1 . It's a typical morning: you wake up, take a shower, brush your teeth, and then prick(刺)your arm with a tiny needle. Wait, what? Unless you have a serious disease such as diabetes,you probably haven't ever tested your own blood. But in the future, that might change.
The company Cor already sells a system for home blood testing. You stick your arm using a supposedly painless cartridge. Then you stick the cartridge into a device that looks like the base for an electric toothbrush. A few minutes later, an app on your phone offers you updated information, including your current health status and tips on what to eat and how to exercise.It's true that blood provides abundant information about a person's health. Specific tests can reveal if a person is infected with a disease or at risk for a variety of problems. But most people don't test their own blood often. Healthy young adults get blood tests approximately every five years. Cor and similar companies are trying to change the situation. They think people deserve access to more information about their health.
But not everyone is convinced."The best-case scenario(情景)here is that you lose much money and then you're reminded to get more sleep and to eat more fruits, vegetables and fish,"Pieter Cohen of Harvard Medical School told The New York Times. Plus, the results of a home blood test might be wrong. It's hard to get accurate results from a tiny amount of blood. One company, Theranos, said it could perform medical blood tests on a fingerprick's worth of blood.But the company was soon stuck in a controversy((争议)and accused of cheating because its technology didn't work as promised. Thus, there's still a long way to go before the technology becomes advanced.
1. What's the function of Paragraph 1?| A．To express feelings. | B．To raise a question. |
| C．To make a prediction. | D．To introduce the topic. |
| A．Container. | B．Operation. | C．Medicine. | D．Scan. |
| A．To collect people's health information. | B．To offer people proper suggestions. |
| C．To help people track their health. | D．To cure people of blood diseases. |
| A．Ambiguous. | B．Objective. | C．Supportive. | D．Uncaring. |
2 . Those days of sucking (吮吸) up the sides of your rapidly melting (融化) ice cream may soon be over. Researchers have discovered a natural protein that could be added to everyone’s favorite summertime snack to keep it solid for longer, according to a press release from the University of Edinburg in Scotland.
Most people know that, at its most basic, ice cream is made of milk and sugar. But it has other ingredients that give it a solid consistency (黏稠度) — a fat (often oil), air bubbles, and ice crystals. The protein that the researchers discovered, called BsIA, coats all three of them to slow down the rate at which the ice melts and the air escapes. In one study of the protein, published earlier this year, the researchers call BsIA a “raincoat” that can act as a film to keep everything inside it for just a little longer. That same quality prevents big pieces of ice crystals from forming, which can happen if you leave ice cream in the fridge for too long.
BsIA is found in bacteria called Bacillus subtilis that is common in soil, and is already present in some foods. So adding the protein to ice cream wouldn’t bring the same sorts of long-term health concerns as would artificial ingredients (人造添加剂). The researchers note that producers could also add BsIA to ice cream to reduce their fat and sugar content.
Though the researchers have published two papers about BsIA and have tested it in the lab, they are staying quiet on the most recent data they collected, as the Washington Post notes. Importantly, the researchers make no mention about how the new ingredient might affect ice cream’s taste or how much we might enjoy eating it. What’s the good of long-lasting ice cream if you don’t even like it? But it might not be too long before you can try it out for yourself; ice cream with BsIA might be available within three to five years.
1. According to the passage, what is BsIA?| A．A group of ice crystals. | B．A sort of natural protein. |
| C．A kind of man-made bacteria. | D．A type of artificial film. |
| A．Covers. | B．Produces. | C．Melts. | D．Changes |
| A．It exists widely in food. |
| B．It has the same function as sugar. |
| C．It can speed up the freezing of ice crystals. |
| D．It can slow down the melting rate of ice cream. |
| A．They can add extra flavor to food. |
| B．They are more costly than BsIA. |
| C．They may do harm to people’s health. |
| D．They can’t be mass-produced like BsIA. |
| A．There is still uncertainty in BsIA. |
| B．BsIA faces an unpromising future. |
| C．BsIA won’t affect the taste of ice cream. |
| D．Everyone likes the ice cream with BsIA. |
| A．A guidebook. | B．A magazine. | C．A novel. | D．A diary. |
3 . Beauty has always been regarded as something that deserves praise. Almost everyone thinks attractive people are happier and healthier，have better marriages and nave more respectable jobs. Personal advisors give them better advice for finding jobs. Even judges are softer on attractive defendants. But in the executive（主管）circle, beauty can become a liability.
While attractiveness is a positive factor for a man on his way up the executive ladder，it is harmful to a woman. ①
Handsome male executives were considered as having more honesty than plainer men；effort and ability were thought to account for their success.
② Attractive female executives were considered to have less honesty than unattractive ones；their success was attributed not to ability but to factors such as luck. All unattractive women executives were thought to have more honesty and to be more capable（能力强的）than the attractive female executives. Interestingly，though，the rise of the unattractive overnight success was attributed more to personal relationships and less to ability than that of the attractive overnight success.
③ An attractive woman is considered to be more feminine（女性化的）and an attractive man more manly than the less attractive ones. Thus，an attractive woman has an advantage in traditionally female jobs, but an attractive woman in a traditionally manly position appears to lack the “manly” qualities required.
This is true even in politics（政治）, “When the only clue is how he or she looks，people treat men and women differently,” says Anne Bowman, who recently published a study on the effects of attractiveness on political candidates（候选人）. She asked 125 undergraduate students to rank two groups of photographs, one of men and one of women, in order of attractiveness. Then the students were told the photographs were of candidates for political offices. They were asked to rank them again，in the order they would vote for them.
④ The results showed that attractive males defeated unattractive men. but the women who had been ranked most attractive received the fewest votes.
1. The underline word “liability” in paragraph 1 most probably means| A．trouble | B．advantage |
| C．misfortune | D．opportunity |
| A．is beneficial | B．is decisive |
| C．ensures success | D．reflects honesty |
| A．① | B．② | C．③ | D．④ |
| A．demand equal rights in politics for females |
| B．give advice on how to achieve success for men |
| C．stress the importance of appearance for job-seekers |
| D．discuss the disadvantages of attractiveness for women |
4 . Twice every month, Miranda Sam, a 66-year-old Ghanaian, visited the China Traditional Herbal Hospital, a private herbal facility at Pokuase, a suburb of the Ghanaian capital, for treatment.
“I was squeezing lemons, and when I finished, I could not get up or even move my legs, so I went to the hospital and did an X-ray examination, but they saw nothing. Meanwhile, I could not walk and was in a wheelchair,” the retired worker said. Hence Miranda decided to visit the herbal facility. “On two occasions, I had to do acupuncture(针灸), and I have found great relief. Now I walk unaided, so I keep coming for treatment,” she said.
As Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is gaining popularity in Ghana, many acupuncture clinics run by Chinese doctors pop up in the country. However, the China Traditional Herbal Hospital was established by 52-year-old Ghanaian business owner Bediako, after his fruitful encounter with the effects of TCM in 2012. With the help of a Chinese lady, Bediako set up a small clinic specializing in TCM. Years on, the facility has subsequently grown into a bigger herbal hospital. The hospital treats patients with a combination of local and Chinese herbal formulas. It supports this with the application of traditional Chinese medical methods.
Strokes(中风) account for 1.3 percent of all hospital admissions in Ghana, and 6.3 percent of all hospital deaths. But Bediako is confident that as more people with these conditions turn to the natural methods of healing, the pain and death rates would subside. “A gentleman was brought here three weeks ago, who could not sit, stand, or walk. He was first taken through acupuncture. I observed him on camera 30 minutes later, squatting(蹲), standing, and walking. You come here with your pain but will leave with a smile. That is our feature,” he said.
The hospital has started a second facility in Ashaiman near the capital, with plans to open other branches across the country to meet the growing demand.
1. What can we learn from Miranda’s words in Paragraph 2?| A．Her illness is not a bit severe. | B．Squeezing lemons is a risky job. |
| C．She is feeling better now. | D．She is unsure about what to do next. |
| A．It is located in the downtown area. |
| B．It was originally a specialized clinic. |
| C．It was established by a Chinese doctor. |
| D．It uses nothing but Chinese herbs. |
| A．Decline. | B．Remain. |
| C．Climb. | D．Change. |
| A．Negative. | B．Optimistic. |
| C．Uncertain. | D．Concerned. |
5 . By now, most of us have picked up at least one pandemic hobby. And there's a seemingly common pandemic hobby trend: People who haven't been able to go anywhere are making imaginary travel plans. Maybe you're among those who have spent hours researching locations-even though you're not actually planning to travel.
It turns out that you aren't alone. People who seem to be sticking to public safety recommendations are still planning trips they don't intend to book. And, when I suddenly found myself addicted to an imaginary girls' trip to Joshua Tree, I wondered whether this was a healthy distraction.
"It's an escapist imagination," said Regine Galanti, a psychologist, adding that there's nothing wrong with escapism during a global pandemic.
On the one hand, distractions are often beneficial right now. We are a full year into living with COVID-19 as a pandemic, and that means you've probably had to navigate a range of emotions like discomfort, sadness, or even boredom. So any hobby that doesn't harm anyone or endanger your well-being is probably a worthy attempt.
Even if vacation planning is your happy place, Dr. Galanti suggests you "actually think about what you're trying to achieve." Why? "Maybe what you're saying is, I need a vacation from work," Dr. Galanti explains. "Then take three days off even if you are not going anywhere. "When you figure out what you're looking for, you might be able to find a small socially distanced adventure in your backyard or a quiet place. Vacation planning is a good way to spend some time, but there might be an even better way to get what you're desiring.
Anyway, when uncertainty is all around us, creating things to look forward to isn't a terrible idea. And when things are safer, you'll have all your plans in place.
1. Why do people make imaginary travel plans during the pandemic?| A．To develop a new hobby. | B．To stay safe and sound. |
| C．To be distracted from reality. | D．To get ready for future travel. |
| A．Express. | B．Balance. | C．Adapt to. | D．Deal with. |
| A．Objective. | B．Negative. | C．Supportive. | D．Unclear. |
| A．Figures. | B．Lifestyle. |
| C．Food and recipe. | D．Science and technology. |
6 . In a large survey of people's first memories, nearly 40% of participants reported a first memory that is likely to be fictional, according to findings published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.
Current research indicates that people's earliest memories date from around 3 to 3. 5 years of age. However, the study from researchers at City, University of London, the University of Bradford, and Nottingham Trent University found that 38.6% of 6, 641 participants claimed to have memories from age 2 or younger, with 893 people claiming memories from age 1 or younger. This was particularly prevalent among middle-aged and older adults.
As many of these memories dated before the age of 2 and younger, the authors suggest that these fictional memories are based on remembered fragments(碎片) of early experience—such as a pram(婴儿车)，family relationships and feeling sad—and some facts or knowledge about their own infancy or childhood which may have been derived from photographs or family conversations.
“Further details may be unconsciously inferred or added, e. g. that one was wearing nappy when standing in the cot(幼儿床)," added Shazia Akhatr, first author on the study and Senior Research Associate at the University of Bradford.
“When we looked through the responses from participants we found that a lot of these first 'memories' were frequently related to infancy, and a typical example would be a memory based around a pram," explained Martin Conway, Director at the Centre for Memory and Law at City, University of London and coauthor of the paper.
“For this person, this type of memory could have resulted from someone saying something like 'mother and a large green pram'. The person then imagines what it would have looked like. Over time these fragments then become a memory and often the person will start to add things in such as a string of toys along the top," he added.
"Crucially, the person remembering them doesn't know this is fictional," Conway noted. "In fact when people are told that their memories are false they often don't believe it. This partly due to the fact that the systems that allow us to remember things are very complex, and it's not until we're 5 or 6 that we form adult-like memories due to the way that the brain develops and due to our maturing understanding of the world.
1. What does the underlined word "prevalent" in Paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．Unique. | B．Crazy. | C．Common. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．Some people have clear knowledge about their own infancy. |
| B．Added details are an important clue to recall the childhood. |
| C．Most people claimed to have memories from age 2 or younger. |
| D．Talks between family members influence the earliest memories. |
| A．By making comparison. | B．By setting examples. |
| C．By analyzing data. | D．By referring to documents. |
| A．Many people's earliest memories may be fictional. |
| B．People's earliest memories can date back to 2 or younger. |
| C．The middle-aged and adults specialize in detailing their first memory. |
| D．Memories develop due to our maturing understanding of the world. |
7 . Smith had to drive across the Sahara Desert. It was a journey across hundreds of miles of empty desert.
After he had been driving for a few hours, there was a sandstorm. His car left the road and then broke down.
Smith began walking north across the hot sand under the scorching sun. He hoped he would soon reach the road again. Soon, his tongue was thick with thirst. He needed water, but everywhere he looked there was nothing except sand.
Smith kept walking. Then, about an hour later, a man riding a camel came into sight. Smith waved to him. The man on the camel rode up to him and stopped. “Please,” Smith said, “I am dying of thirst. Let me have some of your water.” The man slowly shook his head. “You can’t have any water,” he said, “but I’ll sell you a necktie.” “I don’t want a necktie,” Smith shouted at him furiously. “I need water.” But the man turned away quickly and rode off.
Smith continued walking. Two hours later, he met another man riding a camel. This time he asked if he could buy some water, but the man refused, saying, “No, but I’II sell you a necktie.” Angrily, Smith turned away from him and continued walking.
Three hours later, by which time he was near death, Smith saw a large luxury hotel in the distance. It stood alone in the middle of the desert, surrounded by palm trees.
Smith managed to reach the main entrance. He was about to enter the hotel when the doorman stopped him. “Hey!” he said. “This is a first-class hotel. You can’t come in here without a necktie.”
1. What happened to Smith at the very beginning of the sandstorm?| A．He became thirsty. | B．He saw two men riding a camel. |
| C．He lost his necktie. | D．There was something wrong with his car. |
| A．slowly. | B．politely. |
| C．angrily. | D．painfully. |
| A．He was thirsty. | B．He was not properly dressed. |
| C．He had no money. | D．He was very sick and near death. |
| A．We’d better not go to the Sahara Desert. |
| B．Your car should be maintained before a journey. |
| C．It’s a good idea to buy neckties during the journey. |
| D．When looking backwards, you can connect many events. |
8 . If businesses are to get workers back into the office, finding ways to keep social distancing(社会隔离)will be important. An Israeli company thinks it can help, using smart sensors installed on workplace ceilings.
PointGrab developed its technology before COVID-19 to help workspace managers optimize(优化)how employees use office space. About the size of a smoke alarm, the sensors can record the exact number and location of people in buildings including offices, hotels and restaurants. One of the company's first clients was Deloitte, which installed the system at its London office last year. PointGrab s sensors were connected to screens in the building to show the availability（利用率)of desks and shared areas in real time. PointGrab CEO Doron Shachar says it was one of a series of innovations that helped Deloitte fit 30% more people into 3% less space.
Now to prevent the coronavirus spreading face to face, PointGrab has adapted the technology to some degree so the sensors can also monitor social distancing by keeping track of how far apart people are, and whether they're traveling in one direction around a building. Workspace managers can set up alarm for when two people are closer than two meters for more than 30 seconds, for example. The sensors have been included in the “six feet office” concept created by a company Cushman & Wakefield to encourage employees to practice social distancing. They are currently being used in this way at a university in the Netherlands, and at an innovation centre in Belgium. While the social distancing innovation is new, PointGrab has installed more than 10, 000 sensors for workspace optimization, including in the offices of Coca-Cola, Facebook and Dell.
Workers might not like the idea of being monitored, but PointGrab says no images or identifying features are recorded. Instead, each employee is represented as a dot on a screen. “The sensor does not violate people’s privacy,” Shachar says. This is extremely important in the workspace.
1. What were the sensors used to do before COVID-19?| A．To identify employees. | B．To record locations. |
| C．To keep track of employees. | D．To make better use of office space. |
| A．Introduced. | B．Adjusted. |
| C．Formed. | D．Boomed. |
| A．Smart sensors give away people’s privacy. |
| B．PointGrab is in good conditions. |
| C．Workers are in favor of the company management. |
| D．Worker appearance will not show clearly on the screen. |
| A．How we can get workers back into their office |
| B．How we can improve the employees’ efficiency |
| C．Smart sensors make office social distancing easier |
| D．Smart sensors are a key technological innovation |
9 . Unlike doctors, nurses are at the forefront of care. They are there when you are admitted, when you rest and when you recover. They are the faces patients see when they are in pain, the ones they get to know and trust to take care of them.
Nursing is also an excellent option for those who want to work in healthcare but cannot go on to become a doctor. You can start with just a few weeks of education and work your way up. There are still educational requirements but many top nursing degrees are specifically designed to be completed while you work full-time.
If you want a career where your job is to actually help people heal, rather than deal with emergencies as they come, then nursing is for you.
Today alone, there are an estimated 800, 000 unfilled nursing jobs in the country, and a further 1 million shortage expected by 2030 when existing nurses start to retire. Job hunting is typically a nightmare for those fresh out of college, but in nursing, you are almost guaranteed a position in nearly every setting.
There are also new rules in place that mean you can work as a nurse in a variety of states without retaking the exams. There are still steps you will need to take if you move from one qualifying state to another, but this freedom means you can find your true home and continue to work as a nurse with very little interruptions. Travel if you want as a nurse; live in your dream home outside of the city as a nurse.
The world needs more nurses, because nurses make a direct impact on recovery. It is reported that one more nurse can save 9 extra people out of every 1,000 patients, that is to say your work matters.
1. What can we infer according to the first paragraph?| A．Healthcares would be complete without nurses. |
| B．Patients and nurses have a good relationship. |
| C．Patients like nurses much more than doctors. |
| D．Healthcares need more nurses than expected. |
| A．Challenge. | B．Step. | C．Choice. | D．Way. |
| A．800,000 nurses will be badly needed. |
| B．1 million nurses will dislike their jobs. |
| C．The USA will see a high rate of unemployment. |
| D．There will be a great demand for nurses. |
| A．You needn’t take extra exams when working in other states. |
| B．You have much freedom as to what you’d like to do. |
| C．You can travel around the world without working. |
| D．You have a chance to travel without interruptions. |
10 . There is more that comes with older age than greying hair and wrinkled skin When humans reach their later years, they favour more established friends and their social circle is reduced.
Now, for what appears to be the first time, scientists have seen the same behaviour in another species. Twenty years of observations of chimpanzees (猩猩) reveal that older males choose to hang out with their long-term friends at the expense of other relationships.
The researchers studied 78, 000 hours of observations made between 1996 and 2016 that followed the social interactions of 21 male chimpanzees between the ages of 15 and 58 years old. They classified the chimps’ relationships depending on the amount of time they sat with others and groomed (梳毛) them. They then rated the various pairings as mutual (相互的) friendships, where both chimps seemed to enjoy the relationship; one-sided friendships, where one chimp was more keen to be friends than the other; and non-friendships, where neither chimp showed interest in the other.
When the scientists looked at the patterns of friendships, they found that the older chimps had more mutual friendships and fewer one-sided friendships than younger chimps. Another feature seen in older humans was also spotted in the chimps. As the males got older, their levels of aggression (挑衅) tailed off, meaning they started fewer fights and tended to intimidate others in their group less often.
The observations have left the researchers puzzled. According to an idea in psychology known as socioemotional selectivity theory, or SST, older humans prefer more positive relationships because they are aware time is running out. But many animal experts argue that chimpanzees lack the human sense of mortality (死亡), suggesting something else is driving the behaviour.
Robin Dunbar, a professor of evolutionary psychology at the University of Oxford, said in humans, the decline in social circles with age is due to declining social motivation to get out and meet people combined by lack of opportunity. In chimpanzees, as older males compete less for mates, they may focus on close, reciprocal (互惠的) relationships with trusted partners, she said.
1. What do older male chimpanzees favour?| A．Old friendships. | B．New bonds. |
| C．Greying hair. | D．Wrinkled skin. |
| A．By turning to other scientists. |
| B．By introducing a new concept. |
| C．By forming relationships with them. |
| D．By analyzing two decades’ observations. |
| A．Threaten. | B．Motivate. | C．Defend. | D．Accompany. |
| A．Awareness of time. | B．Less competition for mates. |
| C．Low motivation for socialization. | D．Lack of the human sense of mortality. |
