1 . The new Blackfriars train station in London is a great building, giving passengers wonderful views of the city. However, they will hardly see most of London's best-known landmarks, for today they are lost in a jungle of skyscrapers, as if London were competing with Dubai (迪拜).

The new look is dull. The problem isn't modern architecture itself. When the modern combines the old, it can enhance a city. But when it has no connection to the features that have given the city its personality for hundreds of years, it overshadows that city's character.

Unattractive architectural style is one thing; unsuitable location is another. The City, London's traditional financial district, was an area of strong low-rise buildings that included old houses and pubs such as the George and Vulture, which counted Charles Dickens among its frequent customers. The glass large buildings are quickly destroying the City's character. Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas says the architectural style of cities is converging (趋同).

London is not alone. Paris is getting into the skyscraper game, as are other European capitals. Government officials view very tall buildings as global status symbols. Celebrity architects are in high demand and pump out designs apparently aimed more at attracting attention than enhancing a city's traditional view. Some of their creations are imaginative, stylish and practical; some are not, or are fine creations put at the wrong address.

The process of turning big cities into clones of Atlanta or Hong Kong can create more than strange cityscapes. They create long-term problems as well One is environmental. Skyscrapers require huge amounts of energy all year round for heating and air conditioning. Many old buildings in Europe simply rely on thick walls to ward off the heat in the summer and keep the heat in the winter.

Another big problem with modern high-rises is that they are single-purpose structures. Bank towers with huge open trading floors wired to the fastest communications networks cannot be easily remade into housing, factories or shops. For the most part, they will have to be torn down when they have outlived their usefulness. In Europe, strong old buildings keep getting reinvented, century after century. An 18th-century church can be changed into a hospital.

All in all, the main shortcoming of the skyscraper craze is the loss of urban identity. Millions of tourists go to Rome, Florence, Paris, because, for the most part, they have not been "liberated" yet by towers. If these cities look like Dubai, who will want to go there? Not me.

1. The writer thinks that __________.

A．the new Blackfriars station damages the image of London

B．skyscrapers make it easy to see London's landmarks

C．too many high buildings damage a city’s identity

D．historical houses and pubs are well preserved

2. It can be inferred from the passage that __________.

A．it's a trend to build skyscrapers worldwide

B．tall buildings are designed to be eco-friendly

C．European capitals stick to their old city styles

D．citizens view high-rises as global status symbols

3. What is the best title for the passage?

A．When Skyscrapers Can Save the City

B．How Cities Can Build a Cultural Identity

C．Why Skyscrapers Are Killing Great Cities

D．What Landmarks Are and Why They Are Important

4. Which of the following shows the development of ideas in the passage?

A．

B．

C．

D．

2 . Many people think that communication is the source of most of their work-related conflicts but they'd be wrong. In a work context, more conflicts come from structural relationships and personal differences than communication itself.

Organizations create job descriptions, specialized work groups, and authority relationships, all with the intent to improve coordination (协调). But in doing so, they separate people and create the potential for conflicts. For instance, departments within organizations have diverse goals. Purchasing is concerned with the timely acquisition of materials and supplies at low prices; quality control's attention is focused on improving quality and ensuring that the organization's products meet standard…When groups within an organization seek diverse ends, there is increased potential for conflicts.

Have you ever met people to whom you took an immediate disliking? Most of the opinions they expressed, you disagreed with. Even insignificant characteristics-the way they cocked their head when they talked or smirked when they smiled-annoyed you. We've all met people like that, and many of us have to work with people like this.

Today's organizations are increasingly diverse in terms of age, gender and race. So, not surprisingly, employees differ on the importance they place on general values such as responsibility, equality and ambition. They also differ on job-related values such as the importance of family over work or freedom against authority. These differences often surface in work-related interactions and create significant interpersonal conflicts.

The above doesn't mean that communication can't be a source of conflicts. It can. Differing word connotations, insufficient exchange of information, poor listening skills, and the like, create conflicts. But the belief that “we can deal with our differences if we just communicate more” is not necessarily true. The evidence actually shows that the potential for conflicts increases when there is too much communication as well as when there's too little.

So when you're trying to manage conflicts, take a thoughtful look at their source. It's more likely that the conflict is coming from work-related requirements, personality differences, or dissimilar values, it is from poor communication. And that might influence the actions you take to resolve the conflict.

1. From Para.2, we know that in an organization, __________.

A．job descriptions can effectively improve cooperation

B．different goals of branches may cause disagreements

C．division of labor usually results inharmonious relationship

D．the setting of different departments is to encourage competition

2. The author holds that __________.

A．fewer conflicts will appear if we communicate more

B．most people share similar values in the same organization

C．communication is just one of the reasons for most conflicts

D．we'd better calm down before taking action when in conflict

3. Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?

A．	B．
C．	D．

3 . Technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, GIS and Mapping, Location Technology and autonomous machines are playing a growing role in responding to COVID-19 pandemic.

An important policy for authorities across the globe right now is to prevent the spread of the virus. To ensure it, they are taking unprecedented （空前的） measures to reduce people-to-people contact. Most countries took measures like the closure of non-essential public places, ban of mass gatherings and ensuring a social distancing to limit physical contact.

However, in some areas where individuals are not obeying the restrictions knowingly or unknowingly, or do not know what the latest restrictions are, law enforcing authorities are using drones （无人机） to monitor people' s movement and break up social gatherings that could cause a risk to society. The introduction of drones at this time of crisis is reducing the risk of getting infected to police officials and other staff since it enables them to monitor a vast range of area without physical engagement.

In addition to street monitoring, authorities are also using drones to broadcast messages and information about lockdown measures, especially in rural area that lacks open communication channels for health information. Drones equipped with loudspeakers are used to make public announcements to keep people indoors, take necessary preventive measures, make social-distancing and wear a mask if stepping outside from home.

A Global Times video on Twitter shows a drone flying over a village in Inner Mongolia, warning an old lady with audio in Chinese, “Yes, Grandmother, it’s the drone who is talking to you. You should not go out without wearing a mask. You’d better go home and don' t forget to wash your hands.”

However, the use of drones raises a debate about privacy and individual rights on mainstream media as well as social media platforms.

1. What role do drones play in responding to COVID-19 pandemic?

A．Helping us know how COVID-19 spreads.

B．Preventing the spread of the virus.

C．Monitoring medical staff and collecting infected cases.

D．Monitoring social activities and broadcasting lockdown measures.

2. What can we learn from Paragraph 3?

A．Individuals are breaking the restrictions deliberately.

B．Authorities don't know what the latest restrictions are.

C．All people' s social gatherings could threaten society.

D．Police officials and other staff are at less risk with drones.

3. Why is a Global Times video on Twitter mentioned in the text?

A．To show drones work well without physical engagement.

B．To show drones have positive effects but sometimes scary.

C．To show people in rural area are curious about drones.

D．To show people in rural area are resistant to drones.

4. What might be discussed in the following paragraph?

A．The great demand for drones.

B．Different comments on the use of drones.

C．How to update drones.

D．How to protect people' s privacy and individual rights.

4 . Your guardian angel might have four legs and a rocking tail.

A new study from two researchers at Arizona State University found, like the hero dogs of film and TV, your real-life one likely wants to rescue you when you’re in trouble, reports AFP.

“It’s a popular legend,” explained researcher Joshua van Bourg. “Simply observing dogs rescuing someone doesn’t tell you much. The difficult challenge is figuring out why they do it.”

To test if and why dogs want to save their humans, Joshua van Bourg and his co-researcher, Clive Wynne, took 60 dogs and their owners and set up artificial rescue scene. For the study, the owner was put in a large box that had a lightweight door that the owner’s dog could move to one side to “save” them. Once in the box, the human would pretend to be in trouble, calling out for help without using their dog’s name. The second part of the test involved researchers placing dog food in a box and watching to see how many of the same 60 dogs moved to open the box to get the reward.

Looking at the two tests, the researchers found that about one-third of the dogs successfully rescued their owners and that around the same number also opened the box with the food. The study suggests that these responses could signal that dogs find rescuing their loved ones to be a rewarding task, much like nosing out and finding food. According to Joshua van Bourg, a dog’s natural heroism becomes even more impressive when you take “a closer look” at the study’s results.

“The key here is that without controlling for each dog’s understanding of how to open the box, the percentage of dogs who rescued their owners is much more lower than the percentage of dogs who wanted to rescue their owners,” Joshua van Bourg said.

“The fact that two-thirds of the dogs didn’t even open the box for food is a pretty strong indication that rescuing requires more than just motivation, there’s something else involved, and that’s the ability,” he added.

1. What do the researchers focus on in the study?

A．The number of dogs smelling dog food.

B．The way of dogs opening the light door.

C．The reason for dogs rescuing their owners.

D．The willingness of dogs to enter the rescue scene.

2. What did the researchers find from their study?

A．Most dogs were brave enough to rescue humans.

B．Owners were saved with their dogs’ name called.

C．Dogs consider rescuing owners as a rewarding task.

D．Forty dogs helped humans and opened the boxes for food.

3. What is Joshua’s attitude towards the phenomenon of dogs’ rescuing their owners?

A．Doubtful.	B．Objective.
C．Approving.	D．Ambiguous.

4. What will the text probably continue to tell?

A．Teaching dogs how to rescue humans.

B．Reminding people of being kind to dogs.

C．Advocating people to raise more dogs as pets.

D．Testing dogs what to do while rescuing owners.

5 . The Impossible Burger is entirely free of meat. But it looks, smells, feels and-most importantly-tastes so much like real hamburger beef. In fact, plant-based burger alternatives have set off a strong resistance from the beef industry. The Center for Consumer Freedom, a nonprofit that advocates on behalf of the fast food and meat industries has launched an "informational" campaign targeting plant-based meats. The campaign has included TV and online ads, as well as print ads in newspapers. The ads seem to imply that not only is an artificial burger too processed, but that it might be even less healthy than the average beef burger.

While it's true that a plant-based meat alternative is processed and it's true that eating one is not as healthy as a pile of raw vegetables, it's best to take the ads with a generous pinch of salt.

For instance, the additives and preservatives in plant-based meat highlighted in one ad sure sound scary. Who wants something called titanium dioxide(二氧化钛)in their meal? But the truth is that additives such as those listed in the ads are regularly used in all sorts of packaged foods. And if methylcellulose, a food thickener, sounds unpleasant, it's really nothing compared with salmonella(沙门菌)poisoning you can get from regular meat.

Also, the ad campaign misses the bigger point. Choosing an Impossible or Beyond burger isn't just about healthy eating Burgers, whether they are made from processed pea protein or processed meat, will never be as healthy as organic raw vegetables.

What's appealing is the prospect or enjoying a juicy burger without the bitter aftertaste of guilt.

Let's face it, there are huge environmental costs to eating cows. Cattle raising is contributing to climate. change, and not just because methane(甲烷)from cows and cattle is responsible for about 14.5% of greenhouse gas. More broadly, our global food production system releases more than a third of the world's greenhouse gases. Yet we can't seem to control our meat appetite even knowing that large areas of the Amazon forest have been ruined, and continue to be cut down to make room for more cattle to feed the growing demand for beef. Humans also know full well that many animals live short, cruel lives in awful conditions for the purpose of becoming foods for humans to enjoy at dinner.

A plant-based meat that satisfies meat desires and delivers protein but with a smaller climate footprint is a potential environmental game changer and the reason Impossible Foods was one of those receiving the UN, Global Climate Action Award in 2019. No wonder the meat industry is on guard.

1. What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 most probably mean?

A．These ads deserve little consideration.

B．We should spread the message of these ads.

C．These ads tell people a lot about plant-based burgers.

D．We'd better be cautious when reading these ads

2. What do we know about additives and preservatives in plant-based burgers?

A．Their use is within the normal range.

B．They are likely to cause poisoning.

C．They are used to ensure burgers taste good

D．Some have not been used in hamburgers.

3. What is the author's attitude/towards plant-based burgers?

A．Doubtful

B．Supportive

C．Disapproving.

D．Neutral

4. Which of the following shows the development of ideas in the passage?
I: Introduction                      P: Point     Sp: Sub-point(次要点)     C: Conclusion

A．	B．
C．	D．

6 . The Globe was built in 1599 using timber from an earlier theatre, The Theatre, which had been built by Richard Burbage’s father, James Burbage, in Shoreditch in 1576. The first performance for which a firm record remains was Jonson’s Every Man out of His Humour — with its first scene welcoming the “gracious and kind spectators” — at the end of the year.

On 29^th June 1613, the Globe Theatre went up in flames during a performance of Henry VIII. A theatrical gun, set off during the performance, misfired, burning the wooden beams and straws. According to one of the few surviving documents of the event, no one was hurt except a man whose burning breeches (炮后膛) were put out with a bottle of ale. It was rebuilt in the following year.

Like all the other theatres in London, the Globe was closed down by the Puritans in 1642. It was pulled down in 1644, or slightly later — the commonly cited document dating the act to 15 April 1644 has been identified as false — to make room for other buildings.

A modern reconstruction of the theatre, named “Shakespeare’s Globe”, opened in 1997, with a production of Henry V. It is an academic approximation of the original design, based on available evidence of the 1599 and 1614 buildings, and is located approximately 750 feet (230m) from the site of the original theatre.

1. How did the Globe Theatre begin to be on fire on 29 June 1613?

A．It was set fire to by a performer by design.

B．It caught fire by accident during a play.

C．A man put out breeches with a bottle of ale.

D．It was started by wooden beams and straws.

2. In what order is the text arranged?

A．Time

B．Space

C．Importance

D．Flashback

3. According to the passage all the plays were performed in the Globe Theatre EXCEPT ________.

A．James Burbage.	B．Every Man out of His Humour
C．Henry VIII.	D．Henry V

4. The passage is mainly about ________.

A．The popularity of the Globe Theatre.

B．The construction of the Globe Theatre.

C．The function of the Globe Theatre.

D．The history of the Globe Theatre.

7 . Life as a student can be very exciting and rewarding, but it can also be a huge challenge. You find yourself dealing with family life, social life and your studies at the same time —you may even have to add work into the mix if you are trying to earn some cash as a student. All of this can make it difficult to keep on top of your studies.

The good news is that there are lots of tools for students to use these days, and one of these is live streaming (直播). Over the past couple of decades, technology has come a long way and has helped to improve our lives in many ways. When it comes to learning, live streaming can make a big difference and can really help with your educational goals.

One of the ways in which you can use streaming technology is to access online classes and tutoring, which proves invaluable to many students. You can attend classes from the comfort of your own home or on your smart devices if you are elsewhere. This means that even if you cannot get to in-person classes due to illness, being away or other reasons, you can still keep up with your studies. This is also a perfect solution for those who are struggling with some subjects and need a helping hand. You can benefit from extra fees by using these live streaming classes and tutoring, which means you can get up to speed with your weaker subjects.

Another thing you can do with online streaming is to stream relevant documentaries that may help with your education depending on the subjects you are studying. Online streaming sites such as Netflix are packed with documentaries, and you can stream these with ease straight to your computer or smart devices. In years gone by, students had to rely on textbooks for information, but the students of today can benefit hugely from streamed documentaries and programming that can help with their education.

1. What is the function of the first paragraph?

A．To summarize the whole text.

B．To arouse the reader's concern.

C．To introduce the theme of the whole text.

D．To stress the importance of the studies in life.

2. How can we evaluate the live streaming classes according to the text?

A．Expensive.

B．Interesting.

C．Convenient.

D．Difficult.

3. How is the text organized?

A．By process.

B．By example.

C．By comparison.

D．By classification.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．The current situation of live streaming.

B．The educational benefits of live streaming.

C．The application of live streaming in our life.

D．The advantages of live streaming over traditional classes.

8 . Language is a bridge of different culture. The more people across the world speak each other’s mother language, the better understanding they will develop. I am happy that about 300 million Chinese, almost the size of the entire US population, are learning English. Meanwhile, in the USA, there are many Americans who are studying Chinese. One of my former colleagues was the envy of our group, partly because he spoke many languages well, especially Chinese.

To a certain extent, I became inextricably (密不可分地）bound up with Chinese through my life. I still remember in March 2013 I moved from New York City to Washington D. C. The students there, many of whom had studied Chinese for years, desired to visit China, meet Chinese people and learn more about Chinese culture and history.

While writing a column, I checked online and found that an impressive Chinese language teacher, Christina Stouder, was still working in Washington D. C. Having spent years in China, including teaching in Hunan province, she not only spoke fluent Chinese but was also skilled in Chinese culture, history and society.

Caitlin Keliher was a student at George Washington University in November 2013 when I met her at “Chinese tea time”, a regular Chinese event at the university’s Sigur Center for Asian Studies. I loved the gatherings because the professor Edward McCord was a brilliant Chinese history professor, whose knowledge I found was the most fascinating. When I checked out Keliher online on Wednesday, she was working at Harvard China Fund as a pro-gram coordinator (协调者) after finishing her graduate study at Harvard Kennedy School.

Over the years, I have interviewed passionate students of the Chinese language not just in the USA, but also in Spain, France, Portugal, Cuba and Belgium, where I am now based. I feel delighted when young people greet me with nihao (Chinese for hello) in a Carrefour supermarket or the park near my apartment in Brussels.

1. What does paragraph l mainly talk about!

A．The popularity of learning Chinese.

B．The benefits of learning a foreign language.

C．The number of people learning English.

D．The author’s feeling of the former colleague.

2. How did the author develop the text?

A．By listing some relative data

B．By stating his own real emotion.

C．By showing his own experience.

D．By imagining some potential endings.

3. What do we know about the author?

A．He lives in Washington D. C. now.

B．He can speak several foreign languages.

C．He enjoys knowing more about Chinese.

D．He met Caitlin Keliher in a Chinese university.

4. What may be the best title for the text?

A．My Close Connection with Chinese

B．My Achievements of Learning Chinese

C．My Experience of Researching Chinese

D．My Unique Understanding of Chinese

9 . Fifty millilitres of perfume rests inside a piece of an elegantly engineered glassware. This delicate bottle, in turn, sits within an equally elegant cardboard box. This box is wrapped (包装)in a thin layer of transparent plastic film and sealed with a holographic sticker. "Would you like it gift-wrapped?” ，asks the eager salesperson. Now another layer of glossy paper, complexity and ribbons is added. Finally, the whole thing is dropped into a cardboard gift bag, bearing the shop's branding.

Surely, it's the gift that counts. It turns out, however, that we appear to appreciate gifts more if they have been gift-wrapped. Studies found gift-wrapped presents were, on average, always rated more highly than non-wrapped ones. This preference was true even when gift-wrapping was pretty basic, that is, no bows or ribbons. One explanation is that, on some level, what we appreciate is the extra effort that it takes to package and gift-wrap items so delicately.

The downside of our love of beautiful packaging and seemly gift-wrapping, however, is that it has an impact on the environment. According to The Guardian, the United Kingdom alone consumes 8,000 tons of wrapping paper a year. Using the most conservative estimates, it takes approximately 12 trees to produce one ton of paper: that's about 96,000 trees in gift-wrap each year for the UK alone.

Perhaps during festive periods, we could launch highly visible campaigns urging the disposal of gift-wrap and product packaging within easily accessible recycling bins. Similarly, shops that offer gift-wrapping could be strongly encouraged to use only recycled paper. Beyond consumer and retailer efforts, producers also need to rethink their packaging - less is best. I would like to see all perfume bottles manufactured so as to be refillable, as they once were and still are in the more traditional Arabian perfume shops.

1. How does the writer begin the passage?

A．By making a comparison.	B．By describing a scene.
C．By presenting a reason.	D．By raising a question.

2. What does the gift-wrapping preference cause?

A．The boom of non-wrapped gifts.

B．Fierce competitions between shops.

C．The disappearance of simple packaging.

D．Unnecessary consumption of resources.

3. What's the writer's attitude towards traditional Arabian perfume shops?

A．Reserved.

B．Favorable.

C．Ambiguous.

D．Opposed.

4. What can be the best title for the passage?

A．Sending Fewer Gifts Is Better	B．Gift-wrapping Is Here to Stay
C．It Makes No Sense to Wrap Gifts	D．Gift-wrapping Culture Needs to Change

10 . Throughout history, music spread among people of different cultures. In today’s technological advanced society, however, people spread music online, sometimes without an artist’s permission. This can lead to many problems, and music companies are now cracking down on this practice. Sharing music online without permission is theft.

Sharing music online prevents recording companies from making money from their efforts. They say that sharing music online has resulted in a huge drop in profits and sales over the past 10 years. People who find music for free online are not paying for CDs or every MP3 downloaded. To truly understand the influence of music piracy (盗版行为) on creators, one must understand how many people are involved in the recording process. For the sale of each album, profits must be shared between musicians, sound engineers, music producers, managers, advertisers,and the company selling the product. Many people believe sharing music only affects the recording artist, but the reality is that sharing hurts business for all companies involved.

There are many people who don’t see the harm in sharing music online and even think they have the right to do it.One online blogger states that he originally paid for an entire CD and that he should be able to do with the material whatever he wants. While he may have legally paid for the music, he does not have the right to provide permission,which means people like the blogger are thieves.

Although we don’t spread today’s music the same way we did before, there’s no doubt that people around the world love to share music. However, internet piracy would prevent musicians from continuing producing albums for fear of theft. Therefore, if people want to continue listening to their favorite artists, they need to buy their music so that artists will make enough profit to continue their music careers.

1. The underlined phrase “cracking down on” in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ___________.

A．bringing up carefully	B．speaking highly of
C．dealing seriously with	D．destroying completely

2. What can we infer from the text?

A．Artists are taking action to protect their right.

B．Sharing music files online affects a lot of people.

C．Online music sharing increases sales of music CD.

D．A person who bought a CD has the right to share it online.

3. How is the text organized?

A．Topic-Argument-Explanation.

B．Opinion-Discussion-Description.

C．Main idea-Comparison-Supporting statements.

D．Introduction-Supporting statements-Conclusion.