1 . The art of paper cutting in China has a long history, which originated from the 6th century. As paper became more affordable, paper cutting has become one of the most important types of Chinese folk art. Later, this art form spread to other parts of the world, with different areas adopting their own cultural styles. Because the paper cuts are often used to decorate doors and windows, they are sometimes referred to as “window flowers”.
Scissors and knives are the basic tools to make a paper cut, and the subjects are different in figures, such as flowers, bird, characters, familiar folk stories and fairy tales. It’s also common to see some Chinese characters on paper cuts. The most famous paper cutting characters in Chinese are words meaning “lucky” and “double happiness”. Even these days, Chinese people love to hang paper cutting of these two characters at their doors.
Chinese paper cuts were used for religious and ceremonial purposes in the past. They have been buried with the dead and burned at funerals. At the same time, paper cuts have special significance on festivals and holidays.
Paper cuts are made in many areas through the country; in general, the northern style is bold and free while the southern is delicate (精致的) and smooth.
People express wishes and hopes with paper cutting. As a national non-material culture heritage (遗产), paper cutting is really precious.
1. What is necessary if you want to learn paper-cutting?| A．Glue. | B．Scissors. |
| C．Chinese characters. | D．Different colors. |
| A．Paper cutting skills. | B．Paper cutting experts. |
| C．The art of paper cutting. | D．The history of paper cutting. |
| A．Positive. | B．Negative. |
| C．Doubtful. | D．Neutral. |
2 . Whether in the home or the workplace, social robots are going to become a lot more common in the next few years. Social robots are about to bring technology to the everyday world in a more humanized way, said Cynthia Breazeal, chief scientist at the robot company Jibo.
While household robots today do the normal housework, social robots will be much more like companions than tools. For example, these robots will be able to distinguish when someone is happy or sad. This allows them to respond more appropriately (适当地) to the user.
The Jibo robot, arranged to ship later this year, is designed to be a personalized assistant. You can talk to the robot, ask it questions, and make requests for it to perform different tasks. The robot doesn’t just deliver general answers to questions, it responds based on what it learns about each individual in the household. It can do things such as reminding an elderly family member to take medicine or taking family photos.
Social robots are not just finding their way into the home. They have potential applications in everything from education to health care and are already finding their way into some of these spaces.
Fellow Robots is one company bringing social robots to the market. The company’s “Oshbot” robot is built to assist customers in a store, which can help the customers find items and help guide them to the product’s location in the store. It can also speak different languages and make recommendations for different items based on what the customer is shopping for.
The more interaction the robot has with humans, the more it learns. But Oshbot, like other social robots, is not intended to replace workers, but to work alongside other employees. “We have technologies to train social robots to do things not for us, but with us,” said Breazeal.
1. How are social robots different from household robots?| A．They can control their emotions. | B．They are more like humans. |
| C．They do the normal housework. | D．They respond to users more slowly. |
| A．Communicate with you and perform operations. |
| B．Answer your questions and make requests. |
| C．Take your family pictures and deliver milk. |
| D．Obey your orders and remind you to take pills. |
| A．A new design idea of household robots. | B．Marketing strategies for social robots. |
| C．Information on household robots. | D．An introduction to social robots. |
3 . Ali Coletta always wanted someone to share her adventures. Then she met her husband Nick, and things seemed perfect — for a while. But she knew there was still something, or someone, missing.
“I knew we needed an addition to our family to share our passion for adventure together,”Ali said.“I even created a PowerPoint slideshow on why we needed a sweet golden retriever (金毛猎犬) in our lives.”
In 2016, Stella joined the family and the Colettas finally found the perfect pet to make them feel complete.“Stella’s personality is lovely and contradictory. One minute she’s sitting at the kitchen table as if it’s no big deal, and the next minute she’s bossing us around,”Ali said.“She loves swimming, hiking and recently snowboarding.”
The fearless pup loves following Nick around wherever he goes and is always up for an adventure. This was never more apparent than when the family went on a recent ski trip. Their vacation was cut short due to COVID-19, but on their last day, the family hiked up a mountain park. Of course, they brought Stella along for the journey so she, too, could enjoy the snow. Then something unexpected happened — as Nick began snowboarding downhill, the faithful Stella refused to be left behind. She bounded happily through the snow, following Nick’s every move. “We knew she would love the hike in the snow,” Ali said.“But we honestly had no idea she would love running down just as much.”
Stella has always loved the cold, and now it’s clear that she’s finally found her calling.
Regardless of what Stella does, the Colettas couldn’t be happier to have such a special pup in their lives. “She truly completes our family and is the best companion one could ask for,” Ali said.
1. What do the first two paragraphs imply?| A．Things have been perfect before Ali’s marriage. |
| B．Ali and Nick met in a mountain adventure in 2017. |
| C．Ali and her husband are both crazy about adventures. |
| D．The dog is always necessary for guarding adventurers. |
| A．She is gentle and obedient. | B．She has a changeable character. |
| C．She loves following Ali around. | D．She has joined the family for a year. |
| A．Found something really desirable for her. | B．Figured out her permanent home. |
| C．Realized the cold of the snow. | D．Learned a new skill. |
| A．Stella’s love for snowboarding. |
| B．Advice on finding a perfect pet. |
| C．Ali and her husband’s hiking adventures. |
| D．The story of the Colettas and their golden retriever. |
4 . For people, who are interested in sound, the field of sound technology is definitely making noise. In the past, sound engineers worked in the back rooms of recording studios, but many of today’s sound professionals are sharing their knowledge and experience with professionals in other fields to create new products based on the phenomenon we call sound.
Sound can be used as a weapon. Imagine that a police officer is chasing a thief. The thief tries to escape. And the officer can’t let him get away. He pulls out a special device, points it at the suspect, and switches it on. The thief drops to the ground. This new weapon is called a Long Range Acoustic Device(LRAD, 远程定向声波发射器). It produces a deafening sound so painful that it temporarily disables a person. The noise from the LRAD is directed like a ray of light and travels only into the ears of that person, but it is not deadly.
For those who hunger for some peace and quiet, sound can now create silence. Let’s say you are at the airport, and the little boy on the seat next to you is humming(哼唱) a short commercial song. He hums it over and over again, and you are about to go crazy. Thanks to the Silence Machine, a British invention, you can get rid of the sound without upsetting the boy or his parents. One may wonder how the Silence Machine works. Well, it functions by analyzing the waves of the incoming sound and creating a second set of outgoing waves. The two sets of waves cancel each other out. Simply turn the machine or point it at the target, and your peace and quiet comes back.
Directed sound is a new technology that allows companies to use sound in much the same way spotlights(聚光灯) are used in the theater. A spotlight lights up only one section of a stage; similarly, “spotsound” creates a circle of sound in on targeted area. This can be useful for businesses such as restaurants and stores because it offers a new way to attract customers. Restaurants can offer a choice of music along with the various food choices on the menu, allowing customers more control over the atmosphere in which they are dining. Directed sound is also beginning to appear in shopping centers and even at homes.
1. What could be inferred from Paragraph 2 about the effect of the LRAD?| A．It causes temporary hearing loss. |
| B．It slows down a running man. |
| C．It makes it easy to identify a suspect. |
| D．It keeps the suspect from hurting others. |
| A．silence the people around you |
| B．remove the sound of commercials |
| C．block the incoming sound waves |
| D．stop unwanted sound from affecting you |
| A．They travel in circles. |
| B．They clear the atmosphere. |
| C．They can be transformed into energy. |
| D．They can be directed onto a specific area. |
| A．creative designs of restaurant menus |
| B．ideal sound effects on the theater stage |
| C．different choices of music for businesses |
| D．strict control over any suspicious customer |
| A．How professionals invented sound products. |
| B．Inventions in the field of sound technology. |
| C．The growing interest in the study of sound. |
| D．How sound engineers work in their studios. |
5 . Some parents will buy any high-tech toy if they think it will help their child, but researchers said puzzles help children with math-related skills.
Psychologist Susan Levine, an expert on mathematics development in young children at the University of Chicago, found children who play with puzzles between ages 2 and 4 later develop better spatial skills. Puzzle play was found to be a significant predictor of cognition(认知) after controlling for differences in parents’ income, education and the amount of parent talk, Levine said.
The researchers analyzed video recordings of 53 child-parent pairs during everyday activities at home and found children who play with puzzles between 26 and 46 months of age have better spatial skills when assessed at 54 months of age.
“The children who played with puzzles performed better than those who did not, on tasks that assessed their ability to rotate(旋转)and translate shapes,” Levine said in a statement.
The parents were asked to interact with their children as they normally would, and about half of children in the study played with puzzles at one time. Higher-income parents tended to have children play with puzzles more frequently, and both boys and girls who played with puzzles had better spatial skills. However, boys tended to play with more complex puzzles than girls, and the parents of boys provided more spatial language and were more active during puzzle play than parents of girls.
The findings were published in the journal Developmental Science.
1. In which aspect do children benefit from puzzle play?| A．Building confidence. | B．Developing spatial skills. |
| C．Learning self-control. | D．Gaining high-tech knowledge. |
| A．Parents’ age. | B．Children’s imagination. |
| C．Parents’ education. | D．Child-parent relationship. |
| A．They play with puzzles more often. |
| B．They tend to talk less during the game. |
| C．They prefer to use more spatial language. |
| D．They are likely to play with tougher puzzles. |
| A．A mathematical method. | B．A scientific study. |
| C．A woman psychologist | D．A teaching program. |
6 . If you could change your child's DNA in the future to protect them against diseases, would you? It could be possible because of technology known as CRISPR- Cas, or just CRISPR.
CRISPR involves a piece of RNA, a chemical messenger, designed to work on one part of DNA; it also uses an enzyme that can take unwanted genes out and put new ones in, according to The Economist. There are other ways of editing DNA, but CRISPR will do it very simply, quickly, and exactly.
The uses of CRISPR could mean that cures are developed for everything from Alzheimer's to cancer to HIV. By allowing doctors to put just the right cancer-killing genes into a patient's immune system, the technology could help greatly.
The US' National Academy of Sciences plans to discuss questions about CRISPR s ethics(伦理问题). For example, CRISPR doesn't work properly yet. As well as cutting the DNA it is looking for, it often cuts other DNA, too. In addition, we currently seem to have too little understanding of what DNA gives people what qualities.
There are also moral questions around playing God. Of course, medicine already stops natural things from happening-for example, it saves people from infections. The opportunities to treat diseases make it hard to say we shouldn't keep going.
Also, according to The Economist, gene editing may mean that parents make choices that are not obviously in the best interests of their children: “Deaf parents may prefer their children to be deaf too; parents might want to make their children more intelligent at all costs.”
In the end, more research is still needed to see what we can and can't do with CRISPR. “It's still a huge mystery how we work,” Craig Mello, a UMass Medical School biologist and Nobel Prize winner, told The Boston Globe, “We're just trying to figure out this amazingly complicated thing we call life.”
1. What is the passage mainly about?| A．What we can and can't do with CRISPR. |
| B．The advantages of CRISPR and arguments about its ethics. |
| C．How CRISPR was developed by scientists. |
| D．Scientists' experiments of using CRISPR to edit human embryos. |
| A．Playing jokes on religious people. |
| B．Asking God to help deal with moral questions. |
| C．Following the instructions of God. |
| D．Doing things that go against nature. |
| A．is very safe because it only cuts the DNA it is looking for |
| B．is very helpful to cure people of any disease |
| C．could cause parents to make unwise choices for their children |
| D．could help us understand how complicated life is |
| A．Objective. | B．Worried. |
| C．Negative. | D．Supportive. |
7 . Meeting at a church on a Friday night is not usual for most college students,but it is usual for the women members of the Alcoholics Anonymous(AA)in my hometown, which is an organization for alcoholics who want to stop drinking alcohol.AA is founded upon a number of principles,including twelve steps and twelve traditions,but the only requirement for becoming a member is a strong wish to stop drinking.
The AA meeting I attended was in a speaker week,which meant that most of the time was spent listening to a member talking about her journey with alcohol.The speaker told other members her true story of alcohol problems.The group processed the story in a positive way.I noticed several times when members laughed,smiled,and made brief supporting comments while she spoke.Later,a member named Lucy shared with me her view that"this is the kind of place where you can talk about things,and everyone just laughs...no judgment but support."Being able to talk about her feelings and experiences,receiving support,and the lack of judgment were a large part of her decision to keep coming to the meetings.
Years later,I looked back on the meeting I attended with positive memories.The members at the meeting were mothers,sisters,grandmothers,aunts,daughters,and friends.Some were professionals, some were students,and some were unemployed. Despite their differences,they united in their common goal for a better life.AA is a prime example of how a group of people follow a program and work together at changing their habits.The meeting changed the way I looked at addiction-it was no longer a monster. Now I think it's essential to have support when you're struggling with addiction,just as with any lifestyle change.
1. What is the purpose of the Alcoholics Anonymous?| A．To create a program for college students. |
| B．To improve the alcohol industry. |
| C．To help people give up drinking. |
| D．To break twelve traditions. |
| A．Unfriendly judgment on her stories. |
| B．Loud laughter from the audiences. |
| C．Too little time left for her. |
| D．Silence after her speech. |
| A．Sharing feelings with friends. |
| B．My experience of an AA meeting. |
| C．AA helping women lead a better life. |
| D．Tips on getting rid of alcohol addiction. |
8 . First aid is emergency care for a victim of sudden illness or injury until more skillful medical treatment is available. First aid may save a life or improve certain important signs including pulse, temperature, an unobstructed (未堵塞的) airway and breathing. In minor emergencies, first aid may prevent a victim’s condition from worsening and provide relief from pain.
First aid must be done as quickly as possible. In the case of the badly injured, a few minutes can make the difference between complete recovery and loss of life.
First-aid measures depend upon a victim's needs and the provider's level of knowledge and skill. Knowing what not to do in an emergency is as important as knowing what to do. Improperly moving a person with a neck injury, for example, can lead to lifelong disability.
Despite the variety of possible injuries, several suggestions should be followed if first aid applies to all emergencies. The first step is to call for professional medical help. The victim, if sensible, should be reassured that medical aid has been requested, and asked for permission to provide any first aid. Next, assess the scene, asking other people or the injured person’s family or friends about details of the injury or illness, any care that may have already been given, and pre-existing conditions such as high blood pressure and heart trouble. The victim’s medical card should be checked that describes special medical conditions. Unless the accident scene becomes unsafe or the victim may suffer further injury, do not move the victim.
First aid requires rapid assessment of victims to determine whether life-threatening conditions exist. One method to assess a victim’s condition is known as the ABC, which stands for:
A-Airway: Is it open and unobstructed?
B-Breathing: Is the person breathing? Look, listen, and feel for breathing.
C-Circulation (循环): Is there a pulse (脉搏)? Is the person bleeding badly? Check skin color and temperature for additional indications of circulation problems.
1. It is very important in first aid to_______.| A．know what to do and what not to do according to the condition of the victim |
| B．spend a few minutes making the difference between recovery and death |
| C．move the injured person from the scene of accident immediately |
| D．make it clear what illness the victim has had |
| A．Checking whether the victim is breathing. |
| B．Checking whether the victim is bleeding. |
| C．Waiting for medical treatment before giving first aid. |
| D．Telephoning a hospital at once. |
| A．injures | B．instruments |
| C．treatments | D．signs |
| A．the history and skills of first aid |
| B．basic knowledge about how to give first aid |
| C．some knowledge to help anyone who may be injured in an accident |
| D．that first aid is dangerous to those who do not know how to do it |
9 . Mirroring body language is a way to bond and to build understanding. It is a powerful tool that we use without even knowing it.
The most obvious forms of mirroring are yawning and smiling. When you see someone yawn, you are likely to yawn immediately. Smiling is also pretty contagious-seeing a smiling person makes you want to smile too.
Mirroring body language is a nonverbal way to say “I am like you, I feel the same”. Research shows that people who experience the same feelings are likely to trust, understand and accept each other.
Women have the natural ability to pick up and understand body signals. Therefore, it is not surprising that a woman is more likely to mirror another woman than a man is to mirror another man. That's why women are regarded as better talkers, even if they might not really have more close friends.
It is interesting that when a man tries to mirror a woman's body language while she is talking, he may seem to her as caring, intelligent and attractive.
Mirroring body language is an excellent way to build trust and understanding quickly. If you want to set up a connection with a new person, mirror his or her gestures, sitting position, tone of voice and talking pace. This will make them feel that there is something about you that they like.
While mirroring body language gains you acceptance, you still need to take into consideration your relationship with the person you are mirroring. If you are in a lower social position and are mirroring the body language of your boss, he will view you as arrogant. However, if you want to defeat those who are trying to prove superior to you, mirroring their body language will help defeat them and change their position.
1. What does the underlined word “contagious” in paragraph 2 mean?| A．Affecting each other. | B．Powerful to show one's feelings. |
| C．Attractive to the others. | D．Being gentle to people around. |
| A．send wrong messages | B．hide true feelings |
| C．win others' acceptance | D．avoid misunderstanding |
| A．You will appear very attractive. | B．It will help to soften his position. |
| C．You will seem unacceptably proud. | D．It will be a good way to build trust. |
| A．It is important to copy the others' gestures. |
| B．Why women are regarded as better talkers. |
| C．Men is not good at nonverbal communication. |
| D．Mirroring body language can be a useful tool. |
10 . Engineers have launched a huge garbage collection device to gather plastics floating in the Pacific Ocean between California and Hawaii. The plastic makes up what is called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. It is the world’s largest spread of garbage, twice the size of the state of Texas.
The Organization Ocean Cleanup created the collection device. The group’s founder is Boyan Slat, a 24-year-old inventor from the Netherlands. When Slat was 16, he went diving in Mediterranean Sea and saw more plastic bags than fish. Since then, he has made up his mind to clean up the oceans.
He told the Associated Press that researchers with his organization have found plastic from the 1960s and 1970s among the material in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. It contains an estimated 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic in total. Most of them float on the surface of the water, or are within a few meters of the surface.
Last Saturday, a ship pulling the pipe-shaped floating barrier left San Francisco for the Garbage Patch. The barrier, called the floater, is 600 meters across. Attached to it is a screen (筛子) that hangs three meters down in the water. The screen is designed to collect the plastic as it moves through the water. Sea animals can safely swim under the barrier. The cleanup system also comes with lights powered by the sun, cameras, and other special devices. Slat said this enabled the system to communicate its position at all times.
Shipping containers will hold all the plastic gathered, including bottles and fishing equipment. Slat said the containers were expected to be back on land within a year. Then the plastic will be recycled. And they will also study how the system performs in severe ocean conditions, including huge waves.
1. How did Boyan Slat react to that dive in the Mediterranean Sea?| A．He showed a great interest in diving. |
| B．He became worried about his safety. |
| C．He decided to remove the garbage in oceans. |
| D．He became curious about underwater creatures. |
| A．Most of its plastic is half a century old. |
| B．It covers almost the size of the state of Texas. |
| C．Altogether there are about 1.8 billion pieces of plastic. |
| D．The majority of its plastic floats on or near the surface. |
| A．To power lights in the ship. | B．To protect sea animals near it. |
| C．To tell the position of the ship. | D．To collect plastic along the way. |
| A．Approaches to removing garbage in oceans. |
| B．The problem of garbage in the Pacific Ocean. |
| C．A young man who does well in classifying garbage. |
| D．A huge device made to clean garbage in oceans. |
