1 . After a tour of duty in Afghanistan, Benjamin Blume began to attend Sam Houston State University, USA but he felt there was something missing. That all changed when Blume attended a study program abroad. With the help of the staff at the Office of International Programs and the Veterans Resource Center (退伍老兵资源中心), he was able to take seven study trips abroad, visiting 19 countries in just three years.
Blume's first stop was Leipzig, Germany for a German language program in the summer of 2018. Later that summer，Blume visited Australia as part of the stars and galaxy (星系) course. "There was a major eclipse (日食) in Australia that summer and it was an amazing thing to see," Blume said. "We also visited Wyoming after leaving Australia for the same course to see the sky."
In the fall of 2018, Blume took off again, this time visiting Bern, Switzerland for a business course. Blume returned for the 2019 spring term before his next adventure that summer in Tokyo for a month-long economics trip. "Tokyo was quite the experience and like nothing I had seen before," Blume said. "I had never experienced so much culture and history as I did there."
Blume went from Tokyo back to Germany, this time visiting Aachen for an economics program. After returning to the U.S. and staying for a month, Blume travelled to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates for a three-week marketing program. Finally, Blume took his seventh and last study abroad trip to Auckland, New Zealand. "New Zealand was probably my favorite place to visit because the landscape is so diverse." Blume added. "One day we hiked a glacier, which I had never done. I also got to see where The Habbit films were made."
1. Which countries did Benjamin Blume visit in the summer of 2018?| A．Germany and Australia. | B．Germany and Switzerland. |
| C．New Zealand and Australia. | D．New Zealand and Switzerland. |
| A．He saw a major eclipse. |
| B．He hiked several glaciers. |
| C．He attended a language program. |
| D．He visited where The Habbit films were made. |
| A．In the summer of 2018. | B．In the autumn of 2018. |
| C．In the spring of 2019. | D．In the winter of 2019. |
| A．For an interview. | B．For his adventure. |
| C．For his study. | D．For a party. |
2 . Sunscreen protects our skin from sunburn. But did you know that it is harmful to coral (珊瑚) living in the ocean？
Some chemicals in sunscreen, such as benzophenone (二苯甲酮), can kill coral. Every year, about 4,000 to 6,000 tons of sunscreen will flow into coral areas, according to the US National Park Service.
About one and half years ago, Zhang Baoxin, 17, who studies at Guangdong Experimental High School, read about this in an article. Then she had an idea – to make an environmentally friendly sunscreen to protect the marine environment.
To make this happen, Zhang read lots of literature and then put forward a new formula (配方). She mixed natural plant oils with safe and commonly-used sunscreen ingredients, such as titanium dioxide (二氧化钛) and zinc oxide (氧化锌) powder .
She tested about 10 kinds of plant oils, including jojoba oil (荷荷巴油) and coconut oil, to figure out whether they can take in sunlight. She then used a microscope to find out if the oil could be mixed with the powder. After trying about 20 formulas, Zhang found a jojoba oil formula that is effective, cheap and easy to make.
Zhang wrote a paper to explain her findings with her experimental process and data. The project made Zhang a nominee (候选人) of the Stockholm Junior Water Prize, an award to celebrate teenagers who help solve major water challenges. She was the only nominee from the Chinese mainland in 2020.
After this successful experiment, Zhang made some samples (样品) and printed out flyers (传单) for her new formula. She gave them out to people at swimming pools and water parks. “With my formula, anyone can make sunscreen at home. You just need a blender to mix the oil and the powder,” she said.
Zhang wants to study environmental science in college. “I want to use my knowledge to make a better world,” she said.
1. What inspired Zhang to make a new kind of sunscreen?| A．Her desire to protect sea species. |
| B．Her wish to study environmental science. |
| C．A book published by the US National Park Service. |
| D．A project at Guangdong Experimental High School. |
| A．Features of the new sunscreen. |
| B．Differences between different ingredients. |
| C．The process of developing the new sunscreen. |
| D．Difficulties Zhang met when making the new sunscreen. |
| A．She was accepted into a famous university. |
| B．She won the Stockholm Junior Water Prize. |
| C．She handed out her samples to people. |
| D．She continued to make other environmentally friendly products. |
| A．Curious and cheerful. |
| B．Helpful and sociable. |
| C．Diligent and cautious. |
| D．Creative and responsible. |
3 . Driver Wanted
Clean driving license (执照).
Must be of smart appearance.
Age over 25.
Apply to (申请）：Capes Taxi, 17 Palace Road, Royston.
Air Hostesses for International Flights Wanted
Applicants (申请者) must be between 20 and 33 years old.
Height: 1. 6 m to 1. 75m.
Education to GCSE standard.
Two languages. Must be able to swim.
Apply to: Recruitment (招聘) office, Southern Airlines, Heathrow Airport West. HR 37 KK.
Teachers Needed
For private language school.
Having college education.
Teaching experience unnecessary.
Apply to: The Director of Studies, Instant Languages Ltd. 279 Canal Street, Royston.
1. What prevents Jack, an experienced taxi driver, working for Capes Taxi?| A．Fond of beer and wine. |
| B．Not having college education. |
| C．Unable to speak a foreign language. |
| D．Punished for speeding and wrong parking. |
| A．She can't speak Japanese very well. |
| B．She once broke a traffic law and was fined |
| C．She has never worked as an air hostess before. |
| D．She doesn't feel like working long hours flying abroad. |
| A．Male or female. | B．Marriage. |
| C．Education. | D．Working experience. |
4 . Amy Wright, founder of a non-profit coffee shop received an award for her work to help people with disabilities. Except two managers, everyone at the first coffee shop she
Last December, 10 incredible people were honored for their work helping others at “CNN Heroes: An All Star Tribute”. Amy Wright was
In the midst of her acceptance speech, she had a special message for her two youngest children, both of whom have Down syndrome and are the
Two months later, Amy was
For most of these 17 new employees, this is their first job. They've been learning about how to
People with intellectual disabilities aren't valued. And so, this coffee shop has
| A．sold | B．opened | C．bought | D．found |
| A．disability | B．responsibility | C．possibility | D．flexibility |
| A．adopted | B．received | C．recognized | D．organized |
| A．hires | B．monitors | C．saves | D．provides |
| A．ambition | B．inspiration | C．foundation | D．determination |
| A．brave | B．sure | C．free | D．ready |
| A．stuff | B．staff | C．agent | D．career |
| A．Frankly | B．Finally | C．Hopefully | D．Frequently |
| A．traditional | B．personal | C．additional | D．emotional |
| A．protect | B．supply | C．greet | D．tolerate |
| A．promising | B．asking | C．warning | D．showing |
| A．explored | B．searched | C．created | D．gathered |
| A．overlooked | B．overestimated | C．overburdened | D．overemphasized |
| A．possession | B．admission | C．mission | D．permission |
| A．look | B．view | C．cry | D．smile |
5 . Levi is on the waitlist for a new kidney (肾). This
One day, mother Julia and her three kids met a Santa in a shop in Kansas. When Julia spoke on Levi’s behalf, she said from the
Santa
She couldn’t have known that this Santa would have
After giving Levi a big
While this story has attracted much
| A．proves | B．reminds | C．means | D．warns |
| A．generous | B．suitable | C．positive | D．determined |
| A．head | B．mouth | C．throat | D．heart |
| A．suggested | B．insisted | C．promised | D．approved |
| A．reached out for | B．kept up with | C．took care of | D．caught sight of |
| A．sing | B．dance | C．clap | D．pray |
| A．minded | B．cared | C．admired | D．enjoyed |
| A．rare | B．impossible | C．easy | D．fair |
| A．sensible | B．admirable | C．impressive | D．considerate |
| A．hug | B．laughter | C．sign | D．favor |
| A．moving | B．shocking | C．embarrassing | D．thrilling |
| A．praise | B．thought | C．understanding | D．attention |
| A．influenced | B．upset | C．touched | D．drew |
| A．still | B．even | C．ever | D．just |
| A．handsome | B．sweet | C．intelligent | D．cute |
6 . People in the United States honor their parents with 2 special days: Mother’s Day on the second Sunday in May and Father’s Day on the 3rd Sunday in June. These days are to show love and respect for parents. They raise their children and educate them to be responsible citizens. They give love and care. These two days offer an opportunity to think about the changing roles of mothers and fathers. More mothers now work outside the home and more fathers must help with childcare.
These two special days are celebrated in many different ways. On mother’s Day, people wear carnations (康乃馨). A red one symbolizes a living mother. A white one shows that the mother is dead. Many people attend religious services to honor parents. It’s also a day when people whose parents are dead visit the cemetery (墓地). On these days families get together at home as well as in restaurants. They often have outdoor barbecue for Father’s Day. These are days of fun and good feelings and memories.
Another tradition is to give cards and gifts. Children make them in school. Many people make their own presents. These are more valued than those bought in stores. It’s not the value of the gift that is important, but “the thought that counts”. Greeting card stores, florists, candy makers, bakers, phone companies and other stores do lots of business during these holidays.
1. Which is NOT a reason for children to show love and respect for parents?| A．Parents bring up children. |
| B．Parents give love and care to children. |
| C．Parents educate children to be good persons. |
| D．Parents pass away before children grow up. |
| A．Both festivals are in May. |
| B．Fewer women worked outside the home in the past. |
| C．Not all the children respect their parents. |
| D．Fathers are not as important as mothers at home. |
| A．people sometimes have family parties |
| B．everyone goes to the cemetery |
| C．people always have outdoor barbecue |
| D．hand-made cards are the most valuable gifts. |
| A．They sell flowers. |
| B．They make bread or pastry. |
| C．They offer enough room for having family parties. |
| D．They sell special clothes for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. |
7 . Drinking your daily cup of coffee may help to lower your risk of stroke（中风）and heart disease, according to a latest research. Researchers at the Heart and Vascular Centre, Budapest, Hungary have found that drinking up to three cups of coffee a day may help protect your cardiovascular（心血管的）system.
The team studied data from nearly 500,000 people registered in the UK Biobank with an average age of 56 and no signs of heart disease at the time of recruitment. They divided them into three categories according to their coffee drinking habits: non-drinkers, up to three-cup-a-day drinkers, and more than three-cup-a-day drinkers.
Considering influencing factors such as age, sex, weight height, physical activity, blood pressure, diabetes, socioeconomic status, and usual intake of alcohol, meat, tea, fruit and vegetables, they found that three-cup-a-day drinkers had a 12 per cent lower risk of death from all causes, a 17 per cent lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease, and a 21 per cent lower risk of stroke
"To our knowledge, this is the largest study to systematically assess the cardiovascular effects of regular coffee consumption in a population without diagnosed heart disease," said study author Dr Judit Simon.
To further investigate the effect, the researchers used data from more than 30, 000 partic-ipants in the UK Biobank who had undergone MRI（核磁共振成像）scans to determine the structure and functioning capacity of their hearts.
Dr Judit Simon said, "The imaging analysis indicated that compared with participants who did not drink coffee regularly, daily coffee consumers had healthier sized and better func-tioning hearts. Our findings suggest that coffee consumption of up to three cups per day is associated with favourable cardiovascular outcomes. While further studies are needed to explain the underlying mechanisms, the observed benefits might be partly explained by positive changes in cardiac structure and function. "
1. What is the latest research mainly about?| A．The risk of heart disease. | B．The ways to avoid stroke. |
| C．The cups of drinking coffee. | D．The benefits of drinking coffee. |
| A．To show the difficulty of the research. |
| B．To show the reliability of the findings. |
| C．To introduce the process of the research. |
| D．To introduce the limitation of the findings. |
| A．They find coffee's positive effects on people. |
| B．They focus on negative changes in people's hearts. |
| C．They oppose coffee consumption. |
| D．They have been accepted widely. |
| A．Carefree. | B．Skeptical. | C．Favourable. | D．Tolerant. |
8 . When Arun Krishnamurthy was a teenager, he witnessed a pond near his home filled up with trash. The damage to the pond made a great
In 2007, Krishnamurthy and his team founded the EFI to
In fact, groundwater is
Currently, the EFI is facing a
Despite the difficulties, he feels
| A．contrast | B．difference | C．response | D．contribution |
| A．replace | B．regain | C．explore | D．demonstrate |
| A．store | B．recycle | C．destroy | D．remove |
| A．return | B．escape | C．compete | D．remember |
| A．looked into | B．held up | C．carried out | D．cut off |
| A．Naturally | B．Originally | C．Finally | D．Actually |
| A．changed | B．interrupted | C．benefited | D．reflected |
| A．familiar | B．attractive | C．vital | D．cruel |
| A．individuals | B．members | C．organizers | D．leaders |
| A．choice | B．challenge | C．defeat | D．topic |
| A．transports | B．forms | C．rescues | D．collects |
| A．standards | B．methods | C．policies | D．consequences |
| A．hopeful | B．ready | C．grateful | D．happy |
| A．permits | B．teaches | C．warns | D．urges |
| A．conclusions | B．assessments | C．intentions | D．occasions |
9 . Singapore uses about two billion liters of water every day-a number it expects could double in the next four decades.
That kind of consumption is adding pressure to the Asian city state to address growing concerns about global water shortage. So it's building new technology to prepare itself for a future where obtaining clean water will be even more difficult. "Singapore truly has become a global water center,"said Shane Snyder,executive director of the Nanyang Environment & Water Research Institute at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University. “But as it stands, it imports approximately 40% of its water today. And with climate change,that water has become far less dependable.”
Singapore, meanwhile, is home to more than five million people and is covered in fountains,reservoirs and other water features-including the world's tallest indoor waterfall, The Rain Vortex that pumps about 45,000 liters of water per minute. But it has no natural water sources of its own,instead relying heavily on recycled water and imports from its neighbors.
Snyder's research facility is one of several places developing solutions for Singapore's water dependency. The hope is to create projects that could be used across the city. "What we have become used to as reliable water may quickly change-so we have to be prepared,and we have to be thinking about the basic facilities in advance. " Snyder said. " There's a big drive to become water independent-to control our own future -and that is largely dependent on the technologies we're developing. "
Another company,Wateroam, is already taking innovation from Singapore to the rest of the region. Founded in 2014,Wateroam says it has developed a lightweight,portable filtration（过滤）device that has already provided clean drinking water to more than 75,000 people across Southeast Asia. Wateroam CEO David Pong said one of the most innovative aspects of the product is its simplicity. The water filtration device is no bigger than a bicycle pump,yet it can provide clean water to villages of 100 people for up to two years.
"We've been very blessed to have access to clean drinking water," Pong said. It's necessary to bring the privilege to the rest of the region, and advocate that clean water is an essential aspect for life on Earth,according to him.
1. What worsens the water shortage problem in Singapore?| A．More water imports. | B．The lack of technology. |
| C．The increasing population. | D．Double water consumption. |
| A．Searching for natural water sources. |
| B．Controlling the increase of population. |
| C．Importing water from more neighbors. |
| D．Using technologies to provide clean water. |
| A．It is easy to carry and use. |
| B．It is larger than a bicycle pump. |
| C．It has already been used across Asia. |
| D．It has already been in use for two years. |
| A．Clean water is an essential aspect for life on Earth. |
| B．Technology can help Singapore out with its water shortage. |
| C．The increasing water consumption is adding pressure to Singapore. |
| D．Singapore's filtration device has provided many people with clean water. |
10 . Rising global meat consumption is likely to have a destructive environmental effect, increasing carbon emissions(排放)and reducing biodiversitiy (生物多样性), scientists have warned.
A new analysis suggests that meat consumption is set to climb sharply as the world population increases along with average individual incomes.
“What's happening is a big concern.” said Tim Key from the University of Oxford. “On a broad level you can say it is bad for the environment.”
The review,published in the journal Science, found that high levels of meat consumption also have negative health consequences, leading to an increased risk of cancer and other diseases.
The average amount of meat consumed per person globally has nearly doubled in the past 50 years, which means total meat production has been growing much faster than the rate of population growth, having increased four-or five-fold(五倍)since 1961.
There are recent indications that some countries,including the U.K.,may have reached "peak meat". The U.K's 2017 National Food Survey found meat consumption have fallen by 4.2% and that of meat products by nearly 7% since 2012. However, middle-income countries, particularly China and others in East Asia, are still seeing a rise. A recent review by the UN outlines how meat production-particularly livestock(家畜)-is linked to far higher carbon emissions than vegetables, fruit and grain.
Livestock farming is also a major contribution to biodiversity loss, as forests and wild land are given over to agricultural land to grow animal feed.
Processed meat has been ranked by the WHO alongside alcohol and tobacco as cancer causes. According to research of cancer, if no one ate processed or red meat in Britain, there would be 8,800 fewer cases of cancer a year.
1. What's the environmental effect of eating meat?| A．Raising livestock may destroy grasslands and forests. |
| B．Eating meat leads to the increase of human population. |
| C．Meat production adds to the amount of carbon emissions on Earth. |
| D．Keeping too much livestock destroys the balance of nature. |
| A．Eating huge amounts of meat. |
| B．Increasing carbon emissions in the air. |
| C．Reducing diversity of plants. |
| D．Risking developing cancer. |
| A．People farm forests and wild land to grow food for livestock. |
| B．Plants and animals die from carbon released by livestock. |
| C．Many plants and animals have become food for livestock. |
| D．Farm animals have consumed what humans use for food. |
| A．It's a necessary part of human diet. |
| B．It's like cigarettes and alcohol which can cause cancer. |
| C．It can reduce carbon release. |
| D．It contributes to the fall of meat consumption. |
