1 . Masks that helped save lives during the coronavirus pandemic(流行病) are proving a deadly danger for wildlife, with birds and marine creatures trapped in the incredible number of abandoned facial coverings littering on animal habitats.
Single-use surgical masks have been found thrown around pavements, waterways and beaches worldwide since countries began demanding their use in public places to slow the pandemic's spread. Macaques(猕猴) have been spotted chewing the straps(带子) off old and deserted masks in Malaysia a potential choking danger for the little monkeys. And in an incident that captured headlines in Britain, a gull(海鸥) was rescued in the city of Chelmsford after its legs became tangled（缠结）in the straps of a disposable mask for up to a week. The animal welfare charity was alerted after the bird was spotted motionless but still alive, and they took it to a wildlife hospital for treatment before its release.
The biggest impact may be in the water.More than l. 5 billion masks made their way into the world's oceans last year. accounting for around 6,200 extra tons of marine plastic pollution, according to environmental group OceansAsia. ? Already there are signs that masks are worsening threats to marine life. Conservationists in Brazil found one inside the stomach of a penguin after its body was washed up on a beach, while a dead pufferfish(河豚) was discovered caught inside another off the coast of Miami.
Masks and gloves are "particularly problematic" for sea creatures，says George Leonard, chief scientist from U. S. -based NGO Ocean Conservancy. "When it takes those plastics hundreds of years to break down in the environment, they form smaller and smaller particles," he added, "those particles then enter the food chain and impact entire ecosystems."
Fortunately, there has been a shift towards greater use of reusable cloth masks as the pandemic has worn on，but many are still choosing the lighter single- use varieties.Campaigners have urged people to throw away them properly and remove the straps to reduce the risk of animals becoming trapped. Oceans Asia has also called on governments to increase fines for littering and encourage the use of washable masks.
1. What role do masks play during the coronavirus pandemic?| A．They keep people free of the pandemic |
| B．They make people look more mysterious. |
| C．They help reduce the speed of the pandemic's spread. |
| D．They are of great helpful to wildlife. |
| A．The animals lack enough food |
| B．T hey enjoy playing with the straps |
| C．The deserted masks put them in danger |
| D．It's time for people to protect the animals |
| A．Marine creatures are in trouble. |
| B．Masks and gloves will finally threaten the whole ecosystems. |
| C．The plastics are easy to break down. |
| D．The particles masks and gloves form are smaller and smaller. |
| A．Animal protection |
| B．Marine plastic pollution |
| C．How to reduce the risk of abandoned masks |
| D．The deserted masks endangering wildlife |
2 . Does the amount of cash in a lost wallet influence how likely a person is to return it?Traditional economic theories suggest that the greater the attraction, the less likely we are to be honest—but a new study finds altruism ( 利 他 主 义 ), and a powerful hate for viewing oneself as a“thief”are more important than the financial attraction.
A team of researchers carried out a huge experiment concerning 355 cities in 40 countries. More than 17,000 similar wallets were dropped off at public places, each containing a grocery list, a key, and three business cards in the local language using made-up names and an email address. Some had no money while others contained the equal amount of $13.45.
According to the research, people on average returned 40% of wallets with no money in them but 51% with money. It also shows extreme differences between countries. But although rates of people’s honesty varied ( 变 化 ) greatly from country to country, one thing remained greatly similar: wallets with money, compared to no money, raised reporting rates.
In the US, the UK and Poland, they repeated the experiment with even more money:$94.15, which increased reporting rates by an average of 11% compared to the smaller amount. They also found that having a key increased reporting rates by 9.2%.
The findings, which run counter to a basic principle of classical economics, suggest honesty, altruism and self-image can sometimes be more influential than economic self-interest.
A purely economic approach to behavior suggests people would keep the wallets with the larger amounts of money due to the increased financial reward, but economics often doesn’t explain a person’s sense of honesty or self-image, according to behavioral scientists. Altruism also influenced the findings, the researchers say. Since the key is valuable to the owner but not the finder, this pointed toward an altruism concern in addition to the cost of negatively updating one’s self image.
1. The author mentions traditional economic theories in Paragraph 1 in order to .| A．introduce a topic | B．attract readers’ interest |
| C．add some background information | D．describe some traditional theories |
| A．11%. | B．20.2%. | C．51%. | D．62%. |
| A．go against. | B．make a difference. | C．agree with. | D．focus on. |
| A．Traditional economic theories have already been old-fashioned. |
| B．People are more likely to return a lost wallet with more cash. |
| C．An experiment done worldwide proves people’s altruism. |
| D．Different countries have different rates of people’s honesty. |
3 . Girls continue to outperform boys in all subjects by the end of primary school in England, according to the latest key stage 2 test results published by the Department for Education.
Across England, 65% of pupils in state schools achieved the government’s expected standards in the three subjects, a 1% improvement on 2018. The widening of the gender gap was caused mainly by a dip in the proportion of boys reaching the expected standard in reading, which fell from 72% in 2018 to 69%. In maths, boys and girls improved by 3% but girls remained slightly ahead at 79% to 78%.
The latest Sats results are the continuation of trends seen for many years. In Britain, girls consistently outperform boys, with the exception of advanced maths-based subjects. In the most recent GCSE results girls showed improved performances, despite the introduction of more difficult exams.
There were substantial regional variations in the results, with pupils in London generally doing better than in other parts of England. Only 53% of boys in Dudley, in the Midlands, reached the expected standards in the three key subjects, compared with 83% of girls in the wealthy borough of Richmond-upon-Thames.
Also, the gap in performance between disadvantaged pupils and their classmates remains stubbornly wide, suggesting efforts to close it have slowed or been ineffective.
About 51% of children from disadvantaged backgrounds achieved the expected standards in maths, reading and writing, the same as in 2018, while the proportion of non-disadvantaged pupils hitting the standard rose to 71%. That leaves the gap between the two groups little changed for the last three years, with the DfE’s statisticians warning that it might widen slightly when the final figures for 2019 are published.
Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said children from disadvantaged families were the victims of austerity (经济紧缩). “Successive governments have failed to invest in those who need it the most, and now we see the result - a sustained long-term gap over many years between disadvantaged pupils and pupils from more affluent families.” In 2019 30% of pupils at the end of key stage 2 were classed as being disadvantaged. Nick Gibb, the minister for school standards, said the gap had noticeably decreased over the last eight years and that government reforms since 2010 have helped “ level the playing field”.
1. What percentage of boys achieved the government’s standard in Math in 2018?| A．64%. | B．72%. | C．75%. | D．78%. |
| A．Efforts to narrow it have paid off. |
| B．It is identified as a recent trend. |
| C．It has widened a lot in the past three years. |
| D．Tightened economy is held partly responsible for it. |
| A．Education. | B．Politics. |
| C．Culture. | D．Finance. |
| A．Girls’ improved performance in all subjects. |
| B．Gaps in academic performance found in England. |
| C．Tests conducted by the Department for Education. |
| D．Continuing efforts to improve the UK，s education quality. |
4 . Salty water just below the surface of Mars could hold enough oxygen to support the kind of microbial （微生物的） life that existed and developed quickly on Earth billions of years ago， researchers reported on Monday.
In some locations， the amount of oxygen available could even keep alive a primitive， multicellular （多细胞的） animal such as a sponge （海绵动物）， they reported in the journal Nature Geosciences. "We discovered that brines-water with high concentrations of salt - on Mars can contain enough oxygen for microbes to breathe，" said lead author Vlada Stamenkovic， a theoretical physicist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. "This fully revolutionizes our understanding of the potential for life on Mars， today and in the past. "
Up to now， it had been assumed that the trace （微量） amounts of oxygen on the Red Planet were insufficient to sustain even microbial life. "We never thought that oxygen could play a role for life on Mars due to its rarity in the atmosphere， about 0.14 percent，" Stamenkovic said. By comparison， the life-giving gas makes up 21 percent of the air we breathe.
On Earth， aerobic-that is， oxygen breathing -life-forms evolved （净化） together with photosynthesis （光合作用）， which converts CO2 into O2. The gas played a critical role in the existence of complex life， known after the so-called Great Oxygenation Event some 2.35 billion years ago.
But our planet also holds microbes -at the bottom of the ocean， in boiling hot springs -that live in environments lack of oxygen. "That's why -whenever we thought of life on Mars -we studied the potential for anaerobic （无氧的）life，" Stamenkovic said.
1. The underlined word "insufficient" in Para. 3 means " ______ ".| A．enough | B．not enough |
| C．wrong | D．right |
| A．this research changes people's understanding of the potential for life on Mars |
| B．the life-giving gas makes up 31 percent of the air people breathe on earth |
| C．Great Oxygenation Event happened some 2.35 million years ago |
| D．earth holds microbial life at the bottom of the desert |
| A．Mars is fit for living |
| B．multicellular animals are living on Mars |
| C．oxygen plays a role for life on earth |
| D．Mars is likely to have enough oxygen to support life |
5 . The noble tree house—all natural materials, strong construction, aloof from the troubles of the world. In a more dangerous time in human history, their position above the ground would protect the inhabitant against environmental difficulties and possible predators. As modern construction has improved, these arboreal places have become less of a practical housing and more of a children’s fun—a secret place erected in many a back garden. But now, these fun shelters are appealing to adults too and many are booking themselves in for a few nights among the treetops.
These tree house hotels can be found From Europe to Australia. Best of all, they come in a variety of interesting designs! From the traditional four walls and a roof habitation, such as at TreeHouse Point, in Washington, North America, to the more artistic Nothofagus Hotel in Chilean Patagonia, whose twelve-sided walls make it look like a beehive. If that doesn’t appeal, how about a tree container? The Free Spirit Spheres resort on Vancouver Island in Canada allows guests to stay in one of three yellow spheres (圆球), which are suspended from trees. The company was founded in 1998 by Tom Chudleigh, who hand built the container from cedar wood and fibre glass, and then added fixtures and fittings. Not only are they as safe as houses, they’re popular! Visitor numbers have probably doubled in the past five years, Mr. Chudleigh tells the BBC.
And how about an office? Microsoft, hoping to give its employees thinking space, has commissioned (委托) a three-building structure from Pete Nelson, designer and builder of tree houses. “Studies show people can work better in nature. They are more productive,” says Mr. Nelson. If you’ve no head for heights, then maybe a tree house getaway isn’t going to be your home away from home. But the sense of adventure, the freshness of the setting and the opportunity to return to nature has given an increasing number of tree house-staying adults something to write home about.
1. The underlined word “arboreal” in paragraph one means “ ”.| A．relating to history | B．of or relating to trees |
| C．of danger | D．of secret |
| A．the company has profited a lot from tree houses |
| B．tree houses come from interesting places |
| C．Tom Chudleigh has an eye for safety |
| D．tree houses are becoming fashionable |
| A．Because people are more productive working in nature. |
| B．Because the sense of adventure make people work harder. |
| C．Because the freshness of the setting make people cooperate well. |
| D．Because people need the opportunity to return to nature. |
| A．how a tree house is built | B．the trend for tree houses |
| C．peoples’ opinions about tree houses | D．the history of tree houses |
6 . African swine fever has wiped out a third of China's pig population. Now government officials are discussing dramatic steps to stabilize the world’s largest pork market. Pork is a huge deal in China. The country is home to half of all the pigs on the planet .The meat is a staple of the Chinese diet, which means its scarcity could damage China's social stability. The outbreak of swine fever also threatens the global pork supply chain.
While Chinese authorities have already made plans to support the pig farms and families who may struggle with soaring prices, they re stepping up efforts to deal with the crisis.
The price sellers pay for pork has risen nearly 70% in the last year. And the average price that distributors pay suppliers was up 90% in the last week of August compared to a year ago, according to government data. Analysts say prices could yet go even higher.
The government on Wednesday announced more measures to encourage pig farmers and producers to breed more baby pigs. But they may need to go even further to fill the gap. Authorities have promised to release the government's emergency reserves of frozen pig meat if necessary. Ministry of Commerce spokesman Gao Feng said last week that the agency will “closely monitor market developments” before it makes such a decision.
It's difficult to overstate the scale of the problem. As of July, China had lost more than 100 million pigs in the last year, according to the data released Tuesday by the country’s agricultural ministry. Part of the problem is that farmers aren’t refilling their pig farms after the sick animals die, according to China’s agricultural ministry. That has pressured Chinese authorities to explore ways to encourage farmers and producers to breed more baby pigs. The finance and agricultural ministries on Wednesday asked local governments to free up money that could be used for artificial insemination (人工授精) technology.
The ministries also called on local officials to accelerate the distribution of subsidies (补贴) to farms where pigs have been killed because of sickness. And the Beijing government plans to increase loan support and insurance coverage for pig producers nationwide.
1. What is the possible consequence of the reduction in China’s pig population?| A．A lack of diversity of meat. |
| B．Dramatic drop in the pork price. |
| C．Instability of the Chinese society. |
| D．The boom of global pork supply chain. |
| A．To release the emergency reserves of fresh meat. |
| B．To fund artificial insemination technology. |
| C．To offer free loan support to pig farmers. |
| D．To limit the pork price at the market. |
| A．China has lost a large majority of its pigs. |
| B．The swine problem is not that serious at present. |
| C．Farmers are unwilling to raise more pigs for fear of further loss. |
| D．The problem can surely be solved by future technological advance. |
| A．Swine fever threatened the pork supply in the world. |
| B．China makes efforts to solve the swine problem. |
| C．China is home to half of all the pigs on the planet. |
| D．Chinese authorities encourage farmers to breed more baby pigs. |
7 . In recent years, Boston Dynamics has become known for two things. One, creating robots whose movements mimic (模仿) humans and animals. Many find their accuracy surprising and concerning. The second reason is posting mysterious videos of these robots online without warning. The videos quickly go popular and spread a mixture of excitement and terror over the rapid rise of self-operating machines.
The company has made four-legged robots in recent years, with names like Spot, Wildcat and BigDog. These robots can do tasks such as open doors, carry heavy loads and run nearly 20 miles per hour. The company's most popular product appears to be Atlas, the robotic athlete. It calls Atlas "the world's most dynamic humanlike robot."
The robot is guided by 3-D vision. It also uses LiDAR, short for Light Detection And Ranging, a sensor (传感器) that uses a laser (激光) to measure the distance between objects. With this technology, the small robot can pull nearly 25 pounds. The company says Atlas can also handle objects in its environment, cross rough land, keep its balance when pushed and get back up when knocked down.
Three years ago, Atlas was recorded clumsily walking through the snow at a slow speed. Curiosity about Atlas increased last year when Boston Dynamics posted a video clip on YouTube. In it, the previously awkward robot goes for a jog in a grassy area. The video seemed to surprise many viewers, including the newspaper called the Daily Mail. The newspaper was reporting on Atlas's physical accomplishment at the time.
The paper wrote, "If you thought you'd be able to run away from the terrifying new robots, bad news."
1. What is the main idea of the passage?| A．Robots mimicking humans and animals go popular. |
| B．Boston Dynamic is likely to create more new robots. |
| C．Humanlike robots are developing at a surprising speed. |
| D．A new video of the latest robots make people amused. |
| A．Dangerous. | B．Unskillful. |
| C．Graceful. | D．Convenient. |
| A．It’s bad that we can run away from the new robots. |
| B．People are happy about the improvements to new robots. |
| C．Human’s power over machines and robots has come to an end. |
| D．Improvements to robots raised concern among us human. |
| A．A science magazine. | B．An advertisement. |
| C．Children’s literature. | D．A fantasy novel. |
8 . “Birds” and “airports” are two words that, paired together，don’t normally paint the most harmonious picture. So it really raises some eyebrows when China announces plans to build an airport that is for birds.
Described as the world’s first-ever bird airport, the proposed Lingang Bird Sanctuary(保护区）in the northern coastal city of Tianjin is, of course,not an actual airport. Rather，it's a wetland preserve specifically designed to accommodate hundreds-even thousands-of daily takeoffs and landings by birds traveling along the East Asian-Australian Flyway. Over 50 species of migratory (迁徙的）water birds，some endangered, will stop and feed at the protected sanctuary before continuing their long journey along the flyway.
Located on a former landfill site，the 150-acre airport is also open to human travelers.(Half a million visitors are expected annually.) However，instead of duty-free shopping，the main attraction for non-egg-laying creatures at Tianjin’s newest airport will be a green-roofed education and research center, a series of raised “observation platforms” and a network of scenic walking and cycling paths totaling over 4 miles.
“The proposed Bird Airport will be a globally significant sanctuary for endangered migratory bird species, while providing new green lungs for the city of Tianjin.” Adrian McGregor of an Australian landscape architecture firm explained of the design. Frequently blanketed in smog so thick that it has shut down real airports, Tianjin is a city---China’s fourth most populous----that would certainly benefit from a new pair of healthy green lungs•
1. The underlined phrase “non-egg-laying creatures” in Paragraph 3 refers to?| A．Visitors. | B．Designers. |
| C．Endangered water birds. | D．Planes. |
| A．People cannot watch birds up close here. |
| B．It is located on a 150-acre landfill site. |
| C．It functions as an actual airport and a wetland preserve. |
| D．It provides migratory birds with food and shelter. |
| A．The airport will become a permanent home for birds. |
| B．Tianjin will win worldwide fame in the future. |
| C．Tianjin’s air quality will improve thanks to the airport. |
| D．Tianjin will be able to accommodate more people. |
| A．Airports shut down and open up. |
| B．China is to open the first Bird Airport. |
| C．Airports turn into green lungs. |
| D．Birds are no longer enemies to airports. |
9 . A study, conducted by David Evans of the World Bank and Anna Popova of Stanford University, looked at 19 programs around the world in which individuals were given cash transfers from the government, either as a handout or as a “reward” for something like getting kids to school on time or taking them to the doctor for checkups．
Evans and Popova looked at the impact those cash transfers had on the family budget and whether or not they led to an increase in spending on alcohol and cigarettes ．What they found was that they almost always led to a reduction in a family’s alcohol and tobacco purchases．
The news may surprise some people, but it’s true, and the researchers have several theories about why．
One theory is that the cash transfer made things possible that once seemed impossible ． Investing in their kids’ education or buying healthier and more expensive foods may be within reach now, but without the cash handout, these goals weren’t even a possibility．So families cut back on other expenses (like alcohol and tobacco) to make those dreams a reality．
Another theory is that people just generally seem to do what they’re told．If they are given money and told to use it for their family’s welfare, in most cases, they will do just that．And that leads to the third theory: These cash transfers are usually given to women, and studies show that when women control the purse strings, more money is spent on taking care of their children．
Whatever the reason for the trend, the data is clear—families that receive cash handouts don’t waste the money on booze and cigarettes as was previously thought ． Instead, they typically use that money for the benefit of their families．And that’s money well spent．
1. The study proves that ．| A．cash transfers help poor families get what would seem unavailable otherwise |
| B．cash should be given to poor people as a reward for something good for kids |
| C．given cash handouts, poor people would spend the money on alcohol and tobacco |
| D．poor people would save the cash given by the government for emergency needs |
| A．the education gained with the cash would help them drop alcohol and tobacco |
| B．the money previously for alcohol and tobacco would help realize their dream |
| C．buying healthier and more expensive foods left less money for alcohol and tobacco |
| D．that was the promise made before the cash transfer was given to the poor family |
| A．women are told what to do | B．women are given the money |
| C．women know what to do with the money | D．women have the final word for money |
| A．how the study was carried out |
| B．why cash transfer is preferred |
| C．the findings of a study and explanations to them |
| D．the theories for a study about cash transfers |
10 . A machine that takes sweat-laden (浸满汗水的) clothes and turns the sweat into drinking water is in use in Sweden. The machine makes the clothes turn round quickly, heats them to remove the sweat, and then passes the steam through a kind of special material to make purified water.
Since it has been brought into use, its creators say more than 1000 people have drunk others’ “sweat” in Gothenburg. They add the liquid is cleaner than local tap water.
The device was built for the United Nations’ child-focused charity UNICEF to promote a campaign highlighting the fact that 780 million people in the world lack access to clean water.
The machine was designed and built by the engineer Andreas Hammar, known locally for his appearances on TV tech show “Mekatronik”. He said the key part of the sweat machine was a new water purification part developed by a company named HVR.
“It uses a technique called membrane distillation (膜蒸馏),” he told the BBC. “We use a special kind of material that only lets steam through but keeps bacteria, salts, clothing fibers and other things out. They have something similar to the International Space Station, but our machine is cheaper to build. The amount of water it produces depends on how sweaty the person is, but one person’s T-shirt typically produces 10ml, about a mouthful.”
The device has been put on show at the Gothia Cup-the world’s largest international youth football tournament. Mattias Ronge, chief executive of Stockholm-based advertising agency Deportivo, said the machine had helped raise awareness for UNICEF, but in reality had its limitations.
“People haven’t produced as much sweat as we hoped – right now the weather in Gothenburg is lousy,” Mattias Ronge said. “So we’ve equipped the machine with exercise bikes and volunteers are cycling like crazy. Even so, the demand for sweat is greater than the supply. And the machine will never be produced in large numbers, since there are better solutions out there such as water purifying pills.”
1. Which of the following is the disadvantage of the sweat machine?| A．The amount of water the machine produces is rather limited. |
| B．It takes too long for the machine to produce water. |
| C．It costs a large amount of money to build the machine. |
| D．The water processed by the machine is not clean enough. |
| A．show how the sweat machine works |
| B．show the importance of the United Nations |
| C．explain why the sweat machine was invented |
| D．tell us who invented the sweat machine |
| A．It could only be used in summer. |
| B．It was not worth popularizing. |
| C．It did not work at all. |
| D．The water it produced tasted sweet. |
| A．780 million people in the world lack access to clean water |
| B．a machine which turns sweat into drinking water is invented |
| C．a better solution to purifying dirty water is discovered |
| D．the pill which turns dirty water into clean water is produced |
