1 . Newcastle, one of the fastest developing cities in the United Kingdom, is beginning to draw tourists from all corners of Europe. It’s said that most visitors come here to see the famous soccer team play. The mood of the locals is often changed by the success or failure of the local team.

Newcastle’s most popular place is the Gate, which is in the center of the city and has many attractions including bars, restaurants, sports bars, pubs and so on. During a home game it becomes a real home to happiness.

Culture and local history lovers can make their dreams come true by taking one of the local city tour buses. They come and leave every few minutes and stop at all the important historical sites in the city. Also the seats and the environment on the buses are comfortable. It’s the best way to see the city without tiring yourself out or getting cold. Places such as the Hancock Museum and Millennium Bridge are must-see attractions. But be careful if you’re short of time. Newcastle is a big place, so you should be prepared to kill a few hours on one of these buses.

If you want to watch the local team play soccer in the St. James Park, remember to book a ticket as early as possible. The locals are crazy soccer fans, and you’ll find it hard to get a ticket if you don’t wait in the queue early.

As you can see, Newcastle is a fascinating city with so much to be offered and so many things to see. You’re sure to have a wonderful time here!

1. Most visitors come to Newcastle in order to ________.

A．watch its soccer team play

B．take the local tour buses

C．visit the Hancock Museum

D．have a big meal in restaurants

2. If you want to learn about the history and culture of Newcastle, you ________.

A．should go to the Gate

B．can go on a city tour

C．must visit St. James Park

D．must drive your own car

3. The underlined word “They” in Para. 3 refers to “________”．

A．history lovers	B．local people
C．city tour buses	D．local soccer teams

4. According to the passage, which one is NOT correct?

A．The most popular place in Newcastle is the Gate.

B．Millennium Bridge is attractive to culture and local history lovers.

C．The mood of the locals can’t be influenced by the success or failure of the local team.

D．You’d better book a ticket as early as possible if you want to watch the local team play soccer.

2 . Faced with a declining population and workforce, Japan has been increasingly turning to robots for help. Over the years, the robots have carried out a large number of human tasks, including building products and providing care for the elderly.

However, the robots currently being used by companies, like Walmart and Amazon, are only able to perform single, repetitive tasks, such as stacking boxes. Model-T, on the other hand, has a wider range of movement and is able to hold, pick and place objects of several different shapes and sizes into different locations, making it ideal for convenience and grocery stores, which sell a large variety of items.

Model-T robots are operated from a distant location by human “pilots” wearing a virtual reality (VR) headset and special gloves, which allow them to feel the product the robot is holding in their hands and guide it to the right shelf.

The VR-controlled robots are ten times cheaper than automated robots, because they don’t require advanced programming and are easier to develop and maintain. And their easy-to-use controls require little training. Tomohiro Kano, a general manager in charge of development at FamilyMart, believes this will enable the chain to recruit workers who would typically not work in stores.

Though Model-T appears to be getting rapidly through the experiments, it is not quite ready to enter the workforce. Besides being a lot slower than humans, it is also only able to lift packaged items, and cannot get hold of things such as fruits and vegetables. The company is working to improve the weaknesses and hopes to introduce a faster, more skillful Model-T within the next two years. They believe that in addition to the stores, the robots could also be useful in hospitals, allowing doctors to do operations from remote locations.

1. What is one of the features of Model-T according to the text?

A．It works much faster than humans.	B．It can easily hold all kinds of objects.
C．It can be operated from a distance away.	D．It is harder to produce than an automated robot.

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

A．The low price of Model-T.	B．The easiness to operate Model-T.
C．The low-level programming of Model-T.	D．The strict training for maintaining Model-T.

3. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．Model-T is now being massively produced.

B．Japan’s workforce will be reduced by Model-T.

C．The weaknesses of Model-T have been overcome.

D．Model-T may be used in wider fields in the future.

4. In which section of a website can we read this text?

A．Technology.

B．Economy.

C．Lifestyle.

D．Environment.

3 . Call it a mobility system or a wheelchair—it can be seen at the Tokyo airport moving on its own.It is helping with social distancing while fighting the spread of the coronavirus. It also helps older passengers and those who otherwise need assistance walking the last few steps to the boarding gate.

The mobility system seats one person and runs on its own without hitting anything. It has a pre-programmed path of about 600 meters at Tokyo's Haneda International Airport. It was shown on Monday by WHILL, the company behind the technology.

WHILL Chief Executive Satoshi Sugie said robotics and self-driving technology reduce the need for a human at the wheel. They are good for these times of "living with" coronavirus. The ride lasts several minutes. It travels from the security area to the boarding gate at a speed of 3.5 kilometers per hour. But many people hope the technology can help in other places, such as hospitals or parks. The technology uses sensors and cameras to see a clear path and avoid hitting those walking toward it. It could also help Japan free up laborers. Japan, like many other nations, suffers from a labor shortage. The technology could free a worker to do another job.

Tests have been carried out at several airports since last year, including John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. The company hopes to put it in airports around the world.

The person on the machine can start or stop it through a simple controller .It runs on batteries and is programmed to return to where it started when its passenger gets off Anyone needing help walking long distances can use it at Terminal One at Haneda airport. It is called the "last-mile mobility, says WHILL.

1. What do we know about the mobility system?

A．It can seat more than one person.	B．It runs with the assistance of a controller.
C．It helps older passengers to the boarding gate.	D．It has a flexible path of about 600 meters.

2. What does "they” in Paragraph 3 refer to?

A．Humans at the wheel.	B．The needs for human beings.
C．These times of "living with" coronavirus.	D．Robotics and self-driving technology.

3. What plays an essential part in the technology?

A．Sensors and cameras.	B．The speed of the machine.
C．The path of the ride.	D．The distance of the ride.

4. What can we infer from the last two paragraphs?

A．The system runs completely on its own.

B．The system has been put into use in the US.

C．WHILL will continue to test the system in airports worldwide.

D．The system is controlled by a passenger to return to the start.

4 . My name is Lwazi Nzimande. I started my schooling at Thukeyana Primary Farm School in Underberg, KwaZulu­Natal.

I had a favourite teacher in primary school. Her name was Miss Dube. She taught me natural science and human social sciences in grade six and seven, and had a way of pushing learners to be able to think for themselves. She made sure that each and every learner took part in every lesson. She used pictures, diagrams (图表) and other things to make learning easier and more unforgettable, moving at a pace that was suitable for all students. As a teacher, she showed patience, respect, open-mindedness, and reliability (可靠性). Now you see why she was my favourite teacher in primary school, don't you?

In my opinion, patience, respect, open-mindedness, and reliability are some of the things that all teachers should have and show. A patient teacher is one who understands that some learners need more explanation than others to understand something in class. He or she should always be willing to help learners. An open-minded teacher will go beyond what is found in the textbook. A teacher who is respected will find it easy to control a class. Respect is earned through what a teacher says to learners or how he or she deals with them in general.

Miss Dube often told us not to bad­mouth or make fun of others. She also did so. She never bad­mouthed other teachers in front of us. Also, Miss Dube never made fun of her learners. She thought making fun of learners in front of others would hurt them and damage their confidence.

Miss Dube was also very honest. From my point of view, that's also what a good teacher should be like. If she didn't have an answer to a question, she would let her learners know. This set a good example to the learners.

1. Why was Miss Dube the author's favourite teacher?

A．Because of her rich knowledge.

B．Because of her good appearance.

C．Because of her teaching style and character.

D．Because of her lifestyle and attitude to students.

2. What does the author think an open-minded teacher should do?

A．Pay close attention to every student's improvement.

B．Tell about something outside the textbook.

C．Avoid believing everything in the textbook.

D．Show great respect for her students.

3. What can we learn about Miss Dube from Paragraph 4?

A．She liked praising her students.	B．She was very confident in class.
C．She got along well with other teachers.	D．She set a good example to her students.

4. What does the underlined word “This” in the last paragraph mean?

A．Being a very patient teacher.	B．Answering students' questions.
C．Being honest in front of students.	D．Teaching students very difficult things.

5 . Over a four-year period, Swiss researchers have developed a machine that can keep human livers (肝)alive outside of the body for one week.

Livers are among the most commonly transplanted (移植)human organs. Current technology can only keep human livers alive for up to 24 hours. It is reported that, in 2017, about 8.000 liver transplants were performed in the U.S., of which 360 used livers from living givers In addition, about 11,500 people were registered on a waiting list to receive a liver transplant. Keeping livers alive and functioning for longer periods could greatly improve the chances of survival for patients.

The researchers say the purpose of their “Liver4Life” machine is to perform what they call liver perfusion (灌注)operations outside of the human body. Perfusion is the process by which blood or other liquids are pumped through organs and tissue. The machine keeps the liver at the right temperature and moves it in a way that would be natural in the body. Using a pump to fill the liver with blood acting like a human heart, the machine also provides oxygen to the organ, controls red blood cell levels and removes waste.

The research team began their experiments with livers from pigs. After repeated testing and engineering development, they succeeded in getting the pig livers to survive for seven days with support only provided from the Liver4Life machine. They also discovered the system can work to repair damaged livers. The team is now planning its next step to transplant machine-treated organs into patients.

Pierre-Alain Clavien. leader of the research said in a statement. “This technology will greatly increase the number of livers available for transplant, improving the chances of survival for patients. The success of this unique machine opens the way for many new applications in transplantation and cancer medicine.”

1. What does the author intend to do in paragraph 2?

A．Introduce a brand new topic for discussion.

B．Provide some latest data about present liver transplants.

C．Show the urgency of tech improvement in liver transplants.

D．Remind readers concerned of the importance of a healthy liver.

2. What does the underlined word “it” in paragraph 3 refer to?

A．The machine.	B．The liver.
C．The temperature.	D．The tissue.

3. What can we learn about the Liver4Life machine?

A．It is among the most commonly used machines for liver transplants.

B．It is aimed to carry out liver perfusion operations in the human body.

C．It can perform several functions to keep the liver working normally.

D．It can be used to keep the pig livers alive for more than one week.

4. Where is this text most likely from?

A．A biology textbook.	B．A first aid brochure.
C．A social web page.	D．A health magazine.

6 . Scientists at the University of Oxford have developed new artificial intelligence (AI) software to recognize and follow up the faces of individual chimpanzees (黑猩猩) in the wild. The new software will allow researcher and wildlife conservationists to greatly cut back on time spent analyzing videos, according to the new paper published today in Science Advances.

“For species like chimpanzees, which have complex social lives and live for many years, getting photos of their behavior from short-term field research can only tell us so much.” says Dan Sehofield, researcher and DPhil student at Oxford University’s Primate Models Lab, School of Anthropology. “By taking advantage of the power of machine learning to unlock large video files, it makes it possible to measure behavior over the long term.”

The computers model was trained using over 10 million images (影像) from Kyoto University’s Primate Research Institute (PRI) video files of wild chimpanzees in Guinea, West Africa. The new software is the first to continuously track and recognize individuals in a wide range of posed, performing with high accuracy in difficult conditions such as low lighting and poor image quality.

“Access to this large video file has allowed us to use the newest deep neural networks to train models at a scale that was previously not possible,” says Arsha Nagrani, co-author of the study and DPhil student at the Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford. “Additionally, our new software differs from previous primate face recognition software in that it can be applied to raw videos with limited manual intervention (人工干预) or pre-processing, saving hours of time.”

The technology has potential for many uses, such as monitoring species for conservation. Although the present application focused on chimpanzees, the software provided could be applied to other species, and help drive the adoption of AI systems to solve a range of problems in the wildlife sciences.

1. What’s the purpose of developing the new software?

A．To save wildlife researchers’ time spent in the wild.

B．To keep track of wildlife conservationists’ behavior.

C．To protect chimpanzees and help them to live longer.

D．To recognize and track the faces of wild chimpanzees.

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

A．Getting photos.	B．Analyzing videos.
C．The new AI software.	D．A powerful machine.

3. What does paragraph 4 mainly talk about?

A．The unique advantages of the new software.

B．Some limitations of using the new software.

C．The working principles of the new software.

D．Controversial attitudes to the new software.

4. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．The new software has a quite bright future.

B．The application of the technology can be tough.

C．Technology is the final goal of scientific research.

D．AI systems are widely used in the wildlife sciences.

7 . Last May I was hired by a large government agency. I had seven coworkers and a boss, Mrs. King. Our job was to sort huge amounts of mail into four hundred slots( 位置). We delivered the mail out of grocery carts we wheeled from office to office, picking up outgoing mail as we went along. Each mail delivery took an entire half-day to sort and deliver.

My troubles began almost as soon as I arrived. I was horrified to see that the slots were labeled not with people’s names but with their initials. Without thinking, I asked why this was a good idea, only to receive a sharp glance from Mrs. King. So I repeated the question. This time Mrs. King told me not to question what I didn’t understand. It was the first of many such exchanges, and I hadn’t been on the job a half-hour. The longer I worked at the job, the more I saw how inefficient all the procedures were, from delivery routes to times for coffee breaks.

When I asked Mrs. King about the procedures, however, she always reacted the same way. I continued with it over the next seven weeks, but my efforts were fruitless, even counterproductive.

Two months later, I was fired. I objected, of course. The personnel manager asked me if I had ever heard of the barnyard pecking order: the top chicken pecks on the one below it, the second pecks on the third, and so on all the way down the line to the lowliest chicken, whose life is a constant misery. Mrs. King, the manager said, was that lowliest chicken at the bottom of the pecking order in the agency’s management. No one should doubt for a moment that she ruled her rooster.

I reflected upon my adventure in the agency. Eventually I saw how arrogant, and how unsympathetic, my behavior had been. In my next job, I ’ll learn the pecking order before I become a reformer, if I do.

1. What trouble did the author meet when he started his job?

A．He had too many co-workers and a boss to work with.

B．He found the slots were labeled not with full names but initials.

C．He had to spend too much time in sorting and delivering.

D．His boss Mrs King glanced at him sharply and answered him quickly.

2. Why was the author fired two months later?

A．He questioned his boss Mrs King endlessly.

B．He did not work according to work procedures.

C．He worked inefficiently.

D．He did not make his efforts to work.

3. What does the barnyard pecking order in paragraph 3 refer to?

A．work procedure	B．job morality
C．production line	D．ranking system

4. What have the author learned from his job adventure?

A．Honesty	B．Self-confidence
C．Respect	D．Perseverance

8 . If there was a subject at school that made me anxious, it was science. Maybe that’s because in my tenth grade, I couldn't understand my physics teacher's instructions, causing me to accidentally set fire to the classroom. So, when my husband and I decided to home-school our daughters, we made a deal: he would teach science, while I would handle everything else. But that’s not how things have been going these past few weeks, since my husband has been too busy to teach the girls.

Recently, while out on my morning hike before starting lessons, I noticed that the sky was a beautiful blue, and the air was filled with the sweet smell of flowers. That s why I decided that the day’s lessons would be taught outside, although I remembered that my daughters hadn't had any science classes from my husband for a while.

I returned to the house to get the girls ready. We headed up into the forest, settling ourselves by a pond that rarely has any visitors. My daughter Saoirse started to pick up pond weeds and catch frogs, while my other daughter Ula looked at me, waiting to be instructed. I handed her a drawing board and colored pencils. "We wait, "I told her, " and see if something comes along. In the meantime, just draw what's around you.”

We worked for more than an hour, hardly speaking. A bird flew across the water, and then settled in a front of a fallen tree. I quickly told Ula, worried that she’d not seen the creature. But she had, and she started drawing it. An hour later, she’d not finished her picture and I stared down at it. She drew the bird on her paper with amazing accuracy. But there was one other interesting fact about this drawing: she also drew me, sitting beside her.

I realized, as I stared at this child's drawing of us watching a bird, how I'd lived for 40 years, gathered 10 years of higher education, and never understood the foundation of science before this moment. The foundation of science is a sense of wonder; it isn't about accurately reciting words from a textbook. It is first and foremost about stepping outside our busy lives and amazing at the world around us.

1. How did the author feel about science when in school?

A．She was nervous about it.	B．She was fond of it.
C．She was confused about it.	D．She was eager for it.

2. The underlined word“it” in Paragraph4 refers to“      ”

A．the fallen tree	B．the forest
C．the bird	D．the picture

3. Which of the following best describes Ula?

A．She's very outgoing.	B．She's good at observing.
C．She's very hard-working.	D．She shares interests with her sister.

4. What is the foundation of science in the author's opinion?

A．Attention to accuracy.

B．Curiosity about the outside world.

C．Determination to find out the truth.

D．Ability to understand teachers' instructions.

9 . Recently, few samples of mice with diabetes(糖尿病)in an experiment showed signs of recovery. Then there arose much discussion regarding the morality of such animal-testing procedures, especially since many unfortunate samples lost lives.   Is it moral and necessary to make sacrifices to benefit the majority? Or are these procedures merely an immoral and unnecessary waste of lives

Some people assume that it is acceptable to make sacrifices for the greater benefits because it can provide a more accurate insight to promote the progress of science.   Through the test，we are able to obtain more accurate and reliable results that can lead to beneficial scientific progress to help the majority.   Scientists believe that sacrificing real animal samples can give more accurate insights compared to abstract computer modeling. For example, researchers who have conducted experiments on mice for Parkinson's disease have found more promising results which could reverse the symptoms of this previously incurable disease. Therefore, the long-term benefits are more important than the short-term sacrifices.

However, others have argued that these acts are morally inappropriate especially since we have advanced to the point where there are more moral alternatives at present.   They believe that everything has an alternative as long as effort and money are placed. With the presence of better and more moral alternatives, there is no reason and moral room to sacrifice, even if it is for the larger benefits.

In all，the samples' sacrifice is unavoidable due to their potential to attain great scientific progress. Research has shown that the cases having better and more moral alternatives are in rare exception, and most alternatives actually end up compromising other moral boundaries in- stead.   However,   if there exist such alternatives to some of the scientific procedures, we should try.

1. Why does the author use two questions in paragraph 1?

A．To present diabetes.	B．To introduce the topic of the text.
C．To remind readers to focus on their health.	D．To show sympathy for the dead people.

2. What does the underlined word "it" in paragraph 2 refer to?

A．Morality.

B．Progress.

C．Sacrificing samples.

D．Relieving the symptoms of the disease.

3. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．Mice-testing experiments are illegal.

B．There is no moral debate about animal testing.

C．Scientists decide not to use animals for experiments.

D．Researchers still have to sacrifice animals for science.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Have Animal Experiments Made Progress?

B．Researches Are Fighting for Animal Rights

C．Is It Necessary to Sacrifice Animal Samples?

D．More Effort and Money Will Be Spent on Animals

10 . Let’s face it. No one drinks diet sodas for the taste. People drink diet sodas in the hope that it will help them lose weight or at least keep them from gaining it. Yet it seems to have exactly the opposite effect, according to a new study.

Researchers from the University of Texas said those who drank two or more diet sodas a day had waist size increases that were six times greater than those who didn’t drink diet sodas. ＂What we saw was that the more diet sodas a person drank, the more weight they were likely to gain,＂said Sharon Fowler.

The study was based on data from 474 participants in a large, ongoing research project, where the participants were followed for nearly 10 years.

While the findings are surprising, they also offer some explanations. Nutrition expert, Melanie Rogers, who works with overweight patients in New York, has found that when patients are switched from regular to diet sodas, they don’t lose weight at all. ＂We weren’t seeing weight loss necessarily, and that was confusing to us＂, said Rogers.

So why would diet soda cause weight gain? No one knows for sure yet, but it could be that people think they can eat more if they drink diet sodas, and so over-compensate for the missing calories.

A related study found some sweeteners (甜味剂) raised blood sugar levels in some mice. ＂Data from this and other potential studies suggest that the promotion of diet sodas and artificial sweeteners may be risky, said Helen P. Hazuda, professor at the University of Texas’s school of medicine. ＂They may be free of calories, but not of consequences.＂

1. People drink diet sodas to ____________.

A．enjoy its taste	B．stay in fashion
C．achieve weight loss	D．gain more energy

2. The new study suggests that drinking diet sodas ____________.

A．causes people to become heavier	B．helps people to be healthier
C．makes people much thinner	D．offers people more calories

3. We can learn from the passage that ____________.

A．regular sodas make people lose more weight	B．diet soda drinkers tend to eat more food
C．diet sodas do help reduce calories	D．most blood diseases come from diet sodas

4. The underlined word ＂They＂ in the last paragraph probably refers to ＂____________＂.

A．sweeteners	B．diet sodas and artificial sweeteners
C．sodas	D．diet soda drinkers and sweetener takers