1 . We all need waler to survive, but the general recommendation has been to drink more and more, with many guidelines now advising a minimum of eight glasses a day. Is there any evidence showing that this makes sense? The short answer is no. Studies looking at water intakes over 10 years in the elderly fail to show any benefits of extra water on kidney function or lifespan.
Clever marketing from bottled water companies has not only convinced us that we need to drink more water, but also that expensive bottled mineral water is somehow better for us. We now drink more bottled water than ever before, with the global industry growing rapidly at 10 percent a year. By 2025, the global market is estimated to be worth ＄215 billion. But research shows that tap water nowadays is perfectly safe, and with added fluoride （氨化物）, it is also good for our teeth. There have been studies showing that tap water contains traces of common pharmaceutical（制药的）drugs, but they have also found the same levels when testing bottled water. Although water in many areas contains chemicals, the levels are too small to make a noticeable difference to our health.
Bottled water has devastating environmental costs, which is self﹣evident as there are already abundant reports on pollution caused by plastic bottles, and no proven health benefits. And, does it taste better?Probably not. On the contrary, there are even blind tastings showing that tap water scores higher than most mineral water.
So, still hesitate when presented with both bottled water and tap water?Probably you should not now. My advice is to stick with tap water: you will be reducing the global environmental cost of half a trillion plastic bottles piling up each year and taking a stand against the power of marketing.
1. According to the first paragraph，we can know________.| A．eight glasses of water a day does harm to the elderly. |
| B．eight glasses of water a day isn't so scientific as we thought. |
| C．water is essential for us to survive. |
| D．drinking extra water benefits our kidney. |
| A．Tap water contains too much common pharmaceutical drugs. |
| B．Bottled water is rich in various minerals. |
| C．People are influenced by bottled water companies' marketing strategies. |
| D．Tap water is not so tasty as bottled water. |
| A．Potential. |
| B．Beneficial. |
| C．Challenging. |
| D．Damaging. |
| A．The more water we drink， the healthier we will be. |
| B．Tap water should become our first choice of drinking. |
| C．Both bottled water and tap water should be our main choices when thirsty. |
| D．Bottled water and tap water both have a lot of advantages. |
2 . 2020 was a really tough year. It affected our lives in many ways and made other serious issues even more difficult to address. There was also social and political unrest in the United States and other places around the world.
All of this added up to some big, stressful year called 2020. In fact, 2020 is a song filled with low, depressing notes.
In English, “low notes” are unpleasant things that happen during an event, any event. So if something ends on a low note, it ends in an unpleasant way. For example, once I took a fun vacation. But it ended on a low note. On the last day, all my money was stolen. Then my flight home was delayed. So, I had to sleep in an airport for two days!
However, we also have another phrase-- a “high note”! In English, a “high note” is something pleasant or gratifying.
So, to end something on a high note is to end it with something pleasant. It can also mean to end something at the best possible point -- for example, at the point when something is most successful.
Anything can be a high note, if you choose it to be. For example, 2020 was a disaster. But for me it ended on a high note. One cold night in late December, I saw on owl in a tree near my house. I love owls but had never seen one so close before! That was a high note for me.
Hopefully, all of us were able to end 2020 on a high note.
1. Which of the following does NOT show the writer’s attitude towards the year of 2020?| A．It’s a year that is filled with low notes. |
| B．It’s a year that ends on a high note. |
| C．It’s a year full of easy issues. |
| D．It’s a year full of unforgettable memories. |
| A．Humorous. | B．Enjoyable. | C．Permanent. | D．Concerned. |
| A．Because it ended on a high note. |
| B．Because it is a song with something pleasant. |
| C．Because the author loves owls that have high notes. |
| D．Because the author love owls and saw one so close. |
| A．The usages of “high notes” and “low notes”. |
| B．Examples about “high and low notes”. |
| C．The change of “low notes” and “high notes”. |
| D．Some serious issues about “high and low notes”. |
3 . Every living cell(细胞) contains genes(基因). They are too small to be seen under a microscope, but they are vitally important. Each set of genes in the body contains all the instructions needed to make a human being. Some genes determine hair color. Some determine the shape of a nose. Some genes help determine your height and even your weight.
Genes are made of a chemical called DNA — the letters stand for deoxyribonucleic acid. In the early 1950’s two scientists, Francis Crick and James Watson, figured out how the parts of DNA fit together. Once scientists understood this structure, it became possible to take pieces of DNA apart and put them together in new ways. New kinds of genes could be made in this manner.
Scientists have studied the genes of many plants and animals. They have worked out which genes affect the color of a tomato and the thickness of its skin. Working out which genes determine which features is called genetic mapping, scientists have begun the Human Genome Project, an ambitious effort to map all the genes in the human body.
Some genes may be defective. For example, something might be wrong with the gene that makes blood clot(凝聚). An individual born with this defective gene could suffer serious hemorrhages(出血)or even bleed to death because his or her blood fails to clot. Scientists are trying to treat the defective genes, and have made great achievements. If scientists could know a child has any defective genes beforehand, they might even discover how to treat these genes before the child is born.
1. What was the achievement of Francis Crick and James Watson?| A．They discovered why people have different hair colors. |
| B．They learned that some people bleed for long periods of time. |
| C．They looked at human cells under the microscope. |
| D．They worked out the structure of DNA. |
| A．Defective genes can never be repaired. |
| B．Genes are too small to be seen through a microscope. |
| C．Genes help scientists understand how living things develop their characteristics. |
| D．The Human Genome Project may explain the role of every gene in the body. |
| A．Genes help determine your height and weight. |
| B．Genetic engineering is the most important scientific discovery of the last 25 years. |
| C．It is dangerous to make changes in genes. |
| D．Supermarkets should not sell genetically engineered food. |
| A．faulty | B．wonderful |
| C．perfect | D．useful |
4 . The last time wild bison(野牛) set foot in the UK, the Middle Stone Age was coming to a close as the English people living in caves discovered farming and started clearing forests for raising farm animals. Now, 6,000 years on, wild bison are coming back to our soil as part of a major conservation project.
In an effort to protect the European bison, a small group of the endangered animals are to be reintroduced into Kent in the spring of 2022. Conservationists hope the bison will also help decimate spare pine trees to create sunny new open space in the forest and improve insect, bird and plant diversity in the area.
To start with, one male and three females will be introduced, with each female expected to produce one baby per year through natural breeding. The bison to be released in the UK will likely come from the Netherlands or Poland,where similar reintroduction programs have been achieved.
These animals have a huge size, weighing up to a ton each. They are expected to kill off trees in former pine plantations by eating or rubbing against bark(树皮). The dead wood should provide food for insects, which will in turn provide food for birds including nightingales and turtle doves. Scientists who are part of this project believe that the reintroduction of bison will pose no threats to people living nearby since these bison have a peaceful nature and will not harm others.
Paul Hadaway, from Kent wildlife Trust, said, “Using missing keystone species like bison to restore natural processes to the home of animals and plants is the key to creating bio-abundance on our land.” Once the bison are settled in their 500-hectare land, the public will be able to pay a visit and observe the animals from viewing platforms. And as they grow year by year, some may be moved to similar locations across the UK.
1. What does the underlined word “decimate” in paragraph 2 mean?| A．Destroy | B．Conserve | C．Discover. | D．Improve |
| A．They are home to bison. |
| B．They have similar environments. |
| C．They are a short distance away. |
| D．They have successful experience. |
| A．Skeptical. | B．Favourable. | C．Critical. | D．Conservative |
| A．Wild bison disappeared in the UK. |
| B．The UK starts a conservation project. |
| C．Wild bison will return to the UK. |
| D．Wild bison are vital for bio-abundance. |
5 . On June 9, 2015, Mark Joseph Peredo was riding high on his way home from landing an important client for his marketing business, but he never made it back to celebrate with his family. Instead, a car traveling on the opposite side of the highway crossed over，and crashed into Mark's car. Doctors later told Mark that his foot had been shattered (粉碎). The surgeries left him unable to walk normally for a year, and Mark was forced to abandon his plans to be a successful business owner.
Little did Mark know that Luke Hutchins , the driver of the other car, was suffering, too. The reason he had lost control of his vehicle was because he had an epileptic fit (癫痫发作) - his first, but not his last. Mark knew none of this. Instead, he was still furious with Luke, who had cost him his career. After his foot had mostly recovered, Mark decided to walk the 500-mile Camino de Santiago, a rough path that begins in France，continues through the Pyrenees Mountains, and ends in Spain.
One year later, Mark finished his trip and was still curious about the accident, so he decided to do one more thing: Meet Luke. The two were nervous about speaking to each other, but once Mark learned that Luke was not at fault for the incident and that he had been similarly struggling to recover, Mark knew that Luke needed to walk the Camino de Santiago too—and they needed to do it together.
In 2017, Mark and Luke embarked on (开始) their tip, which was hard on Luke at first. As time progressed, Luke became stronger both physically and mentally. During their 40-day trip, the two men kept encouraging each other and had many heart-to-heart talks. And they came to realize that unless you let go of the past, you cannot move forward.
1. What happened to Mark on June 9, 2015?| A．He lost his way home in the dark. | B．He gave up his marketing business, |
| C．He was badly hurt in a car accident. | D．He failed to meet an important client. |
| A．Very angry. | B．Quite strict. |
| C．Rather impatient. | D．Really pleased. |
| A．To make an apology. | B．To find out the truth. |
| C．To argue with Luke. | D．To cure Luke of his epilepsy. |
| A．One can never be too careful. | B．It is good to have friends in trouble. |
| C．Learn to forgive and live a better life. | D．Be generous and you'll be successful. |
6 . Sharp drops in temperatures, strong winds howling...A cold snap (寒流) has struck many parts of China.
The National Meteorological Centre ( NMC) (国家气象中心) issued an orange alert on Dec. 28, as a cold air mass swept across the country from north to south. This is the first orange warning since 2016, which is the highest in the three-tier (三级的) ranking, followed by yellow and blue.
On Dec. 27, the temperature in the Greater Hinggan Mountains of Heilongjiang province fell to-44. 5℃, the lowest since winter began, the region's meteorological service said.
According to Sun Jun, the chief forecaster from the NMC, this round of the cold wave is tougher than the same period in normal years. Temperatures in more than 25 cities could reach record lows. Even in Hunan and Jiangxi provinces, temperatures have reached subzero.
Since early December, China has reported power squeezes in the provinces of Hunan, Jiangxi and Zhejiang. Street lamps in several cities have not been on. Elevators in some office buildings haven't worked. The central air conditioning in malls，libraries and government buildings has been off for several days, Xinhua reported.
According to the National Development of Reform Commission ( NDRC) ( 国家发展改革委员会)，the power cuts in these provinces are a result of the dramatic increase of demand for electricity fueled by the high demand of industries that have now recovered and are keen to make up for the lost time earlier in the year and the low temperatures.
Meanwhile, domestic needs for electricity also surged. For instance, in Hunan, low temperatures came at least one month earlier than usual in the province this year. Millions of people started using space heaters to deal with the cold weather.
In order to help people get through these conditions, China is increasing its supply of natural gas and coal to ensure its power generation and heating needs，according to the NDRC. Major coal producers in the provinces of Shanxi and Shaanxi have been instructed. to boost production capacity and coal imports. The NDRC has ordered power plants to have coal reserves for at least 18 days. It would also guarantee the power support to regions in Hunan and Jiangxi, which are short of the supply of coal.
1. What does the underlined word in Paragraph 5 probably mean?| A．Shortage. | B．Abundance. |
| C．Waste. | D．Improvement. |
| A．Temperature of this winter is likely to be the coldest. |
| B．Temperature in Hunan province never reached subzero. |
| C．Orange alarm is higher than blue in the three-tier ranking. |
| D．It's impossible for the power plants in Hunan to have coal reserves for at least 18 days. |
| A．natural gas | B．street lamps |
| C．gas central air conditioning | D．the use of electricity by households |
| A．Science Study | B．Weather |
| C．Discovery | D．Our World |
7 . The tea gardens in Sri Lanka are actually large estates( 种植园). The best tea usually comes from plants grown on high grounds, the cool hilltops with rows and rows of tea plants. The plants are about one metre apart. The plant is often pruned so that it remains only 60 to 90 centimetres high. Pruning is important because it encourages the growth of tender shoots, or young leaves. It is from these shoots that the best tea is got.
Practically all the tea pickers are women. The estates prefer to employ women pickers because they are more careful. Their thin fingers can easily remove the twin leaves and new shoots from the plant, which are the parts used for processing tea. The pickers carry large baskets into which they throw their pickings. A skilled worker can harvest between 9 to 14 kilogrammes of tea leaves a day. Usually new shoots can be picked from the plants about every ten or fifteen days.
Processing tea shoots into the familiar dry tea leaves requires great care and skill. There are various methods of processing depending on the type of tea required. For black tea, the young green leaves are first spread out on shelves to dry. This process removes much of its water and the leaves become soft. After this, the leaves are passed through heavy rollers. This operation will press the leaves for juices which give the tea both its colour and taste. Then the leaves are spread out on floors and left to ferment（发酵）under wet conditions. Fermentation develops the rich taste of black tea. The fermented leaves are then dried with a hot-air blower until they become rolled-up black leaves. The final step is to sort and grade them before the black tea is ready for sale to countries all over the world.
1. In the first paragraph, the word “pruning” means ________ .| A．regular cutting of the plants |
| B．frequent watering |
| C．regular use of chemicals |
| D．growing the plants high in the mountain |
| A．they work harder than men do in the picking |
| B．they can throw their pickings more easily into the baskets |
| C．their fingers fit them better for the job |
| D．they can more easily find the twin leaves |
| A．Three. | B．Four. | C．Five. | D．Six. |
| A．To introduce various methods of tea processing. |
| B．To persuade readers to buy tea from Sri Lanka. |
| C．To tell a story that had happened in the tea gardens. |
| D．To inform readers of tea growing, picking and processing. |
8 . When Ma Hu was chosen for a baseball training camp in Beijing, the 12-year-old didn't have the slightest idea how baseball was played or even what a baseball field looked like.
The son of a migrant worker in Ningxia, northwest China didn't have enough warmth of family. In the past, he was a headache for the teachers at school, acting up in the class and fighting with classmates during break time.
"I was lost at the street crossing and got picked up by the camp people" is how Ma describes how he came to join the training camp run by the Power Baseball Angel project. It was launched by Sun Lingfeng, former captain of the men's national baseball team, in 2015 to provide professional training to children from poor households and remote areas.
When Ma joined the camp, it had only 16 boys. They were told those who could get into the national top three would qualify for college admission. Other good players could join professional baseball teams. Still others could work at the base, leaching the newcomers.
Ma, now 15, has become a professional baseball player with a bright future. His story, including his early days when he fought with his teammates and ignored the coaches instructions, is part of an award-winning documentary Tough Out on the young baseball players at the camp, which was released in December 2020.
The documentary focuses on the team of underprivileged and abandoned children who struggled to learn a new sport and build a new life for themselves while fighting low self-esteem（自尊）and pursuing their dreams. It is dedicated to people who work hard silently, seize every opportunity and refuse to admit defeat.
1. Why did Sun Lingfeng start the Power Baseball Angel project?| A．To promote baseball in big cities of China |
| B．To train children who are fond of baseball. |
| C．To select players for the national baseball team |
| D．To offer poor kids professional baseball training |
| A．Promising. | B．Independent | C．Caring. | D．Honest. |
| A．Naughty. | B．Disadvantaged | C．Outgoing. | D．Ambitious |
| A．A Moving Story of a Baseball Camp Founder |
| B．An Award-winning Documentary on Baseball |
| C．Potential Boys Fighting Hard for College Dreams |
| D．Poor Youngsters Staying Ahead through Baseball |
9 . Today’s grandparents are joining grandchildren on social media, but the different generation’s online habits couldn’t be more different. The over-55s are joining Facebook in increasing numbers, meaning that they will soon be the site’s second biggest user group, with 3.5 million users aged 55-64 and 2.9 million over-65s.
Sheila, aged 59, says, “I joined to see what my grandchildren are doing, as my daughter posts videos and photos of them. It’s a much better way to see what they’re doing than waiting for letters and photos in the post. I think I’m lucky I get to see so much more of their lives than my grandparents did.”
However, Sheila’s grandchildren are less likely to use Facebook themselves. Children under 17 are leaving the site—only 2.2 million users are under 17---but they’re not going far from their smartphones. Chloe, age 15, even sleeps with her phone. “It’s my alarm clock so I have to,” she says. “I look at it before I go to sleep and as soon as I wake up.”
Teenagers might have their parents to thank for their smartphone and social media addiction as their parents were the early adopters of the smartphone. Peter, 38 and father of two teenagers, reports that he used to be on his phone or laptop constantly. He says, “How could I tell my kids to get off their phones is I was always in front of a screen myself?” So, in the evenings and at weekends, he takes his SIM card out of his smartphone and puts it into an old-style mobile phone that can only make calls and send text messages. “I’m not completely separated from the world if emergent, but the important thing is that I’m setting a better example to my kids and spending more quality time with them.”
Is it only a matter of time until the generation above and below Peter catches up with the new trend (趋势) for a less digital life?
1. How does Sheila feel about social media?| A．Useful. | B．Disappointed. | C．Useless. | D．Addicted. |
| A．To make calls to his boss. |
| B．To stop his work. |
| C．To set a good example to his kids. |
| D．To catch up with the new trend. |
| A．different | B．figured out | C．cut off | D．protected |
| A．Children under 17 don’t use smartphone at all. |
| B．Chloe is one of the early adopters of the smartphone. |
| C．Today’s grandparents enjoy a life without social media. |
| D．People may enjoy a less digital life in the near future. |
10 . Mary Nafula learned she had cancer a year ago. She survived the cancer treatment, but her hair fell out. The hair loss made the mother of three feel unprotected and weak. Nafula found help at a beauty salon in Nairobi. Women go to salons for haircuts and beauty treatments. But this business in Kenya's capital offers other products. It gave Nafula a wig to cover her head. The wig replaces the natural hair she lost during the treatment.
Nafula describes her new feelings of confidence in herself. "We can take all the challenges that accompany us, knowing that we are going to heal," she says. Cancer deaths are rising from 37,000 reported cases in 2012 to almost 48,000 currently. Doctor Gladwell Kiarie is a cancer specialist at The Nairobi Hospital. She says the rise in cancer deaths is probably a result of lifestyle changes and more testing for cancer. "We are smoking more. We are taking alcohol more," Kiarie said. "Our traditional diets have changed. We have more fatty foods. We have less water and greens in our foods."
Nafula says she is happy to have a wig and to be free from criticism on the streets and in the public transport vehicles called "matatus." Nafula described being very sick and trying to ride in a matatu. She was told "You should not enter the matatu because cancer can infect us." Diana Akech is the owner of the beauty salon where Nafula got her wig. Akech started doing beauty makeovers （翻新）five years ago after a friend got cancer. The friend lost her hair, but Akech gave her a wig. "Let me say my friend gave me the willpower to keep doing this... She's in heaven right now and I am sure she's very proud of what I'm doing." Recovering from cancer can be long and painful. A wig can reduce the pain and show patients that they are not alone.
1. What does the underlined “wig” in paragraph 1 mean?| A．A popular hat. | B．A beautiful mask. |
| C．A piece of artificial hair. | D．A pair of fashionable sunglasses. |
| A．Because there are not enough beauty salons to offer special products. |
| B．Because testing for cancer causes people to suffer from cancers. |
| C．Because people in Kenya are too poor to be treated. |
| D．Because the unhealthy lifestyles mainly lead to more cancers. |
| A．People living with cancers in Kenya are usually discriminated. |
| B．Nafula has recovered from her cancer completely. |
| C．More and more people in Kenya will quit smoking. |
| D．Wearing a wig is the best way to treat cancer. |
| A．A friend of Diana Akech dying of cancer. |
| B．The functions of wearing a wig. |
| C．The reason for the appearance of the wig. |
| D．The help from a friend to open a salon. |
