1 . Every year, companies like GoPro manage to pack more and more functions into smaller and smaller action cameras that are less noticeable to wear. But a team of researchers from the University of Washington have managed to build a live-streaming wireless camera that’s so small that even an insect can wear it. It’s not quite small and light enough to be held to a fly, but at around 250 milligrams, the camera was successfully carried by a beetle.

Although the camera inside a modern smartphone is certainly tiny, it’s too large and heavy for an insect to carry once the batteries are added. Capturing millions of pixels（像素）with every shot requires a lot of image processing, which in turn requires a lot of power. Taking an alternate route, the researchers copied nature’s approach to how flies see the world. Their large compound eyes can not only detect motion across                    a wide field of view（it’s why they’re so difficult to hit）but also feature a small, high-resolution（分辨率）region that can focus on their targets, which helps reduce the load on their tiny brains.

Given its size and low-power approach, the camera’s streaming abilities are similarly limited, with a Bluetooth connection that maxes out at a distance of roughly 120 meters, requiring a remote operator to be fairly close to the camera at all times. However, battery life is surprisingly decent. The camera can run for up to two hours, but to extend that, the researchers included an accelerometer so that it’s only capturing and broadcasting images whenever the beetle is moving That can increase the camera’s battery life to over six hours.

The researchers acknowledge that their design certainly raises some privacy concerns, given how easy it is for insects to find their way into your home. But the camera could provide entomologists（昆虫学者）with new insights into how insects cross their environment, respond to threats in the wild, and even provide a closer look at their social structures.

1. What is the feature of the new camera?

A．It’s small-size and low-weight.	B．It takes much clearer pictures.
C．It can perform tasks in the open air.	D．It protects beetles from their enemies.

2. What do the researchers learn from flies for the new camera?

A．How to enlarge its vision.

B．How to capture the target.

C．How to save power of its battery.

D．How to make sharp turns during flying.

3. What can best replace the underlined word “decent” in Paragraph 3?

A．casual

B．adequate

C．beneficial

D．unsatisfactory

4. What’s the author’s attitude to the design of the new camera?

A．Critical.

B．Doubtful.

C．Favorable.

D．Objective.

2 . 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.

2. How did the researchers do the research?

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.

3. What can we learn from the passage?

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.

4. What is the difference between Cheung's study and others' study?

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.

3 . The other day on a cold night, I left my wife and drove from Harrisburg to Lewisburg, a distance of about 100 miles. It was rather late. Several times I got stuck behind a slow-moving truck on a narrow road with a solid white line on my left, and I became increasingly impatient.

At one point along an open road, I came to a crossing with a traffic light. I was alone on the road by now, but as I drove near the light, it turned red and I made a stop. I looked left, right and behind me. Nothing. Not a car, no suggestion of car lamps, but there I sat, waiting for the light to change, the only human being for at least a mile in any direction.

I started wondering why I refused to run the light. I was not afraid of being caught, because there was clearly no policeman around, and there certainly would have been no danger in going through it.

Much later that night, the question of why I'd stopped for that light came back to me. I think I stopped because it's part of a contract（契约）we all have with each other. It's not only the law, but it's an agreement we have, and we trust each other to honor it： we don't go through red lights.

Trust is our first inclination. Doubting others does not seem to be natural to us. The whole construction of our society depends on mutual（相互的）trust, not distrust. We do what we say we'll do； we show up when we say we'll show up； and we pay when we say we'll pay. We trust each other in these matters, and we're angry or disappointed with the person or organization that breaks the trust we have in them.

I am so proud of myself for stopping for the red light that night.

1. How does the author feel about the truck driver?

A．Pleased.	B．Satisfied.
C．Sorry.	D．Annoyed.

2. What can we infer about the author?

A．He hates driving at night.

B．He desired to cross the red light that night.

C．He approves of obeying traffic rules by himself.

D．He is easy when suffering the traffic jam.

3. What is the meaning of the underlined word "inclination" in paragraph 5?

A．Tendency.	B．Faith.
C．Adjustment.	D．Guidance.

4. What should we do to create a better society according to the author?

A．Be polite to others.	B．Improve traffic rules.
C．Be patient and helpful.	D．Trust each other.

4 . My husband came across the program from his father's high school graduation 90 years ago. It was the Class of 1928 and their class motto （格言）was, "Build for character, not for fame. "

I'm pretty sure society has done quite the opposite to that one. These days, we have people who are famous for simply being famous. They haven't done anything particularly impressive, but they do take great selfies （自拍照）. We are all crazy about fame these days, mainly thanks to social media. All we want is for people to follow us, friend us, like us or share our posts. We are nearly mad about fame.

"Build for character, not for fame. ” is based on the belief that one is looking up and ahead. That's an encouraging idea, especially today, when most of us have our heads down, looking at the screens of our smartphones. Looking ahead and building for character takes thought and intentionality （意向性）. One can be intentional in building for fame as well, but fame often relies heavily on the right timing and connections as well as the creation of a base of fans and supporters. Character isn’t decided by the ideas of others. Character is built with self-discipline （自律）and a willingness to learn from difficulties. Character grows inside and needs no praise.

Fame depends on people looking at you, while character is who you are when no one is looking. Fame often comes with jealousy （嫉妒）--a feeling that time is running out or that someone better than you is coming to steal your fans. Character is marked by feeling fulfilled and being generous . There is satisfaction that comes with the reward of achievements, but at the same time, good character willingly holds the door open for others who are also hoping to achieve.

This graduation season, speakers will tell new graduates to get out there and build a better world. The best way is to build character, the kind that runs deep and can carry you through lifers storms. Build character with courage, justice （公正） and strength. Build character by respecting yourself and others . Build character with kindness, hope and love. Build for character and you will build a better world .

1. What does the author think of people nowadays?

A．They're mad about achievements.

B．They want to be famous very much.

C．They're trying to build for character.

D．They like doing everything impressive.

2. What does ^“ building for character" require people to do?

A．Connect with others at the right time.

B．Mind their behavior when being looked at.

C．Behave themselves and learn from hardships readily .

D．Look ahead and accept other people's advice willingly.

3. The underlined word "fulfilled" in Paragraph 4 probably means “________".

A．content	B．confident
C．famous	D．comfortable

4. Why does the author value "building for character”？

A．It inspires people to achieve more.

B．It enables us to build a better world.

C．It allows graduates to get a good job.

D．It helps us   again   respect from other people.

5 . Almost everyone has heard the expression “the calm before the storm”. It is usually used to describe a peaceful period just before a very stressful situation or a tense argument.

British sailors created the phrase in the late 1600s. They noted that before certain storms the seas would seem to become static and the winds would drop. But why is it often so calm before a storm?

Science has given us the answer. According to US website How Stuff Works, a calm period occurs because many storms, such as hurricanes and tornadoes (龙卷风), draw in all the warm and damp air from the surrounding area. As this air rises into the storm clouds, it cools and acts as “fuel for the storm, like petrol in a car”.

Once the storm has taken all the energy it can from the air, it is pushed out from the top of the storm clouds and falls back down to ground level. As the air goes down, it becomes warm and dry. Warm, dry air is stable, so once it covers an area, it causes a calm period before the storm. This same process also causes “the eye of the storm” in hurricanes and tornadoes. In these conditions, the calm occurs in the center of the storm because of the strong winds moving in a circle.

The Weather Network has a tip for working out how far away a storm is. First, count how many seconds there are between a flash of lightning and a clap of thunder. Roughly 3 seconds equal 1 kilometer. So, for example, if you count 9 seconds, the storm is about 3 kilometers away. A good judgement is that if your count is below 30 seconds, you should seek shelter straight away.

However, due to the complexity of storm system, not all storms break after calm. Given the right conditions, some storms announce themselves with heavy rain and cold winds.

So, your best bet is to keep yourself updated with weather reports for any predictions regarding a coming storm in your area. That’s the most reliable and sensible way to predict the next display of nature’s temper.

1. The underlined word “static” in Paragraph 2 probably means “________”.

A．violent

B．warm

C．still

D．changeable

2. What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage?

A．To find out how a storm comes into being.

B．To explain why a peaceful period occurs before a storm.

C．To prove whether the research on storm clouds is correct.

D．To show how dangerous a storm can be in certain situations.

3. If there’re 15 seconds between a flash of lightning and a thunder clap, how far is the storm away?

A．About 3 kilometers.

B．About 5 kilometers.

C．About 9 kilometers.

D．About 15 kilometers.

4. What can be learned from the passage?

A．Storms don’t always blow up after calm.

B．Storms have a bad influence on our life.

C．Weather reports may fail to predict a storm.

D．Heavy storms don’t usually last a long time.

6 . One of the most successful, influential and beloved women in American history, Eleanor Roosevelt once said that she had one regret: she wished she had been prettier. Who hasn’t felt the same way? We are all too aware of our physical imperfections. To overcome them, we spend billions upon billions every year. Why do we care so much about how we look? Because it matters. Because beauty is powerful. Because even we learn to value people mostly for being kind and wise and funny, we are still moved by beauty.

Aristotle said, “Beauty is a greater recommendation than any letter of introduction”. It’s not fair, but it’s true. We simply treat beautiful people better than we do others. Attach a photograph of a beautiful author to an essay, and people will think that it is more creative and more intelligently written than exactly the same essay accompanied by the photo of a homely author. As children, beautiful people are more likely to become favorites with parents and teachers. Later, they are more likely to get good jobs. Attractive people in need are more likely to receive help from strangers.

These days, women and men both rely on advanced technology to improve their beauty. Wrinkles can be stretched away with a face lift. Special injections can make lips look young and plump (丰满的). Besides being a sign of youth, good skin also means that the person is likely to be healthy. Still, it is possible to go too far. At the end of the 19^th century, some women even had their ribs (肋骨) removed so they’d have that perfect narrow waist.

Our sensitivity to physical beauty is not something we can control at will. We are born with it. Experiments showed that even small infants prefer to look at attractive faces. Before they have met a single supermodel, before they have watched a single TV show, before they have opened up a single fashion magazine, they are drawn to the same faces which adults have judged to be attractive.

There are more important things in life than beauty. But as Nancy Etcoff says, “We have to understand beauty, or we will always be enslaved by it.” If you aim to be wise and kind and funny, it doesn’t mean that you can't also try your best to look beautiful. There’s no reason to feel guilty about being moved by beauty’s power. It moves us all.

1. Which of the following proverbs has the opposite meaning of Aristotle’s sentence in Paragraph 2?

A．Never judge a book by its cover.	B．Act on second thoughts.
C．Leave your luck while winning.	D．Great minds think alike.

2. The underlined word “homely” in Paragraph 2 can be replaced by ____.

A．attractive

B．plain

C．beautiful

D．handsome

3. According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?

A．People are all slaves to beauty.

B．Beauty can ensure good jobs.

C．Advanced technology helps improve beauty.

D．People value beauty over other virtues.

4. What’s the best title of this passage?

A．The Power of Beauty	B．Huge Costs of Beauty
C．Bad Effects of Beauty	D．Various Ways to Beauty

7 . Scientist， conservation organizations and government trying to stop the trend of extinction （灭绝） often focus on protected areas such as national parks and wildlife preserves. But with as many as million species（物种） at risk， this plan of action may not be enough to conserve wildlife.

Slowing the mass extinction that now appears to be underway will require more creative means of coexisting alongside wild plants and animals. A new study indicates the effectiveness of some such approaches by examining some lands managed by indigenous groups.

“ We show really strongly that， from a biodiversity standpoint in terms of species richness，indigenous － managed lands are at least comparable to protected areas， ” says biologist Richard Schuster of Carleton University. And in some places， they are better than parks and preserves －even though indigenous communities may use their lands’ resources by hunting or searching for food.

Schuster and his team analyzed more than 15，000 areas in Australia， Brazil and Canada. They found that the total diversity of wildlife was highest on lands either managed or co － managed by indigenous groups， while randomly selected areas with no formal protection were the least bio－diverse. For threatened species in particular， indigenous lands scored slightly higher than protected lands on overall species richness in Brazil and Canada， as well as higher for threatened animals in Australia.

Each country has a different geography， climate and history. Yet remarkably， Schuster says， the best indicator for species diversity is whether a given area was managed by an indigenous community. He pointed out that practices such as sustainable（可持续的） hunting， fishing and searching， as well as burning， are more likely to occur in such areas. Don Hankins， an ecologist at California State University，agrees. “ there’ s probably going to be more of a connection to the land， ” he says， “ and a use of the land for the things that are there， compared to a national park. ”

“ It’ s really important to listen to the people who live on the land and have them drive the stewardship efforts going forward， ” Schuster says， adding that partnering with indigenous communities may enable the world’ s countries to better meet a wide range of conservation goals： “ We really need all the help we can get as a global community to prevent species extinction that we’ re facing right now. ”

1. What does the underlined word “ indigenous” probably mean in Paragraph 2？

A．Social.	B．Native.
C．Protected.	D．Threatened.

2. What did Richard Schuster find in his study？

A．National parks are even higher in species diversity.

B．Indigenous communities overhunted on their lands.

C．Some preserves almost have no formal protection.

D．Indigenous lands do better in keeping bio－diversity.

3. Which of the following statements may Don Hankins agree with？

A．Species diversity depends on geographical positions.

B．Humans’ everyday activities are no longer sustainable.

C．Indigenous groups have a close bond with their lands.

D．Protected areas work perfectly in wildlife protection.

4. What is the text mainly about？

A．Beating back extinction.	B．Dealing with environmental problems.
C．Setting up nature reserves.	D．Fighting against unsustainable behaviors.

8 . "When I was 16 years old, I was diving in Greece, but I was disappointed because I saw more plastic bags than fish.” These are the words of Boyan Slat, an engineer who designed the world's first ocean plastic cleanup system.

Every year, more than 8 million tons of plastics end up in our oceans, according to the UN Environment Programme. It is predicted that the weight of ocean plastics will match the weight of all the fish in our oceans by 2050. To prevent this from happening, in 2013 Slat created the Ocean Cleanup, an environmental non¬governmental organization, and put his plan for an ocean cleanup device into action.

After years of research and develop¬ment in the Netherlands, a device called System 001/B successfully started gathering plastics on October 2, 2019. The device uses a 600-meter-long C-shaped tube to gather all the floating rubbish. Unlike other cleanup methods, the system floats freely according to the direction of the waves, which allows waste to flow into and stay within the device. A sea anchor is attached to either end. This slows down the system as it floats through the water and allows the faster-moving rubbish, carried by the waves, to flow into its mouth. System 001/B can also collect waste below the surface using a 3-meter-deep skirt（挡板）attached to the end. After being gathered, the trash will be dragged back to shore by boat and recycled.

Right now, the system operates in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, an area that is 3 times the size of France. Once operational, the Ocean Cleanup expects a full fleet to be able to clear 50% of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in 5 years.

"It remains to be seen whether this dream will become a reality, but it is undeniable that humanity must work together to reduce our plastic use and repair the damage our waste has caused," Slat said. "We are starting to see a young generation that gets it and is excited about a sustainable （可持续的）future, but the question still comes down to: Are we going fast enough, and how much damage will have been done before we get there?"

1. The underlined word “match” in Paragraph 2 probably means “_________”.

A．compare	B．equal
C．measure	D．cover

2. Why did Boyan Slat create the Ocean Cleanup?

A．To collect ocean plastic waste.

B．To help to invent System 001/B.

C．To protect the living environment of fish.

D．To do research on the ocean environment.

3. What can we know about System 001/B?

A．It can collect and recycle garbage at the same time.

B．It can only gather ocean waste which floats on the water.

C．It aims to clear up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in five years.

D．It is an ocean-cleaning device which has already been put to use.

4. What does Slat want to tell us according to the last paragraph?

A．Young generations care less about the environment.

B．The future ecology of the oceans is deeply worrying.

C．People should work hard to decrease plastic pollution.

D．It's quite difficult to repair the damage to the environment.

9 . While every dog owner knows their dogs can read their moods perfectly, scientists have always been a little doubtful. Now thanks to some researchers at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, Austria, we finally have some convincing evidence.

For this study, biologist Corson Miller and his team exposed eleven selected dogs to digital images of women that were either angry or happy. Half the dogs were rewarded for touching the screen when shown a happy face, while the other half were given their treat for selecting those that appeared angry.

Interestingly, the dogs were not provided with the entire face. Some dogs were shown only upper halves while the others observed lower halves. That’s because the scientists believe humans show their eruptions on their entire face.

After some training on how to recognize small differences like the wrinkles between the eyes or the changes in their shape that accompany the happy or angry expressions, the dogs were mostly able to identify the correct expression not only on a familiar face but on a strange face, the researchers concluded the dogs were smart enough to read human emotions.

They also found those being trained to read angry expressions took a longer time to learn. They guess   it may be   because dogs   find angry   faces disgusting, causing   them to   back   away   quickly. However, once the smart dogs realized they were getting rewarded, the trepidation seemed to disappear. In fact, the dogs had such a good time playing the computer “game” that scientists had a hard time keeping them away from the touch screens after the study was completed.

The researchers also noticed only dogs with a male owner had a harder time understanding the expressions correctly. Since the touched screen models were all females, this confirmed what had been observed in previous studies—dogs are more efficient at reading facial expressions of people that are the same gender as their owner.

1. How did the scientists conduct the experiment?

A．By mixing the selected dogs together.

B．By rewarding only half of the dogs touching the screen.

C．By leaving dogs to women who are either happy or angry.

D．By showing digital pictures of women’s happy or angry faces.

2. What is the meaning of the underlined word “trepidation” in Paragraph 5?

A．fear and hesitation	B．doubt and uncertainty
C．curiosity and eagerness	D．excitement and happiness

3. According to the last paragraph, dogs with female owners ________.

A．are scared away at the male faces

B．can only read the expressions on partial faces

C．are uninterested in telling facial expressions

D．have difficulty telling the moods on the faces of males

4. What is the best title for this passage?

A．Dogs and Their Owners	B．Dogs’ Mood Research
C．Dogs Identify the Moods	D．Mood Changes Influence Dogs

10 . I’m learning to drive in Switzerland. I think it will be a good idea to learn now, because I have plenty of free time and I have earned a little money to pay for lessons. I never learnt when I lived in the UK, so luckily driving on the “wrong” side isn’t a problem.

However, there are a lot of rules to remember. When you see a road to your right and there are no white lines on the ground, the cars to your right have the right to go before your car and you have to stop for them. In practice, lots of people forget this and either wait for each other while both drivers try to remember what to do, or beep (鸣喇叭) at each other if both try to go at the same time!

When you drive round a roundabout, you should check all your mirrors. To remember how to do this, I often count them aloud—one, two, three—then a second glance at my blind spot when I’m in the roundabout. One friend came driving with me and after about an hour asked why on earth I was counting. He had passed his test so long ago,but he couldn’t remember ever having to check three mirrors!

Driving still seems scary to me so I drive quite slowly. I also don’t know the countryside roads very well and don’t know what’s coming up round the corner or over the next hill. I drive slowly so I feel safe, but my driving instructor tells me to speed up or cars will bump into me from behind when trying to drive through a dangerous place. So driving slowly is just as dangerous as driving fast!

I’m not a very practical person, so learning to drive has been a challenge. I don’t have a lot of confidence and find it quite demotivating to do something that doesn’t come naturally to me. To make driving more fun and interesting, I learn in Swiss German, so my instructor gives me instructions in Swiss. This way I’ve tricked myself into enjoying driving and hopefully I will pass the test!

1. What can be inferred from the first paragraph?

A．It isn’t a proper time for the author to take driving lessons now.

B．Driving on the “wrong” side doesn’t influence the author.

C．The author is too poor to pay for driving lessons in Switzerland.

D．It is easy for the author to get confused about the driving rules in Switzerland.

2. Why does the author often counts “one, two, three” aloud when driving round a round about?

A．to remind himself to check the mirrors	B．to speed up
C．to drive through a dangerous place	D．to make driving more interesting

3. What does the underlined word “demotivating” in the last paragraph mean?

A．Encouraging.	B．Amazing.
C．Exciting.	D．Discouraging.