1 . The history of microbiology begins with Dutch cloth maker named Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, a man of no formal scientific education. In the late 1600s. Leeuwenhoek, inspired by the magnifying lenses（放大镜）he used to examine cloth, built some of the first-microscopes. He developed technique to improve the quality of tiny, rounded lenses, some of which could magnify an object up to 270 times. After removing some plaque from between his teeth and examining it under a lens, Leeuwenhoek found tiny twisting creatures, which he called “animalcules”.
His observations, which he reported to the Royal Society of London, are among the first descriptions of microbes（微生物）. Leeuwenhoek discovered an entire universe invisible to the human eye. He found different microbes in samples of pond water, rain water, and human blood. He gave the first description of red blood cells, observed plant tissue, examined muscle, and investigated the life cycle of insects.
Nearly two hundred years later, Leeuwenhock’s discovery of microbes helped French chemist and biologist Louis Pasteur to develop his “theory of disease”. This concept suggested that disease originates from tiny organisms attacking and weakening the body. Pasteur’s theory later helped doctors to fight infectious diseases including anthrax, diphtheria, polio, smallpox, tetanus, and typhoid. All these breakthroughs were the result of Leeuwenhoek’s original work. Leeuwenhoek did not foresee this legacy.
In a 1716 letter, he described his contribution to science this way: “My work, which I’ve done for a long time, was not pursued in order to gain the praise I now enjoy, but chiefly from a strong desire for knowledge, which I notice resides in me more than in most other men. And therefore; whenever I found out anything remarkable, I have thought it my duty to put down my discovery on paper, so that the scientific community might be informed thereof.”
1. Which of the following best describes Leeuwenhoek?| A．trained researcher with an interest in microbiology |
| B．A curious amateur who made pioneer studies of microbes |
| C．A talented scientist interested in finding a cure for disease |
| D．A bored cloth maker who accidentally made a major discovery |
| A．the discovery of microbes |
| B．Pasteur’s theory of disease |
| C．Leeuwenhoek’s contribution |
| D．the origin of the tiny organism |
| A．He admitted that many of his discoveries happened by chance. |
| B．He considered his work to be central to later medical breakthroughs. |
| C．He was greatly concerned with improving people’s living conditions. |
| D．He believed the sharing of knowledge was a key to scientific progress |
a. Magnifying lenses were built.
b. The “theory of disease” was put forward
c. Microbes were discovered in samples of waters.
d. Leeuwenhoek’s first microscopes were successfully developed.
e. Leeuwenhoek explained his thoughts upon his own contribution.
| A．a-d-c-e-b | B．d-a-c-e-b | C．a-c-d-b-e | D．d-a-e-b-c |
2 . Anyone wanting to help the poor may like this idea—recycling aluminum cans in a different way, which is apparently also good for the environment. So you're actually killing two birds with one stone. It goes without saying that recycling aluminum cans can save resources, energy, time and money. People usually save and place aluminum cans in the dustbins, which are then collected and taken away by cleaners, who will finally recycle them in the recycling center. But if you save the aluminum cans, and skip the cleaners, you can save these same cans for something more important—helping the poor. In other words, by doing less, you are giving the environmental cause some new significance.
Here is how to put this idea into action. Take your aluminum cans and place them in a plastic bag. For the dirty ones, rinse them out first. Store the bag of clean aluminum cans. Once you collect about one hundred cans or more, take the cans to the recycle center yourself. There are about eighteen aluminum cans in a pound. And you can receive three to four dollars for one hundred cans. Donate your three to four dollars to the poor or any charity organization of your choice.
By now, you may wonder if your few dollars have really made a difference to the poor. Consider this: Is there any individual or any specific event that is great enough to change the world or decide the direction that history takes? The answer is probably no. What if there were a lot of people who would do the same thing? History shows nothing but the collective will of the whole community. And that will surely be powerful enough to make a bigger difference.
Go to your community or your school and spread your idea. Share your idea and save your aluminum cans with other people. One hundred people can speak louder than one. And the money you make by saving cans can be multiplied by one hundred times. And if more people join in the cause around the world, an even larger difference can be made , and more people in need will enjoy the benefits.
1. What's special about the new idea?| A．It makes profits. | B．It saves resources. |
| C．It benefits the poor. | D．It involves cleaners. |
| A．Dirty cans do not sell well. | B．You decide who receives the money. |
| C．A hundred cans weigh about 3 pounds. | D．The recycle center is conveniently located. |
| A．A great individual or event. | B．The direction history takes. |
| C．The collective will of people. | D．The neighbourhood you live in. |
| A．Many hands make light work. | B．Kill two birds with one stone. |
| C．Don't put the cart before the horse. | D．No man can do two things at once. |
3 . In business，there’s a speed difference:It’s the difference between how important a firm’s leaders say speed is to their competitive strategy and how fast the company actually moves.The difference is important regardless of industry and company size.Companies fearful of losing their competitive advantage spend much time and money looking for ways to pick up the speed.
In our study of 343 businesses，the companies that chose to go，go，go to try to gain an edge ended up with lower sales and operating incomes than those that paused at key moments to make sure they were on the right track.What’s more，the firms that “slowed down to speed up” improved their top and bottom lines，averaging 40% higher sales and 52% higher operating incomes over a threeyear period.
How did they disobey the laws of business physics，taking more time than competitors yet performing better？They thought differently about what “slower” and “faster” mean.Firms sometimes fail to understand the difference between operational speed (moving quickly) and strategic speed (reducing the time it takes to deliver value).Simply increasing the speed of production，for example，may be one way to try to reduce the speed difference.But that often leads to reduced value over time，in the form of lowerquality products and services.
In our study，higherperforming companies with strategic speed always made changes when necessary.They became more open to ideas and discussion.They encouraged new ways of thinking.And they allowed time to look back and learn.By contrast，performance suffered at firms that moved fast all the time，paid too much attention to improving efficiency，stuck to tested methods，didn’t develop team spirit among their employees，and had little time thinking about changes.
Strategic speed serves as a kind of leadership.Teams that regularly take time to get things right，rather than plough ahead full bore，are more successful in meeting their business goals.That kind of strategy must come from the top.
1. What does the underlined part “gain an edge” in Paragraph 2 mean?| A．Increase the speed. | B．Get an advantage. |
| C．Reach the limit. | D．Set a goal. |
| A．spending more time and performing worse |
| B．spending more time and performing better |
| C．spending less time and performing worse |
| D．spending less time and performing better |
| A．How fast a firm moves depends on how big it is. |
| B．How competitive a firm is depends on what it produces. |
| C．Firms guided by strategic speed take time to make necessary changes. |
| D．Firms guided by operational speed take time to develop necessary team spirit. |
4 . Many years ago, my mother read from the book Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey to me. I remember as if it were yesterday, hearing her voice at my side on a cold wintry night. My mother's voice changed my world.
Long before I could read on my own, she shared with me the strength and beauty of McCloskey's language — a story of a little girl and her mother out in nature, co-existing with a mother bear and her own baby. The power of the story, of language and of my mother, all came together.And it happened many times after that, over and over. The read aloud made me a reader.
Years later, I was reading aloud a picture book to a small child in a classroom. His life, so far, had not been easy. His childhood was troubled by poverty and loneliness. In that moment, in the joy of the read aloud, he had an idea that started something big.
What he said was this: “Mrs. Allyn, let's make sure everyone knows how good this feels. Let's have a holiday for the read aloud.” Therefore, my organization, LitWorld, created a grassroots movement World Read Aloud Day in 2010 to honor this young boy's wish for everyone to be able to have a read aloud every day.
Since the day he shared that good idea with us, World Read Aloud Day has become a worldwide event reaching over one million people in more than 65 countries around the world.
This year we are over 600 cities strong, a number that is growing every day.
Children who grow up as readers become engaged citizens of the global world, and every child deserves the right to read. When I say that reading aloud will change the world, I know it sounds simple. But one of the many great things about giving kids access to the power of stories and sharing them together is that it is simple. It is also cheap and easily done. And the impact is huge.
1. How did the author's parent change her life?| A．By reading aloud to her. | B．By listening to her reading. |
| C．By buying many books for her. | D．By encouraging her to read aloud. |
| A．To start a holiday. | B．To reduce poverty. |
| C．To found LitWorld. | D．To overcome loneliness. |
| A．Its origin. | B．Its future. | C．Its purpose. | D．Its development. |
| A．Sticking to reading isn't easy. | B．Reading gives a high rate of return. |
| C．Reading aloud isn't actually simple. | D．Kids should try to change the world. |
5 . Let’s face it.You’re likely reading this article in an effort to avoid some other tasks you’re procrastinating (拖延) to learn how to stop procrastination, but the clock is ticking. So why can’t you seem to get rid of that?
Though the psychological causes are still debated, there’s a human tendency to over or underestimate the value of a reward based on its temporal proximity (时间接近). This is often referred to as temporal discounting. For example, if I offered you$100 today or 110 in a month, most would take the hundred and run. But what if instead I offered you 100 dollars in a year or 110 in a year and one month, you might say to yourself if I can wait a year I can wait the extra month.
But the time and value difference are the exact same in each example. It turns out that human motivation is highly influenced by how near the reward is meaning the further away the reward is the more you discount its value. So being online is more appealing than preparing for your test. The problem is surfing the Internet provides many small quick and continuous rewards unlike your test scores which are a future one.
So how do you overcome the urge to put off so many tasks?
Unfortunately there is no definite answer, but try rewarding yourself with a timely snack or other enjoyable activities. The Pomodoro Technique makes use of a timer to work for 25 minutes straight and when you’ve done this give yourself the reward with a 5-minute break. Then start the working clock again, Gradually increasing the amount of work time you put in will improve your time management skills.
It’s been shown that creating a costly deadline is also an effective way to manage your working habits. And try to enjoy the process of achieving something instead of thinking only our minutes of suffering.
1. What does the underlined word “that” in Paragraph 1 refer to?| A．This article. | B．Procrastination. | C．An effort. | D．The clock. |
| A．interesting | B．accurate | C．understandable | D．influential |
| A．It helps them kill time faster. |
| B．It offers them more information. |
| C．It supplies instant rewards to them. |
| D．It strengthens the bond between friends. |
| A．Rewarding yourself with a future gift. |
| B．Increasing the amount of work time. |
| C．Ignoring the process of doing the task. |
| D．Paying dearly for your procrastination. |
6 . In advance of World Book Day on April 23, the Chinese Academy of Press and Publication released its 17th annual report on the study of Chinese people's reading habits on Monday.
Based on a survey that ranged from August 2019 to February 2020, the report showed 81.1 percent of adult Chinese surveyed have a habit of reading, whether in print or on digital devices, a slight increase of 0.3 percent from 2018. Wei Yushan, director of the academy, said the survey covered 55 cities and towns in the country and it can credibly represent the situation of the whole population.
In 2019, adult Chinese read on average 4.6.5 books in print and 2. 84 digital books, while in 2018 it was 4.67 and 3. 32, a small drop for both.
While the report said most Chinese feel they 're not satisfied with the amount of books they read in a year. 11.1 percent read more than 10 books in print, and 7.6 percent more than 10 e-books. As for children and young people under 17, "the results are more encouraging, according to Wei. The survey revealed they read 10.36 books a year on average, 1. 45 more than in 2018.
Audio(有声的) books are attracting more Chinese, as 30.3 percent of adults and 34.7 percent of minors had a habit of listening to audio books in 2019, increasing by 4.3 and 8.5 percent compared to2018. The report found mobile phones were the top choice of medium when Chinese people read. On average, adults spent 100.41 minutes a day on mobile phones, 15.54 minutes more than in 2018.
A closer look at the report shows people's priority when using the Internet was to socialize (60.2 percent), followed by getting news (59 percent) and enjoying video clips (56.9 percent). Only 20.5 percent of them used it to connect to books, newspapers or journals.
Still, there's good news in the data from younger readers. Wei said 94.3 percent of Chinese families with children under 8 had a habit of reading, and parents spent almost 25 minutes every day reading with their kids, 2.37 minutes more than 2018
1. What can we learn from the first two paragraphs?| A．The 17th World Book Day will be celebrated on April 23. |
| B．The report is released every year by the Chinese Academy of Press and Publication. |
| C．More than 80% of the adult Chinese prefer to read on digital devices than in print. |
| D．The survey was conducted throughout the country in2019. |
| A．Kids and teenagers |
| B．Adult |
| C．Students |
| D．The results |
| A．Chinese people spent more time reading audio books in 2018 than in 2019. |
| B．The report indicates Chinese readers' growing interest in online reading. |
| C．There was a drop in the number of books read by average adult Chinese in 2018. |
| D．More Chinese readers tend to read through the mobile phones. |
| A．Unclear | B．Positive |
| C．Skeptical | D．Casual |
7 . Special boxes lie at the bottom of my locked filing cabinet. Deposited there are important letters and cards collected throughout my life, from my grandparents, school friends, parents, wife and son. Since the invention of e-mail though, they’ve been few and far between.
Tonight is New York’s Eve 2029 and there’s a very special box of letters I want to look at. But first there’s something I have to do – The Ritual(惯例).
I go to my trusted computer and start. I begin to type: Dear -- . I leave the name blank for now, anticipating the thrill of typing it in. “I hope you are well and I wonder how this will find you. And you still planning to move to that villa in Portugal? Did your son marry Fiona? Is your mother still alive? Questions surge into my mind.
For the next two hours I sit writing. About what I’ve been doing for the last year, my failing health, my increasing wealth and sometime difficult marriage. Then about my goals and ambitions. Will he be interested? Do I climb Mt. Kilimanjaro? Do I get that novel published? the one that’s been rejected more times than I carte to think about.
Finally, it’s finished. 11:30 pm. I fill in the recipient’s name, print my letter, sign and address it and then seal it up with tape. I then delete the document and empty the trash folder – to avoid the possibility of temptation. That completes the ritual!
I walk over to my “special box”. It contains ten long, white, thick envelopes, all with the same handwriting. I place the one I have just written in at the back and take out the one at the front. It’s dated 2019, and labelled “to be opened 31st December 2029”.
The cycle is finally complete! I open it, trembling with anticipation. I begin to read, my eyes tearing up a little as I do so. Throughout the last ten long, eventful years, of life, death, joy and heartbreak, it has been waiting patiently in this box for me, though I now have no memory of ever having written it.
1. Why does the author receive fewer “important letters” these days ?| A．He has moved from his original address. |
| B．He is rarely in contact with his friends and family. |
| C．People communicate with each other less often than before. |
| D．Electronic communication has largely replaced physical letters. |
| A．The author himself. |
| B．The author’s son. |
| C．The author’s school friend. |
| D．The author’s book publisher. |
| A．So that no one else will be able to read it. |
| B．So that he won’t read it ahead of schedule. |
| C．Because he decides at last not to send it. |
| D．Because he wants forget what has happened. |
| A．Relieved | B．Moved |
| C．Excited | D．Afraid |
8 . Amanda Seyfried didn’t grow up with dogs. With her busy work schedule, she didn’t think she could take care of a dog. In fact, she wasn’t looking for a furry friend at all.
But then she met Finn. Today, the 34-year-old actress, who’s known for films Mamma Mia, is a dog owner and a spokeswoman at the welfare organization Best Friends Animal Society.
“I can’t imagine my life without him,” Seyfried says of 6.5-year-old Australian shepherd Finn, who is allowed on her U.S. set. If for some reason he can’t join Seyfried on location --- like on a recent trip when she traveled from France to China, Seyfried requests from her dog sitter twice — daily videos of him.
Now with a new video for Best Friends Animal Society, she calls herself Finn’s “stage mother.”
Seyfried and Finn shot an 80s-themed video for the 9000StepsChallenge, which asks animal owners to walk 9,000 steps with their pets on the ninth day of the month to raise awareness to the fact that more than 9,000 dogs and cats are euthanized (安乐死) in shelters each day because there’s not enough room.
As for the video shoot, in which Seyfried and Finn walked the 9,000 steps --- it was more exhausting than a long walk. Seyfried was Finn’s trainer on the shoot. She believes that instead of being Finn’s cp-star, she’ll go back to being BFFs.
1. Why did Seyfried originally refuse a pet dog?| A．She wasn’t not yet a spokeswoman. |
| B．She wasn’t used to being with a dog. |
| C．She was too busy to care for a dog. |
| D．She had not enough room for a dog. |
| A．Finn. | B．Seyfried. |
| C．The dog sitter. | D．Finn’s best friend. |
| A．To show how deep she loves Finn. |
| B．To train Finn to have a long walk. |
| C．To take part in an animal cp-star show. |
| D．To call on public attention to pets’ life. |
| A．News | B．Life |
| C．Education | D．Sports |
9 . It is an uncomfortable fact that civilized society is almost completely dependent upon fossil fuels in nearly every aspect. Whether you believe there are hundreds of years or just a few decades left of this resource, the fact remains that it is a limited resource. At some point, fossil fuels are going to either be gone or become too expensive to realistically use. That is, when fossil fuels become too expensive to use, people will just start using something else. Though this may work well in theory, actually shifting from fossil fuels is not the same as shifting from one brand of shampoo to another.
This is entirely due to the fact that humans rely so much on the infrastructure (基础设施) they have developed, which is entirely dependent upon this resource, accounting for 85% of the United State's energy use. If the world were entirely dependent upon solar energy, that would be fine because sunlight is a continuing resource. However, at the current state of things, humans are in a dangerous position owing to its complete dependence upon one single limited input.
Fossil fuels are also responsible for a significant amount of land, water, and air pollution beyond their carbon dioxide (二氧化碳) production. For example, coal mining brings solid wastes to the surface that would normally remain underground and the areas around a mine can remain barren (贫瘠的) for generations due to the lack of proper topsoil. The burning of coal for energy also produces many different types of particulate (微粒的) matter that pollutes the air. Compared with fossil fuels, renewable energy is far more environmentally friendly.
There exists an argument that renewable energy options are not as efficient as fossil fuels because the deployment (部署) of renewable energy equipment like the wind turbine (风力涡轮机) costs a lot of money. However, when factors such as pollution and climate change are considered, renewable energy is actually far more efficient than fossil fuels. And fossil fuels will be surely replaced by renewable energy whether it is your generation or your grandchildren's.
1. According to paragraph 1, we know fossil fuels ____.| A．are heavily depended on by humans |
| B．are a symbol of civilized society |
| C．are becoming more and more expensive |
| D．can be replaced by other resources soon |
| A．That it is necessary to use solar energy. |
| B．That it is hard to stop using fossil fuels. |
| C．That people have overconsumed fossil fuels. |
| D．That people have developed so many infrastructures. |
| A．To show the relationship between greenhouse gases and fossil fuels. |
| B．To present negative consequences brought by fossil fuels. |
| C．To introduce how carbon dioxide affects the environment. |
| D．To explain why fossil fuels should be used. |
| A．Renewable energy equipment is economically-beneficial. |
| B．Renewable energy produces less energy than fossil fuels. |
| C．It is very urgent for people to shift to renewable energy. |
| D．It is an unstoppable trend to use renewable energy. |
10 . Last week, at a construction site near Austin, Texas, workers heard the cries of a puppy（小狗）. They went around the construction site trying to figure out where these cries were coming from. They figured the puppy was trapped somewhere. Then they realized it was actually coming from the sky. High above their heads, a puppy was flying through the air-in the claws of a hawk（鹰）. At that very moment, the bird suddenly let go and the tiny screaming puppy-no older than 6 weeks old-fell to them.
Aside from a few minor. wounds on his head, the puppy was surprisingly unhurt. The workers quickly brought him to a medical clinic, and from there, the puppy found his way into the care of the Austin Animal Center. "We don’t know where he came, from-whether he was born as a stray（流浪狗）or whether he was in a home and got out, ” Olohan, communications director for the Austin Animal Center, explains.
The paratrooper got a new name that came naturally: He would be called Tony Hawk. Considering his tininess-not much bigger than a mouse-Tony Hawk probably seemed like a good idea to a hungry hawk. Tony Hawk’s fears calmed down soon after he found himself on the ground, mostly because he found a foster home to ease him into his new life. In a month or so, he will be looking for a forever home.
Olohan thinks he won’t wait long. "We’ ve had plenty of interest, tons of applications for him,"she says. "He’s certainly not going to have a problem finding a home. "So a tiny puppy without a past found himself free from the claws-thanks to the warm, caring hands that will help him shape a brand-new future.
1. What happened to the little puppy?| A．He fell from a building. | B．He was caught by a hawk. |
| C．He was trapped somewhere. | D．He was seriously wounded. . |
| A．They took him to medical care. | B．They found a foster home for him. |
| C．They protected him from bird attack. | D．They got some information about his past. |
| A．A stray. | B．A mouse. | C．The hawk. | D．The puppy. |
| A．He is very fierce. | B．He will be adopted soon. |
| C．He has adapted to new life. | D．He faces a lot of problems. |
