1 . It was through Bill Bryson’s book The Lost Continent: Travel in Small-Town America that I first experienced small-town travelling. I was interested instantly on reading it, for driving across the countryside is always something I like.

    1     True, the convenience and modernity are what small towns don’t have. However, caught up in the crowd, people tend to lose the true meaning of life. They are moving quickly in the streets, as if there were steamy lava (炙热的熔岩) chasing them.

Many tourists don’t realize the real purpose for travelling is to relax.     2     They manage to escape a nine-to-five schedule of annoying work, only to dive into a nine-to-five schedule of shopping or forcing themselves into packed tourist sites.     3     You don’t get trapped in space filled with tourists, but miles of fields and woods. You don’t get tiny parks with crowds of people, but natural forests where rare animals can be seen. Villagers say hi to you warmly as you drive here and farmers will warmly invite you home.

I once travelled to the Midwest and drove through the countryside. The scenery was absolutely magnificent.     4     Farmers’ houses were in and out of sight behind golden corn. Ponds (池塘) hid themselves behind woods, where a lone fisherman sat there, enjoying life.

Suddenly, it seemed to me that life couldn’t be better. Just throw away the sadness and burdens (负担) that annoy us. What matters is the simple happiness of enjoying life.     5    

A．I have never been a fan of huge cities.

B．Cities are full of people we don’t know.

C．Roads found their way through cornfields.

D．Big cities and small towns have their own uniqueness.

E．In big cities, they just leave one busy center, and get right into another.

F．Those problems, however, simply disappear into air in the countryside.

G．So why not leave the noisy cities behind, and get lost in the streets of small towns?

2 . 阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从方框中选出能填入文中空白处的最合适的单词。注意，其中有两个多余选项。

A. internet     B. careers     C. popularize     D. invited       E. national       F. introducing G. titles        H. cultural     I. understand     J. attracting     K. platform     L. practising

Zhang Hanliang, a martial arts teacher at Tianshui Normal University in Gansu province, has produced many traditional Chinese martial arts videos in the past years,     1     sixteen million viewers at home and abroad on the online     2     Bilibili.

Zhang, now 35 years old, has been     3     martial arts since she was seven. Thanks to her hard work, Zhang won her first sword (剑) championship in Gansu province at 13. She then got sword and spear titles at a     4     level when she was 17, and at 20, she won a series of championship titles in various categories. In 2007, Zhang began to work as a martial arts teacher at Tianshui Normal University, getting new     5     such as first-class national athlete and first-class national judge of martial arts.

In addition to her daily teaching tasks, Zhang has been     6     to France, Russia, Malaysia and other countries many times to teach martial arts. “Martial arts can be a bridge for     7     exchanges between China and other countries,” said Zhang, adding that she wanted to     8     martial arts to the audience through the     9    . And she hoped more and more foreigners could     10     and love martial arts.

3 . Close friends have many benefits, but research shows that having “weak-tie” friendships is as valuable — or even more — as strong ones. Sociology professor Mark Granovetter published a study called “The Strength of Weak Ties” in 1973.     1    

There are two types of “circles” when it comes to a person’s social world: the inner and outer circles.     2     Meanwhile, people whom we talk to but not often belong to the outer circle. Granovetter refers to them as “strong” and “weak” ties. He points out the importance of weak ties when it comes to learning new information and ideas.

Some companies design their buildings with the intention of letting people meet by chance in a specific area. For example, Pixar has a large, central hall where employees come across each other and start small talks. Scientists have also found that weak ties create a better, happier atmosphere.

    3     On the other hand, we run out of (缺少) things to share with our friends when we get the chance to talk to them. Sometimes it’s harder to talk to people we know well because those conversations come with an emotional burden during the pandemic (流行病). But this doesn’t mean we have to stop here.

As stated in Granovetter’s work, we get more information from weak ties. Take advantage of the pandemic by asking your friends how they are.     4     This way, we can get ideas to figure out how we should behave. It is pointed out that right now, social media is the best replacement for small talks. Sparking a small talk is a way to show that you care without using much of your time, attention, and energy.     5    

A．That is the secret behind “weak-tie” friendships.

B．The study makes people value close friends in another way.

C．And then ask how they’re dealing with the current situation.

D．Social interactions nowadays are limited due to the COVID-19.

E．Close friends we feel comfortable with belong to the inner circle.

F．There, he explains that weak ties are important in friendship as well.

G．Because of the COVID-19, the world has seen a change in behaviors.

4 . Meng Wang is a professor of human genetics. She’s been doing experiments about one of the most exciting new areas of medicine — our microbiome (微生物群).

You can’t see it with the naked eye, but our microbiome is all over (and inside of) us. Recent studies show that it can influence how we behave and even how well we respond to different drugs. Wang says, “Sometimes our microbiomes make us sick, but on the other hand, they also play a very important role in keeping us healthy.”

Wang wanted to know whether our microbiome could influence aging. To test it, she decided to work with a kind of worm (虫子) that lives only two or three weeks. Her question was, what would happen if you changed a worm’s microbiome. Would it be able to live for longer?

Wang chose one of the types of bacteria (细菌) that lives inside a worm, changed its genes (基因) so as to make different varieties, and then fed this bacteria to the worms. Three weeks later — by the time they should have all died — she checked on them. To her excitement, she found that the worms had not died. Older worms usually act slowly. The ones with the new microbiomes, however, not only moved around more quickly in their old age, but were less likely affected by illness too.

Wang is now carrying out tests on mice to see whether changing their microbiomes can influence their lives in a similar way. There is a chance that one day we might take pills which do the same of us. How much longer could this possibly allow us to live for? “Personally, I think 100 is already a good number,” says Wang.

1. What influence does Microbiome have on us according to recent studies?

A．Impacting our behavior.	B．Lengthening lifespan.
C．Increasing drug resistance.	D．Leading to deadly illness.

2. What was the result of Meng Wang’s experiment?

A．The worms grew bigger in size.

B．The worms kept active at old age.

C．The worms were free from illness.

D．The worms developed into new varieties.

3. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．Man can live as long as 100.	B．Microbiome works on mice similarly.
C．More tests need to be made.	D．Wang will develop anti-aging pills soon.

4. Which might be the best title?

A．Microbiome: the hope of longer life?	B．Tips for scientific research
C．Meng Wang: leading scientist of genetics	D．Into the world of Microbiome

5 . Mindful eating is maintaining an in-the-moment awareness of the food and drink you put into your body. For many of us, our busy daily lives often make mealtimes rushed things. We find ourselves eating in the car going to work, at the desk in front of a computer screen, or parked on the couch watching TV. We eat mindlessly, taking food down regardless of whether we’re still hungry or not. In fact, we often eat for other reasons instead of hunger — to satisfy emotional needs, to free from stress, or deal with unpleasant emotions such as sadness, anxiety, loneliness, or boredom. Mindful eating is the opposite of this kind of unhealthy “mindless” eating.

Mindful eating isn’t about being perfect, always eating the right things, or never allowing yourself to eat on-the-go again. And it’s not about establishing strict rules for which foods you have to include or avoid in your diet. Rather, it’s about focusing all your senses and being present as you shop for, cook, serve, and eat your food.

While mindfulness isn’t for everyone, many people find it worth trying. By paying close attention to how you feel as you eat, you can learn to enjoy both your food and the experience of eating. It can keep you full with less food, and influence wiser choices about what you eat in the future. It can also help you free yourself from unhealthy habits.

To practice mindfulness, you need to participate in an activity with total awareness. In the case of mindful eating, it’s important to eat with all your attention rather than on multitasking (reading, watching TV, daydreaming, etc). When your attention moves away, gently bring it back to your food and the experience of cooking, serving, and eating.

1. Which belongs to mindful eating?

A．Eating while driving.	B．Eating as quickly as possible.
C．Eating to fill emotional needs.	D．Eating only to satisfy physical hunger.

2. What does the underlined word “on-the-go” mean in Paragraph 2?

A．Rudely.

B．Crazily.

C．Irregularly.

D．Hurriedly.

3. What’s the author’s attitude towards mindful eating?

A．It’s a trend in weight loss.	B．It’s worthwhile to have a go.
C．It’s a universal rule of diet.	D．It’s helpful to keep energetic.

4. What might be talked about in the following paragraph?

A．The benefits of mindful eating.	B．The practice of mindful eating.
C．The reasons for mindful eating.	D．The spread of mindful eating.

6 . Raising awareness of a serious issue begins with its being visible to students. Amazon has some fantastic things for classroom walls that you can get at a reasonable price.

Hitting, kicking, slapping, spitting, pushing, blocking Stealing or destroying someone’s possessions Making rude hand gestures (手势) Touching in unwanted & improper ways	Name calling Insults (辱骂) Teasing Improper sexual comments Threatening to cause harm	Lying & spreading rumors (谣言) Telling others not to be friends with someone Embarrassing someone in public Damaging someone’s social relationships	Posting/sending hurtful texts, emails or posts, images or videos Making online threats Imitating others online or using their log-in Spreading unkind rumors online

1. What is the poster about?

A．The types of bullying.	B．The ways of anti-bullying.
C．The causes of bullying.	D．The effects of anti-bullying.

2. Which of the following does sending hurtful emails belong to?

A．Physical bullying.	B．Verbal bullying.
C．Social bullying.	D．Cyber bullying.

3. What is the purpose of the text?

A．To sell posters.	B．To report a bullying survey.
C．To fight against bullying.	D．To reveal a rise in bullying.

7 . Emma Gatewood — called “Grandma Gatewood” by the world — was one of the early thru-hikers of the Appalachian Trail (A.T.), the longest walking-only footpath in the world. She was not the first person — or even the first woman — to hike the trail (路线). Her hike was notable because she was the first woman ever to complete the trail alone at an advanced age.

When Gatewood did her first thru-hike in 1955, there were few hikers and it was hard to follow the trail. There were also many fewer resources for hikers — fewer stores near the trail and much less information available about the trail. But still, Gatewood hiked it alone, carrying only a bag and a hiking stick. She ate a lot of sausages and trail mix. Sometimes she ran out of food and ate berries she recognized in the forest.

After her hike, Gatewood had this to say about the trail in an interview: I thought it would be a nice lark. It wasn’t. There were terrible burnt-over areas and sand washouts, and most of the shelters were blown down, burned down or so dirty I chose to sleep out of doors. This was no trail. This was a nightmare. I would never have started this trip if I had known how tough it was, but I couldn’t and I wouldn’t quit.

All things considered, the only thing more improbable than Emma Gatewood’s completing the trail at the age of 67, is that she turned around and did it again. Twice — once in 1957 and again in 1964, at the age of 76, but this time in sections.

“Gatewood inspired many hikers over the years,” says Luxenberg, president of the Appalachian Trail Museum, “People think, ‘if this elderly woman could do the trail by herself, then I should be able to.’”

1. Which might be the title for Gatewood?

A．The first thru-hiker of A.T.	B．The first female to hike A.T. alone.
C．The only woman thru-hiker of A.T.	D．The oldest person to hike A.T. alone.

2. What was Gatewood’s first hike like?

A．She met extreme weather.	B．There was various food.
C．She met many fellow travelers.	D．There was limited information.

3. What do the underlined words in Paragraph 3 mean?

A．Breaking news.	B．Great fun.
C．A big challenge.	D．An improbable task.

4. What message might the text want to convey?

A．Well begun is half done.	B．Action speaks louder than words.
C．Success is failure turned inside out.	D．Nothing is impossible to a willing heart.

8 . For millions of people sitting in a traffic jam or standing on a crowded train, the daily commute (通勤) probably isn’t the best part of their day. But cars and trains aren’t the only travel options.

Electric Vehicles

For those who have a short commute, you could consider getting an electric bike or scooter. An electric scooter has the advantage of being highly portable (轻便的): small and light enough to carry to your office. You’ll just need to check if they are allowed to be used in your area.

Take RYNO for example. It’s a single-wheel electric scooter, whose highest speed is about that of a bicycle. And like other electric vehicles, it can be charged anywhere.

WalkCar

If you want transportation for short distances, the WalkCar might be perfect for you.

The WalkCar looks like a laptop and only weighs three kilograms. It’s also incredibly easy to use — stand on it and it will start to move; move your weight to one side and it will change direction. The WalkCar will take you at a speed of up to 10 kilometers per hour and can travel 12 kilometers on one charge.

Jetpacks

Weighing around 200 kilograms, jetpacks aren’t exactly portable, but they’re sure to have a lot of fun and attract a lot of attention. Running on petrol, the jet engines allow the user to lift off the ground and fly in the air.

The world’s first jetpack is the Martin Jetpack. Once you’ve attached this tiny personal jet plane onto your back, you’ll be able to travel up to 50 kilometers at a height of 1,000 meters. With a price tag of about $150,000, this is probably the most expensive option, but it will almost certainly be the coolest!

1. What do Electric Vehicles and WalkCar have in common?
① being portable.     ② being rechargeable.
③ being widely used.     ④ being suitable for short distances.

A．①②③

B．①②④

C．①③④

D．②③④

2. What might be the reason for customers to choose jetpacks?

A．The price.	B．The appearance.
C．The weight.	D．The flight performance.

3. Which column is the text probably taken from?

A．Lifestyle.

B．Travel.

C．Entertainment.

D．Transport.

9 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式，并将答案写在答题卡上。

The ancient Chinese martial art(武术) tai chi has     1     (increasing) become popular among New Yorkers, thanks to the efforts         2     (make) by former world martial art champion Chen Sitan. From five-year-old kids to the elderly in their 70s, people from different cultural backgrounds in New York have been attracted to the martial art.

Chen started learning martial art at the age of six. By the age of 30 when he ended his athletic career, he     3     (win) 32 gold medals in Chinese and international competitions. After     4     (train) athletes in sports teams for several years, Chen decided to come to the United States in 2003     5     (bring) Chinese culture to more people around the world through tai chi. “Tai chi is not only about     6     (compete); it means much more,” said Chen. This gentle form of exercise helps keep     7     (strong) and balance, and can be     8     activity suitable for almost everyone.

Although tai chi is already getting popular in fast-paced New York City and neighboring areas, Chen is not satisfied     9     the achievements he has made. He is developing a training program through     10     his school could train more excellent teachers.

10 . 阅读下面短文, 根据内容写一篇60词左右的内容概要。

I guess everyone would like to set off for a journey with someone we can understand and have fun with. Travelling with a companion(同伴) is great!

It’s good to have someone with you who can watch your backpack when you want to use the toilet, find the way back home when you get lost, carry some of your luggage when you’re tired, take some photos of you when you want and help you in all kinds of situations. The feeling of having someone by your side makes you feel less stressful about many things.

With a companion you can together share the beautiful moments during the travels, experience the same things in a different way and support each other. It’s much more interesting and exciting when you have the chance to share something with someone while on your road. Meanwhile, there is always someone whom you can shout at when you are angry, or a shoulder on which you can cry when you miss your home.

A companion can share the costs with you. You can stay in one room, buy a dinner, have it together and share the bill, etc. It’s good to travel with someone who has the same or similar pattern of payment as you so you can support each other without having any arguments.

Having a companion by your side when travelling means less loneliness. You don’t think about it unless you get left in the middle of nowhere, far away from your friends and family. Then you wish to have someone with you.

In short, travelling with someone is the best choice for people who are short of travel experience. We might sometimes feel like being on our own and enjoy the sights with nobody behind our back but at the end of the day you have much more fun when being with someone, especially for a long run.