worms even give rides in the mud on wheels, potted plants and road materials shipped around the nation.

But they’re not everywhere yet. In the Great Lakes region, “20 percent of the land is earthworm-free,” says Cindy Hale, a research biologist. Of the remaining 80 percent of land, half of the land has fewer than two earthworm species-meaning there isn’t yet too much impact on the ecosystem, she explains. For these regions, she says, now is the time to take action. According to Hale, educating the public, especially fishermen, is one approach to stopping the spread of invasive earthworms. Identifying which lands are currently earthworm-free is another.

Ryan Hueffmeier, a program coordinator for Great Lakes Worm Watch, has been working on a model that will help create large maps of areas with minimal(最小的) or no damage from earthworms. Ultimately, landowners can use it to identify earthworm activity on their property. once identified, lands with minimal or no earthworm damage should be protected.

But scientists suspect that once invasive earthworms arrive they can’t be removed. And even if all could be, affected forests might never return to the way they were. “It’s very much a story of learning to live with them,” concludes Lee Frelich of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Forest Ecology.

Forest ecologists have called earthworms “ecosystem engineers” because they can change or create habitats that otherwise would not be present. Whether this is a good thing depends on the situation.

“What the earthworms do and how we value it is what really matters.” said Hale. “In one place-farm fields or gardens-we really like European earthworms and what they do, so we consider them good. In native hardwood forests, we really don’t like what they do-so we consider them bad. You really have to understand how an organism(微生物) affects an ecosystem. Things aren’t black and white.”

1. Why are fishermen and gardeners mentioned in the first paragraph?

A．To attract more people to fishing and gardening.

B．To introduce different uses of invasive earthworms.

C．To stress the importance of invasive earthworms to humans.

D．To show humans’ effect on the spread of invasive earthworms.

2. What is Hale’s advice on protecting the Great Lakes region from invasive earthworms?

A．Finding out areas free of earthworms.

B．Extending a ban on the fishing industry.

C．Making maps of areas with most earthworms.

D．Informing the public of different earthworm species.

3. What is Hale’s attitude towards invasive earthworms?

A．Objective.	B．Positive.
C．Ambiguous.	D．Doubtful.

4. Where is the text probably from?

A．A biology textbook.	B．An official report.
C．A science magazine.	D．A research paper.

5 . Great Barrier Reef Choking on Pollutants

Attempts to protect the Great Barrier Reef are failing. A report released Monday by the government in Australia says water quality in the Great Barrier Reef is far below what it should be. It showed that pollution have decreased, but not enough to reach environmental targets.

Sediment (沉淀物) and chemicals can weaken coral, hurting its ability to feed and grow. Coral are live animals that take root in the ocean floor, but they are not plants. Reefs are the hard skeletons (骨架) left at the bottom of the sea by small marine creatures called polyps (珊瑚虫). The polyps then form the larger structure of a reef. Corals also are some of the most diverse ecosystems on the entire planet. They can make a home for invertebrates, crustaceans, fish, and sea snakes.

Steve Miles is Queensland’s environment minister. He says the research shows the Reef needs more protection. “Over that five-year period, we did see some progress towards our targets. Sediment is down 12 percent and pesticides (杀虫剂) loads are down 30 percent. But what is most disturbing is that these results are far from our targets. Progress towards these targets flat-lined in the period 2013-2014. If one of my kids came home with a report card like this, I would be a bit disappointed. There is more bad news here than good news. ” said Steve Miles.

The report also found that fewer than one-third of Queensland’s sugar plantations used techniques to reduce the use of pesticides. Only 28 percent of land managers managed their land properly. They had reduced harmful water run off to protect the health of the Reef. The official target is a 90 percent reduction in pesticide use within three years.

Scientists at the University of Queensland and the Australian Institute of Marine Sciences published their findings Wednesday, July 18 in the journal Science Advances. It found between 1992 and 2010, the recovery rate dropped by an average of 84 percent. But there is hope. The study also found some corals can recover quickly if “acute and chronic stressors” are lessened.

Meanwhile, the Australian government released its updated reef protection plan Friday. It clearly states global temperatures must be stopped from rising in order to save the world’s largest living structure.

1. What does the underlined word “They” in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A．Diverse ecosystems.	B．Sediment and chemicals.
C．Reefs and corals.	D．Small sea creatures.

2. What can be learned from what Steve Miles said?

A．He is satisfied with the protection of the Reef.

B．He thinks that the Reef needs more protection.

C．He feels angry with what his children did.

D．He is very happy about the Reef progress protection.

3. What does the underlined word “flat-lined” mean in Paragraph 3?

A．Not increase significantly.	B．Disappear.
C．Speed up.	D．Miss the chance.

4. The report found the majority of land managers in Queensland   ________.

A．were tough to deal with	B．failed to manage their land properly
C．reduced the amount of harmful water	D．were eager to quit pesticide soon

5. Where is the passage most likely to have been taken from?

A．A news report.	B．A science fiction.
C．A book review.	D．A guide book.

6 . Zhong Zhong and Hua Hua have made medical history as the first cloned primates (灵长目动物),with the efforts of a team of Chinese scientists.

According to the journal Cell , it is a milestone for biomedical research. It could potentially lead to the development of new treatments for human disease. But it also makes ethicists (伦理学者) about where this all might lead. Do Zhong Zhong and Hua Hua suggest the coming of human cloning?

Born in 1996, Dolly the sheep was the first cloned mammal, and was followed by many more, including dogs, rabbits and pigs. But researchers were unable to clone primates because the genes involved didn’t react well to the procedure. Over the years, a handful of research institutions have tried and failed to birth a live monkey clone.

The successful team, at Shanghai’s Chinese Academy of Sciences, used the same basic method that created Dolly but had failed in subsequent(随后的) primate cloning attempts. It’s called somatic（躯体）cell nuclear transfer and involves transferring DNA from adult cells into eggs that have had their own DNA removed. Without the addition of sperm(精子), the eggs are stimulated （刺激）chemically to develop into an embryo that’s a clone of the DNA donor(提供者). The embryo is then placed into a substitue(替代) for gestation（妊娠）.

The researchers modified the approach in two important ways, however. Rather than use adult cells in the DNA transfer, they used fetal (胎儿)cells, which react better to chemical stimuli（刺激）for embryo development, says Mu-ming Poo, director of the academy’s Institute of Neuroscience and a co-autho of the paper. They also fine-tuned the cell transfer process to minimize damage to the eggs

As for creating human clones, Poo says the research shows it can be done, but he and his team have no interest. “Besides many technical dificulties that remain to be overcome, we see no justifiable reason to do human cloning,” says Poo, “nor would the societies around the world permit such an attempt.”

While human cells may be cloned experimentally, for example to research tissue regeneration, the cloning of an entire human is illegal in more than 70 countries, according to the Center for Genetics and Society. U.S. law does not ban it, but over a dozen states do. (Discover 2019J&F,P60.)

1. About   somatic cell nuclear transfer, which of the following statements is true?

A．It needs the combination of sperm and eggs.

B．The eggs keep their own DNA in the process.

C．The embryo has the DNA of the adult donor.

D．The embryo gestates in the eggs donor’s body.

2. What does the underlined word “justifiable” mean in paragraph 6 ?

A．acceptable.

B．incredible.

C．valuable.

D．reliable.

3. Which does not contribute to the success of the primate cloning?

A．The right   donor cells.	B．The fine-tuned transfer process.
C．The united team.	D．The reduced damage to the eggs.

4. Where can this passage be found?

A．Nature Exploration	B．Science   Magazine
C．Medicine World	D．World Wonders

7 . A team from Northwestern University has developed a soft, skin-interfaced sensor that can analyze the molecular (分子的) composition of sweat for things like cortisol, blood sugar, and vitamin C, sending the data to the wearer's smartphone. This data, the researchers hope, will allow people to better control their stress levels throughout the day.

Cortisol, also called the stress hormone, can be measured in a person's sweat. Released from the adrenal glands (肾上腺) under periods of physical and mental stress, it can be a powerful performance enhancer—increasing energy production and glucose (葡萄糖) availability for the muscles during a "fight or flight" situation, for instance being attacked by a lion. However, cortisol can also be released because of modern stressors such as money problems, issues at work, and other day-to-day worries that if built up over time, create the chronic anxiety and can lead to an increased risk for diabetes, depression, high blood pressure and obesity.

When someone wears the chip sweats, the liquid runs through small channels into a series of chemical test sensors that look for different biological signals which could suggest a rise in cortisol.

Previous attempts in years past at creating devices like this were limited by the need to take sweat samples to laboratories for analysis, removing any ability for the individual to act on the data in a way that might prevent buildup of stressful feelings, or even an anxiety attack.

Such a device could be paramount in helping people relieve depressive or stressful feelings (not least because exercising hard enough to cause sweating helps with anxiety on its own).

Furthermore, the percent of the population of American adults with regular feelings of worry, nervousness, or anxiety is around 11.2%, while there are nearly 60 million doctors' visits where mental or behavioral health is the chief concern. Putting power into patients' hands—in the form of a detailed diagnosis of cortisol levels, could help significantly to lower those numbers.

1. What's the function of the newly developed sensor?

A．To examine the component of sweat.

B．To show when one lacks vitamin.

C．To connect wearable devices to smartphones.

D．To control people's stress levels the whole day.

2. What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?

A．What may create the profile of chronic anxiety.

B．What may cause the release of the stress hormone.

C．How cortisol can enhance one's energy production.

D．How cortisol can be measured in a person's sweat.

3. Which of the following can replace the underlined word?

A．Significant.	B．Useless.
C．Accessible.	D．Weak.

4. Where is this text most likely from?

A．A product review.	B．A guidebook.
C．A magazine.	D．A science fiction.

8 . In the 1960s and 1970s, the greatest fear was that the human race, and possibly all advanced life forms on the planet, could be wiped out by nuclear missiles. Today, however, environmental problems have taken over as the greatest risk to life on Earth. Scientists are thinking of ways to lower this risk, such as replacing coal and oil with forms of renewable energy. But they are also preparing for the worst: what can we do if the terrifying scenes in films such as The Day After Tomorrow happen in real life? What is our plan B for Earth?

One option is to explore other planets to see if we could live on them. The most likely choice is Mars, which is relatively close to Earth and has an environment less hostile than that of other planets. Mars has fascinated people since ancient times, and today our interest in Martian exploration is greater than ever before. Besides, more governments are making efforts to educate the public on the Red Planet.

There is no doubt that humankind is drawn towards Mars. However, sending people there will require all the skill, courage and intelligence. While the Moon can be reached within days, it would take months to reach Mars, travelling through dangerous solar radiation. And even if the first settlers do reach Mars safely, they may not be able to return to Earth — ever. Staying alive will be a daily challenge, but as proved by the Biosphere 2 experiment, not impossible. As early as the 1980s, scientists were building Biosphere 2 in the Arizona desert, consisting of a closed space in which people, animals and plants could live together. Although the two-year experiment was not a success, it did provide us with a better understanding of how humans might be able to live on another planet.       

For now, human settlement of Mars is still decades away. Until we are finally able to live on another planet, we need to take much better care of our own. Right now, it's the only one we have!

1. What was the biggest threat to humans in the 1960s and 1970s?

A．Human race themselves.	B．All advanced life forms.
C．Nuclear missiles.	D．Environmental problems.

2. Why is Mars so attractive to scientists?

A．It's closest to the earth.

B．It has relatively appropriate living conditions.

C．It has drawn the public's attention in recent years.

D．It has a more hostile environment.

3. What can be inferred from the passage?

A．Humans have visited Mars.

B．The Biosphere 2 experiment proved to be valueless.

C．Humans will have to go and live on another planet.

D．Our Plan A includes developing renewable energy resources.

4. From which magazine would the passage probably be taken?

A．The Traveler.	B．Environmental Concerns.
C．All About Space.	D．Biology for Fun,

9 . Renewable energy projects, including onshore and offshore wind and solar farms, have so far been subsidized (资助) by government support schemes. This has led to some to complain that clean energy is pushing up bills.

However, the most recently approved offshore wind projects will most likely operate with ‘negative subsidies’ -- paying money back to the government. The money will go towards reducing household energy bills as the offshore wind farms start producing power in the mid-2020s.

This is the conclusion of an analysis by an international team led by Imperial College London researchers published today in Nature Energy.

Lead researcher Dr Malte Jansen, from the Centre for Environmental Policy at Imperial, said: “Offshore wind power will soon be so cheap to produce that it will undercut   fossil-fueled power stations and may be the cheapest form of energy for the UK. Energy subsidies used to push up energy bills, but within a few years cheap renewable energy will   see them brought down for the first time. This is an astonishing development.”

The analysis for five countries in Europe, including the UK, focused on a series of government auctions (拍卖) for offshore wind farms between February 2015 and September 2019. Companies that want to build wind farms bid in the auctions by stating the price at which they will sell the energy they produce to the government.

These are known as ‘contracts for difference’ or CfDs. If a company’s bid is higher than the wholesale electricity price on the UK market once the wind farm is up and running, then the company will receive a subsidy from the government to top up the price.

However, if the stated price (规定价格) is less than the wholesale price, then the company will pay the government back the difference. This payback is then passed through to consumer’s energy bills, reducing the amount that homes and businesses will pay for electricity.

The winning companies said they could build new offshore wind farms for around £40 per megawatt hour (MWh) of power. This was a new record set by these wind farms with bids 30 percent lower than just two years earlier.

1. What does the passage mainly talk about?

A．Offshore wind farms to be built in the UK could reduce household energy bills by producing electricity very cheaply.

B．Offshore wind farms will not be subsidized by government in the near future.

C．The importance of CfDs.

D．The operation of negative subsidies.

2. According to Paragraph 2, offshore wind farms .

A．will stop producing power in the mid-2020s

B．are paying money back to the government

C．will help reduce household energy bills

D．will all operate with ‘negative subsidies’

3. The underlined words “top up” in Paragraph 6 probably mean .

A．make up

B．take up

C．cover

D．fill up

4. What can be inferred from the passage?

A．The renewable energy projects will lead to some to complain that clean energy is pushing up bills.

B．The company whose bid is less than the wholesale electricity price will receive a subsidy.

C．The stated electricity price is now higher than the wholesale electricity price.

D．Fossil-fueled power will be soon produced cheaply.

5. What is the author’s attitude towards the offshore wind farms?

A．Curious.

B．Pessimistic.

C．Indifferent.

D．Optimistic.

6. Where does this text probably come from?

A．A science fiction.

B．A financial magazine.

C．An advertisement.

D．A science report.

10 . After about two weeks of intense negotiations in Paris, delegates from around the world reached an international agreement on Dec. 12 to address climate change. For the first time in history, 195 countries have promised to reduce greenhouse gas（GHG）emissions and to increase these reductions over time.

The agreement goes beyond requiring developed countries like the US to take actions to cut down emissions. It's a universal agreement requiring some form of action from every country, rich or poor.

The agreement sets the date for an emissions peak "as soon as possible". It would also limit warming worldwide to less than 2℃ above the levels in the 1800s. According to scientific studies 2℃ is the point at which climate change will bring destructive consequences to the planet, including rising sea levels, severe droughts, increased flooding, destructive storms, and widespread food and water shortages.

The deal also urges wealthy countries to set a non- binding goal of providing more than $100 billion（650 billion yuan）per year in public and private financing by 2020 for poorer countries to help them invest in clean energy and combat the impact of climate change.

The Paris deal asks countries to make voluntary promises based on an analysis of each country's economy, politics and technology. However, the deal also includes a series of legally binding（有约束力的）requirements. It requires countries to reconvene every five years, starting in 2020, with updated plans that would cut their further emissions. Countries will also be legally required to reconvene every five years starting in 2023 to publicly report on their progress.

The Paris deal alone won't solve global warming. Its effectiveness will depend on whether each country enacts（立法）their promise. But the deal "could be viewed as a signal to global financial and energy markets, triggering a fundamental shift away from investment in coal, oil and gas as primary energy sources like wind, solar and nuclear power", according to The New York Times.

1. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A．The agreement requires only developed countries to take actions to cut down emissions.

B．The agreement would limit warming worldwide to 2℃ less than the levels in the 1800s.

C．The agreement requires some form of action from all the countries in the world

D．The constant global warming will do great harm to the planet.

2. The 195 countries have to___________.

A．do something to fight against the influence of climate change

B．invest more in coal, oil and gas as primary energy sources

C．provide more than $100 billion per year in public and private financing

D．report on their progress of reducing their emissions every 5 years in Paris

3. What does the underlined word "reconvene" in paragraph 5 mean?

A．Meet

B．Report.

C．Promise

D．Return.

4. You may read this article from___________.

A．a science magazine	B．a newspaper
C．a school text	D．an economic lecture