1 . Robots have certain advantages compared to humans. They are efficient, tireless, can be repaired when damaged and they never get sick. The last quality has made them the star during our fight against the COVID-19(新冠肺炎). While thousands of medical workers have fallen ill dealing with this highly infectious virus and a lot more have to stay at home for fear of getting the disease, this isn’t a problem for robots. This is why the COVID-19 outbreak is seen as the “tipping point” for robots to start to replace humans in certain jobs.
In hospitals, robots are used to perform high-risk tasks. In China, for example, a hotel in Hangzhou employed a robot to deliver food to people under quarantine(隔离). In Spain, robots are about to be used to test people for the coronavirus(冠状病毒).
In non-medical companies, robots are also replacing human employees since they don’t have the problem of the social distancing and will never take sick leave. Fast-food chains like McDonald’s are not only delivering food with robots in some areas, but also looking to use them as cooks and servers. Walmart and Amazon, for example, where robots are already used in packing and shipping, are planning to increase the number of robots in these areas.
But this sudden boom in robot demand doesn’t mean that they can replace humans successfully in every aspect. According to Bill Smart, a roboticist at Oregon State University, the human contact between doctors and patients is still important. Doctors comfort the patients and guide them through hard decisions while robots are only doing daily tasks, like cleaning and giving tests.
It might be true that robots have certain advantages over humans, but they are still secondary to human’s communication and emotion.
1. Which of the following is not the advantage of robots over human beings?| A．They never fall ill. |
| B．They can offer emotion support. |
| C．They are efficient in work. |
| D．They can be repaired when damaged. |
| A．To explain robots are more intelligent than humans. |
| B．To prove robots have social ability wherever they are. |
| C．To explain how robots replace humans in non-medical companies. |
| D．To prove McDonald’s and Walmart are famous companies in the world. |
| A．Sharp increase. | B．Low supply. |
| C．Short explosion. | D．Excellent performance. |
| A．The Efficient Tireless Robots | B．Robots Will Replace Humans |
| C．Robots Aid in Coronavirus Fight | D．The demand For Robots Increase |
2 . Reducing plastic waste isn't easy because the cheap material is found in almost every household item. Now, a delicious and nutritious solution has come up to help reduce our dependence on this environmental hazard.
David Christian, the co-founder of Evoware, says the idea of creating the biodegradable (生物降解的) products came from concern at the country’s high pollution rate. Indonesia is home to four of the world's worst polluted rivers. Since single-use packaging is a large contributor to the problem, Evoware decided to deal with that first.
After investigating various materials, the company settled on seaweed. Unlike corn, commonly used for biodegradable containers, seaweed does not require resources like water or large amounts of space. Since Indonesian farmers already harvest more seaweed than they can sell, it's easy for the company to find the material.
Though they will not reveal their production process, Evoware says the seaweed packaging contains no chemicals and is safe to consume. The company has also invented single-use cups, which can break down 30 days after they're thrown away.
While replacing plastic with the seaweed products may seem appealing to most of us, it is a hard-sell in Indonesia. According to Christian, ''The awareness to reduce single-use plastic is still very low. This makes our bioplastic unnecessary.” Also a factor is the cost, which is higher than using plastic. Hopefully, Evoware will succeed in convincing Indonesians and people worldwide that switching to their products will be helpful to protecting our beautiful planet.
1. What problem did Evoware decide to deal with first?| A．Ways to clean the four worst polluted rivers. |
| B．What nutritious materials for people to use. |
| C．How to deal with single-use packaging. |
| D．Means to contribute to the country's economy. |
| A．It didn't require much space and was easy to get. |
| B．It could be found everywhere in his country. |
| C．It was most commonly used for packaging. |
| D．It grew thickly in most of the polluted rivers. |
| A．Their seaweed products have won government support. |
| B．Sometimes it's hard to get people to reduce the use of plastics. |
| C．Their new products have received worldwide popularity. |
| D．The cost of making seaweed products will be lowered soon. |
| A．Something lasting long. | B．Something hard to accept. |
| C．Something easy to get. | D．Something commonly seen. |
3 . When Emanuel received an email from Professor Richard English. Queen’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor at the School of History, Anthropology,Philosophy and Politics, encouraging him to apply for a PhD in Politics in Belfast, it was a pinch-me moment Emanual never thought would be possible. After all, just a few short years ago, he was living on the streets couch-surfing at friends’ houses and weeding gardens to make ends meet. Now, one of the world’s leading political academics was preparing to welcome him to Queen’s University over 4,000 miles away.
Emanuel never knew who his father was and his mom was mentally ill when she gave birth to him, so the hospital took him off her and he was unofficially adopted for the first few years of his life. What followed was a childhood with uncertainty as Emanuel was passed between the adoption system and family members.
Through his high school and community college years, he moved from house to house, living with friends at times and living on the streets at others.
Determined to change all that despite his rocky start in life, Emanuel involved himself in school-doing everything he could to earn extra tuition (学费) money in his spare time. But getting accepted into university was scarcely possible because a person like him couldn’t get a regular student loan.
Fortunately, the government backed him, having created a policy allowing disadvantaged persons to access funding for higher education. He graduated from the University of the West Indies with a 1st Class Honors degree and went on to do his Masters.
Emanuel knows that his story could have been very different.
“I discovered Professor Richard English online and sent him an email honestly, not thinking he would reply and to my surprise, he did. I applied for the highly competitive Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Scheme in order to fund my research at Queen’s. When I was told I was successful, my whole world changed.”
1. What does the underlined word “pinch-me” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．Expected. | B．Unbelievable. | C．Awkward. | D．Anxious. |
| A．His father was mentally ill. |
| B．He was abandoned by his mother. |
| C．He was once adopted by his relatives. |
| D．He lived with his friends now and then. |
| A．By receiving a regular student loan. |
| B．By earning the tuition all by himself. |
| C．By borrowing the money from friends. |
| D．By getting support from the government. |
| A．Well begun is half done. |
| B．It’s never too old to learn. |
| C．You are the master of your life. |
| D．Lost time is never found again. |
4 . July 27th, 2010 was a typical English summer’s day — it rained for 24 hours! As usual, I rushed home from work at midday to check on the house. Nothing was amiss. By the time I left work at 5pm, however, the road into our village was flooded. Our house had never been flooded but, as I opened the front door, a wave of water greeted me. Thank God the kids weren’t with me, because the house was 5 feet deep in water. We lost everything downstairs.
At first we tried to push on through. We didn’t want to move the children out of home, so we camped upstairs. We put a sheet of plastic across the floor to protect us from the damp. But after three months, we felt very sick, so we moved to a wooden house in a park. The house was small, but at first we were all just delighted to be in a new place. Unfortunately, things took longer than expected and we were there for 10 months. The life there was inconvenient. What surprised me most was how much I missed being part of a community (社区). We had lived in a friendly village with good neighbours, and I’d never thought how much I’d miss that.
Although our situation was very hard, it’s difficult to feel too sorry for yourself when you look at what’s happening elsewhere. I watched a news report about floods in Northern India and thought, “We didn’t have a straw hut (茅草房) that was swept away, and our house is still standing. We’re lucky.”
We moved back home in August. With December coming, there’s still reconstruction work to be done, so it’s difficult to prepare for Christmas. But I can’t wait — I’m going to throw a party for our friends in the village to say thanks for their support. This year, I won’t need any gifts — living away from home for months has made me realize how little we actually need or miss all our possessions. Although we are replacing things, there’s really no rush — we have our home back, and that’s the main thing.
1. The underlined word “amiss” in the first paragraph means| A．Wrong. | B．Missing. | C．Right. | D．Difficult. |
| A．Because they were able to move to a new place. |
| B．Because many other places were flooded. |
| C．Because their straw hut was not swept away. |
| D．Because some others suffered even more. |
| A．She valued human feelings more than before. |
| B．She realized she almost didn’t need possessions. |
| C．She found Christmas gifts no longer badly needed. |
| D．She thought her own home was the most important. |
5 . Like people，plants experience stress.And also，like people，the response to that stress can determine success.
Bad environmental conditions，such as drought，flood，heat and other stresses，affect yields(产量) more than crop pests and diseases.”We are trying to find a way to equip plants with the ability to tolerate environmental stress and maintain high yields”，said Stephen Howell，a professor of genetics and cell biology.
Plant cells produce proteins(蛋白质) and ship them to different parts of the cell.Under normal conditions，these proteins are folded into their normal，healthy structures as they are produced.When a plant is under stress，its cells produce poorly folded or unfolded proteins.Then a built-in system senses this and sets off an alarm in the cell said Howell.
In response to the alarm，another protein (IRE1) starts working and creates a different process which activates(激活)the stress response genes whose products bring about defensive measures that help the plant survive.
“As it turns out，responses that are activated under stressful conditions actually inhibit the growth of plants，”said Howell.”This allows them to preserve their energy to survive the stressful conditions.”
“For plants in the wild，this response is a help for survival”，he said.In production of agricultural crops，however，this response reduces yields.
“You don’t want crop plants to stop growing，Howell said.”You want them to continue to grow and produce more even though they are under stress.”
“With the new understanding of this stress response，the next step may be to silence the alarm system”，said Howell.”What may be important is to disable some of these stress responses.That may make the plant more productive under stressful conditions.
1. According to the text，an alarm in the plant cell is caused by _____.| A．the folded proteins | B．the changed proteins |
| C．the defensive measures | D．the stress response genes |
| A．helps the plants to survive |
| B．helps to maintain high yields |
| C．keeps the plants growing |
| D．helps to produce proteins |
| A．prevent | B．start | C．continue | D．promote |
| A．By making crop plants keep more energy. |
| B．By making crop plants stop growing. |
| C．By making the alarm system stop working. |
| D．By making the alarm system respond quickly. |
6 . A car needs gas to run and your body also needs food to work for you. Eating the right kind of food is very important. It can help your body grow strong, so take care of what you eat.
There are four main food groups altogether. The dairy group has food like milk, cheese and sour milk. The other three groups are the meat and fish group, the fruit and vegetable group, and the bread and rice group. Each meal should have at least one food from all four main groups. With all these food together, you will be given enough energy during the day.
It is easy to get into bad eating habits. You may eat your breakfast in a hurry to get to school on time. Or you may not have time for a good lunch. It may seem easy to finish your supper with fish and chips all the time. But you will find yourself tired these days and you can not think quickly.
Watching what you eat will help your body remain healthy and strong. It is also good to take some exercise. It will help you eat more if you take a walk or play games in the open air. Having a good eating habit with some exercise is the key to your health.
1. Which of the following diets do you think is the best one?| A．Corn, fish, cream and pork | B．Milk, bread, cabbages and beef |
| C．Eggs, tomatoes and chicken | D．Rice, bean curd(豆腐), apples, fish and chicken |
| A．Going to school without any breakfast. |
| B．Eating your lunch in a very short time. |
| C．Eating fish and chips for supper all the time. |
| D．Having at least one food from all four groups in each meal. |
| A．a farm where cows are kept | B．the shop that sells milk and butter |
| C．the food made out of cows such as milk and butter | D．a place where milk products are made |
| A．enough energy helps people think more quickly |
| B．taking exercise can keep your body strong |
| C．every person needs food to grow well |
| D．right kind of food with exercise will keep you healthy |
7 . The European Commission (EC) has ordered a recall of a smartwatch for children because it has a "serious" privacy risk.
The watch, called Safe-KID-One, is a product of the German electronics manufacturer Enox. On its website, Enox describes the Safe-KID-One as a tool for parents. The watches have a simple, colorful design that seems appealing to children. The device has a built-in microphone and speaker to permit two-way communication.
The company says the smartwatch can be used by parents to learn where their children are at all times and contact them. It says this can be done with a computer software program or an app. The Enox website says children wearing the watch can place a telephone call with just one touch of a number. The site claims that “ only pre-listed parties” can call a child through the device.
However, the European Commission recently reported that it found major security concerns with the Safe-KID-One system. The EC wrote that the risk level of the smartwatches was “serious” and called for an immediate recall of the devices.
The warning said the app linked to the Safe-KID-One device could permit non-secure communications with the system’s computer server. “The server’s security issues make it possible for people to break into the system and steal private information, ” the EC said.
Officials said the devices had microphones that let parents listen in on teachers and school activities. The government said the system violated German laws aimed at limiting surveillance （监视）.
The report said that in a few simple steps, a stranger could easily take control of the watches and then find, listen to and communicate with a child. At the time, the council said there was an urgent need for manufacturers to increase security of the system or face forced recalls of the devices.
1. Which of the following best describes the smartwatches in its maker’s opinion?| A．It is useful for parents. | B．It is a device for study. |
| C．It is an ordinary watch. | D．It is harmful for children. |
| A．Join in school activities. | B．Observe their kids’ behavior. |
| C．Keep in touch with their kids. | D．Connect with their kids' teachers. |
| A．The system may break down. | B．Personal details may be stolen. |
| C．Communications may be disturbed. | D．Strangers can steal the phones easily. |
| A．Turned to. | B．Belonged to. |
| C．Stood for. | D．Went again. |
8 . Nasr Majid started hunting this fall at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge (保护区) on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in USA. He’s one of the relatively few new hunters who officials hope will help stop a nearly four-decade decline nationally in what has become a hobby for fewer than 5 percent of Americans.
Natural resources and wildlife officials in Maryland are encouraging hunting of deer, turkeys and some other wild animals, which is believed to be good for the environment. Without hunting, they say, sika deer will overpopulate the wildlife refuge and they’ll overeat the bushes and other plants that provide important habitat for birds. On the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay, hunting is also important to prevent the spread of diseases such as Lyme.
In many families, the hunting tradition has been handed down for generations. But as longtime sportsmen age and children lose interest, the number of hunters in the United States fell by 2 million, from 2011 to 2018, to about 11 million.
“Everything is changing. Kids are growing up in front of video games and computers instead of going hunting.” said Chris Markin, a hunting specialist for the state natural resources department. “Adults usually focus on working and providing for their families. Those pressures are preventing many other potential hunters from going out, and from raising the next generation of hunters.”
To avoid such a decline, a new approach is needed. Government agencies and nonprofit groups are now launching mentoring (指导) programs to train more hunters, which not only helps preserve an industry and a culture but also means more protection for wildlife and their habitats through deer population control and investment.
Luckily, there are those still eager to learn, like Majid. He was just looking for an outdoor hobby he could share with his children when he came across the mentorship program. Now, he feels capable of hunting on his own, but also has someone he can text with questions that pop up. His new pastime has already paid off for him—on his second hunt with his mentor, in the last minutes of daylight, he bagged his first deer.
1. In this passage, Nasr Majid is considered as a symbol of________.| A．devotion | B．bravery | C．enthusiasm | D．hope |
| A．No one is interested in hunting any more. |
| B．The hunting tradition is facing challenges. |
| C．Parents fail to spend enough time with kids. |
| D．Hunting adds to many adults life pressures. |
| A．Raising questions. | B．Looking for hunters. |
| C．Learning to hunt. | D．Sharing a new hobby. |
| A．Teach hunters new skills | B．Make hunting more popular |
| C．Reduce the pressure of life | D．More protection for wildlife |
9 . In many walks of life and in many situations, persuading people to do what you want them to do is the key to success. Researchers have looked into different aspects of persuasion and come up with some interesting results which are surely helpful to us.
One advertising copywriter came up with an approach to selling a product on a TV shopping channel via phone sales. Instead of being instructed “Operators are waiting, please call now”, viewers were told “If operators are busy, please call again”. The results were extraordinary. The ad suggested operators weren’t sitting around hoping people would call. Instead there were so many people wanting the product that people might have to wait until they could get it.
What role does choice have in persuading people to buy or get something? One study in a supermarket showed the effect of choice. A particular supermarket displayed either 6 or 24 different kinds of jam. The large display attracted more interest than the small one. But when the time came to purchase things, people who saw the large display were one-tenth as likely to buy. If they do buy, they are less satisfied with their selection, even though they have made a good choice. A wider range of choices require more time and effort and lead to unreasonably high expectations.
Another aspect of persuasion concerns getting someone to change their mind. It’s hard to prove to someone that a previous decision is wrong, and as people get older they get less and less willing to change their minds. People want things to be unwavering; they want their attitudes, statements, values and actions to follow a set pattern. The only way to persuade them to change is to acknowledge this by agreeing that the previous decision they made is a perfectly understandable one. This allows them to focus on your suggestion without feeling their previous decision is wrong. As a result, they may be persuaded to break out of their established pattern.
1. What does the advertising copywriter want to indicate about the product?| A．It’s rare. | B．It’s in demand. | C．It’s for sale. | D．It’s precious. |
| A．Increased choices decrease satisfaction. | B．More selections bring more actions. |
| C．More and more people don’t want to choose. | D．Some choices are more attractive than others. |
| A．Unreliable. | B．Unbelievable. | C．Unchanging. | D．Unique. |
| A．To compare different forms of persuasion. | B．To discuss various studies on persuasion. |
| C．To analyze how persuasion affects success. | D．To teach how to get better at persuasion. |
10 . I always wanted to be extraordinarily good at something. Not just as in, “Great job, Jimbo!” No, I wanted to be best-in-class, awe-inspiring, tiptop: a world-famous genius, like Michael Phelps, or Mark Zuckerberg.
Unfortunately, my version of reality did not quite line up with this delusional vision. I was a good swimmer, but I peaked at the collegiate State Championships level. My academic record was pretty solid, but I never would have made it into one of those ivy-league schools.
Though I rose to above-average status in a couple of areas, the disappointing truth was that I would never amount to anything more than a mid-sized fish in a small pond. God apparently had other plans.
What drove me crazy, though, was the superstar talent thrown in my face at every turn. Some folks just seemed to get an unfair intensive dose (剂量) of it. Why couldn’t I be like Bernie Williams, the famed New York Yankees player who also happens to be a world-class jazz guitar virtuoso (艺术大师)?
Some say greatness is simply a function of putting in the practice time. Around ten thousand hours, to be precise, according to author Malcolm Gladwell. I don’t question the theory of devoting extraordinary efforts to developing one’s expertise, but it seems that raw talent is equally important. You either have it or you don’t.
I’ve heard that as people approach middle age, their life satisfaction increases because they begin to accept the gap between the expectations for themselves and the reality. After a few decades of frustration without the desired results, we eventually come to terms with how our lives turned out, even if it falls far short of our idealized youthful expectations.
Hope bends, it seems.
1. What does the word “delusional” in Para. 2 most probably mean?| A．Imaginary. | B．Realistic. | C．Psychological. | D．Theoretical. |
| A．a world-famous genius | B．a mid-sized fish in a small pond |
| C．a world-class virtuoso | D．a student in an ivy-league school |
| A．Extraordinary efforts | B．Talent and time |
| C．Raw talent | D．Ten thousand hours of practice |
| A．Hope Bends | B．Frustrating Decades |
| C．Practice Works | D．Youthful Expectations |
