1 . The River Thames has some of the highest recorded levels of microplastics for any river in the world.
Scientists have estimated that 94,000 microplastics per second flow down the river in places. The quantity is larger than that measured in other European rivers, such as the Danube and Rhine. Tiny bits of plastic have been found inside the bodies of crabs living in the Thames.
Researchers at Royal Holloway, University of London, are calling for stricter regulations on the labelling and disposal of plastic products. They warn that careless disposal of plastic gloves and masks during the coronavirus pandemic might make the problem of plastic pollution worse.
“Taken together, these studies show how many different types of plastic, from microplastics in the water through to larger items of debris physically altering the foreshore, can potentially affect a wide range of organisms in the River Thames,” said Prof Dave Morritt from Royal Holloway, “The increased use of single- use plastic items, and the inappropriate disposal of such items, including masks and gloves, along with plastic- containing cleaning products, during the current COVID-19 pandemic, may well make this problem even worse.”
Many forms of microplastics were found in the Thames, including glitter, microbeads from cosmetics and plastic debris from larger items. Most of the microplastics came from the break-down of large plastics, with food packaging thought to be a significant source. “Flushable” wet wipes were found in high abundance on the shoreline forming “wet wipe reefs”.
Study researcher, Katherine McCoy, said, “Our study shows that stricter regulations are needed for the labelling and disposal of these products. There is great range to further research the impacts of microplastics and indeed microfibres on Thames organisms.”
1. What did the researchers mainly suggest?| A．Stricter regulations should be made. | B．People shouldn't eat crabs for a while. |
| C．People should cut the use of plastic gloves | D．Plastic masks shouldn't be thrown away carelessly. |
| A．Wet wipes. | B．Food packaging. |
| C．Cleaning products. | D．Single-use plastic masks. |
| A．Wildlife Being Threatened by Microplastics. | B．Forms of Microplastics Found in the Thames. |
| C．River Thames Severely Polluted with Plastic. | D．Inappropriate Disposal of Single-use Plastics. |
| A．Science. | B．Environment. | C．Health. | D．Education. |
2 . In the 1994 film Forrest Gump, there's a famous saying, "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get. The surprise is part of the fun. Now blind box toys（盲盒)are bringing the magic of surprise to online shopping.
A blind box toy is hidden inside similar boxes but invisible from the outside. You don't know what will be inside, although the toys typically come from pop culture, ranging from movies to comics and cartoons.
Blind boxes have become popular since they were first introduced from Japan to China in 2014. According to a 2019 Tmall report, the mini-series of Labubu blind box designed by Hong Kong-born Kasing Lung, was named Champion of Unit Sales with 55, 000 sold in just 9 seconds during the Singles Day shopping event. Most customers for blind boxes are young people aged 18 to 35.
According to The Paper, blind box toys are popular in part because of their cute appearances. The typically cute cartoon figures(人物)come in small sizes, making them suitable for display almost anywhere.
Even if blind boxes are not their top choice for decorations, the mystery and uncertainty of the process also attracts people. It's the main reason why people buy blind boxes one after another.
"Expecting the unknown is always a part of the box-opening process," said Miss Cao, 24, who lives and works in Shenyang. Speaking to Sina News, she said: "Until you open all the boxes, you cannot know what it is inside."
Opening a blind box is a delightful little surprise for our mundane daily lives, something small but fun to wait for each day, week or month. When people open this simple little box, they may be disappointed, but the uncertainty is part of the fun. People will open more blind boxes and hope for a better outcome.
When someone re-makes Forrest Gump, don't be surprised if he says, "Life is like a blind box."
1. What do we know about blind boxes?| A．They may bring surprise to our life. | B．They are visible from the outside. |
| C．They are popular among all ages. | D．They were first designed in 2014. |
| A．Because blind boxes are fashionable gifts. |
| B．Because blind boxes are educational gifts. |
| C．Because people enjoy box-opening process. |
| D．Because people prefer the colorful boxes. |
| A．Wonderful | B．Interesting | C．Amazing. | D．Boring. |
| A．A diary. | B．A magazine. | C．A novel. | D．A guidebook. |
3 . Applications for GoCamp online volunteers are now open
GoCamp is employing English speakers to volunteer to teach English online this summer.
What will I be doing?
Volunteers will teach Ukrainian school students English.
You will:
● receive free webinars（网络研讨会）and teaching materials.
● get special training on how to work with children.
● work with teachers to encourage English-language learning.
● inspire children to discover the entire world by sharing your culture, thoughts and values with them.
Am I qualified?
● You must be at least 18 years of age. There is no upper age restriction.
● You are required to have a middle — and — up level of English.
● You are expected to be active, loving and responsible to engage children in activities you enjoy and share and give them a memorable experience.
How do I apply?
Instructions on how to apply are available on GoCamp. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. If GoCamp determines that you are a good match for the programme, the next step will be a Skype interview.
How do I get in touch?
For contact details, please email us gocamp8899@hotmail.com.
1. What do we know about GoCamp?| A．It's a language course. | B．It's a guidebook. |
| C．It's an agreement. | D．It's a website. |
| A．A Spanish-speaking adult. | B．An English-speaking adult. |
| C．A computer programmer. | D．A 17-year-old Chinese student. |
| A．Take language exams. | B．Online English Learning. |
| C．Study and work abroad. | D．Education, art and society. |
4 . In your spare time, what do you usually do? Many people choose to be couch potatoes, but not Luo Han, a 9-year-old from Changsha, Hunan. Luo Han completes at least two hours of outdoor activities every day and has raised a wave of discussion online. Although he is in primary school, he has already mastered sports like kayaking and paddling. His talent for outdoor sports is due to his father Luo Ge, who actively encourages him to enjoy nature, rather than focus only on his learning. After noticing that Luo Han did not go out for enough exercise after school, his father took him to do outdoor activities every day. Many applauded them.
“Exercise can ease brain fog and improve memory. Many students feel stressed about school work, so outdoor activities can help us keep our moods uplifted and improve our learning efficiency (效率),” said Liu Yu, 18, a university freshman.
Wang Tao, a parent of a 16-year-old, showed her support for the father. “It’s more than a way to relax. It’s a training of willpower (意志力),” she said. Her son He Xin, from Hefei Thomas School, Anhui, is a fan of outdoor sports. Although facing increasing pressure in his studies, he has joined the school’s athletic programs.
However, some have also expressed their concerns. “Two hours isn’t too much for a 9-year-old, but it might be difficult for high school students to guarantee (保证) this block of time when school becomes more demanding,” said Huang Xi, 16, from Liyang High School of Jiangsu Province.
Ms. Zhu, who has a daughter in middle school, also agreed that two hours is too much for most parents, especially on weekdays. “When I am off from work, I need to do housework. After my daughter finishes her homework, she prefers to watch TV. Neither of us would think of going outside for exercise,” Zhu said.
Other parents are concerned about the safety of outdoor activities. Zhang Zhijin has a son in high school. “Sometimes, teenagers can do crazy and risky things. We worry about accidents,” Zhang said.
1. In what way did the author begin the article?| A．By doing research. | B．By giving the data. |
| C．By making comparisons. | D．By giving background information. |
| A．parents are concerned about their children's safety |
| B．it can’t help children to improve the learning efficiency |
| C．parents are too busy to accompany their children to exercise |
| D．senior high school students haven’t enough time to exercise outdoors |
| A．unknown | B．positive | C．negative | D．indifferent |
| A．Education. | B．Health. | C．Tourism. | D．Entertainment. |
5 . Do you think it enough to have eight hours of sleep per might? Napoleon didn't agree with it. His saying went something like this: "Six hours for a man, seven for a woman and eight for a fool." But Napoleon's words weren't right, either. The ideal amount of sleep is different for everyone and depends on many factors, including age and genetic makeup.
In the past 10 years, my research team has surveyed sleep behavior in more than 150,000 people. About 11 percent slept six hours or less, while only 27 percent clocked eight hours or more. Most people fell in between. Women tended to sleep longer than men, but only by 14 minutes. Bigger differences are seen when comparing various age groups. Ten-year-olds needed about nine hours of sleep, while adults older than 30, including senior citizens, averaged about seven hours. We recently-found the first gene related to sleep length—if you have one kind of this gene, you need more sleep than if you have another.
Although it's common to hear warnings about .getting too much sleep—and 80 percent of the world uses an alarm clock to wake up on workdays—it's not difficult to figure out how much sleep we need. We sometimes overeat, but we generally cannot oversleep. When we wake up naturally, feeling comfortable, we have slept enough. In our modern society, we sleep about two hours less per night than 50 years ago. This sleep deprivation greatly decreases our work performance and harms our health and memory.
1. What main point does the writer try to make in Paragraph 1?| A．Napoleon has his own sense of sleep time. |
| B．The quality of sleep time is more important. |
| C．Having 8 hours of sleep per night is common sense. |
| D．Different people needs different amount of sleep time. |
| A．Women sleep much more than men. | B．The older one is, the longer one sleeps. |
| C．Most people sleep between 6-and 8 hours. | D．The sleep time is decided by gene. |
| A．Too much sleep. | B．A light sleep. | C．No enough sleep. | D．A deep sleep. |
| A．A guidebook. | B．A school report. | C．A novel. | D．A scientific research. |
6 . Most people would say they are familiar with dogs. As companions and working animals, they have coexisted with humankind for thousands of years. But there are some weird dog facts that can surprise even the biggest dog lovers.
To begin with, every dog owner will say that their dog is entirely one of a kind. What they may not realize is that their dog can be identified by a total stranger, and it’s “as plain as the nose on their face.” (It’s actually the nose on their face.) As it turns out, each dog’s nose print is as unique as a human’s fingerprint, and it can be used to positively identify a dog in the same way. In some areas, a dog’s nose print can be used to reunite it with its human family if that dog gets lost or separated from its owners. In China, the AI company Megvii allows users to photograph their dogs’ noses and upload those pictures to an online database of nose prints that vets can check against a database of lost dogs.
Dogs and their habits have even helped humans in unexpected ways. For example, the way dogs shake off water is an incredibly efficient way of removing water from their fur. In long-haired breeds(品种), the movement can cause hairs to accelerate nearly as fast as a whip cracking(鞭笞). A dog can shake off up to 70% of the water on its body in just four seconds. The method is so effective that it has been studied by washing machine manufacturers to form better ways to dry clothes.
The most interesting feature of dogs is probably how much they love us. There’s science behind that, too, but it might be better to leave it a wonderful mystery.
1. What does the underlined part “as plain as the nose on their face” in the second paragraph most likely mean?| A．Obvious. | B．Sensitive. | C．Unusual. | D．Cute. |
| A．It discovered the uniqueness of dogs’ nose prints. |
| B．It has made a database of nose prints to track lost dogs. |
| C．It found that nose prints have a relationship to dogs’ health. |
| D．It proved that artificial intelligence can’t recognize dogs’ nose prints. |
| A．Dogs are often afraid of washing machines. |
| B．Dogs inspired the invention of the washing machine. |
| C．It’s effective to use washing machines to properly clean dogs’ clothes. |
| D．Improvements of washing machines are linked to how dogs shake off water. |
| A．In a science textbook. |
| B．In a technology magazine. |
| C．In an electrical appliance catalogue. |
| D．In a newspaper section about household pets. |
7 . The Chinese government has issued (发布) new rules aimed at controlling young people’s addiction to video games. Senior officials believe that this problem is the reason why more and more young people in the whole society are suffering from myopia (近视) and poor learning.
The National Press and Publication Administration announced on Tuesday that the rules don’t allow users under the age of 18 to play between 10 pm and 8 am, no more than 90 minutes on non-holidays, and no more than 3 hours on weekends and other holidays.
These restrictions (限制) are the latest in the government’s attempt to control the Chinese online gaming industry. It is the world’s largest market with annual incomes of more than $33 billion and attracts hundreds of millions of users.
Under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, Chinese officials have taken stronger measures to watch over large technology companies and promote them to help spread the cultural values advocated (提倡) by the Communist Party of China.
Video games have become a universal goal. The official media likened some games to “poisons” and banned (禁止) some games on the grounds of their being too violent.
Xi Jinping publicly talked about the problem of poor eyesight in children last year, putting more pressure on officials to take action.
According to the National Press and Publication Administration, minors (未成年人) must use real names and ID numbers when they log into the game. These rules also limit the amount of money that young people can use to buy virtual items such as weapons, clothing, and pets through the app. Depending on the age, users can spend 200 to 400 on them at the most per month.
Chinese officials said that these regulations are aimed at fighting against Internet addiction.
“These issues affect the physical and mental health and normal learning life of minors,” the National Press and Publication Administration said in a statement issued by the official news agency Xinhua.
1. What led to the Chinese Government’s issuing the new rules?| A．Minors addicting to video games. | B．Government’s lack of money. |
| C．Young people dropping out of school. | D．Poor learning situation in China. |
| A．Playing the video games from 7 am to 9 am on Saturday. |
| B．Playing the video games from 7 pm to 9 pm on Tuesday. |
| C．Playing the video games from 3 pm to 4 pm on Sunday. |
| D．Playing the video games at 11 pm during the Spring Festival. |
| A．because of | B．in addition to | C．in need of | D．except for |
| A．A guidebook | B．A newspaper | C．A novel | D．A website |
8 . Do you like running enough to make it a habit? Tierney Wolfgram does; she has made running a lifelong career and isn't stopping.
In February, the 16-year-old from a high school, US, competed at the 2020 US Olympic Trials. She finished the marathon(42.195 km)with a time of 2:42:47 as the youngest competitor in the race and ranked 76th out of 390 runners. However, the cross-country(越野的)season was postponed to winter because of the COVID-19. So she jumped at the opportunity to train for another race-the Parkway Marathon in California. In November, Wolfgram broke the Women's American Junior marathon record with her time of 2:31:49. The old record was 2:34:32, which had stood since 1984.
“I'm completely stunned, ”said Wolfgram's coach. “I knew she was going to break it, but she really showed out！”
During the run, Wolfgram once hit a wall pretty hard, but she overcame it to finish. “I guess I can say I gave it my all, ”she told Runner's World. “When I finished, all I was thinking was I felt super happy,” Wolfgram said This was only her third marathon. In 2018, when Wolfgram was 15 years old, she ran her first marathon just because she wanted to see if she had the ability to do it. “I believed that I would get faster as the distances got longer. . . I'm still glad that I did it. ”
When preparing for that first marathon, she ran up to 120 miles per week. Although her parents didn't have any background in running, they helped Wolfgram train. At first, her dad would take her out in the morning and run about 13 miles. The distance would gradually increase each day. On top of her runs in the morning, she would do cross-country practice after school.
Now Wolfgram will consider attending the Olympics Games in 2024 after it's scheduled.
1. What can we learn about Wolfgram from Paragraph 2?| A．She was the champion at the 2020 US Olympic Trials. |
| B．She put off the cross-country season for the COVID-19. |
| C．She broke an Olympic marathon record in November. |
| D．She prepared for the Parkway Marathon in California. |
| A．Doubtful | B．Worried. | C．Shocked. | D．Interested |
| A．Her parents' encouragement. | B．Her desire to prove she could do it. |
| C．Her coach's support and help. | D．Her hope to break the national record |
| A．Sports. | B．Lifestyle | C．Culture. | D．Opinion |
9 . Your future in the performing arts doesn't have to be a dream. For over 50 years, AMDA has launched some of the most successful careers in theatre, film and television, AMDA creates industry professionals who don't just wait for life to happen-they stage their own career path. Now it's your turn.
Program description
At AMDA,we believe a performer must perform. From the first day, you'll find many performance opportunities in the three core areas of acting, musical theatre and dance, both in and out of the class-room ,as well as individual voice lessons. Over the course of your four semesters, you'll also improve your performance technique through an intensive curriculum (课程) that focuses on both basic and advanced concepts in acting, musical theatre and dance. Finally, through courses in career preparation, you'll learn how to apply all of this training to a successful career on stage and screen.
Philosophy and mission
AMDA is committed to providing a splendid performing arts education to a diverse community of creative artists, AMDA serves as both school and stage, where students are given the support and opportunity to identify their own personal objectives and to develop and improve their own distinctive artistic voices. AMDA tries to create an environment for students to develop the skills, confidence, imagination, and power to contribute to their community as artists, business people, lifelong learners, and hard-working citizens of the world. Above all,，AMDA wants to teach students that commitment and passion are the marks of a successful and joyous career.
Registration
6305 Yucca Street Los Angeles
800 -367 -7908
https： //www. amda. edu. com
1. What is the first paragraph meant to do?
| A．To attract the reader's attention. |
| B．To show AMDA’s great achievements. |
| C．To show the long history of AMDA. |
| D．To make a brief introduction about AMDA. |
| A．acting | B．dancing |
| C．playing a new instrument | D．improving their voice |
| A．a travel magazine | B．a university website |
| C．a theatre’s notice | D．an advertisement |
10 . Asthma (哮喘) and allergy (过敏) attacks have increased in the United States, despite the fact that our outdoor air quality has improved. Some researchers think these problems have increased because kids are spending too much time indoors.
When outdoors, we are exposed to different kinds of pollen (花粉) and dust. But when indoors, we are also exposed to allergens (过敏源) . Allergens cause allergies and most people know that allergens can make you sneeze, have runny eyes, and other cold-like symptoms (症状). But allergens can also lead to asthma attacks, which are more serious. Asthma symptoms include coughing, shortness of breath, especially during exercise and tightness in the chest. Allergic asthma affects about three million children (8 to 12 percent of all children) and seven million adults in the United States each year!
You can get rid of the allergens from your environment! Most children with asthma are allergic to something, so staying away from the allergen should help control the asthma. If you have asthma or allergies, stay away from animals, remove the teddy bears, rugs and curtains in rooms that you spend a lot of time in. Removal of dusty things can help you breathe more easily. If it's trees and pollen that affect you, air conditioning and air filters(空气过滤器) should help.
And research helps, too! Children whose parents, brothers or sisters have asthma are more likely to develop it themselves. But even though our genes do play some part in whether or not we'll have asthma, researchers hope to make the most progress in fighting the disease by looking at the environmental aspect (方面) of asthma. The hope is that if kids are exposed to fewer allergens early in life, they'll be less likely to develop allergic responses. Asthma research is performed at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases(NIAID).
1. What makes asthma and allergy attacks increase in the United States?| A．Poor outdoor air quality. | B．Not enough outdoor time. |
| C．Too much pollen and dust. | D．The decrease of people's physical condition. |
| A．Allergens in home environment can affect our health. |
| B．The number of allergens in the average home has decreased. |
| C．Asthma symptoms are the same as those of the common cold. |
| D．Allergens from outdoors are more dangerous than those in our homes. |
| A．Allergies are more serious than asthma. |
| B．People do not get asthma when they are outdoors. |
| C．We should stay away from allergens to help control asthma. |
| D．Children whose parents have asthma are certain to develop it. |
| A．In a storybook. | B．In a news report. |
| C．In a travel guide. | D．In a health magazine. |
