1 . After written art had to fight a tough battle for attraction during the first decade of social media, owing to a certain group of writers, it is now on a significant rise. How Instagram and Twitter have offered jumpstarts to careers of authors like Dean Cocozza sets a blueprint for thousands of ambitious writers.
Cocozza started writing lyrics for his music as a teenager. He immediately had to experience that translating art to social media is not as simple as posting whatever his pen put down.
“Anyone who uses the platform with an intent will quickly learn that you only have the glimpse of a moment to catch the viewer’s attention. So the work I shared shifted to be more to the point, often one-liners. Then stuff started to go viral.”
The success and demand for more poems resulted in his first book Zero Dark Thirty, which sold out quickly. Despite the book containing mostly short writings, even said one-liners, Cocozza emphasizes that he doesn’t write for social media. “It was a very personal project resulting from a certain period of time” in his life. There are much bigger things that he works on and plans to get involved in.
Dean Cocozza has brought back emotional depth. In-between monetized (货币化的) content, blatant (明目张胆的) advertising and “perfect lives”, social media holds a spot for a new generation of artists, including literature. Critical thinkers and authentic writers remind the app’s consumers of their emotional human nature. Art galleries and bookstores might have lost a big part of their audience to digital media — but the art itself will always find ways to survive.
1. What does the underlined word “it” in paragraph 1 refer to?| A．Written art. | B．A tough battle. | C．Social media. | D．A group of writers. |
| A．To earn a living. | B．To draw readers’ attention. |
| C．To protect his personal life. | D．To show emotional depth. |
| A．Works with emotional depth are widely accepted on social media. |
| B．People with perfect lives like social media better. |
| C．Art galleries and bookstores will soon disappear. |
| D．Arts of emotion depth still hold value on social media. |
| A．Positive. | B．Carefree. | C．Doubtful. | D．Disapproving. |
2 . If you're planning to go on a diet, or if you suffer from serious conditions like diabetes (糖尿病), knowing exactly what and how much you're eating is essential. In this day and age, we have calorie and nutritional calculators even on our smartphones, but they act only as guides, whereas Panasonic's revolutionary new device, CaloRieco, actually analyzes the food on your plate and provides accurate information about in just a few seconds.
You've probably used calorie calculators before, and you know that they only offer general information. For example, a calculator will tell you the average number of calories in a hamburger, but it can't tell you exactly how many calories are in the hamburger. The same goes for nutrients like protein or fats. And this is what makes the new CaloRieco so special.
Displayed at a recent tech show, CaloRieco is a high tech device that uses light reflection technology to determine the nutritional values of almost any food and also provide accurate calorie estimates. All you have to do is put your plate in the box-shaped device and wait between 10 and 20 seconds for it to analyze all the food on there.
Once it's done analyzing the various ingredients in your meal, CaloRieco displays the number of calories, as well as the nutritional content on an LED display. According to Panasonic, the device is able to recognize the vast majority of foods, except soups and very dark dishes.
CaloRieco can also connect to your smartphone via an app, and send all the data about analyzed foods to your handheld, so you can access it whenever you need.
Panasonic said that its outstanding invention is aimed at dieters and diabetes sufferers, both of which make up a sizable market. Unfortunately, you'll have to wait a bit longer to get your hands on your very own CaloRieco, as the device presented at the show is just a prototype (样品) which needs to be improved. It's scheduled to hit the market sometime in the next few years, but the price remains a mystery.
1. What is special about CaloRieco?| A．It is a high-tech device working as a guide. |
| B．It makes use of light reflection technology. |
| C．It only offers general information of food. |
| D．It can present the exact data of analyzed food. |
| A．It needs a long time to analyze the food. |
| B．It can count the calories of all kinds of food. |
| C．It can display the food data on the smartphone directly. |
| D．It may be well received among dieters and diabetes sufferers. |
| A．Smartphone. | B．App. | C．Data. | D．Food. |
| A．It's perfect. | B．It's promising. | C．It's costly. | D．It's portable. |
3 . Social media is taking over our lives: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and now, TikTok. These social media platforms have transformed from a way to stay connected to an industry where even kids can make money of their posts. While this may seem like another opportunistic innovation, its really full of hidden false realities.
The median income（中位收入） recorded in the United States of America was about $63,000 in 2018. TikTokers with over a million followers can make up to $30,000 a month ---$360,000 a year. They are making more than the average person trying to feed their family and keep a roof over their heads, simply by posting a 15-second video.
Not only is it an overpaid “job”, it also promotes undeserved admiration from viewers and a false sense of reality. Many of these famous TikTokers are still teens, and the effects of fame at such an early stage in life might cause issues later in life, such as mental influenced by what they are watching. They can put a false sense of self-value into who they look up to and what they represent: money, fame, being considered conventionally attractive.
While TikTok has become a great tool for marketing, it’s important to understand how this content affects young viewers. If we’re constantly consuming content that shows us all we need to do to be successful is be conventionally attractive and post a 15-second video featuring a new dance, it will challenge our knowledge of what really makes someone successful and will in turn affect our individual work ethics（伦理）. What about the people who miss birthdays and family holidays due to their jobs and aren’t getting paid nearly as much as these TikTokers?
Richard Colyer, president and creator of Metaphor, Inc., had his own view on this issue. “It sounds great that kids can make money for doing the latest dance moves in a 15-second video, but we should feed the minds of kids and not just their bank accounts. TikTok can be great if used properly. Money alone is not good, technology alone is not good and connectedness can be bad if it’s only online.”
1. What does the underlined word “this” in Paragraph 1 refer to?| A．social networking | B．staying connected to the Internet. |
| C．a job offered by TikTok. | D．making money on social media. |
| A．They tend to live an adult life too soon. |
| B．They are forced to pay for certain services. |
| C．They are likely to develop false values |
| D．They may abandon other social media |
| A．Young TiKTokers should be banned from making money. |
| B．TikTok can be a positive influence if teens employ it wisely. |
| C．It is better to involve education on investment in TikTok videos. |
| D．Contents of videos need checking before their release online. |
| A．A Job Vs An Entertainment | B．Join Young TikTokers |
| C．TikTok---A Mine of Money | D．Say No to TiKTok |
4 . You've probably heard it suggested that you need to move more throughout the day, and as a general rule of thumb, that "more" is often defined as around 10,000 steps. With many Americans tracking their steps via new fitness-tracking wearables, or even just by carrying their phone, more and more people use the 10,000-step rule as their marker for healthy living. Dr. Dreg Hager, professor of computer science at Johns Hopkins, decided to take a closer look at that 10,000-step rule, and he found that using it as a standard may be doing more harm than good for many.
“It turns out that in 1960 in Japan they figured out that the average Japanese man, when he walked 10,000 steps a day burned something like 3,000 calories and that is what they thought the average person should consume so they picked 10,000 steps as a number” Hager said.
According to Hager, asking everyone to shoot for 10,000 steps each day could be harmful to the elderly or those with medical conditions, making it unwise for them to jump into that level of exercise, even if it's walking. The bottom line is that 10,000 steps may be too many for some and too few for others. He also noted that those with shorter legs have an easier time hitting the 10,000-step goal because they have to take more steps than people with longer legs to cover the distance. It seems that 10,000 steps may be suitable for the latter.
A more recent study focused on older women and how many steps can help maintain good health and promote longevity (长寿).The study included nearly 17,000 women with an average age of 72. Researchers found that women who took 4,400 steps per day were about 40% less likely to die during a follow-up period of just over four years: Interestingly, women in the study who walked more than 7,500 steps each day got no extra boost in longevity.
1. What does the underlined word "it' in Paragraph 1 refer to?| A．The phone recording. | B．The 10,000-step rule. |
| C．The healthy living. | D．The fitness-tracking method. |
| A．How many steps a Japanese walks. |
| B．How we calculate the number of steps. |
| C．If burning 3,000 calories daily is scientific. |
| D．Where 10,000 steps a day came from. |
| A．Senior citizens. | B．Young short-legged people. |
| C．Healthy long-legged people | D．Weak individuals. |
| A．4,400 steps. | B．10,000 steps. |
| C．2,700 steps. | D．7,500 steps. |
5 . Unicycles are one-wheeled vehicles that developed from the original bicycle, the Penny Farthing, which consisted of a large front wheel and a much smaller back wheel. When this bike hit bumps(凸块) or suddenly slowed down, the back wheel came off the ground, so many riders learned to balance on just the front wheel. Thus, bicycle-makers began making vehicles with just one wheel.
Some of the benefits of riding a unicycle include burning calories, and increasing your levels of coordination (协调), concentration and balance. Because unicycles don’t have any handlebars, riders must balance, using only their abdominal (腹部的)muscles and leg muscles. This helps you build a healthier core. Long cycling sessions also increase your heart rate, which can lead to a healthier cardiovascular (心血管的) system. Riding a unicycle is an effective way to get in a low-impact workout for those with damaged knees and legs.
Unicycling is a fun activity regardless of your ability level. Riding a unicycle is self-motivating and psychologically stimulating because you will notice improvements each time you ride. Some people find that it gives them feelings of control when they can achieve balancing and riding on just one wheel.
Some riders use their unicycles as their primary mode of transportation for work or school. Because unicycles don't require any type of fuel, you can save money at pump. Unicycles also have only a few moving parts that might break. This means that you typically don't have to spend much money on repairs. You also won' t need to spend money on storing or transporting your unicycle.
Unicycling is a somewhat uncommon activity. Because of this, a sense of unity tends to grow among unicycle riders. Many riders travel significant distances just to go on rides and spend time with other unicyclists. Unicycling is often a family activity, and riding together can bring family members closer.
1. Why were one-wheel vehicles created?| A．Because it was more beneficial for one's health. |
| B．Because it was more likely to avoid road bumps. |
| C．Because the front wheel only could also be used for balancing. |
| D．Because a bicycle’s back wheel wasn’t fixed well. |
| A．Having a handlebar. | B．Stopping a unicycle. |
| C．Increasing strength. | D．Balancing a unicycle. |
| A．Typical features of cycling. | B．Basic modes of transportation. |
| C．Economic benefits of unicycling. | D．Ways to store and transport unicycles. |
| A．introduce benefits of unicycling | B．show how unicycles are spread |
| C．display varieties of unicycles | D．advocate cycling for teenagers |
6 . Half of all work tasks will be handled by machines by 2025 in a shift likely to worsen inequality, a World Economic Forum report has forecast.
The think tank said a "robot revolution" would create 97 million jobs worldwide but destroy almost as many, leaving some communities at risk. Routine or manual jobs in administration and data processing were most at threat of automation, WEF said. But it said there would be a need for new jobs in care, big data and the green economy.
The WEF surveyed 300 of the world's biggest companies, with more than 8 million employees globally. More than 50% of employers surveyed said they expected to speed up the automation of some roles in their companies, while 43% felt they were likely to cut jobs due to technology.
WEF said the pandemic （疫情） had sped up the adoption of new technologies as firms looked to cut costs and adopt new ways of working. But it warned workers now faced a double threat from "accelerating automation and the economic impact from the Covid-19".
"These things have deepened existing inequalities across labor markets and removed gains in employment made since the global financial crisis in 2007-2008," said Saadia Zahidi, managing director at WEF. "The window of opportunity for active management of this change is closing fast."
WEF said currently around a third of all work tasks were handled by machines, with humans doing the rest, but by 2025 the balance would shift. Roles that relied on human skills such as advising, decision-making, reasoning, communicating and interacting would rise in demand. There would also be a sudden large increase in demand for workers to fill green economy jobs, and new roles in areas like engineering and cloud computing.
But it said millions of routine or manual jobs would be displaced by technology, affecting the lowest paid, lowest skilled workers the most. It said millions would need to be re-skilled to cope with the change, while governments would have to provide "stronger safety nets" for displaced workers.
1. Who are included in “some communities” mentioned in Paragraph 2?| A．Unskilled workers. | B．Software engineers. |
| C．Career consultants. | D．Organic fanners. |
| A．To analyse the reliability of the figures and facts. |
| B．To provide supporting evidence for the main idea. |
| C．To introduce two events for discussion. |
| D．To highlight two causes of the effects. |
| A．Slow down the automation. |
| B．Strengthen social security. |
| C．Improve network safety. |
| D．Promote the Robot Revolution. |
| A．Further inequalities from the Robot Revolution. |
| B．A double threat from automation and pandemic. |
| C．Half of all work tasks to be lost. |
| D．Half of all work tasks to be automated. |
7 . Ever since she received a little toy airliner as a birthday gift, Kate Koralevskaya has been attracted by flight. From flying remote-controlled airplanes to building her own model ones, Kate has always considered flying a plane one of her passions, but only until recently has she been able to take that to new heights.
When Kate heard about the Upwind Scholarship from her school counselor, she knew it was an extraordinary opportunity to realize her dream. The program's mission is to provide all the training necessary to obtain a private pilot's license (PPL) for students in between their junior and senior year of high school free of charge.
After completing a lengthy application and her subsequent acceptance into the program, Kate began her training last spring. Normally, recipients of the scholarship would attend ground school in person where they learn the fundamentals of flying. Due to the pandemic (大流行病), however, Kate spent hours each weekend studying online lessons in her room whenever she got a break from homework. Once summer came around, Kate and three peers put in two straight weeks of ground school, reviewing fight training from nine to five every day. "It was the toughest part of the program," Kate said.
After completing that portion of ground school, Kate was finally able to begin flying at the San Carlos Airport with the other scholarship recipients from around the Bay Area. Flying, especially for first-timers like Kate, is a hands-on process involving lots of checklists to make sure the important tasks are being taken care of.
Now, having finished the program and earned her PPL, Kate plans on training as a fight instructor and hopes to become an airline pilot in her future.
She credits the Upwind Scholarship for all she's been able to accomplish so far and hopes that anyone who shares her passion will look into it. “It is a very hard scholarship to get into, and you have to be truly interested in flight,” Kate said. “It can't be something like ‘Oh, why don't I try flying this summer?’ You have to be ready to do a lot of work and put in effort in order to succeed in the program. ”
1. What does the underlined word “that” in Paragraph 1 refer to?| A．Her skill of building model airplanes. |
| B．Her wish to take fights around the world. |
| C．Her childhood dream of becoming a pilot. |
| D．Her desire to fly remoter-controlled airplanes. |
| A．To help students in need to achieve their dreams. |
| B．To provide necessary training for private pilots for free. |
| C．To give students expert advice on earning a scholarship. |
| D．To prepare high school students to become a private pilot. |
| A．She took online lessons on flying. |
| B．She went over the fundamentals of flying. |
| C．She did some research into the pandemic. |
| D．She finished applying for the program. |
| A．Confident and aggressive. |
| B．Strong willed and patient. |
| C．Demanding and courageous. |
| D．Ambitious and hard-working. |
8 . When I was a boy there were no smart phones, and our television only got one channel clearly. Still, I was never bored. The fields, hills, and woodlands around my home were the perfect playground. I can remember once hiking to a nearby lake. At the backside of it I was amazed to find an old dirt road that I had never seen before. It was full of muddy tracks and deep woods bordered it on both sides, but exploring it still seemed like a fine adventure.
I walked on and on for hours. I was sure my guardian angel was whispering in my ear “Turn around and head back home”, but I was stubborn, so I walked on. There was still neither a car nor a house in sight. I noticed that the sun was starting to go down and I grew scared. I didn’t want to end up trapped on this road, and I was worried that it would be dark before I could make my way back to the lake again.
I continued to walk on with something growing inside of me. My heart was pounding and my legs were aching. I was almost in tears when I turned one last curve and saw something in the distance. It was a house that I recognized. I jumped up and down and laughed out loud. It was still over a mile away, but my legs felt like feathers and I hurried back to my house in no time. I walked in with a big smile on my face just in time for dinner.
I remembered this recently when I saw a sign that said “All roads lead home”. It is true. In life, all roads, no matter how they twist and turn, can lead us home again. What is important, though, is how we travel them. Are we going to go forth in fear or are we going to go forth in faith? Are we going to make this life a terrible trip or are we going to make this life a joyful journey? The choice is ours.
1. Why did the author hardly feel bored when he was young?| A．Because he could have fun in nature. |
| B．Because he could watch TV all day. |
| C．Because he had many friends. |
| D．Because he used to explore the old dirt road. |
| A．He thought he would be scolded by his parents. |
| B．He felt contradictory in mind. |
| C．He thought he would be trapped in the woods. |
| D．He was unconscious. |
| A．The dirt road. | B．His house. |
| C．The lake. | D．A passing car. |
| A．Always make choices on our own. |
| B．All roads lead home. |
| C．It’s our attitude that matters in our life. |
| D．Every effort is worthwhile. |
9 . On the roof of an apartment building in one of Gaza’s most crowded cities live two baby lions. One is male, the other female. They walk among the water tanks and eat chicken for food. Children play with the animals and some take selfies (自拍) with them. The baby lions have become pets for a 27-year-old bakery owner Naseem Abu Jamea. They have become popular playthings for many people in the neighborhood.
However, as children in his family and from the neighborhood played with the animals, Abu Jamea had little concern about the risks. “When you raise them as babies”, he said,“a harmony will grow between both of you.” This harmony, he added, would keep the lions from hurting him and others.
Abu Jamea said he got the baby lions from a local zoo but would not give more details. He did, however, share a dream of his.“It is my hobby. I was attached to them and I love to have them,” he said. He added he hopes one day to have his own zoo.
One animal doctor, Amir Khalil, has a different opinion. He has led several trips to Gaza with the animal welfare organization Four Paws to rescue mistreated zoo animals. “I advise the Gaza authorities to take away those lions,” he said. “At the age of six months a lion becomes more dangerous as his size gets bigger and his muscles become stronger.” Khalil also fears for the baby lions’ own welfare. He said lions raised in a home may not get the food and medical care they need. This could result in long-term health problems, especially difficulties with muscles, joints, and bones.
During the COVID-19 outbreak, zoos in Gaza have experienced a drop in the number of visitors. Without paying visitors, they are struggling to feed and care for the animals. Hassan Azzam is an official with Gaza’s agriculture ministry. When asked about the baby lions, he said the ministry does not know about any public objections to the animals. But he said the ministry would investigate.
1. What is known about the baby lions from the text?| A．They are taken good care of. |
| B．They are of opposite sexes. |
| C．Their lives are in danger. |
| D．They enjoy life with people. |
| A．Cautious. | B．Upset. | C．Suspicious. | D．Unconcerned. |
| A．The two baby lions being kept as pets. |
| B．The two baby lions being taken away. |
| C．The two baby lions being mistreated in the zoo. |
| D．The two baby lions living in harmony with humans. |
| A．Provide financial assistance for the local zoos. |
| B．Require the zoo to take back the baby lions. |
| C．Make a survey about the local citizens’ reactions. |
| D．Publish a statement to express their sorry and concern. |
10 . I have an amazing connection with marathons. I didn’t realize until I started running in my 30s that running was a battle against myself, not about competition or whether or not I was athletic. It was all about the battle against my own body and mind. A test of will!
I remember back to my 7th year in school. In my first P. E. class, the teacher required us to run laps and then hit a softball. I didn’t do either well. He later informed me that I was not athletic. Though he didn’t mean it, that stuck with me for years.
A month before my first marathon, one of my ankles was injured and this meant not running for two weeks，leaving me only two weeks to train. Yet, I was determined to go ahead. The night before my marathon, I dreamt that I couldn’t even find the finish line. I woke up sweating and nervous, but ready to prove something to myself.
Shortly after crossing the start line, my shoe ties became undone. So I stopped to readjust. Not the start I wanted !
At mile 3, I passed a sign: “GO FOR IT, RUNNERS!”
By mile 17, I became out of breath and the once injured ankle hurt badly. Despite the pain, I stayed the course walking a bit and then running again.
By mile 21, I was starving!
As I approached mile 23, I could see my wife waving a sign. She is my biggest fan. She never minded the alarm clock sounding at 4 am or questioned my expenses on running.
I was one of the final runners to finish. But I finished! And I got a medal. In fact, I got the same medal as the one that the guy who came in first place had.
Determined to be myself, move forward, free of shame and worldly labels, I can now call myself a marathon winner.
1. What does the underlined “that” in Para. 2 refer to?| A．His teacher’s request. | B．His failed sports. |
| C．His no-talent in sports. | D．The awkward memory. |
| A．He made it eventually. | B．He has lost confidence. |
| C．He gave up halfway. | D．He was too nervous to finish. |
| A．Doubted. | B．Supported. | C．Indifferent. | D．Unconcerned. |
| A．One is never too old to learn. | B．Failure is the mother of success. |
| C．A winner is one with a great effort of will. | D．A man owes his success to his family support. |
