1 . A Teacher’s Lifesaving Call

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Julia Koch began what was only her second year as a first grade teacher in a virtual classroom.

One September afternoon a few weeks into the school year, she received a call from Cynthia Phillips, who was having technical difficulties with her granddaughter’s tools for online learning.

Koch immediately knew something was wrong with Phillips. The two women had spoken numerous times before, but Koch had never heard the grandmother sound quite like this. Her words were so jumbled that Koch could barely understand her, though she was able to make out that Phillips had fallen four times that day.

Koch called her principal, Charlie Lovelady, who assured her that he would call and check on Phillips himself.

Just like Koch, Lovelady could barely understand Phillips. He suspected she might be having a stroke—he recognized the signs from when his own father had suffered one. Lovelady was able to make out the word “kids” and immediately became concerned that Phillips’s two grandchildren, aged six and eight, were probably home alone with her—she   is   their primary guardian—and scared. Lovelady asked his office manager to send an ambulance to the grandmother’s home. Then Lovelady called two deans in the school district, to tell them what was going on, both of whom dropped everything and drove to the family’s home.

When they pulled up less than ten minutes later, the EMTs(急救人员)were treating Phillips while the two girls, looking visibly shaken, were outside with a neighbor.

The quick response from Koch and Lovelady saved Phillips’s life. She arrived at the hospital in time to get treatment and before chronic damage occurred.

“If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t be here,” said Phillips from her hospital bed about a month after her stroke.

Thanks to an extended stay in the hospital, she has regained most of the movement throughout her body except for one hand and a portion of her mouth, which affects her speech.

1. When did the story happen?

A．When Koch was in her first grade.

B．When the grandchildren were having online classes.

C．When Lovelady was with his own father.

D．When the EMTs were giving medical help to Phillips.

2. Why did Koch know that Phillips was in trouble?

A．Because Phillips’s voice sounded strange.

B．Because Phillips had seldom called Koch.

C．Because Phillips spoke a strange language.

D．Because Koch could not hear very clearly.

3. How did Lovelady know that Phillips might be having a stroke?

A．By calling the hospital for advice.

B．By visiting Phillips in person.

C．By recognizing the signs he knew.

D．By asking the office workers for help.

4. The underlined word “chronic” in Paragraph 7 may best be replaced by ____.

A．minor.

B．unknown.

C．obvious.

D．serious.

5. What is one of the bad effects the stroke left on Phillips?

A．She could not move about properly.

B．She could not speak clearly.

C．She could not have meals properly.

D．She could not use her hands as before.

3 .

UPS (联合包裹) driver Ryan Arens was making his rounds near a pond in Bozeman, Montana, when he heard an unearthly sound. “Like a cry for help,” he told the Dodo. It was December 2019, and about 15 feet from the frozen banks was the source of that cry — a half-submerged brown-and-white wirehaired hound (猎犬), struggling to hold to a thin layer of ice. How she got there no one knows, but an elderly man was already on the scene. He’d entered the pond in a rowboat and was knocked at the ice with a rock to create a path to the dog. It was slow going, and Arens, 44, thought he stood a better chance.

“Animals are my weakness,” he told the Great Falls Tribune, explaining why he stripped (拆开) down to his boxers and socks, even though the temperature was freezing cold, and commandeered the rowboat.

His heart thumping, Arens slid closer to the dog and used the other man’s rock to smash away at the ice. He gave one strong knock and slipped off the boat, crashing into 16 feet of freezing water.

He resurfaced in time to see the dog going under. Using nervous energy to keep warm, he swam about five feet toward her, grabbed hold of her collar, and pulled her to the ice. He then boosted the dog into the boat and slid it back to the shore, where anxious bystanders carried the dog to the home of the rowboat owner, a retired veterinarian. Once in the house himself, Arens jumped into a warm shower with the dog until they both defrosted (解冻). A few more minutes in the pond, the vet told Arens, the dog would have likely suffered cardiac arrest (心脏骤停).

The next day, Arens was back working the same neighborhood when the dog’s owner came over to thank him for saving Sadie. “Would you like to meet her?” he asked.

He opened the door to his pickup (皮卡), and Sadie rushed out. She made a beeline for Arens, leaping on him and bathing him in wet kisses. That special delivery, says Arens, “was the highlight of my UPS career.”

1. The underlined word “unearthly” most probably means ________.

A．terrifying

B．strange

C．interesting

D．pleasant

2. What was an elderly doing when Ryan Arens arrived on the scene?

A．He was skating on the ice.

B．He was rowing in the pond.

C．He was trying to save the dog.

D．He was walking on the path.

3. What does the third paragraph mainly tell us?

A．Why Arens fell into the water.

B．How Arens rescued the dog.

C．How dangerous it was in freezing water.

D．Who the dog belonged to.

4. What did Sadie do when its owner opened the door of the pickup?

A．She jumped on him.

B．She kissed him.

C．She ran directly to Arens.

D．She remained still.

4 . America's greatest technological achievement, the Hoover Dam, now has a companion piece, a bridge held up by the longest arch in the Western Hemisphere (半球). The Mike O'Callaghan­Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, which opened this month and connects the U.S. states of Arizona and Nevada, crosses the vast chasm (峡谷) 890 feet above the Colorado River that is controlled by the dam.

The striking 1,900­foot­long structure will improve traffic in the region and help protect the dam from being destroyed. It is the seventh highest bridge in the world, behind four in China, one in Papua New Guinea and one in the US state of Colorado.

“The Hoover Dam is the greatest civil engineering achievement in America's history,” said the bridge project manager Dave Zanatell. “Our goal was not to outdo or outshine it. Our goal was to, in a respectful way, do something that would be great for our generation and that would stand besides the Hoover Dam in a respectful and quality way that would become a part of Hoover's legacy (遗产).”

Just as the Hoover Dam was built in the heart of the Great Depression (大萧条) and was seen as an example of the nation's can­do spirit, some hope this project can also provide some uplift.

The bridge is surprising: at 1,050 feet, its support arch holds up a roadway that lies on 300­foot­long concrete pillars (柱子), some of the tallest in the world. It contains 16 million pounds of steel.

The idea of the bridge came into being in the 1960s because the top of the Hoover Dam has been a narrow two­lane road that is the fastest route from Arizona to Las Vegas and then the Pacific Northwest and Canada.

Access to the dam from each direction is a dangerously winding route, but massive trucks and passenger vehicles shared it for decades. During the day, when thousands of tourists travel to the dam from Las Vegas three times as many accidents as on a normal road will happen.

The bridge has a sidewalk on the side facing the dam. The wall on both sides is 54 inches high, so walkers can take photos there.

1. What is one of the purposes of building the bridge?

A．To protect the dam.

B．To save the cultures.

C．To outdo the dam.

D．To develop the tourism.

2. The underlined word “uplift” in Paragraph 4 means________.

A．lift of the heavy object

B．support in money

C．spiritual encouragement

D．instruction in technology

3. The text is mainly about________.

A．the Hoover Dam

B．western America's development

C．a tour along the Colorado River

D．a recently built bridge

5 . There is more that comes with older age than greying hair and wrinkled skin When humans reach their later years, they favour more established friends and their social circle is reduced.

Now, for what appears to be the first time, scientists have seen the same behaviour in another species. Twenty years of observations of chimpanzees (猩猩) reveal that older males choose to hang out with their long-term friends at the expense of other relationships.

The researchers studied 78, 000 hours of observations made between 1996 and 2016 that followed the social interactions of 21 male chimpanzees between the ages of 15 and 58 years old. They classified the chimps’ relationships depending on the amount of time they sat with others and groomed (梳毛) them. They then rated the various pairings as mutual (相互的) friendships, where both chimps seemed to enjoy the relationship; one-sided friendships, where one chimp was more keen to be friends than the other; and non-friendships, where neither chimp showed interest in the other.

When the scientists looked at the patterns of friendships, they found that the older chimps had more mutual friendships and fewer one-sided friendships than younger chimps. Another feature seen in older humans was also spotted in the chimps. As the males got older, their levels of aggression (挑衅) tailed off, meaning they started fewer fights and tended to intimidate others in their group less often.

The observations have left the researchers puzzled. According to an idea in psychology known as socioemotional selectivity theory, or SST, older humans prefer more positive relationships because they are aware time is running out. But many animal experts argue that chimpanzees lack the human sense of mortality (死亡), suggesting something else is driving the behaviour.

Robin Dunbar, a professor of evolutionary psychology at the University of Oxford, said in humans, the decline in social circles with age is due to declining social motivation to get out and meet people combined by lack of opportunity. In chimpanzees, as older males compete less for mates, they may focus on close, reciprocal (互惠的) relationships with trusted partners, she said.

1. What do older male chimpanzees favour?

A．Old friendships.	B．New bonds.
C．Greying hair.	D．Wrinkled skin.

2. How did the researchers draw their conclusion about chimpanzees?

A．By turning to other scientists.

B．By introducing a new concept.

C．By forming relationships with them.

D．By analyzing two decades’ observations.

3. What does the underlined word “intimidate” in Paragraph 4 mean?

A．Threaten.

B．Motivate.

C．Defend.

D．Accompany.

4. According to Robin Dunbar, what accounts for declining social circles in chimpanzees?

A．Awareness of time.	B．Less competition for mates.
C．Low motivation for socialization.	D．Lack of the human sense of mortality.

6 . When homework and tests keep you up late at night, you may plan to make up for your lost sleep during the weekends. But is it useful?

A study published in the journal Current Biology shows that the habit of sleeping in on weekends doesn’t fix the damage that has been done by a lack of sleep during the week. Even worse, it may damage your health.

In the study, which was conducted over 10 days, 36 healthy young men and women with different sleep requirements were divided into three groups. The first group were asked to sleep nine hours a night and the second group five hours a night. The members of the third group slept for five hours on weekdays but rested as long as they wanted on the weekend.

The researchers found that people who lacked sleep ate more snacks and gained weight quickly. However, this wasn’t the case for the first group.

That could be partially due to the shifting of the biological clock and changes to certain body hormones, especially hunger hormones. In order to catch up on their sleep during weekends, people in the third group would eat later as a habit. So their biological clocks shifted, which also changed the production of hunger hormones.

“The hormone leptin(瘦素) decreases appetite(胃口), while the hormone ghrelin(饿素) increases appetite,” explained US researcher Vsevolod Polotsky. “Sleep shortage causes leptin to drop and ghrelin to rise, so you’re hungry and eat more.”

And even if they tried to sleep for as long as they wanted to during weekends, according to researchers, it was still not enough because they found it difficult to fall asleep.

Moreover, short and insufficient sleep schedules will lead to an inability to change blood sugar and increase the risk of metabolic(新陈代谢) disease in the long term.

1. Which of the following is true about the study?

A．Participants were divided into two groups.

B．Researchers studied 36 children and adults.

C．It lasted for more than two weeks.

D．Each group follow different sleep requirements.

2. What does the underlined word “shifting” in Paragraph 5 probably mean?

A．increasing

B．lacking

C．changing

D．shortening

3. Why may people without enough sleep eat more?

A．They need to create more energy.

B．There is less leptin in their bodies.

C．They have a lower blood sugar.

D．Their bodies produce less hormones.

4. What can be a suitable title for this passage?

A．Appetite Affects our Sleep Quality

B．Sleeping in Causes Weight Loss

C．Catching up on Sleep Harms Our Body

D．Men and Women Sleep Differently

7 . As a boy growing up in India, I had longed to travel abroad. I used to listen to the stories my father would tell me about his stay in Canada and tours to Europe in the 1970s, with great interest.

My big moment finally came in the summer of 1998 when I was able to accompany my parents to Europe, where my father was to attend a meeting. We planned to travel to Belgium, Netherlands and West Germany.

I have vivid memories even today of going to Mumbai airport at night all excited about finally going abroad. I had heard several great things about Lufthansa till then but now I finally got to experience them first hand, during the flight to Frankfurt. We flew business class and even today I can remember the excellent service by the Lufthansa crew. The flight was really smooth and thoroughly enjoyable, even for someone like me, who is otherwise scared of flying.

After spending almost two weeks in Europe, we took the Lufthansa airport express from Dusseldorf to Frankfurt airport, for our return flight. What a journey that was! All along the Rhine (莱茵河), it was simply an unforgettable experience. I was in a sombre mood on the flight back to Mumbai as it marked the end of a wonderful vacation, but the Lufthansa crew members were able to change it into a most enjoyable experience yet again, with the quality of their service.

Being the first airline to take me overseas, Lufthansa will always hold a special place in my heart. Even today, I continue to enjoy flights on Lufthansa and simply cannot dream of choosing any other airline. Flying, in general, for me, has always been an ordeal (terrible and painful experience). Flying on Lufthansa, however, is something I always have and always will look forward to.

1. Which of the following is TRUE about the author's trip to Europe in 1998?

A．The author traveled with one of his parents.

B．Both their going and return are by air.

C．They traveled in spring that year.

D．They stayed in Europe for nearly two months.

2. It can be inferred from the passage that Lufthansa is ________.

A．a city in India

B．a city in Europe

C．an airline company

D．a travel agency

3. What does the underlined word “sombre” in the 4th paragraph probably mean?

A．Happy.

B．Sad.

C．Angry.

D．Enjoyable.

8 . The human tendency to gravitate towards people that are similar to them starts early. In school-age children, the behavior called homophily, or "love of the same" often has to do with how others dress or act. Adults tend to form groups based on professions or personalities. However, forming cliques (小集团) and shutting out those who are "different" is not just a human characteristic. South Africa's Cape baboons (狒狒) show similar tendencies too!

A team of researchers followed the same two troops of baboons for several months. What they noticed was that like humans, baboons rarely left their original groups. To prove if their observations were correct, the researchers conducted an experiment.

They began by placing some foods that the baboons had never seen before on the edge of paths the animals frequently crossed. The researchers recorded the time it took a baboon to get close enough to examine the new foods and the time for ones that had the courage to taste them. Sure enough, the most curious and daring baboons all belonged to the same group. What did surprise the scientists was that the baboons with similar personalities hung out together, regardless of whether they were male or female.

The researchers say this behavior is not a good sign for the animals, because the daring and curious baboons are also good problem solvers. The scientists worry that if the baboons share new problem-solving skills with only their group, it leaves the rest of the species vulnerable to any environmental changes or enemies.

Unfortunately, baboons are not the only animals that form cliques. In another study, the scientists divided 80 fish into two groups. After about three weeks，the fish were rearranged into smaller groups of ten. The researchers observed that many of the fish that had spent time together in the original two groups seemed to seek each other out. What was even more interesting is that once they re-grouped，they were able to find the hidden food much faster. This led the researchers to think that like humans, the fish tended to share their secrets with their best "friends".

1. What can be used to replace the underlined word "gravitate" in Paragraph 1?

A．Lose respect.	B．Feel attracted.
C．Move smoothly.	D．Behave naturally.

2. What did the experiment on baboons show?

A．Baboons associate with similar others.

B．Male baboons tend to be in the same group.

C．Cautious baboons are good at finding new foods.

D．Female baboons are usually braver than male baboons.

3. Why is the experiment on fish mentioned?

A．To show they are different from baboons.

B．To introduce human-like behavior in fish.

C．To prove other animals form groups as well.

D．To explain how they get on with each other.

9 . Body language has always been a hot topic of interesting dinner conversations and now today it is still a hot topic. It is perhaps one of the most powerful forms of human expression or human communication!

Body language is a very important part of communication which can constitute 50% or more of what we are communicating to the other person. If you wish to communicate effectively, then it makes sense to understand how you can (and cannot) use your body to say what you mean.

Body language can be used to discover all sorts of things ,such as knowing when someone is attracted to you, finding truth and lies, showing confidence, winning respect in any situation, and you can use body language to put people at ease, make friends quickly, persuade, and influence.

So what is body language? Body language is a term used to describe the method of communication using body movements or gestures instead of sounds, verbal(口头的) language or other communication. Body language includes the most subtle(微妙的)movements that many people are not aware of, including winking(眨眼) and slight movement of the eyebrows and other facial expressions.

Body language is one of the easiest ways for you to tell what's really going on in a conversation with another person. The body language that you observe from other people will tell you whether or not those people are being straight up with you or whether there is more to the story that’s not being said. Watch, look,and observe. Sometimes you can tell more by a person’s body language than the words they speak.

1. The underlined word “constitute” in Paragraph 2 probably means ___________.

A．make up

B．take up

C．turn up

D．put up

2. What’s the third paragraph mainly about?

A．What body language is.	B．When people use body language.
C．Body language is very useful.	D．Body language is very convenient.

3. The following are all body language EXCEPT ___________.

A．winking your eyes	B．making eye contact
C．the movement of the eyebrows	D．the communication in a low voice

4. We are advised to observe the body language from other people to ________.

A．remember everything they say	B．understand the hidden meaning
C．find lies from them	D．show respect for them

10 . How often do you exercise? A new study finds that most kids aged 12 to 15 aren't getting enough physical activity. The results are based on about 800 kids. As part of the study, the young teens tracked and reported on their own activity levels, and took physical exams.

The US fitness guidelines recommend an hour or more of physical activity every day. According to the study, only 1in 4 kids in the US get enough physical activity.

“It's certainly very worrying to see that our kids are engaging in such a limited amount of physical activity each day,” said Dr. Stephen Pont. He is an expert on children's health.

Few kids in the survey met the guidelines for physical activity that raises the heart rate and makes them breathe harder. Overall, about 25% said they got an hour of that kind of violent exercise every day. Kids also reported on which activities they did most often outside of the school gym class--basketball for boys and running for girls.

The study found that obese（肥胖的） teens were less active than normal-weight girls and boys. Overweight girls were slightly less active than normal-weight girls, but levels were similar among overweight and normal-weight boys. The study also said that the overall obesity rate for children aged 2 to 19 is 17%, or about 12.5 million kids.

“There's always room for improvement,” said health expert Tala Fakhouri, who was the lead author of the study. She also said the results provide useful information to help with fitness campaigns such as Lets Move, which was launched by Michelle Obama in 2010. To inspire kids to eat right and get in shape, Michelle visited schools and held exercise events. She also called on schools to offer regular gym classes.

The study also suggests kids who get physical education at school may get better grades.

1. What is the result of the new study?

A．It is important to take physical exams

B．Most US kids don’t get enough exercise

C．Kids should get physical activity every day

D．800 kids don’t get enough physical activity.

2. What's the purpose of the campaign Let's Move？

A．To help kids to keep fit.

B．To hold exercise events.

C．To offer regular gym classes.

D．To provide useful information.

3. According to the study, the children with enough exercise

A．do better in their studies

B．try their best to get in shape

C．be more willing to help others

D．be less active than fat children

4. What does the underlined word “launched” in the sixth paragraph probably mean？

A．visited	B．stopped
C．started	D．improved