1 . Experts are warning about the risks of extremely picky(挑剔的)eating after a teenager living on a diet of chips and crisps developed lasting sight loss. Eye doctors in Bristol cared for the 17-year-old after his sight had gone to the point of blindness. Tests showed he had serious vitamin deficiency(缺乏). Dr. Denize Atan, who treated him at the hospital, said, “His diet was basically a portion of chips from the local fish and chip shop every day. He also used to snack on crisps and sometimes white bread and ham, and not really any fruit and vegetables.”
The teenager saw his doctor at the age of 14 because he had been feeling tired and unwell. At that time he suffered from vitamin B12 deficiency, but he did not stick with the treatment or improve his poor diet. Three years later, he was taken to the Bristol Eye Hospital because of progressive sight loss.
He was not overweight or underweight, but he had lost minerals from his bones, which was really quite shocking for a boy of his age. In terms of his sight loss, he met the standards of being blind. “He had blind spots right in the middle of his sight,” said Dr Denize Atan, “That means he can’t drive and would find it really arduous to read, watch TV or recognize faces.”
Dr Denize Atan said that parents should learn about the harm that can be caused by picky eating, and turn to experts for help. For those who are concerned , she advised, “It’s best not to be anxious about picky eating , and instead calmly introduce one or two new foods with every meal.” She said multivitamin tablets can supplement(补充) a diet, but cannot take the place of eating healthily. “It’s much better to take in vitamins through a varied and balanced diet,” she said, adding that too many certain vitamins , including vitamin A, can be harmful ,“so you don’t want to overdo it.”
1. What does Dr Denize Atan imply in paragraph 1?| A．The diet of the boy is not balanced. |
| B．Fruit and vegetables are rich in vitamins. |
| C．Picky eating is common among teenagers. |
| D．The cause of the boy’s disease is unknown. |
| A．To improve his poor diet. |
| B．To get some help to lose weight. |
| C．To be treated for his discomfort. |
| D．To slow down his progressive sight loss. |
| A．Important. | B．Easy. | C．Necessary. | D．Difficult. |
| A．Reasons why the boy is seriously ill. |
| B．Suggestions for the boy’s family to care for him. |
| C．Advice for parents worried about picky eating. |
| D．Ways of taking in enough vitamins and minerals. |
2 . Research has shown that disrupting one's natural “morning lark” (早起鸟) or “night owl” (夜猫子) tendency can result in immoral behavior at work.
Who doesn't love a flexible work schedule? Being able to make your own hours, come in when you're ready and leave when you're done, step out to attend a child's presentation at school, have a midday appointment, or even squeeze in a quick workout or nap as a guaranteed pick-me-up — flexibility greatly improves one's quality of life.
The benefits don't stop there, however. Research has shown that having flexible work hours actually makes one a better person. How so? It's been found that disrupted sleep patterns —in the form of having to act outside of your normal inclination to be a morning “lark” or a night “owl” — can result in strange, unethical, and out-of-line behavior.
Science journalist Linda Geddes said, “If you don't get enough sleep, research suggests you are more likely to have unethical behavior, such as being mean, bullying your fellow employees or falsifying receipts. But it's not just owls: the larks tend to behave more unethically in the evening, and owls in the morning. So ideally, you want to introduce flexible working."
Employers would be wise to allow their employees to start whenever they feel ready — whether it's at the crack of dawn or at 11 a.m., and to allow breaks or pauses in the day as needed — because that would mean better productivity, performance, and behavior.
This shift is already happening, with the New York Times recently reporting that 27 percent of US employers now offer the flexibility to work outside normal business hours, up from 22 percent in 2014; and 68 percent allow telecommuting as needed (up from 54 percent in 2014). With the national unemployment rate at its lowest in 50 years, employers are having to become more competitive in what they offer workers, and flex-hours seem like a no-brainer, highly beneficial to all.
1. What is mainly talked about in Paragraph 2?| A．Ways to improve life quality. |
| B．People's activities in their free time. |
| C．Methods to get a flexible work schedule. |
| D．The advantages of flexibility in work time. |
| A．Judgment. | B．Tendency. | C．Reaction. | D．Choice. |
| A．They will show their nature more easily. |
| B．They tend to suffer from sleep problems. |
| C．They tend to behave immorally in their work. |
| D．They will get more flexibility in working time. |
| A．The unemployment rate is increasing. |
| B．Employers are getting more free time. |
| C．Flexible working has been creating more jobs. |
| D．More employers adopt a flexible work schedule. |
3 . By now, most of us have picked up at least one pandemic hobby. And there's a seemingly common pandemic hobby trend: People who haven't been able to go anywhere are making imaginary travel plans. Maybe you're among those who have spent hours researching locations-even though you're not actually planning to travel.
It turns out that you aren't alone. People who seem to be sticking to public safety recommendations are still planning trips they don't intend to book. And, when I suddenly found myself addicted to an imaginary girls' trip to Joshua Tree, I wondered whether this was a healthy distraction.
"It's an escapist imagination," said Regine Galanti, a psychologist, adding that there's nothing wrong with escapism during a global pandemic.
On the one hand, distractions are often beneficial right now. We are a full year into living with COVID-19 as a pandemic, and that means you've probably had to navigate a range of emotions like discomfort, sadness, or even boredom. So any hobby that doesn't harm anyone or endanger your well-being is probably a worthy attempt.
Even if vacation planning is your happy place, Dr. Galanti suggests you "actually think about what you're trying to achieve." Why? "Maybe what you're saying is, I need a vacation from work," Dr. Galanti explains. "Then take three days off even if you are not going anywhere. "When you figure out what you're looking for, you might be able to find a small socially distanced adventure in your backyard or a quiet place. Vacation planning is a good way to spend some time, but there might be an even better way to get what you're desiring.
Anyway, when uncertainty is all around us, creating things to look forward to isn't a terrible idea. And when things are safer, you'll have all your plans in place.
1. Why do people make imaginary travel plans during the pandemic?| A．To develop a new hobby. | B．To stay safe and sound. |
| C．To be distracted from reality. | D．To get ready for future travel. |
| A．Express. | B．Balance. | C．Adapt to. | D．Deal with. |
| A．Objective. | B．Negative. | C．Supportive. | D．Unclear. |
| A．Figures. | B．Lifestyle. |
| C．Food and recipe. | D．Science and technology. |
4 . Many adults rely on caffeine to get them through the day. But that’s the last thing kids need, according to the governments of England and South Korea.
England woke up to the news that the government is preparing to ban the sale of energy drinks like Red Bull to children.
The ban only applies to England, but Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland can all follow suit if their administrations wish. In March, several major supermarket chains announced they would ban the sale of energy drinks to children under 16. Meanwhile, South Korea announced plans to ban the sale of coffee in schools by September 14.
The first reason for the ban is the high level of caffeine in the energy drinks, which has been linked to health problems for children, including head and stomach aches, as well as sleep problems.
A 250ml can of Red Bull contains about 80mg of caffeine, roughly the same as a similarly sized cup of coffee, but three times the level of CocaCola.Monster Energy, which is often sold in larger cans of 500ml, contains 160mg of caffeine.
Energy drinks often also have higher levels of sugar than soft drinks.Sugared energy drinks have 60% more calories and 65% more sugar than normal soft drinks and sugar is one of the largest causes of obesity.
British national official for education, Darren Northcott, described the drinks as “legal highs” that helped to fuel bad behavior in schools.
In addition to limiting kids’ access to caffeine and energy drinks, the South Korean government has also banned TV commercials for fast food, sugary snacks and highcaffeine beverages during times when most children’ s programs air.
South Koreans drink an average of 181 cups of coffee a year, by far the most in Asia.That is more than the 151 consumed per person in the UK but less than the average of 266 cups in the US.
1. Which part of the UK will be the first to ban the sale of energy drinks to children under 16?| A．England. |
| B．Scotland. |
| C．Wales. |
| D．Northern Ireland. |
| A．Paragraph 5 provides numbers for Paragraph 4. |
| B．They are parallel. |
| C．Paragraph 4 presents an argument. |
| D．Paragraph 4 provides reasons for Paragraph 5. |
| A．Reduce. | B．Settle. | C．Encourage. | D．Ignore. |
| A．Caffeine in Energy Drinks |
| B．Reasons for the Ban on the Sale of Energy Drinks |
| C．Coffee Sales in the UK and South Korea |
| D．England and South Korea Ban Caffeine for Kids |
5 . Telephone calls in the UK and USA are very similar, with most differences being minor and almost everything being mutually (相互) understandable. However, there are a few interesting differences in how British and Americans speak on the phone, including some potential misunderstandings.
Answering the phone in the UK and USA
The standard way of answering a work phone in English is some part of "Good morning/ afternoon/ evening…Limited/ Corp…Department…Section…speaking. How can/ may I help you?" The only thing that differs in that is that "How can I help you?" is more common in Britain and "How may I help you?" is more standard in the US.
With a home phone or mobile, just answering the phone with "Hello?" is standard in English. If you can see who is calling and know them well, it has become more common to greet them by name straightaway instead, e. g. "Hi Steve. Thanks for calling me back". More informal greetings in that situation would be "Yo, Steve" or just "What's up?" in the US and "Alright Steve?" in the UK, with Americans perhaps more likely to use these kinds of more informal phrases. Americans are also more likely to use affectionate phrases like "Hi Honey" or "What's up, bro?", with the British phrase "Alright, mate" being both less common and not actually being so friendly.
Polite language at the beginning of calls in the UK and USA
"Thanks for…" and "Sorry for…" are not only equally likely in different forms of English, but seem to be very popular at the start of phone calls worldwide. The only small UK/USA difference is the rather cute British verb "ring" in "Thanks for ringing me back" and "Sorry to ring again so soon, but…". The more standard language "Thanks for calling me back" and "Sorry to call again so soon, but…" are used in both the UK and USA.
1. Which of the following is the American way of answering a work phone?| A．Good morning. Bibury Systems. How can I help you? |
| B．Hello. This is Bibury Systems. How can I help you? |
| C．Good morning. Bibury Systems. How may I help you? |
| D．Hi. Friend. This is Bibury Systems. How may I help you? |
| A．Tom and Steve are good friends. |
| B．They must be from America. |
| C．They are both at home. |
| D．Tom is very polite to Steve. |
| A．Being happy and polite. |
| B．Showing love and care. |
| C．Being loosely connected. |
| D．Showing care and concern. |
| A．How to Answer the Phone Politely |
| B．Misunderstandings in Answering the Phones |
| C．Small UK/USA differences in Answering the Phones |
| D．The Differences between British and American English |
6 . Members of a native community in the arctic (北极的)areas of Sweden say their reindeer (驯鹿)are facing possible hunger from unusual weather related to climate change. The local Sami community takes care of about 8,000 reindeer throughout the year. The animals are moved between traditional feeding areas in high mountains close to Norway in the summer and forests farther east in the winter.
A community member, Inga, is worried about his reindeer. He said climate change has affected the area's weather activity and created food shortages. "If we don't find better areas for them where they can feed themselves and find food, the reindeer will die from hunger,” Inga said. He verified the problem by reaching down into the snow and pulling up a hard piece of ice close to the soil.
The area received unusual snowfall early in the fall, followed by rain that froze. Inga said this traps the plants that reindeer eat under a thick cover of ice. Some of the hungry reindeer have now moved away from their traditional feeding areas in search of food.
Community members say half the reindeer moved towards the east as planned. But the rest headed back to the mountains, where they face the risk of attacks by other animals or being caught in an avalanche (雪崩). Older members of the Sami community say that in the past, they only remember bad winters about once every ten years. But now, Inga says “extreme and strange weather are appearing more and more often,“ happening several times a year.
Snowfall is common for the area. But as temperatures increase, rain can also fall, creating a “rain-on-snow” effect. When this happens, food remains trapped under the ice where the reindeer cannot reach it. This causes the animals to grow weaker and struggle to make it through the winter. Weather changes have hit the Sami community hard.
“We don't want money because we can’t buy better weather with money. We need the EU to take action and they need to do it now,“ said Inga.
1. What problem do reindeer meet with at present?| A．Cold weather. | B．Risk of hunger. |
| C．Long march for food. | D．Polluted environment. |
| A．Proved. | B．Solved. | C．Ignored. | D．Answered. |
| A．Traps under the snow. | B．Hunt from human beings. |
| C．Rocks falling down the mountain. | D．Threat from other animals. |
| A．Flood. | B．Drought. |
| C．Rain-on-snow effect. | D．Snowfall. |
7 . We all know it is important for students to get a good night’s sleep every night. They aren’t able to do their best unless they sleep well. Most experts agree that the proper number of hours is eight, and this has been accepted as common sense for as long as I can remember. However, I was young once and I know that most of you get much less sleep than that-and sometimes this affects your schoolwork.
I read an article in a teachers’ magazine recently. They did a study of 848 students in a senior school. Worryingly, the results suggested that teenagers are facing a new problem. They may go to bed and get up at proper times but a growing number wake up in the middle of the night, not to use the bathroom or have a snack but because of FOMO-the fear of missing out!
According to the article, schoolchildren suffer because of an increasing trend to wake up during the night to check social media. Afraid of missing a message or chance to take part in a discussion, teens wake up at all times of the night to go online and join up with social groups. All this happens when they should be sound asleep.
The report gives some worrying numbers. 23% of 12-to 15-year-olds wake up nearly every night to use social media. Another 15% wake up at night once a week for the same reason. As a result, one in three students are constantly exhausted and unable to do well at school.
So, I’d like to ask you to be responsible when it comes to social media. Be brave and turn off your phones and computers at night. The world won’t end and your social media will be waiting to greet you in the morning. I give you my word that you won’t have missed anything important.
1. What is the new trend among teenagers?| A．They get up too early in the morning. |
| B．They wake up at midnight to go online. |
| C．They wake up at night to get something to eat. |
| D．They have difficulty in falling asleep again at night. |
| A．A fear of going online. |
| B．A need to go out all the time. |
| C．A fear of losing touch on social media. |
| D．A need to use the latest technology. |
| A．disappointed | B．surprised | C．confused | D．tired |
| A．Uninterested | B．Supportive | C．Concerned | D．Doubtful |
8 . Unlike doctors, nurses are at the forefront of care. They are there when you are admitted, when you rest and when you recover. They are the faces patients see when they are in pain, the ones they get to know and trust to take care of them.
Nursing is also an excellent option for those who want to work in healthcare but cannot go on to become a doctor. You can start with just a few weeks of education and work your way up. There are still educational requirements but many top nursing degrees are specifically designed to be completed while you work full-time.
If you want a career where your job is to actually help people heal, rather than deal with emergencies as they come, then nursing is for you.
Today alone, there are an estimated 800, 000 unfilled nursing jobs in the country, and a further 1 million shortage expected by 2030 when existing nurses start to retire. Job hunting is typically a nightmare for those fresh out of college, but in nursing, you are almost guaranteed a position in nearly every setting.
There are also new rules in place that mean you can work as a nurse in a variety of states without retaking the exams. There are still steps you will need to take if you move from one qualifying state to another, but this freedom means you can find your true home and continue to work as a nurse with very little interruptions. Travel if you want as a nurse; live in your dream home outside of the city as a nurse.
The world needs more nurses, because nurses make a direct impact on recovery. It is reported that one more nurse can save 9 extra people out of every 1,000 patients, that is to say your work matters.
1. What can we infer according to the first paragraph?| A．Healthcares would be complete without nurses. |
| B．Patients and nurses have a good relationship. |
| C．Patients like nurses much more than doctors. |
| D．Healthcares need more nurses than expected. |
| A．Challenge. | B．Step. | C．Choice. | D．Way. |
| A．800,000 nurses will be badly needed. |
| B．1 million nurses will dislike their jobs. |
| C．The USA will see a high rate of unemployment. |
| D．There will be a great demand for nurses. |
| A．You needn’t take extra exams when working in other states. |
| B．You have much freedom as to what you’d like to do. |
| C．You can travel around the world without working. |
| D．You have a chance to travel without interruptions. |
9 . Have you ever wondered why certain pop songs just make you feel so good? Researchers studying the question found that uncertainty and surprise give listeners the most pleasure. The study included 80,000 chords（和弦）in 745 pop songs between 1958 and 1991.
Each song was stripped of its melody（旋律）and lyrics（歌词）so that only chords were left and the results couldn’t be misunderstood by other imaginations of the songs that listeners might have had.
They found two things. Listeners got great pleasure from unexpected chords when they knew what would happen. However, they still found it pleasant to hear familiar chords when they did not know what would follow.
Vincent Cheung, the lead researcher, said, "Pleasant songs are likely those which keep a good balance（平衡）between knowing what is going to happen next and surprising us with something we did not expect. Understanding how music starts our pleasure system in the brain could explain why listening to music might help us feel better when we are feeling blue.”
Cheung told CNN that pleasure in music is connected to expectation. The study before had looked into the effects of surprise on pleasure, but his team's study also paid attention to the uncertainty of listeners' expectations.
1. What does the underlined word in Paragraph 2 mean?| A．Removed. | B．Added. |
| C．Played. | D．Recorded. |
| A．They listened to lots of pop songs. |
| B．They focus on the chords in popular songs. |
| C．They imagined the songs that can make people pleased. |
| D．They found lots of songs and then compared each other. |
| A．Pleasant music can explain human nature. |
| B．Listening to music might make people feel blue. |
| C．Music can improve the pleasure system of people. |
| D．Pleasant music comes from the balance of expectation and surprise. |
| A．His study only paid attention to chords in songs. |
| B．His study focused on the effects of surprise on pleasure. |
| C．His study took time to how music starts the pleasure system. |
| D．His study paid attention to the uncertainty of listeners' expectations. |
10 . Brooke wanted a dollhouse and some sugar cookies. So the 6-year-old asked Alexa to get them. Alexa wasn't her mom or babysitter. It was a voice-activated home assistant powered by artificial intelligence(AI). Alexa comes with the Amazon Echo device. And it made Brooke's wishes come true. After being reported on' TV, Alexa devices in many listeners' homes woke up and tried to order dollhouses!
Alexa isn't the only Al willing to order up treats for you. Apple Homepod has Siri, Google Home has its Assistant, and the upcoming Galaxy Home device will have Bixby. People who own these devices use them mainly for listening to music, checking the weather, and setting timers. According to a report from The Information, people don't often do voice shopping. They do it mainly to order simple things like paper towels. But many experts predict a boom in voice shopping in the near future.
Convenience is the main benefit of voice shopping. You can shout out an order as soon as you think of it, even if you're cooking or driving. Besides, people who are unable to use a keyboard or mouse can shop without assistance.
But voice shopping has its downsides. Unwanted things aren't the biggest problem. It's usually very easy to cancel an order or return items. The surprising thing is that these assistants are always listening. They have to be able to respond when you want them. So they listen for "Alexa" or "OK Google" or another command. When they hear it, they start recording the conversation. Some have worried about what happens to these recordings. Should companies be allowed to use them to learn about people's shopping habits? What if someone hacks the device? What if someone hacks smart TVs to turn them into spies that listen all the time?
1. What is Alexa?| A．A TV reporter. | B．A friend of Brooke. |
| C．A voice-activated device. | D．A cookie maker. |
| A．Alexa is the best Al device |
| B．People buy various things through voice shopping. |
| C．People use Bixby mainly for listening to music. |
| D．Voice shopping may have a bright future. |
| A．Optimistic | B．Doubtful | C．Objective. | D．Negative. |
| A．Repairs. | B．Attacks | C．Hides. | D．Sells. |
