1 . Tourists to the North Antrim Coast come for its breathtaking beauty On this stretch of coast, myth and history live side by side, and running out of things to do is near impossible. Giant’s Causeway, Carrick-a-Rede, the Iron Isles’ filming locations ...
However, when I make my way to the north of the-country in October, none of them are on my mind. What brings me to the coastal town of Portrush are the waves.
Located, on a peninsula, Portrush is home to three brilliant beaches and all the usual points of interest of a coastal town. But what makes the North Antrim Coast so special is the promise of the consistent waves hitting its shores. Although still relatively unknown, it’s a surfer’s dream destination. This is the home of six-time Irish national surfing champion, Andrew Hill, after all.
I meet Andrew at his surf shop, the most popular in Portrush. After hiring a surf board and jumping in the water at West Strand, I quickly realise that my trusted wetsuit is not enough. Within just 30 minutes, I’ve lost all feeling in my feet and hands, and my ears are burning. I retreat to a nearby café and gulp down steaming tea before popping by Andrew’s shop again. Surf boots are what I need, we decide. I leave with a new determination to master the icy Atlantic waves. I’m invited to surf a different spot with Andrew and his friend that afternoon. but I decline his generous offer. My head is set on one thing only: taking revenge on the same waves that almost turned me into an ice block that very morning.
Even with boots, surfing the cold waters of Portrush leaves my feet purple. I become covered in bruises that don’t register until I thaw out each night, and it takes a couple of days to fully regain feeling in my hands. But it’s worth it, and I would gladly do it all over again.
1. What does the underlined word “them” in paragraph 2 refer to?| A．The popular attractions. | B．Coastal towns. |
| C．The filming locations. | D．Passionate tourists. |
| A．It has internationally famous beaches. |
| B．It’s home to the usual seaside interests. |
| C．It produces excellent waves for surfing. |
| D．It’s the hometown of a surfing champion. |
| A．better equip himself for the challenge |
| B．consult with some experienced surfers |
| C．accompany the owner on a later surf trip |
| D．quickly warm himself up with some hot tea |
| A．Narrative and serious. | B．Persuasive and critical. |
| C．Descriptive and positive. | D．Informative and objective. |
2 . 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 |
3 . 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. |
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. |
| A．A new study of PET. | B．The breakdown of PET. |
| C．The discovery of PETase. | D．The functions of PETase. |
| A．Co-leading the trans-Atlantic team. | B．Combining PETase and MHETase. |
| C．Attacking the surface of the plastics. | D．Talking about conducting experiments. |
| 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 . While I was growing up, I often heard my teachers say, “Oh, Tina is gifted in algebra.” While watching the Olympics, my parents would say, “These gymnasts are born with such ability.” Statements like these made me believe people were born with certain talents and if they didn't have a particular one at birth, then they never would. Therefore, I rarely focused on algebra. Nobody told me that if you keep trying and trying, one day a difficult task will seem easy.
Actually, I learnt this from my young daughter, Samaya. One day, I was finishing some paperwork and I said, “Oh no, how could I have made that mistake!” Samaya instantly said, “Mum, don't worry. Mistakes make your brain grow bigger.”
Actually, we all need to be reminded that mistakes or failures are just fine and that they are a huge part of growth and success. However, the regular belief is the opposite. We must correct this with our children. We must encourage them to make mistakes because that means they are trying out new ideas.
Billionaire Sara Blakely, founder of the shapewear business Spanx, has seen many failures. She made a living by selling fax machines for seven years. Knocking on many doors and making a lot of mistakes was a journey she calls educational. Sara Blakely owes her risk-taking skills to the weekend talk she had with her father.
As a child, her father would ask her the same question every weekend. "What did you fail at this week, Sara?" He did not care how high her scores were. He wanted to know what she had tried but failed at. When she told him about her failures and mistakes, he would give her a high five. He was reprogramming her mind to believe that mistakes and failures are fine.
So go ahead and ask yourself and your children, “What did we fail at this week?”
1. What discouraged the author from efforts in algebra?| A．She wasn't interested in it. | B．She thought she was not gifted. |
| C．She thought it was useless. | D．She was not allowed to learn it. |
| A．Keep trying is necessary. | B．Failure is a path to success. |
| C．Mistakes are not acceptable. | D．Encouragement is significant. |
| A．To rebuild her mindset. | B．To keep her from failures. |
| C．To know what she hadn't tried. | D．To prevent her getting high scores. |
| A．A Secret to Success | B．A Method of Education |
| C．The Magic of Mistakes | D．The Power of a Fixed Mindset |
6 . To walk is to be human. We' re the only creature that gets around by standing up and putting one foot in front of the other. In the more than 4 million years that humanity' s ancestors have been u-sing only two legs for walking, our ability to walk upright has allowed humankind to travel great distances and survive changing climates, environments and landscapes.
But walking is more than just transportation. It also happens to be really good for us. Countless scientific studies have found that this simple act can provide a number of health benefits and help people live longer. In fact, a walking routine-if done properly-might be the only exercise people need.
How much walking should one aim for? You’ve likely heard we need 10,000 steps a day. That’s about 5 miles. But contrary to popular belief, this recommendation doesn’t come from science. Instead, it stems from a 1960s advertising campaign to promote a pedometer(计步器)in Japan. Perhaps because it's a round number and easy to remember, it stuck.
Since the 1960s, researchers have studied the 10,000 - steps - a - day standard and have turned up mixed results. Although 10,000 steps is certainly a healthy and worthwhile goal, it’s not a one - size - fits - all recommendation.
For instance, a recent Harvard University study involving more than 16,000 senior women found that those who got at least 4,400 steps a day greatly reduced their risk of dying early when compared with less active women. The study also noted that these benefits continued up to 7, 500 steps before leveling off. This 7,500 mark isn't surprising: It’s in line with common public health recommendations, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation of 150 minutes of moderate (适度的) physical activity a week for adults.
Research has shown that picking up the pace might be a good idea, too-fast enough to raise your heart rate, even if just for a short burst.
1. Which statement will the author believe?| A．Walking 10000 steps a day fits us all who lack exercise. |
| B．Walking is the only exercise that unhealthy people need. |
| C．To be healthy, walking great distances is strongly suggested |
| D．The benefits of walking depend on frequency, intensity and duration |
| A．A walking routine | B．A round number |
| C．The popular belief | D．The pedometer Ads. |
| A．4,400 steps a day. | B．7,500 steps a day. |
| C．10,000 steps a day. | D．150 minutes a day. |
| A．The Only Exercise You Need-Walking |
| B．10,000 - Step Goal Is More Marketing Than Science |
| C．Walking Is One Of The Best Exercises For Health |
| D．Walk Often, Walk Fast And Walk Long |
7 . Nothing is “new and improved” anymore. It's all about the plus.
“Something exciting is happening in March,” flowed out an email from CBS All Access, alerting subscribers that the streaming service is being renamed Paramount + . The company seeks to keep pace with Apple TV+, ESPN +, Disney +, BET +, AMC + and others.
Video services didn't start this. The Apple II + came out in 1979 and Crest + toothpaste in 2002, But TV streaming companies now apparently must be branded plus, for fear that consumers perceive their offerings as a minus. Much of this has to do with justifying a monthly charge for television-which used to be free. A more complete name would be “Paramount + a Bill.”
Hulu used to have a "plus" service, which was a misnomer since what customers got with it was the absence of ads. "We've had fun with our old friend Plus, the company explained in a 2015 email, “but it's time to move on. We just wanted to let you know that we are retiring the Hulu Plus name. From now on, we will just be known as Hulu. No Plus.
Yet other streaming services have been drawn to the plus, thanks in large part to the success of Disney+, which added 86 million subscribers during its first year. Disney also operates ESPN + and , outside the U. S. ,Star + .
A funny thing about marketing: A plus is always a plus but a minus is never a minus—even though more products are notable for what they cut down. Budweiser wouldn't call its lower- calorie beer Bud-. There are fat-free potato chips and cookies, but Pringles- or Oreos- is abandoned.
Americans have a fondness for plus-size portions, plus-size clothing and media that have plus signs in their names. Mercifully, the plus thing hasn't yet reached more important aspects of our lives.
1. What does the underlined word "this" in paragraph 3 refer to?| A．Apple service. | B．Video service. | C．Plus service. | D．Streaming service. |
| A．Hulu has no ads put in. | B．Hulu no longer follows suit. |
| C．Hulu suffered a great loss. | D．Hulu cheated its subscribers. |
| A．To avoid misunderstandings | B．To improve the beer's quality. |
| C．To keep pace with other companies. | D．To protect the consumers' interests. |
| A．Objective. | B．Critical. | C．Tolerant. | D．Skeptical. |
8 . Growing up in a city has a lifelong negative impact on a person's ability to navigate, according to a vast global survey.
In a new study, scientists led by Antonine Coutrot at Nantes University in France and Hugo Spiers at University College London describe how they used a dataset（数据集）gathered from 4 millions players of a computer game called "Sea Hero Quest", which tests way-finding skills by asking players to memorise a map showing the location of checkpoints and then measuring how well players can steer a boat to find them.
Dr. Spiers found that the strongest indicator of a high score was a player's age——older people performed relatively poorly. But the benefit of rural living was strong enough to offset（抵消）some of that, Data from American players showed that a 70-year-old who grew up in the countryside had the navigational abilities of an average 60-year-old across the dataset.
"The gap between the navigation skills of rural and city people was largest in America, and the researchers think they know why. They found that countries dominated by simple layouts of grid-based（网格式的）cities dragged down navigation skills more than growing up in a city based around more complicated networks of streets, such as Prague.
Dr. Spiers says that the brain's navigational abilities probably weaken in the city environment because they are not being used as much. Although cities may appear more complicated, they also feature more clues to help residents find their way, such as numbered streets. As many city-dwellers on a visit to the countryside can prove, one field tends to look much the same as another, so there are fewer external（外部的）landmarks to help guide the way.
While people who live in cities should not be alarmed, the study does raise some interesting ideas for urban planners: keep their city designs not so simple perhaps. And for everyone else, it might be an idea to turn off Google Maps.
1. Why did the researchers use the dataset from a computer game?| A．To study the players' memory. |
| B．To measure how well people control boats. |
| C．To improve the players' skill to find way out. |
| D．To see what influences people's way-finding skills. |
| A．Strong indicator. | B．Poor performance. |
| C．Old age. | D．High score. |
| A．Lack of practice. | B．Few external landmarks. |
| C．Living in the countryside. | D．Complicated city environment. |
| A．Ways to Improve Navigational Skills |
| B．Reasons to Design Complicated Cities |
| C．Urban Living Weakens Navigational Skills |
| D．Turn off Google Maps while Exploring City |
9 . 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 off their posts. While this may seem like another opportunistic innovation, it’s 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 can make anywhere from $50,000 to $150,000 for a TikTok brand partnership, and 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.
This is mad in more ways than one. Not only is it an overpaid “job”, it 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 illness. Teens between the ages of 13 and 17 make up 27% of TikTok viewers, who can be easily 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 hsows 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.”
Again, as a fellow consumer of TikTok, I do enjoy the app when I have some time to kill and need a good laugh. I’m not against someone making a living on entertainment, but what does getting famous of a 15-second video teach young people?
1. What does the underlined word “this” in Paragraph 1 refer to?| A．Social networking. | B．Making money on social media. |
| C．A job offered by TikTok. | D．Staying connected to the Internet. |
| A．They tend to live an adult life too soon. |
| B．They are forced to pay for certain services. |
| C．They may abandon other social media. |
| D．They are likely to develop false values. |
| A．TikTok can be a positive influence if teens employ it wisely. |
| B．Young TikTokers should be banned form making money. |
| C．It is better to involve education on investment in TikTok videos. |
| D．Contents of videos need checking before their release online. |
| A．Say No to TikTok. | B．Join Young TikTokers |
| C．TikTok — A Mine of Money | D．A Job vs An Entertainment |
10 . 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. |
