1 . Growing Up in the Library
I grew up in libraries, or at least it feels that way. I was raised in the suburbs of Cleveland, just a few blocks from the brick-faced Bertram Woods branch of the Shaker Heights Public Library system. I went there several times a week with my mother. She and I would walk in together, but as soon as we passed through the door, we each headed towards our favorite sections. The library might have been the first place I was ever given autonomy.
Even when I was maybe four or five years old, I was allowed to head off on my own. Then, after a while, my mother and I would reunite at the checkout counter with our finds. Together we'd wait as the librarian pulled out the date card and stamped it with the checkout machine ― that giant fist thumping the card with a loud chunk-chunk, printing a crooked due date underneath a score of previous crooked due dates that belonged to other people, other times.
Those visits were dreamy, frictionless (没有摩擦的) periods that held the promise of leaving me richer than I’d arrived. It wasn’t like going to a store with my mom, which guaranteed a tug-of-war between what I wanted and what my mother was willing to buy me; in the library, I could have anything I wanted.
After we had finished checking out the books, I loved being in the car and having all the books we’d gotten stacked on my lap, pressing me under their solid, warm weight, their Mylar covers sticking a bit to my thighs. It was such a thrill leaving a place with things you hadn’t paid for; such a thrill expecting the new books we would read. On the ride home, my mother and I talked about the order in which we were going to read our books, a serious conversation in which we planned how to pace ourselves through this charmed period of grace until the books were due.
When I was older, I usually walked to the library by myself, lugging back as many books as I could carry. Occasionally, I did go with my mother, and the trip would be as engaging as it had been when I was small. Even when I was in my last year of high school and could drive myself to the library, my mother and I still went together every now and then, and the trip unfolded exactly as it had when I was a child, with all the same beats and pauses and comments and daydreaming, the same perfect rhythm we’d followed so many times before. After my mother passed away two years ago, I plunged into a deep shadow of grief for a long time. When I miss my mother these days, I like to picture us in the car together, going for one more magnificent trip to Bertram Woods, during which we talked, laughed ― as if she were still in my company, giving me inexhaustible strength
1. In this passage, the word “autonomy” (paragraph 1) is closest in meaning to “__________.”| A．vitality | B．freedom | C．inspiration | D．entitlement |
| A．they would plan to read their newly-borrowed books with feverish enthusiasm |
| B．they would have a serious conversation about which book attracted them the most |
| C．they would be anxious to recommend to each other the books they had borrowed |
| D．they would agree on buying the books they had just borrowed if they enjoyed them |
| A．One specific memory of a childhood trip to the library. |
| B．The fond childhood memories of her mother taking good care of her. |
| C．How her affection for going to the library has endured into her own motherhood. |
| D．Why her own child made up their mind to become a librarian after finishing college. |
2 . Since 2007, the American Psychological Association (APA) has conducted a survey of different aspects of stress in America. This year's analysis focused on teens, and on a 10 point scale, adolescents ranked their stress at 5.8, compared with a score of 5.1 reported by adults.
“What is even more disturbing,” says Norman Anderson, CEO and executive vice president of the APA, “is the fact that most teens knew their stress levels weren't healthy—they said 3.9 was probably more desirable—but did little about it.” In fact, the survey revealed that 42% of teens aren't doing enough to manage their stress.
The researchers were concerned about it, since unaddressed stress can lead to both short-term mental-health issues such as depression, as well as lay the seeds for long-lasting conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure in adulthood.
What’s causing teens to feel so anxious? Eighty three percent cited school as a source of stress, including concerns about their future after high school and worries about college. For some, family financial issues also caused anxiety, which wasn’t surprising since previous studies found that parental stress can pass down onto children, even at very young ages.
“This branch of population is not taken seriously sometimes,” said Katherine Nordal, of the APA, “we wanted to shine light on some of the problems we know teens are having and whether they are successful at coping with them or not.”
“Clearly,” said Anderson, “we have work to do to manage stress overall. Stress levels among Americans continue to be high, but coping mechanisms(机制) remain ineffective,” Teens reported doing everything that they probably shouldn't in order to relieve stress—they aren't getting enough sleep, which can add to anxious feelings, and they're less physically active. Exercise is among the best ways to reduce stress, but the survey found that teens were beginning to rely on sitting activities, such as surfing the internet, engaging in social media or watching videos, to relieve stress.
1. From paragraph one, we can learn that___________.| A．no survey has been carried out among teens before |
| B．different aspects of stress mainly existed in adults |
| C．10 percent of the teens are involved in the survey |
| D．compared with the adults, teens are suffering more stress in different aspects |
| A．The government took some measures to reduce teens' stress. |
| B．Most teens took it for granted and did nothing about it. |
| C．42% of teens thought it natural to some stress. |
| D．Most teens were worrying about their stress levels. |
| A．sorrow | B．surprise | C．unhappiness | D．depth |
| A．America's Teens Outscore Adults on Stress |
| B．America Teens' Education in High School |
| C．American Adolescents' Mental and Physical Health Issues |
| D．Modern Psychology Teaching among America's Teens |
3 . A big eating show, or mukbang in Korean, is an online audiovisual show in which a vlogger consumes large quantities of food while interacting with the audience. These shows originated in South Korea and have become a worldwide trend.
This eating performance has rapidly spread its influence to some Asign countries such as Japan and China where it became popular. In China, mukbang is' called “chibo”, in which mukbangers make their content into short videos and vlogs and upload them onto huge social media platforms like Weibo.
Many hosts of such shows become popular for their ability to eat large amounts of food, But these shows have also received criticism for their waste of food. On Aug 12，CCTV exposed several Chinese hosts who were pretending to eat large amounts of food while on camera, but actually later threw it away.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, about a third of the world's food 1.3 billion tons is wasted every year, In China alone, as it was once reported that the amount of food wasted in China was enough to feed 200 million people a year.
In June 2020，the United Nations warned that the world is on the road of the worst food crisis in 50 years.
To discourage this practice, many video and live- streaming platforms, including Douyin, Kuaishou and Bilibili, have removed videos that show food waste.
People in China have realized the need for safeguarding food security and halting food waste. In Shanxi province，local restaurants have been asked to serve half portions to avoid waste. The Wuhan Catering Association proposed that restaurants adopt the“N-1 mode”. For example, a group of 10 diners should only order enough for nine people at first. More food is only brought to the table if required.
In addition, a nationwide “Clear Your Plate” campaign has been launched online. Users of Sina Weibo are encouraged to share photos or videos of empty plates after finishing their meals.
1. Why do many hosts of mukbang become popular?| A．It has been a worldwide trend. | B．They are expert at attracting audience. |
| C．They are able to eat large amounts of food. | D．They can pretend to eat a lot in a vivid way. |
| A．The food waste has been shocking. |
| B．China is to blame for wasting food. |
| C．Food waste in the world is increasing annually. |
| D．The United Nations is preparing for the future food crisis. |
| A．defending | B．quitting | C．encouraging | D．criticizing |
| A．The“N-1 mode" is created to reduce cost on food. |
| B．Videos, about food should be, strictly banned online. |
| C．Chinese people are taking pains to fight against food wasting. |
| D．Only users of Sina Weibo participate in “Clear Your Plate"” campaign. |
4 . This is the story of three plastic bottles, empty and abandoned. Their journeys are about to diverge, more or less influencing the fate of our planet.
Bottle One, like hundreds of millions of tons of other plastic bottles, ends up in a landfill. This huge dump expands each day as more trash comes in and continues to take up space. As plastics sit there being pressed among layers of their junk, rainwater flows through the waste and absorbs the chemicals it contains, and some of those are highly poisonous. Together they create harmful matter called leachate (沥滤液）, which can move into groundwater, soil and streams, poisoning ecosystems and harming wildlife. It can take Bottle One 1,000 years to rot away.
Bottle Two's journey is strange. He floats on water that reaches a stream, a stream that flows into a river, and a river that reaches the ocean. After months lost at sea, he's slowly drawn where trash accumulates, a place known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Here the ocean's currents have trapped millions of pieces of plastic waste. There the water becomes a cloudy plastic soup. Some animals, like seabirds, get stuck in the mess. They, and others, mistake the brightly colored plastic things for food. Plastic makes them feel full when they're not, so they starve to death and pass the poisons from the plastic up the food chain. For example, it's eaten by fish, and the fish are eaten by us.
But Bottle Three is spared the cruel suffering of his brothers. A truck brings him to a plant where he and his companions are squeezed flat and pressed into a block. The blocks are cut and torn into tiny pieces, which are washed and melted, so they become the raw materials that can be used again. As if by magic, Bottle Three is now ready to be reborn as something completely new.
For this bit of plastic with such humble origins, suddenly the sky is the limit.
1. The underlined word “diverge” in paragraph 1 probably means| A．develop |
| B．disappear |
| C．conclude |
| D．vary |
| A．He will expand when pressed among layers of their junk. |
| B．He might poison or even endanger different forms of life. |
| C．He can be easily recognized by seabirds and taken for dangerous food source. |
| D．He will go through chemical changes and be recycled into new materials soon. |
| A．In a science magazine. |
| B．In a tour brochure. |
| C．In a product description. |
| D．In a geography textbook. |
| A．Fates of Plastic Bottles |
| B．The Significance of Recycling |
| C．The Shame of Wasting |
| D．High-Tech of Dealing with Waste |
5 . As my husband and I drove down a country road, we passed a fire station with a sign that read, "Are you ready for the next storm?” Our area had just been in the path of Hurricane Irma, causing downed trees and outages. We were stuck in the dark and cut off from the outside world.
We have had our share of storms in the past--a snowstorm and other heavy snows that knocked down trees, sometimes up to a week at a time. Those days in a cold house weren't fun, but we learned so much from those early storms, things that made later storms easier to bear.
Now we have stored up flashlights, lanterns and candles. We bought a battery-operated radio to keep up with the news. We stocked up on batteries so that we'd have plenty for extended power failures. We make sure our grill（烤架） is ready and its tank is full, and we purchase food that can be easily prepared and then cooked or heated on the grill. And we don't forget to buy emergency chocolate! We have book lights to read in the dark. We keep our car gas tanks full and have emergency cash on hand.
We're ready for the next storm, but we wouldn't have learned to do all those things if we hadn't encountered a storm in the past. The same is true spiritually. Those little storms in our lives are never fun, but they prepare us for the big storms--the big trials--that will come our way, They can teach us some valuable lessons.
Are you ready for the next storm? Now is the time to get ready. . . not when the storm arrives.
1. Which can replace the underlined word "outages” in paragraph 1?| A．weather change |
| B．virus' spreading |
| C．power failure |
| D．emotional reaction |
| A．The lessons that storms can teach us. |
| B．The importance of being ready for storms. |
| C．The necessities the author bought for her daily life. |
| D．The preparations the author made for the next storm. |
| A．It was rewarding. |
| B．It was annoying. |
| C．It was thrilling. |
| D．It was frightening. |
| A．Things will work out. |
| B．Keep something for a rainy day. |
| C．Don't stop regardless of the weather. |
| D．Sunshine always comes after the storm. |
6 . Children whose fathers make time to play with them from a very young age may find it easier to control their behaviour and emotions as they grow up, research suggests.
Although there are many similarities between fathers and mothers, the findings suggest that fathers participate in more physical play even with the youngest children. This seems to help children learn to control their feelings. It may also make them better at supervising their own behaviour later on.
Paul Ramchandani, professor of Play in Education, Development and Learning at the University of Cambridge, said, “It’ s important not to overstate the influence of father-child play as there are limits to what the research can tell us, but it does seem that children who get a reasonable amount of playtime with their father benefit as a group.”
Parent-child play in the first years of life is known to support basic social, cognitive and communication skills, but most research focuses on mothers and babies. The Cambridge review used data from 78 studies, undertaken between 1977 and 2017—most of them in Europe or North America. The researchers analysed the combined information for patterns about how often fathers and children play together, the nature of that play, and any possible link with children’ s development.
In almost all the studies surveyed, there was a consistent relation between father-child play and children’ s subsequent ability to control their feelings. Children who enjoyed high-quality playtime with their fathers were less likely to exhibit emotional and behavioral problems. They also appeared to be better at controlling their aggression, and less likely to attack other children during disagreements at school.
“Physical play creates fun, exciting situations in which children have to apply self-control,” Ramchandani said. “You might have to control your strength. It’ s a safe environment in which children can practise how to respond. If they react the wrong way, they might get told off, but it’ s not the end of the world—and next time they might remember to behave differently.”
1. The underlined word “supervising” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to ________.| A．acknowledging | B．regulating |
| C．exhibiting | D．understanding |
| A．Father-child play is extremely influential. |
| B．The research still has space for improvement. |
| C．Fathers needn’t correct children’ s behaviour at play. |
| D．Physical play should be carried out with great caution. |
| A．It lasted for more than four decades. |
| B．It focused on early parent-child play. |
| C．It made full use of others’ research fruits. |
| D．It stressed the importance of the length of playtime. |
| A．To Develop Self-Controllable Children, Play with Them |
| B．Playing Enables Children to Improve Their Self-Control |
| C．Playing Together May Benefit Father-Child Relationship |
| D．Playtime with Dad May Improve Children’ s Self-Control |
7 . A first-year undergraduate student in Chengdu, recently complained online that her mother refused to raise her monthly allowance to 4, 500 yuan （ $ 633） even when she said her current allowance 2,000 yuan was not enough to cover her expenses, sparking a debate on how much money a college student needs per month. One expert shares his views on the issue with China Daily: Students should pursue education, not comfort.
Even for a college student studying in a first -tier city in China, 2, 000 yuan is enough to cover all his or her monthly expenses. In fact, for a college student in Chengdu a monthly allowance of 2, 000 yuan is more than enough. According to a survey conducted by a bookkeeping platform, the average monthly expense for an undergraduate in cities other than Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou was less than 2, 000 yuan in 2019; for Chengdu, it was 1, 900 yuan.
Claiming that she can hardly afford new clothing and cosmetics with her 2, 000 yuan monthly allowance, the undergraduate student in Chengdu criticized her mother for refusing to raise her pocket money. Her “meager” allowance, she said, prevented her from buying branded goods that her hostel-mates enjoyed.
By the time a person enters a college, she or he should have developed a healthy consumption habit. And a youth should adjust her or his consumption according to her or his family income. On a deeper level, the money they spend in college should depend on how much they value their parents’ hard work. Besides, some college students could take up part-time jobs to meet their monetary needs if they feel their parents don't or can’t send them enough money. In this way they can also learn to meet the requirements of life in the future and develop healthy consumption ion habits. More importantly, they should always bear in mind that education is their top priority in college.
1. What's the expert' s attitude to the issue about the undergraduate student?| A．supportive. | B．neutral. | C．He was critical. | D．He was unconcerned. |
| A．less than 2, 000 yuan | B．633 dollars | C．more than 2, 000 | D．1, 900 yuan |
| A．Empty. | B．Fruitful. | C．Mean. | D．Pitiful. |
| A．College students should keep their expenses in line with their family conditions. |
| B．College students should deal with their living expenses problems reasonably. |
| C．College students consumption level is determined by their parents. |
| D．College students should take up a part-time job to cover their expenses. |
8 . At one point in June last year, Zeng Jiapeng was more than 10,000 yuan in debt to a smart phone app. The 23-year-old Shanghai citizen pays for his online purchases of food, clothes, and travel with Huabei, a virtual credit card that's part of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.’s spreading stable of e-commerce. His spending often used to go beyond his only source of income: the 8,000-yuan monthly allowance from his parents. He tried to repay the debt in installments(分期), even borrowing from Jiebei, another Alibaba-owned credit service, but eventually his mother and father had to help him out.
Zeng’s story is typical of members of China’ Generation Z. These young consumers, born from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s, have little income and therefore actually no credit history. Yet they have easy access to credit from a variety of banks, financial-tech companies, and peer-to-peer (P2P) Lenders(网络借贷平台), plus other channels that are unregulated. The spending habits of the young in particular are causing concern. In some cases the younger generation is being tempted to overconsume via credit secured through technology. Unsecured consumer lending has expanded 20% a year in China since 2008. The amount of consumer finance available through the Internet will more than double, to 19 trillion yuan, by 2021, from 7.8 trillion yuan last year. Official data showed that almost 70% of China’s 50 million P2P borrowers were younger than 40.
As for Zeng, he’s trying to be a little more frugal, even though he is now trying to earn a little by himself. “I deliberately set the credit limit at a lower level,” he says, “so that hopefully I can better match my income with spending.”
Regulators(监管部门)last year launched a breakdown on peer-to-peer lending, which, besides being a source of easy credit, had also become a popular investment vehicle. The sector has shrunk to less than half its peak size as a result of forced shutdowns.
1. What can we learn about Zeng Jiapeng from the first paragraph?| A．He was in debt because he bought smart phone app. |
| B．He likes purchasing goods on the app Huabei of Alibaba Group. |
| C．He always spent more than he earned from his salary in the past. |
| D．He depended on his parents to support him to repay his debt. |
| A．Impractical | B．Hardworking | C．Avoiding waste | D．Relying on others |
| A．hopeless | B．unreasonable | C．controlled | D．sensible |
| A．Overconsumption—A Bad Habit |
| B．China’s Generation Z—Hooked On Credit |
| C．Chinese Youth In the E—commerce Age |
| D．Zeng Jinpeng’s Financial Crisi |
9 . With oil prices rising sharply this year, it seems remarkable to argue that water might one day be more expensive than oil. Jean-Louis Chaussade,the chief executive of the French utility company Suez, argues that water scarcity(不足）is now one of the most pressing challenges facing many industries. He told the Financial Times last year that he foresaw one day water would be more precious than oil.
It isn't only a growing world population that places demands on water - industries such as energy and agriculture are also consuming more and more. The 2030 Water Resources Group, believes that by 2030 global demand will be 40 percent higher than it is today.
The threat is now so acute that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in the US warned that disputes over water may lead to armed conflicts, particularly in areas such as Africa and the Middle Fast. A three-year drought in South Africa caused a water crisis earlier this year, with officials warning they may have to shut off most of Cape Town's taps.
The most valuable water in the world is what we actually consume. With petrol at roughly £1.29 a liter in the UK today, a bottle of water from some of big-name branded companies can already be about three times more. And it is not going to get any cheaper. The days of relying on water flowing through our taps are coming to an end. Around the world. 2.1 billion people do not have immediate access to clean drinking water. And this isn't only a developing-world problem. In almost every country people have water stress.
Over the next ten years, if we do not come together to find answers to our water shortage. we will face major supply-related issues around the globe, not just with drinking water - our industries will be affected as well.
1. What is the second paragraph mainly about?| A．The result of water shortage. |
| B．The causes of water shortage. |
| C．The solutions to water shortage. |
| D．The situation of water shortage. |
| A．Debate. |
| B．Argument. |
| C．Agreement. |
| D．Pollution. |
| A．Many people can't have clean water. |
| B．Water is more expensive than oil now. |
| C．Water is £1. 29 a liter in the UK today. |
| D．Rich countries don't have water stress. |
| A．To tell us the pollution of water. |
| B．To tell us the importance of water. |
| C．To tell us the way to protect water. |
| D．To tell us the situation of water stress. |
10 . An aircraft carrying personal protective equipment donated by China, along with U.S.-purchased medical supplies, arrived in New York on March 29.
The plane is the first in a series of flights over the next 30 days organized by the White House to help fight the coronavirus, the White House said. Most of the purchases are from Asia including Malaysia and Vietnam.
The Chinese Embassy in the U.S. retweeted a report from Axios, which said that 12 million gloves, 130,000 N-95 masks, 1.7 million surgical masks, 50,000 gowns, 130,000 hand sanitizer units, and 36,000 thermometers from China have arrived in the United States.
Along with the goods, Chinese company Huawei donated 10,000 masks, 20,000 articles of protective clothing, 10,000 gloves and 50,000 goggles to New York state.
Governor Andrew Cuomo confirmed the donation and thanked Huawei on Twitter.
The plane was funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. It landed at John F. Kennedy airport carrying gloves, gowns and masks for distribution in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, three hard-hit states battling to care for a crush of coronavirus patients.
The airlift is a product of a team led by White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, which formed "Project Airbridge," a partnership between large U.S. healthcare distributors such as Mekesson Corp, Cardinal, Owens & Minor, Medline and Henry Schein Inc, and the federal government.
The flight from Shanghai was the first of about 20 flights to arrive between now and early April, according to the White House. Additional flights will carry similar gear from China, Malaysia and Vietnam.
1. From the passage we know that ________.| A．all goods on the plane are donated by China |
| B．all goods on the plane are purchased from China |
| C．all goods on the plane are donated by Huawei |
| D．some of the goods on the plane are from donation while others are purchased from Asia |
| A．New York. | B．New Jersey. |
| C．California. | D．Connecticut. |
| A．Protective equipment and medical supplies. |
| B．Parts of the machine. |
| C．Medicine. |
| D．Food. |
| A．A textbook. | B．A collection of stories. |
| C．A guide book. | D．An official report. |
