1 . European researchers say they have created a process that can produce oxygen from moon dust. The process could provide a major source of oxygen for humans taking part in moon exploration activities in the future.
Researchers from the European Space Agency, or ESA, carried out the experiments at a laboratory in the Netherlands. They reported their results in a study published in Planetary and Space Science.
The team says ESA’s experimental “plant” was able to successfully produce oxygen from simulated moon dust. The dust is part of a material known as regolith (月壤)，a top layer of dirt and rock pieces that sit on the surface of the moon.
Samples of regolith from the moon have confirmed that the material contains about 45 percent oxygen by weight. However, the oxygen is chemically locked in the form of minerals or glass, so it is not easily available for use. Having real samples of regolith from the moon made it possible for the researchers to create the simulated moon dust material used during testing.
The oxygen extraction (提取)process is carried out using a method called molten salt electrolysis (熔盐电解). This involves first placing the regolith in a metal container. Calcium chloride salt is added to the mixture, which is then heated to 950 degrees Celsius. At this temperature, the regolith remains solid. Next, an electrical current is passed through the material. The researchers say it is this step that results in oxygen being extracted from the regolith. The study reported that up to 96 percent of oxygen in the simulated moon dust was extracted during the experiments.
ESA’s long-term goal is to design an oxygen -producing “pilot plant” to operate full-time on the moon. The first technology demonstration of the system is expected to take place in the middle of 2020s.
The researchers reported that “as a bonus”，the process also results in the production of usable metallic materials.
1. What can benefit from the process?| A．The treatment of some patients. | B．The environment of the moon. |
| C．Future moon exploration activities. | D．Future experiment in the laboratory. |
| A．It exists in the form of solid. |
| B．It only exists on the surface. |
| C．It is mixed with other materials. |
| D．It is locked in a metal container. |
| A．Adding calcium chloride salt to the mixture. |
| B．Placing the regolith in a metal container. |
| C．Passing an electrical current through the material. |
| D．Heating the metal container to 950 degrees Celsius. |
| A．Mixed. | B．Copied. | C．Exposed. | D．Abandoned. |
2 . There are many therapies (疗法) for depression, including medical treatment, psychotherapy and talk therapy. Having a range of treatment choices is a good idea because no single treatment works equally well for each of millions of sufferers. Choosing the most suitable treatment is important to them. Now researchers say a new therapy proven to relieve depression should be added to the established treatments. It's called nature therapy. "Interacting with nature can have positive effects on those with depression," says Ethan Kross, PhD, an expert who has studied the nature depression link.
A little exposure to nature helps all of us get our energy back, and it may have special benefit for those who are depressed.“It seems that, from our work, the restorative effect of nature seems to be stronger for individuals with depression," says Marc Berman, PhD, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Chicago. That might be because they feel mentally exhausted, and being in nature re energizes them. However, Dr Berman has a strong warning. “We're not arguing that interacting with nature should replace clinically proven treatments for depression," he says, “Nor should those with clinical depression try to treat themselves.”
However, Berman and others say, interactions with nature could serve as a very effective supplementary treatment. Compared to adults with depression walking for 50 minutes in an urban setting, those who took a 50 minute walk in a natural setting were less depressed and had better memory skills.
Why does nature hold this special effect? Berman says, “In a natural environment, we can choose to think or not, and this choice is believed to help us rest our brains. You can then pay attention later, when you need to.”He adds, “It gives people more ability to concentrate, which is a big problem for those with depression. ”Nature provides an effective setting for resting our brains, unlike urban setting. Even in the most peaceful urban environment, you have to pay attention to such things as traffic and stoplights.
1. What can we learn about depression therapies from paragraph 1?| A．They focus on physical activity. |
| B．They pay no attention to interactions. |
| C．They mainly depend on natural environment. |
| D．They need to be tailored to different patients. |
| A．By making them feel energetic. | B．By reminding them to rest in time. |
| C．By taking the place of clinic treatment. | D．By covering up their mental problems. |
| A．Additional. | B．Traditional. | C．Controversial. | D．Essential. |
| A．An urban setting of restoring energy. |
| B．The positive role of nature in treating depression. |
| C．The popularity of using multiple ways to treat diseases. |
| D．An effective replacement of clinical therapy for depression. |
3 . Killer whales, or orcas, are known for their severe attacks on sea animals but they have never posed a threat to humans. However, since late July, the normally social animals have been intentionally attacking sailboats off the coasts of Spain and Portugal.
The strange behavior first surfaced on July 29, 2020, when a 46-foot boat was repeatedly attacked for almost an hour by nine orcas, causing the boat to rotate(旋转) 180 degrees and having its engine switched off. Since then, over 30 more similar incidents have been reported. On September 23, 2020, Spain's government banned boats of less than 50 feet in length from sailing in the 60-mile stretch of the Atlantic coastline between Ferrol and the Estaca de Bares Cape, where the attacks have been occurring.
Researchers across the world are trying to explain the orcas' behavior. Some believe it could be a result of the overfishing of the bluefish tuna - the orcas' primary food source -which has left the area's killer whales starving and unable to feed their babies. "I saw them look at boats carrying fish. I think they know humans are somehow related to food shortages, "says Ken Balcomb, senior scientist at the Center for Whale Research in Washington, USA. The environmentalists believe the sudden increase in boat traffic and fishing activities, after months of absence due to restrictions on human activity last spring, could also be contributing to the agitation.
However, Alfredo López, a biology professor in Galicia, Spain, thinks the attacks are defensive measures the orcas adopted to protect themselves against boat injuries. The researcher came to this conclusion after looking at the of the videos of a few incidents and noticing that two of the young killer whales involved had serious injuries. Hopefully, the experts will be able to find a way to restore the harmony between the animals and the humans soon.
1. What do we know about orcas in paragraph 1?| A．They are friendly to humans. | B．They have changed their behavior. |
| C．They are famous for hunting skills | D．They have met tough living conditions. |
| A．Ken Balcomb. | B．The environmentalists. |
| C．Alfredo López. | D．Spain's government. |
| A．The attacks. | B．Food shortages. | C．The overfishing. | D．Human activities. |
| A．How do killer whales attack humans? |
| B．Why Are Killer Whales attacking Boats? |
| C．How can we live in harmony with animals? |
| D．Why are boats banned from sailing on the sea? |
4 . Recently whenever I turned on my computer or my mobile phone, news about the great effect of Hurricane Harvey（哈维飓风）on thousands of people caught my eye. I saw many unfortunate events. However, there was also lots of bright news that showed the goodness of mankind. As a reporter, I reported many human-interest stories when doing my job, That’s why the story about the guys in the bakery（面包店）caught my eye.
When the workers at a Mexican bakery chain in Houston were trapped inside the building for two days, they didn't sit there feeling sorry for themselves. They used their time wisely after flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey. While waiting for the eventual rescue that came on Monday morning, the four workers decided to make as many loaves of bread as possible for people around the neighborhood. They talked to their manager about their plan over the phone and the manager agreed.
The flood water rose in the street outside. They took advantage of their emergency power supply to bake bread. They used more than 4,200 pounds of flour（面粉）to create hundreds of loaves and sheets of sweet bread. Although the water kept rising, they continued baking to help more people. By the time the manager managed to get to them, they had made so much bread that they took the loaves to lots of emergency centers across the city for people affected by the floods.
The store manager, Brian Alvarado, told The Independent, “They've done more than they should have done. And what they had done has lit a light for people. I feel lucky to have them work in the bakery.”
Whenever a disaster occurs, nobody should feelforlorn. Instead, we should stay hopeful and take positive action to save ourselves and help others. Our acts of kindness will make a big difference to the people in the world as well as the world itself.
1. Why did the story in the bakery draw the author’s attention?| A．It was helpful in choosing a good job. |
| B．It made him/her interested in baking. |
| C．It could bring him/her much money. |
| D．It showed the goodness of mankind. |
| A．They tried to get people out of water. |
| B．They set up emergency centers to help. |
| C．They offered to make bread for people. |
| D．They let homeless people live in the bakery. |
| A．He found them lucky. | B．He was proud of them. |
| C．They were experienced. | D．They were shy but brave. |
| A．Hopeless. | B．Confident. | C．Serious. | D．Angry. |
5 . Americans wear black for mourning. Chinese wear white. Westerners think of dragons as monsters. Chinese honor them as symbols of God. Chinese civilization has often shown such polarities(极性）with the West,as though each stands at extreme ends of a global string. Now in the University of California,Berkeley,a psychologist has discovered deeper polarities between Chinese and American cultures-polarities that go to the heart of how we reason and discover truth.
His findings go far toward explaining why American cultures seem so contentious and Chinese cultures so passive, when compared to each other. More importantly, the research opens the way for the peoples of the East and the West to learn from each other in fundamental ways. The Chinese could learn much from Western methods for determining scientific truth,said Peng Kaiping,a former Beijing scholar, who is now a UC Berkeley assistant professor of psychology. And Americans could profit enormously from the Chinese tolerance for accepting contradictions(矛盾） in social and personal life,he said.
“Americans have a terrible need to find out who is right in an argument,"said Peng."The problem is that at the interpersonal level, you really don't need to find the truth,or maybe there isn't any.” Chinese people,said Peng,are far more content to think that both sides have flaws(缺陷）and virtues, because they have a holistic awareness that life is full of contradictions. They do far less blaming of the individual than Americans do, he added.
In studies of interpersonal argument,for example,when subjects were asked to deal with contradictory information stemming from conflict between a mother and a daughter or a student and a school,Peng found that Americans were "uncompromising, blaming one side-usually the mother-for the causes of the problems, demanding changes from one side to attain a solution and offering no compromise” in dealing with the conflict. Compared to this angry,blaming American stance,the Chinese were paragons(模范）of compromise,finding fault on both sides and looking for solutions that moved both sides to the middle.
1. In Paragraph 1, the author offers examples in order to_______| A．expose the contradiction between Chinese and Americans |
| B．show the differences between Chinese culture and American culture |
| C．find the reason for the differences |
| D．generalize the main idea of the passage |
| A．conservative |
| B．aggressive |
| C．objective |
| D．subjective |
| A．likely to find the truth in life |
| B．reluctant to admit their failure |
| C．reluctant to have a general idea of things |
| D．likely to know advantages and disadvantages of things |
| A．Culture Differences Between America and China |
| B．Different Ways for Mourning Between America and China |
| C．Different Ways for Treating the Aged Between America and China |
| D．The Study about American and Chinese |
6 . Have you ever wondered what wild animals do when no one is watching?
Low cost, dependable and small modern cameras offered a big help. Cameras placed in hard-to-reach places have shot everything from small desert cats to larger snow-lowing cats in the northern Rocky Mountains. Scientists have been able to document the “private” moments of wildlife with leading technology.
Grant Harris is a government biologist with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In his words, “there’s no doubt that these wild cameras are important tools to learn new information on wildlife.” Harris said some images help scientists see the influences of climate (气候) change.
Researchers with the Wyoming Migration Initiative, or WMI, are among those using wild cameras along with global positioning systems, or GPS. But WMI director Matthew Kauffman says as those devices (设备) are limited (有限的), so is the amount of information they can gather. However, cameras can be left in very wild areas for days, weeks or even months. They can provide information on how many animals are moving over a given period of time.
Putting those cameras in place requires careful planning. Wild video can show details about animal behavior. However, wild cameras have their problems too. Animals such as wolverines and bears sometimes attack (袭击) them. Scientists do not know if the attacks are the result of anger or interest. Also, the devices have become popular tools to help hunters look for animals. Some people argue that it is unfair to use the cameras that way.
Even with such problems, wild cameras are clearly an important scientific tool in researching wild animals.
1. What does the underlined word “document” in paragraph 2 mean?| A．Remind. | B．Enrich. | C．Produce. | D．Record. |
| A．They cannot be left in the wild over a long period. |
| B．They cannot be placed in hard-to-reach areas. |
| C．They provide limited information. |
| D．They might be stolen by people. |
| A．It is difficult to fix the cameras. |
| B．It helps hunters find animals easily. |
| C．It is hard to achieve careful planning. |
| D．It makes animals interested in the cameras. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Supporting. | C．Uncertain. | D．Uninterested. |
7 . The nine woman of Bella Mondo win over yet another audience. The group is one of just a handful of all-women ensembles (乐队) in Ivory Coast.
It all started in 2007. Prisca Allou was a music student. A music producer came to see her. He said he wanted to make an all-female ensemble to keep a promise to his late mother.
Allou got on board and was charged with recruiting (招募) other members. “It wasn’t easy at first. Some parents were against it. You know, in Africa, the place of women is often seen as being either in an office or at home. That was the fixed image.” Allou spread the word and took out ads in local papers. Most of the girls she found were not professional players. “I just played some tamtam. I learned to play drums when I joined Bella Mondo.” The girls spent the next four years learning to play their instruments. Many gave up along the way, but eight of them soldiered on with Allou, and Bella Mondo was founded.
The band plays original songs and covers. Their music spans a wide range of styles: funk, reggae, pop music. They released their first album in 2013... and have performed in Paris, Dakar, Cotonou and, of course, here at home in Abidjan.
You can see them nearly every Thursday at this bar, the same place that gave the band its start years ago. “Oh yes, I was surprised at first. A woman singing, you see that every day, but an entire band, playing all the instruments and everything? It was extraordinary. I was dumbstruck. Bella Mondo is a great band.”
The women are now working on their second album.
1. Why did the music producer want to form a female ensemble?| A．To sponsor music students. | B．To comfort his mother. |
| C．To carry out his promise. | D．To win over an audience. |
| A．The band charged too much. |
| B．A number of parents didn’t support it. |
| C．Most women prefer to work in a government office. |
| D．African women are not allowed to leave their homes. |
| A．What Allou experienced. |
| B．How Bella Mondo was born. |
| C．Why most girls gave up halfway. |
| D．How the girls learned to play instruments. |
| A．Astonished. | B．Amused. | C．Determined. | D．Satisfied. |
8 . I've loved my mother's desk since I was just tall enough to see above the top of it as mother sat doing letters. Standing by her chair, looking at the ink bottle, pens and white paper, I decided that the act of writing must be the most wonderful thing in the world.
Years later, during her final illness, Mother kept different things for my sister and brother. "But the desk,” she said again, “is for Elizabeth."
I never saw her angry, never saw her cry. I knew she loved me; she showed it in action. But as a young girl, I wanted heart-to-heart talks between mother and daughter.
They never happened. And a gulf opened between us, I was "too emotional". But she lived "on the surface".
As years passed, I had my own family. I loved my mother and thanked her for our happy family, I wrote to her in careful words and asked her to let me know in any way she chose that she did forgive me.
I posted the letter and waited for her answer; none came.
My hope turned to disappointment, then little interest and, finally, peace. It seemed that nothing happened. I couldn't be sure that the letter had even got to Mother. I only knew that I had written it, and I could stop trying to make her into someone she was not.
Now the present of Her desk told me, as she'd never been able to, that she was pleased that writing was my chosen work. I cleaned the desk carefully and found some papers inside — a photo of my father and a one — page letter, folded and refolded many times.
Give me an answer, my letter asks, in any way you choose. Mother, you always chose the act that speaks louder than words.
1. The passage shows that___________.| A．Mother was cold on the surface but kind in her heart to the author |
| B．Mother was too serious about everything the author had done |
| C．Mother cared much about the author in words |
| D．Mother wrote to the author in careful words |
| A．deep understanding | B．difference between ideas |
| C．free talks | D．part of the sea |
| A．She had never received the letter. |
| B．For years, she often talked about the letter. |
| C．She didn't forgive her daughter at all in all her life. |
| D．She read the letter again and again till she died. |
| A．My letter to Mother | B．Mother and Children |
| C．My Mother's Desk | D．Talks between Mother and me. |
9 . More than 100 scientists from 25 countries have traveled to faraway places to collect wild crop seeds(种子) in an effort to help battle climate change.
The scientists, who have been compared to the heroes of the “Indiana Jones” movies, traveled on foot, four-wheeled vehicles(交通工具), boats, horses and even elephants to reach faraway areas. They faced extreme heat,dust, and danger from wild animals. At last, they collected 4, 644 seeds of 371 wild relatives of 28 world crops, many of which are said to be endangered.
The Crop Trust, an organization that works to save different kinds of crops, is directing the project. The group is working in partnership with Britain's Royal Botanic Gardens and Millennium Seed Bank. Additional financial support comes from Norway. The project is believed to be the largest organized international effort yet to collect and protect crops' wild relatives.Hannes Dempewolf is a scientist and the head at the Crop Trust. He said“What these seed collectors went through in the field resembles scenes from an Indiana Jones movie.”
Some crops are threatened because of destruction of forests, climate change and expanded cities. The newly-found wild seeds have developed so plants can grow in extreme temperatures, poor soils, and even in low rainfall areas.
A United Nations report says that food production is at risk because of a shortage of rain and other weather extremes connected to climate change. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization says that the number of plant species is quickly decreasing and people are depending on fewer species for food. Those wild seeds could be important in feeding a growing human population in some areas and offer a largely unused source of diversity(多样性) to crops.
1. What does the second paragraph show?| A．Collecting seeds is not an easy job. |
| B．The scientists’ story is made into a movie. |
| C．The wild seeds are in danger of extinction. |
| D．The scientists can choose from many vehicles. |
| A．Depends on. | B．Looks like. |
| C．Turns out. | D．Refers to. |
| A．They can increase green areas. | B．They can provide more nutrients |
| C．They can survive bad conditions. | D．They can improve existent crop seeds. |
| A．Bringing more plant species to the world. |
| B．Helping farmers improve their farming skills. |
| C．Knowing about the worlds farming practices. |
| D．Helping battle climate change. |
10 . After bikes and umbrellas are made sharable across China, some companies started eyeing the fitness market, so shared gym rooms have hit the streets in Beijing.
Unlike regular gyms that provide large, open spaces for many members to share at the same time, the newly built shared gym rooms are small, stand-alone rooms for a person to use, often set up near living communities.
Every four-square-meter room is equipped with a treadmill (跑步机), an air cleaner, a mirror, a television and an air conditioner, and users can let down the curtains for privacy. When exercising, users can listen to music, watch movies and check emails by connecting to the Internet by the screen fixed on the treadmill. There’s no shower or washbasin.
Similar to using a shared bike, users can locate a shared gym room by smartphone application, book a room in advance and then need to scan (扫描) a QR code for use. A refundable deposit (保证金) of 99 yuan is required, and users are charged 0.2 yuan per minute.
The shared gym rooms are created by Misspao, a Beijing-based technology company founded in July. Within two weeks since it was founded, the company has already got two rounds of funding valued over 100 million yuan, Yicai Global reports. The idea of the shared fitness experience is not entirely nascent. Last December, the Shanghai-based technology company VRUN set up shared treadmills in office and apartment buildings.
The sharing economy is still becoming popular in China. According to Yicai Global, confident investors are pouring millions into sharing start-ups. In March, the State Information Center published a report which predicts that the total value of China’s sharing economy will see a yearly growth of 40% in the coming years, and it is expected to contribute around 10% to the country’s GDP by 2020.
1. What makes the shared gym room different from the regular one?| A．Offering open spaces. | B．Standing in the living zone. |
| C．Holding one person at a time. | D．Having some advanced equipment. |
| A．Users can have a shower in it after exercise. |
| B．Users who want to use it need a smartphone. |
| C．Users who use it first need to pay for 99.2 yuan. |
| D．Users’ privacy can’t be protected while they are exercising. |
| A．Simple. | B．Popular. | C．Satisfying. | D．New. |
| A．To introduce shared gym rooms. |
| B．To advertise a technology company. |
| C．To predict the future of the sharing economy. |
| D．To persuade people to support the sharing economy. |
