2 . 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.

2. Why are Chinese people forgetting how to write the characters?

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.

3. .According to Shen Bin, being able to write characters by hand is_________.

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

4. Where does this text probably come from?

A．A news report.	B．A science report.
C．An advertisement.	D．Children’s literature.

3 . Next-generation fitness equipment and robots help you cook dinner. Those are a few of the countless new products expected to be shown next week at CES, the annual tech conference that typically sets the tone for the biggest trends of the year. Home automation, health and 5G will once again be hot topics, but many companies will also introduce pandemic-specific features to reflect our increased time at home.

Each year, reporters, exhibitors and investors typically explore Las Vegas showrooms filled with giant TVs, smart cars and robots, but CES will be online only for the first time in its 54-year history due to Covid-19.

The Consumer Technology Association, the nonprofit behind the four-day event starting Monday, said 1,800 exhibitors from around the world will fill its "digital venue" this year—a number that's down significantly from 4,000 in-person exhibitors last year. The move will allow tech companies from countries which have never attended before to take part in the online exhibition, but could also make it harder for smaller companies to get noticed without a physical showroom.

Registered attendees will be able to stream and re-watch keynotes from companies such as Verizon (VZ) and General Motors (GM), tune in to breakout sessions — about how, for example, technology is playing a role in vaccine deployment—and search through a registry of exhibitors to watch new product presentations.

It'll lack some of the signature ingredients of the trade show, such as hands-on time with the latest small machines and networking. But the technology that makes our lives more connected and convenient will still gain popularity.

1. What are the new products mainly connected with?

A．People’s daily life.	B．Everyday busy work.
C．The popularity of 5G.	D．Countless housework.

2. What do we know about the tech conference?

A．It takes place every two years.	B．It attracts fewer exhibitors this year.
C．It is held mainly on the Internet.	D．It prohibits small companies to attend.

3. What’s the author’s attitude towards the move?

A．Supportive.

B．Disappointed.

C．Doubtful.

D．Casual.

4. Where are the text possibly from?

A．A brochure.

B．A textbook.

C．A newspaper.

D．A guidebook.

4 . People around the world are finding different ways to reduce stress during the coronavirus (冠状病毒) pandemic. Some have tried running, gardening, doing puzzles, cooking — but what about screaming (尖叫)?

Promote Iceland, which encourages tourism to the country, is encouraging people to scream to reduce depression. And even if you can’t travel to Iceland to do it, you can scream into your device and your voice will be broadcast throughout the empty Icelandic countryside.

An advertisement of the campaign shows yellow loudspeakers playing the screams of people from around the globe in front of peaceful scenery like glaciers, caves and waterfalls. A button at the top of the site invites users to join in with the phrase, “Tap to scream.”

“You’ve been through a lot this year and it looks like you need the perfect place to let your frustrations out,” Promote Iceland says. “Record your scream and we’ll release it in Iceland’s beautiful, wide-open spaces. You’ll feel better, we promise.”

According to a news release, the speakers are located at seven locations across Iceland. People who participate receive a video of their scream as it's broadcast from one of the stunning locations.

“Prolonged indoor living, loneliness, endless teleconferencing (视频会议), as well as restrictions (限制) on travel between countries, have increased people’s stress,” Promote Iceland says.

Zoe Aston, a mental health consultant, even offered screaming tips to people looking to participate. Some of her advice includes choosing what type of scream to use — volume, words or breath.

The campaign is light-hearted, but Promote Iceland still wants users to take mental health struggles during the pandemic seriously.

“This is a starting point,” Aston said. “If you need mental health support, it is necessary for you to seek for professional help.”

Some professional suggestions are put forward, and there are netizens’ views on the activity in the forum below.

1. What is the purpose of the campaign of Promote Iceland?

A．To encourage tourism to the country

B．To encourage people to scream to reduce depression

C．To call on people to donate to Iceland

D．To advise people to protect the environment in Iceland

2. Which is NOT true about the campaign of Promote Iceland?

A．Participants use the button at the top of the site to “tap to scream”.

B．Participants scream into the device and their voice will be broadcast.

C．Loudspeakers play the screams of people in peaceful scenery.

D．Participants send a video of their scream and it’s broadcast.

3. Why is Zoe Aston mentioned in the passage?

A．She is the organizer of the campaign.

B．She is not in favor of the campaign.

C．She gives some screaming tips and attaches importance to mental health help.

D．She thinks the coronavirus pandemic has increased people’s stress.

4. Where is the passage likely from?

A．A medical journal

B．A website

C．A research report

D．A travel guide

5 . Broken Hill was recently awarded one of Australia’s rare National Heritage (遗产) listings, but is that reason enough to make the journey?

Broken Hill, in western New South Wales, is hardly up there as a place of interest of international reputation(名声). It’s miles from anywhere, boiling hot and lacks the more attractive elements that often make a place popular---for example, beautiful beaches, great accommodation(膳宿). But Broken Hill’s reputation is growing with its recent National Heritage Listing award.

We asked Broken Hill mayor to tell us what makes Broken Hill so great. These are some reasons he gave us to visit :

Perfect light

Broken Hill offers breathtaking scenery to discover and explore. The lively colours and perfect light have attracted film-makers and artists here for decades. From the wonders of the day comes an amazing light show at night.

The locals

We are always happy to greet people from “away”. In fact we love it when people come to town to visit. We are a friendly people who make you feel welcome. And we are pretty proud of our city.

The Palace Hotel

The home of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and just a great Broken Hill iconic(标志性的) pub. You can star in your own movie in the centre of town. It is a world-famous landmark and a good water hole for those nice warm days.

The living desert and sculptures

Located 9 km from the city, Broken Hill features 12 sandstone sculptures by artists from around the world as well as local artist Badger Bates. It displays the breathtaking beauty of the real outback (内地).

1. What is the real purpose of writing this passage?

A．To encourage readers to pay a visit to Broken Hill.

B．To explain the causes of awarding Broken Hill.

C．To list the reasons for Broken Hill’s greatness.

D．To express the author’s pride for Broken Hill’s award.

2. Which of the following factor is making Broken Hill better known to the world?

A．Its friendly local people.	B．Its Palace Hotel.
C．Its National Heritage Listing Award.	D．Its sandstone sculptures.

3. Which of the following topics of Broken Hill are mentioned in the passage?

A．Traditional food and friendly locals	B．Pleasant climate and perfect light
C．Beautiful beaches and lively sculptures	D．Splendid Hotel and friendly locals

4. In which section of a magazine can you read such an article?

A．World news

B．Fashion show

C．Art

D．Travel

6 . Shuikou village, in East China's Zhejiang province, is home to 10,000 residents, and about 30 percent of them are engaged in the homestay business. The village has developed into one of the major rural tourism destinations in the Yangtze River Delta(三角洲)region over the years.

As cross-provincial tourism has resumed nationwide, locals in Shuikou are back in business and looking forward to a full recovery of the local tourism industry.

Homestay owner Zheng Yunfang has been busy answering customers' calls, taking down their information, while checking the booking status of her hostelry(旅馆)since early August. "Our 18 guest rooms were fully booked over the past few weeks, and we've received bookings up to November," says Zheng, who runs Ziming Mountain Villa(别墅)in Shuikou. Most of her guests have been to her place before, and they often bring in new guests during their visits. "By the look of things, business shouldn't be a problem in the second half of the year."

Just walking distance away from Zheng's villa, another local homestay owner, Song Chaofeng, has begun receiving visitors as well. He is starting to harvest the reward of an earlier promotion of his homestay on the short-video app Douyin, also known as TikTok.

As an experiment, Song made a video featuring local food and landscapes earlier this year and uploaded it online after a bit of simple editing. "It was a total surprise that several thousand people watched it the next day."

Tourist Qi Jia, from Shanghai, recently visited Song's place with her family after flipping(翻转)through Song's Douyin account. "My child loves playing table tennis here, and my parents love the distinctive rural-style breakfast; with fresh and nutritious food that is picked right from the field. It feels right to come here.

At the moment, Song says he will focus on maintaining the quality of his homestay operations and updating his fans online on the latest developments. "Hopefully, they can all come. here and experience what we have to offer."

1. What is the author's purpose in writing the passage?

A．To show us the homestay tourism recovery.

B．To tell guests how to book homestay guest rooms.

C．To know about Shuikou village in Zhejiang province.

D．To introduce the successful homestay examples.

2. This passage is most likely to be taken from          .

A．a science magazine.	B．a travel website
C．a history book	D．a daily newspaper

3. Which word best describes Song Chaofeng's short-video promotion?

A．Complex.	B．Uneasy.
C．Rewarding.	D．Ordinary.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．No place like homestay as rural approach pays off

B．Douyin: The basic method of homestay operations

C．Two great successes in homestay business

D．Shuikou: The major rural tourism destination

7 . It is in human nature to explore new things. To that end, many countries have been exploring space for many decades, particularly the US, Russia, and countries in Europe.

President Xi Jinping praised the success of the Chang’e 5 mission (使命) in bringing back the country’s first samples (样本) collected from the moon. The whole country is proud of this breakthrough. The Chang’e 5 mission has achieved many significant breakthroughs, including China’s first lunar (月球的) surface sampling, first liftoff from the moon and the first spacecraft with the ability to gather and meet in lunar orbit with samples to re-enter the Earth s atmosphere.

The success of the Chang’e 5 mission marks a conclusion of China’s current lunar exploration project. The successful re-entry and landing of the Chang’e 5 capsule (太空舱) have enabled China to obtain its first lunar samples, marking a new start for lunar and planetary research. With this achievement, China sets a new milestone in space exploration.

No matter how far China goes into space, it always stays true to its original mission-uncovering the secrets of the universe and contributing to human’s peaceful use of space. China is a peace-loving country and will use its achievements for promoting peace around the globe.

China views these efforts as part of the world’s lunar exploration. It chose a different landing site and is promising to share its samples to enrich the planet’s knowledge. Some foreign scientists have shown particular interest. The exploration is not for commercial purposes, but international scientific research. Human beings shall explore the moon together, as it will finally need large projects requiring international cooperation. China will play a leadership role in the international scientific community.

1. What made Chinese people feel proud according to the passage?

A．Landing on the moon successfully.	B．Gaining admission to exploring the moon.
C．Strengthening the ability to promote the peace.	D．Bringing back first samples collected from the moon.

2. Which of the following can best describe the Chang’e 5 mission?

A．Horrible but romantic.	B．Fearful but successful.
C．Challenging but rewarding.	D．Dangerous but peaceful.

3. What is the text mainly about?

A．The original mission remains unchanged.	B．Countries join together to explore the moon.
C．China takes pride in the achievements in space.	D．China sets a new milestone in space exploration.

4. Where is this text most likely from?

A．A poster.

B．A leaflet.

C．A newspaper.

D．A guidebook.

8 . 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.

2. What does the underlined word “this” in paragraph 4 refer to?

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.

3. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

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.

4. In which section of a website can we read this text?

A．Technology.

B．Economy.

C．Lifestyle.

D．Environment.

9 . 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.

2. What does the underlined word "pushback" probably mean?

A．Inactive response.	B．Generous reward.
C．Bitter suffering.	D．Beneficial guidance.

3. What is a bonus of the zero waste project?

A．Reducing waste.	B．Creating community.
C．Increasing people's income.	D．Developing a new technology.

4. Which part of a newspaper is this text most likely from?

A．Technology.

B．Health.

C．Workplace.

D．Lifestyle.

10 . If you don't use it, you lose it. At least, that's how the old saying goes. It refers to the idea that something which does not get used regularly quickly falls into a state of decline. Muscles, for example, will waste away without use. In order to resist this, people take regular exercise to keep their skills sharp.

Well, what about the brain? As we age, our brains can naturally begin to decline. In some cases, this can lead to certain mental conditions such as dementia(痴呆)，which I'm sure you will agree, no one wants. However, all is not lost because these days it's relatively easy to train your brain. Smart phones and apps have put programmes into our hands that can test, maintain and even improve our memories, mathematical skills and a lot of other mental abilities. With a little practice every day, we can keep our brains nice and sharp, right?

Well, no, actually. According to a report from the Global Council on Brain Health, even though many people thought it was important to play online games, such as puzzles and mind games, which are designed to improve brain health, the evidence of the benefits was “weak to non-existent”.

There are other ways to promote the old grey matter. It recommends seeking out new activities that challenge the way you think and are socially engaging，while leading to a healthy lifestyle. Among their suggestions are practising tai chi, taking photography classes, learning new technologies, gardening, art projects or volunteering.

There's more good news, too, James Goodwin, chief scientist at Age UK has said that brain decline is not inevitable (不可避免的）. As long as the activities are “new to you and require your concentrated attention”, they can provide benefits for brain health. So, hurry up, get out there and try something new. Maybe it's time to try that hobby you've always wanted to do. And as for me? I'm off to learn the piano.

1. From which is the text probably taken?

A．A biology textbook.	B．A healthy magazine.
C．A travel brochure.	D．A research paper.

2. Which has the closest meaning of the underlined words “socially engaging”？

A．Making more shopping.	B．Avoid brain decline.
C．Doing exercises alone.	D．Going out with friends.

3. Which of the following can better keep your brain healthy according to the author?

A．Trying something new.	B．Using smart phone regularly.
C．Playing games online.	D．Doing what you are good at.

4. What does the passage mainly tell us?

A．Advantages of trying something new.

B．Disadvantages of using smart phones.

C．Ways to keep our brain as sharp as possible.

D．How to spend time meaningfully at an old age.