Now rewind this picture 1,839 years. You are in the same seat, only you are watching classical Greek entertainment.
The city of Athens is a fun mix of the old and the new, the classic and the modern. Often a little shop is located next to the ruins of a temple, which is only a block from a large, air-conditioned hotel. The great city of 2,500 years ago is still visible today.
Ruins are the most obvious sign of ancient Athens, and the most famous of these is the Acropolis(卫城). The Acropolis is a large hill that was the center of life in Athens. On its slopes were temples, monuments, and theaters. From the top, you can see how the urban area of Athens stretches out in every direction.
On the top of the Acropolis is the Parthenon. This was once a huge temple to Athena, the city’s patron. It was first completed in 432 B.C., but has been damaged and destroyed several times. However, visitors can still see the “tricks” used in building the Parthenon. The columns along the outside lean inward, and are slightly fatter in the middle. The temple is also higher in the middle than on the sides. All these effects make the Parthenon look perfectly straight from a distance.
Only a block away from the Acropolis is the neighborhood of Plaka. The area, with its little shops and restaurants, is very popular with both tourists and locals, and is an important part of modern Athenian culture. Many great thinkers, writers, and political leaders lived in ancient Athens. The ruins of their homes and favorite spots are scattered throughout the busy port city. The hill where St. Paul addressed early Christian Athenians is located near the Acropolis. Great thinkers such as Perikles and Demosthenes spoke to the civil assemblies held at the Pnyx Hill. Today the Pnyx is an open-air theater for light and sound shows.
Tourism is very important to people who live in modern-day Athens. Thousands of people come every year to see these ruins and to tour the many museums that house artifacts from ancient times. This provides many jobs and brings money into Athens, which helps the city pay for improvements. Athenians take pride in the accomplishments of their ancestors, and people from all around the world come to admire them. By looking around the city today, we can imagine what life was like in ancient Athens.
1. Which of the following statements is INCORRECT about the city of Athens?| A．The culture of the city is a mixture of the old and modern. |
| B．Traces of the ancient city can still be found |
| C．Ruins and modern hotels co-exist in the city. |
| D．All the temples are not far away from air-conditioned hotels. |
| A．naughty acts | B．confusing constructing skills |
| C．skillful constructing methods | D．constructing materials |
| A．offering job opportunities to Athenians |
| B．enriching Athenians by providing accommodation for tourists |
| C．enabling Athenians to improve the infrastructures |
| D．making Athenians proud of their ancestors |
| A．Tourism in Athens | B．Athens: Then and Now |
| C．Historic Interests in Athens | D．The Magic of Ancient Athens |
2 . Food blogs，celebrities，and nutritionists all advocate the benefits of eating organic（有机的） fruit and vegetables. But a new study published in Science Advances paints a more complex picture. While organic produce is likely slightly healthier to eat and，in some ways，more sustainable to grow，there are also downsides.
Organic fruit and vegetables typically cost more than conventional ones. To get a certificate as organic. farmers must meet specific criteria，including growing produce without the use of genetic engineering and chemical inputs. Without these methods，the growing process typically requires more labour. time，and money，the costs that are passed on to consumers.
It's true that in many ways. organic farming is more sustainable than conventional farming. But when it comes to environmental concerns such as greenhouse gas emission and water loss，the comparison gets complex. Organic farms produce fewer greenhouse gases per acre. However because they are barred from using genetic engineering. pesticides（杀虫剂），and other methods that increase efficiency（效率），organic farms also produce an estimated 19% to 25% less vield than conventional farms. While there isn't a whole lot of research on the topic，the few studies that do exist suggest greenhouse gas output and water loss might actually be higher on organic farms，on a per unit basis，says the study author Verena Seufert.
In addition，while organic produce is likely more nutritious than conventional fruit and vegetables there's not a lot of evidence to support the claim that these often slight differences influence consumer health. The same is true for the pesticide remainder. In developed countries，where pesticide use is tightly regulated，there's no scientific consensus on how these often slight differences influence human health.
Still. Seufert stresses that if you can afford to eat organic produce，you should do so. Organic farms provide safer work environments for workers，plus they support great biodiversity（生物多样性）. The real point from her study is not that organic produce is bad but that the practice needs more studies to increase the yield without lowering sustainability.
But if you can't afford to buy organic produce don't stress too much，particularly from a nutritional perspective.
1. What does the underlined word "downsides" in Paragraph most probably mean？| A．Dangers. | B．Drawbacks. |
| C．Benefits. | D．Differences. |
| A．The yield. | B．The price. |
| C．The water loss. | D．The labour. |
| A．Farmers' work environment should be improved. |
| B．Organic produce should be made more efficiently. |
| C．It isn't wise for consumers to buy organic products |
| D．The pesticide remainder does no harm to people's health. |
3 . By the end of the century, if not sooner, the world’s oceans will be bluer and greener thanks to a warming climate, according to a new study.
At the heart of the phenomenon lie tiny marine microorganisms (海洋微生物) called phytoplankton. Because of the way light reflects off the organisms, these phytoplankton create colourful patterns at the ocean surface. Ocean colour varies from green to blue, depending on the type and concentration of phytoplankton. Climate change will fuel the growth of phytoplankton in some areas, while reducing it in other spots, leading to changes in the ocean’s appearance.
Phytoplankton live at the ocean surface, where they pull carbon dioxide (二氧化碳) into the ocean while giving off oxygen. When these organisms die, they bury carbon in the deep ocean, an important process that helps to regulate the global climate. But phytoplankton are vulnerable to the ocean’s warming trend. Warming changes key characteristics of the ocean and can affect phytoplankton growth, since they need not only sunlight and carbon dioxide to grow, but also nutrients.
Stephanie Dutkiewicz, a scientist in MIT’s Center for Global Change Science, built a climate model thatprojectschanges to the oceans throughout the century. In a world that warms up by 39C, it found that multiple changes to the colour of the oceans would occur. The model projects that currently blue areas with little phytoplankton could become even bluer. But in some waters, such as those of the Arctic, a warming will make conditions riper for phytoplankton, and these areas will turn greener.” Not only are the quantities of phytoplankton in the ocean changing,” she said, “but the type of phytoplankton is changing.”
And why does that matter? Phytoplankton are the base of the food web. If certain kinds begin to disappear from the ocean, Dutkiewicz said, “it will change the type of fish that will be able to survive.” Those kinds of changes could affect the food chain.
Whatever colour changes the ocean experiences in the coming decades will probably be too gradual and unnoticeable, but they could mean significant changes. “It’ll be a while before we can statistically show that the changes are happening because of climate change,” Dutkiewicz said, “ but the change in the colour of the ocean will be one of the early warning signals that we really have changed our planet.”
1. What directly makes the change of the ocean’s appearance?| A．The increase of phytoplankton. |
| B．The way light reflects off the organisms. |
| C．The type and concentration of phytoplankton. |
| D．The decline of phytoplankton. |
| A．Control. | B．Use. |
| C．Predict. | D．Discover. |
| A．Phytoplankton are sensitive to the ocean’s warming trend. |
| B．Phytoplankton absorb carbon dioxide at the bottom of the ocean. |
| C．Oceans with more phytoplankton may appear bluer |
| D．Data have been found to show the change in the colour of the ocean |
| A．To introduce a new method to study phytoplankton. |
| B．To explain the effect of climate change on oceans. |
| C．To analyze the consequences of ocean colour changes. |
| D．To analyze the composition of the ocean food chain. |
4 . Sea urchins (海胆) are small creatures, but what’s really remarkable about them is that they eat anything that happens to float by. They have really sharp teeth they use to rid rocks of algae (海澡), which makes them pretty valuable especially in places like Hawaii where algae are threatening the coral reefs. In the summer of 2019, 500,000 of them were used to deal with the algae.
The problem started when non-native algae were introduced to the ecosystem of Kane’ohe Bay in the 1970s. Because they had no enemies, they ended up taking over the bay, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). The algae blocked sunlight from reaching the coral, which in turn affected the local fish because they changed the chemistry of the water.
That's when the NMFS turned to sea urchins that loved to devour the algae. But they had to grow to the size of a cherry tomato before they could be used. Since 2011, sea urchins have been grown and used to handle the algae problem. Some of the funds are available due to an unfortunate incident.
In 2005, a ship was grounded on a shallow reef near Kane’ohe Bay. When the ship was removed, 20 acres of reefs have been damaged. When there is environmental damage, the NMFS and other agencies receive funds from the wrongdoers and the funds are used to restore the damage. Some funds were spent on other projects like the sea urchins.When they are large enough, divers carefully place them on the reef.
Algae isn’t the only thing that threatens the coral reefs. Climate change and the effects of fishing and tourism in the area also endanger the coral reefs. But turning to sea urchins instead of man-made solutions seems like the best way to go.
1. Why are sea urchins regarded as outstanding creatures?| A．They are tiny but have teeth. | B．They can keep the ocean clean. |
| C．They are useful in removing algae. | D．They grow on coral reefs with algae. |
| A．They helped the coral reefs to survive. | B．They spread to every corner of the bay. |
| C．They didn’t fit in with the new surroundings. | D．They fought against other species to get food. |
| A．Eat. | B．Block. | C．Tease. | D．Attract. |
| A．Relying on humans’ solutions. | B．Banning fishing and tourism. |
| C．Employing divers to handle algae. | D．Letting nature take care of nature. |
5 . The managing editor is usually the person in charge of the daytoday editorial process of a newspaper. He or she makes sure that the newspaper comes out on time each day and that costs are kept within a budget (预算). He or she is usually responsible for hiring and firing news room staff, and serves as the spokesperson for the newspaper. The managing editor may also be involved in story, photo and graphics (图形) selection, assignments, laying out pages, and editing copy and writing headlines.
The news editor is in charge of the news pages of the newspaper. He or she makes decisions on which stories are used and which are not. The news editor and his or her assistants also lay out pages of the paper.
The copy editor edits wire and local stories and writes headlines. The copy editor is often the last person to see a story before it actually appears in print.
The city editor makes sure that the news in the city is covered and that as many local stories as possible get into each edition.The city editor supervises (监督) the local general assignment, beat and speciality reporters.
The state editor supervises reporters who cover communities and areas outside the city but still within the circulation (流通) area of the newspaper.
The national editor supervises reporters in bureaus in cities outside the circulation area of the newspaper. Most newspapers rely on the wire services for national news, but some have correspondents who work in other cities and report to the national editor.
1. If you want to apply for a job in a newspaper news room, you are likely to be interviewed by ________.| A．the news editor | B．the national editor |
| C．the city editor | D．the managing editor |
| A．the managing editor is mainly responsible for laying out pages of the paper |
| B．the news editor determines which stories are used |
| C．the copy editor is often the first person to see the story |
| D．the national editor supervises the local general assignment, beat and speciality reporters |
| A．reporters | B．postmen |
| C．writers | D．messengers |
| A．How newspapers are made. | B．People in a newspaper news room. |
| C．How news is collected and edited. | D．People in charge of the newspaper industry. |
6 . China will have the most 5G connections of any nation by 2025, according to a new study, while Europe will fall behind Korea, the United States and Japan in terms of 5G penetration (渗透) by that year.
5G is the fifth generation of network technology. It is expected to bring unbelievable speeds to Internet users, with some operations running 10 times faster than on 4G networks. 5G is also expected to unlock the potential in a lot of new services, including artificial intelligence, science of robots, self-driving cars, and the Internet of things.
The GSMA said that China’s three major mobile operators — China Unicom, China Mobile, and China Telecom—are already moving ahead with 5G networks. While most nations will have 5G by updating existing foundations, the study noted that China plans to build part of its 5G networks.
A One of the major distinguishing factors between Chinese mobile operators and those in the rest of the world is the intention to erect the new and independent 5G networks. That is, China is determined to build a completely advanced 5G. The high cost underlines China’s seriousness about paying whatever it takes.
Korea will lead the world in terms of 5G penetration in 2025, when 66 percent of the nation’s total connections will be 5G, according to GSMA. This compares to 50 percent in the US,49 percent in Japan, 36 percent in China, 30 percent in Europe, and a global average of 18 percent. Out of the five economies leading on 5G, Europe will have the lowest participation in 2025, as the area is moving more slowly in having its 5G networks.
1. What will 5G bring?| A．A completely new pattern for daily life. |
| B．Excellent networks and national safety. |
| C．Amazing speeds for public transportation. |
| D．Realizing the potential in many new services. |
| A．It will develop rapidly. | B．It may be lack of government support. |
| C．It will move forward slowly. | D．It may fall behind Europe. |
| A．bring up. | B．set up. |
| C．turn up. | D．pick up. |
| A．Some Chinese will use 5G in 2025. |
| B．Koreans cannot own 5G in 2025. |
| C．Only five countries will have 5G in 2025. |
| D．Europe will pay little attention to 5G in 2025. |
7 . In the United States, it is important to be on time , or punctual , for an appointment , a class, a meeting, etc. However, this may not be true in all countries. An American professor discovered the difference while teaching a class in a Brazilian (巴西的) university. The two-hour class was scheduled to begin at 10 A.M. and end at 12. On the first day , when the professor arrived on time, no one was in the classroom. Many students came after 10:30 A.M. Two students came after 11 A.M. Although all the students greeted the professor as they arrived, few apologized for their lateness.Were these students being rude? He decided to study the students’ behavior.
The professor talked to American and Brazilian students about lateness in both an informal and a formal situation:at a lunch with a friend and in a university class, respectively.He gave them an example and asked them how they would react, If they had a lunch appointment with a friend,the average American student defined lateness as 19 minutes after the agreed time. On the other hand, the average Brazilian student felt the friend was late after 33 minutes.
In an American university, students are expected to arrive at the appointed hour.In contrast, in Brazil,neither the teacher nor the students always arrive at the appointed hour.Classes not only begin at the scheduled time in the United States,but also end at the scheduled time.In the Brazilian class, only a few students left the class at 12:00;many remained past 12:30 to discuss the class and ask more questions.While arriving late may not be very important in Brazil , neither is staying late.
1. The word‘punctual’ most probably means________.| A．leaving soon after class | B．coming early |
| C．arriving a few minutes late | D．being on time |
| A．He felt puzzled at the students’ being late. |
| B．He felt angry at the students' rudeness. |
| C．He wanted to make the students come on time later. |
| D．He wanted to collect data for one of his studies. |
| A．American students will become impatient if their friend is five minutes late |
| B．neither Brazilian nor American students like being late in social gatherings |
| C．being late in one culture may not be considered so rude in another culture |
| D．Brazilian students will not come thirty-three minutes after the agreed time |
| A．It is important to be on time for class in the United States. |
| B．The importance of being on time differs among cultures. |
| C．People learn the importance of time only from their own culture. |
| D．Students being late for class should explain the reason to their teacher. |
8 . After achieving huge success in the past two seasons, Letters Alive returns with more surprises. The show is performed first on China’s major video platform, v.qq.com, and then is aired on Heilongjiang Satellite TV on Saturdays. Letters penned by celebrities (名人) ages ago, or modern ordinary people, are chosen and then read by today’s stars, striking a chord (引起共鸣) with audiences by presenting human stories.
According to Guan Zhengwen, the show’s chief director, the letters offer a view into universal values. “There is only one standard in our selection. That is, these letters deserve to be seen by more people,” the director said.
“Different cultural backgrounds do exist in the world, but human nature can bridge different cultures. People’s understanding of themselves, others and society can be understood through writing, and that’s the power of letters,” the director said. “Chinese letters are still the mainstay of the program, but the addition of classic letters from abroad is certain to bring more tastes to it,” he added.
As a rule, the 12-episode (一集) culture program has invited many well-known Chinese celebrities. In comparison with the former two seasons, more young artists are taking part this time. “Our program’s viewers under the age of 29 account for more than 75 percent of the total. However, the popularity of celebrities among the young generation is not our selection preference,” Guan said.
Also it is worth noting that the program has added a comment time. Each time a letter is read, a famous commentator sits in the studio and shares his feelings toward the letter and tells viewers the stories behind letters. “The commentators’ views do not stand for the truth, as there are a thousand Hamlets in a thousand people’s eyes,” the director said. “But they, based on their vision and experience, will express positive social energy to viewers.”
1. What does the underlined word “aired” probably mean in the first paragragh?| A．Advertised. | B．Broadcast. |
| C．Sold. | D．Made. |
| A．To make the show more colorful. |
| B．To attract more young audiences. |
| C．To bring more fashion to the program. |
| D．To cover the shortage of Chinese letters. |
| A．Foreign artists will be invited for the first time. |
| B．More stars favored by the young will be chosen. |
| C．There will be an explanation after the reading is finished. |
| D．Viewers will have a chance to read their own letters in the show. |
| A．In an advertisement. | B．In a history textbook. |
| C．In a fashion magazine. | D．In a news report. |
9 . In recent years, Boston Dynamics has become known for two things. One, creating robots whose movements mimic (模仿) humans and animals. Many find their accuracy surprising and concerning. The second reason is posting mysterious videos of these robots online without warning. The videos quickly go popular and spread a mixture of excitement and terror over the rapid rise of self-operating machines.
The company has made four-legged robots in recent years, with names like Spot, Wildcat and BigDog. These robots can do tasks such as open doors, carry heavy loads and run nearly 20 miles per hour. The company's most popular product appears to be Atlas, the robotic athlete. It calls Atlas "the world's most dynamic humanlike robot."
The robot is guided by 3-D vision. It also uses LiDAR, short for Light Detection And Ranging, a sensor (传感器) that uses a laser (激光) to measure the distance between objects. With this technology, the small robot can pull nearly 25 pounds. The company says Atlas can also handle objects in its environment, cross rough land, keep its balance when pushed and get back up when knocked down.
Three years ago, Atlas was recorded clumsily walking through the snow at a slow speed. Curiosity about Atlas increased last year when Boston Dynamics posted a video clip on YouTube. In it, the previously awkward robot goes for a jog in a grassy area. The video seemed to surprise many viewers, including the newspaper called the Daily Mail. The newspaper was reporting on Atlas's physical accomplishment at the time.
The paper wrote, "If you thought you'd be able to run away from the terrifying new robots, bad news."
1. What is the main idea of the passage?| A．Robots mimicking humans and animals go popular. |
| B．Boston Dynamic is likely to create more new robots. |
| C．Humanlike robots are developing at a surprising speed. |
| D．A new video of the latest robots make people amused. |
| A．Dangerous. | B．Unskillful. |
| C．Graceful. | D．Convenient. |
| A．It’s bad that we can run away from the new robots. |
| B．People are happy about the improvements to new robots. |
| C．Human’s power over machines and robots has come to an end. |
| D．Improvements to robots raised concern among us human. |
| A．A science magazine. | B．An advertisement. |
| C．Children’s literature. | D．A fantasy novel. |
10 . Even a small increase in light activity such as washing dishes, or walking around the house might help prevent an early death among older adults, researchers say.
“It is important for elderly people, who might not be able to do much moderate intensity（强度）activity, that just moving around and doing light intensity activity will have strong effects and is beneficial,” said Ulf Ekelund, who led the research.
Published in the BMJ, the latest research was based on a review of eight studies involving a total of more than 36,000 people with an average age of almost 63 years. Participants were followed for five to six years; 2,149 deaths were recorded. All of the studies involved monitoring the physical activity of individuals who had activity trackers, and the studies did not rely on self-reporting, which, the experts noted, could be unreliable.
For each study participants were split into four equal-sized groups, based on the total amount of time spent actively, and the risk of death assessed, taking into account factors such as age, sex, body mass index, and socioeconomic status. This was then repeated for an amount of activity at different levels of intensity. The results were analyzed together to give an overview. The team found a greater amount of activity was linked to a lower risk of death. The results held for different intensities of activity. The team said the study supported the message “sit less and move more and more often”.
However, the study had limitations. It only looked at the situation for middle age and older adults, most of whom lived in the US or Europe, and some of the effect could be due to those people with a higher risk of death being less likely to be related to physical activity. Physical activity levels also were only measured over one period of time.
Dr Gavin Sandercock, from the University of Essex, said the results suggested moving more brought bigger benefits than simply reducing the time of sitting, another factor measured in the study.
“This study reinforces the important message that getting the least active people to do even just a little bit more physical activity can have important public health benefits,” he said.
1. Which of the following may Ulf Ekelund suggest elderly people do?| A．Lying on the sofa reading. |
| B．Doing a little gentle gardening. |
| C．Going out to hike with friends. |
| D．Playing basketball sometimes. |
| A．It lasted about 8 years. |
| B．The researchers admitted they used fake data. |
| C．The participants didn't include younger people. |
| D．Some participants died because of doing too much physical activity |
| A．Doubtful | B．Critical |
| C．Supportive | D．Neutral |
| A．Highlights | B．Conveys |
| C．Excludes | D．Denies |
