1 . Disasters are like a mirror. They show both our bright and dark sides, as individuals and as a society. As citizens in China and beyond continue to fight against the coronavirus (新冠状病毒), the daily lives of many have gone through changes-from simple routine adjustments to complete devotion from volunteers.
People have consciously chosen to stay at home to prevent further human-to-human spread. However, that didn’t stop employees and students from working and studying at home. On Feb 17, the scheduled first school day, many teachers started to give online lessons. Bored at home, many people began to learn new things to fill their newly-found time, such as baking or knitting.
The film named Contagion, 2011 shows the worst-case that might happen after a worldwide epidemic. Fortunately, the situation in China couldn’t be more different than the movie. Rather than violence and food shortage, everything has worked out rather well in China so far. Scientists isolated (分离) the first virus strain, more than 30, 000 medical workers in over 100 medical teams gathered and thousands of construction workers came to build hospitals in Wuhan, Hubei province. Thousands of volunteers are working nonstop to help deliver supplies and assist the affected regions.
Sociologists once debated whether volunteer service is common to see around the world. Indeed, more than 30 years of research— exploring disasters in Europe, Asia, and America — confirmed that the need to help is universal wherever disaster strikes.
“It’s normal that when disasters happen, people will fall into panic. In reality, we’ re more likely to rush in to hep others than run them over to save ourselves,” wrote American psychologist Kelly Caldwell in Pacific Standard. “It’s an exercise in mass healing.”
1. What is the main purpose of the first paragraph?| A．To introduce the topic of the text. | B．To show the effect of a disaster. |
| C．To tell readers a lesson. | D．To raise the readers’ interest in the mirror. |
| A．People chose to stay at home to avoid panic. |
| B．People tried every means to learn new things. |
| C．People adjusted to their routines to avoid infection. |
| D．Online working and studying became more popular. |
| A．China’s situation was the same with the movie. |
| B．China’s situation was quite different from the movie. |
| C．Chinese people have gone through many changes. |
| D．China experienced violence and food shortage. |
| A．A science report. | B．A science fiction. | C．A medical journal. | D．A newspaper. |
2 . On March 14, 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic (新冠疫情) forced 57th Street Books, in Chicago, to close its doors. The store wouldn’t reopen for nearly a year and a half. During that time, director Jeff Deutsch was worried. Customers couldn’t come to the shop. His main advantage over online business had gone overnight.
Deutsch said he and his team were lucky. Customers stepped up. They offered gifts and support. “There was something very beautiful in the way our community came together,” he said. “We really supported one another’s businesses,”
Similar stories played out over the past two years in cities and towns around the country. Though independent bookstores were forced to close during the pandemic, many found ways to connect with and help their community.
Anne Holman is co-owner of the King’s English Bookshop. It’s in Salt Lake City, Utah. She said the store put books outside for reading and started doing a lot of events online. Other stores set up bookselling hotlines, and improved their tools for e-business.
Some bookstores did events that went more than bookselling. They offered COVID testing. They collected food for people in need. “Having an independent bookstore in your community is almost like a town square,” said Samira Ahmed, an author of books for young adults. “It’s an important place to build community.”
11-year-old Adele Sorkin, a fan of 57th Street Books, is on its Young Readers Advisory Board. Members receive early copies of books in exchange for writing reviews. “I think of the bookstore as a cookie jar (罐子),” Adele says. “It’s something special and fun that is always there for you.” Jeff Deutsch sees a bright future. “If we reimagine bookstores and do our best to support them,” he says, “then bookstores can thrive (兴盛).”
1. Why did Jeff Deutsch feel lucky?| A．A smart team had been built. | B．He could shop on the Internet. |
| C．Customers gave him a hand. | D．Online business grew overnight. |
| A．How they sold books to the young. | B．When they built a town square. |
| C．Why they helped people in need. | D．What they did for the community. |
| A．She dreams of running a business. | B．She praises the 57th Street Books. |
| C．She often brings cookies with her. | D．She tries to write a short story. |
| A．They will mostly offer COVID testing. |
| B．Their advantage has turned into nothing. |
| C．They could take the place of e-business. |
| D．Their growth is tied to the community. |
3 . Yesterday, after a day of Zoom (视频会议软件) meetings in my living room, I stepped out for a walk leaving my teen son bored on the couch. Bleecker Street, usually packed with people, was sprinkled with only the occasional pedestrians. Bars and restaurants lining the street were dark. Stores with bright neon lights, doors open, beckoned for the rare passers-by to enter. After just a week of the Covid-19 pandemic, an afternoon walk in Greenwich Village neighborhood felt surreal.
But then I noticed a row of daffodils(水仙)reaching for the sun in the small triangle-shaped park by Minetta Lane. On the windows of a locked restaurant, in bright yellow paint, were the words “We love you, West Village. Take care of each other. ” My phone buzzed—a colleague sent a picture of her newborn baby just home from the hospital. I arrived home to find my son animated on the couch playing a video game virtually with his friends. Life, love, play, and human connection persist, even though our world has been tuned upside down.
In my welcome note to the new students in the Fall, I wrote that this year is about our college’s core values of inclusion, innovation, and impact and emphasized the power of interconnection. Today, these core values persist, with interconnection taking on even greater significance. Our collaborative spirit has always given us an advantage—academically, creatively, culturally, and now, remotely.
A wise person once told me that getting through a crisis is like being given a new hand of cards in the middle of a game. We are halfway through the semester, with new hands to play, but the game hasn’t changed. We will find new ways to continue to work, teach, create and learn. Let’s also continue the informal interactions that make us a community—the study groups, coffee dates, drop-ins just to say hello. In doing so, we will remain connected.
We will come together, from spaces around the world, to meet this new reality. This is who we are. Nothing—not space, nor time—can keep us from moving forward, together.
1. What can be inferred from paragraph 1?| A．The Covid-19 pandemic is unstoppable. |
| B．The effects of the pandemic could be easily felt. |
| C．Nothing is the same except that the business goes slow as usual. |
| D．People have every reason to be worried about the future. |
| A．Daily routines that seemed insignificant. |
| B．Reminders that the world has been changed. |
| C．Events that people can do during the pandemic. |
| D．Things or people that carry symbolic meanings. |
| A．Cooperative. | B．Pioneering. | C．Independent. | D．Adventurous. |
| A．To express wisdom gained from previous experience. |
| B．To give people some tips on how to handle a crisis. |
| C．To deliver an uplifting message over the pandemic. |
| D．To encourage people to enjoy the great outdoors. |
4 . The past two years has been tough for so many people. There’s been a mix of worry and annoyance due to COVID-19. And with the pandemic being still threatening, people are continuing to struggle and in need of a smile.
With this in mind, we wanted to share the story of Jaden Hayes, whose take on sadness and anxiety is totally refreshing.
When Jaden Hayes was only 4 years old, his dad passed away. Two years later his mom died in her sleep. “I tried and tried to get her awake — but I couldn’t,” the orphan (孤儿) explained in an interview. However, in his grief he realized how difficult it was for him to see others around him feeling sad. So he wanted to do something to make them smile. With the help of his aunt and guardian at the time, Barbara DiCola, he went and bought lots of little toys to hand out to passers-by in Savannah, Georgia, whose spirits needed to be raised.
All little Jaden Hayes wants in return is to make people smile. Unsurprisingly, his efforts have worked! “It’s like absolute joy came out of this child, and the more people he made smile, the more this light shone,” explained his aunt. While he readily admitted that he was still sad about his mother’s death, the smile mission had given him a sense of purpose.
Now, a few years later, Jaden is still keeping up his good work. His Facebook page, Jaden’s Journey, describes how this young “smile maker” is still bringing joy to others.
His initial aim was to make 33,000 people smile through his kind deeds, but by spreading his story we’re pretty sure he’s managed to inspire many more smiles, and perhaps a few tears.
1. What is the probable meaning of the underlined word “take” in paragraph 2?| A．Influence. | B．Investigation. | C．Suggestion. | D．Opinion. |
| A．He gives toys to anyone passing by. |
| B．He wants people around him to be happy. |
| C．He forgets the pain of his mother’s death. |
| D．He does his good work without expecting anything in return. |
| A．To encourage people to cheer up. |
| B．To call on people to do good things. |
| C．To stress the effect of COVID-19 on people. |
| D．To praise those who make people smile. |
| A．A Time Full of Grief |
| B．Ways Out of Sadness |
| C．An Orphan Who Spreads Joy |
| D．Kindness That Requires No Return |
5 . During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people under lockdown feel lonely and bored. “There is a loneliness epidemic,” said John Dattilo from Pennsylvania State University, US.
So he, together with an international team of researchers, studied how to reduce loneliness and increase positive feelings during the pandemic.
According to their new study, reducing loneliness has something to do with doing enjoyable activities that require both concentration (注意力) and skill.
When people are absorbed in what they are doing, they enter a state called “flow”, Dattilo explained. “Flow can be achieved by doing activities that we value and that requires us to concentrate fully to use our skills.”
To achieve a state of flow, there must be a balance between the challenge of the task and your skill level. For example, if you’re trying to create a complex (复杂的) computer program but your skill level is low, then you’re likely to feel stressed instead of achieving “flow”. On the contrary (相反地), if the task is too easy, then boredom will set in and “flow” will not appear, either.
If you have artistic skills, for example, playing the piano or painting can lead to flow. So can things like skiing, writing and storytelling, depending on who you are.
“When we enter a state of flow, we become focused, and we experience momentary enjoyment,” Dattilo said. “When we leave a state of flow, we are often surprised by how much time has passed.” However, watching television usually doesn’t help people enter flow, according to Dattilo, because there aren’t any challenges.
“People tend to thrive (茁壮成长) on healthy activities and challenge,” said Dattilo. “We hope this research will help people live fuller, happier, healthier lives.”
1. What did Dattilo study?| A．Why people feel lonely. | B．How to reduce loneliness. |
| C．What enjoyable activities are. | D．Why people like a new challenge. |
| A．They are lonely and bored. | B．They feel stressed and tired. |
| C．They are concentrating and happy. | D．They feel time passes slowly. |
| A．are good at | B．arc proud of |
| C．are focused on | D．arc relaxed about |
| A．Follow a healthy lifestyle. | B．Learn as many skills as possible. |
| C．Complete impossible tasks. | D．Do something enjoyable and challenging. |
6 . The Walt Disney Company wasn’t about to let COVID-19 stop the company from developing. In the past year, some Disney theme park innovation (革新) have been designed.
For example, Disney had always encouraged face-to-face interactions between cast members and customers. It made perfect sense since Disney spends so much time training its workers in providing good customer service. In fact, Disney is known for pleasing its guests, which explains why it scores so high in customer satisfaction surveys. Well, COVID-19 turned personal interactions into problematic exchanges, as they increased the risk of spreading COVID-19. So, quickly, Disney added cast member virtual chat to its app My Disney Experience. Now, you can rely on a cast member’s knowledge whenever you have a question about Disney visit. It's like having a tour guide on your phone!
There is also the Walk-Up Waitlist. Before 2020, Disney had made strict rules for its Table Service restaurants. Once something sold out, would-be diners had no means of booking a table. COVID-19 has affected park guests, though. Some of them booked tables but then decided not to eat there. This cost Disney money, and it prevented you from dining at your favorite places. So, restaurant managers felt unhappy about the poor business practice, and Disney’s IT department reached a solution. The Walk-Up Waitlist in My Disney Experience allows you to add your name at a restaurant. A previously booked restaurant will find a table for you to dine there. My Disney Experience shows the waiting time. You’ll know whether the wait will fit with your tour. For Disney, the Walk-Up Waitlist improves services and can make it earn more money while increasing customer satisfaction.
In the face of COVID-19, Disney somehow made its parks better and more modern. The company is really worth praising for such great innovations.
1. What can park guests do with the Walk-Up Waitlist?| A．Check whether there's a meal left. | B．Know when to dine in the booked restaurant. |
| C．Dine at any restaurant at any time. | D．Book as many tables as they can. |
| A．It benefits both Disney and its customers. |
| B．It is supposed to be used at a restaurant only. |
| C．It is aimed at more customers during COVID-19. |
| D．It allows Disney to have the most guests at a time. |
| A．How Disney Keeps Its Park Popular. |
| B．How Disney Controls the Flow of Traffic. |
| C．Ways to Tour Around Disney During COVID-19. |
| D．Disney’s Innovations Responding to COVID-19. |
7 . One of the luckiest things in life is that someone offers help when you are in need. Such warm stories happen these days in our city.
We’ve never depended on deliverymen for our daily needs so heavily as we do now, when we work from home to stop the spread of the COVID-19. Some of the deliverymen were afraid that they would not be able to come out to work the next day if they went home and found an overnight lockdown (封锁) in their communities. So they chose to sleep under overpasses (天桥) or on park benches. Photos of them sleeping in those outdoor places were put online. The next day, the government took action and offered them free places to live in either at hotels, at schools or at courier stations (快递站).
Another recent case that shows ordinary people are cared for was about a bun (面包) seller. The man left a message below a post on the Shenzhen Municipal Health Commission (市健康委员会)’s WeChat account. He said he had trouble running his store because of the recent spread of the COVID-19. Community workers in his area paid him a visit to see what they could do to help. On the night of the same day, the man received an unexpected large order from his community.
There is a long list of such small acts of kindness in almost every corner of the city. It tells us love and care is powerful to help us overcome the difficulties.
1. What does the underlined word “they” refer to?| A．stories | B．companies | C．communities | D．deliverymen |
| A．Their companies stopped them from going home. |
| B．They would like to come out to work the next day. |
| C．They wanted to stop the spread of the COVID-19. |
| D．They discovered a lockdown in their communities. |
| A．In hospitals. | B．At schools. |
| C．Under overpasses. | D．On park benches. |
| A．The community workers gave him a phone call. |
| B．The community workers left a message to him. |
| C．His community made an unexpected large order. |
| D．His community offered him free places to live in. |
| A．To tell us love and care can help us get through hard times. |
| B．To invite us to do some voluntary work when we have time. |
| C．To ask people to take action to fight against the COVID-19. |
| D．To encourage more people to help the deliverymen in need. |
8 . Get Digital Scotland, Simon Community Scotland’s digital inclusion programme, is proud to announce the start of Get Connected 100! This is a Scotland-wide project giving 100 people experiencing homelessness access to the digital world.
Our Get Connected 100 project will connect and support 100 people to get online. Each participant (参与者) will receive a free digital device (设备) and unlimited connectivity for 12 months. In addition to free digital technology, frontline workers at Simon Community and in our partner organisations are trained as digital champions to provide person-centred support based around a digital skills learning framework (框架). The project will give people easy access at all times, right in their pocket, and support to build skills and confidence to get online.
Research from the University of the West of Scotland shows us that people who experience homelessness are among the most digitally excluded (排斥的) groups in our society. This is a great disadvantage in life which has been worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to COVID-19 we depend even more heavily on digital technology for many daily activities: socialising with friends, managing finances (资金), getting the latest news, accessing health services and having fun. Digital technology has never been so important to our lives.
The project is being funded by the Scottish Government. Housing Minister Kevin Stewart said: “I am glad to fund this project to support 100 people experiencing homelessness in getting connected to the digital world. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us that access to digital equipment, data and skills is a basic necessity. The funding, as part of our £100 million winter support package, will certainly help people deal with the additional financial pressures of winter and COVID-19.”
Last year, Simon Community Scotland funded a “Get Connected Pilot” in Edinburgh to develop and test this approach. We wanted to make sure people facing loneliness during lockdown could get support and be connected with loved ones and professional services. The results for the people who were part of the pilot were life changing. 100% of participants said that getting a connected device and support through this pilot positively affected their lives. Our pilot showed that digital access opens up a whole world of opportunities!
1. What will the Get Connected 100 project provide?| A．Costless digital devices. |
| B．Improved broadband access. |
| C．Lifelong unlimited connectivity. |
| D．Training in communication skills. |
| A．How digital technology has changed our life. |
| B．Where digital technology will lead us. |
| C．Who the project will benefit most. |
| D．Why the project is needed. |
| A．Curious. | B．Carefree. | C．Confused. | D．Confident. |
| A．It is sure to be successful. |
| B．It needs some improvements. |
| C．It will spread all over the world. |
| D．It has made a powerful difference. |
9 . Roberto Novo has styled the hair of a lot of stars. But during COVID-19, he’s turned his gifts to the heads of lesser-known, older New Yorkers- and he’s done it for free.
The Argentina-born stylist welcomes them to his Manhattan apartment or visits them in their homes. His two dogs keep everyone company. He calls his project “Free haircut and puppy love.”
It started last summer when he and his dogs visited a client who had been isolated (隔离) for months due to COVID-19. Seeing how happy it made her, he asked if she had friends in her apartment building who might be interested in a free hairdo.
“It doesn’t get any better than that — bring some joy to senior citizens in these hard times,” Novo said. “People are really suffering in this situation right now. So if I can help them with a simple haircut, that’s a gift.”
On a recent day, Novo and his dogs walked into Madelon Spier’s apartment and quickly turned the living room into a salon (美发厅). Sitting in a black chair, Spier waited to get her hair styled. “I think he’s an amazing artist. And we’re all pictures that he’s painting,” Spier said. “There’s his personality (特色), and his way of cutting — a way of looking at a person and knowing what’s right for them,” said Spier.
Neighbor Andrew Langerman said Novo also gave him his first haircut in months. “I’ve just been so lonely during COVID-19,” he said, and now, “I feel a lot better. I wasn’t really feeling very well when I came here but then I felt great just being with everybody. And I had a good haircut.”
As Novo finished a cut, he ordered pizzas that the group later shared. They talked and laughed.
“I always tell people if I die and I’m born again, I’ll do everything exactly the same way,” said Novo.
1. Why did Novo visit older New Yorkers?| A．To take care of them. | B．To give them haircuts. |
| C．To communicate with them easily. | D．To inspire them to fight against diseases. |
| A．It created good feelings. | B．It strengthened his family ties. |
| C．It excited his interest in painting. | D．It helped him get to know his neighbors. |
| A．It is challenging. | B．It is unexpected. | C．It is amusing. | D．It is beautiful. |
| A．Generous and sporty. | B．Creative and courageous. |
| C．Caring and warm-hearted. | D．Far-sighted and strong-willed. |
10 . Carol Heffernan, a 43-year-old woman from Oshkosh, Wisconsin, regularly felt worn out from working, driving her two kids to school, and taking care of housework. But when COVID-19 hit in March, 2020 and the kids were suddenly home all day and learning remotely, her usual weariness quickly turned into full-on exhaustion. “All the extra responsibility and the mental load—it just added up,” she says. “I felt tired, and it wasn’t due to lack of sleep.”
If there’s one thing many of us have in common, it’s that we’re tired. Doctors even have a name for it: “tired all the time,” or TATT for short. The solution isn’t always as simple as getting more sleep; nearly a quarter of people who get seven or more hours of rest a night report that they still wake up feeling tired most days.
A few weeks after feeling tired, Heffernan decided to drop everything and go for a walk, which she hadn’t done since the pandemic(大流行病)began. “I just wanted to be by myself,” she says. “I needed a break.” When she returned, she felt recharged and decided to make a habit of it.
Doing something active when you’re feeling sluggish(懒洋洋的)will actually increase your energy, but it will not consume the little that you have. In fact, researchers at the University of Georgia found that just ten minutes of low or moderate intensity exercise gave study participants a noticeable energy boost.
In another recent study, people who committed to working out for 20 minutes three times a week increased their energy levels by 20 percent in six weeks. “When we don’t work out regularly, our muscles can become weakened, so when we do use them in everyday activities, we’re more tired,” explains Dr Yufang Lin, a physician at the Cleveland Clinic’s Center.
Now, Heffernan goes for a daily 45-minute stroll. “It feeds me spiritually, emotionally, and physically,” she says. “I have something to look forward to every afternoon. I’m in a better mood. And after putting the kids to bed, I have the energy to stay up and talk to my husband.”
1. What problem did Carol Heffernan have at the beginning of the pandemic?| A．A lack of sleep. |
| B．Having trouble driving kids to school. |
| C．Feeling exhausted all the time. |
| D．Too much pressure from remote learning. |
| A．By getting more sleep at night. | B．By turning to doctors for help. |
| C．By strengthening the weak muscles. | D．By taking exercise regularly. |
| A．The necessity of working out regularly. |
| B．Ways to work out efficiently. |
| C．The frequency of regular workouts. |
| D．The duration of workouts. |
| A．Walk. | B．Stretch. | C．Race. | D．Drive. |
