1 . Learning a second language is tough at any age. Now, in a new study, scientist have found out the exact age after which your chances of reaching fluency（流利）in a second language seem to plummet:10.
The study published in the journal Cognition, found that it's "nearly impossible" for language learners to reach native-level（母语水平）fluency if they start learning a second language after age 10. "It turns out you're still learning fast," says study co-author Joshua Hartshorne. "It's just that you run out of time, because your ability to learn starts dropping at around 17 or 18 years old," People who start a few years after age 10 may still become quite good at a language, the authors say, but they are unlikely to become fluent.
Kids may be better than adults at learning new languages for many reasons. Children's brains are more plastic than those of adults, meaning they're better able to adapt and respond to new information. Kids may also be more willing to try new things than adults are. Their comparatively new understanding of their native language may also be advantageous.
These findings may seem discouraging, but it was inspiring for scientists to learn that the key period for fluent language learning might be longer than previously thought. Some scientists believed that the window begins to close shortly after birth, while others made it longer to very early childhood. Compared with those judgments-age 17 or 18 —when language learning ability start to drop off—seems relatively old.
For this study, the researchers created an online test promising to guess people's native language and home country based on their responses to English grammar questions. Almost 670,000 people took it, giving the researchers huge amounts of data from English speakers of many ages and backgrounds. Examining the responses and grammar mistakes allowed them to made unusually exact judgments about language learning.
1. What does the underlined word "plummet" in paragraph 1 mean?| A．Drop sharply. | B．Increase greatly. |
| C．Appear gradually. | D．Double suddenly. |
| A．Adults tend to perform badly in learning a second language. |
| B．Children are at an advantage in acquiring a new language. |
| C．All these new findings are quite discouraging for scientists. |
| D．People have different key periods for mastering a language. |
| A．The purpose of the study. | B．The findings of the study. |
| C．The subject of the study. | D．The process of the study. |
| A．Kids Are Better at Learning New Languages |
| B．Adults Can't Learn a Second Language Well |
| C．Never Say Die When Learning a New Language |
| D．Better to Learn a New Language Before Age 10 |
2 . Many of us know about Russia's Lake Baikal from our textbooks,or by listening to Chinese singer Li Jian's hit song,Lake Baikal.But over the past decade,the world's deepest freshwater lake has been in the spotlight for an extreme sport.
Each March since 2005,about 150 people from around the world sign up for the Baikal Ice Marathon.They come to explore the lake's breathtaking beauty and challenge themselves in unpredictable conditions.The 26-mile journey starts on the lake's eastern shore.In March,the ice is a meter thick and iron-hard.Runners cross this frozen surface,finishing on the western side of the lake.
Known as the"blue eye of Siberia",Lake Baikal has exceptionally clear waters.This means its ice is almost perfectly transparent（透明的）."Seen from above,a runner on the ice looks as if he or she is jogging through space,"The New York Times noted.
The landscape might be beautiful,but the weather is harsh.Strong winds blow across the lake and frostbite（冻伤）can occur within half an hour.Runners say the cold climate is what draws them.They want to test their limits."When you are in such an environment,you don't have cars around you,you don't have the noise around.I think these extreme races allow you to be alone with nature,"Alicja Barahona,a 64-year-old runner from the US,told ABC News.
The location offers some strange and unique characteristics for this marathon.The finish line is visible from the start,but the endless white offers no progress markers.The race also ends with little fanfare（喧闹）.Tourists crowding the ice are mostly addicted to taking photos and just ignore the runners.
For some runners,the absence of audience makes the race more challenging,because it's lonely.They must fight with themselves."You are alone on Baikal.It is your race.You are alone with yourself All you need to do is to defeat yourself,"Veronique Messina,a French runner,told the Telegraph.
1. What do we know about the Baikal Ice Marathon?| A．It requires runners to jog through space. |
| B．It attracts more and more participants each year. |
| C．It combines extreme weather and beautiful scenery. |
| D．It highlights our textbooks and Li Jian's hit song. |
| A．Pleasant. | B．Severe. | C．Annoying. | D．Damp. |
| A．Only men are allowed to run in this race. |
| B．There are many progress markers on the ice. |
| C．The runners are often disturbed by tourists. |
| D．The runners can see the finish line from the start. |
| A．Loneliness. | B．The long distance. |
| C．The cold climate. | D．Noisy surroundings. |
3 . According to a recent study in the Journal of Consumer Research, both the size and consumption habits of our eating companions can influence our food intake. And contrary to existing research that says you should avoid eating with heavier people who order large portions(份), it's the beanpoles with big appetites you really need to avoid.
To test the effect of social influence on eating habits, the researchers conducted two experiments. In the first, 95 undergraduate women were individually invited into a lab to ostensibly(表面上)participate in a study about movie viewership. Before the film began, each woman was asked to help herself to a snack. An actor hired by the researchers grabbed her food first. In her natural state, the actor weighed 105 pounds. But in half the cases she wore a specially designed fat suit which increased her weight to 180 pounds.
Both the fat and thin versions of the actor took a large amount of food. The participants followed suit, taking more food than they normally would have. However, they took significantly more when the actor was thin.
For the second test, in one case the thin actor took two pieces of candy from the snack bowls. In the other case, she took 30 pieces. The results were similar to the first test: the participants followed suit but took significantly more candy when the thin actor took 30 pieces.
The tests show that the social environment is extremely influential when we're making decisions. If this fellow participant is going to eat more, so will I. Call it the “I’ll have what she's having” effect. However, we'll adjust the influence. If an overweight person is having a large portion, I'll hold back a bit because I see the results of his eating habits. But if a thin person eats a lot, I'll follow suit. If he can eat much and keep slim, why can't I?
1. What is the recent study mainly about?| A．Food safety. | B．Movie viewership. |
| C．Consumer demand. | D．Eating behavior. |
| A．Big eaters. | B．Overweight persons. |
| C．Picky eaters. | D．Tall thin persons. |
| A．To see how she would affect the participants. |
| B．To test if the participants could recognize her. |
| C．To find out what she would do in the two tests. |
| D．To study why she could keep her weight down. |
| A．How hungry we are. | B．How slim we want to be. |
| C．How we perceive others. | D．How we feel about the food. |
4 . A recent study conducted by researchers from Canada's Wilfrid Laurier University found that the snakes actively seek out socialization with their peers （同伴），but also they are extremely particular about who they spend time with. However, snakes used to be thought of as solitary animals. They are seldom seen hanging out in groups.
A team of researchers led by Morgan Skinner and Dr. Noam Miller selected 40 non-poisonous garter snakes （袜带蛇）. Ten were purchased from a snake keeper and the rest were caught in the wild. After marking each snake with a spot of color to allow for easy identification, the researchers placed ten snakes inside each of the four plastic shelters.
Skinner photographed each snake group twice a day before removing them from their shelters. After cleaning the areas thoroughly to rid them of any familiar smells, the reptiles were rearranged into different groups, and returned to the enclosure. A camera fixed over the shelters allowed the scientists to track the animals' movements for a total of eight days.
When Skinner and Miller analyzed the images, they found that regardless of where they were placed, the snakes always slipped back to their origin al "friends" forming groups of three or eight inside the small shelters. “They can tell others apart,” Miller said.
Gordon Burghardt, a biologist, says, "The study should help convince people that snakes have more social intelligence than most of us realize."
Miller believes the research could help with snake protection efforts. Endangered snake species relocated to safer habitats often leave these areas. Now, conservationists may be able to avoid that by transferring entire snake groups to the new location. Alternatively, they could also spray （喷洒）the new habitat with the species' smells to make transplants feel at “home."
1. What does the underlined word "solitary" mean in paragraph 1?| A．Causing fear. | B．Existing only in small numbers. |
| C．Causing death or illness. | D．Enjoying being alone. |
| A．The findings can contribute to snake conservation. |
| B．Snakes like to spray smells on the trees. |
| C．Snakes are easy to adapt to new locations. |
| D．Snakes tend to stay in safer habitats. |
| A．Barking dogs don't bite. | B．The early bird catches worms. |
| C．Things of one kind come together. | D．A friend in need is a friend in deed. |
| A．Entertainment. | B．Science. |
| C．Education. | D．Health. |
5 . Sometimes when we are in our darkest hour, something completely unexpected happens that can give us a little bit of hope and comfort.
Jessica was a healthy woman. One day, she woke up and something was not right. After she was sent to the hospital, her heart rate slowed by nearly 50 percent. It took nine days for doctors to zero in on what was causing her problem.
After several weeks, Jessica was able to move her lips. Staff noticed this and introduced Jessica to Consuelo Gonzalez, a professional lip reader. Consuelo can understand what people are saying by the shape their lips make. She can also understand how annoying it is to not be able to communicate because she has been completely deaf since the age of 8.
For a few hours each week, Jessica could have long conversations with Consuelo, diving into the ocean of words she dearly missed. Through Consuelo, Jessica asked the doctors and nurses questions she had long wanted answers to. She also talked to Consuelo about the vivid dreams she was mixing up with reality.
In fact, there are other ways for Consuelo to earn a living by reading lips, but she says helping patients separate horrible dreams from reality is the most rewarding way she can use her unique skill. “What is really wonderful is being able to use this skill to create healing and to create communication between human beings. That’s what feels good. That’s what’s the best: Love.”
After four and a half months in the hospital, Jessica finally recovered. Consuelo was there, holding Jessica’s hands. Jessica eventually went back to work as a math professor. After her experience she wrote a new living will. One thing she added is that if she ever becomes incapacitated like this again, she is never to be left alone.
1. What did Consuelo do for Jessica?| A．She cured Jessica’s heart disease. |
| B．She helped Jessica communicate. |
| C．She taught Jessica how to read lips. |
| D．She made Jessica’s dream come true. |
| A．Horrible. | B．Confident. | C．Worried. | D．Satisfied. |
| A．Seriously ill. | B．Desperately lonely. |
| C．Less reliable. | D．More fortunate. |
| A．A close friendship. | B．A good living will. |
| C．An unusual skill. | D．A new treatment. |
6 . Physical activity calorie equivalent(相等的)( PACE) labels could improve on labels that identify only calories and nutrient content, according to a new scientific review.
Under the proposed system, a small bar of chocolate would carry a label informing consumers that it would take 23 minutes of running or 46 minutes of walking to bum off the 230 calories it contains. The large-scale application of PACE labels could, on average, cut calorie consumption by up to 200 calories per person per day, according to researchers.
Amanda Daley, lead researcher from the University of Loughborough, said that PACE labels would present the information in a more accessible way to consumers than the existing calorie and nutrient content labels. She told CNN that the current labeling system “hasn't made a huge difference to obesity in the UK.”
She and her team looked at data from 14 studies that examined the effectiveness of PACE labeling in reducing calorie consumption. Researchers caution that the number of studies included in the review was small, and most took place in controlled environments rather than real-world settings, but still conclude that PACE labeling is worth trying. A reduction of about 100 calories per day, combined with a sustained increase in physical activity, could reduce obesity rates, according to Daley. She called PACE a “really simple and really straightforward” strategy, and suggested it could be used on food and drink packaging, supermarket labels and restaurant menus.
However, Nichola Ludlam-Raine, a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association, flagged some issues with PACE labels. Ludlam-Raine said PACE “ could be extremely problematic” for those with eating disorders as it suggests that food needs to be “burnt off”. It also promotes the idea that calories, rather than nutrients, are the main consideration when it comes to food, she added. “Remember, you cannot out-run a bad diet,” said Ludlam-Raine, explaining that exercising doesn't mean you can live off chocolate and fizzy drinks.
1. What does Daley think of the existing labeling system?| A．It contains physical activity calories. |
| B．It affects calorie consumption greatly. |
| C．It's not effective enough against obesity. |
| D．It can be applied to other fields widely. |
| A．Pointed out. | B．Left out. |
| C．Objected to. | D．Jumped at. |
| A．PACE labeling causes eating disorders. |
| B．Calories matter more than nutrients. |
| C．Having a good diet is more important. |
| D．Taking exercise is not necessary at all. |
| A．Fashion. | B．Health. |
| C．Sports. | D．Technology. |
7 . We say that technology is a double-edged sword -while it brings convenience, it also brings new problems. The sword of “social media” even has a gender preference in its damage: It cuts deeper into girls than boys.
Earlier studies have shown that spending too much time on social media is bad for teenagers’ mental health. Constantly watching their friends show off “perfect” lives can hurt their own self-esteem (自尊). That’s not to mention the problems caused by online shaming and bullying (霸凌).
Jean Twenge, a professor at San Diego State University in the US, recently discovered an alarming trend: Since 2010, the number of teenage girls who suffer from major depression – showing signs like self-harm and suicide (自杀) - has increased much faster than that of boys. In an article she wrote at The Conversation, Twenge said social media, again, was to blame.
For starters, girls use social media more than boys. Boys tend to spend their screen time on games, where they talk to their teammates through headphones. This counts as real human contact. Girls, however, simply type and browse through posts, which is a much more isolated (孤立的) experience. “They’re not having a real-time conversation with someone,” Mary Fristad, psychologist at The Ohio State University, told NPR.
And when it comes to online shaming, girls are also more vulnerable than boys. “Girls face more pressure about their appearance, which could be exacerbated (加重) by social media,” wrote Twenge.
Shannon McLaughlin, for example, is an 18-year-old from Blackburn College in the US. She shared with the Guardian how social media made her feel depressed. “I was constantly confronted (面对) by women with skinny bodies who were praised for the way they looked. This was only made worse by the diet fixes and skinny culture,” she said. But McLaughlin found a solution. She started volunteering with the National Citizen Service, where she made face-to-face contact with people. “It’s so easy to forget the importance of real connections when we have hundreds of people that we’re trying to impress at our fingertips,” she told the Guardian. And she hopes that others “look up from their phones and focus more on the world around them”.
1. What did Twenge find in her recent study?| A．Overuse of social media harms teenagers’ mental health. |
| B．Social media does more harm to girls than boys. |
| C．Girls suffered more from bullying than boys. |
| D．Online shaming and bullying are to blame for teenagers’ depression. |
| A．Girls have less real-time interaction with people. |
| B．Playing games allows boys to have more fun than girls. |
| C．Girls suffer more pressure on social media. |
| D．Girls usually desire more contact with others. |
| A．adjusting oneself well | B．fighting back bravely |
| C．being unconcerned about something | D．being likely to be at risk of something |
| A．Ignore social media and stop following a diet. |
| B．Connect more with the real world. |
| C．Constantly take part in volunteer work. |
| D．Make better use of phones for socializing. |
8 . Bradley McConachie, a 33-year-old Australian is actually a student in international relations completing his PhD through Griffith University. He came to Beijing for a cooperative research at Beijing University two years ago. Such an academic life was colorful with a chance offered by the cultural exchanges project, “I'm in China".
Bradley was lucky to win the most "likes" for his photo story about his life in China and became one of 20 winners to visit locations by the project this summer. All the winners’ experiences were filmed to produce a reality show, My Chinese Working Day, which will be broadcast by mid-September.
Bradley was chosen to work as a recreational manager for a Chinese wedding. The film crew took them to many “amazing sites" and the staff at the resort taught them a lot about how to incorporate modern Chinese features while still keeping traditional customs.
“I would have to say two things stick out as the most memorable： the helicopter ride and talking with the staff at the hotel about how they organize weddings here in China," he said. That was Bradley's first time to be in a helicopter, and he was too absorbed with the “stunning" view of the coastline.
“I think it is so important to show other Australians the different landscapes China has to offer. I think so many Australians, when they think about China, imagine the historical sites of Beijing and the exciting things to see in Shanghai but have no idea about other beautiful places, like Sanya or the many other places people have been taken to in this TV series. It was nice to experience these little touches. I was happy to be a part of that experience!” Bradley said.
1. What made Bradley's life more colorful?| A．Obtaining his PhD. |
| B．The cultural exchanges project. |
| C．The research about Beijing University. |
| D．The interest in international relations. |
| A．He produced the reality show. |
| B．His life in China was interesting. |
| C．He was one of the top 20 winners. |
| D．He liked photo stories most. |
| A．Fantastic. | B．Confusing. |
| C．Agreeable. | D．Extreme. |
| A．It's difficult to produce moving TV series. |
| B．Beijing and Shanghai are historical sites. |
| C．Sanya is worth visiting for foreigners. |
| D．Many Australians know little about China. |
9 . Asking for help is a sign of strength rather than weakness. In American culture, the independent individual is seen as their ideal. As the University of Missouri at St. Louis states on its website under the heading Key American Values, “Americans have been trained since very early in their lives to consider themselves as separate individuals who are responsible for their own situations in life and their own destinies.” The value also makes them think they can do everything themselves, and makes them feel bad about asking for help when they need it.
And when it comes to work situations, when they think about asking for help there, sometimes they fear that a request for help would make them look inept. While this has always been true for men, many women in the workplace have felt the need to try twice as hard as their male colleagues and do twice as much to get just as far and to prove their worth. Sometimes when we think about asking for help, our inner voices tell us, “See, if you admit you can’t do this on your own, they’ll see you for the imposter (骗子) you really are.”
But the fact is, even though individualism is on the rise, we can’t do everything by ourselves and we shouldn’t try.
Apple founder Steve Jobs once told the Santa Clara Valley Historical Association about the power of asking for help, and how he “never found anybody who didn’t want to help me when I asked them for help”. He said, at the age of 12, he called Bill Hewlett, co-founder of Hewlett-Packard, on the phone after getting his number from the phone book and asking him for spare parts so he could build a frequency counter(计频器). And Hewlett agreed and offered young Jobs a summer job assembling frequency counters.
“If you’re afraid of failing, you won’t get very far,” Jobs said.
1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?| A．What key American values are. | B．Why Americans refuse to ask for help. |
| C．Asking for help is a sign of strength. | D．Americans are responsible for their life. |
| A．impolite | B．depressed | C．incompetent | D．sensitive |
| A．Americans suffer a lot from mutual distrust. |
| B．Americans see weakness as a sign of strength. |
| C．Americans should learn to build up confidence. |
| D．Americans think highly of individual values. |
| A．Don’t hesitate to ask for help. | B．Be brave to try whatever you want. |
| C．Never ask for help. | D．Learn to cooperate with others. |
10 . What is a hero? We may think of the fictional characters with supernatural powers or great people who can influence world events. Now, as the nation continues its all-out efforts to fight against the novel coronavirus pneumonia(COVID-19), medical staff have become heroes in the eyes of the public.
As of Feb 19, a total of 32,000 medical staff outside Hubei province have been working to treat patients around the center of the outbreak.
Zhang Dingyu, the president of Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital, is one of these heroes. Since the hospital received the first seven patients in December, Zhang has been so busy that he barely gets any sleep. Even suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (肌萎缩侧索硬化), the 56-year-old doctor is doing his best to quicken his pace to save precious time for infected patients. “I have to run, racing against time to save more patients from the deadly disease, because I don’t have much time left in my life,” Zhang told Xinhua News Agency.
With the duty of saving lives, many medical professionals like Zhang have been working long hours for days, despite their fear and worries.
Lu Jingjing from Wuhan Children’s Hospital also works at a temporary mobile hospital. She does not let her parents know that she is now working with novel coronavirus-infected patients.
When her parents ask for a video chat, Lu says she is working and lets her husband and children chat with them instead.
“It’s dangerous but we should win the battle with the virus as soon as possible, so that medical staff and patients can go back home,” she told China Daily.
US writer Khalil Gibran (1883-1931) once wrote, “Tenderness and kindness are not signs of weakness and despair, but the manifestations of strength and resolution.” It’s true for the medical workers.
Everyone has fear, especially when it comes to deadly diseases. But for medical staff, saving lives comes first and is enough for them to be brave and stay on the front. They may look like ordinary people in daily life, but in these extraordinary times, they are heroes.
1. What is the author’s main purpose in writing this article?| A．To explain what makes a modern-day hero. |
| B．To praise medical staff for their efforts to fight the NCP. |
| C．To describe what measures China has taken to deal with the virus. |
| D．To show the difficulties faced by medical staff treating NCP patients. |
| A．His illness has turned him into an impatient man. |
| B．His illness makes him work without fear. |
| C．He feels sorry for himself because of his illness. |
| D．He wants to help as many patients as possible. |
| A．She is too busy and has no time for video chats. |
| B．She doesn’t want her parents to worry about her. |
| C．It’s not allowed to make a video call from the hospital. |
| D．There is no WiFi signal at the temporary mobile hospital. |
| A．results | B．differences |
| C．indications | D．advantages |
