1 . You might have heard about how honey bees are doing poorly these days. It’s different, though, from the situation many of the world’s vulnerable (脆弱的) animals find themselves in. We want them to live their lives and grow stronger, but are we willing to change our lifestyles to make it happen? The decrease in honey bees is a bit different, because if honey bees can’t live well, neither can people and, eventually people won’t eat as a result.
As happened in 2017, U.S. beekeepers lost 40 percent of their bees because of a disease. It’s really about the earnings of beekeepers and the reduced amount of bees. But it doesn’t stop there. Honey bees go around doing pollination (授粉). And do you know what need to be pollinated? That’s our crops. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates bees pollinate about $15 billion worth of apples and peaches each year in the United States alone.
So, we 21st-century humans not only take notice, but also start trying to fix the problem. It’s infeasible that we give every bee the treatment. We can’t imagine how huge the task is and how hard we carry on it! The most promising immediate solution seems to prevent the disease. That’s where the bee vaccine (疫苗) comes.
Scientists have long thought immunizing (使免疫) bees will be unworkable, but a 2015 study discovered that bees transfer immunity to their babies through protein. Vaccinating a bee won’t help that bee, but if you vaccinate the queen of bees, she can pass her immunity on to her later generations through her eggs.
The new vaccine will treat for American foulbrood (AFB), a serious disease that quickly destroys bees. It’s in the testing phases and most likely headed for bee boxes near you. And don’t worry, it doesn’t require a tiny doctor’s chair and needle to deliver the vaccine—the queen bee can drink the medicine in a little sugar water and pass it along to her later generations.
1. What does exactly the author intend to tell us through the 2017 beekeepers’ incident?| A．The beekeepers lead a terrible life. |
| B．The number of bees continues to decrease. |
| C．The decline of bees affects the production of grain. |
| D．The pollination work of bees is huge and complicated. |
| A．Practical | B．Impossible | C．harmful | D．Convenient |
| A．The bee vaccine is hard to develop. |
| B．Bees will learn skills from the queen. |
| C．Bees can transfer immunity to each other. |
| D．The bee vaccine can take effect in the long run. |
| A．It’s applied to all sick bees. |
| B．It will be delivered to bees by skilled doctors. |
| C．It works by allowing the queen of bees to take it. |
| D．It has been put into use and makes many bees survive. |
2 . Avi Loeb, a scientist, believes that we are not alone in the universe. The belief fits with Loeb’s alien (外星的) spaceship theory that at least one alien spaceship might be flying over the orbit (轨道) of Jupiter, which won the international attention last year.
Astronomers in Hawaii found the first known interstellar (星际的) object in late 2017. It was a bit of light moving so fast past the sun that it could only have come from another star. Almost every astronomer on the planet was trying to figure out how the object, called “Oumuamua” got to our far-away, part of the Milky way galaxy. “One possibility is that ‘Oumuamua’ is debris (碎片) from an advanced technological equipment,” Loeb said. “Technology comes from another solar system just showed up at our door.”
“‘Oumuamua’ is not an alien spaceship,” Paul Sutter, another scientist wrote. He suggested Loeb was seeking publicity. Most scientists think “Oumuamua” is some sort of rock. They think it could be an icy wandering comet.
Loeb says that “Oumuamua’s” behavior, means it can’t be a block of rock shaped like a long photo. He thinks it's more likely an object that’s very long and thin, perhaps like a long pancake or a ship’s sail. Loeb says that if someone shows him evidence that contradicts his beliefs, he will immediately give in.
Loeb believes himself a truth-teller and risk- taker in an age of very safe, too-quiet scientists. “The worst thing that can happen to me is that I would be relieved of my management duties, and that would give me even more time to focus on science,” Loeb says. He said he wouldn’t mind giving up all the titles he had and returning to the Israeli farming village where he grew up.
1. What does Loeb say about “Oumuamua”?| A．It is an icy comet. |
| B．It looks like a long photo. |
| C．It is actually some sort of rock. |
| D．It may come from another alien civilization. |
| A．Searches for. | B．Depends on. |
| C．Turns to. | D．Goes against. |
| A．He is foolish. |
| B．He is unsatisfied with his titles. |
| C．He is a firm believer in scientific truth. |
| D．He is uncertain about his career future. |
| A．Have Aliens Paid a Visit in Spaceships? |
| B．Do We Really Know about Space Theory? |
| C．Scientists Are Working on High Technology |
| D．Astronomers Are Encouraging Space Travel |
3 . Chinese Dragon Head-raising Festival is a traditional Chinese festival held on the second day of the second month of the Chinese calendar. It marks the start of spring and farming. Ancient people believed that after this day, rainfall increases because the rain-bringing Dragon King has woken up from his winter sleep. In ancient times, farming highly depended on the weather. Proper rainfall and plenty of sunlight were necessary for a good harvest at the end of the year. The Chinese dragon, besides a symbol of good luck and great power, is also the god managing weather and water. So Dragon Head-raising Day is about honoring the Chinese dragon and praying for good weather in spring.
The festival celebrates ancient agrarian(农耕的) Chinese culture, and while some of traditional ways to celebrate it are no longer practiced, others persist.
The most famous tradition is getting a haircut. A saying warns that cutting your hair in the first month will cause your uncle to die. Although today few pay attention to it, it was once a tradition for people to line up outside barber shops this day after they avoided haircuts for the preceding(前面的)month.
Today Chinese Dragon Head-raising Day is celebrated in many different ways, most of which are still similar to those practiced in the ancient times, including eating spring pancakes and noodles. People eat tofu balls in East China’s Fujian Province during the festival while fried beans are the traditional festival food for people in parts of Shandong Province. Food eaten on this day also gets a lucky name. For example, noodles are “dragon’s beard” and dumplings are “dragon’s ears”.
1. In fact ancient Chinese held Dragon Head-raising Day .| A．to get as much rain as possible. |
| B．to celebrate the Dragon King's birthday. |
| C．to wake up the sleeping Dragon King. |
| D．to wish for good weather for better farming. |
| A．消亡 | B．持续 | C．改变 | D．完善 |
| A．Foreigners interested in Chinese traditional culture. |
| B．Foreigners learning about agrarian culture. |
| C．Chinese farmers in need of good weather conditions. |
| D．Chinese students proud of the long history of our country. |
| A．The history of Dragon Head-raising Day. |
| B．The development of Dragon Head-raising Day. |
| C．The celebration of Dragon Head-raising Day. |
| D．The introduction of Dragon Head-raising Day. |
4 . I was so worried about handing my little boy over during his first week of school, but you made it easier. You smiled at him like a mother would at her own child.You showed warmth and your hugs were always on offer.After a day in class with you, Charlie would come home singing. Whenever I hear Do Your Ears Hang Low or see him stretching to the sky when singing about the days of the week, I will think of you.I didn't tell you at the time, but I loved your morning song so much that I implemented it in my own class (I'm a teacher, too).
When you saw I was troubled, you hugged me with your smile and I knew everything would be OK. You made parents feel as cared for as our children.In the short time I knew you; you taught me about the type of teacher I desire to be. You never seemed disturbed by the mountain of paperwork or impossible work-life balance that comes with the role. Instead, you appeared to embrace every minute.
I can't understand why you've been taken from us. Telling Charlie was one of the hardest things I've had to do.I'm not sure he fully understands, but he told me he loved you and has been asking whether your"robot powers"will work in heaven.
A friend once told me white feathers are angels telling us that loved ones in heaven are well. On the first day collecting the children without you，a white feather floated through the sleet (雨夹雪). Watching the younger ones bounce and gigle as they tried to catch it was beautiful.
I wish I had told you all of this when you were with us.I hope that you knew how you brought happiness to everyone you met and how loved you were. Goodbye, Dear Friend.
1. What does the underlined word "implemented" in Paragraph l probably mean?| A．Looked back on. | B．Looked forward to. |
| C．Thought highly of. | D．Made use of. |
| A．They need to sing songs before children. |
| B．They need to feel the affection as well. |
| C．They find it hard to handle their kids. |
| D．They find it necessary to hug the teachers. |
| A．inform us of the loved one's death |
| B．remind us it's time for a snowball fight |
| C．tell us the teacher stays in our mind after death |
| D．warn us of the falling snow when collecting children |
| A．To make a remark on Charlie's teacher. |
| B．To say goodbye to her fellow teacher. |
| C．To take pity on her fellow teacher. |
| D．To recall and show respect for Charlie's teacher. |
5 . To Rehan Staton, his childhood was a life of privilege — loving parents, a supportive big brother and a pleasant, private school education. Everything changed when his mother left the country and his father lost his job.
He had to sleep with a heavy jacket on when it was cold. He was always hungry. He said he couldn't concentrate at school and would sleep during class. He went from straight. As to near the bottom of his class. A teacher told him he needed special education, which made him hate school.
Staton spent his high school years as an excellent athlete, raining to become a professional boxer. He had won a lot of martial arts competitions. But a tragedy struck him in his senior year when Staton suffered serious tendonitis (肌腱炎), in both shoulders. He couldn’t lift either arm for months. His dream of becoming a professional player failed. He struggled to apply to colleges but was refused by all of them.
Staton’s body slowly recovered from martial arts and he got a job as a rubbish collector. Many co-workers couldn't help but ask him a simple question, “What are you doing here? You’re smart. You are too young to be here. Go to college.” It was the first time someone outside his family had spoken highly of his intelligence. It was the co-workers that emboldened him to return to school.
Several co-workers put Staton in touch with a professor at Bowie State University. The professor was impressed with their conversation and persuaded the admissions board to change its former decision.
Going to college forced Staton’s older brother, Reggie, to drop out. They both knew someone had to be working full time along with their dad. It was a decision Reggie made on his own.
After receiving a 4.0, Staton succeeded in becoming a student at the University of Maryland. But he still had a long way to go to attend Harvard Law eventually...
1. What finally changed Rehan Staton’s happy childhood?| A．His brother’s losing the job. |
| B．His serious health problem. |
| C．His father’s sudden death. |
| D．His mother’s leaving the country. |
| A．Force. | B．Direct. | C．Encourage. | D．Accompany. |
| A．He wanted his brother to study further. |
| B．His father asked him to leave school. |
| C．He had lost interest in most lessons. |
| D．He had to go out to find his mother. |
| A．What Rehan Staton planned to do after entering Harvard. |
| B．How Rehan Staton managed to be admitted to Harvard. |
| C．Why Rehan Staton decided to choose to go to Harvard. |
| D．When Rehan Staton would be successful in Harvard Law. |
6 . As the effects of climate change become more disastrous, well-known research institutions and government agencies are focusing new money and attention on an idea: artificially cooling the planet, in the hopes of buying humanity more time to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
That strategy, called solar climate intervention (干预) or solar geoengineering, involves reflecting more of the sun’s energy back into space — abruptly reducing global temperatures in a way that imitates the effects of ash clouds flowing out from the volcanic eruptions. The idea has been considered as a dangerous and fancied solution, one that would encourage people to keep burning fossil fuels while exposing the planet to unexpected and potentially threatening side effects, producing more destructive hurricanes, wildfires floods and other disasters.
But. as global warming continues, producing more destructive hurricanes, wildfires floods and other disasters, some researchers and policy experts say that concerns about geoengineering should be outweighed by the imperative to better understand it, in case the consequence of climate change become so terrible that the world can’t wait for better solutions.
One way to cool the earth is by injecting aerosols (气溶胶) into the upper layer of the atmosphere. where those particles reflect sunlight away from the earth. That process works, according to Douglas MacMartin, a researcher at Cornell University.
“We know with 100% certainty that we can cool the planet,” he said in an interview. What’s still unclear, he added, is what happens next. Temperature, MacMartin said, is an indicator for a lot of climate effects. “What does it do to the strength of hurricanes?” he asked, “What does it do to agriculture production? What does it do to the risk of forest fires?”
Another institution funded by the National Science Foundation will analyze hundreds of simulations of aerosol injection, testing the effects on weather extremes around the world. One goal of the research is to look for a sweet spot: the amount of artificial cooling that can reduce extreme weather events without causing broader changes in regional rainfall patterns or similar impacts.
1. Why do researchers and government agencies work on cooling the earth?| A．To prevent natural disasters. | B．To win more time to reduce gas emissions. |
| C．To imitate volcanic eruptions. | D．To encourage more people to bur fossil fuels. |
| A．More volcanoes will throw out. |
| B．More solar energy will go into space. |
| C．More disasters will endanger the future of the world. |
| D．People will keep burning fossil fuels to keep warm. |
| A．He thinks more research remains to be done. |
| B．He is optimistic about the effect of cooling the earth. |
| C．He is concerned about the reduction in agriculture production. |
| D．He disapproves of the practice of solar climate intervention. |
| A．The rainfall pattern of a region. |
| B．The modest drop in temperature. |
| C．The number of extreme weather events. |
| D．The injection amount of aerosol. |
7 . Binge-watching is when a person watches more than one episode of a show in quick succession(一连串，连续）". With developments in the speed and connectivity of the internet, increases in technology and the rise of on-demand entertainment companies, people can now have their favorite shows streamed directly to their television at their convenience.
This behavior is nothing new. In fact, " binge-watching" has been officially listed in dictionaries since 2015. The entertainment companies recognize this behavior and many take steps to encourage it. Often, instead of releasing each episode on a week-by-week basis, an entire series will become available concurrently. Once the episode finishes many platforms will display pop-ups with “you might like suggestions, or will automatically play the next episode”.
However, recent research suggests that out of the more than half of British adults who watch more than one episode of a show back-to-back, almost a third have admitted missing sleep or becoming tired as a result; and one quarter have neglected their household chores. Next we’ll be missing work!
Bingeing has other connections-binge eating, binge drinking and binge smoking. All of them are often associated with a lack of control and a possible route to addiction. Lindsey Fussell, consumer group director, said: “The days of waiting a week for the next episode are largely gone, with people finding it hard to resist watching multiple episodes around the house or on the move.” If people find binge-watching hard to resist, coupled with the fact that it has shown to lead to negligence in many, are we witnessing the birth of a new type of addiction?
The countless of information and entertainment that television and online media can bring us is, many would say, a good thing. However, when the activity begins to bleed into other areas, causing us to stop functioning then it becomes a problem. So, what's the answer? Moderation! Neither a tiny amount, nor too much. After all, as the old proverb says, “A little of what you fancy does you good.”
1. How did the writer develop the first paragraph?| A．Listing some examples |
| B．Telling a story. |
| C．Giving a definition |
| D．Analyzing the cause and effect |
| A．similarly | B．gradually | C．naturally | D．necessarily |
| A．people have no patience to do work |
| B．people can’t control their movements |
| C．people are delighted to watch television |
| D．people can’t resist the temptation |
| A．To watch episodes in a moderate way. |
| B．To draw life lessons from the episodes. |
| C．To enjoy entertainment as much as possible. |
| D．To keep online media from stopping functioning. |
8 . From the moon to Mars, scientists have been hunting for alien life in the solar system for decades. However,Venus was not regarded as an ideal place because of its hot temperature and dry atmosphere. But a recent discovery of truces of a gas in the clouds of Venus has excited astronomers, as it may serve as a potential sign of life.
On Sept 14, the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada announced that scientists have detected phosphine (磷化氢) in the clouds of Venus. Phosphine is a color-less, toxic gas that has a smell of garlic. Though it contains poison, it is viewed as a possible sign of life because on Earth the gas is made by microorganisms(微生物) that live in oxygen-free environments.
“I was very surprised-stunned, in fact,” astronomer Jane Greaves of Cardiff University in Wales and lead author of the research told MSN, “There is a chance that we have detected some kind of living organism in the clouds of Venus.”
This layer of clouds is about 48 kilometers above the Venus surface with its temperature ranging from 30 to 200 degrees Fahrenheit (about-1 to 93°C). Scientists have assumed that if life exists on Venus, this cloud deck(云盖) is likely the only place where it would survive.
Scientists went through every possibility that could have led to the formation of phosphine gas in Venus clouds, including volcanoes,lightning strikes,small meteorites(陨石) falling into the atmosphere. But they ruled all of them out. It was concluded that there is no explanation for the existence of this gas in Venus clouds, other than the presence of life, USA Today reported. Although the detection of phosphine is not strong evidence for life, this finding is great enough to change scientists’ view on Venus, which is though to be a completely inhospitable(不适合居住的) planet.
1. What does the underlined word “toxic” in Paragraph 2 mean?| A．waste. | B．poisonous. | C．useful. | D．clean. |
| A．The cloud deck is rich in phosphine. |
| B．The higher the cloud is above Venus, the warmer it is. |
| C．Various living organisms have been detected oil Venus. |
| D．If life exists on Venus, it is likely in the cloud deck. |
| A．It could be formed as a result of the falling of meteorites. |
| B．It could be a sign that there is life in Venus9 clouds. |
| C．It could he caused by volcanoes and lightning strikes. |
| D．It proves that Venus is another hospitable planet. |
| A．A newly detected gas may indicate possible existence of life on Venus. |
| B．Scientists found the most hospitable place on Venus. |
| C．Phosphine that has been formed on Venus means alien life is present. |
| D．The environment on Venus changed in favor of life. |
9 . Perhaps you’ve had to put up with a moody, uncooperative teenager, or you may well have been one yourself. A new study suggests that dogs go through a similar stage of stubbornness and disobedience (不顺从) when they hit adolescence at about eight months old.
Looking at the behaviour of a total of 378 canines (犬), researchers found that the animals were more obedient and more responsive either side of that eight-month mark— but only when it came to their owners, not to less familiar trainers.
So not only do dogs appear to have a difficult adolescence just like we do, they also share the frustration that we often feel towards our parents or caregivers when we hit our teenage years. That has big implications for long-term canine care and sheltering.
“This is a very important time in a dog’s life,” says animal behaviour researcher Lucy Asher, from Newcastle University in the UK. “This is when dogs are often rehomed because they are no longer a cute little puppy and suddenly, their owners find they are more challenging and they can no longer control them or train them.” “But as with human teenage children, owners need to be aware that their dog is going through a special stage and it will pass.”
In one experiment with 93 Labrador retrievers (狗), golden retrievers and their cross breeds (杂交品种), the dogs at eight months old were found to take longer and be loather to respond to a “sit” command given by their caregiver than they were when just five months old. The eight- month-olds didn’t show the same stubbornness when the command was given by a stranger, though.
The researchers found further evidence of this effect in survey data gathered on 285 Labradors, golden retrievers, German shepherds and their cross breeds. Dog owners and trainers less familiar with the dogs were asked to evaluate the animals ‘trainability’ by answering questions on obedience and how quickly commands were responded to.
Again, the caregivers ranked their dogs as less obedient at eight months old compared with five months old or 12 months old. The trainers reported that obedience increased between the ages of five months and eight months.
1. What is the function of the first sentence in the first paragraph?| A．To raise a problem of teenagers. |
| B．To lead to the main topic of the passage. |
| C．To give the background information of the passage. |
| D．To generalize the whole passage. |
| A．Dog’s special stage is permanent. |
| B．Dogs are more obedient at 5 months old compared with 12 months old. |
| C．Dogs of 8 months tend to listen to a stranger only. |
| D．Dogs’ owners may find it more challenging to control the dogs of 8 months. |
| A．more obedient | B．more likely |
| C．more satisfied | D．more unwilling |
| A．Dog’s obedience. | B．Dog’s stubbornness. |
| C．Dog’s adolescence. | D．Dog’s trainability. |
10 . Four years ago, more than 700 computer scientists competed in a contest to build an artificial intelligence (AI) that could pass an 8th-grade science exam. They all flunked. Even the most developed system couldn’t score higher than 60 points on the test. AI can’t match the language and logic (逻辑) skills that students are expected to have when they enter middle school.
Later, a system named Aristo was developed by the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence, a lab in the US. It recently passed an 8-grade science exam taken by many US students, the New York Times reported. It correctly answered more than 90% of the questions. Then it was given a 12th-grade exam and it scored more than 80 points.
Aristo was able to pass the exam because it can not only understand language but also use logical thinking to solve difficult problems. For example, it can understand what a forest fire is and how it could affect animals like rabbits. The Aristo system used Bert, a kind of technology developed by Google, to answer the questions. Bert has “read” thousands of Wikipedia articles and books. If it looks at a sentence with a missing word, it can correctly guess what the word is. With the help of Bert, Aristo has “read” a lot of science questions and answers. Over time, it was able to find logical patterns (模式) on its own.
Aristo’s success means that AI systems are getting better at understanding language and even respond to language. However, we can’t compare this technology to real human students and their logical ability, said Jingjing Liu, a Microsoft researcher, who has been working on similar technologies.
1. Which of the following can replace the underlined word “flunked” in the first paragraph?| A．Failed. | B．Passed. | C．Missed. | D．Improved. |
| A．To help students do well in exams. |
| B．To improve the logical skills of AI. |
| C．To help make school tests more scientific. |
| D．To show ATS ability to solve science problems. |
| A．To show what else Aristo can do. |
| B．To tell what Aristo can learn on its own. |
| C．To explain how Aristo learns to solve problems. |
| D．To introduce another achievement in technology. |
| A．AI is not as developed as it might seem. |
| B．Humans can’t live without AI in the future. |
| C．AI will soon replace humans in many tasks. |
| D．Aristo’s logical ability still needs improving. |
