1 . China’s Chang’e 5 mission to the moon was completed in less than a month after blasting off (点火起飞). A capsule containing samples of lunar (月球的) rocks and soil collected from the surface of our natural satellite landed in Inner Mongolia, where it was taken back for study.
Chinese broadcaster CGTN reported that the capsule had landed back to Earth just after 10am Dec. 16. Search crews were out in the freezing pre-dawn Hours looking to find back the capsule from the snowy grassland during temperatures well below zero. Aerial images (航拍影像) appeared to show the capsule safely resting on the ground.
China's National Space Administration announced on Thursday, Dec. 3, that its ascent module (上升器) had blasted off from the top of the mission's lunar lander, carrying samples of rock and soil it dug from the lunar surface. It then met with an orbiter circling the moon. The pair made the return trip to Earth where the capsule carrying the samples was sent on its way for a hot and fast going down through our atmosphere only to land on the frozen ground.
The mission lifted off from China on Nov. 23 and landed on the moon on Dec. l. Videos from Chinese media showed the lander’s robotic arm hard at work during its short shift on another world. During its stay, Chang'e 5 also sent back images of a lunar plain of relatively young volcanic moon rock. The image shows both distant hills and how the feet of the lander dug into the soft surface of the moon as it touched down. Enlarging the foot of the lander in particular providers a real sense of the dry, desert-like lunar surface. When the samples were collected, they have been the first pieces of the moon to be returned to our planet since the 1970s.
1. What is the mission of Chang'e 5?| A．Collecting samples of rocks and soil from the moon. |
| B．Taking the samples from the earth to then moon. |
| C．Sending a man-made satellite to orbit the moon. |
| D．Sending a manned spaceship to make a lunar landing. |
| A．The capsule. | B．The lunar lander. |
| C．The ascent module. | D．The orbiter. |
| A．The Earth. | B．A spaceship. |
| C．Chang'e 5. | D．The Moon |
| A．Entertainment. | B．Science. | C．Education. | D．Health. |
2 . Researchers at the DogStudies lab at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History have shown that dogs may possess some metacognitive (元认知) abilities. Specifically, when they do not have enough information to solve a problem, they will actively look for more information, similarly to primates (灵长类).
In a recent study, project leader Julia Belger explored whether dogs have metacognitive abilities. To test this, the researchers designed a device involving two V-shaped fences. A reward, either food or a toy, would be placed by one researcher behind one of the two fences while another researcher held the dogs. In some cases, the dogs could see where the reward was placed, while in others, the dogs could not. The researchers then analyzed how frequently the dogs looked through the gap in the fence before choosing an option.
The researchers found that the dogs did check significantly more often for the reward when they had not seen where it was placed. These results show that dogs do tend to actively seek extra information when they have not seen where the reward is concealed.
The results did not allow the researchers to say definitively whether dogs possess meta-cognition, though they displayed some evidence for it. Julia said, “For humans, vision is an important information gathering sense. In this case, our experiment was based on a checking action relying on sight, but the dogs probably also used their sense of smell when checking through the gap. We know that smell is very important to dogs and we could see that they were using it.”
Julia added, “In future, we would like to develop an experiment to investigate under what circumstances dogs decide to use their sense of smell versus sight. This may give us additional insights into their information seeking abilities.”
1. What ability may dogs have according to the study?| A．To offer information like primates. | B．To use their skills to find more food. |
| C．To seek information to solve a problem. | D．To ask for help before choosing an option. |
| A．Decorated. | B．Hidden. | C．Produced. | D．Purchased. |
| A．Uncertain. | B．Friendly. | C．Negative. | D．Critical. |
| A．Environment and technology. | B．Humans and nature. |
| C．Literature and culture. | D．Society and life. |
3 . Flu season generally dies down in March and April, but will the coronavirus( 冠状病毒) go with it? Whether the coronavirus that's quickly spreading around the world will follow the flu season and fade away with spring's arrival is unsatisfyingly uncertain. And many scientists say it's too soon to know how the dangerous virus will behave in warmer weather.
Dozens of viruses exist in the coronavirus family, but only seven afflict (折磨) humans. Four are known to cause mild colds in people, which are common, while others are more novel, deadly, and thought to be transmitted from animals like bats and camels. Health officials have labeled this new virus SARS-CoV-2 and its disease COVID-19. The prospect that summer could delay a pandemic is tempting. Earlier this year, Donald Trump tweeted about China’s efforts to contain the virus, saying they would be successful, “especially as the weather starts to warm.”
Viruses that cause influenza or milder coronavirus colds do tend to subside in warmer months because these types of viruses have what scientists refer to as “seasonality,” so the president's comments have some scientific backing. But it's highly uncertain that SARS-CoV-2 will behave the same way. Those currently studying the disease say their research is too early to predict how the virus will respond to changing weather.
“I hope it will show seasonality, but it's hard to know,” says Stuart Weston, a researcher at the University of Maryland, where the virus is being actively studied. As of Tuesday morning, more than 800,000 coronavirus cases had been confirmed in 74 different countries, with experts saying the disease is likely to keep spreading.
And relatively recent research suggests that dry, cold air may also help viruses stay unbroken in the air or travel farther as they become airborne.
Scientists assume that low humidity, which often occurs in winter, might weaken the function of the mucus(粘液)in your nose, which your body uses to trap and drive foreign bodies like viruses or bacteria away. Cold, dry air can make that normally thick mucus drier and less efficient at trapping a virus.
1. When does flu season usually die down?| A．Early autumn. | B．Late Summer. | C．Late Spring. | D．Mid Summer. |
| A．Frightening | B．Decent | C．Critical | D．Unfamiliar |
| A．The reason why people easily get viruses in winter. |
| B．If you stay at a warm room, you can't get any viruses. |
| C．Viruses do agree with the dry and cold atmosphere in winter. |
| D．The low temperature in winter is the main reason for viruses to spread. |
| A．A health magazine. | B．A biology research. |
| C．An educational paper. | D．A medical report. |
4 . Koalas live in the eucalyptus （枝树）forests of southeastern and eastern Australia. They rely on the eucalyptus tree for both habitat and food. In fact, they seldom leave these trees. When not sleeping, they're usually eating. They can eat more than a pound of eucalyptus leaves a day. Eucalyptus is poisonous, so the koala's digestive （消化的）system has to work hard to digest it, breaking down the poisons and taking in the limited nutrients （营养）.That's why koalas sleep for 18 to 22 hours a day — they get very little energy from their diet.
Koala numbers decreased in the late 19th and early 20th century from hunting for their fur. Now they face serious threats from habitat loss. Land clearing and bush fires-especially the 2019-2020 Australia Bushfire Season-have destroyed much of the forest they live in. Koalas are easy to be affected by climate change. Increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is decreasing the nutritional quality of eucalyptus leaves and causing longer, more serious droughts and wildfires. In response to drought, koalas are forced to stop sleeping and come down from the trees to find water, putting them at a higher risk of being killed.
Koalas have been identified by the Australian government as one of the 113 animals requiring urgent （紧急的）help. Ensuring there's the right kind of forest for them to return to is extremely urgent. State governments should create new koala reserves and persuade landowners not to cut down eucalyptus trees. Meanwhile, getting the public to understand koalas' living habits and their health will throw light on koala biology, which helps to develop plans to better protect the species.
1. What can we learn about koalas?| A．They like moving around very much. |
| B．They have developed smart survival skills. |
| C．They can be found everywhere in Australia. |
| D．They often got ill while eating eucalyptus leaves. |
| A．Koalas' newly-formed habits. | B．Koalas' decreasing population. |
| C．The potential threats to Koalas. | D．The outcomes of increased carbon dioxide. |
| A．Conduct the research on their living habits. |
| B．Make sure they can have their habitat back. |
| C．Realize that they are sensitive to climate change. |
| D．Educate people about the awareness of protecting them. |
| A．A nature magazine. | B．A travel brochure. |
| C．A sports newspaper. | D．A health magazine. |
5 . Standing on the ruins（废墟）after the fire where his house had been, Peter Ruprecht admitted that he was not sure how or when to rebuild. He was still shocked by what Australia's increasingly changeable climate had already delivered: first a drought, then a destructive bush fire, then a foot of rain from a storm.
"It's unstoppable," said Mr. Ruprecht, a former dairy farmer. "We speak about the warmth of Mother Nature, but nature can also be vicious and wild and unforgiving."
Australia's' hellish（地狱的）fire season has eased（缓和）, but its people are facing more than a single disaster. With floods destroying homes not far from where fires recently spread, they are facing a cycle of what scientists call "compound extremes": one climate disaster strengthening the next.
Warmer temperatures do more than just dry out the land. They also heat up the atmosphere, which means clouds hold more moisture（水汽）for longer periods of time. So droughts get worse, giving way to fires, then to heavy rains that the land is too dry to absorb.
Many Australians in disaster zones complain that their government, after ignoring climate change for years, has not yet to draw up recovery plans that are clear and that take future threats into account.
At the same time, the economic costs of a changing climate are rising quickly. Philip Lowe, the governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia, warned recently that Australia was already paying a price, and that it would only go up.
1. Why Peter Ruprecht is mentioned in the beginning?| A．To arouse readers' pity. | B．To introduce the topic. |
| C．To stress the problem. | D．To call on readers to help. |
| A．grateful | B．advanced | C．responsible | D．forcible |
| A．Government inaction. | B．Warmer temperature. |
| C．The lack of money. | D．No recovery plans. |
| A．guidebook. | B．A travel journal. | C．A news report. | D．A book review. |
6 . The native Americans, the people we call the “Indians”, had been in America for many thousands of years before Columbus arrived in 1492. Columbus thought he had arrived in India, so he called the native people “Indians”.
The Indians were kind to the early settlers. They were not afraid of them and they wanted to help them. They showed the settlers the new world around them. They taught them about the local crops like sweet potatoes, corn and peanuts. They introduced the Europeans to chocolate and to the turkey and the Europeans did business with the Indians.
But soon the settlers wanted bigger farms and more land for themselves and their families. More and more immigrants were coming from Europe and all these people needed land. So the Europeans started to take the land from the Indians. Naturally, when the whites started taking all the Indians’ land, the Indians started fighting back.
But the whites were stronger and cleverer. Slowly they pushed the Indians into those parts of the continent that the whites didn’t want- the parts where it was too cold or too dry or too mountainous to live comfortably. By 1875 the Indians were living in special places called “reservations”. But even here the whites took land from them- perhaps the whites wanted the wood, or perhaps the land had important minerals in it, or they even wanted to make national parks there. So even on their reservations the Indians were not safe from the whites.
There are many Hollywood films about the fight between the Indians and the whites. Usually in these films the Indians are bad and the whites are good and brave. But was it really like that? What do you think? Do you think the Indians were right or wrong to fight against the whites?
1. Why did Columbus call the native people “Indians”?| A．Because he thought he had arrived in India. |
| B．Because he liked Indian culture very much. |
| C．Because he knew they were from India. |
| D．Because he was an Indian himself. |
| A．The Indians gave up their land willingly. |
| B．The settlers wanted to buy land from the Indians. |
| C．The whites even wanted more land on Indians’ reservations. |
| D．The Indians were stronger and cleverer than the white settlers. |
| A．the Indians are usually beautified in the films |
| B．the author is doubtful about what the films show to us |
| C．films about fights are the most popular ones in the market |
| D．films about the fight between the Indians and the whites are very limited |
| A．entertainment | B．history | C．economy | D．industry |
7 . Most Asian people are familiar with pickled vegetables. Chinese pickles, which vary from regions, play a very important part in Chinese daily life. Not only are Chinese pickles easy to make and keep at home, out also they are an excellent side dish. These pickles go great with a congee meal(粥). Here we’ll make the delicious Chinese pickles together.
Ingredients
◇ 1 carrot with fantastic taste and 2 cucumbers. Don’t use the regular cucumbers, which are called Garden Cucumbers, as they are too watery and pretty tasteless and have lots of seeds you have to get rid of.
◇ a Glass Jar for pickling, a teaspoon of sea salt, a cup of Rice Vinegar, a cup of Raw Sugar and 2 slices ginger.
Directions
Peel the carrot and wash the cucumbers. Slice everything into approximately 2 inch lengths by 1/4 inch thickness. Put into a large bowl with salt and shake. Let stand for at least l/2 hour. Remove squeezed water until dry as possible. Place one of the ginger slices on bottom. Pack the vegetables into your pickling jar. Put the other ginger slices on top. Mix the sugar into the vinegar in a bowl and shake until the sugar is melted. Pour over the vegetables until covered. Pour in a bit more vinegar to top up if necessary. Close jar and put in the fridge overnight.
It’s ready to eat the next day but the flavor will improve as time goes by.
Let’s call it a day. See you this time tomorrow.
1. What can we know about Chinese pickles?| A．They are a Chinese meal similar in different provinces. |
| B．They are an Asian an food easy to make but difficult to keep. |
| C．They are a side dish made with Garden Cucumbers. |
| D．They are a great match for congee meals. |
| A．Drown the vegetables with sugar and vinegar. |
| B．Cover the vegetables with ginger slices. |
| C．Squeeze the water from the vegetables. |
| D．Close the jar and put in the fridge. |
| A．A food programme. | B．A gardening broadcast. |
| C．A cooking magazine. | D．A DIY reference book. |
8 . Wine and beaches, fireworks and music... our readers recommend some fantastic festivals.
Festa delTUva e del Vino, Italy
Set on the beautiful shores of Lake Garda, this grapes and wine festival takes over the small town of Bardolino for four days every October. With local wines, food, art projections, fireworks and live music. people come from miles around to celebrate. First and foremost，it’s about great wine，but it’s worth visiting to soak up the great atmosphere.
Free，1-5 October
Quest festival, Vietnam
This is a weekend camping festival held just a 40-minute drive from Hanoi, bringing together locals and visitors in a celebration of underground live and electronic music culture. Held in the beautiful Son Tinh campsite, there are usually about 30 local and international DJs and 10 bands. There are also workshops, pop-up cafes, fire performances, dancing and much more.
Weekend tickets about £25, 6-8 November
Estiv al Switzerland
This is a free festival of jazz which takes place in the first weekend in July in the pretty squares and lakeside beaches and parks around the southern Swiss town of Lugano. The palm trees and summer air to see some of Europe’s up and coming jazz bands and enjoy Swiss
Free, every July
Irish Redhead Convention, County Cork
A friendly gathering for all red-haired people is held in the small seaside village of Crosshaven where redheads from all over the world take part in light hearted events. There’s live music, art exhibitions, lectures and of course the traditional Parade of Redheads through the village led by the newly crowned Redhead King and Queen.
Free, Every August
1. Jennifer, a girl with red hair, may be interested in ________.| A．Estival. | B．Quest festival. |
| C．Festa deirtlva e del Vino. | D．Irish Redhead Convention. |
| A．They offer local food. |
| B．They have fireworks. |
| C．They are free of charge. |
| D．They have music activities. |
| A．In a textbook. |
| B．In a magazine. |
| C．In a news report. |
| D．In a research paper. |
9 . Perfumes, soaps, and other products often contain special smells called fragrances. Fragrances are often not natural smells, but they're meant to be pleasant. Fragrances can strongly affect those who smell them. Though some people are sensitive to the smells, hoping the smells will be ridded some day, creating and selling fragrances brings in about ＄48 billion every year across the globe, causing some companies to take advantage of computers and other high-tech methods to help them. Many universities specially have the major for creating fragrances, which many students are eager to take.
IBM is a computer company whose Artificial Intelligence (AI) system for fragrances is called Philyra that can't actually smell, but can use lots of different information to find and act on new patterns. The information Philyra needs comes from a German company Symrise. Symrise has derailed information on all kinds of materials used to make perfumes. It also has about 1.7 million different formulas—special recipes for making fragrances, and it is also able to give Philyra information about what kinds of smells people like. For example, the kinds of smells most liked by men, women, or people in different age groups or in different countries.
O Boticario, Brazil's second-largest beauty store, asked IBM to come up with two new perfumes that millennials(千禧二代) would like. So Philyra began creating new formulas based on patterns it spotted in the information about different materials, different formulas and the kinds of fragrances people like. Philyra came up with many formulas very quickly. The master perfumer David Apel worked with the AI, and he said that the way Philyra combined different spices(香料) with milk and butter was something that he would never have thought of doing. When O Boticario tried out the new perfumes on groups of millennials, they were very popular. They even beat out some famous perfumes. The new special perfumes will go on sale soon this year.
1. What do we know about creating and selling fragrances from paragraph 1?| A．It's being done by computers. |
| B．It's a big business in the world. |
| C．It's been directed by AI system. |
| D．It will disappear sooner or later. |
| A．Making fragrances for IBM. |
| B．Offering fragrance information. |
| C．Using AI to create various smells. |
| D．Developing AI system for fragrances. |
| A．Unnoticed fragrances. |
| B．Expert favored. |
| C．Personal smells. |
| D．AI-created. |
| A．Entertainment. |
| B．Health. |
| C．Education. |
| D．Technology. |
10 . Whether you are crazy about cycling or not, when it comes to purchasing a bike, the choice is endless, making it tough to know what to go for. Here are the best buys on the market right now.
Boardman CX Comp
This is a cross country bike, and it’s so multi-functional that you can handle any terrain(地势) on it, making it a great choice for those wanting to try various cycling subjects. If you leave on the thick tires it comes with, it can ride on various paths and can even handle some less demanding mountain bike routes. Alternatively, put on thin, smooth tires and treat it as a road bike. It has a basket and conics with Shimano Sora gears(变速器), which are outstanding for its price.(£650, IIalfords)
Planet XRT-58 V2
Planet X is based in Yorkshire, which means you’d probably have to buy this bike without seeing it. But it’s worth it, because this is an excellent machine at a lower price. Planet X is a highly rated manufacturer and this model comes with Shimano Sora gearing.(£585, Planet X)
Specialized Allez E5
Specialized is one of the biggest and most popular brands in cycling, and this is its hugely popular primary road bike. It comes with solid components from front to back and you'll look great out on the road. (£ 75, Evans Cycles)
Boardman Road Team Carbon
If you can push your budget(预算) further still, this bike is worth the extra investment. The frame(框架) is made entirely from carbon, which is lighter, faster and more comfortable than the composition metal(复合金属) models above and gives you an all-round and more enjoyable ride. It also means that if you get really serious about cycling, you don’t have to upgrade as quickly as you would with a cheaper bike. Besides, it also comes with Shimano Sora gearing.(£800, Halfords)
1. What is special about Boardman CX Comp?| A．Its light form. | B．Its firm tires. | C．Its various functions. | D．Its reasonable price. |
| A．Planet XRT-58 V2 |
| B．Specialized Allez E5 |
| C．Boardman CX Comp |
| D．Boardman Road Team Carbon |
| A．Planet XRT-58 V2 has been sold out so far. |
| B．Boardman CX Comp is just a mountain bike. |
| C．Specialized Allez E5 is designed for senior cyclists. |
| D．Boardman CX Comp Team Carbon is made by a special material. |
| A．Travel. | B．Advertisement. | C．Health. | D．Culture. |
