1 . You might have heard about how honey bees are doing poorly these days. It’s different, though, from the situation many of the world’s vulnerable (脆弱的) animals find themselves in. We want them to live their lives and grow stronger, but are we willing to change our lifestyles to make it happen? The decrease in honey bees is a bit different, because if honey bees can’t live well, neither can people and, eventually people won’t eat as a result.
As happened in 2017, U.S. beekeepers lost 40 percent of their bees because of a disease. It’s really about the earnings of beekeepers and the reduced amount of bees. But it doesn’t stop there. Honey bees go around doing pollination (授粉). And do you know what need to be pollinated? That’s our crops. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates bees pollinate about $15 billion worth of apples and peaches each year in the United States alone.
So, we 21st-century humans not only take notice, but also start trying to fix the problem. It’s infeasible that we give every bee the treatment. We can’t imagine how huge the task is and how hard we carry on it! The most promising immediate solution seems to prevent the disease. That’s where the bee vaccine (疫苗) comes.
Scientists have long thought immunizing (使免疫) bees will be unworkable, but a 2015 study discovered that bees transfer immunity to their babies through protein. Vaccinating a bee won’t help that bee, but if you vaccinate the queen of bees, she can pass her immunity on to her later generations through her eggs.
The new vaccine will treat for American foulbrood (AFB), a serious disease that quickly destroys bees. It’s in the testing phases and most likely headed for bee boxes near you. And don’t worry, it doesn’t require a tiny doctor’s chair and needle to deliver the vaccine—the queen bee can drink the medicine in a little sugar water and pass it along to her later generations.
1. What does exactly the author intend to tell us through the 2017 beekeepers’ incident?| A．The beekeepers lead a terrible life. |
| B．The number of bees continues to decrease. |
| C．The decline of bees affects the production of grain. |
| D．The pollination work of bees is huge and complicated. |
| A．Practical | B．Impossible | C．harmful | D．Convenient |
| A．The bee vaccine is hard to develop. |
| B．Bees will learn skills from the queen. |
| C．Bees can transfer immunity to each other. |
| D．The bee vaccine can take effect in the long run. |
| A．It’s applied to all sick bees. |
| B．It will be delivered to bees by skilled doctors. |
| C．It works by allowing the queen of bees to take it. |
| D．It has been put into use and makes many bees survive. |
2 . Experts are warning about the risks of extremely picky(挑剔的)eating after a teenager living on a diet of chips and crisps developed lasting sight loss. Eye doctors in Bristol cared for the 17-year-old after his sight had gone to the point of blindness. Tests showed he had serious vitamin deficiency(缺乏). Dr. Denize Atan, who treated him at the hospital, said, “His diet was basically a portion of chips from the local fish and chip shop every day. He also used to snack on crisps and sometimes white bread and ham, and not really any fruit and vegetables.”
The teenager saw his doctor at the age of 14 because he had been feeling tired and unwell. At that time he suffered from vitamin B12 deficiency, but he did not stick with the treatment or improve his poor diet. Three years later, he was taken to the Bristol Eye Hospital because of progressive sight loss.
He was not overweight or underweight, but he had lost minerals from his bones, which was really quite shocking for a boy of his age. In terms of his sight loss, he met the standards of being blind. “He had blind spots right in the middle of his sight,” said Dr Denize Atan, “That means he can’t drive and would find it really arduous to read, watch TV or recognize faces.”
Dr Denize Atan said that parents should learn about the harm that can be caused by picky eating, and turn to experts for help. For those who are concerned , she advised, “It’s best not to be anxious about picky eating , and instead calmly introduce one or two new foods with every meal.” She said multivitamin tablets can supplement(补充) a diet, but cannot take the place of eating healthily. “It’s much better to take in vitamins through a varied and balanced diet,” she said, adding that too many certain vitamins , including vitamin A, can be harmful ,“so you don’t want to overdo it.”
1. What does Dr Denize Atan imply in paragraph 1?| A．The diet of the boy is not balanced. |
| B．Fruit and vegetables are rich in vitamins. |
| C．Picky eating is common among teenagers. |
| D．The cause of the boy’s disease is unknown. |
| A．To improve his poor diet. |
| B．To get some help to lose weight. |
| C．To be treated for his discomfort. |
| D．To slow down his progressive sight loss. |
| A．Important. | B．Easy. | C．Necessary. | D．Difficult. |
| A．Reasons why the boy is seriously ill. |
| B．Suggestions for the boy’s family to care for him. |
| C．Advice for parents worried about picky eating. |
| D．Ways of taking in enough vitamins and minerals. |
3 . It was a day in late December. The Christmas tree had been taken down. The lights and decorations had been boxed up and put in the closet until next year. And I was feeling a little empty. Surely I wasn't looking forward to the long, cold, dark winter to come. I had always been a light lover on the inside. I tried to take comfort in knowing that a few more minutes of daylight was being added each day, but it hardly worked.
I was both surprised and delighted when I looked, out of my window and saw that a spring-like day had suddenly arrived. I could hear the neighborhood children outside playing in the warm air. I smiled when I saw them and my inner little girl longed to be out there riding bikes and playing games as well.
I tied my dogs for their afternoon walk hoping to enjoy some of the sunshine myself. As I was about to head out the door, however, I decided to do something a little different. I reached down and pulled my shoes and socks off. I hadn't been barefoot outside since the summer. I slowly stepped out on the cool damp grass. It felt so alive under my feet. I laughed as I walked along. I remembered something I once read too, “Walk as if you were kissing the earth with your feet.” And with each step I did so. My walk felt sacred and holy. I felt a oneness with the world and the love of Heaven all around me. With love in my heart, I thanked God for the gift of this day and no longer dreaded the coming of the winter. I thought I had gathered enough energy and courage to welcome it.
AH of us are walking through this life. But it is up to each of us how we do so. Are you going to trip and walk with heavy steps and complain with each step you take? Or are you going to kiss the earth with your feet and Heaven with your heart? The choice is yours.
1. How did the author feel shortly after Christmas at first?| A．Surprised. | B．Delighted. | C．Unhappy. | D．Relaxed. |
| A．She was inspired by delighted children. | B．She had to walk her dogs in the afternoon. |
| C．She intended to give the neighbors warmth. | D．She was touched by her childhood memories. |
| A．She kissed the earth lovingly. | B．She walked barefoot outside. |
| C．She read a book on the grass. | D．She dried her feet in the sun. |
| A．Forgot. | B．Judged. | C．Desired. | D．Feared. |
4 . If there had to be a father of handwashing in history, it would be Ignaz Semmelweis. While working at Vienna General hospital, the Hungarian doctor, faced with a situation in which maternal death (孕产妇死亡) in hospitals were significantly higher than local clinics, tried hard clues as to why.
Germs (细菌) were yet to be discovered, and it was still believed in the 1840s that disease was spread by bad smells in the air. So it didn’t seem a problem that trainee doctors hanging out of labs to dissect (解剖) human bodies would pop up to the maternity ward (产房) to deliver a baby without washing their hands.
Then an accidental finger cut by a knife during a dissection caused a doctor to die, seemingly of the same sign the mothers had been getting. Semmelweis assumed that something from the dead bodies was to blame, which might, through the hands of doctors, make their way into women’ s bodies during childbirth.
To test his theory, he ordered doctors to wash their hands and instruments in some chlorine solution. As a result, the death rate for new mothers dropped to about 1 percent, compared with that of as high as 18 percent before the experiment.
However, he faced great resistance, and met a sad end. People at that time didn’t think of themselves as sort of walking Petri dishes. And the majority of doctors then were from middle- or upper-class families, and thought of themselves as very clean people.
Over the next 40 years, a better understanding of germs developed, and attitudes to hygiene (卫生) gradually shifted. In 1876, the German scientist Robert Koch discovered the anthrax bacillus (炭疽), kicking off the new research field of medical bacteriology. Many more germs were later identified. Surgeons started to take handwashing seriously.
By the 1890s and into the early 1900s, handwashing moved from being something doctors did to something everybody had been told to do.
1. What was the situation like in the 1840s?| A．Germs might have been discovered then. |
| B．Women suffered from delivering babies then. |
| C．The air at that time was dirty and full of viruses. |
| D．People were unaware of how disease was spread. |
| A．Liquid. | B．Option. | C．Tissue. | D．Shell. |
| A．It was effective. | B．It was necessary. |
| C．It was ridiculous. | D．It was dangerous. |
| A．Steps to Protect Yourself |
| B．Disease Spreading by Your Hand |
| C．Hand Washing Critical in Fighting Viruses |
| D．The First Recorded Discovery of Handwashing |
5 . Now, Amazon has opened a brick﹣and﹣mortar bookstore in downtown Bethesda, and I am not thrilled. One reason is that there is no cafe area. But the biggest reason I am profoundly disappointed is that the new Amazon store does not accept cash. I refuse to use a credit card to pay for small purchases, such as books. I prefer to use cash.
Much has been written about the "unbanked" people who are too poor to afford a credit card or a debit card（借记卡）and who don't have a smartphone. No﹣cash policies are discriminatory against people of low income. In Massachusetts, it is illegal for retail establishments to discriminate against cash﹣paying customers. Several lawmakers in the district are thinking of adopting similar laws.
I am not a person of low income. I do have a credit card, and I occasionally use it. But it is my choice, for lifestyle and money management reasons, to use my credit card only for large purchases. I have decided not to own or use a smartphone, which means that I cannot use apps to make purchases.
For all their convenience, credit cards do come with problems. There are privacy concerns, because credit card purchases can be tracked. There are risks that those using credit cards may become victims of identity theft. And a cashless economy is dependent on functioning computers and uninterrupted power sources. Computers can be hacked, and power outages occur. In these circumstances, a cashless economy simply won't function.
My decision not to patronize stores that discriminate against cash﹣paying customers means that the only bookstore in downtown Bethesda will not be getting my business. In refusing to patronize such businesses, I am standing up for the "unbanked" who can't afford credit cards or smartphones and also for people like me who simply choose to use cash.
1. Why is the author disappointed at the new bookstore mainly？| A．Because there is no cafe area. |
| B．Because there are only e﹣books. |
| C．Because it rejects cash payment. |
| D．Because it doesn't accept credit cards. |
| A．The drawbacks of no﹣cash policy. |
| B．The credit risks of a cashless economy. |
| C．The convenience of credit card payment. |
| D．The privacy concerns of online shopping. |
| A．Sponsor. | B．Shop in. | C．Purchase. | D．Flee from. |
| A．Angry. | B．Worried. | C．Optimistic. | D．Enthusiastic. |
6 . In the world of Chinese archaeology (考古学), a sign of a dig's importance is the sight of Zhou Mingsheng at work. A field technician who has worked at archaeological sites all around China. Master Zhou is credited with the gentlest touch in his profession. Born into a farming family, he is a “national-level craftsman” with a talent for using simple tools to get relics (遗物) that would crumble in other hands, says his current boss, Wang Xu, director of an archaeological site at Shuanghuaishu, a Neolithic (新石器时代的) settlement near the Yellow River in the central province of Henan.
It is not beauty that attracts visitors to Shuanghuaishu. At 5, 300 years old, the settlement is the work of a culture too simple to have left behind many buried treasures. The single most precious find, to date, is a finger-length sculpture of a silkworm. Nor is the setting lovely: an area surrounded by deafening insects, between a highway and two power stations. Rather, the site's importance is historical. For since the birth of Chinese archaeology in the 1920s, it has been inseparable from claims that China has the oldest unbroken civilisation on Earth.
Leading archaeologists say that the site has the right combination of location, age and distinctive cultural elements to be the capital of an early Chinese kingdom. That would make it a bridge between China's written history and the era of the Yellow Emperor, who is said to rule over these central plains almost 5,000 years ago, though many foreign scholars doubt his existence. Chinese media call the site proof of China's 5,000 years of history.
Foreigners complain about a lack of written records, Mr Wang notes. Perhaps they are missing symbols that will one day be understood, for instance in patterned pottery. Outsiders "can't keep using Western standards to apply to Chinese ruins," he argues.
1. What does the underlined word “crumble” in paragraph 1 mean?| A．Result. | B．Break. | C．Wait. | D．Shine. |
| A．It is of great historical significance. | B．It has various precious treasures. |
| C．It has appealing scenery. | D．It is easily accessible. |
| A．Ambiguous. | B．Tolerant. |
| C．Disapproving. | D．Sympathetic. |
| A．Chinese history amazes the world | B．Chinese archaeology catches on |
| C．China follows its tradition | D．China digs its past |
7 . The International Mother Language Day is on February 21st and it was created by the United Nations to help preserve indigenous(土著的) languages around the world.
Due to globalization, indigenous languages are increasingly under threat of extinction. Every two weeks a language disappears, taking with it an entire culture’s heritage and thus diminishing the world’s cultural diversity. At least 43 percent of the estimated 6000 languages spoken in the world are endangered, only a few hundred are formally taught and used and fewer than 100 are used in the digital world, according to UNESCO.
Like languages around the world, indigenous Australian languages are under increasing threat of extinction. The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies understands that in Australia, there were more than 250 indigenous Australian languages, including 800 dialects, or local variations, at the time of European settlement in 1788. Today only about 13 indigenous Australian languages have enough young people speaking them for them to survive.
Indigenous languages everywhere are much more than just a way of communicating. Yuin woman Anne Martin, educator and former national NAIDOC Committee Co-Chair, described indigenous languages as “the breath of life”. “Indigenous languages are not just a means of communication, they express knowledge about everything: Law, geography, history, family and human relationships, philosophy, religion, anatomy, childcare, health, caring for country, astronomy, biology and food. Each language is associated with an area of land and has a deep spiritual significance, and it is through their own languages that indigenous nations maintain their connection with their ancestors, land and law,” she said in an interview published by La Trobe University.
International Mother Language Day has been observed every year since February 2000. In 2019, the theme is: “Indigenous languages matter for development, peace building and reconciliation(和解)”. One of UNESCO’s goals for that year’s International Mother Language Day is to collect proverbs in as many of the world’s indigenous languages as possible. The proverbs were compiled and the most appropriate ones published by the UN on its website and other publications. And the theme for International Mother Language Day 2020 is “Languages without borders”.
1. What does the underlined word “diminishing” in paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．Decrease. | B．Add. |
| C．Create. | D．Replace. |
| A．The increasing number of indigenous languages. |
| B．The development of indigenous languages. |
| C．The endangered situation of indigenous languages. |
| D．The popularity of indigenous languages. |
| A．They are just used for communication with each other. |
| B．They are loosely connected with their ancestors, land and law. |
| C．They are very important for indigenous nations all over the world. |
| D．They are about not only communication but knowledge about all fields. |
| A．The Theme of International Mother Language Day. |
| B．An Introduction of International Mother Language Day. |
| C．The Protection of Indigenous Languages in the World. |
| D．The Decrease of Indigenous Languages in the World. |
8 . Smart phones are dramatically changing the way we walk down the street. Office workers and young people are walking like pensioners (领退休金者) as they check emails and messages.
Scientists have found mobile phones make us walk more slowly, with modest steps, to avoid obstacles. The lead author of the study said the walk is similar to that of someone in their eighties. Researchers found people writing a text message walk more than twice as slowly as those without a phone, finding it harder to stay in a straight line and lift their feet 18 per cent higher above a pavement edge. Their steps are more than a third shorter, as they rely on their restricted vision to avoid falling over while distracted by their phone.
The scientists examined 252 separate participants walking while reading a text message, writing one, speaking on their phone or without their phone at all. Writing a text is the most demanding activity, causing people to look down at their phone 46 per cent more, and 45 per cent longer, than when reading a message. This led people to walk 118 per cent more slowly than when they were without their phone. People walked almost a third more slowly while reading a text and 19 per cent while talking on the phone.
Smart phones were found to prevent people from walking in a straight line, putting them at greater risk of colliding (碰撞) with other people, cars or street lamps. This increased the need to slow down and take more careful steps.
John Timmis said, "The idea for this study came from following someone walking down the street in the afternoon, who was walking as if he had had several drinks. I thought it was a bit early for that, then walked up alongside him and saw that he was on his phone. Simply being on the phone changes the way people walk."
1. What does the underlined word "modest" mean in the second paragraph?| A．Young. | B．Straight. | C．Small. | D．Low. |
| A．Those not carrying phones. | B．Those writing a text message. |
| C．Those reading a text message | D．Those speaking on their phones |
| A．The chance of possible accidents. | B．The need to walk straight. |
| C．The traffic jams during rush hours. | D．The desire for using their phones. |
| A．Mobile Phone Causing Danger to People’s Health. |
| B．Mobile Phone Changing the Way People Walk. |
| C．A New Finding about Using Mobile Phones. |
| D．No Checking Emails and Messages While Walking. |
9 . The moon may hold water in more places and in larger amounts than scientists have suggested in the past. The finding is based on two studies published in Nature Astronomy — that examined new data from the U.S. space agency NASA.
Until about 10 years ago. scientists believed the moon was mostly dry. Then, a series of findings provided evidence that water ice was widespread in small amounts on parts of the moon. The ice was thought to be in areas permanently blocked from sunlight.
But in one of the new studies. NASA said it was able to validate the presence of water molecules (分子) on sunlit parts of the lunar surface. The space agency says the identification came from data collected by its SOFIA airborne observatory equipped with a powerful telescope. The research was led by Casey Honniball of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. Scientists have suggested the source of the water may have been comets (彗星), asteroids (小行星), solar wind or interplanetary dust. The new research provides evidence that the water may be surviving on sunlit lunar surfaces because it is attached to minerals.
The second study centered on so-called "cold traps" on the moon. These are areas of the lunar surface that exist in a state of permanent darkness where temperatures are below about minus 160 degrees Celsius. Scientists say temperatures this cold can hold frozen water for billions of years.
Planetary scientist Paul Hayne of the University of Colorado Boulder led the research on cold traps. He said likely "tens of billions" of traps. Hayne's team says the new research suggests more than 40,000 square kilometres of the moon's surface may have the ability to trap water in the form office. That figure is 20 percent bigger than predicted in the past, Hayne said.
Jacob Bleacher is the chief exploration scientist for NASA's Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. He told reporters the agency believes it is very important to find out more about where the water comes from and how accessible it is.
1. Which word can replace the underlined word "validate" in paragraph 3?| A．Deny. | B．Confirm. | C．Observe. | D．Control. |
| A．There's much moving water there. |
| B．They exist for a relatively short time. |
| C．The temperature is extremely low there. |
| D．They are on the sunlit part of the lunar surface. |
| A．How water is attached to minerals. | B．How much water is on the lunar surface. |
| C．How cold traps take shape. | D．How to make use of the water. |
| A．Moon holds more water than expected. |
| B．Scientists found cold traps on the lunar surface. |
| C．Water is found to exist on the moon. |
| D．NASA's exploration of the moon is under way. |
10 . There are many therapies (疗法) for depression, including medical treatment, psychotherapy and talk therapy. Having a range of treatment choices is a good idea because no single treatment works equally well for each of millions of sufferers. Choosing the most suitable treatment is important to them. Now researchers say a new therapy proven to relieve depression should be added to the established treatments. It's called nature therapy. "Interacting with nature can have positive effects on those with depression," says Ethan Kross, PhD, an expert who has studied the nature depression link.
A little exposure to nature helps all of us get our energy back, and it may have special benefit for those who are depressed.“It seems that, from our work, the restorative effect of nature seems to be stronger for individuals with depression," says Marc Berman, PhD, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Chicago. That might be because they feel mentally exhausted, and being in nature re energizes them. However, Dr Berman has a strong warning. “We're not arguing that interacting with nature should replace clinically proven treatments for depression," he says, “Nor should those with clinical depression try to treat themselves.”
However, Berman and others say, interactions with nature could serve as a very effective supplementary treatment. Compared to adults with depression walking for 50 minutes in an urban setting, those who took a 50 minute walk in a natural setting were less depressed and had better memory skills.
Why does nature hold this special effect? Berman says, “In a natural environment, we can choose to think or not, and this choice is believed to help us rest our brains. You can then pay attention later, when you need to.”He adds, “It gives people more ability to concentrate, which is a big problem for those with depression. ”Nature provides an effective setting for resting our brains, unlike urban setting. Even in the most peaceful urban environment, you have to pay attention to such things as traffic and stoplights.
1. What can we learn about depression therapies from paragraph 1?| A．They focus on physical activity. |
| B．They pay no attention to interactions. |
| C．They mainly depend on natural environment. |
| D．They need to be tailored to different patients. |
| A．By making them feel energetic. | B．By reminding them to rest in time. |
| C．By taking the place of clinic treatment. | D．By covering up their mental problems. |
| A．Additional. | B．Traditional. | C．Controversial. | D．Essential. |
| A．An urban setting of restoring energy. |
| B．The positive role of nature in treating depression. |
| C．The popularity of using multiple ways to treat diseases. |
| D．An effective replacement of clinical therapy for depression. |
