1 . A Bridge Linking Art and the Audience
According to a 2018 report, people aged between 16 and 24 make up about 15 percent of the population but only 10 percent of museum-goers. Similarly, people aged over 35 go half as much as you would expect from their population size. We have reached the point of recognising the disconnection between art and the audience but haven’t yet determined how to bridge the gap. Two answers to tackling this challenge lie in telling a greater diversity of art histories and communicating these stories in more accessible ways.
In 2018, a radio program called Art Matters was started with the aim of discussing art from a pop-culture viewpoint with topics that would engage younger and more diverse audience. It offers an accessible pathway to art history with conversations on different topics. Art history is about storytelling; art content shines when there is an effort to bring audience along for the discussion.
More traditional institutions are paying attention. Recently the Getty Museum issued a social-media challenge for people to recreate paintings using items they had at home. Users displayed incredible creativity, and the museum was flooded with submissions. This reaction proves that there is a potential desire for the audience to engage with art topics if the format is appealing. Since many people feel intimidated and think that there’s a base level of understanding required to join the conversation, the Getty initiative serves as a reminder that there are many pathways to engaging with it.
Another result of the Getty challenge was the exposure given to a diversity of artworks. The famous opera singer Peter Brathwaite, for example, made scores of attractive recreations highlighting centuries of black paintings. His efforts opposed the idea that there were not many historical paintings of black figures. It is extremely important that we do a better job of showing the complex and diverse stories that are represented in art.
Social media have offered a platform for people who have not traditionally had a seat at the table. Anyone can recognise a gap in the field and address it. Accounts have gathered tens of thousands of followers. They are the proof that there is hunger to hear these art histories, and these themes work brilliantly for museum programming.
But there is only so much that can be done without the museums and galleries changing meaningfully from within. We need to see a better balance of these stories represented in permanent collections. We also need a much wider diversity of people and interests represented on board. Ensuring that art-and writing and talking about art-is able to continue on the rising generation of storytellers, inside and outside of institutions, getting the funding and support they need to paint a brighter picture for the part.
1. What challenge is the author trying to tackle?| A．People doubt a great diversity of artworks. |
| B．Fewer and fewer young people go to museums. |
| C．Art appears too distant from common audience. |
| D．Adult audience has a different understanding of art. |
| A．Tired. | B．Worried. | C．Annoyed. | D．Surprised. |
| A．make the art history stories accessible in a traditional way. |
| B．change meaningfully for activities like the Getty challenge. |
| C．limit the number of storytellers both in and out of institutions. |
| D．improve the permanent collections by adding famous artworks. |
| A．lacks the channels to understand and talk about art history. |
| B．prefers to view artworks and hear art stories on social media. |
| C．feels satisfied with people and interests represented on board. |
| D．refuses to engage with diverse art topics and art history stories. |
2 . 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. |
3 . When he was two years old, Ben stopped seeing out of his left eye. His mother took him to the doctor and soon discovered he had cancer in both eyes. After possible treatments failed, doctors removed both his eyes. For Ben, vision was gone forever.
But by the time he was seven years old, he had developed a technique for feeling the world around him: he clicked with his mouth and listened for the returning echoes. This method enabled Ben to determine the locations of open doorways, people, parked cars, garbage cans, and so on. He was echolocating: bouncing his sound waves off objects in the environment and catching the reflections to build a mental model of his surroundings.
Echolocation may sound like an improbable feat for a human, but thousands of blind people have perfected this skill, just like Ben did. The event has been written about since at least the 1940s, when the word ''echolocation" was first invented in a science article titled “Echolocation by Blind Men , Bats, and Radar.”
How could blindness give rise to the amazing ability to understand the surroundings with one's ears? The answer lies in a gift on the brain; huge adaptability.
Mother Nature filled our brains with flexibility to adapt to circumstances. Just as sharp teeth and fast legs are useful for survival, so is the brain's ability to reset, which allows for learning, memory, and die ability to develop new skills.
In Ben's case, his brain's flexible wiring repurposed his visual cortex for processing sound. As a result, Ben had more neurons available to deal with listening information, and this increased processing power allowed Ben to interpret soundwaves in shocking detail. Ben's super-hearing proves a more general rule: the more brain area a particular sense has, the better it performs.
1. How did Ben “see” after he had his eyes removed?| A．By using a walking stick. | B．By asking others for help. |
| C．By inventing a new system. | D．By echolocating surroundings. |
| A．Skill. | B．Task. | C．Sense. | D．Invention. |
| A．He laughs best who laughs last. | B．Actions speak louder than words. |
| C．God shuts one door but he opens another. | D．Man becomes learned by asking questions. |
| A．Culture Shock. | B．Human Biology. |
| C．Scientific Technology. | D．Environmental Protection. |
4 . Honeybees can’t swim, and when their wings are wet, they can’t fly, either. But Chris Roh and other researchers at the California Institute of Technology found that when bees drop into bodies of water, they can use their wings to produce little waves and slide toward land-like surfers who create and then ride their own waves.
As with many scientific advances-Isaac Newton’s apple or Benjamin Franklin’s lightning bolt-Dr. Roh’s experiment began with a walk. Passing Caltech’s Millikan Pond in 2016, he observed a bee on the water’s surface producing waves. He wondered how an insect known for flight could push itself through water.
Dr. Roh and his co-worker, Morteza Gharib, used butterfly nets to collect local Pasadena honeybees and observed their surf-like movements. The researchers used a wire to restrict each bee’s bodily movement, allowing close examination of their wings. They found that the bee bends its wings at a 30-degree angle, pulling up water and producing a forward force. Bees get trapped on the surface because water is roughly three times heavier than air. But that weight helps to push the bee forward when its wings move quickly up and down. It’s a tough exercise for the bees, which the researchers guess could handle about 10 minutes of the activity.
The researchers said the surf-like movement hasn’t been documented in other insects and most semiaquatic insects use their legs for propulsion, which is known as water-walking. It may have evolved in bees, they-predicted.
Dr. Roh and Dr. Gharib have imagined many practical applications for bees’ surfing. One plan is to use their observations to design robots able to travel across sky and sea. “This could be useful for search and rescues, or for getting samples of the surface of the ocean, if you can’t send a boat or helicopter,” Dr. Gharib said.
1. What does the author intend to show by mentioning Newton and Franklin?| A．Roh’s admiration for them. | B．Roh’s chance discovery about bees. |
| C．Their outstanding talent for science. | D．Their similar achievements in discovery. |
| A．The air weight. | B．Its leg extension. |
| C．The water movement. | D．Its continuous wingbeat. |
| A．Fast flight | B．Driving force. | C．Pulling speed. | D．Explosive power. |
| A．Honeybees can surf to safety. | B．Bees help scientists make inventions. |
| C．Insects can adapt to the environment. | D．Nature is a helpful guide for discovery. |
5 . The idea of using a public bathroom with see through walls may sound like the stuff of nightmares. But a famous Japanese is hoping to change that view, using new technology to make restrooms in Tokyo parks more inviting.
“There are two things we worry about when entering a public restroom, especially those cated at a park,” according to architect Shigeru Ban’s firm. “The first is cleanliness, and the second is whether anyone is inside.”
The newly-invented transparent walls can turn off both of those worries, Ban says, by showing people what awaits them inside. After users enter the restroom and lock the door, the room’s walls turn a powdery paste) shade and are no longer see-through.
Ban’s are sure to make for great conversation among visitors to the park-and they’ll stand out even more after dark. “At night, the facility lights up the park like a beautiful lantern,” the architect’s website says.
The group is behind the Tokyo Toilet project, world-famous architects to create toilets “like you’ve never seen. The project’s eye catching toilets are part of a plan to put people ar ease when isiting a public bathroom. The project may seem silly, but the 16 architects who are reimagining public toilets are some of the brightest names in Japanese architecture. The list includes four Pritzker Prize winners-Ban, Toyo Ito, Tadao Ando and Fumihiko Maki-along with international stars such as Kengo Kuma and Sou Fujimoto. The fashion designer Nigo is also contributing.
Ban’s colorful public bathrooms opened to the public this month in two parks: Yoyogi Fukamachi Mini Park and Haru-no-Ogawa Community Park. Other bespoke commodes will be opening in coming months.
1. Why are people often worried before entering a public restroom?| A．Its lock is usually useless. |
| B．It’s usually at a huge distance. |
| C．It’s not always clean. |
| D．It’s always occupied. |
| A．Easy to see through. |
| B．Not easy to see through. |
| C．Full of bright colors. |
| D．Thick and strong. |
| A．It’s and silly. |
| B．It’s rewarding and. |
| C．It has won the Pritzker Prize. |
| D．It’s the fruit of colleqtive wisdom |
| A．Should the public restrooms be upgraded? |
| B．The new high-tech walls of public restrooms are coming. |
| C．How do we live with see-through public facilities? |
| D．Some famous architects designed a silly project. |
6 . Great Barrier Reef Choking on Pollutants
Attempts to protect the Great Barrier Reef are failing. A report released Monday by the government in Australia says water quality in the Great Barrier Reef is far below what it should be. It showed that pollution have decreased, but not enough to reach environmental targets.
Sediment (沉淀物) and chemicals can weaken coral, hurting its ability to feed and grow. Coral are live animals that take root in the ocean floor, but they are not plants. Reefs are the hard skeletons (骨架) left at the bottom of the sea by small marine creatures called polyps (珊瑚虫). The polyps then form the larger structure of a reef. Corals also are some of the most diverse ecosystems on the entire planet. They can make a home for invertebrates, crustaceans, fish, and sea snakes.
Steve Miles is Queensland’s environment minister. He says the research shows the Reef needs more protection. “Over that five-year period, we did see some progress towards our targets. Sediment is down 12 percent and pesticides (杀虫剂) loads are down 30 percent. But what is most disturbing is that these results are far from our targets. Progress towards these targets flat-lined in the period 2013-2014. If one of my kids came home with a report card like this, I would be a bit disappointed. There is more bad news here than good news. ” said Steve Miles.
The report also found that fewer than one-third of Queensland’s sugar plantations used techniques to reduce the use of pesticides. Only 28 percent of land managers managed their land properly. They had reduced harmful water run off to protect the health of the Reef. The official target is a 90 percent reduction in pesticide use within three years.
Scientists at the University of Queensland and the Australian Institute of Marine Sciences published their findings Wednesday, July 18 in the journal Science Advances. It found between 1992 and 2010, the recovery rate dropped by an average of 84 percent. But there is hope. The study also found some corals can recover quickly if “acute and chronic stressors” are lessened.
Meanwhile, the Australian government released its updated reef protection plan Friday. It clearly states global temperatures must be stopped from rising in order to save the world’s largest living structure.
1. What does the underlined word “They” in Paragraph 2 refer to?| A．Diverse ecosystems. | B．Sediment and chemicals. |
| C．Reefs and corals. | D．Small sea creatures. |
| A．He is satisfied with the protection of the Reef. |
| B．He thinks that the Reef needs more protection. |
| C．He feels angry with what his children did. |
| D．He is very happy about the Reef progress protection. |
| A．Not increase significantly. | B．Disappear. |
| C．Speed up. | D．Miss the chance. |
| A．were tough to deal with | B．failed to manage their land properly |
| C．reduced the amount of harmful water | D．were eager to quit pesticide soon |
| A．A news report. | B．A science fiction. |
| C．A book review. | D．A guide book. |
7 . My father and several volunteers from the church gathered every day in the park to feed the hungry. I really didn’t understand why my father bothered to do it.
One Saturday I couldn’t wait for him to leave. However, it didn’t take long for my plans to change and my happiness to dissolve.
“I’m going to need your help today. Some of the others that usually help me won’t be able to make it.”
“Dad, I can’t today,” I complained. “I have plans, television, friends, shopping, and I was maybe going to go to the pool.”
I murmured, “It’s not like I have a life.” My voice was so low that he didn’t hear what I said.
This was going to be the worst day ever. My dad always drove the church van, which also contained clothes and small bags filled with personal items such as combs, toothbrushes and toothpaste.
When we arrived at the park, people were already gathered under a tree waiting for us. I couldn’t believe how many people were there, and all of them were homeless. I was surprised to learn my dad knew most of them by name. He also seemed to know what each one needed and what they had suffered to land them on the street. One old man called Adonis told me if it hadn’t been for my father he didn’t think he would have found Jesus.
When everyone was gone, we loaded things back into the van. Now I understood why my father did so much to help the homeless. I could tell he loved seeing their smiles of happiness. I did too.
That day with my dad taught me that there will always be someone smarter, prettier, or richer than me, and there will also always be someone less fortunate. The difference is in the individual willing to take the opportunity to help others, even if it means sacrificing something of their own.
1. What did the author expect of his initial Saturday?| A．It was occupied with his homework. |
| B．It was a whole Saturday by himself. |
| C．It was a great day to do volunteer work. |
| D．It was a good chance to help his father. |
| A．Regretted. | B．Screamed. | C．Whispered. | D．Maddened. |
| A．Sympathetic. | B．Appreciative. |
| C．Ashamed. | D．Pitiful. |
| A．Finding My Light | B．Following My Heart |
| C．Showing Sympathy | D．Feeding the Soul |
8 . Posing for a picture and flashing the V sign may expose your fingerprints, giving criminals an opportunity to steal your important information.
Researchers with the National Institute of Informatics in Japan successfully got fingerprint information from a picture during an experiment, even though the subject was photographed from three meters away, according to the newspaper.
“Once you share them on social media then they’re gone. Unlike a password you can’t change your fingers.”
Biometric（生物统计的） security is reaching the mainstream with more than 50 percent of mobile phones set to include fingerprint recognition for the first time in 2017. The technology is also used in immigration control and for access to high-security controlled areas.
Photos that include both people's faces and fingers run a higher risk of revealing personal information, and the risk for celebrities is even higher.
Chinese experts in fingerprint identification confirmed the possibility. "Technically, we can use high-definition video cameras to obtain people's fingerprints," said Dr. Yin Desen of the First Institute of the Ministry of Public Security. He also said that people's external features are easily recorded. However, compared to video, it is more difficult to obtain fingerprints through just one photo.
According to experts, criminals are able to use counterfeit fingerprints to commit crimes, such as stealing fingerprint passwords and signing agreements. Yin warned that people should pay more attention when they leave fingerprints or use them as passwords.
1. What is the difference between passwords and fingerprints?| A．Passwords can be changed. |
| B．It is simple to recognize fingerprints. |
| C．Fingerprints have a higher security level. |
| D．Passwords depend on users’ experience. |
| A．Fingerprint recognition. |
| B．Immigration control. |
| C．Vehicle identification. |
| D．High-security controlled area. |
| A．Reliable. | B．False. |
| C．Genuine. | D．Unique. |
| A．People should use passwords. |
| B．All the photos run a high risk of exposing personal information. |
| C．Passwords can be more easily stolen than fingerprints. |
| D．It’s easier to give away information of fingerprints through video. |
9 . Yangsigang Yangtze River Bridge, the double-deck suspension (悬浮) bridge with the longest span in the world, opened to traffic on Tuesday after five years’ construction, according to a statement from the constructor.
It is reported that the bridge is 4. 13 kilometers long, with 12 lanes in both directions on the main I bridge. It is a long-span suspension bridge with the largest volume in the world, China Railway Major Bridge Engineering Group said. The bridge connects the Hanyang and Wuchang and its opening will ameliorate the urban expressway system, relieve traffic pressure across the river, and drive development in the area, according to the company.
On both sides of the upper deck of the bridge, there is a two-meter-wide footpath, with eight rest and sightseeing areas, where people can enjoy the river scenery. The lower level is designed with two non-motorized lanes, each 2. 5 meters wide. A 1. 5-meter wide walkway is also a feature of each side of the floor so pedestrians (行人) can walk on the lower level without getting caught in the rain.
Chief designer of the bridge, Xu Gongyi, said, “Considering navigation and traffic volume, the main span of the bridge is 1, 700 meters, which is the second-largest in the world and also the largest in bridges of double-deck structure.”
According to Luo Ruihua, project manager of the bridge, the Yangsigang Yangtze River Bridge has set several records in the process of its construction. The designed tension of each of the two main cables (钢索) is 65, 000 tons.
From 2014 to 2019, builders have shown the world the speed of China. The bridge not only enhances Wuhan’s reputation as a “bridge museum”, but also represents a super project of a new era.
1. What does the underlined word “ameliorate” in paragraph 2 mean?| A．Keep. | B．Start. | C．Improve. | D．Show. |
| A．By giving examples. | B．By making comparisons. |
| C．By describing its principles. | D．By using data. |
| A．It will attract many foreigners to Wuhan. |
| B．It is friendly to pedestrians. |
| C．The cost of its construction is low. |
| D．It is the longest bridge of the world. |
| A．Negative. | B．Admiring. | C．Uncertain. | D．Grateful. |
10 . While orcas are known for their well-designed joint attacks on unsuspecting oceanic animals, they have never posed a threat to humans. However, since July 2020, the normally social animals have been intentionally attacking sailboats off the coasts of Spain. The unusual hostility is puzzling scientists worldwide.
The strange behavior first surfaced on July 29, when Victoria Morris, a biology graduate, noticed nine orcas circling the 46 foot boat she was crewing near the shores of the Strait of Gibraltar. She was initially cheerful to see the friendly animals, with which she had numerous encounters while teaching sailing in New Zealand. However, that changed when the orcas started striking the boat repeatedly for almost an hour. “They almost turned the boat over and the deafening noise was terrifying,” she said.
The continuous attacks broke the boat's automatic rudder, leaving the boat disabled. Spanish biologist Rocio Espada says, “It is crazy. I've seen these whales grow from babies. I know their life stories. I've never seen or heard of attacks.”
Since then, over 30 more similar incidents have been reported. Some researchers believe the orcas' unusual behavior could be a result of the overfishing of tuna—orcas' primary food source—which has left the area's orcas starving and unable to feed their babies. “I saw orcas look at boats carrying fish. The intelligent animals may know humans are somehow related to food shortages,” says Ken Balcomb, an American scientist.
However, Alfredo Lopez a Spanish biology professor, thinks the attacks were preventative measures the orcas adopted to protect themselves against boat injuries. The researcher came to this conclusion after looking at the footage of a few incidents filmed on the scene and noticing that two of the young orcas involved had serious injuries. The scientist wasn't sure if the orcas were hurt during or before the recent boat encounters. Lopez said, “Our interpretation is that they don't have the slightest intention of attacking people.” Hopefully, the experts will find a way to restore the harmony between the animals and humans soon.
1. What does the underlined word “hostility” in paragraph 1 mean?| A．Unfriendliness. | B．Defence. | C．Cooperation. | D．Impatience. |
| A．Her major led her to anticipate orcas' intense attacks. |
| B．She rarely spotted orcas when working as a sailing coach. |
| C．Her joy gave way to fear after the orcas began attacking the boat. |
| D．She was doing research on the shore when she caught sight of nine orcas. |
| A．Predictable. | B．Abnormal. | C．Unavoidable. | D．Natural. |
| A．Orcas frequently get hurt by boats. | B．Orcas enjoy playing tricks on humans. |
| C．Orcas are punishing humans for overfishing. | D．Orcas attack boats to safeguard against dangers. |
