1 . Fu Cong, a Chinese-born pianist, died on Monday at a hospital in London, where he had lived for many years.

A lover of classical music from a young age, Mr. Fu began taking piano lessons when he was 7. He made his first stage appearance in 1952. The concert caught the attention of officials in Beijing, who selected him to compete and tour in Eastern Europe. Mr. Fu soon moved to Poland, where he studied at the Warsaw Conservatory (音乐学校) on a scholarship. To prepare for the fifth Chopin Competition in Warsaw in 1955, he practiced so hard that he hurt his fingers and was nearly cut from the first round of the competition.

Mr. Fu was one of the first Chinese pianists to achieve global fame when he took third place in the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw in 1955. He also won a special prize for his performance of Chopin's mazurkas. Almost overnight, he became a national hero. To China, Mr. Fu's recognition in a well-known international competition was evidence that the country could stand on its own artistically in the West. Chinese reporters came to interview Mr. Fu, while many others went to his father, Fu Lei, for advice on child-raising.

In 1981, a volume of letters written by his father, was published in China. Full of advice, encouragement, life teachings and strict paternal love, the book Fu Lei's Family Letters became a best-seller in China. Besides influencing a generation of Chinese, Mr. Fu's words resonated (引起共鸣) long after his death with the person for whom they were intended.

“My father had a saying that 'First you must be a person, then an artist, and then a musician, and only then can you be a pianist,'" Mr. Fu Cong once recalled in an interview. "Even now, I believe in this order-that it should be this way and that I am this way.”

1. What is paragraph 2 mainly about?

A．Fu Cong's achievements in music.	B．Fu Cong's stage performances.
C．Fu Cong's experiences of learning music.	D．Fu Cong’s efforts for competitions.

2. Why does Fu Cong's global recognition mean a lot to China?

A．It earns Chinese arts a place in the West.

B．It promotes the spread of Chinese culture.

C．It proves Chinese people's love for music.

D．It enables Chinese art education to be recognized.

3. What does the underlined word "they" in paragraph 4 refer to?

A．Fu Lei's Family Letters.	B．Young people of China.
C．Fu Cong and his family.	D．Readers of Fu Lei's Family Letters.

4. Which of the following agrees with Fu Lei's ideas in the last paragraph?

A．It's easy to be an artist.

B．It requires various qualities to be a pianist.

C．Everyone should develop an interest in art.

D．Talent is of greatest importance for a pianist.

2 . As more and more people speak the global language of English, Chinese, Spanish, and Arabic, other languages are rapidly disappearing. In fact, half of the 6,000-7,000 languages spoken around the world today will be likely to die out by the next century, according the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

In an effort to prevent language loss, scholars from a number of organizations — UNESCO and National Geographic among them — have for many years been documenting dying languages and the cultures they reflect.

Mark Turin, a scientist at the Macmillan Center, Yale University, who specializes in the languages and oral traditions of the Himalayas, is following in that tradition. His recently published book, A Grammar of Thangmi and Their Culture, grows out of his experience living, working, and raising a family in a village in Nepal.

Documenting the Thangmi language and culture is just a starting point for Turin, who seeks to include other languages and oral traditions across the Himalayan reaches of India, Nepal, Bhutan, and China. But he is not content to simply record these voices before they disappear without record.

At the University of Cambridge Turin discovered a wealth of important materials —including photographs, films, tape recordings, and field notes — which had remained unstudied and were badly in need of care and protection. Now, through the two organizations that he has founded — the Digital Himalaya Project and the World Oral Literature Project — Turin has started a campaign to make such documents, found in libraries and stores around the world, available not just to schools but to the younger generations of communities from whom the materials were originally collected. Thanks to digital technology and the widely available Internet, Turin notes, the endangered languages can be saved and reconnected with speech communities.

1. Many scholars are making efforts to ________.

A．promote global languages	B．rescue disappearing languages
C．search for languages communities	D．set up language research organizations

2. What does “that tradition” in Paragraph 3 refer to ________.

A．having detailed records of the languages	B．writing books on language users
C．telling stories about language speakers	D．living with the native speakers

3. What is Turin’s book based on?

A．The cultural studies in India.	B．The documents available at Yale.
C．His language research in Bhutan.	D．His personal experience in Nepal.

4. Which of the following best describes Turin’s work?

A．Write, sell and donate.	B．Record, repair and reward.
C．Collect, protect and reconnect.	D．Design, experiment and report.

4 . The scientists who re-engineered the plastic-eating enzyme(酶) PETase have now created a new enzyme called “cocktail” , which can digest plastic up to six times faster.

PETase breaks down PET back into its building blocks, creating an opportunity to recycle plastic and reduce plastic pollution. PET is the most common thermoplastic(热塑性塑料) used to make single-use drinks bottles, which takes hundreds of years to break down in the environment, but PETase can shorten this time to days. The initial discovery set up the prospect of a revolution in plastic recycling, creating a potential low-energy solution to tackle plastic waste.

Now, the same trans-Atlantic team have combined PETase and its “partner”, a second enzyme called MHETase, to generate much bigger improvements: simply mixing PETase with MHETase doubled the speed of PET breakdown, and engineering a connection between the two enzymes to create a “super-enzyme”, increased this activity by a further three times.

The team was co-led by the scientists who engineered PETase, Professor John McGeehan and Dr Gregg Beckham. Professor McGeehan said: “Gregg and I were chatting about how PETase attacks the surface of the plastics and MHETase chops things up further, so it seemed natural to see if we could use them together. Our first experiments showed that they did work better together, so we decided to physically link them. It took a great deal of work, but it was worth the effort — we were delighted to see that our new enzyme is up to three times faster than the separate enzymes.”

The original PETase enzyme discovery indicated the first hope that a solution to the global plastic pollution problem might be within grasp, though PETase alone is not yet fast enough to handle the tons of PET bottles. Combining it with a second enzyme, and finding together they work even faster, means another leap forward has been taken towards finding a solution to plastic waste. PETase and the new combined MHETase-PETase both work by digesting PET plastic. This allows for plastics to be made and reused endlessly, reducing our reliance on fossil(化石) resources.

1. What can we learn about “cocktail” from the text?

A．It doubles the breakdown of plastics.

B．It takes hundreds of years to break down.

C．It contributes to breaking down plastic quickly.

D．It deals with the plastic waste three times faster.

2. What is the second paragraph mainly about?

A．A new study of PET.	B．The breakdown of PET.
C．The discovery of PETase.	D．The functions of PETase.

3. What does the underlined word “It” in Paragraph 4 refer to?

A．Co-leading the trans-Atlantic team.	B．Combining PETase and MHETase.
C．Attacking the surface of the plastics.	D．Talking about conducting experiments.

4. What can we infer from the text?

A．PET pollution is no longer a difficult problem to deal with.

B．New enzyme is speeding up our reliance on fossil resources.

C．MHETase-PETase makes the world free from plastic pollution.

D．Plastic-eating enzyme “cocktail” promises new hope for plastic waste.

5 . “I had no intention to adopt a cat that day. I just liked being around animals.” Miranda says. But when she saw Nala in her metal cage, “We made eye contact and I couldn't resist（抗拒）her big blue eyes.” At that point, “Nala was so small. I asked the shelter if I could hold her. Once had Nala in my arms, Nala looked up at me and licked（舔）my face.” And that was when she knew she had to take this kitty home.

Still, Miranda never imagined Nala would become an Insta-star. “I started Nala’s Instagram account in 2012 as a way to share photos with my close friends and family in Thailand,” she explained. The possibility of Nala gaining attention beyond that small group of people hadn’t occurred to her until it happened.

Miranda says, “Each time Nala’s photo was featured on Instagram’s popular page, her account would gain 1,000 new followers.” From there, Nala’s popularity snowballed. Large nationwide brands messaged Miranda about hiring Nala to do ads. “This took us by surprise because we couldn’t believe that a big brand wanted to pay them to take photos with their products next to Nala.”

Nala started life out in a shelter, just waiting to be loved like many other animals that were abandoned. Today that dream has surely come true. Nala has over 4 million followers on Instagram, which earned her the title “Guinness World Records Most Popular Cat on Instagram.”

In addition to managing her Insta fame, Nala is being asked to test various cat food brands.   More importantly, “Nala is our chance to share the love to help create a better life for other animals, so they can grow well and bring joy to the world like Nala has.”

1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?

A．Visits to a shelter.	B．Love at first sight.
C．Power of blue eyes.	D．Duty to adopt cats.

2. Why did Miranda open Nala’s Instagram account?

A．To meet Nala’s needs.	B．To help Nala be a sta.
C．To share Nala’s pictures.	D．To attract public attention.

3. How did Miranda feel about Nala’s popularity?

A．Satisfied

B．Amazed.

C．Upset.

D．Disappointed

4. What does the underlined phrase “that dream” in paragraph 4 refer to?

A．Being well treated like many of her kind.	B．Starting life in the shelter.
C．Gaining chances to earn money.	D．Being raised by Instagram fans.

6 . Embroidery(刺绣)is an important art form in Chinese culture.People often embroider handkerchiefs,bed covers,tablecloths and dresses.Shu embroidery is one of the most famous embroidery styles in China.It's known for its strong expression and smooth needlework.

The characteristics are greatly influenced by geographical environment,customs and cultures.Called the“Land of Abundance”,Sichuan province is rich in grain production.The people of this area also enjoy a slow lifestyle.So when embroidering,they are usually patient and willing to spend time pursuing the form’s complexity and elegance.This could also be a reason why Shu embroidery was listed as a national-level intangible cultural heritage in 2006.

Making beautiful Shu embroidery products is never easy.

It requires superb workmanship.Meng Dezhi,59,was born to a family of embroiderers.She was one of the most talented employees at the Chengdu Shu embroidery factory.Even so,the long and repetitive nature of the process often challenges her.And in winter,when her hands and feet are freezing,things become more difficult.But her love for the work has encouraged Meng to continue.Even for an experienced master like Meng,finishing a piece requires several days or even a few months.

“These experiences may sometimes discourage me,but the love for Shu embroidery always gives me motivation to continue,”said Meng.

Meng has also popularized the culture of Shu embroidery when the tradition was at risk of declining.

Many cheap products are made by modern machines.In 2005,the factory Meng worked in was forced to close.To make a living and pass along the traditional technique,Meng rented a   small space of 10 square meters to teach Shu embroidery skills to the kids and young people.

“In the early days,I set up the company just for survival,but now I really feel that I have the responsibility to pass on Shu embroidery skills to young people.”“It is like sowing a seed—who knows which of them will become an inheritor(继承人)or guardian of our culture in the future?”she told China Daily.

1. What is special about Shu embroidery?

A．It mainly features images of animals.

B．It is complex and delicate in workmanship.

C．It affects local lifestyles in Sichuan province.

D．It’s developed from traditional Chinese paintings.

2. What makes Meng Dezhi stick to embroidering?

A．The nature of Shu embroidery.

B．The passion for Shu embroidery.

C．The influence of her family tradition.

D．The profits from Shu embroidery products.

3. What does the underlined word“It”in the last paragraph refer to?

A．Setting up a company for a living.

B．Renting a 10-square-meter space.

C．Making cheap products with modern machines.

D．Teaching Shu embroidery skills to the young generation.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．Art Made with Modern Machines	B．The History of Shu Embroidery
C．Passing on Needlepoint Perfection	D．A Talented Shu Embroidery Employee

7 . Naturally, American schoolchildren love holidays. And they get a lot of them each year. Besides having national holidays such as Thanksgiving and Presidents’ Day off from school, students get longer breaks in the spring and during the summer holidays. In fact, kids in the US only go to school for about 180 days a year. To students, holidays are perfect. However, parents think there are advantages and disadvantages.

On the one hand, school holidays allow families to spend time together. Many American parents take time off from work during June, July or August to travel with their children on vacations either in the US or in a foreign country. On the other hand, schoolchildren get much more time off school than parents get vacation time. This means that parents with young children may have to pay more in babysitting or daycare costs. As well, the long summer holidays mean that students sometimes get bored.

Besides going on trips with their parents, American students enjoy taking part in different kinds of activities during the holidays. For example, some kids enjoy summer camps and outdoor adventure holidays. Such trips are great for adventurous students. They also have a lot to offer students who aren’t usually interested in traditional PE activities. You can do courses in survival skills, for example. Students learn how to make a camp in the forest, which wild food they can eat and how to find their way back to the center.

Students who are not excited about summer camps and outdoor adventure may take part in courses in computer game design, filmmaking and photography during the holidays. Finally, the traditional school trip to foreign countries is always popular. Students can practice their foreign language skills and experience everyday life in a different culture.

1. How long are kids in the US at school every year?

A．About 180 days.

B．About 280 days.

C．About 200 days.

D．About 300 days.

2. What does the underlined word “They” refer to in the third paragraph?

A．Some kids.	B．Different traditional PE activities.
C．Parents.	D．Summer camps and outdoor adventure.

3. Which of the following is TRUE?

A．Both parents and students think school holidays are perfect.

B．Parents can take care of their young children during all the holidays.

C．Students enjoy taking part in different kinds of activities during holidays.

D．Students don’t like to have school trips to foreign countries during holidays.

4. What would be the best title for the text?

A．School Trips in the US	B．School Holidays in the US
C．School Activities in the US	D．Outdoor Adventure in the US

8 . I was on the phone with a friend the other day, and she was sharing how she was overwhelmed (难以忍受的).She had too much going on — too many to-dos at work and at home, too many projects calling for her attention and too many employee issues that required her input. She felt unable to focus on anything long enough to bring it to an end.

As we talked it through, I was reminded of my computer when it freezes because it has so many windows open. Sometimes, I'm working on too many things, and my computer stops, as if paralyzed (瘫痪的),as if overwhelmed.

If our computer freezes when we’re handling too many tasks at once, then it’s no surprise that we would too. There’s too much data flowing around, too many ideas circulating, too many problems waiting to be solved. Too many windows open.

We need to learn to close some windows, to acknowledge that we can’t focus on everything at once, and that we'd be more effective if we focused on one thing at a time. We need the faith that we can step away from the projects we closed out right now.

Sometimes it feels like we have no choice, that everything is a crisis at this moment and nothing can be dropped, or even postponed. But there is usually something that can be put off or someone who can step in and take away some of our burden. We can manage expectations. We can choose. We can be more realistic about what we can get done, by when and how well.

We don't expect our electronics to run as well when too many windows are open. Why should we expect that of ourselves? We need to close a few windows to overlook a few projects and to perhaps even power down for a few minutes so that we’re fresh and able to effectively handle all that comes our way.

1. How does the author introduce the topic?

A．Raising questions.	B．Relating an experience.
C．Offering a report.	D．Giving a definition.

2. What can be inferred from the text?

A．We can concentrate on everything at a time.

B．We can drop or postpone nothing in our life.

C．We can turn to someone to get rid of our burden.

D．We can power down and leave all things unsolved.

3. What does the underlined word refer to in the last paragraph?

A．Running electronics well.	B．Leaving many computers open.
C．Managing many things at a time.	D．Handling the computer effectively.

4. What’s the passage mainly about?

A．Why we are overwhelmed.

B．What we expect to manage.

C．How to run a frozen computer well.

D．How to handle overwhelming tasks properly.

9 . You are given many opportunities in life to choose to be a victim or creator. When you choose to be a victim, the world is a cold and difficult place.“They” did things to you which caused all of your pain and suffering.“They” are wrong and bad, and life is terrible as long as “they” are around.Or you may blame yourself for all your problems, thus internalizing(内化)your victimization.The truth is, your life is likely to stay that way as long as you feel a need to blame yourself or others.

Those who choose to be creators look at life quite differently.They know there are individuals who might like to control their lives, but they don't let this get in the way.They know they have their weaknesses, yet they don't blame themselves when they fail.Whatever happens, they have choice in the matter.They believe their dance with each sacred(神圣的)moment of life is a gift and that storms are a natural part of life which can bring the rain needed for emotional and spiritual growth.

Victims and creators live in the same physical world and deal with many of the same physical realities, yet their experience of life is worlds apart.Victims relish(沉溺)in anger, guilt, and other emotions that cause others--and even themselves---to feel like victims, too.Creators consciously choose love, inspiration, and other qualities which inspire not only themselves, but al1around them.Both victims and creators always have choice to determine the direction of their lives.

In reality, all of us play the victim or the creator at various points in our lives.One person, on losing a job or a special relationship, may feel as if it is the end of the world and sink into terrible suffering for months, years, or even a lifetime.Another with the same experience may choose to first experience the grief, then accept the loss and soon move on to be a powerful creative force in his life.

In every moment and every circumstance, you can choose to have fuller, richer life by setting a clear intention to transform the victim within, and by inviting into your life the powerful creator that you are.

1. What does the word “they” in Paragraph 1 probably refer to?

A．People and things around you.	B．Opportunities and problems.
C．Creators and their choices.	D．Victims and their sufferings.

2. According to Paragraph 2, creators__________.

A．seem willing to experience failures in life	B．possess the ability to predict future life
C．handle ups and downs of life wisely	D．have potential to create something new

3. What is the author's purpose in writing this passage?

A．To define victims and creators.

B．To evaluate victims against creators.

C．To explain the relationship between victims and creators.

D．To suggest the transformation from victims to creators.

4. The examples mentioned in Paragraph 4 show that_________.

A．strong attachment to sufferings in life pulls people into victims.

B．people need family support to deal with challengers in life.

C．it takes creators quite a long time to get rid of their pains.

D．one's experiences determine his attitude toward life.

10 . Six weeks before his birthday, Giuseppe Paternò achieved the dream of a lifetime: He got a university degree.

Mr. Paternò's graduation has inspired news coverage around the world, partly because of his age. But he has mainly drawn attention because his life story speaks of commitment, a theme that has encouraged as millions of schoolchildren in Italy and elsewhere faces extraordinary uncertainty during the coronavirus pandemic.

Born in Palermo in 1923, the first of seven children in a “very poor family,” Mr. Paternò began working soon after finishing elementary school. “The family was large, there was only one paycheck, we were under fascism, and times were tough,” he said.

Eventually, he ended up at a publishing house where an enlightened boss persuaded his father to send him back to school for a three-year vocational degree. Mr. Paternò then worked for an insurance agency while he took private classes to become a telegraph operator. He used skills from the operator job when he was drafted into the navy in World War II. The job also opened doors to the State Railways Company, where he worked for more than four decades.

It was only after he retired, in the mid-1980s, that he returned to his books, taking theology courses through the Archdiocese of Palermo after a chance meeting with a philosophy professor who urged him to follow his love.

Mr. Paterno's son, Ninni Paternò, said that the family had not expected all the attention. “It's unbelievable!” the vounger Paternò said of his father. “He achieved his goal, but he didn't mean to be famous in newspapers around the world.”

University officials are hoping that Mr. Paternò will continue his studies on waster's course. But he isn't so sure. “I have to admit that in this moment, I don't know whether I would do it with the same spirit,” he said on Wednesday. Still, Mr. Paternò said he would probably continue anyway.

1. What's the main reason for the world to report Mr. Paternò's graduation?

A．His experience shows the spirit of commitment.

B．Mr. Paternò achieved his dream at an old age.

C．His graduation ceremony was during the coronavirus pandemic.

D．His achievement is extraordinary.

2. What does the underline word “this job” in paragraph 4 refer to?

A．Working for an insurance company.

B．Severing in the navy in World War II.

C．A telegraph operator.

D．The job in the State Railway Company.

3. What can we learn about Mr. Paternò's son's words?

A．The family had not agreed Mr. Paternò's decision.

B．Mr. Paternò didn't want to gain the world's attention.

C．Mr. Paternò suffered a lot to achieve his goal.

D．Mr. Paternò's achievement is not worth mentioning.

4. What can we learn from the passage?

A．It's never too late to achieve a dream.	B．No pains, no gains.
C．Young at heart.	D．Practice makes perfect.