1 . Answering the Community Needs of Our City
The Siver City Council recognizes that citizens have certain needs. To better meet your needs, we have made several changes to community facilities in 2020. The followings shows how we have tried to make your life better.
Transport
☆Three stations for the suburbs have been added to the western train service.
☆20 new buses for the southern line were purchased in January.
☆50 per cent of city bus-stops have been upgraded.
Communication
☆Broadband cableis now available to ll parts of the city.
☆All of the new Government buildings are smart-wired for better computer service!
Medical Facilities
☆The new state-of-the-art Nightingale Hospital was opened in June.
☆To overcome a shortage of trained medical staff at Dover Hospital, 10 doctors have been employed from overseas.
☆Some facilities at Station Street Hospital have been upgraded.
Education
☆Textbooks will be free to all primary students in 2020!
☆Rental for private schools has been reduced.
Protection and Security
☆Extra police now patrol(巡逻)the tourist areas.
☆50 new police officers graduated in July and have taken up duties in the city area.
Entertainment/Recreation
☆The new Central Community Building opened in May.
☆5,000 new fiction books were bought for the Silver City Library.
1. What’s the notice mainly about?| A．The work carried out by the people of Silver City. |
| B．The facilities available in Silver City. |
| C．Some improvements in Silver City. |
| D．Information for interested tourists. |
| A．Travel books are provided in the new library. |
| B．More bus lines and stops are bought in Silver City. |
| C．Free medical treatment is available at Station Street Hospital. |
| D．There are more police officers on duty now. |
| A．the community | B．the local government |
| C．the Silver City Library | D．a travel agency |
2 . I look around and can't recognize where I am. I see my friends gathered by a stage where music is playing and I run over. As I begin running towards them, they become further and further away. I keep calling for them, but no one hears me. I start hearing a distant alarm-like sound and I am transported away. I woke up in at a loss sitting in my bed. “Oh, it was only a dream,” I said to myself. I have always had vivid and intense dreams.
Today, dreaming is being studied even more than ever. Some say that dreams are how your receptors (受体) make sense of random thoughts while you sleep. Some say that you can't dream of a face you have never seen before, so everyone you see in your dreams you have at least laid eyes on at one time or another.
Other people think dreams are ways of expressing stress or internal feelings you may be experiencing. A lot of people say that they have dreams about being chased (追逐).
A common interpretation of the “being chased” dream is that you are feeling threatened. Some dream interpretation sites say you should try to reflect on what or who is chasing you to get a better idea of what is making you feel this way.
Another dream that is often experienced is flying. This dream has a much more positive interpretation, which is that you are feeling free or have broken out of a bad situation such as a relationship turned sour or a job you hate.
Unfortunately, if you even remember your dreams at all, you forget half of your dream within five minutes of waking up and within 10 minutes, you usually forget 90 percent of it.
Dreamologists who devote time to the study of dreams, suggest if you want to try to remember and study your dreams you should keep a journal beside your bed and jot down what you dreamt as soon as you wake up so you can reflect on it later.
1. Why does dreams of “being chased” occur?| A．You are feeling threatened |
| B．You just quit a job you hate |
| C．Your friends are far away from you when in need |
| D．Your receptors is always thinking while you sleep |
| A．It can help us sleep well without dreams. |
| B．It can help us get out of the intense dreams. |
| C．We usually forget 90 percent of dreams within 10 minutes. |
| D．We need to chase those people who appeared in our dreams. |
| A．A biology textbook. | B．A travel guidebook. |
| C．A physics book. | D．A science newspaper. |
| A．Why am I Always Dreaming | B．How is My Dream Created |
| C．What do My Dreams Mean | D．How to Avoid Dreams |
3 . 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. |
| A．Inactive response. | B．Generous reward. |
| C．Bitter suffering. | D．Beneficial guidance. |
| A．Reducing waste. | B．Creating community. |
| C．Increasing people's income. | D．Developing a new technology. |
| A．Technology. | B．Health. | C．Workplace. | D．Lifestyle. |
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1. Why is it not difficult for people to learn to use ATEM Mini?| A．Because its buttons are put on the front panel. |
| B．Because its USB output looks like a webcam. |
| C．Because four video inputs connect computers. |
| D．Because it allows access to advanced features. |
| A．Create Training and Educational Videos |
| B．Use Professional Video Effects |
| C．Live Stream Training and Conferences |
| D．Keen watch on all Video Inputs |
| A．public service ad | B．short story |
| C．commercial ad | D．news report |
5 . Not all vegetables need lots of sunshine. Mark Hoffman and his wife own a bed-and -breakfast guesthouse in rural Kempton, Illinois. They often serve their guests fresh products from the garden.
The Hoffmans have been growing food and flowers for twenty-five years. For almost ten of those years, Mr. Hoffman has been experimenting and working with shade (阴凉) plantings. He says, “The bottom line here is that most plants will produce more in full sun. But if you do not have full sun, there are other choices.”
For example, he grows tomatoes near oak trees. Oak trees can produce a lot of shade. But Mr. Hoffman says his tomato plants grow as long as they get five hours a day of direct sunshine, especially morning sun. Not only does this go against the traditional advice that tomatoes need six，eight，even twelve hours a day of full sun, it also shows how plants and trees roots can share nutrients and water．Mr. Hoffman also planted asparagus（芦笋）around a tree at its drip line，the area below the outer limit of the branches. So when it rains，all the rain drips down right on the asparagus．Mr. Hoffman says plants with wider leaves seem to do better in shady environments. He also found that his potatoes did better partly in shade than in full sun.
Moving them out of the sun helped control an insect problem. Mr. Hoffman does not use pesticide (农药). Instead, he planted the potatoes in the shade, especially on the east side of the tree. The potatoes get morning sun, but they are shaded during the hottest part of the day. Some insects dislike shade, and the hottest part day is when they do the worst of their damage.
Time of day, sun intensity (强度), shadows from trees, walls and buildings all influence how much sunlight falls on plants. And people interested in shade planting should also remember something else. The term “shade” can describe different amounts of darkness. It can even mean different things in different parts of the world.
1. What’s the author’s purpose of writing the passage?| A．To present a kind of eco-friendly lifestyle. |
| B．To recommend an approach to manage a website |
| C．To show vegetables can be planted in the shade. |
| D．To introduce Mark Hoffman and his family. |
| A．five hours a day | B．Six hours a day |
| C．Eight hours a day | D．Twelve hours a day |
| A．Food and flowers produce more in the shade. |
| B．Food growing in the shade contains more nutrients. |
| C．Sun can affect the production of some plants. |
| D．Food growing in the shade is the best choice for most plants. |
| A．asparagus prefer to grow in the shade. |
| B．how plants and tree roots share water. |
| C．vegetables grow better in partial shade. |
| D．how leaves gain sunshine under the tree. |
| A．environment | B．traveling |
| C．lifestyle | D．agriculture |
6 . We all know that cuckoos (杜鹃) use a mean way to raise their babies. The female cuckoos lay their eggs into other parents’ nests. If the cuckoo chick hatches earlier than other eggs, it will push other eggs onto its back, one by one, and make the eggs fall out.
“It’s amazing,” notes Daniela Canestrari. She’s a biologist who studies animal behavior at the University of Oviedo in Spain. At first, she wasn’t focusing on brood parasitism. She just wanted to learn about crow behavior. But some crow nests had been parasitized by spotted cuckoos. When the cuckoo eggs hatched, the chicks didn’t push crow eggs out of the nest. They grew up alongside crow chicks.
“At a certain point, we noticed something that really puzzled us,” Canestrari says. Nests containing a cuckoo chick seemed more likely to succeed. By that she means that at least one crow chick survived long enough to fly out on its own.
The researchers wondered if the reason had something to do with attackers. Wild cats sometimes attack crow nests, killing all the chicks. Are the cuckoos helpful in defending nests?
So the scientists found crow nests containing a cuckoo chick. Meanwhile, they moved some cuckoos to crow nests that weren’t parasitized. Then the researchers monitored whether the nests succeeded. They also watched nests that had never contained a cuckoo chick.
About 70 percent of crow nests with added cuckoo chicks succeeded. This rate was similar to that of chicks in parasitized nests that kept their cuckoos. But among nests whose cuckoo chicks were removed, only about 30 percent succeeded. And this rate was similar to what was seen in nests that never held a cuckoo.
“The presence of the cuckoo was causing this difference,” Canestrari concluded. Then how did the cuckoos slim down the attackers and protect the crow nests? The researchers found cuckoos produced smelly liquid when they were in danger. The results showed that the attackers all turned up their noses when they were exposed to the liquid-coated meat.
1. What do we know about Daniela Canestrari’s research on the cuckoos?| A．It focused on cuckoos’ behaviors. | B．It brought an unexpected discovery. |
| C．It studied the relationship between animals. | D．It changed her opinions on animal behavior. |
| A．cuckoos can successfully defeat wild cats |
| B．cuckoos lay eggs into other parents’ nests |
| C．nests parasitized by cuckoos are more likely to succeed |
| D．crow chick usually survived longer than cuckoo chick |
| A．By scaring them away. | B．By producing a smelly liquid. |
| C．By making themselves wet. | D．By giving off an unpleasant smell. |
| A．In a travel leaflet. | B．In a biology textbook. |
| C．In an experimental report. | D．In a nature magazine. |
7 . While doing some grocery shopping one day, I realized I had spent close to 30 minutes just in the produce section, meticulously(细致地，一丝不苟地) choosing the best-looking apples, bananas that were ripe but not spotted and ears of corn with perfectly neat rows of kernels(谷粒). However, I bet I’m not the only one that rejects the slightest imperfections in fruits and vegetables.
I’ve also seen how my pursuit of perfect produce has influenced my children. When I pack their lunches, I make sure I include fleshy tomatoes, crisp blueberries, and cucumbers without any scratches. But one day when my daughter refused to eat a pear that was turning slightly brown, I knew I had to change my way. I realized I was unconsciously teaching my children to accept society’s standards of perfection and that these perceptions could have a disastrous impact on our environment.
In the US, up to 40 percent of food is wasted every year. Most of this waste ends up in landfills that creates dangerous greenhouse gases. Around 20 percent of food waste is produced directly at the farm, for the so-called “ugly” food may not meet certain standards set by grocery stores, though the food is still perfectly consumable.
On a recent night in San Francisco, I attended a dinner party to raise awareness about this growing problem. It was the brainchild of food waste activist Josh Treuhaft, which was an intimate gathering of 16 people dinning on a table made from recycle wood. The chef, Pesha Perlsweig, prepared a six-course meal with food, which was purchased from Imperfect Produce that specifically sells “ugly” fruit and vegetables. The organic twisted carrots or knobbly sweet potatoes can be bought at this market for 30 to 50 percent of the price.
I was blown away by Perlsweig’s creative, delicious dishes made from the “ugly” food. Before each dish, Persweig offered guests tips on how we can reduce our food waste. For example, if you cut off the end of a limp carrot and place it in water, it will become firm again.
After the evening’s dinner, I became inspired to rethink the way I shopped for and consumed food, and to accept the imperfect. Though looking ugly, the food contains no less nutrition than normal food. Furthermore, it’s cheap at the price. My actions inspired my daughter to think differently as well. One morning, while she was helping prepare her school lunch, I noticed her choosing a handful of cherry tomatoes with slight flaws. “They’re special,” she said.
I’m hoping that these small changes in our perception can make a big difference to our world.
1. Why did the author spend about 30 minutes buying produce?| A．She was very picky about produce. | B．She had lots of spare time that day. |
| C．She is addicted to grocery shopping. | D．She had difficulty in making a decision. |
| A．She wouldn’t be too particular about produce. |
| B．She would change her way of educating her children. |
| C．She would no longer do everything for her children. |
| D．She would choose food for her children more carefully |
| A．Lots of food went to waste that day. |
| B．The guests got some tips at the gathering. |
| C．Most of the dishes were made from organic food. |
| D．It aimed to recommend a chef cooking “ugly” food. |
| A．It is more delicious after creatively cooked | B．It is cheap and as nutritious as perfect food. |
| C．It can always help to protect the environment. | D．It can have a good effect on children’s growth. |
| A．To offer tips on how to reduce food waste. | B．To introduce a new market for “ugly” food. |
| C．To share her experience of educating children. | D．To show how she fell in love with “ugly” food. |
| A．Environment | B．Education | C．Cooking | D．Food |
8 . "Ni Hao! Lao Tie! I am your foreign friend. Just have a bite of our organic apples and place your orders here!" Erik Nilsson, a Swedish traveler, greeted through TikTok livestreams in a village of Jiangxi Province. His appearance online increased that day's sale greatly. After experiencing a special day in the rural area, Erik said jokingly, "I wish I could change my job."
This village is not alone. Nowadays, China' s e-commerce platforms have helped open up the market for Chinese farmers produce, bringing an increasing number of sales online. This new trend has made livestreaming a new way to rid farmers of poverty, with mobile phones becoming new farm tools".
Everyone has brought their own agricultural products. How can you make the audiences believe that they' re delicious through the screen in front of you? Now, let 's feel the look on your face during the livestreaming!" The Farmers' Education Training Center (FETC) in Hainan Province invites professionals such as directors and makeup stylists to teach farmers a variety ofskills ranging from short video editing to livestreaming sales sills. However, at first, only a few villagers had a strong desire. We helped them get training in livestreaming, short video marketing,and other courses. It wasn't fancy, but simple, practical, and effective.''
"Everybody, please take a look. This is the best coconut. Taste it." said Pei Yanqin, 59,speaking Mandarin with a strong local accent and communicating smoothly with netizens through her livestreaming software. Just over a year ago, she was one of those villagers with the least intention to get training.
In 2018, the demonstration project of national e-commerce for rural areas was launched.Today, the village has developed eight e-commerce livestreaming courtyards. Some presenters work alone, while others are husband and wife teams.
1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?| A．To lead in the topic. |
| B．To add to the atmosphere. |
| C．To introduce culture contrast. |
| D．To give background knowledge. |
| A．Thrilled. | B．Doubtful. | C．Disappointed. | D．Impressed. |
| A．Erik wants to seek for a new job. |
| B．E-commerce is a family business. |
| C．Livestreaming is the best way to remove poverty. |
| D．Government helps farmers become skilled in marketing online. |
| A．A travel log. |
| B．A government report. |
| C．A research paper. |
| D．A frontpage article. |
9 . Most of the 500 whales stranded (搁浅)off Tasmania have now died. Dozens more stricken whales have been found in Australia’s largest ever mass stranding.The estimated total now stands at around 500, with the majority of that number dead and a tenth rescued by authorities on the Island state of Tasmania. Experts believe all of the animals would have been part of one large group. Officials began working to rescue survivors among an estimated 270 whales found on Monday on a beach and two sandbars near the remote coastal town of Strahan. Then another 200 whales were spotted from a helicopter on Wednesday less than 10 kilometres (six miles) to the south.All 200 had been confirmed dead by late afternoon. They were among the 380 whales that have died overall, with estimates from earlier today suggesting that 30 that were alive but stranded and 50 had been rescued since Tuesday, Mr Deka, Wildlife Service manager explained. He added,“We’ll continue to work to free as many of the animals as we can.We’ll continue working as long as there are live animals.”
It is not known what caused the animals to run aground. While stranding events are not unheard of, they are very rare in such large numbers. About 30 whales in the original stranding were moved from the sandbars to open ocean on Tuesday, but several got stranded again. About a third of the first group had died by Monday evening.
Australia’s largest mass stranding had previously been 320 pilot whales near the Western Australian town of Dunsborough in 1996.This week’s incident is the first involving more than 500 whales in Tasmania since 2009.Marine Conservation Programme wildlife biologist Kris Carlyon said the latest mass stranding was the biggest in Australia in terms of numbers stranded and died.
Marine scientist Vanessa Pirotta said there were a number of potential reasons why whales might become beached, including navigational errors.She explained, “They do have a very strong social system; these animals are closely bonded and that’s why we have seen so many in this case unfortunately in this situation.Rescuing them does not always work, because they are wanting to return back to the group, they might hear the sounds that the others are making, or they’re just disoriented and, in this case, extremely stressed, and just probably so exhausted that they in some cases don’t know where they are.” she added.
1. What can be inferred from the first paragraph?| A．270 whales were rescued on Monday. |
| B．380 whales were found dead on Tuesday. |
| C．500 whales were found stranded and dead. |
| D．200 whales spotted from a helicopter were dead. |
| A．Rescue work is not done in time. |
| B．The number of the death is large. |
| C．The cause of the event is still a mystery. |
| D．There was no other similar event in recent years. |
| A．Navigational errors. |
| B．Overhunting of the human beings. |
| C．Whales’ group living style. |
| D．Whales’ confusion and exhaustion. |
| A．A newspaper. | B．A magazine. | C．A textbook. | D．A travel brochure. |
Did you know that the Chinese built the largest canal in the world? Its length of 1,104 miles easily compares with a route linking New York and Florida. Connecting five river systems and four provinces, it ends at Beijing in the North and Hangzhou in the south. For this reason, it is officially called the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal.
In 486 B.C., the leader of the State of Wu, to transport goods to the northern areas of China, constructed a man-made channel using already existing waterways to link the Yangtze and Huai rivers. It was this channel that laid the foundation for the future longer Grand Canal. More than 1000 years later, Emperor Yang of Sui Dynasty had the old canals rebuilt and connected to form what we know today as the Grand Canal.
Then in 1403,Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty transferred his capital from Nanjing to Beijing. In order to feed all those moving North, he had to transport grain from the south along the Grand Canal. To restore the Canal, more than 47,000 men were employed.
The canal soon became the economic lifeline of the empire. Grain was not the only trade goods transported North on the waterways. Salt was another, as well as wine and tea. Goods traded from the North included cotton, wool, coal, flour, precious stones, and dried meat. At times, more than 120,000 soldiers and officers were needed to operate the almost 12,000 ships that annually travelled the Grand Canal.
With the expansion of the railway system in the mid-1800s, the Grand Canal became less and less important to traders. Today, few goods are transported along its waterways. Still, the current South-North Water Transfer Project proves that the Chinese government still sees the Grand Canal important to the welfare of China. The aim of this costly project is to divert huge amounts of water every year from the Yangtze River to the drier regions in the north.
1. What is special about the Grand Canal?| A．It can date back to the Sui Dynasty. |
| B．It has a history of less than1, 000 years. |
| C．It runs from New York to Florida. |
| D．It is the longest canal across the world. |
| A．It was first constructed to convey officers. |
| B．It was employed for wars by Emperor Yongle. |
| C．It used to transport goods between south and north. |
| D．It is now carrying more goods than the railway system. |
| A．Transfer. | B．Recycle. | C．Conserve. | D．Clarify. |
| A．A diary. | B．A magazine. | C．A novel. | D．A biography. |
