1 . A sleepover (过夜) program, which is designed to make kids believe that their favorite toys enjoy reading, can help encourage children to pick up more books, a new study suggests.
Toys sleepover programs are designed to get children interested in books. Children take their toys to a library for the night. At this point, workers and volunteers take photos of the toys which explore the library and read books. The next day, the children collect their toys and the photos of what the toys did during the night. They are given the books their toys chose to read.
It was found that before the sleepover the children did not spend time looking at the books in their play area at preschool. Immediately after the sleepover, the number of children who read to the toys was higher than the number who did not, but after three days the effect decreased gradually.
The researchers also tested a method for sustaining the effect. They reminded the children of the sleepover a month later, by hiding the toys and showing them the photos again the next day. This simple method brought an increase in the number of children reading to their toys.
The study proves for the first time that children who take part in sleepover programs read picture books to their toys more. “We wanted to know if there really was an effect, and if so, how long it lasts. Surprisingly, not only did the children show interest in the books, but they also began to read to their toys. This means that a new behavior pattern appeared that the children hadn’t had before. We did not expect anything like this,” said one of the researchers.
Reading is important for the development of children’s language skills and imagination. When parents read to their children, it is a passive way of reading for the child. However, when children read to their toys, it is a more active, self-directed way of reading, helping them develop into more active readers, researchers said.
1. What is the purpose of the sleepover program?| A．To develop children’s language skills. |
| B．To help children to sleep well. |
| C．To encourage children to read more. |
| D．To guide children to form a good sleeping habit. |
| A．Go around the library with their toys. |
| B．Sleep with their toys. |
| C．Read together with their toys. |
| D．Take their toys to the library. |
| A．keeping | B．testing | C．surveying | D．showing |
| A．Children showed no interest in the books. |
| B．The effect of the sleepover program could last long. |
| C．Children began to read to their toys on their own. |
| D．Whether the sleepover program had an effect remained unknown. |
2 . As the effects of climate change become more disastrous, well-known research institutions and government agencies are focusing new money and attention on an idea: artificially cooling the planet, in the hopes of buying humanity more time to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
That strategy, called solar climate intervention (干预) or solar geoengineering, involves reflecting more of the sun’s energy back into space — abruptly reducing global temperatures in a way that imitates the effects of ash clouds flowing out from the volcanic eruptions. The idea has been considered as a dangerous and fancied solution, one that would encourage people to keep burning fossil fuels while exposing the planet to unexpected and potentially threatening side effects, producing more destructive hurricanes, wildfires floods and other disasters.
But. as global warming continues, producing more destructive hurricanes, wildfires floods and other disasters, some researchers and policy experts say that concerns about geoengineering should be outweighed by the imperative to better understand it, in case the consequence of climate change become so terrible that the world can’t wait for better solutions.
One way to cool the earth is by injecting aerosols (气溶胶) into the upper layer of the atmosphere. where those particles reflect sunlight away from the earth. That process works, according to Douglas MacMartin, a researcher at Cornell University.
“We know with 100% certainty that we can cool the planet,” he said in an interview. What’s still unclear, he added, is what happens next. Temperature, MacMartin said, is an indicator for a lot of climate effects. “What does it do to the strength of hurricanes?” he asked, “What does it do to agriculture production? What does it do to the risk of forest fires?”
Another institution funded by the National Science Foundation will analyze hundreds of simulations of aerosol injection, testing the effects on weather extremes around the world. One goal of the research is to look for a sweet spot: the amount of artificial cooling that can reduce extreme weather events without causing broader changes in regional rainfall patterns or similar impacts.
1. Why do researchers and government agencies work on cooling the earth?| A．To prevent natural disasters. | B．To win more time to reduce gas emissions. |
| C．To imitate volcanic eruptions. | D．To encourage more people to bur fossil fuels. |
| A．More volcanoes will throw out. |
| B．More solar energy will go into space. |
| C．More disasters will endanger the future of the world. |
| D．People will keep burning fossil fuels to keep warm. |
| A．He thinks more research remains to be done. |
| B．He is optimistic about the effect of cooling the earth. |
| C．He is concerned about the reduction in agriculture production. |
| D．He disapproves of the practice of solar climate intervention. |
| A．The rainfall pattern of a region. |
| B．The modest drop in temperature. |
| C．The number of extreme weather events. |
| D．The injection amount of aerosol. |
3 . In the 1994 film Forrest Gump, there's a famous saying, "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get. The surprise is part of the fun. Now blind box toys（盲盒)are bringing the magic of surprise to online shopping.
A blind box toy is hidden inside similar boxes but invisible from the outside. You don't know what will be inside, although the toys typically come from pop culture, ranging from movies to comics and cartoons.
Blind boxes have become popular since they were first introduced from Japan to China in 2014. According to a 2019 Tmall report, the mini-series of Labubu blind box designed by Hong Kong-born Kasing Lung, was named Champion of Unit Sales with 55, 000 sold in just 9 seconds during the Singles Day shopping event. Most customers for blind boxes are young people aged 18 to 35.
According to The Paper, blind box toys are popular in part because of their cute appearances. The typically cute cartoon figures(人物)come in small sizes, making them suitable for display almost anywhere.
Even if blind boxes are not their top choice for decorations, the mystery and uncertainty of the process also attracts people. It's the main reason why people buy blind boxes one after another.
"Expecting the unknown is always a part of the box-opening process," said Miss Cao, 24, who lives and works in Shenyang. Speaking to Sina News, she said: "Until you open all the boxes, you cannot know what it is inside."
Opening a blind box is a delightful little surprise for our mundane daily lives, something small but fun to wait for each day, week or month. When people open this simple little box, they may be disappointed, but the uncertainty is part of the fun. People will open more blind boxes and hope for a better outcome.
When someone re-makes Forrest Gump, don't be surprised if he says, "Life is like a blind box."
1. What do we know about blind boxes?| A．They may bring surprise to our life. | B．They are visible from the outside. |
| C．They are popular among all ages. | D．They were first designed in 2014. |
| A．Because blind boxes are fashionable gifts. |
| B．Because blind boxes are educational gifts. |
| C．Because people enjoy box-opening process. |
| D．Because people prefer the colorful boxes. |
| A．Wonderful | B．Interesting | C．Amazing. | D．Boring. |
| A．A diary. | B．A magazine. | C．A novel. | D．A guidebook. |
4 . Once upon a time two brothers, who lived on neighboring farms, had a quarrel. It was the first serious rift in 40 years, sharing machinery and exchanging goods as needed.
One morning there was a knock on the older brother's door. He opened it to find a man with a carpenter's tool box.
"I'm looking for a few days' work." he said." Perhaps you would have a few small jobs here and there I could help with?"
"Yes." said the older brother. Look across the creek（小溪）at that farm. That's my younger brother. Last week there was a grassland between us, but he made a creek between us. Well, he may have done this to make difficulties for me, but I'll do him one better." "I want you to build me an 8-foot fence, so I won't need to see his place or his face anymore."
The carpenter said, "Show me the nails and the post-hole digger and I'll be able to do a job that pleases you." The older brother got things ready and went to town.
The carpenter worked hard all that day. About sunset, when the farmer returned, the carpenter had just finished his job.
The farmer's eyes opened wide. There was no fence there at all. It was a bridge—a bridge from one side of the creek to the other! The neighbor, his younger brother, was coming toward them." You are quite a fellow to build this bridge after all I've said and done." They met in the middle, taking each other's hand.
They turned to see the carpenter taking his toolbox onto his shoulder.
"No, wait! Stay fora few days. I've a lot of other projects for you," said the older brother.
"I'd love to stay on," the carpenter said, "but I have many more bridges to build."
1. What does the underlined word "rift" in paragraph 1 refer to?| A．Failure | B．Discussion | C．Quarrel | D．Competition |
| A．Because he was asked to build it. |
| B．Because he was willing to help others. |
| C．Because he hated the older brother. |
| D．Because it was easier to build a bridge. |
| A．Selfish. | B．Generous. | C．Smart. | D．Famous. |
| A．Never Too Late To Learn |
| B．Bridge Is Better Than Fence |
| C．Care and Diligence Brings Luck |
| D．Fact Speaks Louder Than Words |
5 . Many hosts of shows become popular for their ability to eat large amounts of food. But these shows have also received criticism for their waste of food. While some hosts actually do consume the amount of food shown, others may pretend it.
On Aug 12, CCTV exposed several Chinese hosts who were pretending to eat large amounts of food while on camera, but actually later threw it away.
To discourage this practice, many video and livestreaming platforms, including Douyin, Kuaishou and Bilibili, have removed videos that show food waste, and have promoted messages to “stop food waste and eat reasonably”.
In June 2020, the United Nations warned that the world is on the verge of the worst food crisis in 50 years. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, about a third of the world’s food — 1.3 billion tons — is wasted every year. In China alone, 50 million tons of food ends up in landfills every year, according to Beijing News.
Recently, campaigns against food waste have been further promoted. In August, President Xi Jinping stressed the need for protecting food security and stopping food waste.
According to China Daily, restaurants and catering associations in more than 18 provinces and all 4 municipal cities have issued guidelines to control food waste.
In Shanxi province, local restaurants have been asked to serve half portions to avoid waste. The Wuhan Catering Association proposed that restaurants adopt the “N-1 mode”. For example, a group of 10 diners should only order enough for nine people at first. More food is only brought to the table if required.
In addition, a nationwide “Clear Your Plate” campaign has been launched online. Users of Sina Weibo are encouraged to share photos or videos of empty plates after finishing their meals.
Meanwhile, new laws are also being considered, according to China Daily. “We will make new laws that give clear instructions on avoiding food waste,” said Zhang Guilong from the Legislative Affairs Committee of the National People’s Congress. The instructions will be detailed in every part of food production, purchasing, storage, transportation, processing and consumption, according to Zhang.
1. What does the underlined word “verge” in Paragraph 4 mean?| A．Limit. | B．Guidance. | C．Edge. | D．Influence. |
| A．3.9 billion tons. | B．0.4 billion tons. | C．50 million tons. | D．16 million tons. |
| A．all the provinces have already taken some measures |
| B．“Clear Your Plate” campaign is being carried out online |
| C．laws have been made to stop waste food |
| D．people have a good sense of saving food |
| A．The more saving, the better | B．Stop wasting — you can do it |
| C．Food crisis — you have to face it | D．Online campaigns welcome you |
6 . "Why did the fox steal my shoes?" sounds like the start of a brain teaser(脑筋急转弯). But for people in Berlin, it was a real question that a local fox behind a series of shoe thefts.
About two weeks ago, Meyer, a local person who lives in Berlin, noticed that one of his new running shoes had disappeared from his porch, and he decided to examine the thief.
Meyer quickly learned that he was not the thief's only victim(受害者), and a tip helped him catch the fox. Days later, Meyer spotted the fox again; he followed it and discovered the fox 's secret place of more than100 shoes.
Meyer got a photo of the thieving fox and its ill-got shoes, which he shared on Twitter. The shoes contained(包含) sneakers, and slippers of different colors, shapes, and sizes, though the largest number of shoes is Crocs.
This isn't the first time that an urban fox has shown a seeming shoe fetish(恋物). In August 2010, a fox in Melbourne, repeatedly visited a woman's porch and stole three boots over the course of a week. In a small town in western Germany, a female fox stole about 110 to 120 shoes in just one night, presumably " for her babies to play with", according to Reuters.
It's unknown whether all of these foxes were acting independently or whether their actions were linked, perhaps as an international shoe-stealing group with a bad purpose that humans can only imagine.
1. What can we know about Meyer according to the passage?| A．His shoes were stolen. |
| B．He was physically attacked by a fox. |
| C．He was the thief's only victim. |
| D．His favorite shoes were Crocs. |
| A．He drove the fox away. |
| B．He destroyed the fox's hiding place. |
| C．He took different kinds of shoes back. |
| D．He took a picture and posted it on a social media. |
| A．Totally | B．Partly | C．Certainly | D．Possibly |
| A．Delighted | B．Serious | C．Humorous | D．Terrified |
7 . The practice of drinking tea has a long history in China. According to a popular story. tea was discovered by Shennong in 2737 BC when a leaf from a nearby shrub（灌木）fell into the water Shennong was boiling. Tea is deeply woven into the history and culture of China.
The Chinese have a saying: “Firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and tea are the seven necessities to begin a day.” Though tea is the last on the list, we still can see its importance in daily life. A simple meal in Chinese is Cu Cha Dan Fan, which shows even a simple meal is finished with tea.
For the Chinese, tea drinking and tasting are not parallel. Tea drinking can help keep up one’s spirit while tea tasting has cultural meaning. Tea and tea sets should match the breeze, the bright moon, bamboo and so on. All these show the goal of Chinese culture: the harmonious（和谐的）unity of human beings with nature.
Similarly, tea-drinking habits differ in different parts of China. Generally. flowering tea is popular in northern China; green tea is preferred in eastern China, and black tea is fit for people in Fujian and Guangdong. Green tea is the most popular type of tea drunk in China. Green tea usually loses its flavor（味道）within a year while the flavor of black tea can remain for several years. As a result, black tea has long been traded worldwide. It still accounts for over ninety percent of all tea sold in the West. At present, tea is commonly seen in Chinese restaurants and grocery shops worldwide.
1. Why does the author use the Chinese saying in Paragraph 2?| A．To show the tea’s role in Chinese culture. |
| B．To express the author’s love for tea. |
| C．To show the history of tea. |
| D．To explain the Chinese saying. |
| A．Different. | B．Strange. | C．Ordinary. | D．Equal. |
| A．It suits people in Fujian and Guangdong. |
| B．It tastes better than green tea. |
| C．Its flavor can be kept for a long time. |
| D．Its flavor is preferred by the West. |
| A．The development of tea drinking in China. | B．The culture of tea in China. |
| C．The popularity of tea drinking in China. | D．The history of tea in China. |
8 . Do you like running enough to make it a habit? Tierney Wolfgram does; she has made running a lifelong career and isn't stopping.
In February, the 16-year-old from a high school, US, competed at the 2020 US Olympic Trials. She finished the marathon(42.195 km)with a time of 2:42:47 as the youngest competitor in the race and ranked 76th out of 390 runners. However, the cross-country(越野的)season was postponed to winter because of the COVID-19. So she jumped at the opportunity to train for another race-the Parkway Marathon in California. In November, Wolfgram broke the Women's American Junior marathon record with her time of 2:31:49. The old record was 2:34:32, which had stood since 1984.
“I'm completely stunned, ”said Wolfgram's coach. “I knew she was going to break it, but she really showed out！”
During the run, Wolfgram once hit a wall pretty hard, but she overcame it to finish. “I guess I can say I gave it my all, ”she told Runner's World. “When I finished, all I was thinking was I felt super happy,” Wolfgram said This was only her third marathon. In 2018, when Wolfgram was 15 years old, she ran her first marathon just because she wanted to see if she had the ability to do it. “I believed that I would get faster as the distances got longer. . . I'm still glad that I did it. ”
When preparing for that first marathon, she ran up to 120 miles per week. Although her parents didn't have any background in running, they helped Wolfgram train. At first, her dad would take her out in the morning and run about 13 miles. The distance would gradually increase each day. On top of her runs in the morning, she would do cross-country practice after school.
Now Wolfgram will consider attending the Olympics Games in 2024 after it's scheduled.
1. What can we learn about Wolfgram from Paragraph 2?| A．She was the champion at the 2020 US Olympic Trials. |
| B．She put off the cross-country season for the COVID-19. |
| C．She broke an Olympic marathon record in November. |
| D．She prepared for the Parkway Marathon in California. |
| A．Doubtful | B．Worried. | C．Shocked. | D．Interested |
| A．Her parents' encouragement. | B．Her desire to prove she could do it. |
| C．Her coach's support and help. | D．Her hope to break the national record |
| A．Sports. | B．Lifestyle | C．Culture. | D．Opinion |
9 . If there's one place outside Argentina that can match its sadness over Diego Maradona's death, it's in the Italian city Naples. While Maradona, who was born in Lanus, Argentina, but raised in Villa Fiorito, a poor town to the south of Buenos Aires, was respected around the world as perhaps the greatest football player ever, in Naples he was more than that.
“Maradona wasn't just a player. He represented the spirit of Naples for years," said president Corrado Ferlaino, who owned Napoli club when Maradona played there.
Upon hearing the news of his death, thousands of people in Naples poured out into the city's streets to honor Maradona and light candles in his memory. Many of them stood below huge pictures of their hero that cover the whole sides of buildings in the center of the city.
Naples official Luigi De Magistris immediately suggested that the city's San Paolo Stadium be renamed for Maradona—and ordered the stadium's lights be turned on all night even though there was no game being played there.
“Maradona is Naples. The passion for him here is known to everyone, De Magistris wrote on Twitter. "Because it was real love. A great love. Naples lost part of its soul today. You were, and will always be, an inspiration to all of us. Naples cries tonight.
Maradona, of course, already made Naples cry when his Argentina team defeated Italy in Naples in the 1990 World Cup semifinals. However, many Naples fans cheered for Maradona and Argentina——not their own country—during that game, because he was treated as God in Naples.
Maradona led Naples to a number of successes that have raised the spirits of the southern Italian city, which was left far behind by the country's football capitals of Milan and Turin. In 1987 , he led Naples to its first Italian Championship and repeated it in 1990. In 1989, he helped Naples win the UEFA Cup by beating VfB Stuttgart in the final with 2 to 1, Maradona scoring one of the goals.
1. Where did Maradona grow up?| A．In Lanus. | B．In Villa Fiorito. | C．In Naples. | D．In Buenos Aires. |
| A．He made a public speech to honor the city's hero. |
| B．He joined the people to light candles in his memory. |
| C．He immediately changed the name of the city's stadium. |
| D．He had the lights turned on all night in San Paolo Stadium. |
| A．Love. | B．Loss. | C．Success. | D．Spirit. |
| A．The scoring records in Maradona's career. |
| B．The people's sadness over Maradona's death. |
| C．Maradona's contributions to Naples' football games. |
| D．The Italians' anger over their defeat in the 1990 World Cup. |
10 . Shoppers around the world are crazy buying because of fears over the coronavirus(新型冠状病毒), which caused a critical plague in China and even other countries at the beginning of 2020. People in countries such as England, Japan, Singapore and Australia have been emptying supermarket shelves of toilet paper, face masks, hand wash products and dried and canned food. Photos and videos of shoppers in Australia quarreling over the last pack of toilet roll in a supermarket have spread across social media swiftly.
However, governments have advised their citizens that there is no need to "panic buy". They added that panic buying would only reduce the supply of products needed by patients and medical staff, which could exacerbate the problems the COVID-19 virus is causing. Singapore's prime minister comforted Singaporeans that: "We have enough supplies. There's no need to stock up." A week after the panic buying fever, things have calmed down and shoppers have gone back to purchasing items in normal quantities.
Psychologists say panic buying is an "unwise" behaviour that is part of a condition called FOMO一the fear of missing out. Dr. Katharina Wittgens said a herd mentality(从众心理)sets in during disasters that causes people to copy the actions of others. People watch the news of items being bought in quantity and immediately rush out to the stores to do the same. She said people were taking on too much the risks of dying from the coronavirus. She said: "Far more people die in car accidents or household accidents per year but we don't panic about these things in the morning before we go to work."
1. What is the reason for shoppers in different countries crazy buying?| A．The approach of 2020 New Year's Day. |
| B．The shortage of resources and supplies in their nations. |
| C．The discount from supermarkets. |
| D．Their concern about the virus. |
| A．release | B．worsen |
| C．solve | D．quicken |
| A．People think no one needs the supplies. |
| B．People do not believe what others said. |
| C．People tend to follow others' actions in the period of disaster. |
| D．People are wiser in making decisions. |
| A．People should not panic over the virus. |
| B．People want to do something different from others. |
| C．People buy little when they go to the stores. |
| D．More people die from car accidents. |
