1 . With less than 55,000 grizzly bears left in the wild across North America, the sighting of even one is a cause for celebration.
Mike Gibeau, a specialist says the Clarksons and other motorists who have met the white bear—now called Nakoda are truly lucky. For, though there are a few variations of white bears to be found, such as the Kermode bears in British Columbia and the polar bears in the Arctic, white grizzly bears are extremely rare. “I have never in all my time working with grizzly bears—since the early 1980s—seen a white grizzly bear. I’ve seen a really, really blond grizzly, but never white one,” Gibeau told St. Albert Today. 1.
Though this is the first time the world has seen the white grizzly, park keepers have known of Nakoda’s existence since 2018. Jon Stuart-Smith says his team first spotted the bear and its sibling (兄弟姐妹) as babies traveling with their mother.
Nakoda and its sibling were seen again in 2019. This time the smart bears returned to the area earlier this year but left after realizing the grains had been cleared, and there was nothing left to eat. The park officials never publicized the unique bear due to fear that it would be chased by fans eager to catch glimpse. As it turns out, the experts were right. Nakoda’s photos and videos, which have gone viral, have led to people rushing to the bear’s current location and resulted in unsafe parking and traffic jams. To protect the animals, on June 18. 2020, the concerned officials imposed a 10-kilometer no-stopping zone along the section of the Trans-Canada Highway.
Violators (违反者) will be fined anywhere from $85 to as much as $18.500. “We hope this informs visitors to travel through the area safely and to prevent these bears from getting hit on the highway,” said Stuart-Smith. Meanwhile wildlife experts are trying to keep the young grizzlies away from the highway as much as they can.
1. What’s the best title for the text?| A．Grizzly Bears Increasing Survival Ability |
| B．Measures Taken to Protect Grizzly Bears |
| C．Grizzly Bears Well Protected in Canada |
| D．Rare White Grizzly Bear Sighted in Canada |
| A．while driving a car | B．on competition |
| C．during a hunting | D．working in the Arctic |
| A．A specialist. | B．park keeper. |
| C．A photographer. | D．A volunteer. |
| A．turned over | B．set up |
| C．adapted to | D．called for |
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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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 . There has long been a view that in ancient times men were the hunters-out getting the neat — while women were gatherers-searching for fruit, vegetables and wild plants.
However, this stereotype has been overthrown by an archaeological discovery. Scientists found the remains of a teenage girl, who lived around 9,000 years ago, at a site in Peru alongside a hunting toolkit(工具箱).There was a knife and fakes(薄片)of rock for removing internal organs(内脏), and other hunting tools.
"It took a strong case to help us recognize that the archaeological pattern indicated actual female hunting behavior," said Randy Has, he lead author of the study.
The remains were recovered in 2018 when an archaeological site was being excavated(挖掘). Actually, Haas' team didn't plan to study female hunters. They found six bodies in a burial pit, a site 3,925 meters above sea level, on a windy plateau in southern Peru. The researchers used a new method to determine the sex of the found bones. The technique analyzed a protein in the remains' tooth enamel(釉质)to tell their gender. It turned out that the remains with an impressive hunting kit belong to a female.
According to the study and previous records of 107 other burial sites throughout North and South America, the team thinks that between 30 percent and 50 percent of big-game hunters who lived more than 10,000 years ago in the Americas could have been women.
However, some people think the hunting tools could have been placed there for symbolic or religious reasons, so the girl might not be a hunter.
In response, Haas pointed out the 9,00-year-old tomb contains a wide variety of tools-some are very rare, some are common — so this suggests that these tools were not some kind of sacrificial(献祭的)offering. Rather, they were the object that individuals used regularly.
Haas said this debate has great significance in today's world. "This insight-for me at least-stresses that many of the gender inequalities we see today do not have a biological basis," he said.
1. What is the word "overthrown" in paragraph 2 closest in meaning to?| A．Established. | B．Supported. |
| C．Explained. | D．Challenged. |
| A．It was aimed at learning about ancient female hunting behavior |
| B．A total of six bodies were discovered in northern Peru |
| C．A protein in the remains' tooth enamel was examined to know their gender |
| D．It suggested that most females in ancient times were hunters. |
| A．For daily uses. | B．For sacrificial offerings |
| C．For symbolic practices. | D．For religious purposes |
| A．Males should be to blame for gender inequalities. |
| B．There were fewer gender inequalities in ancient times. |
| C．Many gender inequalities are not supported by biology. |
| D．We should ignore biological differences between males and females. |
4 . Brooke wanted a dollhouse and some sugar cookies. So the 6-year-old asked Alexa to get them. Alexa wasn't her mom or babysitter. It was a voice-activated home assistant powered by artificial intelligence(AI). Alexa comes with the Amazon Echo device. And it made Brooke's wishes come true. After being reported on' TV, Alexa devices in many listeners' homes woke up and tried to order dollhouses!
Alexa isn't the only Al willing to order up treats for you. Apple Homepod has Siri, Google Home has its Assistant, and the upcoming Galaxy Home device will have Bixby. People who own these devices use them mainly for listening to music, checking the weather, and setting timers. According to a report from The Information, people don't often do voice shopping. They do it mainly to order simple things like paper towels. But many experts predict a boom in voice shopping in the near future.
Convenience is the main benefit of voice shopping. You can shout out an order as soon as you think of it, even if you're cooking or driving. Besides, people who are unable to use a keyboard or mouse can shop without assistance.
But voice shopping has its downsides. Unwanted things aren't the biggest problem. It's usually very easy to cancel an order or return items. The surprising thing is that these assistants are always listening. They have to be able to respond when you want them. So they listen for "Alexa" or "OK Google" or another command. When they hear it, they start recording the conversation. Some have worried about what happens to these recordings. Should companies be allowed to use them to learn about people's shopping habits? What if someone hacks the device? What if someone hacks smart TVs to turn them into spies that listen all the time?
1. What is Alexa?| A．A TV reporter. | B．A friend of Brooke. |
| C．A voice-activated device. | D．A cookie maker. |
| A．Alexa is the best Al device |
| B．People buy various things through voice shopping. |
| C．People use Bixby mainly for listening to music. |
| D．Voice shopping may have a bright future. |
| A．Optimistic | B．Doubtful | C．Objective. | D．Negative. |
| A．Repairs. | B．Attacks | C．Hides. | D．Sells. |
5 . Many of us work hard to achieve a successful career. We spend years in school, and then get a well-paid job that we think will bring us a comfortable life. Then one day we realize that all we seem to do is work and have forgotten how to relax.There's nothing wrong with being ambitious.The problem is that we don't keep a good work-life balance.
Here are some simple activities that can help you find more peace and balance in your life.
Take a warm bath
A warm bath will help you relax physically and mentally. The warm water will relax your muscles and in addition, the environment will help calm your mind and improve your mood.
Go outside
The fresh air and change of scenery can help you clear your mind. In addition, seeing the rest of the world helps you put things into a larger perspective.It helps you see things beyond your own busy lives.
Try meditation
Meditation is a powerful tool to help you relax. Basically, all you have to do is sit quietly for a few minutes and follow your breath. You don't have to do it perfectly,and you don't have to meditate for long periods to get the benefits.
If you want more balance in your life, then make relaxation a part of your daily life. Not only will you feel better, but also you will be more productive and gain more satisfaction from your work and your personal life.
1. What is this article about?| A．What a comfortable life is like. |
| B．The best ways to enjoy yourself. |
| C．Activities that you should do for your success. |
| D．How to live a peaceful and balanced life. |
| A．People should be relaxed instead of working hard. |
| B．Taking a warm bath is less useful for sportsmen. |
| C．Going outside can broaden your mind and horizon. |
| D．The more relaxation you have, the better you will work. |
| A．think | B．sleep | C．exercise | D．breathe |
6 . As part of a health initiative, Berkeley is getting ready to become the first city in the US to require large grocery stores to stop allowing the sales of junk food and candy in checkout aisles(过道). The new rule is expected to go into effect in March 2021.
The “Healthy Checkout Ordinance(法规)” was approved by Berkeley’s City Council. It requires stores over 2,500 square-feet in size to sell at least 25 square-feet of healthy items within a three-foot radius(半径) of checkout registers. So now instead of candy and soda and other high calorie items, shoppers can expect to see fresh fruit and whole grain alternatives at checkout counters.
“Placement of unhealthy snacks near a register increases the likelihood that customers will purchase these foods and drinks when willpower is weak at the end of a long shopping trip,” City Council member Kate Harrison said. The new rule will affect at least 25 retailers(零售商)in Berkeley. These include Whole Foods, CVS, Walgreens and Safeway.
“It's not a ban: it's a nudge(推动),” Harrison said. “Stores can still sell candy and soda, just not at your child's eye level in the checkout.” The council said the shift to selling more healthy products at checkouts will still be profitable for stores because data shows customers are looking for more low sugar and low sodium products anyway. They also said retailers in test cases around the country and in California have seen dramatic increases in sales of healthy foods since they changed their checkouts to include more fresh options in displays.
The ordinance will make grocery stores a “more neutral and health-friendly space for consumers,” said Ashley Hickson, senior policy associate at the Center for Science in the Public Interest(CSPI). Junk food makers spend a lot to make sure their products are front and center in stores, Hickson said, but some consumers don't like the practice. In a CSPI survey, 76% of shoppers who bought unhealthy food or drink at checkout regretted the purchase, she added.
1. What can we infer from Harrison's words in Paragraph 3?| A．Customers tend to ignore the price when tired. |
| B．Items placed near checkouts are most profitable. |
| C．Customers will easily spend a fortune when tired. |
| D．Items placed near checkouts are inviting to customers. |
| A．Alternatives will make up for sales. |
| B．Retailers will get financial support. |
| C．Healthy food will attract more customers. |
| D．Retail prices of other goods will be raised. |
| A．Spending a lot to promote sales. | B．Advertising some unhealthy drinks. |
| C．Placing junk food at checkout aisles. | D．Replacing junk food with healthy ones. |
| A．The Negative Influences of Junk Food |
| B．How to Maximize the Profits of Stores |
| C．Berkeley Will Ban Most Junk Food at Checkouts |
| D．Berkeley Pays More Attention to People's Health |
7 . Dolphins have been known to show many human-like behavioral characteristics. These include forming complex relationships to accomplish common goals, teaching one another survival skills, and “babysitting” each other’s kids. Now, some researchers at Largo, Florida have discovered another thing the intelligent animals share with humans — a love for the television!
For their research, Kelly A. Winship and Holli C, Eskelinen observed 11 bottlenose and five rough-toothed dolphins. The animals were treated to two TV shows — Planet Earth and the popular kids’ series, SpongeBob SquarePants. The researchers say the dolphins did not seem to care what was being played. They were equally attracted by both — the realistic imagery of Planet Earth and the cartoon in SpongeBob SquarePants.
Interestingly, however, the male dolphins spent more time staring at the screen than the females. They also responded more strongly to the programming by either showing aggression (indicated by head moves), or interest (shown by raising their heads or pressing their foreheads against the TV), or even blowing bubbles (indicating interest or aggression). Winship and Eskelinen, who published their findings in the journal Zoo Biology, believe the display of aggression was most likely a result of the failure to physically interact with, or manipulate, the TV.
Though there is a lot more to learn about the animals’ television preferences, the scientists believe suitable programming could be used as part of enrichment programs for dolphins unfit to be released in the wild. The researchers also think monitoring their response to different kinds of shows could provide scientists with some insight into the dolphins’ thinking process.
1. What have researchers newly discovered about dolphins?| A．They somewhat behave like humans. | B．They offer help to each other |
| C．They are highly intelligent. | D．They enjoy watching TV shows. |
| A．The time of body moments. | B．Program preferences. |
| C．The strength of response. | D．Interacting methods. |
| A．Have control over. | B．React to. | C．Catch sight of. | D．Turn on. |
| A．Learning about their TV preference. | B．Enriching their life in the wild. |
| C．Monitoring their daily behaviors. | D．Studying how they think. |
8 . 2019 the novel coronavirus was officially named 2019-nCoV by WHO in January 12, 2020. Coronavirus is a large family of viruses, known to cause colds, Middle East respiratory syndrome (mers), severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and other serious diseases. A novel coronavirus is a new strain of coronavirus that has never been found in human body before.
Since December 2019, surveillance(监控) of influenza(流感) and related diseases has been continuously carried out in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, and multiple cases of viral pneumonia(肺炎) have been found, all of which were diagnosed(诊断) as viral pneumonia / pulmonary infection.
The common signs of coronavirus infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and dyspnea. In more severe cases, infection can lead to pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, renal failure, and even death. The novel coronavirus induced disease is not specific treatment. But many symptoms can be treated, so it needs to be treated according to the clinical situation of patients. In addition, supplementary care for infected people can be very effective. Good self-protection includes: maintaining basic hand and respiratory hygiene( 呼吸道卫生), adhering to safe eating habits, and avoiding close contact with anyone who shows symptoms of respiratory diseases (such as coughing and sneezing).
In August 2020, the novel coronavirus transmission characteristics were revealed by the latest research findings: high contagion and high concealment. In September, the academician Li Lanjuan group of the National Key Laboratory of infectious diseases diagnosis and treatment in Zhejiang University and the research group of Li Xue, Tsinghua University life school, first analyzed the three-dimensional structure of the whole new virus of the new coronavirus. In October, a new Australian study showed that the new coronavirus could survive on the surface of banknotes and glass for nearly a month. On December 23, another more infectious variant of the new coronavirus was discovered in the UK.
1. What information can we learn novel coronavirus according to this article?| A．It has been found in humans before. | B．It has specific therapies to be treated |
| C．After infection will suffer from viral pneumonia | D．It has no variation at the moment |
| A．Keep a safe distance from people with respiratory diseases |
| B．Go out more and don't stay in a confined space all the time |
| C．Take related drugs for immunity |
| D．Communicate with infected people to produce antibodies(抗体) |
| A．arrangement | B．region | C．scenery | D．space |
| A．The three-dimensional structure of novel coronavirus whole virus has been analyzed internationally. |
| B．The new coronavirus can survive on the surface of banknotes and glass for nearly one month |
| C．Transmission characteristics of new coronavirus: high infectivity and high concealment |
| D．The vaccine(疫苗) for the new coronavirus is on the market |
9 . Have you ever noticed that the stars sometimes appear brighter in December, January and February? There's a link between cold air and the night lights. "Part of it is that it tends to be drier in the winter," said Diane Tumshek, an astronomer at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Even though it's invisible, moisture can change the way light moves through the air. And in the summer, moisture can make stars appear more dull.
Air temperature is also what puts the twinkle twinkle in the little stars. "Even on very clear nights, some of the atmosphere is cooler, and some of the atmosphere is warmer,” said Tumshek, who also works with the Allegheny Observatory. And when the light from a star passes through those bubbles of varying temperatures, "it bends and shifts the light, so that we are seeing stars appear to dance or twinkle,” she said.
For star lovers in the United States, there's another factor that comes into play for bright winter stars, although this is a matter of coincidence. During Earth's journey around the sun, “there are just simply more bright stars visible from the Northern Hemisphere in the winter sky," Tumshek said. If you really want to see a shiny star, just try to find a burning ball of gas called Sirius near the horizon. At 8.6 light-years away, Sirius is relatively close to Earth and the brightest star visible in the night sky. It is also large — nearly twice as big as our sun and 20 times as bright. So this winter, when the world turns cold and it seems like we should be spending more time indoors, consider asking an adult to go exploring outside. With a warm coat and a clear sky, any night can be turned into a treasure hunt. All you have to do is look up.
1. What does the underlined word "dull" in Paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．not shiny | B．not exciting | C．not severe | D．not smart |
| A．By changing the bubbles around them. | B．By putting the twinkle twinkle in them. |
| C．By varying the direction of the light from them. | D．By making the stars dance and twinkle in the sky. |
| A．It can be found at any night. | B．It is 20 times as bright as the sun. |
| C．It is a burning and shiny ball. | D．It is closer to Earth than other stars, |
| A．To advocate stargazing in winter, | B．To call on people to focus on stars. |
| C．To present new research results about stars. | D．To explain why stars are more visible in winter. |
10 . Social distancing is not a new concept in the natural world, where infectious diseases are commonplace. Through specialized senses animals can detect certain diseases and change their behavior to avoid getting ill.
In 1966, while studying chimps (猩猩) in a Tanzanian national park, zoologist Jane Goodall observed a chimp named McGregor who had caught a highly infectious virus. His fellow chimps attacked him and threw him out of the troop. In one instance, McGregor approached chimps in a tree. He reached out a hand in greeting, but the others moved away without a backward glance.
“For a full two minutes, old McGregor sat motionless, staring after them,” Goodall notes in her 1971 book In the Shadow of Man. “It’s really not that different to how some societies react today to such a tragedy.”
Not all animals are so aggressive toward their ailing neighbors. Sometimes it’s as simple as avoiding those who may infect you.
When Kiesecker, a lead scientist in America, studied American bullfrog in the late 1990s, he found that bullfrogs could not only detect a deadly smell of infection in other bullfrogs, but healthy members actively avoided those that were sick. Bullfrogs rely on chemicals signals to determine who is sick or not.
Caribbean lobsters also shun diseased members of their community, well before they become infectious. It takes about eight weeks for lobsters infected with the deadly virus Panulirus argus mininuceovirus to become dangerous to others. Normally social animals, lobsters begin keeping away from the diseased as early as four weeks after infection – once the lobsters can smell certain chemicals released by sick individuals.
Overall, it’s important to note that, unlike us, animals don’t realize if they stay home, they might actually reduce the infection rate,” Kiesecker explains. “As humans, we have that ability. It’s a big difference.”
1. What can we learn about the chimps from Goodall’s observation?| A．They kept a distance from one another. |
| B．They became aggressive when infected. |
| C．The infected avoided contact with others. |
| D．The infected were forced to leave the group. |
| A．Avoid. | B．Cure. | C．Get rid of. | D．Get along with. |
| A．Humans are more sensitive to virus. |
| B．Humans are less likely to get infected. |
| C．Humans treat infectious diseases in a wiser way. |
| D．Humans can detect chemical signals more quickly. |
| A．Help Me Out |
| B．Leave Me Alone |
| C．Stay Away From Us |
| D．Stay Home Stay Healthy |
