1 . Tourist Guide to the National Gallery
Opening hours: Daily 10: 00 am- -6: 00 pm; Friday 10: 00 am- 9: 00 pm
Closed: 2426 December
Reasons to visit:
With over 2, 300 paintings in the collection, there are hundreds of reasons to visit the Gallery. Here are some to get you started...
Get into great art. From Leonardo da Vinci to Vincent van Gogh: See priceless works of art for free.
Get creative. Brush up your skills, and create your own great works of art...
Learn about art. Discover more about paintings...
Regulations:
Talk in a low voice when you use your cellphone in the gallery
Please do not touch the paintings or other exhibits. Do not take pets in or cross the barriers.
Consume food and drink in designated areas only i.e. not in rooms that contain paintings.
Follow our no smoking policy in any part of the building.
Follow our no photograph policy in exhibitions where a sign is displayed.
Access:
The National Gallery aims to make access to the paintings enjoyable and welcoming to the widest possible public. There are a range of facilities to help you see the collection, visit exhibitions and come to events.
The Gallery offers British Sign Language-interpreted talks on paintings for visitors who are deaf, and special art sessions(展期) for visitors who can't see.
Address: The National Gallery, Trafalgar Square London WC2N 5DN
Click here to find more information.
1. What are visitors allowed to do in the National Gallery?| A．Make a phone call. | B．Take a dog in. |
| C．Smoke a cigarette. | D．Take photos. |
| A．Young visitors. | B．Deaf visitors. |
| C．Blind visitors. | D．Old visitors. |
| A．In a newspaper. | B．On a poster. |
| C．In a magazine. | D．On the Internet. |
2 . Jobs Week: Find Your Next Job Here
▲ A Registered Nurse
Average salary: $ 65,470 per year
Top cities for hiring: San Antonio, Texas；Chicago, Illinois；Dallas, Texas
In the United States, registered nurses （RNs）are clinicians who have completed at least an associated degree in nursing. The Bureau of Labor Statistics（BLS）has identified it as one of the top ten occupations for career growth. RNs can either practice independently or as part of a healthcare team.
▲ A Retail Associate
Average salary：$ 21,410 per year
Top cities for hiring：Atlanta, Georgia；Houston, Texas；Chicago, Illinois
Retail workers sell products and help customers find the products they want. According to the BLS, nearly 14. 8 million people were employed as retail workers in 2014. Top places to find retail positions include Walmart, Target and Macy’s.
▲ A Truck Driver
Average salary：$ 46,000 per year
Top cities for hiring：Atlanta, Georgia；Houston, Texas；Indianapolis, Indiana
Truck driving doesn’t require a college degree and can pay well even at the entry-level stage. It takes a certain kind of person to work the long weeks away from home— but with a high level of demand, it can be a great career choice for someone who wants job security without the cubicle（工作间）.
▲ A Web Developer
Average salary：$ 62,500 per year
Top cities for hiring：Chicago, Illinois；New York；Atlanta, Georgia
Tech jobs like Web Developer frequently top lists of the best jobs for pay, worklife balance, and career welfare. The wide use of the Internet means that web developers are in continuous demand, and there are no education barriers preventing job seekers from learning programming languages like Java or Python.
1. According to the text, a registered nurse| A．can be paid at least US$ 70,000 every year. |
| B．must have an associate's degree in nursing. |
| C．is considered one of the top ten occupations with the most employees. |
| D．is a popular position in Atlanta, Georgia. |
| A．a registered nurse. | B．a retail associate. |
| C．a truck driver. | D．a web developer. |
| A．In a newspaper. | B．In a health magazine. |
| C．In a travel leaflet. | D．In a science report. |
3 . Great Barrier Reef Choking on Pollutants
Attempts to protect the Great Barrier Reef are failing. A report released Monday by the government in Australia says water quality in the Great Barrier Reef is far below what it should be. It showed that pollution have decreased, but not enough to reach environmental targets.
Sediment (沉淀物) and chemicals can weaken coral, hurting its ability to feed and grow. Coral are live animals that take root in the ocean floor, but they are not plants. Reefs are the hard skeletons (骨架) left at the bottom of the sea by small marine creatures called polyps (珊瑚虫). The polyps then form the larger structure of a reef. Corals also are some of the most diverse ecosystems on the entire planet. They can make a home for invertebrates, crustaceans, fish, and sea snakes.
Steve Miles is Queensland’s environment minister. He says the research shows the Reef needs more protection. “Over that five-year period, we did see some progress towards our targets. Sediment is down 12 percent and pesticides (杀虫剂) loads are down 30 percent. But what is most disturbing is that these results are far from our targets. Progress towards these targets flat-lined in the period 2013-2014. If one of my kids came home with a report card like this, I would be a bit disappointed. There is more bad news here than good news. ” said Steve Miles.
The report also found that fewer than one-third of Queensland’s sugar plantations used techniques to reduce the use of pesticides. Only 28 percent of land managers managed their land properly. They had reduced harmful water run off to protect the health of the Reef. The official target is a 90 percent reduction in pesticide use within three years.
Scientists at the University of Queensland and the Australian Institute of Marine Sciences published their findings Wednesday, July 18 in the journal Science Advances. It found between 1992 and 2010, the recovery rate dropped by an average of 84 percent. But there is hope. The study also found some corals can recover quickly if “acute and chronic stressors” are lessened.
Meanwhile, the Australian government released its updated reef protection plan Friday. It clearly states global temperatures must be stopped from rising in order to save the world’s largest living structure.
1. What does the underlined word “They” in Paragraph 2 refer to?| A．Diverse ecosystems. | B．Sediment and chemicals. |
| C．Reefs and corals. | D．Small sea creatures. |
| A．He is satisfied with the protection of the Reef. |
| B．He thinks that the Reef needs more protection. |
| C．He feels angry with what his children did. |
| D．He is very happy about the Reef progress protection. |
| A．Not increase significantly. | B．Disappear. |
| C．Speed up. | D．Miss the chance. |
| A．were tough to deal with | B．failed to manage their land properly |
| C．reduced the amount of harmful water | D．were eager to quit pesticide soon |
| A．A news report. | B．A science fiction. |
| C．A book review. | D．A guide book. |
4 . The city of Quanzhou in East China's Fujian province, one of the most important Chinese ports along the historic maritime(海运的)Silk Road, reported new findings about archaeological(考古的)efforts from 2019 to 2020, experts said at a meeting held in Quanzhou from Friday to Saturday.
"The latest research results on iron-making remains in Quanzhou's Anxi county showed that it used to make lots of iron and steel, important goods of trade along the historic maritime Silk Road, mainly during the Song Dynasty and Yuan Dynasty," says Shen Ruiwen, a famous archaeologist.
Two other sites were discovered and identified as remains of regulatory bodies(监管机构)that existed within the two dynasties. One of them managed affairs related to the emperors' relatives, and the other served similar functions as today's customs. Shen said, "The two ancient organizations showed that Quanzhou once provided effective support for ocean trade."
Another finding exposed was the development of china-making technology from the Song Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty in Dehua county, as is evidenced in the thousands of relics(遗迹)that were dug out.
"Quanzhou is a city of in historical significance because it preserved the continuous track of urban planning and construction from the late Tang Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty," says Shen. Experts say the city will continue with research on some of the sites included in the project and carry out long-term plans.
1. What's the purpose of writing the first paragraph?| A．To present an argument. |
| B．To lead in the topic of the text. |
| C．To add some supporting details. |
| D．To provide background information. |
| A．Silk. | B．Farm products. | C．Green tea. | D．Iron and steel. |
| A．It once served as the Capital. |
| B．It once helped a lot for ocean trade. |
| C．It was once the education center of the world. |
| D．It developed fast from Song Dynasty to Qing Dynasty. |
| A．Culture. | B．Environment. | C．Education. | D．Health. |
5 . 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| A．Technology. | B．Economy. | C．Lifestyle. | D．Environment. |
6 . We have the most friends at the age of 26 after having spent the first quarter of our lives building up our friendship circle, a new research has claimed.
The research into friendship shows that our social circle peaks at 26 years and 7 months, at which we typically have five close friends. Women are the most popular at 25 years and 10 months, with men hitting the highest friendship point a little later at 27 years and 3 months.
The research, by Forever Friends, shows that about a third of adults meet their closest friends while at school, with about a fifth saying they meet them at work.
Social networks such as Facebook and Twitter now also play a major role in building new friendship. The research points out that 25 to 34-year-olds make 22 friends via Facebook, compared to 18 to 24-year-olds who make 12, and 35 to 44-year-olds who make just four.
Forever Friends’ relationship coach Sam Owen says, “It is no coincidence that over a third of us meet our best friends at school. It is a key time in our lives when friendship is growing through sharing notes, giving gifts, seeing each other regularly and laughing a lot. As adults we can often forget how powerful these small things are and how the little things can make a difference. ”
Later in life we find ourselves losing friends. Over half of us lose friendship through moving, while 36% say that over time they grow apart from close pals. Having children also causes 19% to drift away from childhood friends.
With growing pressures being put on friendship these days, it’s important to make time for our friendship.
1. How many friends can a 20-year-old college student make via Facebook?| A．4. | B．18. |
| C．12. | D．22. |
| A．how important making friends is |
| B．that friendship is not easy to keep |
| C．how much has been done to keep friendship |
| D．that friendship at school is important |
| A．make sense of | B．lose contact with |
| C．feel sorry for | D．make up with |
| A．a brochure | B．an advertisement |
| C．a textbook | D．a newspaper |
7 . Slowly but surely, we’re moving closer and closer to 5G world. From smart-home security(安全) to self-driving cars, all the internet-connected devices in your life will be able to talk to each other at lightning-fast speeds. Objectively speaking, the fastest 4G download speeds in the US top out at an average of 10.42 Mbps. But by comparison, 5G promises gigabit(千兆) speeds.
“5G is one of those signs, along with artificial intelligence(人工智能)，of this coming data age,” said Steve Koenig, senior director of market research for the Consumer Technology Association. The self-driving vehicle(车辆) is a great emblem of this data age, and that is to say, it is a sign of time, because with one single task, driving, you have a large number of data coming from the vehicle itself, and a variety of sensors(传感器) are collecting a lot of information to model its environment as it moves. It’s pulling in data from other vehicles about road conditions down the lane(车道). It could be weather information, but also connected infrastructure (基础设施)construction. There is lots of data behind that task, which is why we need high speeds.
Augmented reality glasses and virtual headset haven’t yet broken the mainstream, but tech companies are joyfully betting(打赌) that these devices will eventually replace our smartphones. With 5G, that could actually happen. This is notable(显著的) because companies such as Apple are reportedly developing AR glasses to assist--or perhaps even replace--smartphones.
Ericsson stated at February' s Mobile World Congress how smart glasses could become faster and lighter with a 5G connection, because instead of being weighed down with components(部件), the glasses could rely on hardware for processing(处理)power.
But don't get too excited. There's still a lot of work to be done in the meantime, including various trials to make sure the radios play nicely with hardware and infrastructure construction, so 5G isn’t concentrated(集中) only in big cities.
1. What does the author want to stress in Paragraph 1?| A．The lightning- fast speeds of 5G. | B．The expectation of 5G world. |
| C．The difference between 4G and 5G. | D．The internet-connected devices in our life. |
| A．Exhibition. | B．Success. | C．Symbol. | D．Explanation. |
| A．How to fully expand 5G coverage(覆盖范围). | B．Smart glasses will become faster and lighter. |
| C．Why 5G isn't concentrated in big cities. | D．The importance of infrastructure construction. |
| A．A science fiction. | B．A science magazine. |
| C．A business report. | D．A film documentary. |
8 . This is the SCIENCE IN THE NEWS; I’m Barbara Klein.
Animal experts say one of the world’s most beautiful and rarest kinds of big cats is close to disappearing from the wild. A study earlier this year found that about thirty Amur leopards still live free. The cats are also called Far Eastern Leopards.
Recently, their number has been reduced one by one. Some person shot a female Amur leopard, and then beat her to death. The animal’s body was discovered last month in the Barsovy National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Russia.
An official of the World Wildlife Fund, Darron, said this was the third such killing in the area in the past five years. Mr. Collins said the death of even one adult female is a huge loss for the endangered cat. He noted that the killing reduced the possibility of cubs’ survival.
It is not clear how many Amur leopards still live free. One population count was performed in February and March. Wildlife expert Dmitry Pikuuov led this study. It found evidence of seven to nine males. The study identified three to seven females without cubs. Four leopards were identified as females with cubs. In all, five or six cubs were recorded. Six to eight animals could not be identified.
Most of the land where the Amur leopard once lived was in China. New roads and climate change there threatened the animals. So did hunters who kill big cats for their body parts.
Mr. Pikuuov says adult Amur leopards need about five hundred square kilometers with good forests to survive. He said they also need a large and continuing supply of animals like deer for food. He believes the answer to saving the Amur leopard’s problem is for governments to provide protected space for wildlife.
1. This passage is probably from .| A．a magazine | B．a newspaper report | C．a TV report | D．a film |
| A．It could lead to the death of an adult male. | B．It means it cannot give birth to the young any more. |
| C．It is worth more money than a male. | D．There is only one adult female in the world. |
①new roads ②climate change ③human hunting ④rare diseases
| A．①②③ | B．①②④ | C．①③④ | D．②③④ |
| A．are living on plants | B．are living in the zoo |
| C．are well protected by people | D．are endangered |
9 . Record fires sweeping across the Amazon this month have been grabbing global headlines as scientists and environmental groups are worried that they will make climate change crisis worse and threaten biodiversity (生物多样性).
As the largest rainforest in the world, the Amazon is often called “the lungs of the world.” It is also home to about 3 million species of plants and animals and 1 million local people. The vast swaths (大片土地) of rainforest play an important role in the world’s ecosystem because they absorb heat instead of it being reflected back into the atmosphere. They also store carbon dioxide and produce oxygen, ensuring that less carbon is released, easing the effects of climate change.
“Any rainforest destroyed by fire is a threat to biodiversity and the people who use that biodiversity,” Thomas Lovejoy, an ecologist at George Mason University told National Geographic. “The most serious threat is that a lot of carbon goes into the atmosphere.” he stressed. “In the midst of the global climate crisis, we cannot afford more damage to a major source of oxygen and biodiversity. The Amazon must be protected.” UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said.
Data from the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) show that the number of forest fires in Brazil increased by 82 percent from January to August this year compared to the same period the year before. “A total of 71,497 forest fires were registered in the country in the first eight months of 2019, up from 39,194 in the same period in 2018,” INPE said. “We estimate that the forest areas in the Brazilian Amazon have decreased between 20 and 30 percent compared to the last 12 months.” Carlos Nobre, a researcher at the University of Sao Paulo, told German broadcaster Deutsche Welle.
Brazil owns about 60 percent of the Amazon rainforest, whose degradation could have severe consequences for global climate and rainfall The extent of the area ruined by fires has yet to be determined, but the emergency has transcended (超出) Brazil’s borders, reaching Peruvian, Paraguayan and Bolivian regions.
1. What is the second paragraph mainly talking about?| A．The effects of climate change. | B．The role of the Amazon rainforest. |
| C．The results of the Amazon rainforest fires. | D．The causes of the decreasing biodiversity. |
| A．The dry weather leads to the rainforest fires. |
| B．The biodiversity makes the rainforests unique. |
| C．The rainforest fires result in serious consequences. |
| D．The global climate crisis brings more rainforest fires. |
| A．To prove the importance of rainforest. | B．To show the influence of climate change. |
| C．To explain the process of the research. | D．To stress the reduction of rainforest areas. |
| A．Sports and music. | B．Science and technology. |
| C．Nature and geography. | D．Business and culture. |
10 . We know that smartphone addiction is real, and that it can affect lives in negative ways. While some people have tried going cold turkey (快速戒掉坏习惯)or even punishing themselves for using their mobile phones, an app is made available in the UK that rewards people for staying away from their devices.
The app, called Hold, was created by Norwegians Maths Mathisen, Florian Winder, and Vinoth Vinaya while they are studying at Copenhagen's Business school to help break fellow students' attachments to their devices.
The three college students found that positive reinforcement (强化)was the best way of beating smartphone addiction. Hold allows students to collect points for staying off their devices between the hours of 7 am and 11 pm; they get 10 points for every 20 minutes.
Through partnerships with universities and businesses, points can be used for discounts on everything from cinema tickets to Amazon goods to cafe food and drink. A half price cinema ticket, for example, costs 60 points, or 2 hours away from a phone. And a £ 5 ( $6. 88 ) Amazon voucher (代金券)needs 1 ,000 points, or 33 hours off your smartphone.
Students can also use their points to buy school books and stationery (文具),which are then donated to schools partnered with children's charity Unicef.
Over 120,000 people use the app in Scandinavia, including 40 percent of higher education students in Norway, where Hold first came onto market in February 2016. It's now available to students from over 170 universities in the UK.
A 2017 University of Texas study claimed that merely placing a smartphone in someone's line of sight slowed down their productivity, response time, and reduced their grades. An earlier study from the London School of Economics found students who didn't use smartphones on school grounds saw their test scores increase 6. 4 percent.
1. The app Hold was created mainly to .| A．promote online sales of goods. | B．earn discounts on goods or services . |
| C．find new uses of mobile phone. | D．help students put down their smartphones. |
| A．6 hours. | B．10 hours. | C．15 hours. | D．30 hours. |
| A．To tell the story of Hold creation | B．To present people's opinions of Hold |
| C．To give a brief introduction of Hold | D．To attract potential customers to Hold |
| A．A newspaper advertisement | B．A computer textbook |
| C．A science magazine | D．An official document |
