1 . I might be letting my young son watch too much television. I am certainly watching too many of his programs. They can really be perplexing as they force you to think carefully about the mysteries of life.
For example, when Franklin (the turtle) wanted a pet, his parents didn’t want it to be a frog. They felt that frogs belong in a pond. Isn’t that where turtles belong?
And why is it that Little Bear’s animal friends can all talk and behave like people, but his friend Emily has a dog that can only bark and fetch? Tell me that isn’t a mystery!
Dog lovers can be cheered up by Kipper and his friends. These dogs are very human. However, the only time they wear clothes is when they put on bathing suits to go swimming. I’m confused!
Speaking of dogs, could Pluto ever be Goofy’s pet? I don’t get it! What did the great Mr.Disney have in mind?
And this is awful! The other day we watched a very nice little pig setting up a picnic. One of the foods was a big ham. Could it have been a soy (大豆) ham? Is there such a thing? I hope so!
Another thing that bothers me: What if Elmo isn’t real? He can’t be a mere puppet (木偶)! He’s got a better altitude than most people. I just keep wondering.
I think we’ll turn off the TV and go out for a walk. Maybe we’ll run into that mouse who dresses well but certainly doesn’t speak as clearly as the average bear.
1. What does the underlined word “perplexing” in paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．Boring. | B．Humorous. | C．Confusing. | D．Curious. |
| A．Pigs don’t eat meat. | B．Pigs are dirty animals. |
| C．Ham is too expensive. | D．Ham is made from pigs. |
| A．Embarrassed. | B．Concerned. | C．Astonished. | D．Disappointed. |
| A．should speak more clearly | B．should not wear good clothes |
| C．should not dress better than bears | D．should speak louder again next time |
2 . Extreme athletes have been using wingsuits（翼装）to fly for many years. However, the pull of gravity makes it impossible to speed up or fly higher. To push past the limitations, Peter Salzmann teamed up with German car maker BMW. The result is an electrified wingsuit, which allows flyers to rise to higher altitudes at the speed of up to 186 miles per hour!
The 33-year-old professional wingsuit pilot first thought of creating the design in 2017, "At the time, I was developing suits for skydiving with a friend," he explains. "One evening after a day of testing, we threw out lots of ideas about how we could improve performance. One of them was a supporting motor-and it's an idea I just couldn't shake off. I found the idea of being able to jump from my local mountain wearing the wingsuit and land in my garden exciting."
To help with the process, Salzmann reached out to the experts at BMW's Designworks Studio. It took the team three years and multiple test jumps to perfect the design. The result is an updated version of wingsuit with two 5-inch propellers（螺旋桨）, Powered by a battery, the propellers can be controlled using an on/off switch and even stopped mid-flight using the emergency button, if the flyer encounters an airplane or a flock of birds.
On November 6, 2020, Salzmann, wearing his hi-tech suit, leaped from a helicopter from an altitude of 10,000 feet to soar around the mountain peaks. The expert pilot fired up the electric motors and rocketed forward, gliding above four mountain peaks. The task completed, the pilot opened his parachute（降落伞）and gently landed.
It is unclear if Salzmann and BMW plan to make the electrified wingsuits available to the general public. But, one can always hope!
1. What do we know about the new wingsuit?| A．It flies faster and higher. |
| B．It breaks away from gravity. |
| C．It's equipped with a car motor. |
| D．It has been used for many years. |
| A．What Salzmann's friend did to help him. |
| B．What Salzmann experienced in his career |
| C．How Salzmann became a professional pilot. |
| D．How Salzmann came up with the new design. |
| A．Press the emergency button. | B．Reach out to an expert. |
| C．Check the propellers. | D．Open the parachute. |
| A．Explore. | B．Search. | C．Fly. | D．Dig. |
3 . Twice every month, Miranda Sam, a 66-year-old Ghanaian, visited the China Traditional Herbal Hospital, a private herbal facility at Pokuase, a suburb of the Ghanaian capital, for treatment.
“I was squeezing lemons, and when I finished, I could not get up or even move my legs, so I went to the hospital and did an X-ray examination, but they saw nothing. Meanwhile, I could not walk and was in a wheelchair,” the retired worker said. Hence Miranda decided to visit the herbal facility. “On two occasions, I had to do acupuncture(针灸), and I have found great relief. Now I walk unaided, so I keep coming for treatment,” she said.
As Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is gaining popularity in Ghana, many acupuncture clinics run by Chinese doctors pop up in the country. However, the China Traditional Herbal Hospital was established by 52-year-old Ghanaian business owner Bediako, after his fruitful encounter with the effects of TCM in 2012. With the help of a Chinese lady, Bediako set up a small clinic specializing in TCM. Years on, the facility has subsequently grown into a bigger herbal hospital. The hospital treats patients with a combination of local and Chinese herbal formulas. It supports this with the application of traditional Chinese medical methods.
Strokes(中风) account for 1.3 percent of all hospital admissions in Ghana, and 6.3 percent of all hospital deaths. But Bediako is confident that as more people with these conditions turn to the natural methods of healing, the pain and death rates would subside. “A gentleman was brought here three weeks ago, who could not sit, stand, or walk. He was first taken through acupuncture. I observed him on camera 30 minutes later, squatting(蹲), standing, and walking. You come here with your pain but will leave with a smile. That is our feature,” he said.
The hospital has started a second facility in Ashaiman near the capital, with plans to open other branches across the country to meet the growing demand.
1. What can we learn from Miranda’s words in Paragraph 2?| A．Her illness is not a bit severe. | B．Squeezing lemons is a risky job. |
| C．She is feeling better now. | D．She is unsure about what to do next. |
| A．It is located in the downtown area. |
| B．It was originally a specialized clinic. |
| C．It was established by a Chinese doctor. |
| D．It uses nothing but Chinese herbs. |
| A．Decline. | B．Remain. |
| C．Climb. | D．Change. |
| A．Negative. | B．Optimistic. |
| C．Uncertain. | D．Concerned. |
4 . Imagine a world where you move around in front of a personal computer in your own sound space. You listen to your favorite songs, play loud computer games or watch a movie — all without other people hearing the sound and without headphones.
That is the possibility presented by “sound beaming”, a new technology from Noveto Systems, an Israeli company. On Friday, the company introduced a desktop device that sends sound directly to a listener without the need for headphones or a special receiver.
Noveto Systems gave The Associated Press (AP) a chance to test its SoundBeamer 1.0 before its introduction. The AP’s Louise Dixon writes that listening to the device is like something from a science fiction movie.The sound seems so close that it feels like it is inside your ears while also in front, above and behind them.
Noveto expects the device will have many uses. Office workers could listen to music or conference calls without others hearing. People could play a game, a movie or music without waking up others in the same room. Because the device does not use headphones, it is possible to hear other sounds in the room clearly.
The device uses a 3-D sensing module that finds and follows the ear position of the listener. It sends ultrasonic waves (超声波) to create sound pockets by the user’s ears. The 3-D method creates sound on all sides of the listener, therefore the listeners feel completely transported into the scene.
By changing a setting, the sound can follow a listener around when he moves his head. It is also possible to move out of the sound beam's path and hear nothing at all.
While the idea of sound beaming is not new, Noveto was the first to launch the technology.
According to the chief executive officer Christophe Ramstein, a “smaller” version of the device will be ready for release to consumers next year.
1. What does the underlined word “possibility” in Paragraph 2 refer to?| A．The listener may put on music to block out other sounds. |
| B．The listener may hear sound only for him or her without using headphones. |
| C．The listener may enjoy songs or movies without being interrupted by others. |
| D．The listener may have the ability to pick up some special sounds. |
| A．Amazing. | B．Impossible. |
| C．Strange. | D．Meaningful. |
| A．It places the listener on the scene to hear the sound. |
| B．It fixes a sound beam’s path which can not be changed. |
| C．It follows the listeners around to send and receive sounds. |
| D．With 3-D tracking technology, it sends ultrasonic waves to the target listener. |
| A．To promote the SoundBeamer. | B．To introduce a new sound device. |
| C．To recommend new headphones. | D．To explain a technical phenomenon. |
5 . A new color changing ink could aid in health and environment monitoring for example. allowing clothing to switch colors when exposed to sweat or a woolen blanket to shift colors if a dangerous gas enters the room. The ink could be printed on anything from a T-shirt to a tent.
Wearable sensing devices like smart watches use electronics just to monitor heart rate, blood sugar. and more. Now researchers at Tufts University's Silklab say the new silk-based ink can respond to. and quantify the presence of chemicals on or around the body. “Silk has the ability to add necessary sensing and color changing chemical substances to the ink without losing their functions. " says Fiorenzo Omenetto. a biomedical engineer at Silklab.
The researchers improved on an earlier repetition that worked with inkjet printers, thickening the ink with a chemical to make it capable for screen printing. and then added various reactive substances. With the new ink, they can now easily print a large number of reactive elements onto large surfaces.
The team made the ink by breaking down raw silk fibers into proteins, which the researchers suspended in water. Next they mixed in various reactive molecules (分子) and analyzed how the resulting products changed hues when exposed to changes in their environment. When printed on fabric. pH indicators, for example. could convey information about skin health and a wearer s tiredness levels. The changes are visible to eyes. but the researchers also used a camera- imaging analysis to continuously monitor the color variations and create a database of values.
Omenetto says that the ink could be adapted to track environmental changes in a room, or to respond to bacteria and follow disease progression.
Mechanical engineer Tyler Ray of Hawaii University notes that most of today's wearable monitors are rigid, fairly large and heavy. "The new ink technology has the potential to transform consumer wearable monitors from entertainment devices into body worn, clinical grade physiological measurement tools providing useful information and making it easier for physicians to operate. " he says.
1. What can the new ink be used for?| A．Making pictures, | B．Printing documents. |
| C．Breaking down fibers and proteins. | D．Detecting health and environment changes. |
| A．The chemical substances in silk. |
| B．The practical functions of smart watches. |
| C．The role of silk in the new ink technology. |
| D．The influence of the new ink on the human body. |
| A．Levels. | B．Colors. | C．Wearers. | D．Analysis. |
| A．Practical. | B．Soft. | C．Large and heavy. | D．Small but inconvenient. |
6 . Here's the story of my growth over the past year. If anyone is inspired (激励) by this, that's wonderful.
I'd been stuck as this under-confident, fat and just frightened girl for years and years and years. Since I was a little girl, I'd been stuck like this, and I had lived a life where I'd be afraid of everything. But then it all started changing. Something clicked, and in over a period of 6 months I finally managed to stick to one of my diets, bringing me from overweight straight down to underweight. This proved ( 证明) that I could change myself.
One single time, I heard about a public speaking thing going on at my university, and for the first time, I managed to keep up the courage to go there. For the first time I was able to share my story, and able to do it in front of so many people possibly judging (评判) me, and suddenly all the fears about speaking publicly started vanishing. I never felt more confident.
This taught me I could get rid （去除） of my fears. It was from that point on that my road to change went from a rocky mess to a full-on empty highway.
Using the fact that I could change, and that I could get rid of my fears, I started working on them one by one. My fear of talking to strangers ,my fear of asking simple questions, my fear of hanging out with people, my fear of being myself... All of them were gone. And I still continue to progress to this day. I've never stopped.
1. When did the author know she could change herself?| A．When she was in her childhood. |
| B．When she refused a diet. |
| C．When she was underweight. |
| D．When she was overweight. |
| A．Moving. | B．Increasing. |
| C．Changing. | D．Disappearing. |
| A．The road to change was smooth. |
| B．Many other fears were on the way. |
| C．The author felt empty in face of fear. |
| D．The author started changing rapidly. |
| A．To inspire the readers. |
| B．To prove a new idea. |
| C．To teach how to speak publicly. |
| D．To show how to get rid of fears. |
7 . With the average American going through more than 700 pounds of paper per year, many firms are looking for ways to discourage their employees from over-using the office printer.
Toshiba America Business Solutions has come up with an alternative idea. It has introduced the e-STUDI04508LP, a printer that gives users the option to print with erasable toner (墨粉) — allowing a single piece of paper to be reused several times.
To reuse a piece of paper, the printer basically uses the same process as a normal printer, but in reverse (反过来), said Bill Melo, chief marketing executive for Toshiba America Business Solutions. Paper printed with the erasable toner is fed back into the printer, superheated, and the toner gets removed and put in a discard tank.
There are a couple of catches. All of the printouts using the erasable toner have to be in blue ink, which is the only color in which erasable toner is now available. And the company said that people may want to stop reusing the printouts after five times through the eraser because small traces of erased text will build up over time.
The $15,420 printer is aimed at offices and schools, where there are often large numbers of printouts that outlive their usefulness quickly. With the erasable toner, it' s possible to load any short-lived handouts back onto the printer to be erased and then reused.
Still, convincing customers to commit to erasable toner isn't always easy. Melo said not all its customers were happy about only having the erasable option.
The model, Melo said, should better serve the needs of those who want to be environmentally conscious but also may need something more permanent on occasion.
1. What' s special about Toshiba' s printer?| A．It' s low-priced. | B．It' s fashionable. |
| C．It' s lightweight. | D．It' s eco-friendly. |
| A．A discard tank. | B．Light colored ink. |
| C．Special writing paper. | D．A high enough temperature. |
| A．Theories. | B．Differences. |
| C．Problems. | D．Characteristics. |
| A．They asked for more patterns. |
| B．Some expressed dissatisfaction. |
| C．They considered it hard to operate. |
| D．Some worried about its recycling. |
8 . Growing up, I wanted to be just like my mom. She was kind. People always seemed to feel comfortable in her presence. For years, she was a volunteer in our community. I loved going to the local nursing home with her where she taught a ceramic class.
On one summer day, Mama told me to get changed and meet her at the car.
I had planned to spend the day at the lake with friends. Why did she have to ruin everything? I imagined the cool lake water. Annoyed, I climbed into the car and slammed the door shut. We sat in silence. I was too upset to make conversation.
“Tasha, would you like to know where we are going?” Mama asked calmly.
“No,” I said.
“We are going to volunteer at a children’s shelter today. I have been there before and I think it will benefit you,” she explained.
When we reached the shelter, Mama rang the doorbell. Moments later, we were greeted by a woman. She led us to the front room where all of the children were playing. I noticed a baby whose body was scarred with iron marks. I was told it was because she wouldn’t stop crying. The majority of the children had noticeable physical scars. Others hid their emotional wounds.
As I took in my surroundings, I felt a gentle tug on my shirt. I looked down to see a little girl looking up at me. “Hi. You want to play dolls with me?” she asked. I looked over at Mama for reinforcement. She smiled and nodded. I turned back and said, “Sure.” Her tiny hand reached up and held mine, as if to comfort me.
My mom taught me a worthy lesson that summer. I returned to the shelter with her several times. During those visits, some of the children shared their troubled pasts with me and I learned to be grateful for what I had. Today as I try to instill(逐渐灌输) these values in my own child, I reflect back to that experience. It was a time that I will never forget.
1. The author admired her mom for ________.| A．her kindness to others | B．her excellent teaching |
| C．her quality of honesty | D．her positive attitude to life |
| A．excited | B．surprised |
| C．angry | D．worried |
| A．were often punished by staff | B．weren’t allowed to go outside |
| C．were once treated badly | D．all suffered from mental illness |
| A．truth | B．support |
| C．comfort | D．help |
One day a lawyer said to him, “One thousand dollars, and here is the money.” As Hobbs took the package of notes, he was very dumbfounded. He didn’t know where the money came from and how to spend it. He said to himself, “I could go to find a hotel and live like a rich man for a few days; or I give up my work in the factory and do what I’d like to do: painting pictures. I could do that for a few weeks, but what would I do after that? I should have lost my place in the factory and have no money to live on. If it were a little less money, I would buy a new coat, or a radio, or give a dinner to my friends. If it were more, I could give up the work and pay for painting pictures. But it’s too much for one and too little for the other.”
“Here is the reading of your uncle’s will（遗嘱）,” said the lawyer, “telling what is to be done with this money after his death. I must ask you to remember one point. Your uncle has said you must bring me a paper showing exactly what you did with his money, as soon as you have spent it.”
“Yes, I see. I’ll do that,” said the young man.
1. Hobbs wanted to borrow money to _______.
| A．study abroad | B．work abroad | C．pay off the debts | D．learn to paint pictures |
| A．Surprised. | B．Frightened | C．Satisfied. | D．Excited. |
| A．planned to have a happy life for a few days | B．decided to give up his work in the factory |
| C．was to give a dinner to his friends | D．had no idea what to do |
| A．tell the lawyer what he did with the money after spending it |
| B．read his uncle’s will |
| C．buy some pictures |
| D．tell the lawyer what was to be done with the money |
