1 . It might seem strange to be making predictions about 2021, but one thing is clear: technology has been affected just as much as every other part of our lives. Another clear thing is that today’s most important technology trends will play a big part in helping us deal with and adapt to the many challenges facing us. From the shift to working from home to new rules about how we meet and interact in public spaces, technology trends will be the driving force in managing the change.
One of the major technology trends that are likely to play out this year is 5G and enhanced connectivity. Each successive advance in mobile connectivity from 3G onwards has unlocked new use cases for the Internet. 3G made web browsing and data-driven services useful on mobile devices, 4G led to the growth of streaming video and music platforms as bandwidths (宽带) increased, and 5G, similarly, will open more doors in terms of what is possible.
5G means that services relying on advanced technologies such as augmented (增强的) reality and virtual reality, as well as cloud-based gaming platforms like Google’s Stadia, become a practical thing, anywhere at any time. They also threaten to make cable and fiber-based (光纤) networks redundant, with their need for us to be tied to a particular location.
In short, 5G and other advanced, high-speed networks make other new technologies available anywhere, any time. A great example is Norwegian fishery operator Salmar that uses a 5G network to automate the care and feeding of its fish. Image recognition algorithms (算法) are used to detect which fish are over or under-feeding, and automatically distribute food and medicine needed to keep them healthy. Initiatives like this will become increasingly important during 2021, where businesses look to increase automation across their workforces.
1. Which of the following is highly influenced by 5G technology?| A．Data-driven services. | B．Streaming video. |
| C．Music platforms. | D．Google’s Stadia. |
| A．Useful. | B．Unnecessary. | C．Expensive. | D．Special. |
| A．To show the development of Norwegian fishery. |
| B．To explain how to keep fish healthy. |
| C．To present the application of 5G technology. |
| D．To propose new initiatives for businesses. |
| A．Different predictions of technology trends. |
| B．Successive advances in mobile technology. |
| C．One of the technological highlights of the year. |
| D．The driving force in managing changes. |
2 . In many cultures, it is considered unlucky to spill salt. Fortunately, many cultures also have a solution to the problem, which usually involves throwing a pinch of salt over your shoulder. It may seem confusing to modern humans, but knowing that salt was once incredibly valuable can change this perspective.
For thousands of years, salt was an extremely rare commodity. It was difficult to obtain so that the price was very high. Many trading routes were set up to carry salt, people were paid in salt, and salt was sometimes worth more than its weight in gold. Therefore, spilling salt was considered wasteful.
Because of its high value, salt was also associated with friendship and good fortune. Offerings of salt were included in many religious ceremonies, and people might bring salt to a new home for good luck. These associations would have suggested that it would be bad luck to spill salt, since it would seem to violate salt’s fortunate properties.
Salt is also an excellent preservative. It prevents food from going bad. As such, it came to be linked with health and longevity. In some cultures, spilling salt was thought to reduce one's well-being. In Britain, for example, each spilled grain was said to represent a tear, while in Germany spilled salt awakened the devil, bringing misfortune.
The fear of spilling salt was also adopted into the Christian faith. It is said that Judas spilled salt at the Last Supper, and since he later turned out to be the betrayer of Christ, spilled salt is considered unlucky by many Christians.
Should you be unfortunate enough to spill salt, you might throw a pinch over your left shoulder to blind the Devil.
1. Spilling salt was probably thought to bring bad luck because ________.| A．it was a Christian faith | B．salt was linked with misfortune |
| C．it would decrease one’s lifespan | D．salt was always expensive than gold |
| A．Protector. | B．Flavor. | C．Medium. | D．Solution. |
| A．To introduce the history of salt. | B．To show ways to avoid misfortune. |
| C．To explain the beliefs about spilling salt. | D．To entertain readers with some anecdotes. |
3 . One of the most traditional British holidays is the “seaside holiday”. Typically, families get on a train or into a car and travel to British seaside towns. They sunbathe on the beach, buy ice creams, eat fish and chips, build sandcastles and so on.
In the early 1970s, air travel became affordable for the average family in the UK, and more and more British people started travelling abroad for their summer holidays. After all, the British weather isn't very good, even in summer, so a lot leave the UK for a vacation. Particularly popular with families on a budget is the “package holiday", where the cost of flights and accommodation are offered at a discounted price by travel agents.
In the 1980s and 1990s, young people in the UK became more wealthy, or at least had more disposable income. As a result, young people started to go abroad in groups, to places such as Spain and Greece. Once at their destination, they socialized with other groups of young people and had one long party.
British holidaying habits have begun to change, however. Climate change means that the UK now has a warmer climate than before, so people don't always feel they need to go overseas to find good weather. Also, the world seems a less certain place as interconnected economics rise and fall, which means that the cost of foreign holidays is less predictable than it used to be. As a result, more and more Britons are choosing to spend their summer holidays in the UK.
In the UK, the domestic (国内的) tourism industry---when people go on holiday in their own country---is healthier than it has been in decades. There is now an increased appreciation among Britons for the diversity of the UK. It is not just the geography and the diversity of climate-based activities on offer. It is also the diversity of the cultures in the UK that is beginning to be of interest to domestic tourists
The UK has always been famous for its international explorers, but now it is starting to discover itself.
1. What mainly caused Britons to travel abroad for holidays in the early 1970s?| A．The lower cost of flights. |
| B．The bad weather in the UK. |
| C．The trend of going overseas. |
| D．The rise of tourism industry. |
| A．Easy to handle. |
| B．Steady in amount. |
| C．Flexible to change. |
| D．Available for use. |
| A．Steady interconnected economics encourage more Britons to holiday in the UK. |
| B．Climate change has an impact on the change of British holidaying habits. |
| C．Package holiday was particularly popular with rich families in the early 1970s. |
| D．Both domestic and international tourists are interested in the diversity of the UK. |
| A．Uncertain. |
| B．Optimistic. |
| C．Pessimistic |
| D．Critical. |
4 . The sudden death of the 23-year-old female emplovee of Pinduoduo has sparked a heated debate, with many criticizing the overwork culture. Three experis share their views. Excerpis (节选) follow:
Labor laws compatible (兼容的) with digital era needed
This case should inspire society to reflect on how to better protect employees’ rights in the digital era. The relevant clauses in the Labor Law cannot be specifically applied to charge internet companies suspected of violating laborers' rights and interests.
The blurring (模糊) of the line between social and economic activities in the digital era makes it difficult to define fixed working hours.
Lawmakers should find out the new factors affecting labor relations due to the rapid development of internet and communications technology. This can pave the way for law-making on working hours in the digital era. “996” working schedule is against labor laws.
More than one year ago, it was shocking to hear e-commerce tycoons (巨头) Liu Qiangdong and Jack Ma publicly support the "996" working schedule to push their employees to work harder. A growing number of companies have been using different methods to exercise ever-increasing control over their employees.
To correct the situation, it is vital that the country bring in specific law on internet enterprises, especially in terms of labor contracts and work schedules, and make it clear that the “996” working schedule is illegal.
Death due to overwork needs legally definition
Work pressure and long working hours can seriously affect workers' physical and mental health, making. them more easily hurt by occupational and stress-related diseases.
But it is difficult to prove that a person dies of overwork. Only a person who dies at the workplace or of a sudden illness within 48 hours of getting off work is considered a victim of work.
China should issue guidelines explaining in detail what leads to death due to overwork.
1. What do the three experts agree on?| A．The Labor Law in China is non-effective. |
| B．It is difficult to define fixed working hours. |
| C．Supervision on companies should be tightened. |
| D．Improvement should be made to the current laws. |
| A．To highlight the models of e-commerce. |
| B．To introduce tycoons' attitudes to overwork. |
| C．To confirm their efforts to protect employees. |
| D．To express disagreement on “996” working schedule. |
| A．To make somebody anxious. | B．To do sports or other physical activities. |
| C．To use your power to achieve something. | D．To test or make experimental use of something. |
| A．Someone dies on his way to office. | B．Someone dies of a heart attack in his office. |
| C．Someone dies three days after work. | D．Someone dies after work without symptoms. |
5 . My work started in 2003 at my local animal shelter’s Adoption Department. It seems like such a long time ago. In the 13 years that have passed, more than 50,000 animals have passed the doors of the shelter. Most of them, I do not remember. But occasionally there are animals who stand out. Tabby was one such animal.
Tabby was one of the many homeless dogs. What’s more, she was blind and deaf. Tabby’s chances at adoption seemed remote at best. But one day a woman named Loretta came to the shelter. Her son, Gary, who suffered from epilepsy (癫痫) had seen Tabby’s picture on the shelter’s website. They were interested in meeting her! Most boys would want a puppy, a dog who could grow with him and run through grassy fields on summer days. Tabby would never be able to do that. But as they say, "love is blind". After meeting her, they decided to adopt Tabby!
If Tabby’s story had simply ended with her successful adoption, it would still have been something very special indeed but it was what happened after her adoption that some might label as "magical" or perhaps even miraculous. As Gary and Tabby did everything together, they became so "in tune" with one another that Tabby began to telegraph Gary’s seizures (疾病发作) before they occurred, giving his family a warning that one was about to strike. What’s more, Gary seemed to be having fewer and fewer seizures since Tabby’s arrival.
How could it be? There are some things that happen in this world that challenge all logic and understanding. Sometimes, the best that we can do is to accept a miraculous thing, which we didn’t attempt to explain. Because when you try to explain it, you lose the beauty and wonder of it all.
1. Which sentence can be used to describe Tabby?| A．She was so lovely that she could be easily adopted. |
| B．She suffered a lot from the disease-epilepsy. |
| C．She was so strong that she could run very fast. |
| D．She was homeless and couldn’t see or hear. |
| A．Amazing. | B．Typical. | C．Interesting. | D．Special. |
| A．Gary learnt about Tabby from a magazine. |
| B．Gary was cured in the company of Tabby. |
| C．Tabby could indicate a seizure before it struck. |
| D．Most boys would have the same decision as Gary. |
| A．Love is Blind: a Miraculous Dog | B．Give Me Food: My Dear Master |
| C．Love is Everywhere: a Poor Dog | D．Take Me Home: My Dear Boy |
6 . It was late, about 10:15 p.m. Janice Esposito got off the train at Bellport, New York, went to her car and started driving home. She was so familiar with the route that she almost drove automatically: turned left to the Station Road, then another left onto Montauk Highway, and then — bam! When Esposito’s car had just crossed the railroad tracks, it hit another vehicle and was plashed back onto the tracks. Injured but mostly shocked by the crash and by the airbags that popped up, she was stuck in the vehicle.
As it happened, Pete Dipinto was just about to go to sleep when he heard a sharp noise and saw the accident not far outside his bedroom window. As a volunteer firefighter and retired teacher, Dipinto who was 65, fetched a flashlight and rushed out without hesitation. “Any firefighter would have done what I did. We're always on duty.” he said.
At first, he spoiled the other car in the accident. After making sure that the driver was all right, Dipinto looked around and discovered Esposito’s car straddling (跨立于) the railway tracks. And then he heard die bell ring, which signaled a train’s arrival.
Dipinto rushed to Esposito’s car and broke the window on the driver’s side. Esposito looked up at him, with her eyes glazing over, “I don't know where I am.” she said.
“You’re on the railroad tracks,” Dipinto yelled. “I have to get you off right now!” The train was running toward them at a speed of some 105, kilometers per hour. The driver’s door cannot be opened due to the collision, so Dipinto quickly ran to the other side and managed to open the door. He put the airbags aside, seized her arms, pulled her toward him across the passenger seat until finally got her out and walked her to safety as swiftly as possible. Several seconds later, the train crashed into the vehicle. It was like a Hollywood movie, Dipinto told reporters the next day.
“Last night?” said Gregory Miglino Jr. Chief of the Department in South Country Ambulance, the hero arrived in pajamas (睡衣), not in a fire truck.”
1. What can we know about the accident from Paragraph 1?| A．Esposito’s car hit another vehicle. |
| B．Esposito drove too fast. |
| C．Esposito didn’t know the route well. |
| D．A running train crashed into Esposito’s car. |
| A．She felt all right. |
| B．She was badly hurt. |
| C．She got stuck in the car. |
| D．She completely lost her consciousness. |
| A．Moving object crashes into something. |
| B．To be moving slowly in the same direction. |
| C．A strong disagreement between two groups. |
| D．An idea occurs when two different cultures conflict. |
| A．Through the window on the driver’s side. |
| B．Through the door on the driver’s side. |
| C．Through the window on the passenger’s side. |
| D．Through the door on the passenger’s side. |
| A．Dipinto was not a professional firefighter. |
| B．Dipinto rushed to save life without thinking about himself. |
| C．Dipinto was a special firefighter who liked wearing pajamas. |
| D．Dipinto was unable to find a fire truck when the accident happened. |
7 . "True friendship is like sound health. The value of it is seldom known until it is lost," Charles Caleb Colton said. Just like in any other relationship, arguments and fights are also part of friendship. You will hardly find friends who have never fought with one another. Whatever the reason is, if a person feels that he is responsible for causing the differences, it is important that he should apologize to his friend.
Though you can use the email, text messages or chat for expressing your apology, the good old way of saying sorry to your friend through a letter will surely have a great effect on him. This will make your friend realize that your efforts of saying sorry are genuine and that you really care about him.
Points to Remember:
Timing: Write the letter at the proper time. It is not advisable to put it off for too long.
Words: While you are writing the letter, what matters most is that you truly feel sorry.
Sequence: Always begin by apologizing and saying sorry for your mistake. Then explain to him your side of the story. In the third and last paragraph, talk about what his friendship means to you and make a promise of not repeating the mistake.
Delivery: You should either post the letter or deliver it personally or through someone else. You can also keep it at a location where your friend will be able to find it easily.
Some people may try to point out the friend's mistake while writing the letter. Avoid this completely, as it can make matters worse. The letter has to be brief and should only talk about the subject that has led to your apology. Keep patient and do not expect immediate results. In some cases, it may take time for the person to forgive and forget.
1. What is the author's purpose of mentioning the saying in the first paragraph?| A．To let readers study the famous saying. |
| B．To introduce the topic of the passage. |
| C．To show who is Charles Caleb Colton. |
| D．To tell readers the importance of health. |
| A．sincere | B．general |
| C．open | D．careful |
| A．Sending an email. | B．Sending text messages. |
| C．Chatting online. | D．Writing a letter. |
| A．Try to point out the friend's mistake. |
| B．Make the letter long and interesting. |
| C．Begin by apologizing and saying sorry for your mistake. |
| D．Write the importance of your friendship in the first paragraph. |
8 . Researchers at the DogStudies lab at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History have shown that dogs may possess some metacognitive (元认知) abilities. Specifically, when they do not have enough information to solve a problem, they will actively look for more information, similarly to primates (灵长类).
In a recent study, project leader Julia Belger explored whether dogs have metacognitive abilities. To test this, the researchers designed a device involving two V-shaped fences. A reward, either food or a toy, would be placed by one researcher behind one of the two fences while another researcher held the dogs. In some cases, the dogs could see where the reward was placed, while in others, the dogs could not. The researchers then analyzed how frequently the dogs looked through the gap in the fence before choosing an option.
The researchers found that the dogs did check significantly more often for the reward when they had not seen where it was placed. These results show that dogs do tend to actively seek extra information when they have not seen where the reward is concealed.
The results did not allow the researchers to say definitively whether dogs possess meta-cognition, though they displayed some evidence for it. Julia said, “For humans, vision is an important information gathering sense. In this case, our experiment was based on a checking action relying on sight, but the dogs probably also used their sense of smell when checking through the gap. We know that smell is very important to dogs and we could see that they were using it.”
Julia added, “In future, we would like to develop an experiment to investigate under what circumstances dogs decide to use their sense of smell versus sight. This may give us additional insights into their information seeking abilities.”
1. What ability may dogs have according to the study?| A．To offer information like primates. | B．To use their skills to find more food. |
| C．To seek information to solve a problem. | D．To ask for help before choosing an option. |
| A．Decorated. | B．Hidden. | C．Produced. | D．Purchased. |
| A．Uncertain. | B．Friendly. | C．Negative. | D．Critical. |
| A．Environment and technology. | B．Humans and nature. |
| C．Literature and culture. | D．Society and life. |
9 . It is sometimes jokingly said that you may skip a meal a day without any adverse effect but skip using your WeChat for an hour and you will feel distinctly unwell. It is an acknowledgement of the fact that the app is no longer only a fun tool but an essential part of life for millions.
Launched in January 2011, this messaging, social media and mobile payment app today has more than 1 billion individual users. People use it for everything, from applying for a business license to booking a hospital appointment to keeping up with family and friends, shopping and paying bills—activities that are part and parcel of our everyday life.
When it was first introduced, WeChat was only an app supporting voice, video, picture and text messages between two persons or among a group. But today it has become ubiquitous.
In the past, people carried their wallet and keys with them wherever they went; today, a smart phone with WeChat installed is all they need in daily life. Its functions like Moments and mini programs and the official WeChat accounts of government agencies and companies have made communication and public services accessible and convenient like never before.
WeChat is also widely used by enterprises. Figures from Tencent show there are around 15 million WeChat official accounts, which enjoy 5 billion followers. Most businesses use their WeChat groups as a standard marketing kit. This has immensely reduced advertising, marketing and communication costs, and in the background of the novel coronavirus disease, made operations faster, contactless and safe.
However, there are concerns about the downsides of WeChat, such as addiction among primary school children. Equally serious is the misuse of WeChat for fraud or instigating crimes. However, it has to be kept in mind that these fallouts are not really the fault of WeChat, but due to the misuse of the app.
If we learn to temper our use of messaging apps with prudence and pragmatism, we could be looking forward to yet new conveniences and experience in this decade with the rapid development of 5G technology and artificial intelligence. Ultimately, the choice is ours, whether to use WeChat or any other new invention, wisely or wantonly.
1. We can conclude from the first paragraph that ___________.| A．we can easily skip a meal a day. |
| B．we will be ill by not using WeChat. |
| C．WeChat used to be meant for fun. |
| D．WeChat has become inseparable in daily life. |
| A．everywhere. | B．somewhere. | C．nowhere. | D．wherever. |
| A．WeChat has a mobile payment function. |
| B．The agencies provide better service through WeChat. |
| C．Mini programs are convenient for the agencies. |
| D．People do not have to carry keys and cash with them. |
| A．It has brought more followers. |
| B．It has become a standard. |
| C．It has helped to cut down the costs. |
| D．It has made the businesses healthier. |
| A．WeChat should be held responsibly. |
| B．WeChat should be banned among primary school children. |
| C．The improper use of the app leads to many problems. |
| D．The 5G technology will bring new conveniences and experience. |
10 . Improve Cloud Security
Sensitive customer data has constantly been found exposed on cloud servers without password protection. To ease the problem, database software makers have been trying to make security easier for cloud database managers. At the Enigma Conference in San Francisco, Kenn White, a security manager at database software maker MongoDB, will describe a new technique, called field level encryption, to make data safer on the cloud.
Field level encryption works by scrambling data before it’s sent to a cloud database and rearranging it in order when the data is needed for use. The promise of the product is to protect the contents of a cloud database, even if bad guys access it.
MongoDB’s new feature comes as more and more companies move user data to cloud servers, rather than run their own costly data centers. It was predicted that cloud computing would be a $214 billion industry by the end of 2019. That would be up more than 17% from 2018, when it was $182 billion.
Companies have rushed to the cloud without understanding all of the possible security consequences. Many companies have left countless databases exposed, revealing personal data. A database containing details about who lives in 80 million US households was left unprotected in 2019, just like the data on Facebook users.
Database managers want to store their data in an unreadable form, but they also want to be able to find specific pieces of information in the database with a simple search term. For example, someone might want to look up health care patients by their Social Security numbers, even if those numbers are stored as random characters. To make this possible, field level encryption lets database managers encrypt a search term on their machine and send it to the database as a query. The database matches the encrypted version of the search term with the record it’s storing and then sends it back to you.
This approach only works with specific kinds of data. For example, field level encryption isn’t useful for long text entries, like notes in a patient’s medical chart, because you can’t search for individual words.
Still, for data like account numbers, passwords and government ID numbers, field level encryption protects data and maintains a usable database.
Most importantly, White said, it’s simple to set up. Database managers turn it on with a one-time configuration change when they set up the database. “That’s really powerful,” he said in an interview.
1. The underlined word “scrambling” in paragraph 2 probably means________.| A．mixing | B．collecting | C．hiding | D．storing |
| A．Secure the safety of Internet pages. | B．Protect files with a unique style of storage. |
| C．Stop bad guys from accessing the database. | D．Enable companies to store files on the cloud. |
| A．Companies should move user data to cloud servers. |
| B．Cloud computing achieved a 17% increase in 2019. |
| C．Companies may be unaware of the risks of the cloud. |
| D．No companies were willing to run their own data centers. |
| A．present some facts | B．offer security advice |
| C．introduce a technique | D．recommend a product |
